Looking across the length of her blade into her adversary's eyes, Hisana tried to maintain control of her emotions. Despite his injuries Kuroda faced her, no remorse in his eyes. In his hand he held a rapier, the blade long and thin as a opposed to the bronze of Kakyoku's blade. He was not a Shinigami but that didn't mean he was not a more than capable swordsman. Hisana knew better than to think that just because his sword was narrow that it wouldn't be able to kill her very very easily. They were evenly matched now, Hisana would not release her Zanpakto. They were going to settle this once and for all, on equal grounds.

Without warning Kuroda lunged. Hisana parried his blade, the two swords glancing off each other. He sidestepped, his sword aiming for her shoulder. She swung her body under the blade and turned, meeting his next strike with her own sword. Their blades clashed like lovers, meeting for a passionate moment before dancing apart. The two moved apart, Kuroda standing with his blade pointed at her, his free wrist extended. Hisana had Kakyoku low to the ground, both hands gripping the hilt. Their eyes remained locked, not on each other but on their opponent's torso, trying to find the moment when the tightening of muscles would alert them to the other's intention.

"Do you think this will really solve anything?" Kuroda asked finally, his amber eyes glinting.

Hisana glanced upwards.

Instantly his blade streaked for her. She blocked, their blades screaming against each other for a moment before they disengaged, separating as quickly as they had come together. Hisana felt her torn skin pull and knew Kuroda's blade had found its mark. Along the inside of her wrist was a neat incision. It was not that deep but that area was particularly bad to be cut in. Ignoring it she focused on him. As long as they ended this quickly then everything would be fine. They circled each other slowly, their feet naturally shifting their weight between the balls of their feet as they waited for the other to move.

"I don't see any harm in killing you," she said, lunging forward.

Their blades clashed again, this time it was hers that slipped through his defenses and sliced a long part of his chest, leaving a shallow wound but cutting his shirt to reveal the molted skin. He looked down and then up at her.

"Yet you seem to be quite bad at it," he said.

"I'm not gonna set you on fire this time," she said leveling her blade, "not until I know you're dead."

The two clashed furiously. This time though their blades locked. Kuroda held the joined swords there, their faces inches apart.

"Now why'd you want to do that?" he questioned, "so you can live? Die? You really are an idiot."

They moved away quickly.

"Why?"

"Because you, you're immortal," he said, "a few missing pieces here and there but you remember everything. What's gonna happen when you die again? You'll be reincarnated and you'll spend your life locked in the past once again. Then, you'll find your way back here only he's not going to be waiting for you. And, if you do manage to find him, all that's going to happen is he's going to look at you with those big, sad eyes and not know a single thing."

He was trying to get a rise out of her, she knew that. Same as he knew it would work. Their blades clashed as she slammed her sword into his. Immediately she disengaged and sidestepped him, coming to his back. He spun around and met her thrust, parrying her blade. She let the momentum spin her around and sliced upwards, carving another line into his chest. He angled his body so the blow was merely unpleasant instead of life threatening. His sword thrust out, the point sliding across her upper arm. Hisana swapped hands and brought Kakyoku down in a hard arc. It slammed into the foil, knocking the weapon downwards and off course. Hisana thrust out her sword, impaling Kuroda's shoulder. His hand reflexively opened, his foil clattering to the ground.

Immediately the world exploded into stars as his fist slammed into her stomach. The air flew from her lungs as Kakyoku dropped to the ground as well. Doubled over, Hisana fought for air, barely managing to avoid the knee that was aimed for her nose. Moving her head she let the blow come and grabbed onto the limb, her other foot streaking out and slamming into Kuroda's knee with a sickening crunch of bone on bone. The two staggered to their feet, Hisana spat on the ground as Kuroda tried not to limp too much. The two glared furiously and continued to circle each other, the blades in the corner. Hisana hadn't released her Zanpakto and she was not going to slice Kuroda's head off, certainly not when he was unable to hold the sword. However warped he had a sense of sick honor and she seemed to have developed one as well.

Or as much as people like them could develop such a thing.

Even on a damaged leg Kuroda moved fast. Both raced for their swords. Kuroda got his first. Hisana's hand grasped Kakyoku as she rolled on the floor to avoid his strike. Jumping to her feet she ignored the amount of hair that fell to the ground as his Zanpakto sliced off the locks. She needed a haircut anyway. The two kept fighting, the blood loss and sense of the approaching end--ever drawing nearer, spurring them on. They drew ragged breaths as their swords danced, ignoring the fact that the fight should have ended a while ago. Both of them were not going to come out of the battle alive. There could only be one person to survive and the longer the fight dragged on the more it seemed like who ever survived what not going to be alive for long.

"So where is loverboy in all this?"

"I'm the only one you should worry about," she snapped.

