The world had fallen away before Rukia's eyes, which were dull and unfocused as she felt herself falling further and further away from reality.
Her senses were muddled, and for all she knew the world may have ended. The only thing that was real was the gaping hole in her heart where Ichigo had been. Normally, she could sense his presence, no matter how far away he was, thanks to the connection between their souls. His heartbeat could be felt, pounding away next to her own. But now… now it felt as if her soul had been fractured, and a piece of it had been thrown into an incinerator. She felt broken, un-whole, and mutilated. Her body was still in completely intact, but her heart was broken beyond repair. She could not sense Ichigo, and even as she thought of him, it became harder to remember the substitute soul reaper. He was… he was…
Gone, to a place Rukia could neither fathom nor follow. In that moment, where all the world crumbled into nothingness around her, she felt as if she might become a hollow herself. With the horrible, all-encompassing pain in her chest, it would not surprise her if she looked down and saw a gaping hole where her heart had once been. She wanted to scream and rip out her hair, or keel over and die.
A hand upon her shoulder pulled Rukia back from the brink of despair, only to find that the air around her was filled with a chill mist. Her sword was stark white, and emanating a cold so powerful that it made snow clouds gather overhead. She turned to find Yoruichi at her side, and the dark skinned woman was peering at her knowingly with those pierce amber eyes.
"I know it hurts," she was saying, "but you can't give up. The battle isn't over, and if we lose, then Ichigo's sacrifice was for nothing."
Yoruichi gripped her shoulder so tightly that Rukia could not afford to ignore it. The pain coming from her heart was intense, but the pain from Yoruichi's nails biting into her flesh kept her tethered to reality.
"But Ichigo is-"
"He's gone. That's all there is to it. But if you don't reign in your spiritual pressure, you may very well hurt everyone here, including your friends. I know what it feels like to lose someone you love… I wanted to rage at all the world, to tear it into pieces just to bring Kisuke back… but that kind of thinking will only come back to hurt you in the end."
Rukia hadn't noticed, but Yoruichi was right. Her sword was becoming even colder, her fingers had gone numb. If she had not been pulled out of her downward spiral, she would have unknowingly released her bankai amidst her allies, probably taking them by surprise and killing most of them instantly. When Yoruichi pulled her hand from Rukia's shoulder, she noted that the cat-lady's fingers were covered in frostbite, and mottled with black.
"HADO NINETY, KUROHITSUGI!" Someone shouted from nearby.
Karin was pointing a gloved finger at Aizen, tears running down her face as she bared her teeth in a silent snarl. Walls of black spirit energy sprang from the ground around Aizen, who was still, unnervingly, completely at ease. In the moment before he was encased by the massive shifting walls of spell, he watched Karin with interest, until he was obscured almost entirely. Then, a peculiar sound broke through the air, like someone snapping their fingers.
And the massive black walls of reishi were shattered before dissipating entirely.
Aizen raised an eyebrow at Karin, who was shaking with either fear or rage. Her dark eyes were wide with surprise, as if she couldn't believe what she'd done, but it was far too late for denial.
"You must be Ichigo's little sister. You have a strong reiatsu, just like your brother did, but I'm afraid your knowledge of kido is rudimentary at best," he informed her with all the haughtiness of Karin's least favorite teachers. "Hado Ninety is considerably weak before the walls fully manifest. A skilled kido user can dispel it with ease, even if you use a full incantation. And Kido is one of the first things all shinigami learn."
"What did you do with- with my brother?!" Karin asked shrilly as she failed to remember her own brother's name. "Give him back or I'll-"
Aizen tilted his head at Karin, looking at her like she was a lost puppy. The apparent pity in his eyes only served to enrage her further, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from screaming.
"Do not waste your tears," Aizen advised coldly. "Ichigo is gone, and soon, you will not even remember you had a brother."
