Chapter 3

Wow, thank you everyone for your kind and encouraging reviews! Here is the third chapter, it's comparatively short but I think more happens in it than all of the others (is that bad?).

To say that the captains' meeting was tense would be a gross understatement. All of the captains stood silently at attention while Genryusai sat, his eyes closed.

Toshiro looked around at his comrades, they had all been affected by Hinamori's disappearance, but with a captain's desertion, the situation seemed far graver. Personally, the boy felt envious of Komamura's determination. His willingness to cast everything aside for the sake of a friend left Toshiro feeling empty at his comparative inaction.

Something is wrong with Hinamori, Toshiro asserted. However, I suspect strongly that it's not her doing. Something has changed in her spiritual pressure. It is probably my imagination, but the pressure felt very similar to a vaizard's. But it isn't possible that she went through the hollowfication process. His thoughts were interrupted when the head captain's staff struck the floor once.

"After great thought," the Genryusai said in a surprisingly calm tone. "I have made the decision that we shall do nothing concerning the desertions. If they do not return in one month, we will consider it as a resignation and we will seek new shinigami to replace them. It is partly my responsibility for this. I gave in too much to Hinamori and should have retired her. Furthermore, I should have realised that Komamura would become attached too easily. In all likelihood, we will see them return in time. At the moment, we have more important things to attend to.

"And when they do come back, Hinamori is to have her powers bound permanently and sent to Rukongai. Komamura is to have a thorough review of his service and he might get off with minimal punishment, however that entirely depends."

Toshiro wanted to say something in defence, after all, it was probably because of him that Komamura suggested Hinamori be stationed with him in her 'special status'.

Kurotsuchi's permanent smile widened slightly.

Momo yawned loudly as she sat up. The sun had not yet risen, making the cave around her seem even darker. She could hear Sajin's steady breathing behind her. She turned around to look at him. He had followed her all the way out here. I really underestimated our bond. She sighed. I'm terrible, she thought regretfully as she removed his captain's haori the he gave her to use as a blanket. He even let her use his massive arm as a pillow. Such a captain humbling himself for me, I don't deserve this. Nevertheless, I can't let him carry this guilt; I need to resolve this.

She folded up the white garment and laid it beside the giant wolf then walked to the cave entrance.

Saha, you are certain that our destruction is inevitable? Momo asked.

Yes, I have found where Aizen tampered with my soul; I have tried to reverse it, but in vain. We are going to die. However, that cannot stop us from making his plan fruitless.

Momo nodded, Very well, let us compose our requiem.

How very poetic.

"Are you going to run off again?" Sajin asked, propping himself up on his side.

The face she showed him when she turns caused a sharp pain to grip his throat. Her eyes were screaming silently in despair.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up.

"I'm sorry; friend, but we must part ways here. My life has taken a turn, you belong here; I do not."

"Listen, we can go back," he urged. "You have friends; they will plead your cause."

"The road that has been set before me is one of death, do not follow me."

"That's nonsense Hi-"

"You wanted to know what caused me to snap. Well, I shall show you."

Suddenly he felt his face hit the dirt as the space was filled with a suppressive reiatsu. He was not ready for it. He looked up at her and saw white flakes converge at a corner of her face. They built onto one another forming a smooth, white mask. He coughed as the reiatsu became sharper as the mask spread across her forehead and over her eyes. Its smooth surface was broken by two trapezoid windows for her violet glowing eyes. A broad purple line ran from her right eye like a permanent stream of tears. Finally, the mask finished with a top row of broad, feline teeth.

"Your-" Komamura was unable to finish.

"Goodbye, dearest captain." she said, turning from him and vanishing.

He coughed heavily, trying to get up, but finding his muscles uncooperative. "Momo!" he roared. The silence that followed was nearly more than he could bear as the sun rose.

Jidanbo, the giant who guarded over one of the four gates, stood at his post, enjoying the serenity that the morning brought to his region. He heard something, like a mighty wind howling in the distance, then the next thing he knew, the walls activated at began to fall down from the sky, but before they did the giant felt some sort of pressure pass by him into the city.

He called out his hell butterfly and yelled, "A ryoka has appeared in Seiterei, moving very quickly!

Hinamori came to a halt at the edge courtyard before the Dagonhai gate. She tried to sense for any guards, but the world seemed empty to her.

"Why can't I sense anyone?" Momo asked.

"Because my reiatsu is overwhelming your senses," Saha replied. "I'll do any detecting."

They waited a moment longer, before moving. Momo charged towards the entrance. She raised her violet bladed sword to thrust into the door and unlock it. However instead she met with an excessively hard surface. She fell back, her hands numb from the shock of impact.

A red barrier field glowed in front of her. Saha growled from under the mask and grabbed the sword, slashing at the red barrier, but to no avail. A high pitch snicker caused them to turn.

