Shower in the dark day

Clean sparks diving down

Cool in the waterway

Where the baptized drown

Naked in the cold sun

Breathing life like fire

Thought I was the only one

But that was just a lie

'Cause I heard it in the wind

And I saw it in the sky

And I thought it was the end

And I thought it was the fourth of July

The day was Sunday, February 11th, and for the past three months, Ichigo and Trunks had constantly battled each other under augmented gravity. Both of them had been making incredible progress, especially Ichigo, but there was still one issue they were desperately trying to fix: Trunks had still not attained Bankai.

With only two weeks until their battle with the Arrancar, Trunks was in distress, but Ichigo tried to keep him optimistic. It was noon, and the two were waiting for Soifon to emerge from the gravity room, so Ichigo suggested that they play some baseball with Jinta in the front yard to pass the time.

Trunks stood 60 feet from Jinta with a baseball in his right and a glove in his left. "You ready, big guy?"

Jinta gripped the handle of his bat and brought it behind his head. "Bring it!" he demanded. Ichigo squatted behind him with his glove extended from his body, ready to play catcher. Trunks brought his feet together and brought the ball and his glove together. He raised his front leg before extending it out to the ground while simultaneously raising his arm behind him. He flung his arm forward and shot the ball out of his hand. Jinta took a step with his front leg before swinging with all his might.

"Swing and a miss," Ichigo remarked as he caught the ball. "Hanakari strikes out, and the Yankees lose Game seven of the World Series."

"Dammit!" Jinta yelled. "Why the hell can't hit anything today?"

"You're getting a little jumpy," Trunks answered. "If you sit back and wait on it, you'll be blasting these babies into orbit."

Ichigo stood up straight from the ground. "You mind if we take a break, though? My knees need a breather."

"I second that," Trunks agreed as he walked towards them. "I must've thrown 100 pitches by now."

Jinta grunted. "Ah, give me a break. All you guys wanna do is talk about girls."

"Not really," Ichigo replied. "But how about we take ten to talk, and you take ten to get your mind right. Go get some water, settle down, and then we'll get back to it."

Jinta rolled his eyes and threw his bat over his shoulder. "Fine. When we start again, I'm putting the first ball right between your eyes, Trunks."

"I'll look forward to it," Trunks replied as Jinta turned around and walked inside.

Ichigo turned towards Trunks and asked, "So, are you gonna do it?"

Trunks shook his head. "I dunno, man. I think I should wait till after we beat Aizen."

"Yea, but tomorrow's her birthday, and you haven't made a move since your birthday. Just ask her if she would wanna go out to eat or something, and then give her your gift."

Trunks sighed as he began feeling butterflies in his stomach. "Oh god, I can't do it. What am I gonna do if she says no?"

"She's not gonna- well maybe, but you'll never know unless you try."

"Thanks, that's very encouraging. I'd rather not know than be shot down."

"I know but… okay, how about I cut you a deal. You ask Soifon out, and… I'll ask Orihime out, too."

"Ichigo, why are you so pressed about this? Don't we have other things to worry about like, I dunno uh, Bankai?!"

"You'll get your Bankai one way or the other, I'll promise you that, and I'm not pressed. It's just that you really like her, and I don't want you to miss your chance and regret it."

"I guess but… you know what, fine. If you guys will finally leave me alone about it, then I'll do it. Plus it'll be fun to see you when the shoe is on the other foot."

"By the way, I've never asked this before but, what is it that you like about her, anyway? I'm not saying there's nothing to like about her, but I'm just wondering."

Trunks thought for a second. "Um, well, I think she's beautiful, and she's strong and independent. She's kinda stubborn sometimes, but-"

Trunks stopped himself as the sliding door to Urahara's shop opened. Nerves attacked his entire body, as Soifon stepped out of the door and looked down at Trunks' shocked facial expression. "Hm?" she questioned. "What the hell are you looking at?"

Oh, thank god she didn't hear that. Trunks thought. I almost shit myself. Trunks got a hold of himself and tried to play it cool. "Yea, sorry, you just scared me."