Karin hadn't even realized she was weeping. She brushed her tears away angrily before a haggard cry escaped her lips. Without thinking, or planning, or even pausing for a moment to consider the odds of survival, she flash stepped at Aizen, appearing right in front of him, her arm cocked back and prepared to strike. She aimed for his nose, thinking that if she broke it, he might not look so damned smug.
Aizen caught the blow in his hand as easily as one might catch a baseball. Karin poured all of her spirit energy into her other hand and swung with all her might, only for Aizen to vanish. Unlike a flash step, he did not leave an afterimage- he had just disappeared. A shadow fell over Karin, and she looked over her shoulder just in time to see Aizen's sword falling upon her. She froze in a panic, unable to move, completely overwhelmed by Aizen's phenomenal spiritual pressure. She wondered how her brother had managed to even be close to the man without suffocating, let alone fighting with him on equal ground.
There was so much Karin didn't know about her brother- so much that she would never be able to ask him about. With each second, she remembered less of him, and soon, he would all but cease to exist for her. It was a bittersweet realization that she might be reunited with him, once Aizen's sword finally met her flesh.
Then, a beam of light pierced through Aizen, who vanished once again. Karin gasped, and was finally able to breathe. Then she realized that someone had pulled her out of harm's way.
"Karin, are you ok?!" It was Isshin, whom had handed Kenpachi off to Tatsuki and Keigo. Karin normally would have told her dad to get away from her, but she was too out of breath, and could only pant heavily.
Her father released her, and put a hand upon her shoulder. On Isshin's other side was Yuzu, who was holding a bow which steamed with lilac colored spirit energy. The arrow she had fired had missed, but it had distracted Aizen long enough for Isshin to pull Karin out of danger.
"Such an irresponsible father," Aizen observed callously. "To send your children into danger before you deign to enter the fray."
"Shut your damn mouth," Isshin countered quietly, looking far angrier than Karin had ever seen him. "If you think I'll let you live after killing my son… YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING!"
Isshin bore his steel, gripping his zanpakuto tightly with both hands. His soul extended outward in a blaze of blue flames as he released the reiatsu he'd built up over a lifetime of living in a gigai. He thought of Masaki, and how angry she would be with Isshin after she learned what had happened. Her only son had been lost, and she would not even be able to see him in the afterlife. The thought sent a shiver down Isshin's back as he took a deep breath and shouted, "Bankai!"
The sleeves of Isshin's shihakusho were stripped away in a whirlwind of power, and his eyes were alight with azure spirit energy as he held his sword aloft and waved it wildly over his head. The blade changed, becoming fluid and clinking merrily as it formed a chain, so long and large that it could have tethered a barge to the shore. And at the end of it, gleaming wickedly in the sunlight, was a jagged triangular blade that stood even taller than Isshin himself. But before Isshin could strike, he was surrounded. It took a moment for him to realize that it was by allies, rather than foes.
At his flank was Rangiku, looking not at all like her usual carefree self. She was stern, almost murderous, as were all the other lieutenants who had formed a perimeter around him.
Shuhei Hisagi stood tall, right in front of Isshin, his fierce sickles extended on either side, ready to taste blood. Izuru Kira stood to Hisagi's left, Wabisuke at the ready. To his right was Renji Abarai. Then there was Genshiro Okikiba, and Omaeda, along with Mashiro, Ikkaku, Akon, and Yumichika. As one, they encircled Isshin, keeping him away from Aizen; guarding him with their bodies, even though they knew it would only take a single strike for Aizen to defeat any one of them.
The only lieutenants not protecting Isshin were Nanao and Kiyone Kotetsu, both of whom had followed after the fallen Captain-Commander, Yachiru, who had mysteriously vanished, and Momo, who had not moved from the original encirclement formation. Her eyes seemed pinned to the ground, as if she were still watching Toshiro fall, over and over again.
"Get out of my way," Isshin gruffly told the vice captains. "I've got a score to settle with this bastard!"