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi stood before them. "Amazing," he said, barely containing his joy. "You have already resonated with your inner hollow. How very delicious. With you as a test subject, Hinamori-kun, I would have so much I could do so many… wonderful things."

"You're wrong, Mayuri-kun, we are not Hinamori anymore, we are Saha!" Momo/Saha let out a metallic roar and charged forward.

If we could only defeat him, his barrier will break. Momo mused.

Go to sleep, Momo, I can go full power for a short time; it should be ordered.

Mayuri drew his sword to deflect his target's blade but before the swords made contact, Saha disappeared. The captain flash stepped just in time to avoid the blade that would have decapitated him from behind. However, just as he arrived at his next location a line of violet steel was fast approaching his face. He raised his blade and sparks scattered with the contact.

"Impressive, that isn't a shuunpo you are using, that is a sonido." He commented.

Saha growled and drew back her sword and began striking out wrathfully. "It would be appropriate for me to use sonido, as I am a hollow!"

Mayuri easily deflected each strike then attempted to lash out with his own katana. Even though he knew he was more skilled, he did not want to waste so much energy in this way, he never did like physical combat, and he needed to back away far enough to use kido. Finally, he received an opening, he thrust out his blade catching Hinamori in the arm making a shallow, but effective cut. Saha let out a wrathful wail of pain and stepped back.

Then he advanced and made a promising swipe but Saha leapt over it sideways, the vicious blade passing just below her body. Then midair she grabbed his deathly pale wrist and as she landed she propelled him over her body, he landed on his back and she raised her blade.

At the last moment he made her release him and he rose upwards, but Saha anticipated and swung her katana towards his middle.

"Snap, Tobiume!" Hinamori's voice broke through Saha's momentarily as the mask shattered. Her violet katana sprouted prongs and fire engulfed the surface.

The captain flash stepped back as an enormous fireball blasted toward him.

Even without the mask, her powers are greatly enhanced. Mayuri thought, oh well, now that I'm at a distance, she won't be able to stop me.

"Bakudo Number Sixty-T-." he began,

"Hado Number Ninety, Black Coffin!" Momo screamed.

"What!" Kurotsuchi exclaimed as a black rectangle slammed on top on him.

Momo sighed heavily; she could feel the drain of using such a powerful Hado. The black box dispersed and Maryuri fell with green fluid spattering all over the tiled ground.

"How!" he choked out, "Someone of your power shouldn't be able to use than, and without an incantation."

"I did use the incantation," she replied calmly. "But with my experience I can say them far faster than anyone else. Now, Bakudo Number Sixty-Two, Sajo Sabaku."

Gold chains appeared around the captain, locking him into an imprisoned state.

She turned away from the self-deformed captain, and looked to the gate. She through a fireball from Tobiume and the red barrier vanished. Sheathing her katana she stepped ran towards the gate.

The air of the courtyard dropped in temperature suddenly and the white haired Toshiro landed in front of her.

"Stop!" he yelled, "Hinamori, stop this!"

She looked around for some sort of escape or way around the friend who currently stood in the way. She could feel the hollowfication approaching completion, the fighting with the Eleventh Squad Captain had greatly hastened the process.

"Momo, you can stop, you're safe, you don't have to run anymore." Toshiro said soothingly. He made a quick glance at the defeated Mayuri. Did she do this? How could she have? I was afraid that the Black Coffin had been used on her, but judging by her condition, it seems she defeated Kurotsuchi without a scratch. Where had she gotten this power?

"Remove yourself," she ordered with more authority than he had ever heard his childhood friend utter.

"I can't." he replied, his face twisted in hurt, "Hinamori, I can't let you just go."

"If you will not move than I will make you!" she began to draw the purple blade of Tobiume from her sheath.

"You're going to draw a sword against me?" he said in wounded disbelief. "The Hinamori I knew and cared for didn't do such a thing."

"What's all this Hinamori this and Hinamori that?" The violet blade now was fully drawn and gleaming darkly in the sunlight. She raised a hand in front of her face, "If you are going to address me, call me by my real name, Saha." Her last words sounded metallic as the weeping, sinister mask spread across her face.

Toshiro just stared in speechless shock as she raised her blade towards him.

"Snap, Tobiume!"

Woohoo! Next chapter is going to be fun! Question, what did you all think about the action? Was it well described? Did it keep your blood pumping? Or was it on the bland side?

Also, tell me if you think my Momo is a Mary Sue, I dread ever making one, but I hope she isn't (if anything it's Saha with all the power here, lol.). Oh and a little note, Saha cannot use kido or the sword's powers, that's why Momo's mask disappeared when she released Tobiume and began the incantation. Make's you wonder why Saha is even trying to use the shikai, hmm?