Evening, all :) And sorry for the delay - life has been hectic, and Soi Fon and Halibel have proven despondent - thank you so very much for reading and commenting :) And thank you, Maidros, for putting up with my Emo. Though, you know, sometimes, Emo is right, and there is a saying that goes - quitters never win, and winners never quit, but if you don't win and you don't quit, then you're an idiot.

Chapter 52 - Where I should have quit...

P.S. O.O...Folks...Stark and Szayel A. G. actually made it to the character listing of FF...Whoa...


'Whaddya think you're pullin', Stark?' Ichimaru Gin asked, in a light chuckle.

'I might ask the same question, Ichimaru,' Stark shrugged, indicating Matsumoto with a swift movement of his chin. 'Did Aizen-sama say it was all right for you to keep her? I thought he didn't like sharing.'

'Heee,' Gin laughed again; the Primera did not miss the significance of the fact that Shinsou was still unsheathed in the former Shinigami's hand. 'That was a crack worthy of Grimmjow. Only, Grimmjow didn't end up so good for being cheeky. Not everybody has my sense of humor; I'm even thinking that if Tousen was here instead of me, he'd be wonderin' what was up with your Cero just now.'

'What was wrong with my Cero?' Stark asked, sounding mildly irked.

'Dunno,' Gin shrugged. 'Seemed a bit on the light side, if ya catch me drift…'

'I was merely giving you time to get out of the way,' Stark shrugged. 'Would have been a pity if you were caught in the path of my Cero while saving the adorable damsel – Aizen-sama would have been most disappointed in me. Jury might still be out on you, though.'

The corners of Gin's lips continued to point upwards, his smile not faltering for a single second.

'Ain't you a sweet concerned man,' the former Shinigami said. 'Always worried 'bout others. Dontcha worry, Stark, dontcha worry 'bout me for a single second. I know what I'm doin',' he concluded, with a winning grin.

Stark shrugged, yawned, then turned away, glancing in the distance. He was keenly aware of Ichimaru's stare, but he cared little, and was wiser than to show even the little concern that he felt. He felt Halibel's reiatsu awakening, and could only assume that she too had come up against a captain – sooner or later, the Primera thought, they would, all, join in, the Shinigami in black as well as the Shinigami in white. He closed his eyes, searching for Lilinette's reiatsu in the madness of energies round him, and nodded to himself when he'd found her. She was not making much progress against the Shinigami of the eastern tower, but she was not getting hit, either – all he could feel from her side was growing frustration.

''Stead of worryin' about me, ya should think of yourself. That kind of Cero won't help you none against the bigger fish, Stark. I can only hope ya know what you're doin',' Ichimaru hissed, tightening his grip on the woman's frame.

The Primera looked over his shoulder, with no trace of hurry or surprise.

'More or less than usual, Ichimaru,' he answered, in a bored tone. 'More or less than usual.'

He vanished before the former Shinigami could add anything else, and, though he was still nagged by some doubt, Ichimaru had to admit that he was relieved by the Primera's withdrawal.

He slowly drifted downwards, landing on one knee and cradling Matsumoto to his chest. He loosened his grip on her shoulders, allowing her to slip downwards a few inches, then, with careful fingers, pulled her kimono aside to look at her wound. He frowned, and, in spite of the fact that the woman had whimpered audibly, he gently turned her on the side and pulled her kimono fully off her shoulders, sustaining it with his forearm and not allowing it to slip off her chest.

The injury was typical of Stark, Ichimaru thought, with a little uncharacteristic frown. Entry wound in the back, a single, clean and precise strike, followed by an incapacitating rotation of the blade. The sword had found its way between the ribs, and cleanly exited just beneath the collarbone, angled slightly upwards, as one might have expected from a strike that came from the height of the hip. That too was very characteristic of Stark – he never drew until the very second before he intended to actually attack.

The only thing that was completely uncharacteristic about the injury, Ichimaru thought, settling Matsumoto in his arms as comfortably as he possibly could have, was that Stark had missed.

Not by much, Gin realized, looking at the gaping wound on the woman's chest. Had the Espada angled his sword ever so slightly less, the strike would have gone straight through the heart.

I was too late.

Ichimaru Gin had left Yamamoto's fiery prison the moment he had sensed Hitsugaya's reiatsu awakening; with the writhing flames drowning out most of the reiatsu from outside, he had had no idea that Halibel and Stark had entered the play, and neither of the two had dispensed a noticeable amount of energy. Confident in Hitsugaya's arrogance – which led him to believe that the young captain would never immediately release his Bankai unless all other paths of combat were exhausted – Gin had not hurried to leave the dome, yet, once he had, and he'd understood that the Captain and vice-captain of the tenth had gone against Stark, he'd rushed to the northern tower in a single heartbeat.

