- 51 -

Comatose


Byakuya Kuchiki

Captain of the Sixth Division

Head of the Kuchiki Clan

Brother of Kuchiki Rukia

Husband of Hisana Kuchiki

Some days he forgot what he had lost. Some days he wanted to have it all. Only until now, he had always managed to keep this a secret.


Byakuya stopped on the threshold of the Kuchiki hall, his arrival plunging the assembly gathered into a kind of stupor. All his clansmen rose from their seats. 69 Families represented, 850 men were gathered on that day. Byakuya took a step and paused again. In perfect alignment, they all bowed respectfully. Byakuya greeted them with a sharp nod. He was never that expressive, to begin with, but an unusual frown marred his features. Something bothered him since the girls left earlier. He didn't know what exactly, but this get-together needed to be expedited quickly. He silently went to his seat, his grandfather on his right, Shane still dressed in the Gotei uniform on his left.

Mimosa served him a cup of tea. As his guests made their way to their seats, he picked up the cup and brought it to his lips. He was surprised that it had no taste, absolutely no taste at all. He was on the verge of calling his handmaiden Mimosa to the rescue before remembering the last time he was unhappy with her, it literally brought the girl to tears. All that over a banana biscuit. He flinched internally. When was that? He couldn't quite remember.

" Yamada Kai. Son of Yamada Giro. Descendants of Guro Sakeba."

The man bowed down respectfully. Byakuya barely paid attention to his face, turning to Manami for council with a frown. That name was familiar. Yet, he couldn't quite remember where he heard it. Oh yeah, Sakeba Guro was an eminent member of the Originals, fighting with Natsuo Kuchiki in the First Rebellion. That was until he was declared a traitor and banned from Soul Society.

"Disgraced Sakeba Guro?" He asked.

"My forefathers may be as disgraced as yours were greedy shopkeepers, but yes, that very one. " Kai said.

There was a strong rumor in the room and a couple of angry protestations.

" So, you Sir, mean to tell me your lineage equals mine?" Byakuya retorted enigmatically, his face neutral.

There were a couple of protests at his choice of words. But his hand raised, Byakuya silenced them all.

"I know it's difficult to believe for someone like you, descending from a noble family, that others may have contributed to your lifestyle. Still."

The man looked around him with disdain.

"Said the homeless man. But it's not hard to conceive at all that my ancestors build a legacy while yours were busy attending other vulgar needs." Byakuya said, provoking the hilarity in the assembly. His face remained cold.

"You're as prideful as they say, Kuchiki-sama."

"I am the Blood that made me some might say," Byakuya said.

"I am Homeless, but free."

Byakuya locked eyes with the man for the first time.

"Is it as a free man that you request my vote for a position in the central 46 Council? Yet, you obviously despise what I represent."

"I do."

Another protest from the crowd.

"I appreciate your honesty. I can also see you're unafraid."

"Why should I be afraid to stand for my beliefs?"

Byakuya smirked. He needed to rein on his temper on his immediate impulse to engage this man in a fight.

" Why should you have my support?"

"You are heavily part of a system that is currently archaic and destined to crumble. I am for change. I am for evolution."

"That's not very engaging. Anything else?"

"You want to survive the next era."

Byakuya turned to Ginrei as if to check that he heard that last one correctly.

"Is that a threat?" Shane said, his face blazing red with anger.

Byakuya stopped him firmly.

"I shall ask again, why should you have my support?"

Another man lowered his head to the ground, while Kai and Byakuya stared each other down.

"Your grace… We are deeply in your debt for allowing us this time with you. We know you are a busy man. You understand for my master, the stakes are significant. It's about the future of Soul Society. Kuchiki-sama's vote will really weigh in the balance. My master is determined to serve the interests of the people as best he can. As far as I can remember, this has always been his dream. He is the best candidate for this position. He really wants to help the people."

