This is pretty much the end. There is another chapter, but I have huge writer's block there, so it's only 3/5 of the way done. Soooo, we begin wrapping things up.

We ran forward, taking two to an Espada as we went, as they got progressively stronger. Then we got to Starrk at the end. He looked at us boredly, honing in on Kyoraku, who smirked.

"Oh he's mine."

"We don-"

"We do this time. Step aside, ladies." I smacked him in the back of the head, and he threw his kimono and hat at me.

"Take those. I don't want you, nor your brother here."

"But-"

"As your Captain, I'm telling you to leave." Captain interjected. I glowered at him, then looked at Ichiro, and started shunpoing back a few rooms, where we stood still for a few minutes. Ichiro took the hat, and kimono, and put them on.

"Now I just need sake." I rolled my eyes and took them back from him.

"Moron. Focus a little bit. Can you still sense them?"

"Yeah. Strong and clear- He's already down." his eyes went wide.

"Who?!"

"Starrk. He's dead. Already. Jesus." He took the stuff off and handed it to me, just as the captains came in.

"Thank you." Kyoraku took his stuff from me, then looked at me very seriously.

"Don't think about him." I turned red, and he clapped me on the shoulder.

"It's better this way." he turned back to Captain.

"We should get back to Yamajii, now that they're all dead." he winked at me, and I narrowed my eyes, then shunpoed off after him, Ichiro following.

We slid to a stop in the clearing, and while the captains reported to Yamajii, I snuck behind Renji, then jumped on his back. He oofed under my sudden weight, and stumbled back a few steps.

"Who the hell is on my back?" I laughed.

"That's no way to talk to me."

"Akiho, what have I said about imitating people's voices?" he pried my fingers off, then he turned around, and stared at me. I just grinned, and he pulled me into him tight, one arm around my shoulders, the other around my waist, his face in my neck. I wrapped my arm around his waist, resting my head on his chest, leaving my left arm dangling.

"Are you hurt?"

"Yep." he pulled away and looked at me, concern lighting his features. I rolled my eyes.

"Grimmjow broke my arm."

"And you don't care?"

"Oh I do. I'm blocking it out." he pulled me back into him hard, and I laughed.

"Chill. People are still fighting ya know. And have you seen Shougo? And Ichiro?" he pulled away, looking concerned again.

"They're dead."

"Nuh-uh. Teruna brought them back. Ichiro!" he glanced up from talking with Akiho. I gestured for him to come over, and he did, looking at Renji.

"Sup dude?" he just stared at Ichiro like he was a ghost. I grinned.

"That's im-" I put a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Don't say that word," I warned, "Have you seen what I can do? I bet I could bring people back from the dead too." he looked at me, taking my hand away from his mouth.

"Don't."

"I won't. No need to see anyone from the dead, return. Not even myself." he looked back to Ichiro.

"And how has your two weeks been?"

"Well, I found my girlfriend again." he glanced back at Akiho.

"Didn't she go missing-"

"A month ago? You catch on quick. This is where she went." he looked back to me.

"This seems way more exciting than what we've been doing." I rolled my eyes.

"You'd be dead or imprisoned after the first day. I got into so many fights, and you know that."

"How does that result in me being dead or imprisoned."

"Well, you'd probably get into a huge fight with whoever I got into a fight with, and after you got killed or imprisoned, I'd have another bone to pick with the person. So all around, that was a bad idea." he shook his head and rested his forehead against mine.

"Please be careful."

"I haven't been killed yet." he pulled away and looked at me. I smiled sheepishly.

"That time doesn't count." I countered. He laughed.

"Yeah it does."

"Abarai!" he glanced over at Yamajii, then turned back to me and pressed a kiss to my lips. A few seconds later, he pulled away, let me go, then ran to Yamajii.

"Aww, how cute." my face started burning up, and Ichiro laughed.

"Let's get you to Unohana, shall we?" he gripped my right arm, then dragged me off to the Captain, who looked at me.

