Chapter 11: Dream Warriors (Side 2)

"Don't you dare compare Kurosaki's speed to mine! It would take him a thousand years to master this kind of speed." The Captain of Squad 2 spoke as slowly got up from her crouching position, her sword still dripping with the blood of the Arrancar she had just decapitated not but a few seconds ago. "And by the way, Freddy Krueger," She said as she turned to face the Springwood Slasher standing behind her. "That was what's known as an assassination."

"S-Soifon?" Ichigo asked. "Y-You're alive?"

"Of course I am you idiot!" Soifon snapped. "You didn't actually think this overcooked moron could kill me did you?"

Ichigo didn't respond with anything but a small smile, happy to know that Soifon was alive.

Freddy's dumbstruck expression returned to its usual sneer. "Well, well, well! The prodigal bitch returns!" He turned his attention to Atama's corpse and held out his bladed hand toward it. Both the Arrancar's body and severed head began to glow and dissolve into Reshi which then traveled into Freddy's Zanpakuto-fused hand. Even the blood on Soifon's sword floated into the air like droplets and toward the dream demon. Before long, all evidence that Atama was ever there at all was gone and Freddy's already immense power surged. Both Ichigo and Soifon watched the event conclude in disgust.

"You sick bastard!" Ichigo snapped. "You'd eat your own allies?"

"No sense in letting a perfectly good soul go to waste. It's what he would have wanted. Trust me." Freddy rubbed and patted his stomach as he said this. "But enough about that. Now it's time to address the elephant in the room." He quickly pointed to Soifon. "How the hell are you still alive!? Last time I saw you, we both got crushed by those Arrancar bitches' little pet but I distinctly remember being the only one to come back out of that hole!"

"Dammit!" Soifon grunted as she looked over herself. "I forgot I was still wearing that kimono when I activated my Shunko. "I'll have to give them a replacement once this is all over."

"Hey! Don't fucking ignore me!" Freddy hissed. "Just what the hell are you talking about anyway?"

Soifon finally turned her attention back to Freddy and smirked. "Oh sorry. In all the excitement I allowed myself to get a little sidetracked. Rest assured it will never happen again." Her smirk vanished. "Not as long as you're still alive."

"Cut the theatrics!" Freddy demanded. "What I wanna know is why you're still breathing and more importantly, how did you break out of Akumu No Otome's spell?"

"Hmmm. That's a good question." Soifon tapped her chin with her finger a few times before suddenly pointing it up in a "Eureka!" moment. "In that case, let me ask you something. Does the name Nancy Thompson ring a bell?"

Freddy's eyes grew wide and his mouth opened agape. "Nancy...that bitch..."

"What's going on?" a confused Ichigo asked. "Who's Nancy?"

"One of Freddy's first victims as a dream demon," Soifon answered. "Actually, it'd be more accurate to say that she's one of the first survivors of his attacks. A normal human soul that actually managed to best Freddy and fend him off. At least for a while."

"But how..." Freddy asked.

"Surely you must have known," Soifon replied, her smirk having returned. "This place, the Soul Society, is the afterlife after all. When Alice gave the souls of your original victims her power, they became strong enough to tear out of your body and come here. As we speak, they're all living in the Rukongai, safe and sound."

"Freddy's.. original victims?" Ichigo repeated.

"I see..." Freddy grumbled. "So that bitch Nancy is still making problems for me eh? Guess I'll have to find her and the rest of all those little piggies once I'm done with you assholes." He chuckled as he licked his lips. "Gotta put them back where they belong!"

"You will not get the chance to even come near Beautiful Dream." Soifon declared as she pointed her blade toward Freddy. "Nancy taught me about dream skills. The inner power that the Dream Warriors used to fight you off in the past."

Freddy chortled. "So what? In case you haven't been paying attention bitch, I killed every single one of those motherfuckers! Those dream skills only succeeded in buying them a few seconds at most! You might as well be trying to fight me with the power of friendship or some stupid shit like that! Hahahahaha!"

"You're forgetting something else as well, Krueger!" Soifon shouted. "They were still normal humans in the end and teenagers at that!"

"Hey!" Ichigo grunted.

"But I am a Captain of the Gotei 13 and I will succeed where they failed. But first, I'm going to need my power back." Soifon held her sword with both hands and shouted. "Sting All Enemies to Death, Suzumebachi!"

This display caused Freddy to explode into a fit of laughter. "You have got to be fucking joking! Newsflash bitch! Akumu No Otome ate your sword's fucking soul! Call it out as many times as you fucking like but it's...it's...I don't feel so good." Freddy clasped both hands on his stomach and began to lurch forward. As Ichigo watched in confusion, Freddy began to hack as if he needed to vomit. "What the fuck's going on!?" Freddy managed to scream out before whatever was causing this forced him to hack again. A yellow light began to glow from Freddy's open mouth and before long, it shot out from his jaws and into Soifon's sword. It passed by too quickly for Ichigo to make out its shape but somehow, he could still tell what it was.