He had hoped Stark would begin with Hitsugaya, and only go after Matsumoto after he was out of the way, but even as his Shumpo carried him to the scene, Gin had known that his assumption was little more than wishful thinking, as was the notion that Stark would, for some reason dispense less force with the woman than he would with her captain. The Primera did not differentiate. So, Gin had forced himself into the fastest Shumpo he had ever mastered, only to arrive too late. Too late, and yet, unexplainably, on time.

He looked down at Rangiku, brushing a strand of hair away from her forehead, and barely resisting the urge of gripping her tighter.

The Primera did not waste time on non-deadly blows, especially not blows of this kind. If he had intently stabbed her in the back, she should have been dead.

I was too late, but she's still alive.

He'd either missed, or intentionally avoided her heart.

Gin smirked and stood, then, after a quick glance in the direction of the eastern tower, vanished, wishing that the irking doubt over Stark's reasons for leaving Matsumoto alive would not have dented his joy at the fact that he had.

Yamamoto's dome still held, but Gin went far around it, in the direction of his companions' reiatsu; the former captain of the third division needed little to feel that both Aizen and Tousen had left the flame enclosure almost immediately after he had. Both stood atop an empty building but feet away from the barrier, allowing it to hide their presences and mask their reiatsu. Gin posed Matsumoto down at Aizen's feet, and there was no twinge of doubt or apology in his eyes as he looked up. Aizen's smile was as kind as ever, though now there had been a small glimmer of amusement lurking in the depth of his warm brown eyes. Two Numeros, in grey Exequias uniforms, rushed forward, then abruptly stopped, staring at the Shinigami in open confusion and fright, then questioningly looking to Aizen for permission.

'Hurry up a bit, will ya,' Gin snapped – their attention quickly shifting from Aizen to Ichimaru, the two Exequias needed no further prompts. They kneeled by the woman's side, and Gin stepped away. Nonetheless, he continued to concernedly watch their gestures; he'd never truly trusted the healing capacities of the Exequias, and without Granz's machinery to aid them, they felt even weaker than usual. Yet, Ichimaru thought, it was still better than nothing.

'I take it Hitsugaya is dead,' Aizen said.

Tousen took a step closer, as if he had seen Gin's nod.

'Stark?' Aizen asked.

'Na,' Ichimaru replied, thoughtfully. 'Me. Tho' Stark smacked him up real good.'

'Alas, poor Shiro-kun,' Aizen sighed, making Ichimaru laugh knowingly. 'But a snowflake in the storm.'

'The Primera moved without order,' Tousen blurted.

'Truth be told, Tousen-san,' Ichimaru drawled, 'we didn't tell 'em to move, but we didn't tell them not to move, either. That one was pretty much up fo' dibs… Barragan ain't movin'. I doubt he will until his dragons are outta the way. But even without indication, the other two are doin' well, one's gotta say. Stark on his second tower, and Halibel is on Soi Fon.'

Aizen nodded.

'At this rate, it won't be long before the rest of the captains join in,' he said, with a little shrug. 'With Hitsugaya down, they will begin to feel seriously threatened.'

His shy smile grew wider.

'As perhaps they should,' he concluded.

'Gotta say,' Gin snickered, 'They're doin' much better than I thought they would be. Even the Fracciones. My poor Kira,' he sighed. 'He didn't much see what hit him.'

'Oddly though,' Aizen amusedly observed, arching a questioning eyebrow at Gin, 'the northern tower is still standing.'

Gin slapped his forehead.

'Oye,' he admitted, somewhat regretfully looking at Matsumoto, 'I completely forgot. I was an idiot.'

'You allowed yourself to fall out of focus,' Tousen snarled, from the side, and Gin rolled his eyes.

'Kaname,' Aizen amusedly scolded, 'be more forgiving. Our Gin had his reasons.'

'D'ya want me to go back?' Ichimaru asked, looking up at Aizen. 'Could do – they didn't sense me the first time 'round, they won't sense me this time….'

The brown haired Shinigami focused for a second, listening to the reiatsu around them.

'No,' he answered at long length. 'Let's give them a few minutes. If they re-man the northern tower, they will spread themselves even thinner. You know,' he dreamily said, 'their inability of engaging in combat together keeps astounding me at every turn.'