"Your master will get himself killed before changing anything for the people of the Rukon-district," Shane said, his arms crossed.

"Who's threatening now?" The servant said.

Byakuya gave Shane a glare, silencing him.

"You came to me."

"You married for love," Yamada said bluntly.

Byakuya frowned. Senbonzakura, on its stand, moved almost imperceptibly. Surely this guy was aware he was navigating in dangerous territories.

"That is uncommonly rare amongst your kind. You, going against the rules. You didn't care to appear weak to exercise your right. Choosing as a free man. I thought I shall give him a chance. To do the right thing again."

All hell broke loose, there was a public uproar in the room as the 69 leaders of the Kuchiki Clan rose as one, demanding this guy head. Byakuya turned to his grandfather, surprised to see Ginrei standing his hand on his zanpakutō, ready to lead the charge. He rose his hand again slowly.

"So, you believe you have found one common ground with the Kuchiki Head?"

They resumed their chat as if nothing happened, staring in each other's eyes.

"I simply believe you understand the sometimes constraints of rules. Especially when some of those rules are stupid and outdated."

"You didn't come here for my vote. You don't care for anyone's vote. If you are the man, you said you were. If anything, you came here as a warning."

Kai smirked boldly. His help bowed down again in panic.

"That's not it. I am sorry Kuchiki-sama feels this way. All my master wants would be for you to understand his devotion to the people of Rukongi and help him."

Byakuya and Kai were still locked into a fierce battle of glare. Like he would help an anarchist?!

"Would you be nice enough to gift me with a private tour of your incredible estate, Kuchiki-sama? The legend says there is no greater place in Soul Society. You must be quite the guide, and we can spend the time getting to know each other better. You will find that we have quite a few things in common. I am also happily married, and knowing my wife, she must have wandered around."

Byakuya relaxed on his seat. He silently called for Mimosa to pick up the tea tray.

"Don't do it, Cousin? He is toying with you." Shane said, his head held low. His eyebrows were tense over his brown eyes. Byakuya shrugged. He locked eyes again with Kai, cold and deadly. Byakuya motioned for him to stay behind with the others.

"Of course, let it be my pleasure."

They walked together out of the room, Byakuya's hands nonchalantly behind his back. They made their way in silence in the exterior corridors. Byakuya paused. He should have asked his intendant to look into the disappearance of the Kuchiki Seal. His guest took the lead of the convoy naturally, complimenting the garden and the excellent weather. They slowed down as they reached the bridge to the East Garden.

"You didn't take the bait. I congratulate you. An earthly spirit like you."

His words startled Byakuya. The other man stopped on the bridge to watch his reflection in the pond. Byakuya mirrored him.

"You will be stopped whatever you decide to accomplish. You know we will stop you."

"Guro Sakeba, my great-grandfather… He was a hero to his people. A decent man. He was part of the Originals. He even stood where you stood as a Gotei 13's captain. He was robbed of his destiny by the very people he pledges his loyalty too… just like you, one day. I am here to make sure to put an end to this."

Byakuya swallowed hard.

"He frayed with hollows…breed with them. He was a wretched soul who lost his mind."

"No, he fell in love and choose as a free man to build a family in a world he thought he helped freed."

"Breeding with hollows is a heresy. They are animals. And freedom is an illusion people hid behind when they commit the irreparable."

"Did you know he brought children to this world. Children who once called Soul Society a home. They were chased and murdered."

"Like I said, he destroyed his own legacy." Byakuya said.

"It's funny how you people are quick to believe a lie."

"It's funny how certain people are quick to make up another reality."

Kai snickered.

"You're one to talk. Ah! What was I expecting? You're the great Kuchiki Byakuya. The man who never made any mistakes. She said you were stubborn on a supernatural level. She was still underestimating you, poor child. "

Ludovico Einaudi - Experience

Byakuya was about to retort when he noticed a slouched silhouette under a crown of a cherry tree on the other shore. His words died on his lips. Every noise died anyway. Just the low rumble of his heartbeat in his chest as a soundtrack.