A wasp.

"Glad to have you back, Suzumebachi" Soifon greeted the light warmly as it continued to glow within her sword.

"I've been waiting for you." Suzumebachi's voice spoke within Soifon's mind. "We all were."

"Who's we?" Soifon quickly shook that thought out of her head. "Nevermind. They'll be time for that later. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!" The voice fell silent and the light from Soifon's sword suddenly engulfed her, blinding both Ichigo and Freddy.

"Gah! What the fuck?" Freddy shielded his eyes with his sleeve.

Ichigo found himself doing the same. "What's going on? What is this power?"

The light, almost as quickly as it came, vanished, leaving Soifon surrounded by a thin veil of dust. As the dust settled, both Ichigo and Freddy bore witness to her new form.

Soifon's clothes had been replaced by a black, backless leotard, black boots upon her feet, and a single fingerless glove on her left hand. In place of her hair rings, two dream catchers danced freely in the wind and her eyes glowed a beautiful tint of yellow. The most striking change to Soifon's appearance, however, was her right arm. A tattoo of a serpentine dragon moved across the skin of her arm toward the black and yellow glove that now rested on her hand, five blades like Suzumebachi's stinger clasped over her fingers. As the last of the dust settled, Soifon brought her new glove to her face and flexed the blades. "Yumekai! Suzumebachi Black Diamond Mode!"

Ichigo couldn't believe his eyes. Soifon's transformation wasn't like anything he had seen before and ever since he met Rukia Kuchiki on that faithful day, he had seen a lot. There was a strange energy emitting from Soifon as well, something Ichigo did not recognize but yet felt familiar with. "What is this sensation?" Ichigo thought. "I've felt it before. I know I have!" Ichigo tried to remember where he had felt this power before. "Was it during my Bankai training? No! I think I felt just the other day...in...in my dreams!"

The realization hit Ichigo like a ton of bricks. "Is that it? Did Soifon..somehow pull this power out of her dreams?"

Freddy was also studying Soifon's new look although he wasn't too impressed with her Zanpakuto's new form. "I guess it's true what they say. There really are no more original ideas. His gaze shifted down to her now almost naked legs and he cracked a smile. "But at least it's still got some practicality." He put his hands to his mouth and shouted. "Nice outfit bitch but how's the new look supposed to beat my Bankai!" He raised up his bladed hand and laughed manically.

"Oh shit!" Ichigo grunted. "That's right!" In all the confusion, he had forgotten about Freddy's own power-up. "Be careful Soifon! His Bankai! It's-"

"Silence Ichigo!" Soifon commanded. "I know. It's these flames isn't it?" She motioned to the black and red flames dancing all around them. "I noticed them when I first arrived on this hill. Kisuke, Shunsui, the Arrancar." She looked over to where her lieutenant lay, shivering in fright from whatever he was dreaming about. "Even that dumbass Omaeda got himself hit by it."

"Everyone's been hit by it!" Ichigo shouted. "It's spreading across the Seireitei as we speak!"

"I see." Soifon casually walked toward the flame in front of her and held out her gloved hand. "I guess we'll just have to take care of that first." She spread out her hand and pushed all five blades into the flame at once.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Ichigo screamed. "You'll fall under his spell!"

"Hahahaha! Good call Soy Sauce!" Freddy taunted. "Go ahead and give up now! There's no way in hell your puny little dream skill can ever defeat my Bankai! Bahahahaha!"

And then it happened, the flame that Soifon touched suddenly shot up into the air like a rocket. Once it was several feet above the hill, it took on a spiral shape and begin to swirl. Little by little, the other flames born from Freddy's Bankai began to fly up toward the shape, merging with it once they made contact.

"What the fuck?" Freddy shouted. "The hell's going on?"

Ichigo turned his attention to the Seireitei and watched with relief as the flames that raged through it were also lifted into the sky. In time, all of the flames released by Akumu No Megami Osorubeki Hofuku were swirling in the sky, darkening as they formed the shape of the Homonka. And then, they were gone.

Freddy was absolutely speechless. He even found himself stepping back due to the sheer shock of what had just happened.

Ichigo, on the other hand, felt nothing but relief from seeing the flames gone. It somewhat wavered when he looked back to his friends and allies only to see they were still asleep but returned once he saw that they were no longer shivering or crying.

"It'll be a while before they wake up." Soifon's voice caught Ichigo's attention again. "In the meantime, I'll deal with Krueger."

"Let me help you!" Ichigo held out his sword. "Together, I know we can defeat him!"