"We all have scores to settle," Shuhei Hisagi countered, "and as you are not a member of the Gotei Thirteen any more, I'm afraid you'll have to wait in line. This is our fight."
Isshin grit his teeth, his jaw muscles clenching and unclenching fursiouly as he fought the urge to bellow, "Listen here, dumbasses, either you all get the hell out of my way, or I'll go through you to kill Aizen!"
"Please calm down, Captain Shiba," muttered Rangiku. "Believe it or not, we're trying to help you. Rushing in blindly will get us nowhere. I assume you're still familiar with the Shinigami's Tactical Handbook?"
The question was so peculiar that it caught Isshin off guard. "Uh… well, not really. I mean, I remember the basics."
"'When facing a particularly powerful opponent, a joint attack will most often succeed,'" Shuhei quoted, recalling the textbooks word for word.
"Going in alone is suicide," Ikkaku scoffed, " and no offense, Captain Shiba, but you're off your game. We'll cover this guy-"
"-while you go in for the kill," Izuru summated.
Omaeda, who was often scolded for his lack of attentiveness, noticed something that the others did not. He scowled for a moment before clearing his throat and saying, "Hey, guys, why isn't Hinamori getting in on this? Why is she just standing there?"
As one, the lieutenants looked to where Omaeda was pointing, only to see that Momo was still frozen in place, her sword hanging limp at her side as she stared down into the forest below.
"Hey, Momo! Get over here!" Rangiku called, waving to the Squad Five lieutenant.
She looked like she had just woken up from a bad dream. Momo stared at her fellow lieutenants with empty eyes before turning to glance Aizen. He did not move a single muscle, but his gaze flicked in her direction, and she was instantly pinned down by it.
"I don't think she will be of any further use to the Thirteen Court Guard Squads," Aizen answered for her. "Perhaps it's time you show them your true colors, Lieutenant Hinamori. Come, stand at your Captain's side. I will see to it that no harm comes to you."
Aizen held out an arm towards her, gesturing for Momo to join him. She shuddered where she stood, torn between fear of being found out, and her fear of Aizen. The wind tugged at the hem of her shihakusho and tussled her hair. Her face was obscured in shadow, her chin wobbled, and then-
"Yes, Lord Aizen," she uttered breathlessly.
Momo flash stepped, and appeared at the side of her master. Aizen placed a hand upon her shoulder, smiling as if they were posing for a photo. Momo, on the other hand, looked anywhere but at the other lieutenants. If she did, she felt as if her resolve might shatter. She did not want to face them, or their judgement.
"So, that's how it is," huffed Isshin indignantly. "The ties between a captain and their lieutenant are those of life and death. Leave it to that bastard to twist those bonds into something sinister."
"Lieutenant Hinamori, what the hell are you thinking?!" Renji bellowed, his face twisted by the pain of betrayal. "After all he's done, how could you still throw in your lot with that traitor?!"
"Well, shouting won't do you any good," Rangiku told him tersely. "Remember, Sosuke Aizen once had all of us fooled into thinking he was a kind man. Even you were under his spell, once upon a time."
Renji balked at that, but decided keep quiet nonetheless. An uncomfortable silence fell for a moment before it was broken by Izuru.
"Deception is his specialty," Kira stated, "and Momo… she truly cared for her captain."
"Not just that, she loved him," Shuhei corrected Kira. "Momo worshipped the ground he walked on. I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that he managed to turn her against us."
Mashiro pouted, scratching at her chin in a thoughtful manner. "Love, huh? I guess it's true: you really can't pick who you fall in love with."
"That isn't love," Isshin shook his head sadly as he thought about Masaki. "I should know, I've felt it first-hand…. Whatever that is, it's not love. That girl is being manipulated. And from the look on her face, she knows it."
"Hiya Ichigo! Long time no see! And look at you, ragged and helpless as ever. It's good to know that some things will never change."
