...


"Ah, even though our eyes are opened we are dreaming of flying through the sky."


Aizen surveyed those before him with relative disinterest. Even as an outsider, Leona could already guess what was going through the twisted man's equally twisted mind. He felt tired- Tired of all of the people around him being weaker than he was. He felt superior, of this much Leona was absolutely certain. Whether he liked it that way or not was a mystery to her. Sometimes, Leona thought that maybe all he really wanted was to have someone who could actually stand against him. But, then again, maybe he really just wanted to rule the world.

Either one seemed equally plausible in Leona's mind.

"Careful," a voice beside her said, and Leona shifted to meet the eyes of Hirako Shinji, who had now appeared by her side. "With Aizen's power, you can't go at him without a plan."

Leona froze, releasing her fist, within which she had been concealing a half-formed Cero. She hadn't expected anyone to realize just what she was doing. But no sooner had Aizen said a word to her, she had felt rage pool in her stomach. It was a feeling that she had never felt before, but that did not mean that it was unexplainable. She had, at last, found someone to blame for the way people had treated her for so many years. She at last had someone else to blame but herself for all of that pain she had caused during her days as a Lieutenant of the Gotei Thirteen. But Shinji, it seemed, was more apprehensive to her movements than she had guessed- His eyes stayed locked on her fist, despite the fact that the Cero had dissipated many seconds ago.

"I know that!" It was Hiyori who had replied, even though this statement had clearly been directed at Leona. Shinji frowned.

"I wasn't talkin' to ya!" Shinji said, but a minute later he changed tactics. "Hiyori... Loosen that grip on your blade..."

The little blonde stayed silent, and Leona could tell that she had no intentions of listening to Shinji at all. Her knuckles stayed white, her grip tightening instead of loosening at Shinji's warning.

"Charming," Aizen's voice echoed through the air, capturing Leona's attention once again. "You always did care deeply for others, Captain Hirako." Leona saw Hiyori's arm twitch out of the corner of her eye. "However... 'Careful, with Aizen's power, you can't go near him without a plan', is an amusing thing for you to say. No matter how you approach me, the outcome will be the same. I speak not of the future, you understand. All of your fates have already been established. They cannot be escaped."

"He's tryin' to provoke us!" Shinji warned as the other Vizards twitched, as if preparing to attack.

"What have any one of you to fear?" Aizen asked, his expression darkening as he spoke. "Every one of you died that night one hundred years ago."

It was too much. Leona's self control broke with those last eleven words, and she soon found herself growling viciously as she lunged forward, her fists still covered with her claw-like Bankai. Beside her was Hiyori, who also seemed to have abandoned any self control she may have had, and was now leaping straight for Aizen with her sword raised.

"STOP IT!" Shinji called, but it was too late.

Leona felt warm blood splatter against her cheek, but she didn't have time to pause. Out of her peripheral vision she could see Gin's Zanpakuto outstretched, and Hiyori had stopped moving. She didn't want to look back- With the amount of blood that now covered her whole left side, she could only imagine just how badly Hiyori had been injured. But Leona kept moving, ducking low as Aizen took a swipe at her with his Zanpakuto. She heard Gin say something from far away, but she ignored it, concentrating solely on Aizen, who didn't seem at all fazed by any one of her attacks.

She ducked, she swerved, she sliced- No matter how quickly she moved, she couldn't land a hit. Her enormous Bagh Nakh cut through the air, missing Aizen just barely every single time.

"Do you really think that I would have created you without fail-safes, Hitsugaya Leona?" he murmured. Leona's eyes widened, but she didn't stop, ignoring the pains in her stomach from her fight with Halibel as she kicked upwards with so much force that the air around her seemed to be forced upwards. Aizen dodged it only just, but Leona swore she felt his chin on the sole of her foot- She was getting closer.

"You think you are getting closer, don't you?" Leona simply listened, refusing to give herself over to his words. The more she allowed him to distract her, the bigger the chance that he would kill her. She knew this all too well. "You will never be able to hurt me."

"You sound pretty confident," she replied, gritting her teeth as she jabbed her cat-claw Bankai straight at his face.

Aizen flash stepped to her right, aiming another cut in her direction, and she felt the flesh on her shoulder sting as his Zanpakuto cut through her. Ignoring the pain, Leona flipped over backwards and aimed another kick at Aizen. Her foot grazed past his cheek, and the man smirked, grabbing her toes and bending them backwards. This time, Leona couldn't help but cry out from pain. A sickening crack came from her foot as some of her bones snapped, and she quickly jerked her foot from his grasp, keeping the foot elevated slightly as she paused to catch her breath.

"You really should wear shoes when you go out," Aizen murmured, flexing the hand that he had used as if he had hurt it. "You could get hurt."