Soifon closed the door behind her and hopped off of the porch. "Hmph. The chamber's all yours."

"How was it? You were in there a little longer than usual."

"It was productive. I wanted to stay longer, but I know you two have been waiting."

"Oh no, it's fine. You could've stayed as long as you wanted. Do you think you'll be ready in two weeks?"

"That's the goal, and what about you?"

"Well, I still have some work to do, but hopefully I'll be okay."

Soifon started walking away. 'You better get to it then."

Ichigo nudged Trunks and motioned for him to do what they had discussed prior. Trunks took a quick inhale and exhale before calling out to her. "Soifon, wait! There was something I wanted to ask you."

Soifon stopped and turned around. "What is it?"

Trunks' heart nearly leaped out of his chest. His palms started to feel clammy, and whatever nerves he felt before were magnified to even greater heights, causing him to stutter and stumble over his words. He tucked his hands in his pockets and smiled at the ground. "Well, I just, um- I wanted to uh-I wa-was gonna ask you if, uh-"

Ichigo put his hand in front of his face to keep from hurling out a laugh. I think you're short circuiting, he telepathically told his friend. Dude, please get this over with, I don't think I can hold out much longer.

Trunks ignored him, but Soifon was confused. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You sound like you're choking."

Ichigo turned around and suppressed his laugh to a snicker, as Trunks continued to attempt to get any words out. "Oh yea, I-I'm fine," he replied. He took another deep breath and did his best to settle himself. "I, um, wanted to know if you were doing anything tomorrow."

"Besides coming here and clearing up some paperwork, there's nothing special happening tomorrow. Why do you ask?"

"Well, it's just that- well, tomorrow's your birthday, so I wanted to ask you if you would like to-" Trunks was about to propose his plans to her, but he was interrupted by an intense sensation. The nerves in his body were replaced by a feeling of external pressure and internal dread. Ichigo and Soifon sensed it as well, and they turned themselves towards the feeling.

"What the hell is that?" Trunks asked. "Is that Aizen, or an Espada?"

"I can't tell," Soifon answered. "But it's coming from downtown Karakura."

"But what are they- Ichigo we have to go, now!" Trunks turned back towards Soifon. "Get back to the Soul Society and tell them what's going on."

Soifon glared at Trunks and objected. "Kisuke can take care of that. I'm coming with you."

"No! We don't know how powerful they are and we can't risk turning this into an all-out battle, especially not with that many people around."

Ichigo pulled out his combat pass and thrust it into his body, transforming into his Soul Reaper form as he left his body on the ground. "Trunks, come on, we gotta get going!" Trunks nodded, and the two of them powered up their aura soared into the downtown area.

As Soifon watched them fly off, she clenched his fist and gritted her teeth. "Asshole," she mumbled. "You think I've been training all this time just to be sidelined?!"

The boys quickly made their way into the city and landed on a rooftop to scout the area. The streets were bustling with cars and bikers while the sidewalks were overflowing with pedestrians walking back and forth.

"Dammit!" Trunks exclaimed as he frantically looked to his left and right. "They hid their energy."

Ichigo's eyes bounced in all directions looking for anything out of the ordinary. "They couldn't have gotten that far-" Ichigo stopped as he lifted his head and found someone in the distance. "Hey, look!"

"Look where?!" Trunks raised his eyes and his body stiffened as he saw what Ichigo was talking about. Two men stood in the middle of an intersection, smirking up at Trunks and Ichigo. One of them was a tall, slender man with long black hair and a large Zanpakuto on his back that looked like two crescents attached. The other was a man with dirty blonde hair and an eyepatch over his right eye.

"That's one of the Espada, right?" Trunks asked.

Ichigo, recognizing who the man was, quickly answered. "Nnoitra. I'm pretty sure that's his Fracción with him."

"Let's get down there and move this somewhere else."

Ichigo nodded, and the two jumped high up into the air and landed in the middle of the intersection, facing the two Arrancar. Contrary to the two that stood in front of them, Trunks and Ichigo were on edge, both not knowing what their enemy was doing in there, or why they chose downtown Karakura to make an appearance. Either way, their priority was to lead them out of the city without any incidents.