The voice in the dark was familiar, and spoke with a playfulness that was lost upon Ichigo, who had all but forgotten the concept of language and communication. All he knew was emptiness, and soon, even that would be lost.
"I suppose you're so far gone you can't even understand me, can you? And to think you almost had Lord Aizen on the ropes… yet here you are, which means that he finally decided to use his bankai. So, you know the truth about him."
The fragment of Ichigo's soul that had not yet been lost to the surrounding abyss was scooped up, for lack of a better term, by this unknown person. Ichigo remembered he had eyes, though they did not work very well. Upon opening them, he saw a figure shrouded in light that was difficult to see through, and the halo about their head made it all but impossible to see their face. That silky smooth voice was not at all comforting, and sent a chill through Ichigo that made him feel as if he was in very grave danger.
"Ah, it seems you're getting better. From the look on your face, I'd wager you remember me, though not very fondly. Rest assured, I mean you no harm… for the moment. I suppose I'll take you to my master. If anyone can help you now, he can. Rest up, Kurosaki. Your battle is not yet over."
A great chasm scarred the emerald forest below the battlefield: a grim reminder of the incredible power of the Lethal Getsuga. It was enough to shatter the earth, and clear the clouds from the sky. Even as the battle unfolded, it began to fill with water that rose from underground.
But if the power of the Lethal Getsuga was not enough to kill Sosuke Aizen, who was now revealed to be the Soul King himself, then what could? What power could stand against divinity? Who could prove to be a match for the greatest being to ever exist?
Isshin Kurosaki was surrounded by lieutenants, who encircled him and his daughters, Yuzu and Karin. Yuzu was garbed in white, with a mantle, and a bow of spirit energy humming in her hands- both of which had once belonged to her mother. Karin was dressed in the attire of the Kido Corps, her spirit energy thrumming as it begged to be released.
Between the siblings was their father, whose bankai was like a great sword blade upon a chain, which looked so incredibly unwieldy that it was amazing it had any real world application. Isshin's shihakusho was tattered and black, with no sleeves, which put his muscular arms on display for all to see. His right shoulder was adorned with a white mantle that fell to his knees, which had once borne the insignia of the Tenth Division. His spiritual pressure was so great that his daughters had to inch away from him just so that they could draw breath.
"Ah, so you have finally decided to use your bankai, have you?" Aizen asked quizzically, peering at the former captain with newfound interest. "I have to concede that your tenacity is admirable, but you've missed your chance. With the Captains out of the way, you and your associates are no match for me."
His hand tightened upon Momo's shoulder, and she visibly jumped before wetting her dry lips and saying, "Throw down your weapons and join the Soul King. Please… do not resist."
Momo looked so very worn down it was amazing she could still function. Her eyes were sunken, and underscored by darkness from a lack of sleep caused by stress. She shivered and shook, and a bead of nervous perspiration ran from her temple. If her friends didn't know any better, they might have thought she was ill.
"Lieutenant Hinamori, don't listen to this asshole. There's always time to do what is right," Isshin said, loud enough for all to hear.
"I… I am doing what's right," Momo replied shrilly, "I don't want to see anyone else get hurt."
Aizen smirked, "You see? Lieutenant Hinamori only wants an end to the bloodshed- an end to all the suffering. Acknowledge me as your Soul King, and I shall spare everyone here."
"Like you spared Kisuke?!" Yoruichi screamed, her teeth bared in a fierce display, "There's no way I'll ever allow to become the Soul King! Not even if it costs me EVERYTHING!"
Yoruichi began to glow as her spirit energy grew powerful enough to manifest visibly. Gargantuan waves of reishi flowed outward as her body changed, and lightning flashed over her dark flesh. Tessai pushed Ururu and Ginta behind him, shielding then from Yoruichi as he bellowed, "Have you gone mad?! Kisuke is not around to control you! If you activate the Raiju Senkei now, you could end up turning against us!"