"No!" Soifon shouted. "I already told you that I and I alone will be the one to destroy Freddy!"

"Are you still one about that?" Ichigo challenged.

"I'm the only one here with the power to destroy him for good! You'd just be getting in the way!" Soifon explained as she turned her gaze back to Freddy. "Besides, you're needed elsewhere."

Ichigo's anger was once again replaced by confusion. "Elsewhere? What are you talking about?"

"Surely you must feel it now that the flames are gone." Soifon, without taking her eyes off Freddy, pointed toward the white forest on the side of the hill.

Ichigo turned in that direction and focused, searching for any spiritual pressure. It didn't take him long to find a faint trace of it. "Rukia!"

"I felt her when I arrived on this hill." Soifon continued. She's still alive but her spiritual pressure is getting weaker by the minute. Given the process of elimination, I'd guess she's fighting the last of Freddy's fraccion, is she not?"

Ichigo nodded.

"Go help her out. Destroy that final fraccion and then I suppose you can come back here to help me." Soifon turned to Ichigo and smiled. "Although by then, I'm certain I will have already completed my mission."

Ichigo returned a smile of his own. "Right. I'll leave it in your hands then." The orange-haired Shinigami turned to leave only to be stopped by Soifon shouting after him.

"Kurosaki!"

"Y-Yeah!"

Soifon hesitated at first, her gaze lower to the ground as she turned away from Ichigo once again. "I'm...I'm sorry." She finally apologized. "For what I said after the funeral."

Ichigo couldn't believe his ears. Was Soifon really apologizing? Soifon of all people? Smiling, he shook his head and said, "You really should be telling Orihime that." He scratched the back of his head. "In any case, I'm sorry too. You've known Yoruichi for a lot longer than I have anyway."

"Go to Rukia." Soifon repeated. "Go to her and do what you do best."

"Right!" And with that, Ichigo flash-stepped out of the scene.

"Are you lovebirds done with your little pep talk?" Freddy asked, having long since regained his composure and with it silent anger.

"Lovebirds?" Soifon questioned. "Oh please. It would take someone of Lady Yoruichi's caliber for me to even consider dating. Besides," Soifon struck a fighting pose, her gloved hand spread out and ready to strike. "I've always been more focused on my work!"

"Your work huh?" Freddy suddenly went up in red and black flames. "Don't get cocky just because you managed to dispel my Bankai once. I'm at the height of my power and all the dream skills in the world wouldn't be able to help you out now!"

Soifon looked up in the sky, taking note of the giant black labyrinth floating above her and Freddy, endlessly taking impossible shapes. "What is that thing?" She asked nonchalantly. "Looking at it is making my head hurt.

"Like it?" Freddy grinned. "I trapped one of your little friends inside that baby. I think his name was Zebraki or something."

"Zaraki." Soifon corrected. "He's in there?"

"Yep and there's no getting him out!" Freddy burst into a fit of evil laughter, failing to notice the surge of energy flowing from Soifon's exposed back. Two wing-shaped waves of energy suddenly spread out from Soifon's back and propelled her to the sky. The force from the takeoff was enough to knock Freddy to the ground. Confused, Freddy watched as Soifon flew toward the labyrinth, her gloved hand outstretched toward it. "Suzumebachi Black Diamond Mode Activate!" She cried as all five blades on her glove embedded themselves into the walls of the labyrinth, earning another bout of laughter from Freddy.

"Nice try bitch!" He mocked. "But not even your fucking missile launcher would be able to brea-

Much like the flames before it, the labyrinth was absorbed into a giant Homonka mark and vanished from sight.

-k it." Freddy finished in a monotone voice as he watched Zaraki fall toward him. His confusion gave way to total terror when he realized that one, Zaraki was still conscience despite being trapped in an airless void for several minutes and two, he was staring at him as he fell and laughing manically.

"I don't know what the hell that stupid thing was that you trapped me in but now that I'm free, we can finish our fight!"

"No way! Down boy!" Freddy willed the flames pouring from his body to shoot out to Zaraki, engulfing him and trapping him in a waking nightmare. What could a man like Zaraki possibly have nightmares about? Not even Freddy could know for sure as he watched the Squad 11 Captain hit the ground hard enough to produce a crater. Once the dust settled, Zaraki's feet were the only part of him that was out of the ground. Freddy stifled a laugh from the sheer sight of it as he wanted to focus on the battle and started searching all around for Soifon. "Where did that little bitch go?" He asked himself.