"Uh, broken arm." I shrugged my left shoulder, and she started healing. I just looked around.

oOo

I wasn't too sure how long we just sat there.

A while, at least.

What woke me up from my nap that I decided to take, was an intense, burning heat. While my backside remained cool, my front was scalding. My eyes shot open, and my vision was engulfed in flames.

Er... Los Noches was.

The entire palace was aflame, and I just looked at it after I sat up, completely stunned.

"Why the hell...?" Ichiro gripped my arm and pulled me to my feet, then shunpoed off. After a few stumbling seconds, I matched his pace until I came upon the relocated camp, and skidded to a halt, while he overshot. He yanked hard as I stopped suddenly, and something in my shoulder popped painfully, then screamed at me as he continued moving.

"Ichiro, where the hell are you going?" I shouted into the wind, using my other hand to pry his grip off mine.

"It's going to expl-" he was cut off as a boom sounded, and many more Shinigami streaked past, and into step with us. He stopped a minute later, and dropped me. I landed on my ass, then used my left arm to move me around to stare at the large orange blast cloud coming at us, billowing out and up.

"You alright?"

"No! You ripped my shoulder out of place, damn it!" and suddenly I was in the air, tight against someone's chest. I glanced up, then grinned at Renji.

"Sir, I dare say your hair is burning." Ichiro put it out, grinning like an idiot.

"Are you okay?"

"You saw me the last time I did anything. I'm pretty sure I'm fine. Well except for my shoulder, but that's his fault." I poked a finger at Ichiro. Renji set me down, then rounded on my brother, who held his hands up defensively and backed away slowly.

"She was trying to stop, the building was about to blow." he tried. Renji paused thoughtfully.

"I can't attack you for that." he decided, turning around and pulled me back into his chest. I rolled my eyes.

"I'll get you later." I called to Ichiro. He laughed.

"We'll see about that." this time Renji laughed, then pulled away, and started inspecting the scars all over my face, running his thumb along them. I glanced away, watching the burning palace.

"Look at me, Katsu." he jerked my gaze back.

"They don't change anything. Not the way you look. Not the way you act. Not the way I feel." he pressed his lips to mine, and butterflies ignited in my stomach.

oOo

Katsu wandered out to a pond she remembered well. Renji had told her to meet at the pond, which she found severely suspicious, and put her on edge. This was the pond that she had gone to during the Unmentionable Times. She paused, recalling reading that name in a book before. Shaking her head, she resumed her walk, passing through the trees. When arriving at the pond, she found Renji looking toward the sky. She glanced up, wondering what had him so preoccupied. The only thing she saw was clouds and blue sky. Of course, she'd be looking at the woods, which were full of life at the moment. The edge of Spring and Summer. She walked up silently behind Renji, then wrapped her arms around his neck. He glanced back, then grinned.

"Have a fun walk?"

"Yep. But you've got me nervous. This place is very secluded, and lots of things could happen-" he put a hand over her mouth.

"You've got an over active imagination." she grinned, and he pried her arms off his neck. She dropped back, her full weight now resting on the grassy ground. He turned around and glanced back up.

"Why do you keep looking up?"

"I'm not sure." he looked back down.

"This is awkward."

"Jesus. I don't know how to do this..." he blew out a breath.

"Look, do you remember when they were going to have you killed, for 'killing' your father?" I waited for him to continue.

"'I love you. I'm in love with you. I don't care how you want to say it. I want to stay with you forever. Protect you from every little danger in the world. God forbid I say this but eventually, yes, I want you to have my children. I want to grow old with you. When you died, I vaguely considered killing myself. I knew I wouldn't have a chance of finding you here. I want to marry you someday. I want to fight along side you when you end up taunting someone into a fight. I want to keep you from getting into that fight. I want to own twenty seven cats with you. One with short legs, one with no tail, and one with a scar across both of it's eyes. I want you, to be the woman that will live as long as me, with me.'" at first, the only thing that she could think of was that he'd quoted that exactly, from some four or five months ago. The second was that she swore she heard the word marry in there. Then she realized what was going on, and her eyes got misty as she held back tears.

