Eravi stepped forward to Ichigo's side as he began to sway. He quickly caught him by his shoulders and grinned from under his hood.
"Never thought I'd see the day Byakuya Kuchiki lost in a fight," he told him.
Ichigo smiled weakly, "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you that much."
"Didn't really look easy. But… Ichigo…" Eravi helped him sit down and he knelt at his side, "What was that you did toward the end?"
Ichigo's smile faltered away and his gaze dropped, "It's a long story," he said softly, "It won't happen again. I won't let it."
"It looked like you had a Hollow mask," Eravi whispered.
"Ichigo! Eravi!"
Eravi blinked and turned at the familiar voice, his eyes widening, "Orihime!"
"Orihime?" Ichigo looked up as Orihime rushed forward. Uryu was behind her, as well as another large dark-skinned guy with a mop of dark brown hair on his head covering his eyes. He was smiling lightly. There was another Ryoka with a bandana and several bandages around his face at his side.
"You guys! You're alright!" Ichigo beamed.
"Are you okay, Ichigo?" Orihime asked as she knelt beside him, "You're hurt!"
Eravi stepped back, giving them some room. He looked at the way Orihime's eyes were shining at the sight of Ichigo. The passion there. A small smile found his lips. It made sense now why Orihime would follow Ichigo wherever he went. Eravi wasn't exactly a scholar on love or romance, in fact, every time any female flirted with him his mind would lock up and he would barely be able to respond. But it was easy to see that Orihime felt strongly for Ichigo. And it was an innocent feeling as well. Pure. It made Eravi's resolve to protect the girl all the more strong.
"I'm fine," said Ichigo, smiling lightly at her, "Did you guys see Renji and Rukia?"
"I was going to ask where Rukia was," said Uryu, adjusting his glasses, "We haven't seen them."
"Eravi," Ichigo looked up at him and Eravi blinked and faced him.
"Yeah?"
"I'm not really in any shape to be running," said Ichigo, "While Orihime heals me, could you go after Renji and Rukia and help them get back to the world of the living? I'm guessing that's the only place they'll be safe for a while."
"We can trust this guy?" asked the big Ryoka in a near monotone voice.
"Yes, of course we can!" said Orihime and smiled up at Eravi, "This is Eravi Tentzu. He's been helping us for a while now. I wondered where you went! Kenpachi sent you to find Kaida, didn't he?"
"Yes, but then I ran into her brother," said Eravi, "He refused to let me get her involved. But it turns out she's been involved since the beginning," he glanced at Ichigo.
"She was the second Soul Reaper with Rukia the night I got her powers," said Ichigo, looking to the others, "I'm not exactly sure who's side she's on though. She did let me go when we first ran into her when we showed up."
"We ran into her as well," said Uryu, looking over Ichigo thoughtfully, "She let us go, saying that whether we won or not didn't matter to her. But…" he once again adjusted his glasses, "She did promise if she saw you, Ichigo, that she would kill you."
"What?!" Ichigo wailed, "Why?! What did I do?!"
"You hurt Renji," said Eravi, looking at him, "Kaida may be his little sister, but she's extremely protective over him. It's the only time I see her serious."
"But…" Ichigo sighed, "What was I supposed to do? And I barely beat Renji, he still cut me up pretty good."
"You nearly killed him," Eravi stated flatly.
"Well that's just great," said Ichigo, "But we don't know where she stands about saving Rukia?"
"I promise that when she sees Renji helping Rukia she will too," said Eravi, "But right now, we don't even know where she is. In the meantime," he turned, "I'll go after Renji and Rukia. If Kaida does show up and try to kill you, let her know what Renji's doing. Maybe she'll let you live."
"I just beat Byakuya Kuchiki," said Ichigo indignantly, "A Captain! Who was using his Bankai! I'm pretty sure I can handle an angry little girl."
Eravi laughed and glanced back at Ichigo, "Rukia didn't tell you much about Kaida Abarai did she? She may only be a third seat, but I've always felt she was holding back. She went through the Soul Academy in one year and was placed in squad eleven by Kenpachi Zaraki himself. I don't think anyone's seen her full capability, honestly," he began to walk away, "I'll try to hurry."