"You finally decided to come," Nnoitra said as he continued grinning at Trunks and Ichigo. "Now we can get the show started."

"Hold on," Trunks demanded. "This isn't the place for us to talk, let alone fight. I'm sure there are some deserted islands close to here that'll be better for us."

"No," Nnoitra quickly replied. "I'm fine with staying right here, but I can clear up some space if you'd like."

"We're not gonna fight you here," Ichigo declared. "There's no reason to have all these people-" Ichigo was interrupted by traffic resuming in the intersection. The boys jumped back to avoid the oncoming cars, while the sound of horns became deafening. Trunks reminded himself that he was the only one there that was visible to normal people, as some drivers rolled down their windows to give him a piece of their mind.

"Get out of the road, dumbass!"

"The rehab center's down the road, you bum!"

Trunks ignored this, but he suddenly noticed that Nnoitra and his accomplice still stood in the middle of the road as a bus was quickly approaching them. Before Trunks or Ichigo could warn him, the bus crashed into Nnoitra's back, but the Espada was unmoved, leaving a large imprint on the vehicle.

Nnoitra's grin slowly turned into a frown as his Fracción turned to him and asked, "Master Nnoitra, shall I clear the area?"

"Yes, Tesla," the Espada answered. "We shall."

Nnoitra stuck out his tongue and the tip began to emit a yellow glow, while Tesla's left eye began to glimmer red. Trunks and Ichigo saw this happen, but before they could react, the two emitted a Cero at the buildings behind the boys. The two of them turned around in horror as a group of skyscrapers behind them exploded. They both turned around to find Ceros being shot at them, which they quickly tried to deflect into the air. Unfortunately, they could not react fast enough, as Nnoitra turned his back and shot a Cero through the bus and into the densely populated area, causing it and another set of skyscrapers to blow up.

The Arrancars fired a few more Ceros each before Trunks finally broke through. "STOP IT!" he bellowed out as he raced towards Nnoitra and punched him in the back of the head. Nnoitra stumbled for a few steps before turning to face Trunks and glare at him.

Tesla's eye stopped glowing as he turned to his superior. "Master Nnoitra! Are you-" Before he could finish, he was met with a fist to his cheek by Ichigo. Tesla fell back several feet, with his back digging into the pavement.

"Damn you!" Ichigo shouted as he stared down the Fracción with fire and fury in his eyes. "Why the hell would you do something like this?!"

Trunks drew his sword and prepared to fight. Nnoitra, seeing that Trunks was seething with intense rage, began smiling. "Now there's no more distractions and no more of those annoying humans to get in our way."

Buildings glowed orange around them, as the heat intensified and smoke billowed into the sky. City blocks and sidewalks had been destroyed, while civilians were screaming and trampling over each other to find any means of escape. Innocent bodies laid silent and scattered. The worst-case scenario had now become the current scenario, and the landscape was beyond Trunks' and Ichigo's worst nightmares.

Nnoitra turned his head towards the people who frantically attempted to run. "Oh look, a few loose ends."

As Nnoitra stuck out his tongue, Trunks powered up to Super Saiyan and charged him with Zangetsu. Nnoitra quickly pulled out his Zanpakuto and blocked Trunks' multiple sword slashes before jumping into the air to escape. "RAAAHH!" Trunks shouted as he chased down his enemy.

Ichigo drew his Zangetsu from his back and prepared to take on Tesla, but he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder as a voice spoke from behind him.

"How about you take me on instead?"

The hair all over Ichigo's body stood up, as almost instantly recognized the voice. However, Ichigo got a hold of himself and horizontally slashed his back without looking. He didn't hit anything, but he turned around as the enemy somersaulted into the air and landed some yards away from him.

The man grinned. "Still as sharp as ever, Kurosaki."

"Grimmjow… of course he sent you, too. So you were hiding this entire time?"

The Sixth Espada put his hand in his pockets. "I was waiting until their fight got started so we could have another one on one."

Ichigo grunted. "Why the hell are you guys even here!? To kill all of these innocent people? To destroy Karakura Town just for fun?"

