This chapter took too long for me to write, has too much happening in it, and yet not enough at all... AARRRGGH!! By far this was the most annoying due to just how many rewrites I had to endure thanks to it, but it's done oh sweet Jesus thank you IT'S DONE!"

Nelliel pushed open the doors to the throne room and entered with a quickness to her step. The air held a biting frost, and she breathed out clouds of vapor as she approached the window-like viewer to the human world. She'd only just received the news and already Sana and Tia had beaten her there. Their attention locked on the events occurring. They both had their arms folded across their chests, a common stance for Tia but only one Sana showed when she was frustrated. Something bad had to be happening. "What's going on?"

"Ichigo went into the human world, took Grimmjow with him." Sana's voice was low, reserved.

"What? Why?"

"Rukia." A third voice sent a chill running up Nelliel's spine. She turned and saw the man who had spoken, face hidden with the folds of a sash he wore about his head. The only thing she could see was the long silver hair that ran like a glacier behind him, and those piercing eyes that held a icy intensity. Ichigo's second in command, he must have only just arrived back at the fortress. "He went back for Rukia."

"The shinigami we released?"

"She was hunted down by her own. Something must have happened." Tia's strong voice was accompanied by the puff of vapor through her tall collar. It almost made her words seem ominous. "Perhaps our doing, I should think."

"Nell, Ichigo's in trouble down there." No matter how hard we've tried we can't open a doorway to reach him. They're trapped."

"You said Grimmjow was with him?"

"See for yourself… but it doesn't look good." Sana pointed to an aerial battle raging, and she focused on the three combatants. Grimmjow was locked in combat with two shinigami, both of whom were captains. "He released his sword, and they still have the upper hand. He's been fighting them for the past few minutes now."

"And we can do nothing at all?"

"Soul Society has blocked us from entering the living world," the silver-haired man said. His chilling voice as sharp as a dagger's edge. The next few moments were filled by a eerie silence. The window showed only images, not sounds. They all watched as Grimmjow was struck by another kido spell. Nelliel observed this with a growing nervousness; her friend would not last much longer. "Where is Ichigo? What happened to him?" The window shifted to show an image of where the man was laid against the rocks. Nelliel audibly gasped as she covered her mouth with her hands. "No… Sana, what happened to him?"

"We're not sure. His spiritual energy is so weak it may as well not be there at all."

"But, that's not possible… Not for… Ichigo." Nelliel just stared; she'd never seen him so lifeless.

"My brother would not die so easily; not until he'd spent every last ounce of strength he has," Tia said with a confidence that transcended her subtle voice. While her expression was hidden her eyes spoke words of their own. That confidence proved contagious when Tia's gaze met Nelliel's. "Ichigo will make it, he always does, Nell."

"Not sitting on his butt he won't," Sana huffed with growing aggravation.

"As long as he has even a flicker of spiritual pressure, there's hope. He's not the sort of person to give up. I know him better than that."

"Glad to see you're so confident, Nell." Sana's growl sounded more like an animal's than anything. After a moment or two she huffed in frustration before turning to storm out. "Where are you going?" The silver-haired man's voice made the espada hesitate for a second. She didn't even turn to face him when she finally answered. "I'm going to give Szayel some motivation. He's not working fast enough on this problem." With that said she was gone. A dead run out the doors and back into the halls of the fortress. Nelliel just watched, almost expecting some outrageous burst of shouting or yelling as the fifth often did when she was angry. There was none. Her attention returning to the window was met by Grimmjow's resistance ended by a bolt of lightning. "Grimmjow!" She turned away, she couldn't watch it anymore. The shinigami had won, Grimmjow was finished. "His wounds were too severe for him to do anything but slow them down." Nelliel felt the sharp edge of anger at the silver-haired man's words. He was always so collected, so cool-headed no matter the situation. It nearly turned her stomach at his indifference. "We should have helped them! We should have done something!"

"We cannot reach them, and even if we could you refuse to fight on principle. There's nothing we can do but watch and wait."

"Ialso refuse to believe we can't do anything but sit here! There must be something! They're going to kill them!"

"It may already be too late."