And in a blink, he began to flash step away, rushing toward the faint signature of Renji's spiritual pressure.
*.*.*
"How could this have happened…?" Toshiro breathed as he stepped down the stairs.
Kaida and Rangiku followed him, both looking around at the slaughtered bodies of guards and members of Central 46. Kaida paused by the table and poked one of the bodies.
"Kaida!" Toshiro yelped at her actions.
Kaida blinked at him innocently, "I'm just seeing how long they've been dead! They're already all stiff."
Toshiro sighed heavily and went to her side and rand a finger along the blood on the table. It was dry and flaked away at his touch. He rubbed the substance between his forefinger and thumb for a moment.
"Though it pains me to say it, you were correct about one thing, Kaida, it seems the issues for Rukia's execution have been being controlled for some time," he said softly, "There's no way Gin could have done this on his own… he had to have help."
"Duh!" said Kaida, throwing her arms up into the air, "Toshiro I'm telling you, Gin's not the mastermind behind this! He's involved, sure, but there HAS to be more to it!"
"This isn't some dramatic play that relies on a thick plot, Kaida," said Toshiro sharply, "Sometimes what everyone is suspecting is what is happening."
"There's no way," said Kaida in a huff, "It's too obvious, it's so obvious to the point where it doesn't make sense. He would at least try to hide his tracks somewhere. He's luring us in, making us believe it's him."
"So then who would it be?" Rangiku asked with a perked brow, "Come on, Firefly, it sounds like you've been thinking this one through," she smirked.
"I have!" said Kaida proudly, "So Momo is certain it was Aizen's handwriting, right?" she pressed, "And Toshiro, don't you think two Captains would have noticed our spiritual presence back when we first overheard Gin and Aizen?"
"What are you saying?" scoffed Toshiro, "It's starting to sound like you think Aizen's in on this. In case you don't remember, he's dead, we're trying to figure out who killed him."
"But it feels like they lured us in to this whole thing," said Kaida intently, "Think about it! They purposely let you hear their conversation knowing that you would warn Momo because you're close to her so that when she read the note she thinks you only warned her to watch out for Gin to cover your own tracks therefore making you even more suspicious! It's the perfect plot!"
"Actually, Captain, she's kind of making sense," said Rangiku.
"Don't be absurd," said Toshiro, turning away, "It's not possible because Aizen is dead. That negates all your argument, Kaida."
Kaida pouted, shifting uncertainly, "Well it sounded good in my head… Wait! What if he's not dead?"
"You saw the body yourself!" Toshiro shouted, "Captain Unohana confirmed his death, noted that it was indeed his body, not a fake."
"But it would fit every puzzle piece!" wailed Kaida, flailing her arms.
"Kaida, stop it, you're acting like a child," said Toshiro, his brow twitching.
"I thought I'd find you here, Captain Hitsugaya."
They all turned to see Izuru standing in the doorway, glaring down at them.
"Izuru?" Kaida blinked.
"Kaida Abarai again?" his face turned uncertain once more, "I don't know how you've gotten so involved with this, but I don't have time to figure it out now."
"What about you, Lieutenant Kira?" Toshiro demanded, "What's your involvement? Where's Gin?"
Izuru turned and ran out of sight in response.
"After him!" Toshiro cried.
They rushed up the steps and out into the open air of the seireitei again, chasing after Izuru at full pelt. He was fast though, evading them as he took to the rooftops. They chased him for a good five minutes before finally gaining on him.
"What is all this about, Kira?" Toshiro bellowed after him, "Answer me!"
"I was ordered to unlock the barriers to Central 46 to allow you to enter the compound, otherwise even you would have never been able to cut through that door," Izuru said over his shoulder, "So, knowing that you were allowed to enter, think about this. Maybe instead of chasing me and asking questions, you should be more concerned about who followed you into the compound and is still there as we speak."
"What are you talking about?" Toshiro demanded.