"I didn't destroy your precious town. You're gonna have to take that up with those dimwits over there. I'm only here to settle the score and beat you till you're unconscious."

"Dammit… DAMN ALL OF YOU!" Ichigo's spiritual pressure began to rapidly leak from his body, as Grimmjow's smile only deepened.

"Oh, I'm gonna enjoy kicking the shit out of you this time. Hurry up and get your Bankai out so I can show you how weak you are."

Ichigo's spiritual pressure intensified, as rage took over his rational. "YOU WANT IT? YOU GOT IT!" Ichigo swung his sword to the front of his body and shouted, "BAN, KAI!"

Ichigo's spiritual pressure erupted as he transformed into his Bankai state. As the glow from his spiritual pressure disappeared, Ichigo appeared in front of Grimmjow and punched in his stomach. Grimmjow leaned over and coughed up blood, before feeling his cloak tighten around his neck. Ichigo grabbed the Espada's shirt and launched him into the air. As his enemy soared into the air, Ichigo thrust his spiritual pressure into his Zanpakuto and yelled out, "GETSUGA, TENSHOUU!" as he flung his attack at the Espada.

Grimmjow quickly recovered and slightly pulled out his Zanpakuto from his side to cut his pointer finger on before bringing his hand forward. "GRAN REY CERO!" he shouted as he shot a massive blue beam from his hand. However, it was unable to repel the full power of the Getsuga Tenshou, and the ensuing explosion occurred right in Grimmjow's face. As the smoke filled the air, Grimmjow flew out to try to get his bearings, but Ichigo appeared right beside him and threw a kick at his ribcage. Grimmjow was able to block it but was still sent flying in the other direction.

Ichigo quickly inverted them grip on his blade and brought the outside of his hands together and behind him. "GALICK GUN!" Ichigo thrust his hands forward as a large, fuschia-colored energy wave emanated from his hands and body.

Grimmjow stopped himself and smiled. "Well, look who learned the family technique." Grimmjow brought his hands together and fired off a Galick Gun of his own, causing the beams to clash and detonate in the sky.

What the hell? Ichigo asked himself as he tried to catch his breath. Did he just use a Galick Gun? How would he even-

Ichigo's thoughts were interrupted as a massive amount of spiritual pressure came from the smoke and overwhelmed him. No way! Grimmjow's putting out that much energy?

The smoke from the previous explosion started to swirl around Grimmjow before dissipating and revealing the cause of Grimmjow's power increase: a new form. His hair had grown longer and turned white with black bangs, and his shirt and Hollow mask had disappeared. His body now sported black tattoos, and he had white fur from his torso to his calves. His claws on his feet and hands became black, and his forehead, eyes, tail, and scar all emitted blue spiritual pressure. "Allow me to introduce you to my new form," he said. "This is my Ressurrección: Segunda Etapa."

Ichigo froze as Grimmjow completed his sentence. Segunda Etapa was the form he thought was only exclusive to Ulquiorra, the form that had made him suffer one of the most excruciating beatdowns in his life, and it was the form that almost took his life. The memories of that battle came flooding back and brought visible fear to Ichigo. Grimmjow, seeing Ichigo stunned at his new power, smirked and began his assault.

Meanwhile, Trunks was still locked in battle with Nnoitra and kept his opponent on the defensive. Trunks had sensed that Ichigo had immediately released his Bankai, but Trunks still had enough restraint to know that he could not unleash his full power in the city. However, he was able to push Nnoitra back and even land some blows on him, which angered the Espada.

"Bastard!" the Espada yelled as he continued to block Trunks' sword attacks. "Don't think you're going to defeat me like this!"

Trunks responded as he continued to increase the pressure on his enemy. "You murderer! I'll make you pay for what you di-" Before he could finish, Trunks felt a massive spiritual pressure near Ichigo. Shit! Ichigo's fighting somebody that strong?

Trunks snapped back into battle but was caught off guard by a red blast coming from the ground. He dodged it, but Nnoitra seized the opportunity, using his Sonido to rapidly appear behind Trunks and put him in a headlock.