Kai frowned, seemingly surprised.

"Oh! That's my wife. Don't mind her! She is a bit clueless about etiquettes... She doesn't mean any harm… unlike me." Kai said, his eyes shifting quickly into two reptilian's orbs.

Byakuya shifted his attention from Kai Yamada to the woman with a frown. Her features were bland and unremarkable from where he was standing, her head curly with brown and… blond locks of hair. She was slouched at the feet of the tree, her arms snuggling against its roots like a pillow.

"Your wife?"

"Yes."

His wife. No. That sounded wrong. Byakuya frowned, then he shook his head, feeling suddenly light-headed. So many thoughts clashed in his head suddenly. He remembered the lost Kuchiki seal. He remembered Shane's words. He locked eyes with Shane's hazel eyes at that moment. Except he didn't have his eyepatch.

"Kuchiki-sama…"

Byakuya stood on the edge of the bridge, holding onto the railings, staring at the impeccably neat garden before him. He stared at the cherry blossoms, deeply lost in thoughts. Birds tweeted happily, soaring from tree to tree. The pond was lively with Koi fishes jumping out of the water every now and then. None of it makes sense.

He heard the distinct laughter of Rukia and Hisana in the distance. He spun around. They were back. Finally. But before, he went back on his path to join them. He stopped again and change course.

A sweet smell in the air, Byakuya looked again under the tree, except the woman was no longer there. He dashed after a fleeting silhouette disappearing behind a range of oak and plum tree.

"Hey! Where are you going, Kuchiki-sama?" He vaguely heard behind him.

Before he could even reason with himself, he cut her off, dashing forward. She didn't seem the least bit surprised and quietly continue on her way, head down, her brown and blond locks waving in the wind. The red ribbon which held her opulent mane slid towards the ground, carried by the strong breeze. The charms in her hair tinkled to the rhythm of a familiar melody. He had her name on the tip of his tongue. Her name was ...

" Yamada-san?"

She continued on her way. Wasn't that her husband's name?

He stared at the ground and watched her ankle caressed the ground, slithered on it with an almost reptilian suppleness.

The shadow of her foot on the paved path was like the open mouth of a snake ready to bite. Not a snake, instead it may have been a lizard he just saw. He concentrated. The heel of her foot hit the ground again. There was something familiar about the way she moved ... An air of threat. He followed her through the maze of hedges and flowers.

In a heady rhythm, his heel hit the stone surface again. The idea that he was unarmed crossed his mind furtively before disappearing in favor of a feeling of fascination. The same disturbing sound as she glided masterfully across the floor. Her right foot hit the ground, raising a small cloud of dust.

"Let me be sincere in turn! Your cuisine has no taste!"

"It is not very nice to say, especially when you have refused to taste it at least once."

She smiled with cheeks so plump they looked edible.

"Surprise me."

He looked up. The woman offered him strawberries. Standing in the middle of the cherry blossoms still in bloom, the icy wind carrying the first fragrances of spring, Byakuya was not thinking, "It's not the season." He was thinking, "why this woman was always trying to force-feed him."

Worst, he was not hungry at all. He barely had anything earlier. Byakuya frowned, remembering he ate nothing back then. Byakuya looked up at the sky. Her favorite kind of clouds was approaching.

" Stop doing that." He harshly said.

Irritating. It was deja vu. Didn't they have this conversation before, right? You are irritating. All the time. You constantly irritate me. You are painful. You are annoying. You are rude. You are unbearable. You are maddening!

It was deja vu.

She was holding a knife, and the vegetables jumped in the pan, singing. Her lips were telling him a playful story.

" If you are Happy, Kuchiki-sama. Don't say anything." The devil woman suddenly said.

To believe that he was satisfied with just this. What was she thinking? What was that feeling supposed to be called? Should this be happiness?