"Now do you see?" Soifon's voice asked from behind Freddy, her breath close enough to tickle the inside of his ear. Startled, the dream demon jumped back and turned to face the raven-haired Shinigami who now stood only but a foot away from him. She slowly brought her bladed glove to her face and examined it in the same Freddy would always look over Akumu No Otome. "This glove was born from the combined power of the dream skill I extracted from my subconscious and my Zanpakuto's natural power. If I cut or scratch something with all five blades at the same time, regardless of whether it's solid, liquid, gas, or even Kido, it will cease to be. That is the power of Suzumebachi Black Diamond Mode."

Freddy did not respond for he was still trying to understand how Soifon had managed to sneak up on him the way she had.

"The time for games is over, Krueger." Soifon declared as her Reiatsu began to surge once again. "It's time to end this nightmare once and for all!"

"Huh?" Harekuin ceased her attack on Rukia and looked around the forest. The red and black flames that had surrounded the both of them were gone, leaving not but a single trace of themselves. "That's funny. Why did Mistah K stop his attack." The twin-tailed Arrancar grinned. "Maybe he sensed my strength increase and decided I didn't need his help!" She began to giggle maniacally. "I won't let you down Mistah K!"

At the Arrancar's feet, Rukia lay in a puddle of her own blood. She had been cut pretty badly, with lacerations all over her arms and legs. Her robes had been reduced to almost tatters with her stomach and the huge gash on it exposed. Now that the flames were gone, Rukia was out of the waking nightmare that Freddy's Bankai had trapped her in but alas, she was in such pain from her torture at the hands of Harekuin that she had yet to realize it.

"I deserve this." She thought. "All the people I've let down. All the people I've let die. All the lives I've tainted with my presence. This pain. This fear. It is my penitence and I will accept it without complaint." Rukia's self-deprecating thoughts were interrupted by the sharp ends of Harekuin's twin tails slicing through her stomach, creating two new cuts. Her screams of pain were drowned out by Harekuin's insane laughter.

"The only question left is what to do with you." Harekuin cooed. "I should make sure your death is nice and slow after all the trouble you've caused." The Arrancar thought for a moment. "Maybe we can start by stripping away what's left of your uniform? I'd love to see that cute petite little body of yours covered in cuts and slashes!" Harekuin broke into yet more insane laughter. "Or maybe I can tie you to one of these trees, cut you up and remove your organs one by one! Hahahah! Oh the possibilities are endless!" Harekuin lifted up Majo and prepared to bring her down on Rukia. "I don't like the look of your eyes though. Let's get rid of them shall we?"

The twin-tailed Arrancar brought down Majo as fast and as hard as she could, only to hit something metal instead of flesh. "What the?" To her surprise, the Shinigami her master referred to as Carrot Top was crouching beneath her scythe, blocking it with his own sword. The scythe's true target, Rukia, lay in his free arm, her blood soaking into his robes.

"You! What are you doing here!" Harekuin hissed. Instead of answering her, Ichigo pressed her scythe away and jumped back with Rukia in tow. "Hey! That's my plaything!"

Ichigo ignored the Arrancar and spoke to Rukia. "Speak to me Rukia! Are you alright!?"

The Squad 13 lieutenant turned her nearly faded gaze to her friend. "I-Ichigo?"

"That's right! I'm here! Stay with me!" Ichigo pleaded.

"I see...you wish to berate me as well..."

"Huh?" Ichigo's fear was suddenly replaced with confusion.

"First Renji, Nii-Sama, Captain Ukitake, Kaien and now you." She breathed. "And I already know what you're going to say. I'm sorry for dragging you into this whole mess in the first place. I'm sorry for placing the burden of a Shinigami on you. I know you will not be satisfied with this but please know that I do regret my sins. I-

*S L A P*

The sudden stinging pain on her left cheek brought Rukia fully into the Waking World, visions of those close to her jeering over her past mistakes replaced by a stern-looking Ichigo with his hand over himself. "What the hell are you talking about you dumbass!? Wake up already!"

Rukia brought her hand to her cheek, wincing at the pain she felt from the slap and never taking her eyes from Ichigo's in the meantime. "Ichigo..." Her face suddenly twisted into a snarl of anger. "You imbecile!" She balled up her hand into a fist and slammed it into Ichigo's face, sending the Substitute Shinigami tumbling backwards. He stopped a few feet away from her and quickly jumped back up, rubbing his nearly-broken nose.

"What the hell was that for?" He screamed

"How dare you slap a member of the Kuchiki household!" Rukia snapped. "Don't you have any respect for royalty!?"

"Oh shut up!" Ichigo snapped back. "You never bring that up anyway so why start now!? Besides, you're the one who was going all on about sins and the past. What the hell even was that crap about!?"

"How should I know!?" Rukia retorted. "I didn't exactly ask to be confronted with those horrible visions you know!"

"Ummmm..Is this really happening?" Harekuin asked out loud. "Are you really gonna argue with your boyfriend in the middle of our fight?"