Nnoitra tightened his grip on the Saiyan as he scolded his accomplice on the ground. "Your assistance was unnecessary, Tesla!"

Tesla bowed his head to his superior. "My apologies, Master."

The Espada's expression soon changed from a scowl to a cold grin as he addressed Trunks. "It was an inevitability with or without his help. You were bound to end up like this."

Trunks tried to free his throat from Nnoitra's forearm with his hand, but he then felt a fist thrust into his spine, causing him to yelp out in pain. Nnoitra began laughing. "I'm sorry, but what happened to all that talk about making me pay?" The Espada continued to maniacally laugh and punch a helpless Trunks in his back.

Nnoitra stopped his attacks and prepared to finish Trunks off. "Now turn to ash, like these pathetic ants." Nnoitra stuck out his tongue and charged his Cero.

Damn, Trunks thought. Guess I don't have a choice.

Before either one of them could make a move, Nnoitra was suddenly kicked in his face, causing him to soar towards the ground and crash into Tesla. Both of them became buried in the pavement as the ground rumbled. Trunks looked beside him, and just as he expected, he saw Soifon standing next to him in the air.

"Thanks for the save," Trunks said to her. "And nice kick."

Soifon, still looking down at her enemies, replied, "You can keep your thanks. You didn't want me here in the first place."

"I thought we would be okay on our own, but as you can see, the situation's changed."

"Let's end this quickly, then."

"I'll take the Espada, and you take his Fracción."

"I'll kill the Fracción, and then we both kill Espada Five, and then we can help Kurosaki deal with Espada Six."

Their attention was drawn back to the Arrancar on the ground, as they emerged from the rubble with their clothes torn. Both of them disappeared and reappeared in front and behind of Trunks and Soifon. The Saiyan and the Soul Reaper Captain stood back to back, as they prepared to battle their enemies.

"That was a big mistake, Captain," Nnoitra told Soifon. "I'll take your life for that."

Trunks powered up to Super Saiyan 2. "You won't even get past me to try it." Trunks and Nnoitra stared at each other for a few seconds before disappearing to resume their clash.

Soifon and Tesla continued to stare each other down until Soifon smirked and broke the silence. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Are you afraid?"

Tesla bared his teeth at her and answered. "How dare you harm Master Nnoitra. I'll cut you down for your insolence." Tesla used a Sonido to get behind Soifon with his sword high in the air, ready to slice her. However, he was met with a spinning back to his jaw and a fist to his opposite cheek that sent him flying in the air. Tesla regained his footing, but then lost sight of his enemy.

"Looking for me?" Soifon asked from behind him. Tesla quickly turned around and slashed his sword, but missed completely, as Soifon Flash Stepped behind him again.

Tesla became increasingly frustrated. "Damn you, JUST STAY STILL!" He charged at her again with a flurry of swings and slices, but the Stealth Force leader dodged every attack with ease. The Arrancar then thrust his sword towards her chest. Soifon sidestepped the attack and caught his blade between her thumb and index fingers. She smirked at him again but stopped when she saw his uncovered eye start to glow red. Right before Tesla fired off his Cero, Soifon threw a right uppercut to his jaw, causing him to lift his head and fire his attack into the sky. As he continued to fall back, Soifon jumped up and hit him with a punch that broke his nose. Tesla was sent flying away from her as the Captain continued her pursuit.

Trunks and Nnoitra were still engaged in battle, but Trunks had now gained a significant advantage after increasing his power. The Espada tried to swing his sword upwards at Trunks, but the Super Saiyan dodged the attack and pushed Nnoitra back with an energy air push. Nnoitra recovered but turned his head to see his underling being pummeled by Soifon.

"HAAAA!" Trunks shouted as he charged towards the Espada and landed a punch on his jaw before throwing a knee to his abdomen. Nnoitra doubled over in pain, as Trunks elbowed him in the back, causing him to crash into the ground. Trunks touched down and walked over to him. "Don't worry. He won't last much longer, and at this rate neither will you."