She stared at him, forlornly with big green eyes.

He had her name on the tip of his tongue. Che! What was it again? He closed his eyes. Shane partially lost his sight, trying to rescue Stella. Ginrei's hair was white and not black since the death of his son. Hisana… Hisana was...She was not supposed to be here. To think he had been able to forget ... The world around him seemed to undulate on itself. Before he even called her again, before he said her name, the brunet covered his mouth with her chubby hands.

" Don't say anything, Kuchiki-sama. Don't say anything if you're happy. Please. Trust me."

He remained silent for a moment. She had a strange glow illuminating her green eyes. Byakuya realized their shade was different. There was no peculiar purple in the green, no dream in those eyes, no clouds, no strange shadows playing. He stepped back like it was a warning.

"Don't do it."

What did it mean? What would happen if he called her by her first name? What would happen if he turned his back on this illusion? He turned towards the house in the distance. Rukia ... Hisana ... Black and white. Like on the negative of a photo, the Kuchiki manor stood in black and white. They were walking hand in hand.

" I could watch Kuchiki-sama be happy. It might be worth it if Kuchiki-Sama is happy."

" None of this is real."

"What does it mean to be real? This is perfection. This is Heaven. It is what your heart desire."

The young woman stood behind him. He instinctively searched for Senbonzakura and realized he couldn't feel his zanpakutō? How did he get there?

" I am…"

"Yes, you are… If you're happy, just say it. There's no shame in being happy."

She stepped back again, clasping her hands wisely.

" Hisana and Rukia?"

"Isn't that what Kuchiki-Sama always wanted deep inside?"

Byakuya slowly nodded.

"To see his beloved wife reunited with his missing sister. They look so close. More than sisters ... Like, mother and daughter ... Kuchiki-sama and Hisana are happy together, and Kuchiki-sama will soon be a father. He always dreamed of being a father...To have a family like the one he lost."

He nodded again. Indeed, it had always been his dearest desire.

" The life he couldn't have with Hisana ... The family that poor little Rukia deserved ... If Kuchiki-sama is happy ..."

" I can stay with them."

It was more of a statement than a question. The young woman nodded.

" If Kuchiki-sama wishes."

" I can live with Hisana."

" If Kuchiki-sama wishes."

" I could die with her."

The creature blinked.

"Don't be so gloomy. Everyone is benefiting. If Kuchiki-sama wants something to eat ... Food is in abundance. All that Kuchiki-sama desires ... will be offered to him on a platter... What was it? What gave it away? Did I go overboard with the memories of her dead husband? He was always such a hindrance. It was always tricky using him, but a little piece of realism is necessary for the magic to work. Was it that this time the devil was really in the details? Impressive."

Byakuya turned toward the creature slowly. The world gradually shifted into sepia tones. At this point, Hisana and Rukia crossed the bridge, holding each other's arm. He frowned.

"If Kuchiki-Sama is hungry ... Everything Kuchiki-sama wants ..."

He shook his head, clearly aggravated.

"You… You're killing me, Keikosuki Ichinose. Explain yourself."

The silver carps remained suspended in the air again. The stream was frozen. The birds paused in the air. The woman observed her surroundings suddenly worried. That never happened before. She clapped in her hands, and the trees started to shed their leaves in slow motion. A cat appeared on the top of the bridge, licking its left paw. Byakuya tilted his head to the sight, mesmerized.

"Don't you say that name again…" The woman moaned. " Whatever you want? I will give you whatever you want."

"That strange woman… She really said I was stubborn to a supernatural level ?" Byakuya finally asked, his eyes cold and detached. "Well, she is the worst.

Instead of an answer from Persephone, he found himself gasping for air suddenly. Byakuya opened his eyes and realized he was buried under the rubble of the Sekkiseki walls of the Seireitei. A roar tore the atmosphere apart. Persephone destroyed another outer wall with his tail.