Hisana said nothing past that. She wasn't telling him where Byakuya was. She had convinced Byakuya to make sure that everyone got out this time in case they had to torch the place. He had been reluctant to leave her alone but she had told him that she had to do this alone. She had a feeling the moment he got all the people out of there he was coming to find her. She had to make sure that Kuroda was dead before that happened. Her eyes narrowed as she lunged forward and struck the sword away. Both their movements were dampened with pain and blood loss but they were more than capable of doing serious damage to each other. They slammed their blades together and danced apart before clashing again. This time when the clashed Hisana struck out for his knee once again, ignoring the pain that sliced through her arm as his blade deepened the gash on her arm.

His leg buckled, his body turning. Hisana's blade dipped to the ground, her blade slicing easily through the flesh and bone of his damaged leg. She raised the sword high over her head.

Pain slammed into her side.

Hisana bit back a shriek of pain. Slowly her eyes lowered to the blade that was thrust into her side, impaling her clear through. Hisana's eyes moved from the arm she was about to cut off to Kuroda's face. His eyes glinted with an odd sense of triumph, as if he knew that even if he died he would be have struck some kind of blow that would forever scar her in ways that were not only physical but deeper somehow. Hisana didn't care. It hurt to move with the foil slammed into her but she brought her sword down anyway. It slammed into the crown of Kuroda's head. She pressed downwards, not stopping until she had slammed the sword as far into Kuroda as she could.

Hisana staggered backwards, ripping Kakyoku free as she did. Breathing was hard only because her muscles flexed around the sword. She did not feel like she was drowning or that she was dying, just that she was in a fair amount of pain. Hisana grasped the sword, trying to pull it out but she couldn't. The blade wouldn't budge and the angle was too odd to pull out by herself. Byakuya wasn't there, not yet. He had to get the people out before more got hurt by her actions. Her hands wrapped around the blade as she looked at it and then at the body. She had to help him, she had to let him know she was alright but if he saw her like this--she had to get the sword out of her body.

If your need is dire-

"Sobieru," she gasped out, the painful chest spasms making it hard to get out the command, "Kakyoku Shuiro."

Pain laced through her body, the burning sensation as if her soul had been set on fire. The blade glowed softly, then brighter and brighter until it seemed as though it would melt from the hilt. The fire inside her seemed to twist and roar like a living thing as her right had moved from its death grip on the sword, her palm extended as the scar pointed towards the opposite wall as if she were greeting burn on her hand sent sharp pains across her palm even though the wound had long since healed. It felt as if her soul was being ripped in two. Hisana felt tears stream down her face as the heat seemed to lap at her skin, as if she was being burned but not.

It felt as if the fire moved in front of her, white hot against her hand. Scarlet flames lapped at her skin and moved upwards, twisting and taking shape. The white hot fire against her hand changed until instead of being fire, it was a hand. The rest of the flames twisted and solidified until she found herself facing a very real, very solid manifestation of Kakyoku Shuiro. Hisana stared upwards into his glowing crimson eyes, unable to look away. She barely felt it as his hand touched the foil that impaled her, the metal melting away under his caress. Without saying a word the Zanpakto Spirit's lips curved into a smile before his fingers interlaced hers. Almost instantly the fire was gone, leaving her with the same odd too cold sensation that had happened the first time she used her shikai. Hisana gasped and pressed a hand to her charred cloths. The blood was dry and flaky, the skin underneath was unbroken.

"Kakyoku?" she asked tentatively.

"Too soon," he chimed.

"You still came out," she pointed out looking at the body.

"If your need is dire, I will be there. No matter how unpleasant it is for the both of us."

Hisana walked over to the body and looked at the two halves that had been Kuroda. It seemed somehow impossible that this man had caused all that had happened. Now he was just two halves of a body that had caught the edges of her flame. The blood that spilled from him was dry and flakey, baked into the ground between them. A puddle of it ended just before Hisana's toes. She moved her foot away. Slowly she picked up Kakyoku's discarded sheath and slid the blade into it, holding him in her hand.

"Will I ever be ready for that power?" she asked softly, "or do I have to wait until 'next time'?" Kakyoku said nothing, "will there be a next time?" Hisana demanded.

"Even I do not know the future," his voice came, almost sad.

"I wish someone did," she muttered looking at the sword.

"Perhaps a fortune teller," he said, "or maybe you should go and ask your husband."

Hisana gasped and quickly slid the scarf over her head, turning and racing out of the room. She had to find Byakuya. He should have been there by now. She ran through the hideout, trying to find some indication of where he could possibly be. As she ran she passed a bank of windows. A glance outside confirmed a group of people in the courtyard. Her eyes widened as she saw they were clustered around a blindfolded Manami, the bandages over the spot where her remaining eye had been an indication of what happened. But Byakuya was not among them, he was somewhere in the house. Hisana slowed her feet from their run. She had to find him quickly and racing around was not going to help. So few people here had Spiritual Pressure.

