"It is only his body, as Urahara suspected." Unohana stepped back from the form on the bed. "His spirit did not return."
"His spirit is gone..." Uryu said at the bedside in the Fourth Division. Urahara had stopped him from racing into Hueco Mundo after Orihime when he'd gotten the call that Karakura was once again to be moved to Soul Society. The Human city had fallen asleep all around them, the protective barrier raised and reinforced. The entire Stealth Squad watched over it now. This was all in keeping with the Head Captain's plan: when the battle happened, it would at least be concentrated in one place and the Soul Reapers would not get spread out between three worlds. Now Uryu and Chad were in the Fourth Division with the empty shell of their friend.
"Then..." Uryu continued, "if his spirit is gone, are you saying he's dead?"
He never got his answer.
"They've come! The enemy is here." A messenger ran in to inform the Captain of the Fourth.
"How many?" She asked.
"Just one, the Tenth Division has engaged."
"Just one, who?"
"Gin Ichimaru."
"Gin..." Rangiku stood next to her captain, swords pointed at the man soaked in blood who had come through the Senkeimon with a girl in his arms.
"Ah, Rangiku." He stumbled to his knees, "it's nice to see you."
"GIN!"
"Lieutenant," Toshiro warned.
"It's alright, Toshiro.," Gin whispered. "I am no threat to you anymore."
His zanpakuto was not at his side. Blood wept from his chest onto Orihme's pale form. Toshiro nodded to Rangiku and she sheathed her sword, approaching him cautiously while her captain remained on guard.
"Orihime..." she took hold of the teen and Ichiamru released her into the lieutenant's arms but Rangiku's attention returned to Gin. "I don't understand," she breathed.
His hand lifted to her cheek, she felt them glide softly over her skin, leaving red streaks in their wake and those piercing eyes touched her own for one last moment before they closed.
"GIN!"
Toshiro sheathed his sword when the ex-captain crumpled and came to his lieutenant's side. "We must get Orihime to Unohana."
"Y-yes sir."
There was a rumble at the gate. The guardians of the doorway cried out in alarm, the whole world shook with the oncoming dark presence. Captain Hitsugaya unsheathed his sword once more.
"Bankai."
His renewed power covered him, his eyes blazed silver and just before the doors parted he looked to his lieutenant.
"Run."
The chamber lay shattered, high backed chairs lay broken, chunks had been shorn form the long stone table, and it was cracked all around the body that still lay there.
"Shit." Kenpachi Zaraki stopped first at the boy on the ground. "Ichigo."
Yumichika inspected him. "He's not breathing."
"Shit." Kenpachi repeated. They had walked through devastation to reach here, but saw nothing of the battles that must have raged through the palace.
"We'll take him back to Unohana." The captain reasoned and left Yumichika to watch over him while he and Ikkaku approached the figure on the table.
There was the slightest movement coming from him, he was still breathing, but just. Ragged breath betrayed his state, his head was turned to one side, blood pooled around his neck. He was still on his back, shackled hands limp, but some part of him was awake enough to recognize the eleventh squad.
"Not looking so good, espada." Kenpachi reached out a hand to him but it was stayed by steel.
Grimmjow's head turned enough to look up and see the blade he'd carried with him for so long held above him.
"Don't touch him." Starrk wheezed, hand clenched at his side, Lillinette was also bleeding but stood firm next to him.
"You don't look like you're up for another fight," Kenpachi challenged.
"Your fight won't be with just him." A woman appeared at his back. In the next few seconds, the remaining espada joined them. Kenpachi lowered his hand.
"As far as I understand it, you lot did this to him." He looked to Grimmjow. "Things got a little crazy a while ago, and I pretty much left the fate of the world to Grimmjow and Ichigo over there. And it seems they managed to put it to rights. I'm taking these boys back," he pulled out his nameless blade and Ikkaku mimicked the motion, "and I'm gonna kick Aizen's ass."
His steel slid along the shaft of Starrk's blade, two spiritualless blades against each other. "And you ain't gonna stop me."
The espada's eyes narrowed, and he lifted his sword.
"No, I'm not. I'm going to help you."
"You fought well, Hitsugaya." Aizen gloated, hand around the child-captain's throat, holding him aloft, "but not well enough."
He withdrew Kyoka Suigetsu from Hitsugaya's stomach and dropped the Captain of the Tenth to the ground. Histugaya sputtered, but got his hands around his blade and pushed the tip into the ground in order to keep himself at least on his knees.
"You should have stayed down." Aizen raised his sword for the finishing blow.