Everything Kuchiki-sama wants ...

Byakuya crawled under the debris, pushing a block of granite with his fist. The intersection of stone exploded under the impact and raised a new cloud of dust. Byakuya made another attempt to extricate himself from his hole before collapsing again under more falling rocks. He closed his eyes again. Someone was digging him out. At least he thought someone was. It had to be Shane.

"Kuchiki-taicho, Wake up! Kuchiki-taicho ..."

The face of his vice-captain split before his troubled eyes. He was going to be sick. His face streaked with blue scratch marks; he wanted to throw up. A tremor shook him from the tip of his fingers to his spinal cord, he started to convulse.

" Kuchiki-taicho?"

Shane, was it? What was he doing? What was he waiting for? He distinctly felt firm hands around him, pulling him on top of a pile of debris.

" Kuchiki-taicho ... Stay with me! Stay with me! Byakuya !"

He didn't seem like he was going anywhere. Byakuya felt numb. It seems he couldn't stay with anyone. He couldn't stay with Hisana. He choked desperately, his tremors amplifying as he was searching for air. His eyes were red, his pupil blown out with petechia. He couldn't stay with Shane either.

He had no choice. His body went still. The koi fell back into the basin, wriggling vigorously on the surface. The cat jumped nimbly and went on his way. Byakuya looked for Hisana. She was still walking along the bridge with Rukia. Keikosuki pushed the fruit into his hand.

" You must eat quickly! If Kuchiki-sama doesn't want to lose them ... If Kuchiki-sama is happy ... He must regain his strength."

"You are quite perseverant yourself."

" Shhh ... You don't want to lose them?"

Suddenly, Hisana leaned forward, caught in a fit of cough. Rukia put an arm around her sister's waist to support her. Byakuya swallowed hard. He couldn't move.

"Magic only works if you believe it. Really Kuchiki-Sama! You have to regain your strength! You want to help them, right? You want to save Hisana, right?"

She brought the fruit close to his lips.

"You're not going to let her die again?"

Byakuya lowered his head with a sigh. Hisana ... He loved her so much. Their time together had been unfairly short. But from the color of the earth to the blue of the sky, all this was just an illusion.

" Happiness? What is it really? Was it the five years that I lived with my beloved? Or the twenty years of my life spent under the supervision of my parents? Happiness, I don't remember what it supposed to look like. So, that's where you went wrong, zanpakutō. It is more difficult to recognize Happiness than the constant sadness and mourning of what is no longer ... This heart is not made for that. Even today, seeing Hisana suffer, breaks my heart, and destroys me. However, it is the feeling that brings me the closest to her."

Persephone frowned.

"I don't understand. You…"

" I knew you wouldn't. You're not human. You're not a soul. You don't bleed. You don't get to mourn. But she does… Every time you take over… She is the one you drew your strength from. She is the one paying the debt you owe. I now recognized the fear in her eyes. She was never afraid of me or anyone. She was scared of herself. Of the things she knows herself capable of…"

"What are you saying, Kuchiki Byakuya?"

"Now, she is your master. She can even be your partner. But you should never believe yourself to be her equal… or mine. You should stay in your place."

" You… You? Kuchiki ... Byakuya!"

The young woman widened her eyes, panicked. Byakuya grabbed her by her arms.

"And for god's sake, her eyes are olive when she cries. But they are mostly purple and green, especially when the sun hits her plump cheeks just right. At least you should have known that about your master!"

"How dare you?" She struggled to get free.

" Keikosuki ..."

" Stop it."

"Keikosuki ..."

" Do not say her name so colloquially."

"Keikosuki!"

" Do you want to lose it all?"

He twisted her arms even more. He didn't care to lose what he didn't have anyway.

" Keikosuki Ichinose! Stop being lazy! Wake up! Now!"

