A.N.: To answer your question, Azza, I've basically been making this stuff up as I've been going along since chapter fourteen. With the exception of several plot points, I've been basically winging it this whole time.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Hueco Mundo

The blast was so loud Ichigo thought his eardrums burst. When his senses finally came back to him, he realized that he was still alive. Hearing the sound of a baby wailing, Ichigo opened his eyes and found both him, Halibel and Asahi unharmed. "Huh?" Despite his relief to see his little girl and his lover alive, he turned to see who'd been responsible for this miracle and found Aizen standing over the three.

Aizen looked down at the family with unknowing eyes. His left hand stretched above his head, maintaining the green barrier he used to protect them all from Barragan's blast. "That was close," Aizen admitted. When no second wave of missiles came, he dispersed the barrier and step back. "A second later and even I might have ended up dead."

For a moment Ichigo was confused why Aizen had saved them before he recalled Aizen's insidious scheme for him and Halibel. 'He still needs us.'

Cocking his head, Aizen looked down at Ichigo amusingly. "Why the scowl, Ichigo? I'd have thought you'd be thanking me for saving your precious infant."

Halibel, on the other hand, spared her treacherous master no thought while she reached into the orb to scoop up her daughter. "Asahi! Are you okay?!" She checked her infant for injuries but her daughter was remarkably unharmed. Looking closer she found no other signs that Aizen had done anything to her. In the baby's tiny hand was the Hogyoku. Halibel tried to pry it out of her little girl's hand but Asahi refused to let go, clutching the item with a tenacity that only a baby could have.

Glaring at Aizen, Ichigo looked around and saw Las Noches in ruins. The mighty white fortress had been razed to the ground. The boy's heart clenched as he tried to figure out where all his friends were, praying that they'd survived the attack. All he could see was stone and a myriad of Arrancars who'd been killed in the blast. He heard Barragan cackling in the distance. With the white moon gone, the only light in Las Noches was Barragan's hellish red glow.

"So, you now have your daughter back. What will you do now, Ichigo? Halibel?" asked a curious Aizen. "Where will you go? Do you think there's anywhere in any world that you can hide from the captains? From Barragan?" His eyes narrowed wickedly. "From me?"

Just as the hybrid and Arrancar were about to respond with cold steel and burning spirit energy, the ground started to shake. "What now?!" shouted Ichigo, Halibel clutching Asahi to her chest and trying to soothe her crying.

From the rubble a massive figure began to emerge, having survived Barragan's moon-shattering blast. "WHAT THE HELL?!" roared Yammy, now three times his normal size from his rage. "Who blew up Las Noches?"

The cackling coming from Barragan's empty skull ceased when his empty eye sockets saw that despite his best efforts Ichigo, Aizen and Halibel had all survived. "So, the ants survive. Consider yourselves unfortunate." He pointed his axe at the three. "That means that your suffering will only continue. Hmm?" The lich Hollow finally noticed the angry Yammy, becoming amused as the Arrancar stomped his way through the wreckage of the fortress. "So, another ant eh?"

"You tried to kill me, you son of a bitch!" roared Yammy. Despite having survived the blast, he was not unscathed. The side of his head bled and his right shoulder was injured. "YOU'RE DEAD!" The cube inside his Hollow hole burned red and black when he drew his sword. "Enrage: Ira!"

"Whoa!" gaped Ichigo as he saw the already giant Arrancar grow in size, the Cero Espada achieving Mejorada Resurección. The trio watched as Yammy grew to the size of a mountain, his body a mass of terrifying muscle and power. Gray carapace-like pauldrons covered his shoulders and he had additional armor on his stomach, thighs, knees and on his newly grown tail. From his head sprouted a menacing horn with four more horns sprouting from his back. From his brow, jaw and his horn burned red spirit energy, his body cracked to bursting from Ichigo's volatile power fueling him.

"HOW DARE YOU TRY TO KILL ME, YOU BASTARD!" roared Yammy, his voice loud enough to make Ichigo have to cover his ears, Halibel covering Asahi's. "I'LL KILL YOUUUUUUU!"

"Then try it. If you can…" dared an unimpressed Barragan.

Too angry to think straight, Yammy bit down on his tongue and drew blood. Opening his mouth, Yammy formed a purple Cero crackling with red energy. "DIEEE! GRAN REY CERO!"