Both Ichigo and Rukia's faces, already red from the rage they were feeling suddenly became scarlet. "WE'RE NOT A COUPLE! DON'T BUTT IN!" They both screamed at the Arrancar.

"Eeep!" Harekuin squeaked, genuinely shocked by their outburst. Once they were sure she would not butt in again, the pair continued their spat.

"Well neither did I or anybody for that matter!" Ichigo shouted. "It was that bastard Freddy's fault! Him and those stupid flames of his!"

"His flames?" Rukia's anger ebbed away a little. "As in the ones that were here not too long ago."

"Exactly."

"I...see...How did you take care of them? The flames I mean?"

"I didn't. Soifon did."

"Captain Soifon?" Rukia gasped. "She's alive!?"

Ichigo nodded. "Alive and fighting Freddy as we speak." Ichigo turned away from Rukia to face Harekuin, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. "I'll explain later. Right now, we need to finish her off."

"R-Right!" Rukia turned her attention to Harekuin as well.

"And one more thing Rukia," Ichigo continued. "About what you were saying in your sleep.."

A line of crimson appeared on Rukia's face. Now that she had a full grasp of what had been going on for the past several minutes, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that she had unloaded onto Ichigo like that. "Ichigo please. I don't-

"On that day, when you lent me your Shinigami powers, you changed my life." Ichigo pressed on. "And you gave me the strength to protect those closest to me." He turned to Rukia and smiled. "So don't even think of apologizing for that day because I sure as hell won't accept it."

"Ichigo," Rukia smiled back. This tender moment between the two was ruined by Harekuin's loud kissing noises.

"Awww! Did the little lovebirds finally make up?" She asked in a cutesy voice. "Good! Now all that's left is to decide which one of you gets to watch the other die!"

"Bring it!" Both Ichigo and Rukia shouted as they brandished their blades and charged toward the Arrancar. She stayed in place, smirking as she swung her scythe around and shouted. "Majo Bakudo!" At once, a pink diamond shape surrounded her just as the Shinigami swung their blades down. They were forced back by the impact and landed on their feet, watching in annoyance as Harekuin laughed from inside the unscratched Kido shell. "Too bad!" She cackled. "It looks like you won't be able to hit me with your dammned swords."

"Did...Did she just perform Bakudo?" Ichigo asked.

"Her control of Reiryoku has grown exponentially," Rukia explained. "I'm afraid we'll have a hell of a time defeating her."

"Awww! What's wrong?" Harekuin teased. "Upset that I copied your Kido technique?" She swung her scythe in the opposite direction. "Then you'll really hate this! Majo Hado!" The Kido shell around Harekuin suddenly broke down and formed into a giant sphere of energy that hovered at the tip of her scythe's blade. With a grunt of effort, she swung her blade toward the two Shinigami, launching the giant ball of energy in the process.

"Dodge!" Rukia shouted as both she and Ichigo jumped out of the sphere's path. This did them little good for as soon as it was between them, the sphere suddenly exploded, sending the two Shinigami flying in opposite directions. Harekuin laughed at the sight."

"This is great!" She cheered. "Thanks to Majo's abilities, I can perform Kido just like a Shinigami! Wait till Mistah K sees this!" She giggled and danced around again, elated at the evolution of her powers. "And when I show him the heads of these two jackasses on sticks, he'll be all the more thrilled!" She continued to laugh and spin around madly.

"Getting a little ahead of ourselves aren't we?" Harekuin's laughter was stopped by a familiar voice speaking to her through the dust brought up by the blast. Before she could reply, another voice followed.

"Your master is going to have to wait a while longer before he sees our heads on sticks." As the dust began to settle, Harekuin noticed two shapes standing side by side with each other. To her shock, it was Ichigo and Rukia, bloodied and battered but alive and standing. The expressions on their faces did not display fear nor even anger but rather a quiet determination. "After all, you still have to kill us first."

As the flames were sucked up into the sky to eventually vanish, the Shinigami were freed from their nightmares and were quickly able to turn the tides of war to their favor once again. This was helped by the fact that the Arrancar, praising Freddy for his divine help just moments before, were now dumbstruck and confused as to where their master's help went.

"What's going on?" Rema asked. "What is happening to our God's flame?"" Rema watched as the flames around him swirled toward the sky, formed a strange butterfly shape and disappeared completely. The Shinigami he was fighting before began to stir, covered in blood with his clothing reduced to little more than a wrap around his waist. Annoyed and confused, Rema stomped his foot down on his foe's bald head, earning a pained grunt from him in the process. "Who said you could get up, you little pest!?" Rema shouted. "You think just because the flames are gone you stand a chance? Let's not forget who was kicking whose ass before they appeared in the first place!"