Hisana collapsed on the floor, convulsing violently. Byakuya did not take his eyes off the Fake Suki-chan. Hisana was in him. She would be with him forever. This pale imitation of his lost love was not worth it.

" Keikosuki Ichinose, snap out of it !"

" I told you not to pronounce her name! Suki-chan is mine! Suki-chan ... is mine! She's mine! Mine! You don't matter! "

" I think you don't remember your place, Zanpakutō."

" Enough! Enough! This is not how this works! This is my world! I decide who lives or who dies…"

Persephone pushed back hard against Byakuya. The frail clone of Suki-Chan staggered. The young woman looked at him with pure hatred. Her green gaze gave way to golden reptilian pupils. His features morphed before Byakuya's eyes.

Byakuya stared at the monster with contempt and disgust. Suki slowly straightened up. His voice changed to a deeply masculine baritone voice.

" See, I'm the one who is fed up with your insolence, Kuchiki Byakuya. You're here because I wanted it so. I have no master. I answer to no one. You and your kind will learn to bow down. Look at us! We are above you. "

A glance on his right and one on his left, Byakuya realized he was surrounded. Soldiers of his personal guard, members of his entourage, soldiers of his division, even his vice-captain, Persephone, had recreated the most perfect psychological ambush.

"Remember that this is my universe. There is nothing you can do to oppose my will. No one ever survived the inferno that is Ichinose Keikosuki's Bankai. My powers are limitless. Let me share a secret, before, I only wanted to have a bit of fun with the man she admires so much. I just wanted to take a good peek at you. But now you made it personal. I may already have my fill tonight with that Primeros and all those hollows, but let's just say I'm never one to waste food."

A first soldier charged on his right. He disappeared to reappear behind him, trapping his arm in a vice before kicking his spine. He passed the second soldier over his shoulder, breaking his arm in the process. The third, he struck his temple with the edge of his hand. The fourth, he sent him tossing into the pond. The fifth and the sixth slammed an ancient oak tree simultaneously. When it was Rukia's turn to pounce on him, he alleged her suffering by breaking her neck quickly. As one entity, these allies turned enemies all rushed towards him at the same time. With a deceitful smile, Persephone watched for the moment when Kuchiki Byakuya would be most vulnerable to inflict the final blow. When Byakuya finally fell down to his knees after struggling for so long, seemingly overwhelmed by the sheer number of assailants, Persephone was ready to pounce.

Momo Hinamori

Vice-captain of the fifth division under the orders of Suki Ichinose

Childhood friend of Hitsugaya Toshiro

She couldn't believe that Ichinose-taicho had brought her out of a coma just to plunge her into another nightmare.

Momo took a deep breath before starting to cough. She opened her eyes slowly ... surely. For a few seconds, her eyelids quivered in the air. She raised her arm instinctively to protect her eyes from the dust. Something exploded right above her head. The sky ... The clouds ... All of it Sepia toned.

" Captain Kuchiki! Byakuya! Wake up !"

She straightened with a start. Shane was leaning over his captain. He was trying to excavate him from under the ruins.

"Shane-San! What is happening?"

Shane shook his captain again without getting an answer. He grabbed a huge boulder and rolled it further. Momo crawled on the debris to come and help him.

"Kuchiki-taicho, hey! Stand up ?"

" Shane? What happened? What happened to Kuchiki-Taicho?"

"Persephone. Persephone… He's been poisoned."

Momo shook her head.

"Captain Ichinose would never do such a thing."

"You don't get that she doesn't control anything! From where I'm standing! This creature is out of control. I am not even sure that she will regain consciousness one day."

"But if ... if she couldn't wake up, she would have said something...She would have …"

The words died on Momo's lips. Except Suki did express how nervous and scared, she was. And what if… She blinked twice, remembering Suki's face earlier. Shit.

Momo looked up to see Rigor Mortis slammed the arcane of the Senkaimon. All fangs out, Persephone rushed straight into its prey. Rigor blew a new ash cloud over the plaza. The Monitor Lizard crushed a group of soldiers in its fall.

