I'm EXTREMELY sorry for the long wait! Just know that updates will be erratic from now on because of everything I'm involved in. Anywhoo, I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter because I'm not particularly good at battle scenes, but oh, well. I present to you:

Chapter 5

Exequias

Karin dropped to her knees, feeling the weight of the intense spiritual pressure forcing her closer and closer to the pavement. She gasped for breath and stared up at the thing standing before her through tears welling up in her eyes. So this was an arrancar. She'd heard her father and Ichigo talk about them during the war, but she'd never met one face to face. The sheer strength of this thing was on a scale entirely beyond anything she'd ever fought before. She could feel it sapping the life out of her. She could barely move her hands across the concrete, let alone stand up and summon any strength. There was no way she would be able to fight.

She looked over to Matsumoto, visibly weakened by the spiritual pressure, and Hitsugaya, gritting his teeth against the urge to crumple to the ground. Slowly, painfully, he drew his zanpakuto, his lieutenant doing the same. They stood there, biding their time, hoping to become accustomed to the spiritual pressure the mammoth exuded. They didn't want to fight him just yet. The arrancar realized this, too, and let out a long, high-pitched cackle that reverberated through Karin's body like thunder.

"Poor thing. Are you really afraid of me? Aren't you the infamous Captain Toushirou Hitsugaya? The one who nearly killed Lord Aizen before Ichigo Kurosaki finished him off? Strange, I never would have imagined him getting taken out by such a little whelp," the arrancar spat out, his voice filled with hateful mockery. Hitsugaya's eyes flashed with rage, but he didn't acknowledge the insult.

"You're powerful," he said, readjusting his footing yet again. "What's your name?" The arrancar hissed in disgust.

"There's no need for someone like you to know my name. The only thing you need to know is that I am an Exequias, and you're next on my list to be executed."

"An Exequias? Who sent you?" Hitsugaya asked, his mind working furiously.

"Too many questions!" the Exequias growled, charging forward, its claws outstretched. Hitsugaya jumped onto a neighboring rooftop a safe distance away.

"Get ready, Exequias. Bankai."

Slowly, ice began to overtake the hilt of his zanpakuto, spreading up his arm and across his back. Two great ice wings formed behind him, followed by three flowers of ice above his head. He hung suspended in the air, glaring at the Exequias with a deadly calm.

Karin stared in amazement. So this was Hitsugaya's Bankai. All through the war, she'd never been close enough to him during a battle to see it. But now…it was majestic.

"This is Daiguren Hyorinmaru. I'm sure you two will get along," he said with a look of utmost composure. In an instant, he flew at the Exequias, blade poised to strike. Karin couldn't see more than a blur as he streaked through the air, aiming at the arrancar's chest in what would have been a fatal blow. His opponent was faster, though, blocking him with one gigantic arm. Hitsugaya went reeling through the window of a nearby building, smashing through the layers of glass and concrete. The Exequias cackled again, thrilled at his blow.

"Captain!" Matsumoto cried, dashing to the gaping hole her superior had created. She was stopped by one powerful swing of the arrancar's arm, sending her whirling through the air. She stopped herself in midair, a lethal glint in her eye as she wiped a trail of blood from her mouth.

"You'll pay for that," she said, taking a deep breath as she gathered all her strength. "Bankai."

There was a hissing noise, and Matsumoto's zanpakuto dissolved into ash. A moment later, the pieces came together to form a colossal grey leopard, four stories tall at its full height. It hissed, showing its window-sized teeth. Karin pushed herself back against a wall, feeling that she did not want to be in the way of whatever that cat was scratching at.

"My Bankai, Kagezetsumei Haineko," Matsumoto said proudly. "You're lucky. You're the first hollow to see her. She thinks you look yummy."

"Oh, look at the little pussy cat," the arrancar said tauntingly. "Come here, little kitty. I'll give you a treat."

The cat hissed again, recoiling onto its haunches before lunging forward. It flew at the Exequias with claws outstretched, nails lengthening as they emerged from the fur. The arrancar was shocked into silence for a split-second, unable to move. It was just long enough for the cat to strike, sinking its claws into the arrancar's frame, powerful jaws aimed for its head. The thing howled in pain as blood poured from its wounds.

"You bitch!" A red flash of light shot from the arrancar's mouth, piercing the cat's head. The Bankai dissolved and reformed behind Matsumoto, who stood imposingly, watching the Exequias writhe in pain.

"It's not over yet. Takai nigiri!" The cat pounced again. This time, though, something was different. It opened its mouth fully, expanding until the cavity was big enough to encompass the arrancar's entire body. The shock had worn off, though, and he sent another cero blast at the creature. This one bypassed the cat altogether, instead aiming for an unprepared Matsumoto. She leaped back, but not before the red light caught up with her. She landed with a sickening thud a good fifty feet away and lay unmoving. A pool of blood began to gather around her as the creature advanced.

"Leave her alone, you bastard!" Karin shouted, somehow finding the strength to stand. The Exequias turned to her, looking entirely as though this was the first time he had noticed her.

"Oho! Another little kitty cat. No, you're more of a mouse. You don't even have any claws to scratch with. Why, you're just a human. Oh, this should be easy." The arrancar raised its arm, preparing for a crushing blow. "I'm not even going to waste my spirit energy on you."

Karin closed her eyes as the massive fist plummeted down on her. She swallowed, preparing herself for an instant of intense pain and then…nothing. But it never came. Instead, she felt the breeze of something dashing by just in front of her and opened her eyes to see the Exequias staggering back, clutching its stump of a hand.

"You-you-"

"Don't give up on me so easily, hollow." Karin looked up at Hitsugaya, floating above her like a protecting angel. He was bruised and bloody. His wings were chipped and cracked. He only had one flower left hanging above him. But his calm never faltered. He glared at the Exequias, the intent to kill pouring out of him. Hyorinmaru was at his side, dripping with the arrancar's blood. Slowly, he brought it before him and closed his eyes.

"Ryusenka." Instantly, a wall of ice rose up around the Exequias, surrounding him. A moment later, the ice shattered, the arrancar along with it. The spiritual pressure disappeared, and Hitsugaya dropped to the ground, his Bankai dissolving. The battle was over.