Nnoitra gave Trunks a furious glare as the Saiyan approached him. However, he heard something behind that changed his expression. He faintly heard a group of people behind him, and that was all he needed to formulate a plan. He smiled at Trunks, who was confused, but quickly understood when he saw the bystanders for himself. Nnoitra quickly turned his head and stuck his tongue out.

"Oh no!" Trunks shouted as he quickly flew over to the people. Nnoitra fired a Cero directly at them, but Trunks was able to make it in time. Standing at a good distance from the civilians and withdrawing his Zanpakuto, he put his hands in front of him and let out a yell, challenging the blast head-on. Trunks took the full force of the Cero, as it exploded in his face.

Nnoitra, however, used the opportunity to launch a surprise attack. Using his Sonido, he teleported into the air behind Soifon and used his Zanpakuto to make an upwards diagonal slash into her back. She cried out in agony as the Espada proceeded to grab her by her hair and pull her into to punch her in her stomach. He let her go, and as she fell from his hands, he backhanded her, causing her to fall towards the earth.

"Tesla!" Nnoitra shouted to his underling.

"Yes, Master!" he replied as his eye glowed crimson. Nnoitra stuck his tongue out and the two of them simultaneously fired a Cero. The two attacks twirled and combined, creating an orange and even larger beam headed straight for Soifon. However, something flew between them at the last second and shielded her from the impact and ensuing explosion.

Nnoitra's maniacal laugh made its return. "What a fool!" he proclaimed. "He threw himself in front of the blast for that Soul Reaper? How dumb can he-"

"NYUUUH!" From the smoke of the Cero came an energy blast headed straight for Nnoitra. He deflected and watched as Trunks fell to the ground, powered down to his base form with Soifon in his arms.

Trunks stumbled as he landed on the pavement. His jacket was tattered, and his right ribcage and back were bloodied and tender. Because he rushed in front of the Cero without putting up any defenses, his remaining energy was cut in half, but this was the least of his worries. He looked down at his ally in his arms, unconscious with her head slumped away from him. He could feel her blood pouring down his arms and his desperation mounted.

No… please, just hang on for a little bit longer.

Before Trunks could try to think of an escape, a yellow blast came from overheard. He was able to run and avoid it, but then a red Cero came hurling at him. Trunks ran in the opposite direction until yet another Cero came down. Nnoitra and Tesla continued to chase Trunks down with their blasts, as Trunks did his best to run from the blasts without tripping on any debris.

"AHAHAHA!" Nnoitra hollered. "YES! DANCE, MONKEY. DANCE!"

The Saiyan continued to flee from the attacks with all of his might until he found himself backed against a burning building. Nnoitra smiled as he and Tesla prepared to fire their final Cero. "Now, say goodbye." They both fired a Cero at Trunks, which combined into an orange energy ball.

With no more options and little time left, Trunks summoned his sword and gathered the rest of his remaining energy.

"GETSUGA, TEN-"

As he brought his blade forward to launch his attack, a blue energy beam struck the Cero from the side and diverted it into the sky. Trunks was perplexed, but suddenly, a familiar ally appeared in front of him.

"Go-Goten!" he stuttered. As he said this, Captain Hitsugaya dropped out of the sky and landed next to him. Both Goten and Hitsugaya turned to look at Trunks, and their eyes widened as they observed Soifon's condition.

"I'll cover you," Goten quickly told Trunks. "Get her to Kisuke, now!" Without another word, Trunks immediately flew into the air and left for Urahara's shop as fast as he could.

The Arrancar landed in front of Goten and Toshiro, preparing to face them. Toshiro drew his sword, as Goten shouted and powered up to Pseudo Blue. "Let's go," he told them with intensity and rage in his voice.

Before they could begin their showdown in the inferno, however, Grimmjow, in his base form, landed beside Goten, holding something in each hand. "Excuse me," he asked as he held up his right hand. "Would you mind taking this for me?"

Goten and Toshiro gasped, as they saw Grimmjow holding up a tattered, beaten-down, and unconscious Soul Reaper by his white sash, while his other hand held a black blade.

Goten became visibly distraught as he saw his friend. His voice trembled as he muttered out, "No… Ichigo?"