"I love you, Katsu. And that's never going to change, no matter how wrinkly you get." her jaw dropped and she laughed at his insult. She covered her mouth, trying to contain her laughter, as he bent down on one knee. A tingling sensation spread up and down from her gut as he grinned.

"Do I actually have to say it?"

"Kinda." she giggled.

"Katsu Kitano, will you marry me?" she nodded, then squealed, wrapping her arms around his shoulders again. He caught her waist, then stood up. The shift of weight and a stone sent them both into the pond. She surfaced, and laughed as he popped back up. Then pulled a little, shiny, white gold ring out of a pocket. On the simple band, was a .75 karat diamond.

"Thought you might want this too." He dropped it in her hand, and she closed her fist, then squealed, and hugged him again, pulling herself tight against him.

"I love you too."

"Then we should get out of the water before either of us gets sick." she laughed, and dropped down, only for him to pick her up bridal style, and carry her out. She grinned maniacally as he set her down.

"Let's go get some food."

"Warm clothes?"

"Nope. Food first." she sighed, and he took her hand, shunpoing off. They settled at a ramen shop, then sat eating food, cracking jokes about any and everything.

oOo

I wasn't quite sure what to do with my life.

The war was essentially over, besides dealing with damage and rounding up escapee arrancar.

I wasn't particularly needed anymore, nor much of a threat.

And I had to plan a wedding. That task only began to daunt me now that it was almost tangible.

So when Yamamoto released me to go back to the World of the Living, I was almost radiating glee.

Renji walked into my room as I sat there, staring at the ceiling.

"What's up with you?"

"Counting the minutes." I responded, still staring at the ceiling.

"Till what?"

"Till I get to go."

"Go where?" I grinned at the fact that I was being super vague.

"To the World of the Living." he leaned over me, eye brow raised.

"Why are you so excited?"

"I'm dying of boredom!" I sat up, gasping, "You should come!"

"I think not." I pouted.

"Why not?"

"I have a Squad to run." my frowned deepened, and he laughed, sitting down beside me, then ruffling my hair. I stared at him, crossly, then ran my fingers through to fix it.

"Douche."

"Me? Nah." I socked him in the shoulder, then moved behind him and took his hair down.

"What are you doing?"

"Messing with your hair so you know how it feels." I grinned, putting little ponytails all over his head, then walking around and taking my Soul Pager out, snapping a picture. He frowned.

"Let me see."

"Nope." I saved it, then put it away, and fixed his hair. He rolled his eyes, then pulled me up to my feet, dragging me outside.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere."

"Renji." I whined. He grinned at me, still just pulling me along. We stopped some fifteen minutes later a top a hill, where he sat down. I sat beside him, then laid back, looking at the clouds.

"So..." I glanced at him, while he lay on his side, facing me.

"Tell me a story." my jaw dropped, and his grin grew. I looked back to the clouds.

"What kind of story?"

"Something happy." I laughed.

"Alright. Picture this; There's a long corridor, lit up only by the lights coming from the large window. As a boy walked down it, only the clicking of his shoes filled the silence. He was still dressed for school, but that wasn't much, considering he was only seven. He walked down the halls..."

oOo

Sometimes I wondered what would've happened if I'd sung in front of people while I was alive. Would I still be, where I am now? Would it really make that much of a difference?

So now, sitting at the beach with the usual group, consisting of Ichigo, Orihime, Keigo, Tatsuki, Chad, Uryuu, Chizuru, and Rangiku, who had to tag along, I glared at them all.

"Let it be known, that I hate you all."

"I can live with that." I scowled at Tatsuki response, and held up the guitar, testing the strings, then watching them while I started my song.

"Baby I love you, I never wanna let you go. The more I think about, the more I want to let you know that everything you do, is super fucking cute and I can't stand it."