The cat-woman's yellow eyes were suffused with whitish-blue power as her entire body flickered and flashed with electricity. She turned to glower at Tessai, and in that moment, he saw the pain and rage that she had been struggling with ever since Kisuke's death. She was prepared to die, even if her body would end up as nothing more than another step towards the throne of the Soul King for Aizen.
"You don't have to worry," she growled, sounding less human with each second, "with this much hatred in my heart, the Shunryu Kokubyo Senki will only strike at one person."
She turned back to face her enemy, who's deep brown eyes pierced her like no one else's ever had. Not even Kisuke, with whom she had been lovers, had ever had such a profound effect upon her. No one had ever made her attack without thinking, or rush in without a backup plan. Giving her life was the least she could do, if it meant putting a stop to this madness. And if she did die, then maybe, just maybe, she would see Kisuke again.
"Shunkō!" Yoruichi proclaimed, falling to all fours as lightning engulfed her limbs, "Raiju Senkei: Shunryū Kokubyō Senki!"
At this, Aizen patted Momo on the head and stepped around her, as if he were protecting her from Yoruichi.
"Come then, you shall be the next noble to pay for the betrayal of your ancestors," he goaded her, his arms out at his sides as he waited for her to make the first move.
Her retaliation came with all the swift devastation of a lightning strike. One second, she was on all fours, hissing and spitting like a cat as lightning crackled about her sharp teeth and flickered across her tongue. In the next second, she was gone, leaving nothing but the sound of thunder rumbling in her wake.
At that same moment, Isshin had vanished from amidst the lieutenants, who realized where he had gone only moments too late.
"I'm not gonna let you kill him before I get my licks in, Yoruichi!" Isshin howled, swinging the hilt of his sword as the great chain whipped the massive blade into a frenzied tornado of steel. He brought the blade crashing down upon Aizen with a roar, and at the same time, Yoruichi appeared at Aizen's back, her lightning claws poised to shred him into pieces.
Almost as if they had planned it, the blade of Isshin's bankai and Yoruichi's claws struck Aizen in the very same moment, resulting in a massive explosion of reishi. White lightning, blue-black, and violet colored spirit energies collided, roiling as the shinigami who commanded them sought to destroy each other.
In the end, however, it was for naught. A spear of dark spirit energy, as black as night, rocketed up into the darkening sky.
In the middle of the chaos was Aizen, his cold, cruel smile still intact, and in his hands was a sword that shook everyone present to their very cores, though they had no clue why.
It was a daito- an obsidian colored longsword with a jagged spine, and a sharp, angular tsuba. He held it aloft rather carelessly as Isshin pushed against it with the blade of his bankai, trying and failing to overcome Aizen's brute strength with his own. Yoruichi, meanwhile, was bound in chains, which ran from the pommel of the sword in Aizen's hand, and bound her tightly so that she could not move.
Lightning arced between the three of them, though Aizen showed no signs of pain. Isshin stared at the black longsword with bloodshot eyes that were beginning to brim over with tears.
"That sword…" he muttered through gritted teeth, "you shouldn't have it… but who does it belong too? And how did you come to get it?!"
The smile that pulled at the corners of Aizen's mouth was as unpleasant as the sinking feeling in Isshin's gut, and the pounding headache that got worse the more he tried to remember who the sword belonged to.
"This sword is called the Tensa Zangetsu, if I'm not mistaken," Aizen explained, "and how I acquired it is irrelevant. All you need to know is this: as the Soul King, I have the latent ability to fully utilize any zanpakuto I desire, including this one. In the hands of its former master, this sword bestowed legendary speed. In my hands, that speed becomes even greater."
It was over before Isshin had a chance to fully comprehend Aizen's words. The sword he was pressing against, and the chains binding Yoruichi both vanished. The two allies collided, and then-
Thud.
