The Inevitable End
These last months of the battle had been excruciating for both parties. They'd been fighting, killing, exhausting each other to the point now where there hardly were any left to fight. Last night the last ancarrar officer had been destroyed, but the costs had been devastating. The Captain Commander had died this morning from his injuries and Shunsui was still battling for his life.
However, this was not the time to grief, but to focus at the situation at hand.
Now only Aizen remained.
Ukitake sat on the edge of his bed in his private quarters, starring into the nothingness his eyes provided. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. All was destroyed; Soul Society lay in ruins, half the populations gone at the very least. The losses were irreparable; Kenpachi, Mauyri, kommamura, Yamamoto and now perhaps Shunsui as well. Immediately after Yamamoto's death had Ukitake been announced acting Captain Commander.
Byakuya, hitsugaya, and Soi Fong were badly injured as well. It seemed the only standing were himself, Unohana, Urahara, and Kurosaki.
His eyes caught a glimpse of his new captain's coat and he didn't like it. In fact he refused to wear it until there had been a proper voting. At that Unohana had just laughed at him and said; "there might not ever be one, dear Ukitake-taichou."
Dear Unohana had lost so much weight during the months of war that she hardly was recognizable. Now that he came to think of it, so had Byakuya that had been injured on and off ever since the war began. He was almost ashamed that despite illness he was fine.
The sun passed zenith and Ukitake got to feet and he had this strange feeling that he was floating, that his ears were stuffed with cotton. He felt numb.
He was walking. He could see that, yet he couldn't remember how he arrived at the 4th division.
"Ukitake-taichou," he suddenly heard muttered in Unohana gentle voice. He became aware of his surrounding again and he found himself next to Shunsui's sick bed. Unohana was standing in the door.
"Yes," he answered. Unohana looked at him with an examinating look.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yes, off course," he answered per automatic. He turned his gaze on the figure lying on the bed, "-how he doing?
"It's hard to say, but I promise that I'm doing the best I can," Unohana whispered.
"Off course, I can ask no more of any man or woman," Ukitake answered mostly to himself. Unohana felt his distance and took her leave.
Looking at the all too pale Shunsui on the bed, without the ridiculous hat and pink haori, he knew what to do. It became all to clear all of a sudden. To do one's best. He knew that Shunsui would never allow him to do what he was going to do now, but it appeared that fate had left him no choice.
For the second he got to feet and it seemed he had lost a little more feeling of his body.
"Gomenasai," he whispered and kissed Shunsui lovingly on his forehead, "- sayonara, Shunsui."
ooo
Ukitake had left the captain's coat by Shunsui's side and he felt like he was losing himself the more and more for every step he took leading away from Soul Society.
He knew that Aizen wouldn't miss the opportunity to fight him out in the open. Ukitake felt the anticipation of battle filling him up, like never before, he felt stride becoming more determined, his breathing more regular, and his body stronger. By midnight it would all be over.
He stopped dead in his track, feeling approaching reiatsu. It relieved him somewhat that it wasn't Aizen – he was nowhere near far enough away from the city for it to be safe to fight.
Kurosaki Ichigo appeared with Orihime.
"Ukitake-taichou," Ichigo greeted. Ukitake merely made a nod of acknowledgement of their presence.
"Ukitake-taichou, what are you doing alone all the way out here?" Ichigo asked with badly hid concern in his voice.
"It doesn't matter," Ukitake answered bluntly with a powerful voice so unlike him. Orihime broke in, breaking Kurosaki's concentration.
"We just wanted to know what we can do to help, Ukitake-taichou," she squealed in a high pitched tone.
"Orihime, if you really want to help, you will attend the wounded in the 4th division." There was this voice again. It wasn't at all like the cough battered voice he was used to, this was cleaner, deeper. It was different. Orihime took off when she saw Ichigo wanting to speak to Ukitake.