"And thus your loyalties are so fair weather? It is never too late, I am proof." Tia's commanding voice demanded attention as she regarded the man with a fleeting glance. Her gaze actually drew his own blue-green eyes to hers. They seemed to sparkle like stars from the confines of his cloth mask, and hers burned with the same inner fire. Tia was growing angry herself. "Do you not owe my brother your life? Don't we all? Isn't everything we've been given here thanks to him? My continued existence most of all, and the lives of many others who walk these halls. This is how we repay him? Gritting our teeth and tapping our feet? I'm ashamed if this is all we're willing to do."

"What else can we do?"

"We can have faith." They both looked at Nelliel as she played with a lock of her long hair. She was nervous, but her words were strong. "We have to believe Ichigo will pull through; in the very least survive this nightmare."

"Your devotion is inspirational, Nelliel Tu Oderschvank. Even after everything that's happened, you have faith he will find the strength to persevere?"

"Don't you? After being by his side for so many years don't you have the slightest bit of confidence he'll stand strong?"

"I do. After all the years we've fought side by side, I honestly do believe he will pull through. Just like he always does." Reaching up to the liquid surface of the window the silver-haired man drew his fingers over the image of Momo, his touch spreading ripples over the watery images. He could tell the battle had drained her, she was falling to her knees in exhaustion. "You fear he may die… I don't. I fear what he will do when he wakes up." With an about face the silver-haired man marched towards the door, his freezing aura following him as he went. "Where are you going?"

"To do something other than wait and watch. There's too much at risk now to simply do nothing. Too much that can be lost." With those words said the silver-haired man left the throne room. Tia glanced at Nelliel and gave a slight nod before following after the man. Alone now Nelliel watched the aftermath of the battle in silence. She saw Grimmjow lying in the rocks and dirt, he wasn't moving. The same could be said for Rukia and Ichigo. All three looked as if they would never rise again. "Grimmjow… Ichigo… please, come back to us."

The adrenaline was fading away, and so the pain was returning. Momo held her stomach with her free hand as the throbbing ache wracked her whole body. Izuru was a few steps away trying to stem off the flow of blood from his ragged shoulder. Both of them were worse for wear, and it was just a single opponent that had nearly done them in. "Are you alright, Momo?"

"I think so… I can't really feel my legs, but they still work. Are you-"

"I'm fine, -a few scratches. Nothing serious," he lied. His left arm was practically useless from Grimmjow's claws, and at least one of his ribs if not more were not where they were supposed to be. In fact he felt as if his entire chest had been caved in. All from a single man who had entered the battle seriously injured. "I dread seeing what else is in store for us. Four captains beaten nearly beaten to death by only two opponents." Wrapping the remains of his haori around his shoulder Izuru took hold of Wabisuke and began to make his way back to where Ichigo and Rukia were waiting. "Where are you going?"

"Kurosaki… and Kuchiki Rukia, they're over there." Momo looked past her comrade and saw the two figures leaned against the wall of crumbling stones. She began moving towards them, not even realizing she was doing so at first. Her hand gripped Tobiume's hilt tightly as she approached, her eyes were locked on the head of orange hair rising over the barrier. "Momo?"

"So long… I've waited for this moment for so long. I have to be sure. I have to!"

"Momo, stop!" But she didn't stop. She ran headlong towards the rock pile, rounding it with her sword at the ready. She just stared down at Ichigo's motionless form, unable to stop the shakes that gripped her. He didn't appear to be breathing, nor did there seem to be even a hint of spiritual pressure flowing from him. The same was for Rukia. They felt like little more than pieces of the rubble that was Karakura. No life left in either of them. "So long… and it's all been his fault. If only he'd fought with us, we would have won! If he hadn't turned on us Toshirou would still be alive! It's his fault, he betrayed us! He killed Toshirou!!" Lifting her sword Momo glared down at the defenseless Ichigo, fury dancing across her eyes as she hesitated for a moment. "It should have been me! I should have been the one to kill him!" Her sword fell, drawing a long cut over Ichigo's shoulder. She brought it back up and almost fell for the strike that would have taken Ichigo's head if it weren't for the hand that grabbed her wrist. "Let me go!"

"Momo, that's enough! Calm yourself!"

"Let go of me! Everything that ever went wrong was because of him! The battle here was lost because of him! Toshirou died trying to stop HIM!!"

"And I tried to do the same thing when my anger took me, but cutting off his head will not change what has happened! He's already dead, Momo; of that fact I have no doubt. Leave it be."

"I can't!" Tears were streaming down her face as she gritted her teeth, fighting back against Izuru's grip. "He has to suffer for what he's done to me! For what he did to Shiro-chan!"