Isshin looked down, only to find that both he and Yoruichi had been bound together by black chains, and finally impaled upon the blade of the Tensa Zangetsu. Blood ran in ruby rivulets as Yoruichi and Isshin struggled against their bonds, but was no use. Even as they fought to break free, their strength was failing. Within moments, they would lose consciousness from blood loss, and then… the end of the line.
"I will give credit where it is due," Aizen pulled the blade free of his captives, earning a sharp intake of breath, "I did not think I would be forced to use this blade so quickly. If it is any consolation, you will both be with your loved ones soon."
Isshin's vision was growing dark. From far away, he heard someone calling to him. He turned, looking blearily at the lieutenants, who were guarding the two people Isshin loved more than anything.
"DADDY!" Yuzu screamed, fighting tooth and nail to break free of the shinigami surrounding her, "DADDY, NOOOOO!"
"DAD!" Karin hollered, her voice growing hoarse. "DAAAAD!"
But it was no good. Even as the chains unraveled, he found he no longer had the strength to stay afloat. With a sigh, he fell towards the forest below, going to join the other captains in their final slumber.
Yoruichi fell with him, her powers diminished, the kido lightning fading from her limbs as she looked up at the sky, taking in its astounding beauty one final time.
"Wakey, wakey, Ichigo! If you don't get a move on, all your friends are gonna die! Wouldn't that be an awful way for all this to end?"
Ichigo's eyes snapped open, and he sat up so quickly that the person standing over him didn't have time to move. Their foreheads struck, and Ichigo fell back into his bedsheets, groaning.
"Son of a- gah, that hurt!"
After the pain had let up, and he'd managed to blink the water out of his eyes, he found himself faced with one of his least favorite people in all the world.
"Gin," Ichigo growled, casting aside his blanket and getting to his feet.
The traitorous captain of the Third Division whom had defected with Aizen, Gin Ichimaru, was the one who had woken Ichigo up, and before he could even offer an explanation, Ichigo had him by the collar, pinned against the wall.
"Where are we?! Where is Aizen?! And why the hell did you rescue me?!"
It was obvious now why Ichigo was returned to his body and his senses: Gin was the one whom had saved his soul from the abyss. It was his smooth, serpentine voice that had spoken to him as he lay forgotten in the void.
"We are safe, Aizen is not here, and I saved you because it is my duty to do so," Gin explained, raising his hands in surrender before carefully pulling at Ichigo's fingers, trying to get him to let go. The high schooler released the captain, however reluctantly, took a deep breath, and then let it out. The last thing he remembered, he was fading into nothingness, with nothing but the thought of Rukia holding his soul together.
"If that's really the case, I guess I owe you one," decided Ichigo, who still didn't sound very convinced. "Now as for where we are…"
Glancing around, all Ichigo saw was white. The walls, the ceiling, and the floor were all white. It reflected the light that seemed to come from nowhere, and gave the entire place an ethereal quality. Aside from the bed he'd been sleeping in, the room was completely devoid of decorum or furniture.
"Oh, isn't it obvious?" Gin asked, his unpleasant grin widening as he pierced Ichigo with a single electric blue eye. "We're dead of course!"
Fiery arcs of anger overlapped with icy dread as Ichigo staggered. He was dead? But how? Then he remembered his battle with Aizen. The Lethal Getsuga had failed, and he had fallen victim to Aizen's bankai.
"This place is… well, let's call it the eye of the storm. All around us is darkness, emptiness, formlessness- the limbo into which you were cast adrift by Lord Aizen. This place is at the very center of that darkness, a singular point of light, and order."
Looking around, Ichigo could almost believe he was dead. The strange glowing of the place was one thing, but he could sense the power that lay here. Spirit energy such as he had never felt before besieged his senses, filling his body with warmth, healing his tired soul and restoring it, bit by bit. He still didn't have all of his memories… but he knew who he was, and what he had to do.
"So if we're dead… is this heaven?"
