Chapter 38

The next morning, Toushiro left Hueco Mundo and he never looked back, even though he knew Harribel was watching him from the terrace of her Palace. The only question she asked him was still torturing his mind. "Are you going back out of love or out of duty?" He did not answer her, but in his mind he wanted to shout that he was going back out of love. Still, he could not. He was going back because he had to. Because he could not run away any longer. Because he loved his son and missed him. Because he loved Momo, but not like before. Something was broken inside of him and he felt it could never be fixed. He loved her more that he would ever love another woman, but he was not blinded by this love anymore. This hurt him. He felt sorry for his infidelity, but he did not feel guilty in front of her.

As for Momo, she was desperately waiting for news, because Soifon and Omaeda had not come back yet. She feared for their wellbeing. Suddenly Kyoraku came inside the big hall.

"Captain Kyoraku?" Momo looked at him, confused.

"Your Highness!" He bowed politely, but there was not an ounce of his usual playfulness. "You have to come back with me."

"Why? What has happened?"

"The Emperor is waiting for you. I have no time to explain."

"I have to take the children." Momo was ready to go upstairs.

"They are staying here. Please, my lady, I don't want to use force."

She took her coat and went out worried. Kyoraku helped her settle in the carriage, but he got on his horse and left her all alone with her thoughts. She was biting her nails, hoping that Soifon and Omaeda were safe. The only thing calming her a bit was the fact that the children were left here to the servants. So it could not be that serious.

When she reached the Palace, she went straight to Byakuya's chambers. To her relief Soifon and Omaeda were also there.

"Your Highness! Thank God!" Momo exclaimed and moved closer.

Soifon was sitting on the sofa and she was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Your Majesty…" Hinamori looked at Byakuya, having realized her mistake.

"Take a sit next to your sister-in-law, Momo. Or your accomplice."

Hinamori obliged without asking any questions. When she sat down next to Soifon, she noticed the red mark on her neck. Her eyes widened.

"You disregarded my orders…again." Byakuya spoke. "And the consequences could have been grave. This won't go unpunished." He made a pause.

"Aizen is in the dungeons. His fate will be decided when Toushiro comes back."

Momo's face brightened up.

"Ginpei and Jun are dead. This war is now over."

"Your Majesty, can I…"

"You can't." He cut off Hinamori.

"Omaeda, once the commotion is over you will move to District 67. You are going to become his Governor. And you will take your mother with you."

"Your Majesty, please! I swear…" Byakura raised his hand and Omaeda moved his head down.

"Soifon will stay here to look after her children. She won't even leave the Palace without my approval."

"Father!" She showed her usual fiery spirit for the first time that day.

"No objections!" Byakuya replied coldly, even though he always found it funny how she used to call him father, when things were going really wrong for her.

"Momo, from now on, you won't be engaged with Hideki's upbringing and education."

"What?" Momo was shocked. "This is too much."

"It is not. Hideki is 5 years old. He is to start his military training and proper education. He will be busy during the whole day. I will choose his teachers, after consulting with Toushiro. You will still see him during dinner and the free days."

"No! I already lost one son. I won't lose my other son too!" She stood up.

"And I almost lost my daughter today! Because none of you listened to my orders. When you don't accept my good side, you will be forced to listen to my bad one!"

Momo turned to look at Soifon again.

"What happened?"

What Hinamori learned was that Soifon and Omaeda had successfully reached Ginpei's hiding place. They hid themselves there until the old man left his house in the middle of the night. They followed him, seemingly unnoticed and he took them to a tavern in the center of the city. He paid the owner and disappeared upstairs. Omaeda and Soifon followed and Omaeda paid even more gold in order to follow Ginpei. It all went surprisingly well, until they were taken to a room, which was empty. As Soifon was looking around, someone hit Omaeda on the head. She ran to his side and knelt down, then felt the cold steel to her neck, followed by Aizen's devilish whisper. They had tricked her. It all seemed lost, she felt the knife dig into her skin, as blood started running down, when her father threw a knife straight into Aizen's hand. His soldiers went inside and captured the man. Ginpei was also captured outside of the tavern. He had personally killed Jun, when he had realized that she was no longer undercover. It was impossible to hide the role of Omaeda's family in this conspiracy so Mareka suffered some serious losses to her property and power. The worst of all, however, had to be her detention to one of the poorest districts. Momo was speechless after hearing the story. She had put the lives of other people in danger for her personal vendetta. Still, she prayed for Toushiro to come back sooner, because she believed that he will solve her problems as usual.

