Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach
Chapter 29
Broken Beauty
Those who do not know what love is
Liken it to beauty,
Those who claim to know what love is
Liken it to ugliness.
-Tite Kubo, from Bleach, volume 20-
"Sorry, Rukia, but I can't help you," Senna said, letting her eyes meet Aizen's with nothing less than sheer determination and hate.
"I understand," the black haired girl replied quietly as she bowed her head into her chest.
While Gin advanced on Rukia, Senna disappeared in a crackle of energy and reappeared directly beside Aizen. He was stunned by the amount of speed she seemed to have gained and she was able to snatch the Hogyoku from his fingers before flashing away again in a blur of blue and black.
She appeared beside Renji, breathing shallowly and raggedly. She noticed that while she had snatched the Hogyoku from Aizen, Captain Kuchiki had appeared and saved Rukia from being impaled by Gin's Shinso by taking the blade himself. He was now knelt on the ground in Rukia's arms, blood pouring from a wound to his left shoulder.
"Do me a favor," Senna said to Renji through her gasps for air.
Renji blinked up at her, unable to speak as he took in the sight before him. Senna was covered in scratches, cuts, blood, and dirt but she was still stunning. Blue energy was crackling around her body erratically and the look on her face, a mixture of calm determination and acceptance was breathtaking. She could have passed for the God of War in that instant and it was an amazing thing to see. He had never really realized just how strong she was, he would never underestimate her again, not that he was sure he would have the chance.
He nodded numbly at her and she seemed to release a breath in relief.
"Tell Hisagi..Tell him.. I-"
A trail of red rained upon the ground and Senna cried out in shock as a cut seemed to spread from her left hip to under her right arm, it was hard to tell just how it got there as she began to fly backwards, sending a spray of red liquid trailing after her.
"Senna," Renji shouted worriedly watching as she was thrown back in a flash of black and white.
She landed flat on her back with Aizen standing above her, his zanpakuto poised at her neck where a light trickle of red liquid began to seep from the cut he had made.
"Get up, Senna," Renji yelled. "Tell Hisagi what ever it is yourself, I'm no damn messenger!"
"I wouldn't if I were you," Aizen advised coldly, leaning over to pluck the Hogyoku from her grasp.
She wouldn't immediately release it and he pressed the blade of his zanpakuto deeper into her neck, causing her to flinch involuntarily and release the orb.
"You won't be leaving alive," Senna croaked out as she grabbed the blade of Aizen's sword.
She stared up at Aizen and let the energy around her crackle and pop loudly, she grunted as the energy went out of control, which she had expected. She had pushed herself too far and no longer had the ability to control all of the energy she had released. It was what she wanted, but she wouldn't be blowing just herself up, she would take Aizen with her.
There was a loud, violent explosion of energy and a flash of light engulfed the two people. There was a moment of silence after the initial shock of the explosion and all eyes turned to the place where debris and smoke was thickly clouding the air.
"Well, that was unpleasant," a figure spoke as it emerged from the smoke and rubble strewn crater.
"Aizen," Renji hissed, his fists clenching while stared into the smoke filled air.
There was a flurry of movement around the former captain as two females appeared around him. One had a sword to his neck while the other bound his hands.
There were loud crashes that sounded like stomps and everyone turned to see that three of the gigantic gate keepers had invaded and were making their way towards the hill.
Another crash was heard as the ground shook violently as another gate keeper, Jidanbo, the same that had fought Ichigo, appeared with a rather crazed looking woman on his shoulder. The two incapacitated all three guardians swiftly, with Kido and brute strength.
"What should I do?" Gin wondered after watching Jidanbo strike one of the gate keepers and watching as the gigantic man fell to the ground.
"Don't move."
"Hmmm," he replied as he looked behind him to see that Matsumoto had a hold of his wrist and her sword was pressed against his neck.
Senna blinked and tried to see through the cloud of smoke that still lingered around her, she was lying in a depression she had made when the energy had exploded. Her hair was dirty and clumped in some places from the blood that had seeped into it. Her face and and arms were smeared in her blood, and countless cuts and bruises marred her once flawless skin.
She heaved and began coughing while she struggled to sit up. One hand curled protectively around her stomach as if trying to hold the open skin together as her body revolted against any form of movement. Blood darkened the ground beneath her as she coughed a stream of the red, metallic liquid.
'Dammit,' she thought, gasping breath and trying to stand up.