"Not even close, I'm afraid," laughed Gin, "this is simply the focal point for us. Many of the others are here as well."
"Others?"
Gin strode off towards a doorway that Ichigo was sure hadn't been there a moment ago. He turned to give Ichigo a chilling smile from over his shoulder and exclaimed, "Follow me, Kurosaki! My master will explain it in such a way that even you can understand."
Frustration and dislike fought a furious battle in Ichigo's heart as he wondered whether he should follow Gin, or simply kill him. At long last, he shook his head, and followed after the former captain, figuring that he could always just kill the bastard later, if need be.
With Kon in the hospital, it soon became very clear that Ryuken would have to stay behind and tend to him.
Ichigo's physical body was shutting down, and his organs were starting to fail. Even on the machines, and under the care of the most prestigious healing institution in Karakura Town, it was only a matter of time until he died.
Orihime was in shock, and feared that it was an ill omen. Even Uryu looked affected, and he stared at Ichigo's gaunt face with a terrible knot in his gut as he realized that this may be the last time he ever saw him alive.
"It seems I will be unable to help," Ryuken muttered, having forsaken his long, heavy trench coat for a doctor's coat once again. "But that doesn't mean the two of you have to stay here."
"I… I want to try healing him again," offered Orihime.
The girl's eyes were wet with emotion, and she looked absolutely unraveled. She had been doing so well, and now Ichigo, one of the strongest people she knew, was on the verge of death. It made no sense, unless the battle against Aizen had been lost.
"You've burnt through too much of your spirit energy as it is. We need to go to the Soul Society. We'll do more good there than we will here," Uryu suggested.
Ryuken nodded before glancing at his watch. He had been away from the hospital for almost a whole half hour before he'd come right back into it. Such was the curse of his profession.
"My son is right," Ryuken agreed, turning his startlingly blue eyes upon Orihime, "you should go to the Soul Society. Your powers will be needed there."
"But-"
"I will keep Ichigo alive for now." The doctor told her, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, "the two of you need to leave. There's no time to waste."
Her lips parted, trembled for a moment, and then, with a swish of her long orange hair, Orihime turned upon her heel and began to run, Uryu following after her as quickly as he could.
"Ichigo will be alright, Orihime," Uryu panted, hoping against hope that he did not break his promise. "You'll see! He's beaten worse odds before!"
Orihime could not speak, her breathing was labored and her throat was dry. The stich in her side hurt as if someone had shanked her while she wasn't looking. But as the two of them raced headlong for Urahara's shop, wherein lay the only Senkaimon in Karakura Town, she registered Uryu's words, and hoped that he was right.
'Just hold on, Ichigo!' she thought desperately, 'I'm coming to help! This time, I'll be the one to save you!'
Author's Notes:
The longer this final battle drags on, the more I realize how hard it is for me to write Aizen as a character. The guy is so chill and laid back, and I can only reiterate that so many times before it become stale and unreadable. But whatever, I'll do what I can.
Oh, and Ichigo aint gone, not completely. And Gin makes an appearance. Thank you to everyone who has been leaving me reviews. I hope this chapter soothes some of your discontent. Or maybe it will only make it worse. I know that writing Isshin's death scene was kinda hard for me, especially when I saw the scene play out in my head, with Karin and Yuzu calling out to their dad after having lost their brother. And poor Rukia lost her brother, and now she lost Ichigo. Damn, this is rough.
If you've found any plot holes, spelling errors, or anything like that, just know that I honestly don't care. I'm pulling this shit-train into the station, and no one can stop me.
Music!
Beauty in Death-Chase Atlantic (this whole album is pretty lit)
Afterlife-Avenged Sevenfold
Too Many Dead-Josh A & Jake Hill
Its All Fading To Black- XXXTentacion
The Interlude That Never Ends-XXXTentacion
Thanks for reading, that's all I've got for music. See you in the next chapter.