Gin shot forward in attack mode, but I knew he wouldn't strike. Hisagi met his blade with his own and they began the epic duel. Tousen had gone for Komamura, who was blocking the head captain. They probably thought that while they were here, they might as well test our strength. It was disgusting.

Of course Aizen just stood there, watching his lackeys work and I could do nothing but watch Gin and Hisagi fight…for my fate. Gin had stabbed at Hisagi and nicked him in the side- but he retaliated and struck Gin right above the eyebrow.

"Seems that you've taken a hold of my girlfriend." Gin said after he was hit.

"Ha, like she would still be yours anyway. Even if you didn't completely trample all over her heart, I would have overcome you eventually- because I'm just better." Hisagi responded while holding his side.

"Yeh right, she loved me- and I still love her. She's comin' with us. Say good-bye to him, Ariswana- he's nothing but garbage." Gin said as he lunged forward.

Hisagi lunged right back and their blades collided once more. I couldn't take it any longer, I flew right between them and blocked Gin's blade from connecting with Hisagi. If I hadn't been there, it would have been a fatal blow.

"If you want me, come and claim me!" I yelled as I used Sonido to retreat. When I turned around, I saw that the three of them were indeed following me, and so were all of my friends.

"Why did the rest of them have to follow? They need to let me go, I need to do this." I said under my breath as I pushed forward. No one knew how this was going to end, especially not me. I was the decider of my own fate, and I didn't even know what to do with it. I wasn't even sure where I was headed.

I flew right through the main gates of Soul Society, disregarding the hollers from the guards. I flew through the main district until I came upon a familiar alleyway. It was the same alley that I had first gained my powers in, and where I had first met Hisagi.

Past the alleyway was a huge hole in the ground. Yes, it was that hole- the one that made me a complete Soul Reaper. The place where I first thought I was going to die. This seemed like the proper place to be, so I stopped there to face my opponents.

As soon as I stopped, they stopped. Gin and Tousen approached very slowly, they knew exactly what I was capable of. I drew my two swords and got into fighting stance. I saw Gin put a hand on Tousen's chest- telling him to back off, and he did as he was instructed.

It was just me and Gin in the battle field now, and this was the decider of my future…this was the decider of the war to come. Whatever side I was on, it was going to win. Or at least that's what the head commander told me.

"Ariswana, please come in peace with me and we can be together again. I didn't want to leave you, but it was my duty." Gin said with pure sadness in his eyes. I felt nothing.

"I will never come quietly to your side, Gin. Thank you for leaving me here to die, I really appreciate it, darling." I said with pure acid on my tongue.

He just sighed and drew Shinso.

"Ah really didn't wanna do this, Ariswana. Please, don't make me."

"I'm not the one making you do anything." I pointed to Aizen. "That's the guy you should be disobeying, not me." I said. I noticed that my hand had started shaking…I was afraid.

Everyone was watching the whole scene from the side lines, including my sister. She had pure fear in her eyes; I didn't want her to lose me a second time…Hell, I didn't want to lose me a second time! I had to win. I let out a yell and charged at Gin.

Our blades collided and the battle had begun. It reminded me of the fight with the Nargool for some odd reason, so I felt that I had the potential to win. Would my heart let me? It had to. It belonged to only Hisagi.

Gin tried to kick me into the hole that I was created in, but I grabbed his leg and swung him around to the other side. He landed with his face in the dirt and I used Sonido to run over and stick my blade to his throat.

"Recognize defeat, Ichimaru. You've been beaten by the captain of squad three. Surrender now and I won't kill you. I don't wish to spill your blood." I said with no emotion in my eyes.

"Ah, so they did make you captain then. Good, I'm glad. However, captain- you forgot to check one thing." He said.

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Your footing." He said before he pulled my ankle toward him. I couldn't hold back the blood curdling scream as I fell back down the hole I was created in. None of my abilities were working, I couldn't save myself from hitting the ground, and there wasn't an ounce of energy in my body. What was going on?

I looked to the top of the hole and saw Gin, Tousen and Aizen staring down at me. I heard a commotion around them, I knew it was my friends trying to come to my aid. I couldn't make anything out though, everything was fuzzy and my ears were ringing. I turned my head to the right and saw that blood was trailing from it, and there was a lot. The only thing I made out was Aizen's voice.

"Hm, at this rate your services won't even be needed, Gin. She's already on her way." I tasted blood in my mouth. I widened my eyes and I could see him clearly.

"I'll be waiting." He said with a simple smile, and then he was gone.

I felt the life draining out of me, there was no way I was making it out of this one. So this was fate, eh? After everything I went through, I was doomed to die. I wasn't sure I could really accept this as the end. After this, there was nothing- how could Aizen be "waiting"? I would never see any of them ever again. Hisagi, Lucy, Theresa, Ichigo…none of them. I would never know what was to become of their futures.

"That sucks." I said to myself with a slur and then coughed up a lot of blood. I still heard commotion up above, and the last thing I saw before eternal blackness was Hisagi jumping down to me. I saw the last minute of my life in slow motion. He landed next to me and looked right into my eyes. I couldn't hear him, but I read 'I love you' off of his lips. After seeing it, I smiled and closed my eyes where the darkness took me. I was dead.

(Hisagi's POV)

I looked at the face of my angel, and saw her chest had stopped moving. Her lips had turned white, and there would never be another beautiful laugh from her golden lungs. She was gone.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I yelled as I cradled her in my arms.

"Hisagi, what's going on? What's her condition? Answer me Shuuhei!" I heard Lucy yelling from the top of the hole. Ichigo had thrown Theresa on his back and dropped down to meet me. He let her off and she dropped to her knees beside me with tears in her eyes.

"No, Ariswana you cannot leave me again! You can't do this to me, it isn't fair! What do I have to look forward to anymore? It should have been me!" she yelled as Ichigo grabbed her and put her head on his shoulder. I could never do that again. I vowed right then and there I would never love again, even if she wanted me to. I was holding my world in my arms, and it was covered in blood, dead. I wanted to die right then too, but that would be giving up. She wouldn't be happy about that. What really killed me is the fact that we didn't even have that much time together; we had only just confessed our feelings the night before. I never had an evening alone with her as a lover, but just as a friend I longed to hold in my arms.

I picked her up bridal style and shot out of the hole. Every one of our friends was standing there, looking at me, waiting for me to say something. All I could do was shake my head. A few of them dropped to the ground and other just closed their eyes. Lucy fell to the floor and didn't seem like she would be getting back up anytime soon.

I carried her back to Soul Society, where everyone was waiting for the result. I walked right up to the head captain, and I could sense the sadness in his heart. We would hold a funeral in her honor; her body would be cased in glass. I went to hand her over to him when she became extremely heavy and I dropped to the ground.

"What…what the hell?" she was turning to crystal and flying to the sky. The head captain slammed his staff to the ground and swore under his breath. "What's going on, sir?" I inquired.

"Aizen has won." He said before walking away. I was left empty handed and empty hearted. I didn't understand what he meant. All I knew was that the love of my life, Ariswana Thompson, was dead.