"I experimented on souls before I started with Hollows, there were only eight that transformed successfully. One was Shinji. Have you heard the term Vizard before? It is a term meaning masked army. Soul Reapers who have attained the powers of Hollows classify themselves as Vizards. You are a Vizard, the first actually. You could say you're the queen," Aizen's words rang in her mind, he had spoken them before leaving her to die in a pool of her own blood.
"It can't end like this," she whispered fiercely as she pushed herself up. Her knees shook but she was able to gather as much pride as a half dead woman who was quickly bleeding to death could before walking out of the smoke.
She stopped in her tracks when she saw that nearly every captain and lieutenant had arrived, and many were detaining the traitors.
Her eyes flew around the new arrivals. Captain Ukitake and Kyoraku stood on the opposite side of the hill from her, she caught Ukitake's eyes briefly and saw the flicker of worry that passed through them before looking to her right to see that the head captain and his lieutenant were watching Aizen, who was currently being detained by Yoruichi and Captain Soi Fon. Matsumoto had a hold of Gin, while not far behind her, Hisagi had a hold of his former captain, Tousen.
Senna felt a flicker of sadness for him, she could see the betrayal he felt reflected in his eyes. After all it was something she was acquainted with personally. There were several other people including Jidanbo, who had a grinning Kukaku Shiba on his shoulder. Senna chuckled as she looked up at the woman who saw her and grinned even wider.
Senna shook her head as a strange buzzing sound began to echo in her ears. There was a sudden pressure shift and Aizen began to laugh. No one else but Senna seemed to have noticed the odd buzzing or the shift in pressure until Yoruichi snapped her head up and looked at the sky.
Following the woman's golden eyes, Senna looked up and was stunned by the sight of a large rip forming in the clear blue sky. Several Menos Grande were trying to push their way through the rip but it wasn't that which had caught everyone's eye. It was the strange eye that seemed to be partially opened behind them.
"Move," Senna shouted, her eyes darted to Hisagi and Matsumoto who were still gripping onto their prisoners. Yoruichi and Soi Fon had already jumped away from Aizen.
'Dammit, I failed. I didn't get the Hogyoku,' Senna thought, 'Well, I'm not dead yet... Only half way there.'
Her eyes darted to her zanpakuto which lay a few yards before her, it had returned to its sealed state and Senna's eyes flickered uncertainly. The only time a zanpakuto reverted to its sealed state without permission was when the master was close to death.
'I'm sorry, Kurohineko, that I wasn't a better master,' Senna thought. 'But how about one last attack together.'
'Sounds good,' Kurohineko replied.
Senna closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching inside herself for any last ounce of strength she could find and pulling it to the surface.
'I'll lend you my strength,' Kurohineko said from the depths of her mind.
'Thank you,' Senna answered, a soft smile flitting across her features. 'I have to get to him before the Menos use Negacion, that's what I'm guessing they're planning to do anyways.'
One last deep breath and Senna could feel as a new energy flowed through her body. Red and black light danced around her before she disappeared. She kicked Kurohineko up as she ran and grabbed the hilt as it flew up in to the air. Yoruichi and Soi Fon saw her approach and she was pretty sure Yoruichi told the small captain to move away as Senna neared Aizen.
"Senna," Captain Ukitake yelled.
Her eyes flicked upwards and she could see the beams of light that were piercing through the sky. Clenching her fist, she took one final step and grabbed onto Aizen's throat with her left arm, ignoring the protest and pain. A pillar of blue and black energy swirled around the two, Aizen was temporarily rendered immobile as the energy created a tornado around he and Senna. She swung her sword out in a graceful arc that would have slashed through Aizen's stomach had he not regained the ability to move and moved aside at the last moment. Instead she only sliced through some of the fabric of his uniform.
'No,' her mind screamed in a blind panic. 'He shouldn't have been able to move, am I really that weak?'
Her sword clattered to the ground as Aizen's hand wrapped around her throat. The blue and black swirls of energy dissipated in a shower of harmless sparks, leaving Senna defenseless. She was limp in his grasp as he raised her off of the ground, her body was as pliable as a rag doll.
"If you don't die here, remember what I said," he said mockingly.
Her eyes flashed violently as her hands shot up and grabbed a hold of the arm that held her. Using the last amount of strength she could muster, she kicked against his chest roughly. His hand released her and she flew backwards just as the yellow light of the Negacion enveloped him, Gin, and Tousen.
She glared at Aizen as the ground under his feet began to rip out of the ground and rise upwards. She managed to stay on her feet as she watched the traitors rise towards the Menos Grande that were waiting in the torn sky.