'Yeh,' Gin laughed. 'Have ta say, I didn't much like that you kept both Stark an' Halibel so close together, given that they've known each other for such a long time, but it's proven smart. They think da same, an' I think Stark's torch is still burnin', if ye catch me drift. His reiatsu was all out readin' everything; if she gets in trouble, he'll come runnin'. Doubt anyone's gonna be runnin' for Soi Fon.'

'Aizen-sama's choices are always the wisest,' Tousen said, blankly. 'We are both stronger and more coordinated than the enemy, and they are not retreating, as we had feared. Soon, not only shall we defeat them one by one, opening our path towards the towers, but also our path towards the Captain Commander. Sooner than we had expected, but open nonetheless.'

The resentment over the change in plan was clear in Tousen's voice, and, briefly taking his eyes off Matsumoto, Gin looked to Aizen.

'Two things you ought ta be thinkin' 'bout,' he said. 'We hadn't planned for the Espada to go out this fast; tho' we hadn't planned it, Stark did go out, an' so far, because he did, Shiro-kun's dead. That ought ta cause some panic, an' I do think they're gonna man the northern tower with another captain. So, so far, it's better than we'd planned. Still, it's faster than we had planned.'

'Stark hastened the play', Aizen said.

'An' he didn't kill Rangiku,' Gin added. Though he had done his best, and his voice had not truly trembled, his nervousness had been obvious to one who knew him well – Aizen acknowledged his former lieutenant's efforts with a slow nod. 'Neither of the two is bad, but he's settin' the pace and pickin' his fights like a man on a mission.' Gin continued, after coughing lightly.

'True,' Aizen agreed. 'Neither proactive initiative nor leaving enemies alive is typical for my new Primera.'

'One never heals of the rot of treachery,' Tousen muttered. 'I have warned you of this, Aizen-sama.'

'All choose their paths as they see fit,' Aizen indifferently shrugged. 'And all of their paths are known to me, Kaname. Do not worry,' he laughed, reassuringly patting his companion on the shoulder.

'I am concerned,' Tousen protested. 'Though the Primera's actions are beneficial, I feel a great deal of uncertainty…'

'You also feel that Wonderwice is finally makin' himself useful on the other side,' Gin snickered.

Tousen's features briefly reflected his anger, but the expression receded as soon as it had surfaced; Gin's smile grew a little bit wider. Tousen had not liked the thought of leaving his favored Arrancar behind, even more so because he rightfully suspected neither Gin nor Aizen himself placed a great deal of confidence with Wonderwice's combat abilities. Where Tousen would have preferred to think his addled favourite would go down in a blaze of glory, taking at least one of his enemies with him, Gin's stance had been that Wonderwice would at most destroy some of the machinery in the control chamber before meeting his expected demise. In the end they had agreed that the destruction of the control panels would only be used as a last resort; Tousen had not been fooled by the linguistic compromise.

They had not left Wonderwice behind to fight; they'd simply left him behind to clear their tracks.

'My insistence in leaving him to guard the control chamber is proving an inspired choice,' the former captain of the ninth said blankly. 'Your confidence in your security system proved, as I well suspected, vastly unfounded.'

'I never said it was gonna keep Szayel Aporro forever,' Gin shrugged, without taking offence. 'An' he's doin' a good an' fast job, tho' I'd like to be a fly on the wall when he sees what's left of the panels.'

'Your confidence in the fact that he will be unable to render them functional again is also unfounded!' Tousen snapped.

Had he not been completely entranced with the fact that Matsumoto had moved, ever so slightly, Gin might have slapped his forehead again.

'Tousen-saaan…' he said, plaintively. 'I know ya think the world of Szayel Aporro, but he ain't gonna learn Soul Society technology in three hours. 'Sides, I have lotsa confidence in mindless smashing…Ya know,' he beamed, 'tha difference between a criminal an' an idiot that's attacking a system is that the idiot normally does damage on a wider scale, and to usually unfixable proportions.'

'An' I have great faith that Wonderwice is an idiot,' he concluded, not needing to look Tousen's way to know that his companion was now truly enraged.

'Aizen-sama!' Tousen growled. 'I request permission to go crumble the northern tower! I do not like the fact that Stark is setting our pace. I even less like the fact that behind us, Szayel Aporro is making a fool of Ichimaru – I understand that if we crush the towers too fast, the Gotei divisions may be tempted to withdraw to the Sereitei and force us to face them there, where their powers are greater than in the human world. However, they seem to be spreading out rather than withdrawing; I would like to go and crush at least one of the towers, so that the town begins to return…'

'You do not enjoy a bit of suspense, do you, Kaname?' Aizen asked, kindly.