"That barrier you put up on Momo's infirmary room was to keep people out from getting to her. But it was not designed to keep her in should she have chosen to leave on her own. It seems she's gotten quite good at hiding her spiritual pressure if you haven't felt her following you."
"Damn it!" spat Toshiro, "Rangiku…"
"I understand," said Rangiku, glancing at him, "I'll take care of him, Captain. You go."
Toshiro nodded thankfully at her and looked to Kaida, "Kaida, on me, we're going back to the compound, double time!"
"Why can't I stay with sugar boobs?" Kaida asked.
"Because I don't know what will be waiting for me and- and- I- I-" Toshiro shook himself and said the words in a rush, "I would like to have you at my side."
Kaida blinked in surprise and looked over to see him blushing brightly. She smirked a bit, "Are you saying you need my help? Are you asking for my badass assistance, is that it?"
"Just come ON!" Toshiro snapped and the two of them broke away from Rangiku and fled back toward the compound.
As they ran, Kaida glanced at Toshiro.
"What do you think will be there?" she asked, "Gin?"
"Gin and whoever he might have working for him. It seems Izuru is taking his orders," said Toshiro gravely.
"I don't think Izuru knows Gin's real intentions," said Kaida, "Something tells me he's just going off of blind loyalty to his Captain."
"Foolish," said Toshiro, shaking his head, "In any case, be ready for anything, Kaida."
"I always am!" Kaida beamed.
They reached the compound again and rushed inside, back to the room of slaughtered bodies. A quick scan of the room revealed no sign of life, so they went deeper into the compound, rushing down the corridors towards Central 46's sleeping quarters.
"I think I feel Gin's spiritual pressure," said Kaida, "And Momo's- but…" she felt her heart skip a beat, "It's faint."
"No…" breathed, Toshiro, running faster.
They rounded a corner, erupting out into the expansive living quarters for Central 46, but came to an abrupt halt when two figures stood in their path. Kaida blinked in astonishment and then pointed at the two of them and looked at Toshiro.
"I freaking told you so!" she said loudly.
"Hey, Toshiro," Aizen smiled lightly and held up a hand in greeting.
"Captain Aizen…?" Toshiro breathed.
Captain Aizen was in fact there, in the flesh, looking at each of them in mild interest. Gin was a few feet to his right, smiling the creeper smile ever so well today.
"Are you alive or is this some trick?" Toshiro demanded.
Aizen smiled lightly, "No trick. It's me, Toshiro. Excuse me a moment," he looked to Gin and murmured to him, but Kaida still picked up his words, "Gin, he's returned sooner than we expected and he has the girl with him. I hope you have an explanation."
"Sorry, sir. Izuru must not have been able to keep them occupied," said Gin smoothly, "I suppose we should have expected Firefly to be with him."
Aizen looked to Kaida, "Yes, Kaida Abarai… I didn't want her around just yet. But I suppose it can't be helped."
"I warned you she would be with him," Gin said, smiling over at Aizen, "It seems that things have turned out quite the opposite of what you predicted."
"Indeed, you're little Firefly has finally stopped being so predictable, Gin," Aizen smirked slightly.
Kaida's eye twitched, "Not gonna lie, you calling me Gin's little Firefly? Reeaaalllyyy creepilicious."
"What the hell is going on?" Toshiro demanded through grit teeth, "What are you two talking about?!"
"Oh nothing really. Just discussing the finer points of strategy. Breaking down the enemy's fighting power to be specific," Aizen replied evenly.
"What do you mean 'enemy'?" Toshiro asked sharply, "Where's Momo?!"
He suddenly froze, looking at something within one of the housing units behind Aizen and Gin. Kaida followed his gaze and let out a tight gasp. She could sense Momo's spiritual pressure over there, just barely, and could also see a figure lying on the ground in the home.
Toshiro swiftly flash-stepped past Gin and Aizen, appearing within the home. Kaida yelped in shock at being left alone with Gin and Aizen and looked from one to the other before laughing nervously.
"Uh- heh heh! Excuse me for just a tick…" she said, and then flash-stepped after Toshiro, popping into existence at his side and seeing what had his face twisted in horror.
