Trapped.
Trapped like the proverbial rat in a trap. Phoenix shook her head as she watched the enraged Hyourinmaru play with his prey below.
“Shameful. All of them,” she thought aloud, “but I cannot allow them to die. They are still needed in the game.”
Before Ulquiorra and Kita, the phoenix appeared.
The seraph exclaimed at her appearance. She, then, watched master become free of the frozen death that had taken him over and the walls of her icy prison melt away. Making a mad dash to her master’s side as he staggered to the cave wall for balance, she grabbed him quickly.
The large bird of flame flapped its wings, melting all that surrounded them, covered them, and tried to destroy them. Fiery eyes gazed on as Ulquiorra's limb grew back and Kita rushed over from her ice trap.
“Go!” It was all the goddess told them.
Holding her master, Kita sonido’ed them both away from the on coming fight she knew was about to burst forth before their eyes. Then, she let go.
Ulquiorra wasted no time in reveling over his regenerated arm. Summoning a gate, he stepped through with Kita in tow. It was time to report to Aizen.
---
Seeing the tail of Hyourinmaru still laying in wait, Phoenix’s blazing talon grabbed hold, piercing it deep with her claws. With a piercing call, she reared her head and pulled Hyourinmaru forth to face her.
“Return to your masters side and remain there; or the next time you see me I will destroy you myself.”
She flapped her wings, again rising above him, the ice dripping and melting quickly around her. Screeching again, she watched and waited for Hyourinmaru’s next move. Wondering if he dared to attack a god.
Hyourinmaru merely looked at Phoenix as she stabbed his tail. Did she think it hurt him? His was pain far more terrible than physical. He watched as the two souls who invaded retreated through the gargaunta. Finally they were gone.
He looked back at the phoenix with dead eyes.
"If you are determined to protect these creatures, then keep them away from my master. I will not let anyone disturb his peace. Not even a fellow God. I will destroy you if I must and freeze you ashes to keep you from being reborn. Stay away from this place and all will be fine. Leave my master and I alone."
Hyourinmaru dematerialized into his human form and sealed the cave mouth with his body, turning all to ice.
Phoenix looked down on the ice dragon and laughed.
"Your powers are limited against me. The only reason you are allowed to remain here is because you bring change to the droll lives of the gods."
She watched him as he dematerialized, blocking the cave entrance as she shook her head.
“For a zanpakuto you’re not that intelligent are you? You clam this all to be for your master, but you fail to realize -- he still lives. You’re so wrapped into defending him and keeping him safe you have missed that fact. Open your eyes,
Hyourinmaru! It was the seraph that took the prodigy’s life! Not Kita that took Toshiro Hitsugaya’s life!”
She flapped her wings, rising higher above him and the cave, her words falling down on his ears.
“Dwell on that thought while you lay here in wait for him to resurrect -- Which will never come in this case of death.”
As he watched her fly away, the dragon spoke softly to himself, "You underestimate my powers and my intellect. I am following the will of my master."
With the cave entrance sealed by a thick layer of ice and no more disturbances in his storm, he returned to his blade.
Waiting.
Continued in: Winter’s Touch: The Cave’s Truth