'No, Aizen-sama,' Tousen said dryly. 'I do not. Do I have your permission to undo Ichimaru's mistake?'

'You do, you do,' Aizen said, nodding slowly. 'Only…'

He closed his eyes; at the same time, in the western horizon, the tower that sustained the illusion was blown apart from mid height, sending huge clouds of debris into the sky.

'Po!' Tousen exclaimed, in genuine surprise.

'…only,' Aizen continued, with a little shy shrug, 'it's not really needed.'


Soi Fon drew back, desperately gasping for air – she wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and looked towards the Espada in utter incomprehension.

The woman was as fast as Yoruichi, but even stronger, more focused. She had matched Soi-Fon's speed blow for blow, followed her move for move, her suffocating reiatsu rendering the air heavy and thick…making it hard to move, making it painful to even breathe.

Though she had been continuously moving at the top of her speed, Soi Fon had not been able to get close enough to be a threat - in the past half an hour, the Shinigami had managed to land a single blow, and even that, she had thought, was because Halibel had willingly left herself open for a split second, just to test Suzumebachi's strength. She had not drawn, either, content on using the wide, short scabbard of her sword as a mallet or shield, switching it from one hand to the other with amazing speed and dexterity, twisting it between her fingers and bringing it down from the most unexpected angles, always finding an opening while revealing none.

Yet, though she was already feeling tired, Soi Fon had not paused to rest – she'd paused because of the fact that the landscape of distant reiatsu had suddenly changed; she shook her head in disbelief.

'Hitsugaya…' she thought, and unwillingly breathed out.

Impossible…impossible…

'Feels like Stark's got the one up, Halibel-sama!' Apache shouted.

'In exchange, however,' the Espada replied in a controlled tone, and looking at the outline of the butterfly which had flourished on her hip, 'I am embellished.'

'It looks good on you, Halibel-sama,' Mira Rose agreed.

'I doubt it will last after she's dead, though,' Sun-Sun remarked.

Halibel nodded thoughtfully.

'Can always have a permanent one done, if ya like it,' Apache said, in a conciliatory tone.

'Bitches,' Soi Fon breathed, feeling the mockery cut to the bone. Hitsugaya's reiatsu was, indeed gone, she thought, sudden fear invading her body with each cut off breath.

If they had done away with Hitsugaya…In less than an hour's time…

She lifted her chin in defiance, not missing the fact that all four Arrancar had grinned viciously at her brief lack of focus – that was why, Soi Fon understood, clenching her teeth, Halibel had not followed, and had permitted the pause. Not to allow her to regain her breath, but to give her time to panic.

If they had done away with Hitsugaya…

As if sensing the Shinigami's thoughts, all four drifted slowly closer, the superimposition of their reiatsu clamping Soi-Fon's chest.

Unforgiveable, the Shinigami thought, trying to still the tremor in her hands. What Aizen had done was unforgiveable. These creatures, these unnatural, terrible and terribly strong creatures…

What if I cannot stop her?

Too fast to repress, and fed by the tiredness of her body as well as the gigantic insecurity the knowledge that one of the Captains had fallen caused, the thought crossed her mind; its passage must have been obvious on her features, for Halibel's eyes narrowed and Apache laughed out loud.

Despite her mind's protest, the alien thought grew and flourished on its own, like a parasite stretching fine tentacles between her vertebrae and crawling upwards over her spine.

What if we cannot stop them?

She raised her weapon.

What if we cannot stop him?

The broad side of Halibel's scabbard connected with her lower jaw – a short, dry hit which nonetheless carried tremendous momentum.

'Unfocussed,' the Espada hissed. Her proximity burned like a thousand suns, but, Soi Fon realized, grabbing hold of Halibel's wrist before the Arrancar could pull away, her skin was deathly cold.

Soi Fon jumped, never breaking eye contact with the Espada as she pulled her arm upwards and brought herself into a hand stand over Halibel's head. Despite the fact that the Shinigami had put all her speed into the motion, which would have broken the arm of any other creature, Halibel's frame seemed to be constructed of steel – the arm did not move further back than its natural range of motion, and the shoulder joint refused to give in.

