Don't own Bleach. After this chapter, this is the longest story I've written so huzzah for me. Anyway, I hope you are still liking this story. I hope you check those out as well.
The battle was drawing to a close, the 13th District was almost clear. Daichi and his Squad, managed to kill the Giants in the area. Smoke filled the air and made it hard to breathe. Daichi raised his hand to his face to try to avoid inhaling it. The fire surrounding the area had burnt itself out and left scorch marks in their place, the smell of the smoke left behind assaulted his nostrils as he craned his neck looking around the battlefield at his Squad.
They took many casualties, Sentaro didn't survive he was told. Kiyone was badly injured as well and that was just the start. The bodies that littered the floor needed to be accounted for. However, there was still the matter of the last of the Giants in area. The barrier held up, no more Giants managed to get through but Daichi knew it was simply a temporary measure and that if the Giants managed to blast their way through Sekkiseki rock then it was only a matter of time before they manage to figure out how to break through kido.
Daichi flew at a Giant close to him and slice through its neck and moved on. The more Giants he fought, the easier it became to kill them and he wasn't sure he liked the idea of it becoming easy to kill something even if it protected the Seireitei and his home. He was taught that there were only two reasons to fight, for one's life or for ones pride. Fighting the Giants was a fight for his life and, by the words of the Head Captain, lay down his life for the Seireitei's safety. Maybe it was a little too late for the Head Captain to be satisfied but, the Giants destruction was limited to the Districts and not the inner Seireitei.
The final Giant was taken down by Chiba who let out a victory yell, "Woooo! That's right, you wish you could take me on." He boasted as the Giant fell to the floor.
Daichi smiled as he heard his Squad member revelled in his victory even if he knew that it wasn't over but it was certainly a victory. He looked around the Seireitei and still saw a lot of Giants in the different Districts surrounding him. That's not my problem at the moment, I need to make sure my Squad is okay.
He gracefully fell to the floor and inspected the bodies in the area. Luckily they were in tact and identifiable. One was a bit bloody but Daichi knew them, it was a new member, he had helped him with kido, his name was Akatsuki Bando. Bando was a promising young recruit, it saddened Daichi to see him like that, bloody and beaten. Next to Bando, there was another body, one he didn't recognize but still felt a pit of guilt forming in his stomach at the sight of her bloody corpse flattened by an arm of a Giant. Daichi lifted the arm off the body and moved it round so it fell straight on the ground away from them. Grabbing the arm of the unidentified Squad member, Daichi picked her up and carried her round to rest with Bando for the time being.
Moving on, Daichi headed down the ruined streets of the 13th District, the familiar buildings were now piles of rubble made his heart sink. This was the place he had called home for a very long time and now it was rubble. He didn't know how the other Districts looked or whether the Giants broke through to face off with the Captains in the centre but his home was in ruins. His friends and Squad mates were dead or injured.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, Daichi instinctively reached for his Zanpakuto as he turned. An arm that was poking out of a destroyed building twitched. He heard a groan and rushed over to the arm. Frantically, Daichi began to pick up large bits of debris from the pile. The rock was heavy, but Daichi was determined to help the poor person stuck underneath it all. He threw rock after rock away from the pile. Eventually, he dug deep enough and found the trapped Shinigami.
There was a small girl, bloody and bruised from the battle. She was short, pale and with blonde hair tied in pig tails. Her eyes were closed, she looked like she was sleeping but Daichi knew better. He reached out for her and placed a hand under her nose and felt her breath fall out of her nostrils. Gently, he tapped her on the cheek to get her to open her eyes. "Come on, Hanako. You have to open your eyes." He pleaded.
Her brow twitched and her eyes fluttered open. Hanako squinted at Daichi before her lips tugged up. She winced immediately as the pain shot through her, "Lieu... Lieutenant?" she asked groggily.
He smiled at the young girl, "Who else?" He asked lightly, "I need you to stand, can you do that?" Daichi held out his hand as he stood up.
She nodded her head slightly. Hanako reached out with a shaky hand and grabbed Daichi's. He pulled Hanako to her feet with ease. A rush of blood gave Hanako a light headed rush and her knees began to shake. "I'm okay, Lieutenant. Or I will be, don't worry about me. I'm not as fragile as I look." She gave Daichi a small reassuring smile.
Although, she smiled at him, Daichi had a hard time believing she was as all right as she was saying but knew he had to move on to find the others. "You head up that way." He pointed to the centre, "Only as far as the District edge and no further and check for survivors, can you do that? This District is clear for the time being but I'm not sure how long for."
Hanako nodded her head, her pigtails bouncing with her, "I'm on it, Lieutenant. I'm glad you're alive." With that, Hanako went off on her own.
He was worried for her but took her word that she was all right. Daichi continued down the path and continued his search all the while thinking about the possible consequences for Rangiku. He assumed her Captain was with her when she transformed and Daichi, knowing that Captain Hitsugaya was a stickler for protocol and regulations, assumed that he would report it. Daichi could already see the sick, twisted smile on Captain Kurosutchi's face at the thought of the experiments he could carry out on Rangiku. There and then he promised himself he wouldn't let that happen. He would find a cure for her himself.