"It's over, Momo. It's over… now, please. We'll decide what to do with the bodies after they've been returned to the Seireitei. Don't waste your effort on the dead. Just be glad we need not attack Hueco Mundo. The danger is over. Just let it go." Momo's hand fell, her sword swinging loosely from her fingers before falling. Tobiume stuck into the ground by its master's side as she wept. Her one and only enemy before her and she was denied the very thing she had so hoped for, the hidden desire for vengeance. All she could see now was that young face twenty-five years gone. "Oh… Toshirou…" She buried her face in her hands and the bitter tears ran.

Izuru didn't stop her as she turned to run. She needed a few moments, precious time to recollect herself. As he looked down at Ichigo he shook his head and kneeled to stare at the man face to face. "All this time, all the trouble you've caused us. All for something so small it hardly seems worth it." He looked at the ground around Ichigo, checking his hands, then his pockets. A cold feeling was beginning to well in the pit of Izuru's stomach. "Where is it?" Then, his heart could have stopped as he noticed something else. "Where's the book?" He looked around frantically now, desperately searching for the missing items. Rukia did not have what he looked for either. He knew full well if the book were to fall into the wrong hands it would be his sole responsibility for failing to follow orders. He had to find it, the Captain General had personally given him that order. The realization struck him as he thought hard. The whole city had been a battlefield. It could be anywhere, and time suddenly felt very short.

Momo wiped her eyes as she sat on a rock. The emotional burst was passing, but it was leaving her feeling drained. All she had accomplished, all she had done had been in his honor. Now the chance to avenge him had come and gone and she could do nothing but cry her eyes out. She felt pathetic, a captain weeping over such old memories. But there was nothing she could have done about that; her heart had always been her guide. Her emotions had always led her, it was just how she was. "Shiro-chan… I wish you were here. I wish you hadn't…" She couldn't finish or she knew she would make herself cry again. She needed to think of something happy, anything to make her smile. Momo reached into her jacket and pulled a piece of cloth out. She did smile, despite the tears, as it brought back fond memories of the past. She had sewn it with her face grinning in a cartoonish smile, just a silly thing she'd thought was funny. It had been a gift to brighten Toshirou's spirits, perhaps even edge a grin from him. She thought back to the day she'd given to to him.

"Shiro-chan! Shiro-chan!"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya! … Momo, what are you doing?" She was dancing in a circle, holding something behind her back as she grinned playfully at him.

"Look!" She shoved the handkerchief into his face and grinned, trying to mimic the cartoon face she had sewn on it.

"… What is this?"

"It's for you, silly! So you'll always remember me if you're away on a big mission!"

"Like I could forget you, Momo."

"Oh Shiro-chan, why do you have to be so mean?"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya! Stop calling me Shiro-chan, I'm just as tall as you are!"

"I didn't say anything about your height… little Shiro."

"MOMO!!!"

The memory did bring a grin to her face. She had loved teasing him. He always got so angry. The way he would get flustered always cheered her up. But, she also remembered how it had come back to her possession. It had been in the bundle of bloody white cloth the survivors had returned with. His captain's haori, the only thing they had of him left after he had sacrificed himself to force Kurosaki back into Hueco Mundo. She looked away, not able to bear staring at it a moment longer. It brought too much heartache, too much happiness that she would never have again. As she opened her eyes a sparkle caught her attention. Something not too far away, something that glimmered.

It was long, and its glossy black surface shimmered as she approached. She placed the handkerchief back where she kept it as she finally stopped over the object stuck into the ground. A sword, one she knew all too well. "Zangetsu." Without thinking she reached out and let her fingers grace the hilt of the zanpakutou. It felt like any normal sword. She gripped its hilt and pulled it from the ground, holding it in front of her as she gazed at its long, beautiful edge. It seemed to weigh nothing at all, and the black metal held a pleasant gleam to it. Almost mesmerizing. That's when she saw it. Past the sword was a book lying open on the ground, and on that open page was a fat white marble. "What is that?"

Leaning down she reached for the book. Her eyes glanced at one of the pages as her fingers touched the marble. Two words reached out to her as she grasped the white sphere. "Kira… Izuru?" Suddenly everything turned white, and a burning sensation traveled up her arm from the ball in her hand. Before she could even let it go it had vanished from her grip. She was just floating in nothingness, all around her everything was white. That's when she heard the voices.

