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Chapter 10: Farewell…

"So long Rangiku... Sorry about that."

Over and over she heard Gin's last words at Sokyoku repeating themselves in her head like a broken recorder. Over and over she saw him dying in front of her eyes, felt the sticky blood on her hands, heard her own loud, desperate cries echoing through the nothingness of her head and she could feel the salty tears streaming down her cheeks, dropping down on his skin.

She wiped over her face, noticing that she was actually crying. With some strands of her untidy orange hair falling in her vision she looked at the fresh tombstone with Gin's name engraved on it. Nothing else. No message, no text like 'He'll be missed, or 'Friend of all'… It was just his name.

Next to his stone, Kaname's was standing, also plain and simple.

With her puffy red eyes, the dark circles around her eyes and the pained sad expression on her face she leaned with her back against the old, partly withered tombstone that was behind her.

Central 46 had allowed the two traitors to be buried in a prober funeral despite of the fact that the Red Roses had changed sides. She had a feeling that the head captain had had a call in it, that he had convinced the Central 46 members to acknowledge Gin and Kaname as real proud soul reapers but it was just guessing.

The Red Roses… No one could have imagined that they'd change sides too.

Why…? This simple word was running through Rangiku's head for the thousandth time now. Why were they all following Aizen? Why did Gin follow him? Had he wanted to kill Aizen from the very beginning or only at the end? Why had he changed his mind?

Rangiku had known him for such a long time but she still only knew so little about him. He always had disappeared before she could get to really know him, blocking her questions, covering his real feelings with that wide mocking grin.

Oh Gin…, she thought and the tears dwelled up again. She was amazed that there were still any left after all. Why did all this have to happen?

Aizen had called everyone in Las Noches together in the assembly room that was still standing.

Starrk put his head on his arms as soon as he sat down, closing his eyes. He was still tired as hell as he hadn't found any sleep. Memories and the imaginary voice of Lilynette were haunting him, keeping him from taking a nap until Ulquiorra had appeared in his room and informed him that Lord Aizen wanted to see them.

Ulquiorra himself was sitting like usual with an emotionless face in his chair, straightened up, looking at Aizen, awaiting him to speak. Nnoitra on the contrary was partly sitting, partly lying in his stone chair, lazily, his weapon in his hand, resisting the urge to put a foot on the table while gazing at the two new soul reapers with a frown. Mai and Kohaku were sitting on each side of Aizen; Mai to his right and her partner to his left. Their expressions also didn't show anything as they let their gazes wander over the small group.

"My dear assembled Espada and Red Roses, I'm glad that you are here" Sosuke Aizen started his speech. "I called you all together to tell you how we will proceed from here on. Luckily the Hogyoku stayed unharmed during the previous battles so that we can still use it to create the King's key. For doing so, we will invade the soul society and simultaneously get 100000 souls that are necessary for the key's creation."

"When will we start, Lord Aizen?" Ulquiorra asked as Aizen made a pause.

The former soul reaper captain smiled. "We'll attack tomorrow, precisely in about 24 hours."

"Rangiku here you are." She looked up to see Izuru, Shuuhei and Captain Komamura standing in front of her. Quickly she blinked away the tears.

"W-What are you doing here?" she asked confused, her voice was hoarse from all her crying.

Shuuhei sat down next to her, gazing at the two new gravestones.

"We came to give our fallen friends our respect" Sajin Komamura answered with his deep but kind voice although sadness was evidently shown in his eyes when they caught glimpse of his long friend's name carved into the grey stone.

"There never was a deep friendship between Ichimaru and I or anything like that but he wasn't a bad captain. He kept the squad together, cared for the members and did what was necessary. The members of squad three respected him just like I did even though he often had his creepy moments. He was after all a soul reaper of the 13 court guard squads, just like Kaname Tosen."

"Well said Izuru" Sajin said, nodding at the lieutenant. "Even if they deceived us for a long time and even if it was destined that we'd fight each other in the end, they will still be kept in your hearts for as long as we live."

Rangiku buried her head in her arms when a new wave of sobbing shook her. Why couldn't these damn tears just stop…?

Suddenly she felt a strong gentle hand on her back. It was Shuuhei who smiled at her.

"You already have cried so much, you don't have to anymore. I don't think Gin would want to see you crying." With widened eyes she stared at him.

"Hey there, Rangiku! How are you doing?" Rangiku only grumbled as an answer. She was sitting at Hitsugaya's desk, arms on the table board, her head buried in her arms.

Gin stopped in front of the desk, his grin had dropped and he titled his head to the side.

"What's wrong? Got a hangover?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"No… I wish I'd had one." She looked up at him. "Gin, my captain is such a meanie!"

Instantly the wide grin was once again spread over his face. "Really? What did the little ice-boy do this time?"

"He was upset because I got out with Shuuhei instead of doing paper work and now I have to do all the work alone while he enjoys himself! And if I don't do it he'll make someone else his lieutenant! That's so unfair!" she called out and put her head back down on her arms, sobbing.

Gin let a small chuckle escape his lips. "That indeed sounds mean. Where's all the paper work?"

