If Soul Society gave an award for most malicious smirk in the after life, Aizen would have had no competition. He stood ready with his two Arrancar guard with Grimmjow providing a smile that wasn't as malicious as much as it was...insane. As a matter of fact, the only one among them who wasn't smiling was Ulquiorra...but does that really surprise anyone who knows the melancholic Cuatro Espada? In any case, Ichigo was not amused.
Ichigo held his zanpakutō before himself bravely and Renji stood by his side but Renji couldn't help but look just a bit nervous. What the hell does Ichigo think he's doing? These are two Espada AND two Arrancar Commanders!
As if reading Renji's mind, Ichigo turned to his friend, shooting him a don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing look before turning back with a slight smirk. Ichigo was ready for attack but before he even realized it, Gin was behind him and securely (and painfully) binded Ryūken's arms behind his back and started to drag him off. Aizen gave them one more evil smirk before deciding to speak.
"That wasn't much of a rescue."
There was a short pause where Ichigo and Renji returned the Arrancar's cold glares before Aizen raised his smirk again.
"I will enjoy adding your zanpakutōs to my collection."
Renji furrowed his eyebrows and leveled his sword like Ichigo had.
"Oh, I don't think so."
"Hem...kill them. Bring me their zanpakutōs...and their heads..."
Grimmjow and Ulquiorra moved forward slowly in individual battle stances. Grimmjow gave his usual insane smile as he thrust towards Ichigo with as much power as he could muster only to have it easily deflected. Fortunately for the latter, he had time to equip his mask...giving him a better chance at survival. Renji on the other hand was becoming far to over confident for his own good.
"Oi! Espada! Are you going to unsheathe your zanpakutō or are ya gonna just let me slice right through ya?"
Ulquiorra just stood still and stared coldly back at Renji. The battle between Ichigo and Grimmjow was moving swiftly and intensely and Renji was beginning to become bored of this little 'staring contest'.
"Alright, if ya ain't gonna attack me then I'm just gonna have to attack you instead."
The fourth Espada kept that calm look even as Renji unleashed his shikai and his blade became segmented with pick-like protrusions. Not wasting a single moment, Renji used it like a whip and swung it in the Arrancar's direction.
Renji stood with a bright smirk for a few seconds as he waited for the dust cloud to disappear...but when it did, he got a most unusual surprise. Ulquiorra had literally stopped the sword by simply holding up his bare hands. Renji's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets. Before Renji even thought to pull the blade back, the Espada grabbed the blade and sent it plunging towards its master...leaving Renji only seconds to get out of the way of his own sword.
"You are a waste of my time Shinigami. I have my orders and I intend to complete them...completely."
Renji looked up from his place on the ground, forced onto one knee with a slow trickle of blood running from his mouth. He met those cold eyes with the same, if not more, hatred.
"Fuck you!"
"Sorry Shinigami...I don't do that sort of thing with your kind."
Ulquiorra lifted his left palm from the hilt of his zanpakutō and a dark crimson light began to warp into an orb in his hand and across his fingers...a cero blast!
"Come on Shinigami...you can do better than that!"
"Bastard!"
Ichigo once again had his blade blocked by Grimmjow's. Ichigo's mask had broken only a few seconds before but already it was beginning to turn the tide of the battle. Damn, this would be a lot easier if I had him on the defensive instead of the other way around...if only I could get this mask to last longer than a minute...
Grimmjow brought his sword down hard against his and eventually forced Ichigo back several feet.
"You're such a pushover...Kurosaki-chan."
Ichigo's right eye began to twitch and his teeth almost seemed to form into daggers.
"THAT'S IT!!!..."
Ichigo brought his zanpakutō straight out ahead with both hands grasped around the non-existent hilt.
"...BAN-KAI!!!"
The area around Ichigo was filled with the same colored energy as a cero blast as his sword was transformed into its more compact daitō form and his robes were replace by a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining. Despite the bright blue hair blowing to and fro across his face, Grimmjow's eyes noticeably hardened.