And he did come back a few days later. The state of affairs shocked him. When he learned of Aizen's participation in Makoto's death he felt furious and more broken than ever. He had failed to protect his son. He had failed against Aizen once again. Once Hinamori learned of his return she ran to meet him. Toushiro was just leaving his father's chambers, when he saw his wife outside. She looked much better that the last time he had seen her. Her face lightened up at the sight of him and her eyes filled with tears. She rushed to embrace him.

"Toushiro!" She rested her head on his chest, her arms holding him tightly. "Thank God you are back!" Then she looked up to his face and her face darkened. "I am sorry. I am so sorry for the things I said to you!"

He had always thought that these words were everything he needed to hear to feel better, to return their relationship back to normal, but he felt nothing. Right now all he wanted to feel some relief was to see Aizen die a painful death in front of his eyes.

"It is all my fault. If I had truly killed Aizen that day, none of this would have happened." She said, unable to see how different his gaze towards her was. His dark eyes to her showed only his pain and shock after everything that's happened. But they hid so much more.

"Aizen will pay for what he's done!" Toushiro said with a low voice and she felt shivers run through her spine.

She followed him, when he went down to the dungeons.

Down there it was cold and dark. A rat ran in front of Momo's legs, startling her. Toushiro took one torch and moved to the last cell. There was a single torch inside that was barely lighting it up. Still, they both recognized the figure. Aizen smiled at them, when he felt the light cover his face. Toushiro left his torch on the wall and stood still. Aizen had grown a long beard during these years. He seemed so poor and dirty, but his devilish look was the same as ever.

"I am so glad to see you again. What a lovely family! You have grown up well."

Momo was at a loss of words. She always thought that when she sees him, she won't be able to stop cursing him, but now it was hard to begin. He did not even seem troubled by his current condition.

"I wouldn't be so glad." Toushiro spoke calmly. "You are going to die soon, Aizen. Your plan failed."

Aizen smirked.

"I don't think so. I may die, but your little son won't come back. Nor will your happiness."

Momo moved closer and grabbed the iron bars.

"You are a monster! There is not even an ounce of good inside you! Why did you have to kill my child? Why? If you wanted me, you could have killed me long ago!" She shouted.

Toushiro took her arm and pulled her back to him.

"Momo…" He made a sign for her to keep quiet and she tried to hold back her tears.

"My little dear Momo, I will take this as a compliment. And no, I never wanted to kill you. I wanted to make you suffer. What better way to do it, than killing your children? I admit that I failed with Hideki, but still…" He smiled again, clearly provoking Toushiro.

To his surprise he remained stone-faced.

"Oh, you have really grown up, your Highness! Your temper has become much like your father's."

"You lost Aizen. And whatever you say won't change that fact. I am here. I am alive. I will rule this Empire one day, while you will rot deep into the ground. You won't leave your mark in history, but my name will be remembered for centuries."

Toushiro's cold and confident words really hit Aizen. He tried to keep his composure, but he couldn't answer fast enough.

"Let's go, Momo." Toushiro turned to his wife.

"Let me stay for a few more minutes, please." She asked and after some consideration, he nodded his head.

Aizen looked at their faces with interest. Toushiro's steps soon became hollow and Momo stepped closer to the cell.

"I should have cut you to pieces that day. I should have never trusted you. But still, Toushiro is right. All your evil doings were futile. You never got what you wanted."

To her surprise, Aizen stood up and moved closer to her, while limping.

"As you see my dear, from the moment you stuck that knife in my back, I was not fit to become Emperor anymore."

She looked at his figure. There truly was nothing left of his once majestic stature and movements. He seemed more like an old man.

"So from that day on, I stayed alive to torment you and destroy you, not to claim the throne. And I reached my goal."

She felt shivers run through her body as he moved just behind the bars and looked deep into her eyes. She stepped back.