Without saying a word she just pointed at an armoire to her left. Gin stepped over and opened it. Blinking, he looked at all the piles of paper, filling up every inch of the inside. "Wow that's really much."

"Yes I know…!" She felt like she was about to burst into tears at any moment. Laughing Gin pulled out the first pile and put it down next to Rangiku's head.

"In that case we should hurry up then and finish your work. After all we don't want you to be replaced by someone, right?"

Surprised she looked up at him. "You'd help me, Gin?"

"Of course I will! After all I want to see little Toshiro's face when he realizes that I helped you." He chuckled evilly. She just glared at him.

"So that's the only reason why you help me?"

Quickly he held up his hands as defense. "No of course not! I was just about to add that as a responsible captain I can't let you do all this work on your own and I also don't want you to be exchanged." Suddenly he reached out and placed a finger under her chin, lifting it so that she looked directly into his opened blue eyes. Softly he said: "Furthermore I don't like it if you look all depressed. I miss seeing you smile." At that Rangiku blushed slightly and a small smile actually crept on her lips.

"Now that's more like it! Let's start working then, shall we?"

"Hey Rangiku, what is it?" Izuru asked her concerned as she smiled and cried at the same time.

"Nothing" she answered and wiped away the tears. The smile though remained. "I just… think you're right, Shuuhei. We should smile instead of grieving, that's what Gin would have wanted."

"And I just know the way how to do it" Shuuhei said and pulled out a sake bottle.

Sajin frowned. "I don't know if getting drunk is the right way how to honor your friends. It's also in the middle of the day and after that we have things to do…"

"Ah come on captain, one little drink never once has harmed anyone" Rangiku taunted him and already snatched the bottle away from Shuuhie's hands. Her friends looked at her. It was the first time since Gin's death that they actually saw her smiling.

"24 hours, huh?" Kohaku said as he and Mai walked through Las Noches after the meeting. Mai just nodded, biting on her bottom lip.

"What now?" he asked calmly even though he already knew the answer.

Mai sighed and stopped, turning to look at him. "Well, I guess it's time now..."

"Do you think they'd even listen to us?" She shrugged.

"We don't know until we try it, right?" Kohaku nodded with a frown.

"Okay, we'll meet again in two hours." They looked at each other and then parted ways. Their bodies were tensed up as they stepped through the empty hallways. Both of the Red Roses knew what was at stake. They both knew the risk of what they were about to do. They knew that failure could ruin everything.

With straight, confident steps Ichigo walked through the maze of Seireitei, with a special target in his mind.

Somehow he had gotten away from Kenpachi for now. He was glad about it because ever since he had visited the Arrancar in the prison, this one thought was crossing his mind over and over again: the thought that he couldn't let them being executed.

It was just wrong. They weren't on Aizen's side anymore, they didn't hold a grudge against soul society – well, actually they did but they wouldn't attack. Ichigo couldn't sit back; instead he had to do something! That's why he was now here.

Suddenly two sources of strong spiritual pressure appeared and in a blink of an eye later Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake were standing in front of him.

"If that's not Ichigo" the captain of the eighth squad greeted him smirking. His white haired friend nodded at him smiling.

"I see you escaped Captain Kenpachi without getting into a fight."

"Yeah but I only did by a hair's breadth. What are you two doing here?" Ichigo asked, surprised about their arrival.

"If I'm not mistaking you're on the way to the chamber of Central 46, right?" Shunsui asked friendly.

"Yeah, I want to talk with them about the imprisoned Arrancar."

"That's wonderful because Jushiro and I also wanted to talk to them about the same topic."

"How about we go all together to the chamber?" Jushiro said. Ichigo nodded, feeling somehow relieved to have the two captains on his side. He knew that he could need their voices.

When they arrived in the underground chamber, the members of 46 were already sitting on their places.

"Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake, you called us together. What is it you want to speak about?" a male's dark voice asked.

"First of all we'd like to thank you that you agreed on letting our former captains being buried. We really do appreciate it." No one replied anything to it as they just waited impatiently for him to get to the main point.

"We are here" Jushiro continued, "to ask you to cancel the execution of the Arrancar."

"Why would we do that?" the sharp voice of a woman asked. "They are allies of the traitor Sosuke Aizen and-"

"No they are not!" Ichigo threw in, earning unpleased and angry grumbles. But he continued like he wouldn't notice it: "I visited them today and they made clear that they are no longer on Aizen's side. Also they wouldn't attack the soul society in case they'd be free. They'd even help us defeat Aizen!"

"And of course you believed what they were saying right away, boy?" another woman said sarcastically.

"Please, I understand why you consider them as enemies and don't want to release them. But then at least let them stay in prison" Shunsui said, taking a step forward. "We don't have to take their lives."

"Hasn't there already been enough blood spilled?" Jushiro further asked. "The next battle is already awaiting us. We shouldn't make decisions we could regret later."

"I assure you Captain Ukitake, we won't regret it" the woman who had been interrupted by Ichigo growled.

"Central 46 has already made its decision: The imprisoned Arrancar will be executed for the crimes they have committed and the threat they are holding. The execution shall take place in exactly 24 hours from now on! That's final!"

Next chapter Nel will appear once again, as well as the Kurosaki family.

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