But then, Soi Fon thought, with a cruel smile, and feeling revitalized by the Espada's attack, she did not need the arm to break – with the dexterity of a gymnast, the Shinigami turned, changing the position of her grip and facing in the opposite direction before letting go and landing behind the Espada, and aiming the hornet's sting to the already marked spot on the Espada's hip.

Unphased, Halibel let go of her sword, deftly catching it with her other hand, and rotating the scabbard upwards just in time to catch the blow; in perfect sequence, Mira Rose's staff landed on Soi-Fon's shoulder with crippling force. The Shinigami's right hand lashed out, catching the Fraccion's weapon, and not allowing her to pull away.

She twisted the staff, also twisting the arm of the Arrancar who foolishly held on to it, then used the determination with which Mira Rose held on to the weapon to push herself upwards and kick the Fraccion in the chin. The dark skinned girl cursed, finally letting go of the staff as blood gushed out of her nose. Not letting her recover her focus, Soi Fon entangled her fingers in the Fraccion's hair and curled her arm by her side.

Mira Rose struggled to get away but she was neither fast nor powerful enough to get away; the hornet's mark flowered over her stomach, not even complete before Soi Fon's arm drew back for the second blow. Soi Fon smiled – without fail, the flat scabbard of Halibel's sword came between Suzumebachi's tip and the Fraccion's flesh, but the stinger changed direction in mid-flight, as Soi Fon turned, the golden rings on the tips of her tails hissing fiercely though the air.

Halibel's attempt at evasion had been fast, but not fast enough – she'd merely succeeded in pushing the Shinigami's hand a few inches down, making her miss her target. Yet, as Halibel drifted out of Soi Fon's reach, one arm protectively wrapped around Mira Rose, a new mark expanded across the golden skin of her hip, its contours entangled with the contours of the first.

'Halibel-sama…' Mira Rose breathed.

'She's a captain,' Halibel said, blankly, letting go of Mira Rose's shoulders and turning towards Soi Fon. 'It's normal that she's stronger than you. You need to find other means than strength.'

There had been no reproachful undertone, Soi Fon noted; no trace of any other emotion, either, but no reproach – it was, however more than enough.

'So that's your opening,' Soi Fon breathed. 'They are your openings.'

Halibel's eyes narrowed, but the tone of her voice did not change.

'When your weapon becomes lodged, Mira Rose, let go of it. Change hands. Shift your wheight – preserve the ability to surprise. Show her, Apache.'

Mira Rose swallowed dry, suddenly looking chastised; behind her, Sun Sun coughed lightly into her sleeve. Then, Soi Fon did not have the time to observe anything more.

The odd-eyed Fraccion advanced, tugging off the rounded, solid looking edge of her left hand glove; it dislodged easily, slipping over her fingers, and flying at Soi Fon's face in the same swift and unstoppable motion, with such speed that it sent sparks though the air. The Shinigami dodged, taking a step to the side. She frowned lightly, wondering what the Fraccion had hoped to accomplish. Even if the move had been fast, it had been wide and posed little to no danger.

Undaunted, Apache pulled off her other bracelet – expecting another toss, Soi Fon narrowed her eyes, and focused her attention on the disk.

'This one ain't like the other one,' Apache shrugged, flicking the metal disk upwards, and sending it into a wild spin. Flames grew out of its edges, and, under Soi Fon surprised stare, it quickly began to expand. Serrated blades, in the odd semblance of rose thorns, grew out of the metal – the hole in its center was not transparent, Soi Fon, noted with surprise. It looked like a thin sheet of dark liquid covered it, swallowing Apache's hand almost up to the elbow.

The rotation brusquely stopped, the metal glinting dangerously in the sun; Apache smiled, and let go of the frame.

Then, she jumped into the darkness feet first, disappearing as if she'd jumped into water – the surface rippled, the waves engulfing the frame and creeping across it; in a flash, the Fraccion and her circle had vanished completely. Soi Fon did not have the time to fully turn around before the speedily rotating blades appeared out of nowhere, by her left side; grunting, the Shinigami raised her arms, metal sending hot sparks against metal.

'Told ya this one was different,' Apache laughed; with an impossibly fast gesture, she pulled her arm out of the rippling darkness, and grabbed the frame, whipping it forward and forcing Soi Fon's to arch back to an impossible angle – the motion was surprising enough for Shinigami's reaction to be slowed; one of the blades stopped an inch from her face. 'This one's different,' Apache continued, grinning into the Shinigami's disbelieving face. Her blue eye had exactly the same color as the steel that floated before her, in mid air. 'But it's still the other one you gotta watch out for.'