Momo was laying on the ground, still as still could be, in a pool of her own blood. Kaida felt a chill run up the length of her spine. How could this happen? Momo loved Aizen, not in a romantic way exactly, but he was her world. How could he have done this to her?! In fact how could Aizen be like this at all? He was always the kind sweet Captain that would let you slide for skipping on patrol or give you something more worthwhile to do if you were stuck doing chores. Aizen was a good guy! Or… Kaida thought he was.
"Momo… no…"
Toshiro was shaking. His face was contorted into pure rage, fists clenched, the whites of his eyes showing all around his turquoise irises.
"Oh, they found her," said Aizen smoothly, glancing back at them, "Guess I shouldn't have left her lying there. No… I should have chopped her up into little pieces and hidden them away where you would never find her."
Kaida turned, her face twisting in disgust, "What the hell is wrong with you?" she breathed.
"Aizen…" Toshiro said, his voice tight and shaking, "Ichimaru… how long have you been working together? Did Gin help you orchestrate your fake death?"
"Gin's been with me from the very beginning," said Aizen simply, "From the moment I became Captain, there was no one better suited to be my Lieutenant."
"So this entire time…" Toshiro hissed, "You've been lying to everyone. Momo. Me. The court guard squads. All the other Soul Reapers!" he whirled to face them, eyes wide in fury, "You deceived us!"
"Well I never thought of it that way," said Aizen flatly, "It's just, it became very obvious that no one was capable of understanding. My true identity was beyond them."
"Cocky asshole," Kaida muttered, narrowing her eyes.
"My my, Firefly," said Aizen, smiling at her, "I don't think I've ever heard you curse like that. I didn't upset you, did I?"
"She's right," snarled Toshiro, glaring at Aizen with the deepest distain, "Momo looked up to you! She joined the court guard squads to be closer to you! She believed in you. She risked her life to become your Lieutenant!"
"Of course I know that," said Aizen, still smiling, "That's the quality that made her easy to control. Her blind admiration. That, and her abilities, made her the perfect candidate to be my subordinate."
Kaida clenched her fists. It was disgusting. This monster was the true Captain Aizen?! What kind of person thought like this?! She felt anger boiling up inside her.
"This is a lesson you should learn yourself, Toshiro," said Aizen calmly, smiling at the little Captain, "Admiration…" he then turned his eyes to Kaida, "Is the furthest from understanding."
Toshiro's hand whipped up to his hilt. Kaida could feel his spiritual pressure building. She flash-stepped away from him before the explosion of ice as he unsheathed his Zanpakuto, completely destroying the house. Kaida landed a few yards away, and saw Gin and Aizen also had leapt back, and both landed down in the wide clearing room, both smiling up at Toshiro.
The little Captain held his sword to the side, and in a soft, deadly voice, Kaida heard him say, "Bankai."
Kaida had heard stories of Toshiro Hitsugaya's Bankai, but had never actually seen it with her own eyes. Needless to say, it held up to her expectations. She was nearly knocked off her feet by a blast of freezing air, and when the swirling mass of ice stopped, it revealed Toshiro standing there with huge wings made of ice protruding from his back. This same ice laced his arms, and there was a massive tail lashing behind him. He announced his Bankai in a cold voice when the ice settled, "Daiguren Hyorinmaru."
"Well at least it makes him look bigger," noted Kaida, mostly to herself.
"Now, Aizen…" Toshiro said, still in the soft scary 'I'm going to eat your soul' voice, "You've talked enough. It's time for you to die."
Kaida's hand went up to the hilt of her own Zanpakuto and she began to unsheathe her blade.
"Kaida, get out of here," Toshiro said sharply, interrupting her.
Kaida paused and blinked at Toshiro, insulted, "Oh hell no, Freeze Pop! You're not taking all the glory for yourself!"
"Kaida!" Toshiro snapped, looking at her, "This isn't about glory, or who's better between the two of us. This is about life and death. These are two Captains. You don't stand a chance!"