The ultimate Cero coming from the strongest Espada would have made almost anyone shake with terror. But Barragan was beyond even Yammy, powerful as he was. With but a swing of his axe, the lich king cut the attack and half, the blasts exploding useless behind him.

"Yammy…you once dared to call me the King of Cowards. I have not forgotten that insult. Now you will pay for your insolence!"

Holding out a hand, the lich Arrancar opened his mouth. The thick black miasma of his Respira seeped out of his opened mouth, forming a small orb in front of him. "Respira Cero."

"Huh?" Yammy blinked at the tiny orb in Barragan's hand. Then the orb exploded, unleashing a wave of black miasma that enveloped Yammy. The angry Espada didn't even have the time to scream before his flesh was stripped from his bones, the armor around him turning to dust. By the time Barragan was finished, Aizen's strongest Espada was nothing but a giant skeleton, bones crumbling into dust as they collapsed onto the rubble of Aizen's great fortress.

"Ahahahahaha!"

Watching Barragan cackle with mad glee, Halibel stared at her former comrade for a long moment, then looked down at little Asahi. Closing her eyes, she reminded herself of who she was, what she was and made a decision. "Ichigo…" she called out, keeping her back to both him and Aizen. "I'm going to go see if Nel and the others are still alive. If Nelliel is able to move, I'll have her take Asahi somewhere safe."

Ichigo knew instantly what Halibel had in mind. His heart clenched with fear but he knew it was no good to try to stop Halibel. She was more stubborn than he was. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'll take care of Barragan. You take care of Aizen. It's time the two of us end this long nightmare." Turning her head, she gave Aizen one last glare, her glowing blue eyes filled with anger. "Farewell, Lord Aizen. Thank you for bringing us together," she said, turning her head back while saying his title with as much contempt as she could muster. "Kill him, Ichigo."

Without another word Halibel disappeared, a burst of Sonido marking her exit. Aizen stared calmly at Ichigo as he started to draw his zanpakuto. "So, are you really going to fight me, Ichigo? Shouldn't you be more concerned about Barragan than me?"

Standing tall, the hybrid pointed his white Tensa Zangetsu at Aizen, the tip aimed at his heart. "Unlike you, I've faith in my friends. If Halibel says she'll take down Barragan then she will. Aren't you more concerned that she's leaving with the Hogyoku?"

Aizen remained unconcerned as always. "I will retrieve it in due time. I'd hoped for a more immediate reaction when I dropped it into the crib but experience has shown me that not all variables fall into place the way I predict." His sword lazily pointed down, Aizen started to move. The two enemies circled each other for a long minute while locking eyes. "It's strange. I have no idea what's about to happen," he admitted with an odd smile."

The statement made Ichigo's eyebrow raise. "That's funny. You talk as if you're all-knowing."

The man in white paused for a brief moment, head tilting up at the lich in the distance. "No, I am not all-knowing. Not yet. I did not predict that Barragan would devour the Cleaner. Not for the first time have things happened outside of my control. Like the night your parents met."

Ichigo gripped his sword tighter. "I've had enough of this. Today is the last day you control my life. Our lives are not yours to toy with!"

"You're quite the slow learner, Ichigo." The rogue raised his sword, his eyes brimming with evil as he prepared to fight. The dark, wicked look in his eyes made Ichigo feel like he was staring at an abyss. And the abyss was staring back. "Your whole life has been in the palm of my hand. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much glare, yell or try to fight, you will always be within my grasp. You came into existence because I willed it. You lived a happy life because I allowed it. And you will end because I demand it."

"Not anymore." Ichigo tensed, his body a honed weapon for combat after everything he'd been through. He knew this man was his final opponent, win or lose. "I will kill you."

"Many have made that claim. And yet, I remain."

"Yeah, but there's one thing that makes me different from everyone else."

"And that is?"

Ichigo's heterochromia eyes teemed with determination. "You forged this weapon. And now it's going to kill you!"

No words remained. All that was left was for the two to step forward and let the killing begin…

Meanwhile…
With Nel

"Urghhh…" groaned Nel as she opened her eyes. All around her was dark and she could taste blood in her mouth. "What…what happened?" She remembered fighting Yammy with the others. Then the dome suddenly turned red before something burst through the canopy and everything began to explode. She reached up and felt something soft. "Huh?"