"I am not broken. I am much stronger than I was." She said, but not as confidently as she planned to.

"In a way, that is true. You owe everything you are to me, Momo. You were so naive and shy that you would have never become Toushiro's wife, not even his concubine, even though he always pinned after you. His devotion towards you was so great and so blind, but you still managed to destroy it."

He was still manipulating her. This look, his eyes. No, she was not as strong as Toushiro was. She could not have the last word. She could not calmly keep her ground. So she just turned her head to the side and took the torch from the wall, ready to go back.

"I saw his face, Momo. I saw how he looks at you. His love was your greatest strength, your armor, but you lost it. He does not look at you, like he used to. And still as long as Hideki lives, you will remain in power, if you manage to use your brain."

She was trembling in anger, but she forced herself not to look at him, or answer him, just to walk away as soon as possible.

"If you survive in this Palace, it will be because of me!" Those were his last words, which reached her ears.

When she went upstairs, she had trouble breathing. The concubines passing by her looked at her with confusion. She was so shaken by his words that she regretted ever going there. She just wanted him to disappear. She wanted everything to be like before. Toushiro…Only Toushiro could calm her, only him. He loved her. Of course he loved her. They were both hurt and beaten, but they were not defeated. Their love was not defeated. She would not let herself be manipulated by Aizen any longer.

She found her husband in Hideki's room. He had the boy in his lap and while Hideki was holding his father tightly and mumbling something, Toushiro gently patted his head and his look was so soft, it warmed her heart. She moved closer to them. Hideki looked up and saw his mother. He felt both happy and scared. After his brother's death she was always so anxious and sad that she drove him away unconsciously. She smiled at him, but he continued staying in his father's lap. Toushiro's look became different. He did not really look into her eyes. Even though he thought he did not feel guilty, now when Momo stood in front of him, he felt like a criminal. He had held another woman in his arms, just a few nights earlier.

"Toushiro, can I talk to you?" She asked softly.

Toushiro kissed Hideki on the forehead.

"Hideki, mom and dad need to talk about something. I will come back soon. I promise."

The little boy was not happy that his father was snatched away so soon, but he still nodded his head.

They moved into Toushiro's previous apartment. He sat down on the sofa and Momo sat close to him.

"Toushiro, your father told me that Hideki will start his military training and special education. He told me to stay away from all of this. Please, tell me that it won't really happen. I have to be by our son's side."

"Hideki is the heir to the throne. He has to receive proper education like me before him and everyone else."

"But still, to see me only during dinner time. I won't be able to handle it. He is so little. He is attached to me. He needs me."

She took Toushiro's hands into her own.

"Please, make some changes."

He felt weaker in front of her pleading eyes, but he wouldn't let himself be persuaded.

"Momo, this Empire has survived for centuries based on this rules my father follows. It is high time we all started listening to him."

He let go of her hands and stood up. She looked hurt.

"So even though I am his mother, I have no say in this."

"You are the mother of a prince."

"It doesn't matter. He is as much child as all other children. And I am a mother, just like any other mother."

"You have to get used to it."

Their eyes met and she felt scared by the coldness in his. After his month long absence, he comes back and does not even embrace her.

She spent a sleepless night in her room, before Matsumoto came to visit her and take her to Byakuya's chambers where they were to discuss Aizen's impending execution. She calmed her as usual reminding her of Toushiro's shock to come back and learn of Aizen's role in Makoto's death. Then, she also revealed that Soifon had asked Byakuya to go to district 67 with her husband, but she was rejected. So she would be unable to see her husband for an undecided period of time. And this all happened because of her. She had also hurt Rukia and never apologized for it. She felt really guilty in front of everyone.

The whole royal family gathered in Byakuya's room with the absence of Rukia who was feeling unwell since the day before. Byakuya connected it to her feeling of guilt for driving Ginpei away and causing this whole mess, which ended with Byakuya personally killing his long time servant. Of course, Byakuya had reassured her that she was not to blame for it. Renji thought that it had more to do with her memories of Aizen and him killing their unborn child long ago.

Byakuya suggested they kill Aizen at the guillotine in a private ceremony at the Palace. He did not want the public to witness their family affairs and this bloody ceremony. Hinamori, however, surprised everyone with her remark.