There were shouts from Captain Komomura and Ukitake was speaking to Aizen, his anger written on his pale face. Senna watched Aizen remove his glasses and smile before he ran a hand through his hair. His face began to blur as she looked up at him and she stumbled back a step.
"Senna," someone shouted, but she didn't hear it.
'I let them all down, failure wasn't an option. Yet it seems to be all I'm capable of,' Senna thought, her body growing numb and her eyelids growing heavy.
Someone shouted her name again, but she was unable to hear it as her breathing seemed to nearly stop and her pulse slowed drastically. She didn't even hear the rush of air when her knees buckled beneath her and she began to fall towards the ground, her dark hair fanning out around her. Before she could fall to the ground, strong arms caught her carefully.
"Senna," Hisagi called worriedly as he looked down at the girl in his arms.
There was no answer from the lifeless girl. Her head fell back over his arm, her eyes were shut and her lips parted slightly.
Hisagi lowered himself to the ground and held Senna's motionless body in his arms, close to his chest.
"Senna," he muttered quietly, staring down at her blood streaked face.
A gentle hand was placed on Hisagi's shoulder and he looked up to see that Captain Ukitake was looking sadly down at Senna. The white haired man turned his gaze to Hisagi and smiled sadly.
"She can't be.." Hisagi started before trailing off to look down at Senna's slack face.
To his surprise her eyes moved beneath the thin flesh of her eyelids before fluttering open. The normal hazel was dull and dim as her eyes moved around, unable to fully focus on anything.
"Senna," Hisagi whispered urgently, pulling her body closer to him.
Her eyes blinked up at him not understanding what was going on, but after a moment, recognition seemed to spark behind them and a soft smile forced her lips to curl slightly. A shaky, blood soaked hand lifted and made its way towards Hisagi's face.
"I...sorry.." Senna choked out, she tried to speak again, but her voice was barely above a whisper.
Seeing her lips moving, Hisagi leaned closer to her, her hand brushed against his cheek leaving a crimson trail across the three scars on the right side of his face.
"I.. l..love you...Shuhei.." she whispered before her hand dropped to her side with a sickening finality and her eyes drooped shut.
Hisagi looked down at her, unable to process the mixture of emotions that were raging through his body as her head fell into his chest and the already slow pace of her heart that he could feel from her bare back as she rested against him seemed to disappear.
He was sure that something in him shattered at that moment. The woman he had loved for nearly fifty years had finally returned his feelings, had finally said the words he had wanted to hear from her lips for so long. Somehow though that didn't matter, she had apologized first. He knew her enough to know that she felt responsible for Aizen's get away, he also knew that she was trying to get something from Aizen with the last attack. He just didn't know what.
Still the only thing that mattered was the serene face of the girl that was bleeding in his arms as her breaths became slower and shallower. He leaned his head over her forehead and placed a kiss gently over one of her dark brows.
Captain Ukitake stood just beside Hisagi and looked forlornly down at the girl that was cradled securely in the young man's arms. She had fought so hard to protect her home, her friends and now she was paying the ultimate price for her kindness.
He sighed when Kyoraku put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, it was a bittersweet smile. It was meant to comfort him, to tell him she died honorably and without regret. But he knew better than that, he had also heard the muttered apology that she had uttered and knew she felt she was to blame for letting Aizen leave alive. She was dying, but there was no pride in her death, not for her at least. Soul Society owed her a great deal, she had fought to help save her home, that in itself was enough to make her a hero in the eyes of others. It did nothing for what she thought of herself though.
Ukitake felt a twinge of sadness for Hisagi as well, Senna had finally openly returned his sentiments and now he was watching her die. There was a sense of bitterness in the air as the eyes of many people on the hill turned to look at Hisagi and Senna. There was something beautiful in the way the young man held the body of the woman he had loved, the woman who had risked it all to save a place that had taken so much from her. While there was beauty in the scene, there was also ugliness. Senna was by no means the most beautiful girl, but the peace that was displayed clearly on her face made the cold exterior that most knew of her suddenly seem like nothing more than the act it was. They all saw the innocent, kind, loving woman that she really was and it was ugly that her life was taken from her before she could really live and experience the things that she hadn't allowed herself to in her short life.
There was a disturbance as several Soul Reapers appeared on the hill. They were from the Fourth Squad which was evident by the green packs that were slung over their backs. The blond, glasses wearing third seat Iemura was shouting out orders as they neared the scene of the battle but everyone quieted when they saw Senna in the arms of Hisagi. There was a moment of utter silence before Iemura barked out more orders and sent one of the members to find Captain Unohana.
