Bleach X For Honor: Soul Slayer

Ch. 32

The next day...

Hiyori couldn't stop the smirk that crept on her face. Every time the teen was knocked back into the rocks was an utter joy. The way he kept charging in, raking his hand down his face in a rush to get his mask on before he reached Arata wasn't gonna lose its appeal any time soon.

The hitokiri charged without the use of shunpo. Ichigo panicked. With a hasty hand, he jerked his mask to appear before Arata side-kicked him.

"That was too close. If you hadn't summoned your mask then, I would have broken your ribs." Arata berated.

"I'm getting faster though. Ain't that what counts?" Just then, his mask fell apart, his stunned face in its wake.

Arata scoffed. "Again." And again, Arata charged. He watched as Ichigo raked his hand across his face, his mask coming to form afresh. Ever since he beat his inner hollow, the boy had gained the ability to summon his mask at will just as the Visoreds predicted. Predictably as well, the time he could sustain the mask was in the single digits, but according to the more jaded Visoreds, that was impress considering he was starting out. His actions after summoning, though, lagged, evident by the fact Ichigo had to block Arata's incoming kick with his arm rather than dodging. "That was too slow. A window as large as that will prove fatal one day."

Arata dropped his axe, surprising the boy, and struck him with his palm to his chest. His mask broke as he skidded across the craggy landscape, a reddish-brown dust trail following him.

He's progressing rather well.

'Mmhm.'

Hitokiri scowled within her cabin. Ever since his falling out with Orihime, he's limited their interactions to a minimum. And Hitokiri was far from amused.

For all his strength and valor, he was a complete wreck when it came to people. He did well enough to come across as civil, but his stubbornness and focus on himself kept almost every relationship stiff, and at worst dismissive. And right now, in terms of his hostess, it was the latter, dismissing the gravity of the situation, potentially destroying one the greatest relationships he's had in a long time all because he couldn't accept the possibility of being more than a man slayer.

She felt ignored, like her thoughts and input were irrelevant to him. It almost made her want to cry.

Suddenly, Hitokiri and Arata's senses hitch. The former squealed while the latter groaned.

He and the Visoreds had their attention at the stairs. There he saw the last person he wanted to see at the moment.

"Ummm... Hi there. Excuse me, does anyone know where the restroom is? Just kidding!" Orihime laughed.

And in his distraction, Ichigo, who hadn't yet noticed his friend's sudden appearance, charged and sliced Arata across the chest. Blood spilled as he was sent crashing into a rock formation.

"Wha-?! Arata!" The teen stopped as he noticed his dazed mood too late, his mask disappearing as he raced to his side. Orihime heard his shout and she too spotted Arata's wounded body. She broke into a run towards he and Ichigo.

A half-oval shield hovered over him before he knew it. "Are you okay? Were you two training? I-" Her speech fumbled when she saw that Arata wasn't even looking at her, his head angled towards some pebbles near him. Anything would've worked as long as he wasn't paying any more attention to her. Disheartened, she quieted herself.

Ichigo noticed the cold shoulder Arata was giving off and frowned in confusion and annoyance. He had no idea what conflict the two got themselves into this time, but could he at least thank her for healing him?