"Chill out. Heh, get it? 'Cause you're covered in ice…" Kaida waved him off, "I'm not scared of them. Even if Gin's creeper smile makes my hair stand up sometimes. You 're not the only one with badass killer skills, Toshiro. Just wait till you see my moves, you be all like 'Ah! Whooaa! Wah!' and I'll be like, 'Yeah, I know, I'm just that awesome' and then you'll say, 'I had it wrong all this time, Kaida, you ARE the better one!' and I'll come back with, 'Duh-'"
"Kaida, please!" Toshiro cried, his voice cracking a bit, the tone changing from commanding to begging as he gazed desperately at her, "Run. Don't let your arrogance blind you!"
Kaida opened her mouth to make another amusing retort, but something about the look in Toshiro's eyes made her stop. The desperation there was so intense that it took her completely off guard. Did he really care about her safety that much? Why? They had hated each other for so long… Had her siding with him yesterday really changed so much? Or had this started before then? It was more than just Toshiro being the noble Captain and telling the lesser to get to safety, even more than if he just wanted to kill Aizen himself for revenge.
He seriously cared about Kaida.
Kaida thought back to her days in school with Toshiro. The constant struggle between the two of them to show up the other. The constant bickering, the fighting, and the training sessions. She thought back to one memory in particular. It flooded her mind's eye.
Kaida looked out over the city, her eyes wide with wonder.
"Look at this place!" she cried, "It's amazing! The lights! The sounds! I bet there's so much fun stuff to do down there!"
"Shut up."
Kaida's beam turned into a scowl when she turned to look at Toshiro who was scanning the city below but not in the wanderlust way Kaida was. His gaze was calculating.
"We're not here on some field trip," he said coldly, not even bothering to look at her, "We have a mission. Why we were paired together is beyond me."
"The instructor said that no one else could keep up with us," said Kaida, "That he paired everyone up based on similar skill level."
"Exactly why I'm still lost about it," said Toshiro, "There's no way you're on par with my skills. You're just going to slow me down."
"Pfft! Don't be ridiculous," Kaida scoffed, "If anything all you're careful planning and crap is going to be what slows us down! We don't have time to 'survey the area' like this is some top secret spy mission. We're here to kill Hollows! And what's the easiest way to kill Hollows?"
Toshiro looked at her, "To find where they are and plan accordingly," he stated flatly, "If you would just-"
"Wrong!" sang Kaida and ruffled Toshiro's hair, making him duck away with a hiss of annoyance, "Why wait to find them when you can bring them to you?"
"Kaida, what are you-?" Toshiro began.
Kaida leapt off the building and down into the city before he could finish, but she heard him cry after her, "KAIDA!"
Kaida smiled widely and rushed through the streets until she found a large open area. It was the middle of the night, so there were no humans walking about here. Perfect! Kaida clenched her fist and laughed, "Alright! Time to party!"
In a huge wave of heat, Kaida released a huge amount of spiritual pressure, her golden-orange reiatsu surrounding her. It was like a huge beacon being set off. With this, she knew any Hollow nearby would be rushing toward her, expecting a delicious meal. What a surprise they'll be getting!
"Kaida!"
Toshiro had finally caught up and was panting, rushing to her side, "What the hell are you doing?! You're going to attract every Hollow for miles around!"
"Exactly!" said Kaida with a laugh as she calmed her spiritual energy down, "Isn't that easier? They'll all come to us, and we didn't even have to do hardly any work."
"You're a fool!" Toshiro spat, "Do you realize how many Hollows are here?! We were sent out in five teams of two for a reason! So we could eliminate them all simultaneously, and with minimal casualties! Now every single one of them is heading here, and there's only two of us in this area!"
"Are you saying you can't handle it, Toshiro?" asked Kaida with a smirk as she unsheathed her blade.
"I'm saying that we're going to be outnumbered!"
"Even in numbers, a weakling is a weakling still," said Kaida, grinning.
"Son of a- ugh. It doesn't matter now, it's too late," said Toshiro, turning at the sound of a Hollow's roar, "Just stay out of my way, Kaida. I'll clean up your mess."