"M-master Nel…" coughed Dondochaka, holding up a massive slab of stone to keep it from crushing Nel. "A-are you okay?"

Sitting up, Nel saw that she was mostly fine, suffering only minor scrapes. "I'm fine. Where's-" Her question was answered when she saw her other companion standing behind her, keeping another stone slap upright. Then she remembered that before one of the flaming projectiles hit, her two Fraccións had thrown themselves over Nel to protect her. And judging by how injured and battered the pair were, they'd payed the price for their loyalty. "You're hurt!"

Coughing, Pesche ignored the chunk of metal imbedded in his leg the best he could while trying to hold up the slab. "We're…hurghhh! We're alright, Master Nel! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Here, let me move these-"

A rumbling was heard around the three. Both Dondochaka and Pesche felt the large slab start to lighten before it was lifted up over their heads. "Halibel?!" the three gasped, the Arrancar tossing the massive slab of stone away with one hand, her baby safe in her arms.

Nel was shocked to as she witnessed Halibel's new form. It was unlike anything she'd witnessed even after experiencing the Mejorada Resurección. "Halibel? Is that really you?"

"I have been through much, Nelliel. And I've been reborn," Halibel simply explained. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine. What on earth happened? We were fighting Yammy when suddenly everything exploded around us!" Looking around, Nel saw no signs of their friends beneath all the rubble and fire that surrounded them. Then her attention was caught by the glowing red figure in the distance. "Is that…Barragan?! But you said Ichigo trapped him in the Precipice World!"

"So we thought. Barragan devoured the Cleaner and he transformed into that monstrosity. He killed Yammy with barely a gesture."

Dondochaka pointed a finger at the bundle in her arm. "Lady Halibel. Is dat…"

"Yes, this is Asahi," Halibel said with a smile, looking down at her precious bundle of joy.

"Why on earth does it have the Hogyoku?" Nel asked, noticing the orb in the baby's palm.

Halibel's face twisted with anger. 'Aizen," she simply said. "Nel, this is the hardest thing I've ever asked anyone. But I must put my faith in you, just as Ichigo put his faith in me." Swallowing the lump in her throat, she held out her baby to Nel. "Will you take Asahi and take her someplace safe?"

"What?!" Nel looked at the cute baby and then back to Halibel. "Halibel, what are you-"

"It has to be this way. I'm the only one left who can face Barragan. And I can't do that while I'm trying to protect my daughter. I don't want to." Halibel's eyes watered, sadness filling her heart knowing she was going to have to hand her daughter over to someone else just to keep her safe. "But I have to. Take her, find the others and run as far away from here as you can."

Knowing how much this meant to Halibel, Nel reluctantly took the baby and held her gently. "I will protect her with my life. But what about you? How in the world are you going to fight him?"

Looking up, Halibel stared at Barragan before she held out her hand. "I'm going to need something from you."

Meanwhile…
With Barragan

Watching Ichigo begin his clash with Aizen, Barragan tilted his head and gripped his new axe. "How comical. They fight to kill each other, even though death awaits them no matter what the outcome. It has been far too long since I've been entertained by such ants. However…" The glowing red lich Arrancar began to float over to them. "I will not have my vengeance snatched from my grasp. You both die today. And it will be by my hand."

"Wrong."

Standing before the transformed Arrancar was Halibel, putting herself between him and the battling Ichigo and Aizen. "This ends, Barragan."

Anger shook Barragan as he stared at his hated nemesis, the woman who'd defied him for so long. Still, he was impressed by her different form and her increased strength. "So, I see that you too have changed since our last encounter. You have become quite formidable, Halibel."

"I have Ichigo to thank for that."

"And yet it changes nothing. For all your sacrifices, your fate remains absolute: death." Barragan pointed his axe at Halibel. "Sosuke Aizen angers me. But nobody has infuriated me like you, Tier Halibel. Since the beginning you refused to bend knee to me. When we became Aizen's pawns, you still refused to acknowledge my superiority. You even dared turn your sword against me during your pathetic rebellion against us. Now it is time I did what I should have done long ago: rid you of my sight once and for all!"

The endless night of Hueco Mundo was turned into a red Hell as Barragan flared with malevolent red spirit energy. Halibel braced herself, sensing just how volatile and out of control Barragan had become. He had certainly evolved by eating the Cleaner but he hadn't undergone a Segunda Etapa like she had. Whatever Barragan was though, he was unstable but mighty.