Ichigo studied ukitake's eyes intently to try and figure out what was so different about him. Then it hit him. Before him stood a man, ready to make the ultimate sacrifice.
"What is this, Ukitake-taichou?," Ichigo asked in a low voice. Ukitake tried unsuccessfully to reassure Ichigo with a smile, but failed miserably.
"I make this pledge to you, Ichigo, and to Soul Society and especially Shunsui," Ukitake began solemnly, "-that Aizen will not live beyond this night!"
Ichigo nodded the impact of the words on his chest heavy. He truly felt the man's resolution.
"Do you know where he is?" Ichigo asked. To his surprise Ukitake just shook his head.
"No, but I have an idea," Ukitake answered without meeting the young boy… no…young man's gaze.
"What can I do?" Ichigo asked.
"Keep people away from the battle ground so I don't have to worry killing innocence,"
"You mean innocents?
"Yes! Yes, off course," Ukitake smiled, "-tidal waves have the tendencies to not discriminate"
Ichigo didn't quite understand, but held eye contact for a moment longer.
"Arigatou, Ukitake-Soutaichou. For everything."
"Arigatou to you too," he answered and flash stepped into the distance, further in to the belly of the beast.
ooo
It was a funny thing to know exactly when to stop, when he didn't know the directions to, nor the name of the place he was going.
It was nothing but a waste land, a dessert. The sand out here was about as nutritious as Shunsui's everyday diet. There was nothing to destroy out here.
He needed to prepare for Aizen's perfect illusions. And he had seen just how perfect they were, even the feel of reiatsu could he manipulate. Ukitake had one advantage though; Aizen had never seen his bankai. Still, to avoid being fooled by the illusions he would have to loose himself completely.
The power within him was about to burst to get out. It screamed to be let loose, it had been held captive for so long, but he forced it down though he didn't want to. There was no reason to scare Aizen off just yet.
At that very moment the heavens opened up and revealed Aizen with that usual creepy smile on his face.
"Ukitake? I'm surprised," Aizen began as he floated down to the ground, "-I though 3 months of war time would have been enough to knock you of your feet with that cough of yours. I see that I was mistaking."
"Aizen," Ukitake acknowledged with a tone not unlike Byakuya's and closed his eyes.
"How's old man Yamamoto doing?" Aizen asked, his smile broadening.
"He's dead," answered Ukitake without at all changing expression. Even Byakuya would have been proud. Aizen's smile died a little, when the desired reactions didn't come.
"How's Shunsui?" he then dared, the smile returning. Ukitake took a breath.
"He's still hanging on to life."
"Ah, pity!" Aizen commented and looked closely at Ukitake daring to come a few steps closer, "-you do know that closing your eyes won't help against my illusions, right?"
"Off course not," Ukitake answered simply.
"Hm," Aizen's smile disappeared from his lips, "-aren't you going to attack me?" Much to aizen's surprise Ukitake smile at this. Not one of his normal good natured smiled, but it was a bitter one. For a moment he thought he saw evil.
"I'm sure you've already initiated," Ukitake answered and it wasn't until now aizen noticed the different voice. Ukitake released shikai, still with his eyes closed, "-I'm ready. How about you, Aizen Sosuke?"
He sneered and then drew his sword and ran towards Ukitake. It could be an illusion, it might not be, but Ukitake focused on the massive electric energy the surged through him. He found what he was looking for and released some of the energy.
ooo
Aizen didn't know what happened. He was lying on the ground, breathing hard, and the harsh smell of burned flesh filled the air. Then he felt weight on his chest and he opened his eyes to find Ukitake with one knee on him. Ukitake leaned in over him, not caring about the proximity and then whispered in his ear:
"I've got you now." He straightened up again. Aizen, it seemed were too taken aback to react.
"Bankai," Ukitake yelled so loud it must have been audible miles away and he released more of the trapped energy.