"This...situation." Ikkaku thought. "Where have...I seen it before...where?" And then it hit him. He found himself thinking back to the first time he had fought the man known as Zaraki. How hard he had tried to take him down, only to never so much as leave a scratch on him. How Zaraki had finally decided to end the fight in one fell swoop and the shame that Ikkaku had experienced afterward, demanding that Zaraki kill him. How Zaraki had grabbed a hold of him and asked him why he wanted death if he loved combat so much and afterward, the philosophy that he gave him that day. The one he had carried for the rest of his life.

Only admit defeat after death and if you survive, consider yourself lucky and only think about the man who failed to kill you!"

"That's...right..."Ikkaku thought as he once again struggled to get back up. "That's what Captain Zaraki had told me long ago, even before any of us were Shinigami. How...How could I let myself forget that?"

"Hmmm?" Rema noticed the Shinigami struggle underneath his foot and pressed her downward. "What did I just say? Do you really think you could win now? With how many times I've cut you?"

"When that bastard Freddy killed Yumichika, I let myself lose sight of that lesson. I let myself become afraid of Freddy. Afraid of death." Ikkaku noticed an energy surge from his Zanpakuto and once he was high off enough the ground, he gripped its hilt. "Is that why you refused my call, Hozukimaru? Because I lost sight of the reason I fight in the first place?" Ikkaku struggled again, this time managing to pick himself up completely, throwing Rema off balance as he sat upright. The Arrancar wavered a little before regaining his footing and watched as Ikkaku removed his sword from its sheath.

"I let the fear of Yumichika's death blind me to the truth. To the reason I fight!" Ikkaku shouted as he stared into Rema's eyes. "Sorry Arrancar, but I have a certain rule when it comes to winning or losing. I'll only admit defeat when I die and should I happen to be taken down by an opponent who fails to kill me? Well, I guess they're just pretty unlucky!" And with this, Ikkaku slammed the hilt of his sword into its sheath and cried out "Grow, Hozukimaru!" At once, the sword changed into a wax wood spear which Ikkaku spun around for a few seconds before launching himself at Rema.

The surprised Arrancar used his pen-like Zanpakuto to create another whirlwind which he then launched at Ikkaku. "Damn you Shinigami! You will not win this fight!" She shouted as the winds he created ripped through Ikkaku. Rema smiled as he watched the wind snap Ikkaku's spear in half, only to instantly lose it once he saw Ikkaku's own toothy grin. While at the mercy of the wind, Ikkaku slammed the broken pieces of his Zanpakuto together and shouted' "Bankai! Ryumon Hozukimaru!" Once again, the blade changed shape, this time becoming a gigantic pair of blades connected to each other by a third blade on Ikkaku's back. The image of a dragon was carved into this blade, the tip of its tail already glowing an eerie red that slowly but surely spread throughout the body.

"What...What is this?" Rema asked as Ikkaku fell to the ground, his sneer filling the Arrancar's heart with dread. "I...I thought only Captain-Class Shinigami could use Bankai!"

"Oh?" Ikkaku asked. "And who told you that only the Captains are Captain-Class?"

Rema's felt his heart freeze in horror.

"Although to tell you the truth, I really dreaded the day I would have to use this power where my fellow Shinigami could see it."

"W-Why?"

"Because then I'd be pressured to become the Captain of another Squad and truth be told, I prefer working under Zaraki Kenpachi." A strange hum sounded from the massive blade behind Ikkaku and both and Rema noticed that the dragon on it was now completely red, causing Ikkaku's sneer to grow even larger. "Well what do you know, that last attack you made filled Hozukimaru up in one go. You managed to wake my Zanpakuto right up."

Rema felt himself shaking, the pen-like Zanpakuto threatening to slip out of his trembling hand. "W-What does that mean?"

"Why don't you take it on and see for yourself!" Ikkaku shouted as he exerted his power and rushed toward Rema. The battle was over in a second for the General of Freddy's army. The two blades Ikkaku held in his hands sliced through him like butter. By this time, the other Arrancar, having finally overcome their confusion regarding the whereabouts of Freddy's flames, were rushing to back Rema up. They too would fall victim to Ikkaku's frenzy and what few Shinigami that were also in the area and still conscious enough to understand what was in front of them would say that Ikkaku had become a tornado of blades, cutting and slicing through the enemy while laughing manically.

Each and every one of them would insist that he sounded just like Zaraki Kenpachi.

"Catch me if you can!" Harekuin teased as she danced out of the path of Ichigo's swings. At some point, she jumped right onto the flat side of the blade and twirled around near Ichigo's face, cutting his cheek with the blades making up the hem of her tutu. She jumped off right as he swung the blade upwards and brought it back down for Getsuga Tensho. The attack followed Harekuin into the air, only to be blocked by her Majo Bakudo. After this, she changed it into Majo Hado and sent the energy back down at Ichigo who narrowly escaped the blast radius.