But rather than feeling the blade cut into him, the ring of steel on steel sounded, and the small captain looked up to see his Commander above him. All around the hill the Captains gathered, ringing in the enemy.
"Yamamoto. Our fight was cut short last time. Shall we see how it ends?"
"I know how it ends." Yamamoto took a step back. "BANKAI!"
Toshiro gasped as the air around him became suffocatingly hot and dry. He felt his own powers drawn from him—ice and water would be useless in this environment and all that saved him from collapsing then and there was the swift action Ukitake who swept in and took hold of him, carrying him back toward the other captains. But they all felt the enormity of such spiritual pressure, no matter the origin of their power.
"Back up!" Unohana ordered the surrounding captains. "Everyone give them room."
The others didn't argue, they kept their circle intact but backed up. Renji stood adamantly next to his captain. Rukia not far from them, backed her own. Shuhei, Kira and Momo represented the squads without captains. Rangiku returned only to find her captain nearly unsconscious.
"Take him to Isane," Unohana instructed.
"Yes, Ma'am." She didn't need to be told. She lifted her captain gently into her arms and left the scene. Never in her or her captain's life had the Head Captain released his Bankai.
"What's happening?" Uryu asked when she entered the Fourth and called for Isane.
"Aizen and the Head Captain." She answered bluntly as she stepped back from her Captain's body on the table. They wheeled him into surgery and she followed after but could only go to the door from where she watched on.
"What should we do?" Chad asked. They had remained vigilant at Orihime's bedside.
"Nothing." Rangiku warned them without turning. "You have no idea the power of the Head Captain's Bankai—I don't even know. None of us are capable of helping, just stay out of the way."
"Fair eough." Uryu came to her side and glanced through the window to the healers. "He was wounded fighting Aizen?"
"He'll recover." She said with confidence, though her hands shook.
"Of course. Why don't you wait with us." He put his hand in hers and made to draw her away from the scene but the room shook, her hand clenched in his and they all turned their gazes skyward even if they could only see the ceiling of the Fourth.
"Please don't tell me..." He began.
"The Vandenriech have come."
"CAPTAIN!"
"I felt it." Byakuya assured his lieutenant. "Let's go."
There was no question they were more valuable holding off the Vandenreich than watching the Head Captain's battle. The other Captains seemed to agree and they all turned to engage. None would make the same mistakes as last time. None would be caught off guard by speed or unknown powers. But the fact remained, the Vandenriech leader was immensely powerful, and with the Head Captain engaged by Aizen, they would have a difficult fight against Juha Bach and all of the Stern Ritter.
"You and I, Renji." Byakuya instructed.
"Yes sir." They moved as one to attack the Vandenreich King. But before they could close the distance two soldiers intercepted them. Buzzbee met Byakua's blade and As Nodt engaged Renji.
"How tiresome," The androgenous creature hissed, "to have to kill you again."
"You won't." Renji backed off. "I can promise you that."
Already pink blossoms filled the air, his Captain had moved to Shikai. Renji did the same but saw Bach moved above them back toward the Head Captain.
It was Shuhei who reached him first—as each captain moved to intercept they were met by a Stern Ritter. Perhaps it was just timing, but the lieutenant suddenly found himself face-to-face with the enemy leader.
"You will not strike him," Hisagi declared, knowing Bach's intention to attack the Head Captain while he was distracted.
"The likes of you will not stop me."
"Doesn't matter," he said, moving to Shikai and taking hold of his dual weapon, "I've died for the cause once already, why not do it again!"
"Because that's a stupid-ass plan." The voice boomed over the hill and both Hisagi and Juha Bach looked to the Senkeimon where Zaraki stepped out. He was flanked by his subordinates; Ikkaku holding up Grimmjow and Yumichika Ichigo.
"You failed to stop me once already, Zaraki Kenpachi," the King goaded. "What makes you think you can do it this time?"
"Because this time, I brought friends."
Save Aizen and the Head Captain, all battles between soul reapers and Stern Ritters halted when the air filled with espada. Starrk at their fore sheathed his blade and looked to his kindred soul. "Resurrection."
The word was echoed in the sky by the rest. What was left of Aizen's army stood in its full strength, ready to destroy the creatures who had brought them to their knees the first time around.
"So yes," Kenpachi drew his own sword, "I do think I'll beat you this time."
It was chaos. The very sky seemed on fire. Ripples of heat made the battles all around them weave and waver before cobalt eyes. But the heat of the earth, the scorching, dry air, was nothing compared to the burn inside of him. Grimmjow managed to get onto his side to cough out the blood that had pooled in the back of his throat. Ikkaku had promised to return when he and Yumichika had set him and Ichigo down, but tired eyes had watched their battle drag them far away. So he was alone now, next to the teen who he only saw when he stopped coughing.