"Psha!" Kaida laughed, "Don't be ridiculous. I don't even need your help for small fry like this!" she held out her blade, gripping the hilt with both hands, "Soar! Hotaru!"
"Rain over the frosted heavens! Hyorinmaru!"
As both of their Zanpakuto's released, the Hollows came. There must have been at least twenty rushing in, and more behind them. But Kaida was grinning confidently.
Small fry.
They clashed, and at first, it seemed that things were going to go easy like Kaida said. However, things couldn't go very easy when the two fighting together weren't really fighting together at all.
"Get out of the way, you nearly got hit with my attack!" Toshiro said irritably.
"Stop stealing my kills then!" Kaida snapped back but in her rage she didn't see the Hollow rushing at her side.
Pain laced her as the Hollow clamped down its powerful jaws on her small frame and shook her violently.
"Wah, shit!" Kaida cursed, "I'm not your squeaky toy! Soar, Hotaru!"
She lashed out her whip like string of fireflies and it latched around the Hollow's neck, the heat of their touch melting it's flesh on contact. The Hollow wailed in agony, its jaws parting to allow Kaida's freedom. She landed heavily on the ground and yanked hard on her hilt, ripping the head clean off the Hollow in the process. But her wounds were grave and she could not find the strength to stand up.
She also took note as to how even while she was practically being eaten, Toshiro had not stopped to help her. He was still battling the other swarming Hollows, without even glancing at her. Kaida knew Toshiro was far to observant to not notice her injuries.
"Hey, thanks for the help, Toshiro!" she said angrily, "But don't worry, I got it! I'll just drown the Hollows coming at me in my blood, I'm sure that will work."
Toshiro downed another Hollow and glanced at her with coldness in his eyes, "It's your own fault you're injured, idiot," he said flatly, "You let your arrogance blind you. At this point, you would deserve to have one of the Hollows eat you."
Kaida blinked in astonishment at his remark. They had been rivals, sure, but Kaida had never really wished death on Toshiro. Was he really going to let her die here?
"But it wouldn't look very good on my record if I had a comrade in arms die on my patrol," said Toshiro and in the same instant, the icy serpent of Hyorinmaru rushed in and froze a Hollow solid that been about to pounce on Kaida, "So just lay there and stay out of the way while I fix this."
That day, Toshiro had defended her only because he had to. For image. He would have had no problem letting her die otherwise. Kaida knew it. But now… Now Toshiro was defending her because he wanted to. Because he cared. Kaida wasn't sure why, but instead of being disgusted like she normally would be at the fact that Toshiro Hitsugaya was actually starting to become her actual friend, she was… glad. As she looked at the desperation in his eyes now, she realized that the fact that he wanted her to run even though he was outnumbered for her own safety made something stir inside her. A warmth that she could not get from Hotaru. A new kind of fire she had never felt before.
Kaida smirked a bit, closing her eyes and bowing her head. This entire time, Gin and Aizen were both watching silently, each smiling with curiosity.
"Toshiro…" Kaida said, and opened her eyes again to meet the little Captain's gaze. He was staring at her in surprise, most likely due to her tone, which she had done her best to sound comforting, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret."
Toshiro blinked at her, "What are you talking about?" he asked softly.
Kaida slowly unsheathed her Zanpakuto, twirled it once and then held it aloft, the blade parallel to the ground, her free hand hanging to her side casually, "Let me show you why I let my arrogance blind me."
Slowly, spiritual pressure built up around her. Kaida smirked, the grip on her hilt tightening. She had looked forward to the day she would get to see Toshiro's face when she did this. Of course, it wasn't under the circumstances she had pictured. In her imagination, she had always seen herself using this on Toshiro himself. She tilted her head to the side and smiled lightly, a pressure building up so strongly around her it pushed up her hair, revealing both her eyes which glowed a vivid orange-gold. Then, in the most casual voice, as if she were stating what her favorite flavor of yogurt was, (which was strawberry banana, by the way,) Kaida spoke a single word before she was engulfed in flames from her Zanpakuto's blade.
"Bankai."