A gust of wind blew towards them. Shane set fire to the ground before them forming a thick impenetrable wall of flames. Realizing what he was doing, Momo came to lend him a hand by lighting fires with Tobiume all around the retreating troops. The ground dangerously shook under their feet. A squirt of black liquid watered the two captains from head to toe. Persephone. His side was slashed from his collar to his hips. Momo screamed, truly horrified. Shane grabbed her by the waist and threw himself on the floor with her.

His neck wound openly bleeding, shedding black liquid on the floor like a waterfall, Persephone was propelled backward on a long distance. The earth rumbled again. The monitor hit the ground mere inches from their wall of flames. The giant Primeros threw himself on him. Slowly opening his gigantic mouth, Rigor was getting ready to let go of a cloud of his deadly ashes. He was gradually building a sphere of poisonous smoke, not unlike a Cero. If only the monster managed to unleash on them… Nothing will save them.

Persephone was down. Captain Ichinose was down.

"Come on, get up now! Persephone! Get up! Captain, get up!" Momo screamed.

"Momo, we need to move now. Captain Kuchiki can't stand up anymore. He is not even breathing. We need to move him." Shane yelled in panic, his face covered with Persephone's blood.

But Momo wasn't listening, she gathered Tobiume in one hand and ran ahead.

Shane barely had time to catch her by the arm before she launched herself into the assault on the giant Primeros. She was going to get herself killed. He gathered his strength to lift the girl by the waist.

"Momo, stop!"

She struggled fiercely before he put her back on the ground.

"If we don't move, Momo, we're the ones who will die!"

"I need to go get my captain! Shane!"

"It's no use. You will never make it! Be reasonable."

"How can I be reasonable! She is going to die if we don't do anything."

"I'm sorry. My captain is dying too. I need you to help me, Momo. I cannot do this… God, I hate him… sometimes and his stubborn ass. I do, but… fuck! We used to play together… We're family. He is a prick. But he is a decent prick. A decent leader."

Momo gasped, trying to catch her breath. Both captains saw the weakness in each other's eyes.

"I don't really wanna be alone. I don't…"

"I don't either."

They nodded. Now they were left with the matter of Kuchiki-Sama lying in the same place. Momo rushed toward him the captain and lifted him under one arm, Shane doing the same on his other side. An unidentified object crossed the sepia sky like a falling star, Shane recognized it by his declining reiatsu, as it struck the ground with force. Momo wiped her face covered in black mucus with her free hand.

"That was Madarame Ikkaku. Shit."

Three other meteors struck the ground at high speed. Soi Fon ... Sasakibe ... Komamura. It was raining officers on the large square. Kenpachi's raw reiatsu blew gusts on the Seireitei.

" It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare." Momo muttered, retreating with Shane.

They shunpo'ed as far as they could before Rigor unleashed his ashes and managed to reach behind the walls before the cloud got to them.

They both dropped Byakuya on the ground at the same time, rolled him over on his back, with Shane alternating between CPR and Ki stimulation. Momo breathed in the Captain's mouth. Byakuya had no reaction.

"Come on, Captain Kuchiki. We need you here. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare. It's a nightmare."

With a crackling noise, the glass dome cracked and broke in several places, causing tornadoes of headwinds.

" We're losing ground. They're going to open a portal and free that bastard Aizen…"

"Aizen-Taicho ...No, we have to do something!"

"Momo?"

"If Ichinose-taicho was like Aizen-taicho, she wouldn't have told me anything. She wouldn't have admitted being scared. But she told me that she was not ready. Taicho needs me. I have to stop Ichinose-taicho. I have to wake her up before the Primeros kills her."

Momo said with determination in her eyes. She helplessly watched black blood surged uninterrupted like a waterfall from Persephone's wound.

But was it already too late?


Next chapter = Frozen