"God, I hate those storms. You alright?"

"Yeah." Both familiar voices, but from where? Every moment Momo felt as if she could see a little more, but everything was still so blurry.

"What do you think we should do now? With all those crazy things after us, we really don't want to get caught lost in a sandstorm again. Like there's anywhere else to go though."

"We should head for the mountains then. Just until we can get our strength back. After that... we'll decide on a better course of action." She knew that voice, oh she knew it so well. It was Toshirou! Momo could have cried for delight as she reached out, trying to find him in the haze.

"Well, let's go then." Who was it he was with? And why could she not call out to them?

"Ichigo, don't forget your sword."

"Yeah, thanks… partner." Momo's heart froze over. Ichigo? Partner? What was she hearing? What was happening? She had been so overjoyed to heard Toshirou's voice she hadn't thought twice. But now… what was she listening to? Was this a dream, perhaps one of a meeting between the captains from long past? But then… sandstorms? She didn't have a clue to what any of it could mean.

Momo opened her eyes. She was lying on her back staring up at the sky. She sat up, rubbing the bump on the back of her head and grumbled. "What happened?" Shaking her head Momo felt something in her hand, she was still holding the marble. "What is this? Did it… do that to me?" She thought back to the white emptiness, to Toshirou's voice. To Ichigo calling him his partner. What could it all mean? Nothing made sense anymore. But then she knew that was the price of asking too many questions. All that was left was following orders, and even then she rarely understood them. She was too curious for her own good.

Slamming the book shut she collected it up with the marble and Zangetsu. She decided, the time for crying over bad memories was over. Now was time to be a captain. Bringing what she had found back to the rock pile she stopped and looked around. Izuru was nowhere to be found. "Izuru! Where are you? Izuru!" No answer. He must have gone to check in on something. Momo grimaced when she noticed Tobiume sticking in the ground. She could do nothing but mentally rebuke herself for such idiocy as leaving her zanpakutou just lying there. Putting the book and sword down she picked her weapon up and sealed it back to its normal form, fitting it into the sheath at her side.

She didn't see the marble fall from the top of the book, or notice as it rolled and bounced over the tiny rocks and pebbles. She wasn't even paying attention as it finally came to a rest on Ichigo's upraised palm. "Izuru! Where are you?! Come back, Izuru! Don't leave me with…" She just looked at Rukia and Ichigo and took a step back. "… Dead bodies…" She cringed, but settled down, now was no time to be afraid. She would wait, Izuru would be back soon enough. Still, she couldn't shake the spooky feeling that something or someone was watching her. It may have been her imagination but she swore she saw one of them twitch. "Izuru!!" Still no answer.

Sitting down Momo sighed and propped her chin on her hands. Her gaze fell to the book she'd found. She knew better… but she had to get her mind off the bodies lying only a few meters away from her. She picked it up and stared at the cover. No title, no markings, nothing other than a number on the spine. "This must be what Rukia stole." Momo thought hard for a moment. Just before she'd lost her balance she remembered reading something in the open pages. "Was it… It was Izuru's name. Why would his name be in here?"

She knew she shouldn't look, but curiosity was getting to her. Opening the book up to the middle, she looked at the pages. "It's just a list of names. Is this a census?" She turned a page, reading as the long list continued. "Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji, Soi Fon… a lot of people I don't know… Here's Izuru. Wait… where am I? I'm not in here, and neither is Rukia… Actually, there are a lot of names missing from this." Momo turned the book over and looked at the number again. "It's a date. Four days from today… twenty-five years ago? This is a list from… the battle over Karakura." She went through the middle pages again, glancing over the names. "But, Rukia was there… and so was Toshirou… but, their names aren't here."

A sound like rocks shifting over each other, but Momo was too involved now. She was going closer and closer to the first section of the book. The record's pages no longer held names there, they had the account of the events. "What… This isn't right. This isn't how it happened… no, no this isn't right at all." She gave a start as a hand came to rest on her shoulder. She sighed, feeling a slight pinch of relief. "Izuru, you scared-"

"Interesting reading material, Hinamori?" The book suddenly became the last thing on Momo's mind. Her hands began to shake, dropping what they held as she just stared down. She looked at the scared hand on her shoulder with horror-filled eyes. Ichigo was no longer lying next to the pile of rocks, he was kneeling right behind her. "What's wrong, cat got your tongue?"