"Let's hold a public execution, your Majesty! Let everyone know about his crimes, from the beginning to the end, so that he will see the hatred in their eyes and everyone will witness how you treat the traitors."

Toushiro turned his gaze to her, surprise by his wife's cold and calculating statement. It concerned a man she had defended many times, but this time she was merciless. A slight smile traced Byakuya's face.

When they left the room, Toushiro stayed behind with his sister, apologizing for Momo's role in hers and Omaeda's punishment. Soifon just smiled.

"I have disapproved of her actions many times, but not this time. She was so determined to find and kill Aizen that even I grew to like her. Your wife may become a good Empress one day, brother."

Toushiro froze in his place, while Soifon moved forward. His eyes instinctively found Momo's figure ahead. She asked Renji to come with him and apologize to Rukia.

When Renji entered the room he found Rukia with tears in her eyes, visibly emotional sitting on the edge of the bed, while Unohana was standing by her side, smiling. He looked at them with worry, confused by their opposite emotions.

"Rukia, what is wrong?"

He stepped closer carefully, his gaze moving to Unohana. She stepped aside and let him take her place by Rukia's side.

"Rukia?" Renji knelt in front of her.

"Renji…" She whispered. "I am pregnant." A tear rolled down her cheek as she said it. Renji immediately turned his face to Unohana, who nodded her head.

"I am sure. Her Highness is about three months pregnant. You have to take good care of her, lieutenant Abarai. Congratulations!" The doctor smiled.

Renji faced Rukia again, putting his palms on her cheeks.

"Rukia…" He sighed. "Rukia!"

He had never been good with words, but now he was completely at a loss what to say. So was Rukia, who ended up crying in his arms. By the doorframe, Hinamori saw Renji's wide smile and a tear rolled down his cheek too, while he held Rukia with more affection than she had ever seen. Unohana made a sign to her and they both left the couple to enjoy their moment in silence. Momo couldn't help but start crying too, out of happiness for Rukia and Renji.

"Momo?" Toushiro spoke and she looked up. He had followed her. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing. It is all…Rukia is pregnant." She smiled.

Then moved closer to him and embraced him, resting her head on his chest. Toushiro's features softened, when he felt her warmth engulf him. His arms moved around her too, tighter than he meant to. Trying to find again the place, where he belonged.

The news of Rukia's pregnancy came like medicine for the souls of the whole family. It was a dream come true for Renji and Rukia and they decided to be extra careful during the whole pregnancy. The baptism of Kazui was to be postponed a little bit, but Ichigo and Inoue did not mind at all. Byakuya ordered for the ceremony to be held in the Seiereitei. Urahara and Yoruichi also came with the Kurosaki family. They wanted to witness Aizen's execution. Only Rukia and Orihime did not attend.

Aizen took his own execution with his usual confidence and sarcasm. The angry cries of the people did not bother him at all. They excited him even more. He felt like the God above them, who the people always adored or hated, even though they never understood him. Hinamori really believed that he was mentally ill.

The royal family stood on a platform high above the execution site, but only the Emperor was seated. Byakuya came after Aizen and took his seat. He needed to have his last words with his uncle.

"Your daughter asked for your execution to be public. And I decided to respect her wish."

"Oh, really?" Aizen smiled. "How kind of you! I won't leave this world distressed, when I know that I am leaving her in good hands."

"Both she and Toushiro have become mature and strong thanks to you. Thank you for your lessons, uncle. Rest in peace."

When he knelt in front of the guillotine, Aizen took a good look at Momo. She stood by her husband; dressed in a regal red dress, looking serious and dignified. He had not really expected her to be this calm and collected on a ceremony like this. But then again, he had done a truly remarkable job with her. When the time came, he stole a last glance at her and she was still as cold-blooded as before. He smiled. "My best creation."

Byakuya made a sign to his son and he took a step forward and raised his hand. The executioners took their place. With a single swift movement of his hand, Toushiro sealed Aizen's fate. The blade ran downwards. Momo did not even tremble.

Happy New Year! The last chapter of part 2 is here! It is a little dark, but our heroes don't have it easy. Expect a big time jump with the next chapter. And I hope to finish this story by the end of the year! Please review!