Brown eyes were shut, Ichigo's face the colour of ash. His body so still. Grimmjow had not seen Ichigo yet— he'd only just glimpsed him when the Soul Reapers had carried them through the Senkeimon. Before that, he'd been too out of it to hear what the others had said.
So when he reached out a trembling hand and pressed it into his stiff neck, felt nothing pumping back against his fingers, he felt that burning inside him doused at once in cold, stunning shock.
After everything, after all they'd suffered and done, Ichigo Kurosaki was dead.
A Captain fell to the earth behind them. Kenpachi roared. The Head Captain screamed. Flames and blue arrows and yellow blazes of power flashed through the sky and thundered through the air like shell torn battle fields of old earth—like the thunderstorm that had ringed Unelana—like the stabbing pain that erupted in Grimmjow's chest.
A blast of energy struck not far from them, Grimmjow was tossed over the earth, aggravating wounds, but crashing him into that lifeless form. More energy struck out around them, he couldn't catch sight of what was happening, but Ichigo was already half on him and instinctively he curled his body over him, to keep him safe.
He sat like that, chained hands around the only person in the world that understood him and watched the battle rage. He saw a blond soul reaper drop to earth with Shuhei in his arms. He saw opponents evaporate in Ulquiorra's granre cero. He saw the woman who'd been with Ichigo on the mountain intervene in a battle with Soifon. He saw Starrk shoot through the eye of one opponent only to be faced with three more. He saw Kenpachi Zaraki hang limp in the grasp of the Vandenreich King.
Beyond his control his body convulsed from his ruined organs, he felt terrible clenching pain inside of him and a wash of blood fell from his lips and down his chin. He bowed his head just to try to breathe, to endure this pain, but it brought his gaze back to orange haired boy in his arms.
Dry dirt sprayed on them. But not the slightest flinch or tremor went through the teen. Not a fluttered touched lid or lashes, not a breath ghosted over white lips.
Grimmjow didn't know what it meant to be fifteen. But he knew what it meant for Ichigo Kurosaki to be dead.
He knew a child had not grown to taste many of life's pleasure, nor feel some of it's pains. He knew a warrior had sacrificed himself for the greater good. He knew a soldier had been lost before the deciding battle—a good chance that would be enough to tip the scales against them. He knew Aizen had been right: in Ichigo's company he had been tamed. He had lost some of that anger to compassion, to kinship. And he knew that the last person in this world who could understand him, was gone.
Screams ripped through the air. Everything they'd fought for was falling to pieces or burning to ash.
And so he wept.
Because all good me do, for a friend.
He held Ichigo tight and shut his eyes, tears squeezing out to mix with the blood at his chin. Crimson tinted, they dropped and ran down Ichigo's cheek in turn, as he sat with him and lost the world around him. Instead he felt that dry summer wind on grassy plains, felt the father's touch in his hair, and heard words echo back to him through time,
"Trust in what you've fought for, Grimmjow—what you believe. You will know what to do, when the time comes. I know this to be true, after watching the two of you for so long. I know that I will die this day, at peace. Because I believe in something."
"I believe in you."
Grimmjow raised his head once more.
No, it wasn't going to end here.
He felt out for that soul who'd saved them all, and would save one more. And as much as it pained his body, as much as he shook and staggered, he hefted Ichigo's limp form over his shoulder, he looped chained wrists around him, and marched forward over the war torn hill.
Because he believed in something too.
So glad you are all happy with me reversing time!
To answer some questions: upon re-reading, yes, the whole who's sword is pointing at who was pretty confusing, Junichi! What I intended was Tossen is still with Aizen, as are Szayel, Nnoitra and Aaroneiro-Ulquiora, Starrk, Gin and the rest turned against Aizen. In this chapter, we don't see the battle between them, but since Starrk shows up with his allies, we assume they defeated Szayel, Nnoitra, Aaroneiro and Tossen.
To IchigoMoonCutter-the whole dissolving bodies thing is super confusing to me in the canon because I was always sure that they turned back into spiritual particles. Then recently there have been bodies, namely, the lieutenant of the first division who was burned on a funeral pyre, so evidently there was a body...anwyway, I find it rather inconsistent in the canon so I have chosen to go with bodies for this story but you're probably right and they shold be dissolving.
Thanks for all the support and reviews! I feel an ending coming soon...
Riza