She closed her eyes and focused, trying to let her thoughts slip away. In her mind she focused on the gentle scent of cherry blossoms, of the endless hours she had spent with him in the gardens. Her own Spiritual Pressure was so vibrant and vivid, like a bright splash of ruby. His was far more gentle, a testament to his control over it. It was not like searching for a spotlight but for a gentle glow. She found it, power hummed like a caress. It was undeniable but it was like a melody that wrapped around her. Not wasting time with running Hisana kept her eyes closed and shifted her body back before throwing herself into shunpo. A handful of steps brought her to where he was.

He was making sure the last handful of people got out. The moment she landed his eyes was one of those strange moments, the kind that seemed to last impossibly long and yet, when they are over, seem far too fleeting. He walked over to her, his eyes scanning her injuries. She was glad they had thought to leave their rings back at the mansion, otherwise her engagement ring would have been melted in the blaze. She met his gaze squarely, both aware of their mission but entranced with each other.

"Its over?" he asked.

"Yes," she said pressing her lips to his.

He returned the kiss before they turned to the few people who remained in the hideout. Byakuya took the front while Hisana covered the rear, making sure that they were not followed as they hurried out of the hideout. The second they got into the place Hisana hurried over to Manami.

"Manami," she said touching her hand.

"Chiyo?" Manami turned her head to her, "oh thank goodness you're alright!" she said enveloping Hisana in a hug.

"What happened to you?" Hisana asked quickly.

"Oh this?" Manami touched the cotton around her eye, "Kuroda's forces I'm afraid," her lips curved into a wry smile, "it seems that one eye was to go to the Shinigami, the other to the people who were supposed to be against them."

"Maybe Unohana can help you," Hisana said, "you'll stick with us, we'll take you back to the Fourth Division alright?"

"Thank you," Manami said, "but you should probably reassure these people, I think they are a bit frightened at the moment," her brow furrowed, "you smell like flowers."

"Its a long story," she said, "you all should return to your homes!"

"But what about Kuroda?" one man demanded.

"Kuroda is dead," Hisana said, "if you want to examine his body be my guest. I killed him with a sword, not Spiritual Power."

"You killed Kuroda?" one man asked, his eyes wide.

Hisana nodded. Before her shocked eyes, tears began to fill his eyes and he began to weep, blessings for her spilling from his lips. One by one the hostages began to thank her for killing the man. Hisana's eyes widened. They were all grateful for his death. There was no chaos, no terror, just gratitude. It felt odd. One of her feet moved backwards, her spine connecting with Byakuya's chest. He looked down at her, his eyes clearly saying he remembered her dislike of the spotlight. Knowing she was, unfortunately, going to have to get used to it Hisana forced herself to smile and acknowledge the people who surrounded them. Her eyes swept the crowd but she did not see anyone who looked like they were a threat.

She should have known better.

Byakuya coughed suddenly, his hand covering her mouth. She turned her head upwards, concern in her eyes but the spasm of his chest passed. He seemed fine but adrenaline had kicked in. Her eyes swept the crowd again, her back pressed to his chest. One hand moved onto Kakyoku's hilt, ready to destroy anyone who tried to hurt him. She was not going to let anyone hurt her family, not ever again. She would kill anyone who tried to do it, they would be dead before Byakuya could release Senbonzakura.

Perhaps if he had been in front of her things would have been different.

It was Kuroda's irony that had planted the explosives, or maybe he had known that he would be dead in the conflict anyway. The explosion was deafening as heat and debris flew outwards. There was no time, not even to draw their blades. She saw Byakuya's lips move through the kido but nothing happened. Kuroda had pumped the drug through the air in the prisons. Suddenly the world went black as he crushed her to his chest, his body curling around hers. Hisana could have screamed or all the air in her lungs could have fled in one silent whoosh of breath. Somehow for an instant the world was hot and dark and impossibly silent. For a moment, the world did not exist.

And then it came roaring back to life.

If she had one wish, it was that the moment lasted forever. When she opened her eyes the world was inverted, she was flat on her back with Kakyoku's hilt digging into her spine. A weight was on her chest, impossibly heavy and somehow comforting. Hisana opened her eyes. Below her knee in her left leg she felt nothing, her right foot was numb as well. The rest of her had been shielded by something warm and heavy--something that smelled like cherry blossoms. Her eyes widened as she tired to push him off her but her arms were unresponsive. She couldn't move or think or breath.

All she could do was lay there, painfully aware that the chest pressed to her was not moving.

Okay the next chapter is gonna be super long. But this one was action packed.

One last thing, I'm leaving the character poll open so if you haven't voted for your favorite (you can choose more than one) character(s) then go to my profile and vote.

I'm sorry about my absence! But we've only got a handful of chapters to go so I promise this is gonna be updated very soon....though the IchiRuki or Ichi is gonna be sparse because right now I think Ichigo is an asshole.

Batspada forever!

R&R