"Shut the fuck up," she muttered, grimacing as pain shot up her leg from her toes.

Aizen 'tsked', and the next second he was gone. It was then that something inside of her stirred- She could sense where he was. Shooting out her right arm, Leona caught Aizen's blade mid swipe, wrapping her fingers around the edge, not caring when the sharpened edge of the Zanpakuto cut through the delicate flesh of her palm. A triumphant smirk slowly spread across her features as she turned to face Aizen, who's eyes were now watching her with mild surprise.

"I think you forgot about something when you were adding those fail-safes," she taunted, gripping the blade still tighter as he twisted and turned it in her grasp. "When I came to Hueco Mundo, you told me that you poisoned my soul- You made me into that contagion that would later create the Vizards." Aizen said nothing, merely continued to stare into her eyes, listening intently.

"You used the Hogyoku, didn't you?" Again, Aizen said nothing. "... Looks like I can sense that thing inside of you." In a flash she had pulled him towards her, their faces now only mere centimeters apart. Leona pulled back her free hand, smiling victoriously as the realization of her words finally hit her full force. "No more sneaking up on me, Aizen-sama!"

With a crack her Bankai disappeared and her bare knuckles made heavy contact with the bridge of Aizen's nose, sending him sailing through the air backwards. Leona breathed in slowly, gripping the Zanpakuto in her hands still tighter. Her crimson blood dripped through her fingers, but she refused to let go. This was too good to be true. She had his Zanpakuto, and now she could sense him. This was it. The end...

"Very observant, Leona,"

Leona froze. Her grey eyes widened as the Zanpakuto in her fist vanished, leaving her with only a fist full of blood. Then she felt it- The presence of the Hogyoku right behind her. She didn't have even a second to react- A horrible pain ripped the her back as Aizen's blade tore through her body, and she watched with horror as it came ripping out of the flesh in between her ribs, right in the center of Amaterasu's tattoo. A cold sweat quickly broke out across her forehead, and she felt as if she were about to vomit. This just couldn't be real- She'd had his Zanpakuto in her fist. She had been holding it. Her fist had been bleeding, for fuck's sake!

"I assure you, this is reality," Aizen murmured, bringing his lips close to her ear as he spoke. "I can promise you that my blade through your body is very real. And just because you can sense the Hogyoku does not make you immune to my powers... You overestimated yourself, Leona."

"... Yes..." she whispered, ignoring the feeling of blood pouring from her mouth as she spoke. "... I guess I did..."

"You admit your mistake?"

"I will," she said, coughing up blood as she peered over her shoulder to meet Aizen's eyes. Aizen's eyebrows rose momentarily, only to fall as the tip of Leona's Zanpakuto slid through his side, cutting through flesh and bone as it went. Leona smiled, relief washing over her as she saw Ichigo appear from a Garganta over Aizen's shoulder. "If you admit yours."

And then she fell, meeting Ichigo's eyes for a single fleeting moment before she went sailing through the sky towards the rubble-covered ground below. She felt her spine strain as she hit the ground with a sickening crack, her whole body seizing up as all the pain that she had been suppressing rose to the surface of her consciousness once again. She let out a cry of horror and pain; Her whole head was ringing, and she didn't know just how much more she could take.

"Nee-sama!"

Her brother's voice was the last thing she heard before she let herself go.


Waves.

That was the first thing she heard when she opened her eyes once again.

Groaning softly, Leona pushed herself upwards, glancing around to find that she had once more returned to her inner world. Jairo was sitting in the sand in front of her, his chin resting on his fist. His expression told her that he was not at all happy with the situation at hand- Not that she was any more partial to the painful situation than he was. She cleared her throat, alerting her Zanpakuto spirit to her now conscious state. Turning his warm eyes in her direction, he flattened his ears before glowering straight at her.

"What the hell was that?" he snapped, and Leona made a face. She had to admit, that was the last thing she had been expecting to hear.

"What was what?"

"Were you trying to get us killed?" he continued, throwing his hands up in the air angrily. "Hiyori got cut clean in half- Do you two have no self control?"

"Well-"

"Never mind, I already know the answer. The answer is no!"

"Yeah, but-"

"You're supposed to be strong," he said, barreling on despite Leona's many protests. "But here you are again. Geez, I thought this shit was over!"

"What-"

"Well, I guess it's not all your fault. That Aizen is a piece of work, let me tell you." he said thoughtfully, tapping his chin as he spoke. "This war is getting ridiculous. How the hell is one guy so strong?"

"LISTEN TO ME!" Leona's scream echoed out over the red ocean in front of them. This seemed to shut Jairo up immediately, and at last he turned his attention back to her. "Are you just gonna continue to have a conversation with yourself, or can I talk?" Jairo said nothing, so Leona continued. "What am I doing here? I thought I was dead."