"Dammit!" He thought. "Her ability to control Reiryoku is no joke." Before Ichigo could finish his thoughts, Harekuin suddenly appeared behind him and slashed his back with her scythe.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted as she ripped her sword from the ground. "Tsugi No Mai, Hakuren!" Rukia sent the resulting blast of cold toward Harekuin who quickly fled from its path. Ichigo also jumped away from the cold, droplets of his blood falling into the path and freezing into red particles of ice. Harekuin reappeared on the other side of the blast and Ichigo and Rukia flash-stepped back to each other's side. "Are you alright Ichigo?" Rukia asked.

"I'm fine." Ichigo winced. "Still this situation's getting pretty harder by the second."

"I know what you mean." Rukia agreed. "Not only can she use her own form of Kido but she's also using her power to increase her speed and strength and she's only getting stronger by the minute."

Harekuin was too far away to hear exactly what the two Shinigami were saying but was able to correctly guess it anyway. "Is it finally starting to sink in?" She asked. "How doomed you are? How my abilities are just so much stronger than yours? I can control freaking Reiryoku for fuck's sake! How can you even begin to make a plan against that? The simple answer is you can't. You try and you try but I just keep dodging your attacks if I don't just block them first. You try to escape me but my enhanced speed is just far too much for you." The ice in front of Harekuin began to dissipate and she slowly approached the Shinigami pair, dragging Majo's blade into the ground as she did so.

"I mean, look at you two! I've already lost track of how many times I've cut you! What was it, 16 times? 20 times? 80 times!? You guys are covered in so much blood that you look like a pair of giant tomatoes!" Harekuin paused her verbal onslaught to laugh at her own joke. "You really are at death's door as it is so why don't you just give up already?" At this point, Harekuin was only a few feet away from the wounded Shinigami and tore her scythe out of the ground. She was expecting their faces to be twisted with sadness and fear over their predicament but to her shock, the only expression on either of their faces was that of annoyance.

"Are you done yet?" Rukia asked sharply.

"Yeah. You almost put us to sleep with that stupid speech of yours." As if to emphasize this, Ichigo yawned into his hand, causing Rukia to giggle.

"W-What the hell is wrong with you guys!?" Harekuin shouted. "Don't either of you realize the mess you're in right now? I have the power to control Reiryoku! As in the very power you Shinigami depend on for...well for anything! Aren't you the least bit concerned?"

"Why would we be?" Rukia asked. "Sure, you can control Reiryoku and in the hands of someone with the proper skill to use it, it could very well be a terrifying unstoppable power."

"What do you mean someone with the proper skill?" Harekuin hissed.

"But even if that were the case," Ichigo spoke up. "It still wouldn't be enough to make us waver. The fact is, our resolve has been through the wringer quite a few times already. And each time, we've managed to come out even stronger than before." Once again, Ichigo recalled his experience with Xcution as well as the pep talk Rukia had given him afterward. He glanced toward the raven-haired Shinigami and from the look in her eyes, he knew she felt the same. Neither of them would surrender to fear or despair ever again, not as long as they were alive and able to fight.

"J-Just what are you getting at?" Harekuin asked. She was starting to become unnerved by how calm and collected her opponents were despite their disadvantage.

"It doesn't matter if our enemy has the power to control Reiryoku." Ichigo continued as he turned to Rukia and held Zangetsu up. "And it doesn't matter if they have the ability to control dreams."

Rukia smiled and held up Sode no Shirayuki in kind. "It doesn't even matter if our enemy had the power of God on their side. As long as we are still alive and standing, as long as we can continue fighting.."

"We won't ever give up!" Both Shinigami shouted in unison as they hit the tips of their Zanpakuto together. Suddenly, a white wave of energy formed around the sword tips, confusing Ichigo, Ruki and Harekuin.

"W-What the hell is that?" Harekuin asked, stepping back in fear.

Her question remained unanswered as both Ichigo and Rukia were just as confused as she was. As they watched, the white energy began to swirl aggressively around the blade tips, going faster and faster as it did so.

"This energy...it feels strong...like my Getsuga Tensho" Ichigo whispered.

"And this cold...it's like my Hakuren." Rukia replied. With a strange feeling in their bodies akin to instinct, the two Shinigami pointed the swirling mass toward Harekuin.

"Oh I see!" She growled. "This is some sort of new attack, is it? Majo Bakudo!" She formed yet another pink diamond-shaped shell around her body. "It doesn't matter how strong it is, it won't get past my ultimate defense! And once you two clowns are spent from your final futile attack, I'll finish you off here and now!"