"This ends here, Halibel! I will turn you and your pathetic pupil to dust! Then I will hunt down your insipid infant. Her skull will be my goblet from now till the end of time!"

A blast of yellow spirit energy pushed back the red. Shining like the sun, Halibel pointed her glowing energy blade at Barragan. "You will never harm my child again. Nor will you hurt Ichigo or any of my friends. You're right about one thing, Barragan: This ends. With your death!"

No more words for said. The hated enemies would not rest until one of them was dead.

Meanwhile…
With Orihime & Rukia

Amidst the carnage that'd lain waste to the fortress, a small mountain of rubble moved. From the cracks came a golden glow. Soon the rubble was pushed aside as Orihime's shield pushed the rubble away from her and Rukia. "Whew! We're safe…" Rukia breathed as she felt fresh air hit her face. "Nice save, Orihime."

The rag-clad girl looked around worriedly, seeing no signs of their friends after the place suddenly blew up around them. "I don't see Yoruichi. Or Toshiro. Or Ichigo. Or…anyone." Standing up, the teen dusted herself off before she saw in the distance a tattered bucket hat. "Oh no! Kisuke!"

Orihime ran over to the rubble and gasped when she found Kisuke, his legs buried underneath rubble. "Are you okay?"

Opening his eyes, Kisuke coughed. "Well…I don't think I'll be tap-dancing for a while," groaned the injured shopkeeper. "I put up a barrier but it didn't do much good." He could still feel his legs which was a somewhat promising sign. "Where…where's Yoruichi?" He remembered Yammy knocking his Hollowfied friend away before everything started coming down on them. When Orihime started to try and pull him from the rubble, Kisuke put a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Orihime. Don't worry about me. Find Yoruichi. She didn't have anyone to protect her from the blast."

Nodding, Orihime gestured for Rukia to come and pull Kisuke free while she searched for the others. Running amidst small fires and pathways of rubble, she looked around and could only see bodies. "How horrible…" she murmured. The Arrancars might have been their enemies but Halibel and Nel proved that not all of them were inherently evil. "Yoruichi! Toshiro! Uryu! Nel!" she called out. "Where are you?"

"Grrrrr…"

Hearing a weak, desperate growl, Orihime dashed towards the source. She gasped in horror when she found Yoruichi in the distance. Lying on a slab of rubble, the Hollow howled in pain from her dismembered arm and the huge chunk of metal that had pierced her leg, pinning her to the rock. But that wasn't why Orihime was horrified.

Standing over her was Kaname Tosen.

The rogue captain paid no heed to his master fighting Ichigo in the far distance. He had every faith that Aizen would defeat Ichigo. Instead his focus was turned to the former captain-turned-Hollow. "How unfortunate. Someone as graceful and beautiful as you reduced to such a state." Though he'd assisted in his fair share of Hollowfication experiments, even he couldn't help but feel pity for what Yoruichi had become, what Szayelapporo had done to her. "I'll end your suffering, Yoruichi. I owe you that much for getting you exiled."

"Santen Kesshun!"

Tosen's sword collided with Orihime's shield before the captain cut through her head. Sighing, the blind captain turned to face the raggedy Orihime. "Are you going to fight me, girl?"

"Yes." Orihime's eyes showed her determination. Not that Tosen could see it though.

"As you wish." Tosen pointed his sword at the girl, menace shadowing his face in the red light. "I will not show mercy to you like I showed your Quincy friend. You chose this place of death yourself."

"I won't let you hurt my friends!"

Tilting his head, Tosen gave the girl a curious look before gesturing to the bleeding Hollow behind him. "And you still consider that thing your friend? She's nothing but a freak of Szayelapporo's twisted science now."

"We can make her better! Kisuke can help her!" Orihime insisted, "I can help her!"

"Maybe," admitted Tosen. "Aizen predicted that you had the power to reject Phenomena. That was why he was so interested in your powers. But there are some things that not even a god can fix. She is one of them."

"You don't know that!"

"No, Lord Aizen knows that. That's why he didn't bother when she broke out of Szayelapporo's lab. Some things even you cannot fix. And it appears that Lord Aizen is done with all of you. Which means it's time to end this."