Aizen merely watched as Ukitake opened his eyes, only to reveal that they'd changed colour to an electric blue. The sky started to turn black and with that Ukitake's hair as well. Everything around them went completely black, swallowing the light until Ukitake's two sword began to glow blueish and they became longer, more slender. The chain that connected them sizzled with electricity.
It appeared they where caught in a space without time or place. An ear deafening roar was heard from all directions and Aizen suddenly noticed the prominent blueish line following the horizon all the way around.
"What is this? How were you able to see through the illusion?
"A lightning bolt doesn't care about appearances, sound, or even reiatsu. It strikes where it's the easiest to get in the ground. For an example a lifted sword," Ukitake answered calmly, "-What is Aizen really without his perfect illusion? Let's see the man behind the mask!"
Ukitake released his hold on Aizen and backed away, allowing him to get on his feet again. Aizen did so very slowly. This seemed so out character for Ukitake, the hair, the voice, the eyes only added to this, but he seemed so different than the Ukitake he thought he knew. This one seemed almost arrogant, evil, uncaring.
He pulled himself together.
"This is very impressive, Ukitake, but I'm not done yet!" Aizen exclaimed. Ukitake's intense eyes became even more evil looking.
"Aizen, have you ever felt the fury of the sea. Have you ever grasped the power of a storm? Have you ever seized the force of a lightning?" He asked.
"Yes," answered Aizen his questions and as the words made their impact it became all too clear how small he was. This was one of the oldest zanpakutous he was against. Wielded by Yamamoto's 2000 year old prodigy.
"Then there should be no doubt in you either. You are going to die tonight. Will you rather be electrocuted, drown, or fight me like the Death God you once was?"
Aizen felt as though cold water was running down his back, but he hid it beneath a sneer and made ready for another attack.
He conjured an illusion like never before and went straight for Ukitake. Ukitake saw all that the illusion wanted him to, but not how it was suppose to mislead him into believing that Aizen was attacking from another position than he really was. It was an illusion inside an illusion.
However, nothing had changed from the first time Aizen attacked and Ukitake let the atmosphere fill with electricity and a lightning bolt hit the real Aizen again, knocking him off his feet and severely burning him.
"This is too easy a way out for such a person such as you, Aizen!" Ukitake said and with one swift movement with the right sword he separated the head from the body, leaving nothing to coincidence.
Ukitake closed his eyes, stumbled back a few steps, and opened them again, but they still refused to focus. He was the two parted body beneath him and he accidentally dropped the right sword.
As soon as the sword touched the ground the roar from the horizon ten folded and Ukitake swiftly picked it up again, realizing that it was the tidal wave that had set off.
He needed to stop it, with all his might, he needed to stop it. He fell to his knees and closed his eyes again, concentrating like rarely before. He slipped into a trance, slowly becoming one with the water. Excruciatingly slow.
It took him hours before the wave decided to disappear and the electric atmosphere with. It was midnight when the two swords became one again.
"There he is," someone yelled. There were several voices that answered. Ukitake didn't want to have company. He just needed to sit there until the strange feeling went away, the feeling that filled him with desire to hurt somebody.
He felt a large hand on his shoulder.
"Jyuu," was uttered in a deep tender voice. Ukitake recognized the voice and struggled to see through the fog.
"Shunsui," he realized in a tone that revealed no emotion. Shunsui looked at him with concern. He had seen this a couple of times before, the black hair, the blue eyes, and the trance like state.
"You're fool! You know that, right! And don't you ever do that again!" Shunsui whispered.
"What's wrong with him?" said an outside voice.
"That's difficult to explain," Shunsui began,"-his zanpakutou has two personalities; one good, and one bad. When he releases bankai the bad one possesses him and his hair turns black and his eyes blue.
He had once told me that when he's like this he has to fight the urge to kill," Shunsui sighed,"-it'll be weeks before he's back to normal and as he does that his body will become weaker and weaker. It'll be months before he's truly over it"