"Bankai? How many times do I have to tell you your Bankai ain't gonna do shit to me?"
Ichigo now was almost completely turned away from Grimmjow as he let his coat flow with the wind and held his sword out even with the ground. He let a smirk cross his face as he turned his head so that his right eye had a clear view of his opponent.
"My Bankai alone might be too little to defeat you but..."
Ichigo used his Bankai's incredible speed to appear instantly behind Grimmjow even faster than capable with shunpo with his sword still held straight out.
"...I think you'll find my Bankai's special ability more than your skills can handle."
"Well what are ya waiting for ya little shit...come at me then."
Moving faster than seemed possibly without actually teleporting, Ichigo appeared directly above Grimmjow and pointed his zanpakutō down.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A plume of black energy with a red outline went hurling from the end of Ichigo's blade and before it had even seemed to have moved, Ichigo had already moved to five completely different locations and sent out a consecutive blast for each one.
Grimmjow's eyes shot wide in shock and terror as multiple energy blasts headed straight for him. He tried holding up his zanpakutō to block the attacks but Ichigo had the ability to control their paths as well.
Wave after wave of spiritual energy crashed into Grimmjow's body while he was surrounded by a massive dust cloud as the impacts had left a giant crater around him The wave of dust cleared and Grimmjow could feel black fluids flowing down his body and with all his strength leaving him, Grimmjow crashed down to his knees.
Ichigo was so ready to land the fatal blow that would get rid of him once and for all when, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Renji knelling of the ground in pain while a pale Espada with jet black hair and what appeared to be half a vasto lorde helmet atop his head built up a cero blast across his fingers. Any other time Ichigo would have been sure Renji could block the attack but this was a powerful Espada and he already appeared to be wounded.
Then, without warning, the cero blast fired at an alarming speed...heading straight for Renji.
Renji tensed and closed his eyes as he knew the blast was coming...and knew he didn't have the strength to move or to block it in time. Then after a few seconds he was wondering what was taking it so long. What the hell is he waiting for? Just do it already! Damn, it doesn't take that long to charge up and it moves at a blinding speed so why am I still here? Renji chanced a glance only to see Ichigo in front of him with his blade held straight in front of Renji; the remains of a cero blast being absorbed by the blade.
Ulquiorra's expression remained the same but he did move in a little closer.
"Huh...you know Shinigami, it's rude to interfere with a fight like this."
"Well from my point of view, it's wrong to kill someone while they're down."
Ichigo readied for an attack when he heard something from behind him stated he had remembered to that day.
" Shoot to kill...Shinsō."
Ichigo immediately lifted his zanpakutō to cover his right shoulder as Gin's blade extended in the blink of an eye and impacted hard against Ichigo's. It took all the energy Ichigo had to keep himself planted in that position and the blinding light illuminated from the sword wasn't helping much either.
Ichigo could feel himself being driven back across the ceiling of his school as the blade tried to continue to move despite its current opposition. He could feel himself moving back and he didn't know how much more of this he could take when suddenly...
"AHH!!!"
...a massive energy arrow hurled straight through Gin's body. Only feet behind him Ryūken was standing with his newly freed arms...still clutching the crossbow in his hands. Gin's eyes were now wide open and his usual smirk had left his face as he turned around.
"I guess you should have kept a tighter hold on me Gin."
"N-no...I...I can't die...not like...this..."
Renji, Ichigo and even Aizen were staring out of shock as Gin grasped his side with one hand and tried running towards his opponent at a limb pace...it didn't take long for Gin to fall over and collapse. Ichigo and Renji were so surprised by the sudden turn of events that none of them noticed what was happening until it was too late.
Aizen had spent the time the Shinigami were distracted in to open the portal back to Las Noches. He gave a sinister laugh as he landed a hand upon his sword.
"You lose, Renji-fukutaichō!"
(to be continued…)