"You will be, if we don't hurry," Jairo replied, and Leona felt her heart flutter in her chest briefly. "... Why are you relieved?" Leona lowered her eyes almost shamefully, not wanting to meet Jairo's worried gaze for fear that he would be disappointed.

"... There's no way I can beat Aizen," she muttered darkly. Her fingertips traced patterns in the sand, and Jairo couldn't help but think that she almost resembled a child caught doing something bad. Jairo sighed.

"Is that really what you think?" Jairo asked, his eyes serious. "Because if you can't even fight him without dying, it's nobody's fault but yours."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she snapped, now focussing her eyes on her Zanpakuto spirit. "I tried, didn't I?" she continued, folding her arms defiantly. "I did try!" Jairo snorted.

"Yeah, but that seriously wasn't the best you could do." Leona made a face. If he was suggesting that she trained, then he was shit out of luck. She didn't have that kind of time- Not to train to the point where she could defeat Aizen, anyways. Noticing her distress and confusion, Jairo continued. "Haven't you ever wondered about the cardinals?"

"What?"

"The cardinals." Jairo repeated, jerking his chin upwards to indicate what he was talking about. Leona's eyes followed his gesture, peering upwards until they settled on the flock of red birds that still circled overhead.

"... Well, no." she answered finally, bringing her eyes back down to look at Jairo. "They're my soul, aren't they?" Jairo nodded.

"Doesn't it strike you as odd that they're up there?" he asked, and Leona shook her head. Jairo sighed, apparently disappointed that she wasn't catching on as quickly as he had hoped for. "Why are they up there, and you're down here?"

Leona opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again promptly. In truth, she had never once questioned just why her soul was separate from her inside her inner world. She had always just thought that was how it was meant to be. Knitting her eyebrows together, Leona stared back up at the sky, desperately trying to fit the pieces together to find an answer. None came.

"You're still scared of her," Jairo said finally. Leona froze. "... Aren't you?"

"Who?"

"Hiori," Jairo answered swiftly. Leona blinked.

Honestly, she had never really thought about it. Ever since that tired, sad piece of her soul had come back to her, she had simply stopped thinking about her. But in the darkest depths of her mind, Leona still remembered her. All the blood that was on her hands because of what Hiori had done. All of the lives that Hiori had ruined were forever on her conscious. And somewhere deep, deep inside her, she was worried that Hiori would get tired of being compliant... She was worried that she would come back. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Leona was worried that the little pieces of her soul that, at that moment, seemed so harmless, would one day revolt.

"I thought so," he murmured, standing up as he spoke.

Leona shivered, suddenly sensing danger. An enormous gust of air suddenly whipped through the sandy beach of her inner world, and Leona watched in awe as the flock of cardinals swirled around the stormy grey skies. Leona stood up straight then, facing her Zanpakuto as he stared up at the cardinals. She didn't know what he was doing- He just kept staring at those cardinals as the sand, surf and wind whipped around them like wildfire.

"Jairo, stop it!" she demanded, balling her hands into fists.

Jairo, however, simply ignored her. Stretching out his hand, Leona could only watch as the sand, water and wind suddenly took shape. A moment later, Jairo held the dagger-like blade that she knew all too well in his hand. The small blade of her own Zanpakuto- Of Jairo- glimmered in the dim light of her inner world. Leona swallowed heavily, unsure of what to do next.

"W-what are you-"

"It's the only way, Leona," he muttered, once again turning his gaze skyward as the cardinals circled even lower. "If we don't do this, you'll die."

"Do what?" she asked desperately, growing more and more nervous by the second. "Jairo, what's happening?" It was all she could do to keep her voice from shaking. The cardinals were right above her now. She could feel their little wings beat the air into her face, and their bright red feathers clouded her vision as they circled her face. "Jairo, stop this now!"

"I can't," he whispered, turning his fiery eyes on his wielder. "You have to fix this, Leona."

"Fix what?" she called desperately through the flurry of wind and wings. "I don't understand! Jairo, what do you want from me-?"

And then it all stopped. The cardinals vanished and the wind subsided. The previously roaring waters were still once again, and the sand that had been scratching her skin was gone as quickly as it had come. Leona stood stock still, unsure of what she should do. Jairo simply continued to stare at her, sword in hand, his flaming eyes looking at her as calmly as if absolutely nothing had happened. At last, Leona let out the breath that she had been holding.

"Jairo, what the hell?" she gasped, catching her breath. Her inner world was deathly silent as Jairo continued to stare at her unblinkingly. "Mind explaining yourself?" she asked. Jairo's mouth was set in a firm line as he lifted up his sword, pointing it straight at Leona's right arm.

"That-" he said, and Leona followed his gaze. "Is what you'll be fighting me with."