"Tsubaki! I Reject!"

Avoiding Orihime's attack, Tosen pointed his sword right at Orihime's face. "Cry: Suzumushi."

Knowing Tosen's Shikai, Orihime closed her eyes and plugged her ears, shutting out the soundwave to avoid getting knocked out like Uryu did. Unfortunately, it gave Tosen the opening he needed to attack. She opened her eyes just enough to see Tosen slashing at her, bringing her shield back up in time.

Still pinned to the rubble, Yoruichi groaned in pain. Yet the pain was enough to help Yoruichi focus her thoughts again and think clearly. "Orihime…" She knew the girl was no match for a former captain. Looking down at her pierced leg, Yoruichi's golden claw pulsed and she swiped the top part of the metal away, agonizing pulling her leg out of the remaining half. Hearing Orihime cry out in fear when her shield broke, Yoruichi knew what she had to do.

With the last of her strength she started to tear off the bolts to her mask with her claw…

Meanwhile…
With Rukia

Rukia was busy trying to pull Kisuke out of the rubble when she sensed Orihime was in trouble. "Oh no!" She was horrified to find her friend engaging Tosen in captain. "Orihime, no!"

"Forget about me," Kisuke told Rukia, pulling himself free. Using his cane to help himself up, Kisuke gestured to the fallen Yoruichi. "I'll go help Orihime. She's no match against a captain on her own. Go find Uryu and Toshiro!" He knew they'd need all the help they could get to fight the remaining enemies.

But no sooner did Kisuke vanish with a burst of Flashstep, Rukia heard an eerily familiar voice behind her. "Well now, long time no see, Rukia."

Rukia's eyes widened and fear gripped her heart. She knew that voice. Turning around, she drew her sword and glared at its owner.

Gin Ichimaru.

"It's been a long time, Rukia. You seem to be in much higher spirits." The Cheshire grin Gin was known to have was all over his face, his narrow eyes staring at her with what Rukia could only describe as untamed malice. "Is it because you're no longer under your brother's thumb? Or is it because of your cute friend?"

"You snake!" Rukia spat, her sword already drawn. Her eyes glared daggers at the foxy rogue. "You're going to pay for what you've done!"

"Oh? Is this about teasing you on the bridge that day?" Gin asked, his smile still stretched across his face. "Holding a grudge isn't healthy, you know."

"I will never forget that day!" She remembered the cruel trick Gin pulled that day before her execution. "And I will never forgive you for what you've done to everyone I cared about, you snake!"

Gin's smirk dropped. His hand slipped down to his sword and he slowly drew it. Rukia tensed as the taller captain loomed over her. "You should smile more. Your girlfriend will get sad if you wear that frown permanently."

"I never trusted you," Rukia spat, finally admitting something she'd kept to herself. "Every time we came across each other, you made my skin crawl."

"Well that's not nice."

"No matter what my brother told me, you were never to be trusted. I was only half surprised when you threw your lot in with Aizen."

"Hmm, you're so mean, Rukia…" Gin teased. "But well…that's not in accurate. I always did liken myself to a snake. So you were wise to remain distrustful of me. Well then…" Gin looked around and saw everyone fighting. "Everyone's getting so serious. Even Captain Aizen has decided to do away with Ichigo. I guess the boy is just about ripe for him."

"Ripe?"

"Yep." The evil smirk returned to Gin's face. "That's been Captain Aizen's plan all along. He's going to use the Hogyoku and gobble up Ichigo and Halibel and take all their powers for himself."

Despite her best efforts, Rukia couldn't hide the horror on her face. "THAT'S Aizen's plan? Everything he's put us through-"

"Has been to acquire the hybrid powers of Ichigo Kurosaki and the ultimate Hollow powers of Tier Halibel. What? You look shocked. Did you think Captain Aizen was going to let them live? Did you think he was going to let any of you live?"

Rukia's grip on her sword was so tight she was at the point of drawing her own blood. "After everything you've put us through…for you to do this…" Her violet eyes were hot with anger. "You're sick! I won't let Aizen hurt Ichigo or Halibel!"

"Unfortunately, you have no say in the matter. Because I'm going to kill you here. I'll be sure to bring your head to your big brother," leered the evil rogue.

"Shoot to Kill: Shinso!"

"Dance: Sode no Shirayuki!"

To be continued