Soi Fon did not get the time to draw another breath.

The solid, metal plate that Apache had flung out, seemingly without target, struck the back of her head, just underneath her hair – for a moment, the world was swallowed by tentacles of darkness and blood. Soi Fon stumbled forward, her arm falling limply to her side; the sharp, iron thorns dug into her shoulder and resumed their spin, shredding though skin, flesh and bone.

Brutally jerked back to reality, Soi Fon lodged her foot into Apache's stomach, pushing herself away from the Fraccion. She did not get far. Halibel's fingers encircled her throat, crushing it like a metal shackle.

'Openings?' Halibel whispered, in the stunned Shinigami's ear. 'They are not my openings. They are my weapons and Aizen-sama's gift, and though they are not fully grown yet, they are stronger than anything you and yours can muster.'

'You are right to be afraid, Shinigami,' she continued, smiling at Soi Fon's struggles. 'We will get you, all, one by one, and you will pay for your foolishness and blindness in Aizen-sama's regard.'

Each breath that Soi Fon drew grew more shallow; she felt blood trickling on the back of her neck and down her arm. The air was hot and heavy, and smelled like cinnamon…the blue eye of the Fraccion had the same color as iron.

'The only reason why you are still alive, Captain Soi Fon,' the Espada said, calmly, 'is because I would have liked you to show my girls your Bankai. So that they realize they have nothing to fear of your godless lot. But I think you have proven that well enough already.'

'See to the tower, Sun Sun,' Halibel commanded. 'We're done here.'

Soi Fon vanished, leaving naught but a thin mist of crimson in the wake of her Shumpo – frowning, for she had not expected the Shinigami to be able to free herself from her grip, Halibel protectively angled her scabbard over her hip. She was not the Shinigami's target, however.

Sun Sun had not even had time to half draw her sword before the hornet's golden tip touched her right shoulder; it had not even been a sting, and it hadn't been painful. She turned, parrying Soi Fon's second blow, but not pushing the Shinigami's arm far enough. Another mark darkened the silk of the kimono, over the Fraccion's stomach, and though Halibel had darted in her Fraccion's direction, it was Apache's floating disk that reached its target first. The solid metal object had been thrown into the center of the wider circle, and vanished, to reappear just behind Soi Fon – it had changed its trajectory in mid-flight, its spinning, sharp edge cutting across Soi Fon's back. It was not enough, however; a third mark grew over Sun Sun's chest.

'Nothing to fear?' Soi Fon breathed. 'I wouldn't be so sure.'

She ignored Halibel, drifting just out of the Espada's grasp, and keeping her eye on the Fraccion behind her. The Shinigami feigned a step towards the right, but drifted left, smiling wickedly as the iron disk and Halibel's scabbard simultaneously came to block her would be passage.

Unhindered, Soi Fon reappeared behind Halibel, directing a powerful kick to the Espada's kidneys, and propelling herself towards the dark haired Fraccion. She closed her eyes, smelling the air around her and sensing the difference in the patterns of reiatsu…hearing Sun Sun's blade hiss defensively, as the Fraccion angled it across her marked chest, and, more importantly, acknowledging the third presence which had risen behind her before the Arrancar had even truly ended her Sonido.

Mira Rose did not even scream; she simply stood, watching the mark on her stomach glow red, then her flesh growing transparent and fading into nothingness. She was gone before any of them had the time to blink, naught but golden ashes drifting across the sky and scattering in the wind.

Sun Sun gasped and Apache screamed, both frozen in shock and incomprehension – and to Soi Fon's great satisfaction, even Halibel exhaled once, sharply.

'Tell that to your God,' Soi Fon breathed.

The world froze for a moment, a single, peaceful breath.

Then, the broad, pink scabbard fell to the side.

'Danza, tormenta de arena1…' Halibel said, as the blade between her fingers, then her fingers themselves turned to sand and scattered into the wind.

Bankai, Soi Fon thought, without getting the time to say it; hot, thin particles invaded her nose and mouth, and, just before her chest exploded from within, the Shinigami realized that not being able to stop them…him…was, in the end, a real and very distinct possibility.

--

1 Dance, Sand Storm.

--

Up Next - I keep taunting Totnes, but this time it's gonna happen. Hisagi meets Lilinette; Szayel Aporro meets Byakuya's Bankai, and then Renji's intrepid fingers. Ahem! (no, Ishida is not jealous, he knows Szayel better than that...)