Leona's eyes widened with horror as they fell on the bright red blade in her hand. Tentacle like appendages lash out at her from its hilt, and they burned her skin as they climbed farther up her arm. She cried out, pulling at them and ripping them apart as they went further up her arm. Turning her frantic eyes back to her Zanpakuto spirit, she watched as he lowered his arm, nodding solemnly.

"That's your own power that you have been suppressing," he explained, taking a small step towards her. "You're so afraid of your soul's power that you keep its power separate from the rest of you."

Leona shook her head frantically, once again tearing at the blades tentacles as they scalded her flesh. The acrid smell of burning skin filled the air, and Leona soon felt hot tears stinging her eyes, despite desperately trying to control her fear.

"Your soul is whole again- But most of it is devoid of power." Jairo said quietly. "You keep it inside of these cardinals. So what will it be, Leona?" he murmured. Another step. "You know you can't beat Aizen with just a small portion of your soul's power." Yet another step. Leona soon found her attention pulling away from the tentacles climbing up her arm, focussing instead on her advancing Zanpakuto spirit. "Are you so scared of yourself- Of your own power- that you'll tear yourself apart?"

"Jairo... please..." she begged, no longer caring as the fat, wet tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please, stop..."

"I can't." he whispered, raising his sword. The blade that she had used to stab Aizen only minutes ago was now against her- Leona's heart beat frantically in her chest as she backed away from Jairo. "Your soul isn't meant to be emptied like this, Leona."

The reflection of his blade showed clearly in Leona's unnaturally wide eyes. Her heart was pounding in her ears- She couldn't comprehend what he was saying. She hadn't been suppressing... She couldn't remember ever having done anything of the sort. Certainly one would have to be aware of such things in order to do them?

"The only part of your soul that you're using... No," he muttered, taking several steps closer to his wielder. "The only part of your power that you're using isn't enough. Haven't you ever wondered why Hitsugaya-Hentai could get rid of almost an entire division on her own, whereas the most you've done is get rid of a single Arrancar?"

"B... But, I-"

"It's because only using a portion of your power makes you weak," he interrupted. Leona took several steps backwards, briefly loosing her balance as she stumbled through the sand. "Your soul is powerless because you make it so," The burning sensation in her arm was quickly overtaking her, and Leona could only hope that she would be able to hold her own against Jairo with this much pain. "You've drained yourself of power on purpose because you're afraid. Fear has made you weak."

"... Are you going to kill me?" she breathed. Jairo shook his head.

"No, Leona." he murmured, bringing his sword down with a heavy swing. "I'm going to save you."


In this chapter, we get to see a short fight between Leona and Aizen- I hope I did that part believably. I didn't want her to be ridiculously strong, especially since it's Aizen. We also find out that Leona has a sort of connection to Aizen: She's able to sense his movements. This is because when Aizen turned her into the Inigena, he used the Hogyoku, and now that the Hogyoku is a part of him, they are sort of connected. This doesn't really end up playing that big of a role in the rest of the story, though.

Leona is gravely injured and falls to the ground just as Ichigo makes his appearance, and she is drawn into her inner world once again. Jairo is angry with her for being weak, but she simply attributes it to Aizen's being so strong. Jairo, however, materializes his blade, saying that she's been suppressing the power of the rest of her soul because she is afraid of it because of what happened with Hiori in Hueco Mundo. Leona doesn't really get it, because she's been doing it unconsciously.

To explain: Basically, when Leona fought her inner Hollow and won, the power she gained from it was separated from the rest of her power. It's all she's been using since. The rest of her "soul", or her power, was caged and took on the guise of cardinals within her inner world. So essentially it's like when Ichigo suppressed his Inner Hollow, except that she's too afraid to use it, and it just makes her weaker. So there's the little bit of her power that she's been using as "Leona", and then there's the rest of it, which is kept completely separate from the rest of her soul.

It's like her whole soul is there- But more than half of it is completely devoid of power, which is why she's been having so much trouble when she's fighting.

The cardinals then materialize on her arm as a blade. The hilt of the blade then turns into tentacles that rapidly try to overtake Leona's body and burn her, which she desperately tries to get rid of before Jairo attacks her. More to come in the next chapter!

**I'd also like to say that, as per suggestion, I have started a new story called The Dark Beat. This is the second plot that I asked you guys to pick from a few chapters ago. If you've got time, I'd love to get some more feedback on that- You can find it on my profile. If you read it, be sure to let me know what you think!

and to bored411: Here's a hint- You won't be able to figure out who it is by rewatching the arc! If you go back through part 4 of this story, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. Thanks so much for all your reviews!

Thanks so much for the reviews, and keep 'em coming! Questions/comments/ideas? Put them in a review! I'd love to get at least 200 before this story comes to an end!