As Harekuin concentrated on reinforcing her shield, Ichigo and Rukia slowly held back their blades before unleashing their joint attack.

"Getsuga Hakuren!" They both shouted in unison. The icy swirl of energy suddenly charged from the blades toward Harekuin, who simply laughed in response.

"Who do you think you're dealing with!?" She taunted. "I am Harekuin Craven! The strongest Arrancar in Mistah K's army!" I won't be defeated by such a pitiful-

The icy wall broke through Harekuin's Bakudo and straight through her. The wall continued to form a little ways behind the halved Arrancar before ceasing its movement. The resulting sheet of ice remained in place for about ten seconds, giving the now separated halves of Harekuin's body time to slide down their sides.

"What...just...happened...was Harekuin's final thought as the blood from her halves began to freeze from contact with the ice. This frost encompassed the halves of her body as well and before long, the entire thing broke apart, Arrancar and all. With its master no longer of this world, Majo broke apart as well, its blades managing to stab into the ground one final time before denigrating completely.

Ichigo and Rukia pulled their weapons away from each other and watched the event unfold with bewilderment. "What...was that?" Ichigo asked.

"I think...we just discovered a new Zanpakuto technique." She answered.

"I see."

Suddenly, the last of the ice began to glow dark pink, the same color as Harekuin's Reiryoku. The energy formed into a swirl of its own before flying off toward the top of Sokyoku Hill. At once both Ichigo and Rukia realized where it was going. Or rather, to who it was going.

"Freddy!" They both uttered.

"Huh?" Freddy felt a slight change in the spiritual pressure around Sokyoku Hill. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was the vanishing of his fraccion's life force and another few to get back on his feet. The dream demon was worse for wear, his left arm having been torn off and his stomach kicked open. To make matters even worse, despite his incredible power, he had yet to land a single scratch on Soifon. The leotard-clad Shinigami used her new wing-shaped energy to fly in circles around Freddy as well as acting as her shield against the black and red flames surrounding him. He still had yet to figure out how to defeat her dream skill but after sensing Harekuin's energy, it felt like it didn't matter anymore

"Hey!" Soifon was quick to notice the dream demon's grin and dropped down in front of him. "What's with the smirk?"

"It would seem your little friends actually managed to pull off the impossible and defeat Harekuin." Freddy explained, although this only served to confuse the Captain of the Stealth Force even more.

"And you're happy about that?" She asked. "Wasn't she your last fraccion?"

"Foolish girl! Did you already forget what I do with my fraccion after they kick the bucket?" Freddy regenerated his left arm and held it out toward the white forest. Soon, a wave of dark pink energy rushed toward his arm and into his being. He groaned with pleasure as the energy melded with his own, adding to it and making him even stronger. The wound on his stomach healed and as Soifon watched, Freddy began to grow. "Hahahaha! Now that I have the souls of all four of my fraccion within me, I'm at my absolute strongest!"

As Freddy continued to grow, a great earthquake began to shake the Seireitei, almost knocking Soifon off her feet. Dark clouds began to form and swirl over the Seireitei until a red crack formed within them. This crack began to grow into a giant Garganta that threatened to devour everything underneath it. Another giant crack began to form behind Freddy, this one opening up into a twisted version of a Senkaimon forged out of bones and sinew. At the top of the doorway was a grotesque pupa which Soifon could only guess was meant to be Freddy's bastardization of the Jigokucho.

"Ahahahaha! The now giant Freddy boomed with laughter. "This is wonderful! I've never felt so much power surging within me before!"

"What's the big idea of opening a Garganta and a Senkaimon?" Soifon shouted as she flew up toward Freddy's face. "Not trying to escape are we?"

"Escape? Oh no." Freddy answered. "In fact, once I merge all three worlds together, there won't be an escape for anyone anywhere! Ahahahahaha!"

"Bastard!" Soifon stopped once she was in front of Freddy's hellish gaze. "I won't let you do that!"

"Ohh? And just what can you do to stop me?" Freddy inhaled sharply and breathed out a cloud of toxic gas at the black-haired Shinigami. The energy forming her wings suddenly surrounded her like a shield and kept any of the gas from harming her. Once it dissipated and he saw that Soifon was still floating in front of him, Freddy grew mad and took a swipe at her with his bladed hand. Despite his enormous size, Freddy still retained his usual speed but even it was enough to catch up with Soifon who reappeared on Freddy's shoulder, arms crossed and a look of displeasure in her eyes. "I thought I told you that I and I alone have the means to stop you. Did you not hear me the first time?"

"Bitch!" Freddy took another swipe at the Shinigami and once again missed, nicking his own shoulder in the process. "Gah!"

"It really is pathetic." Soifon continued as she reappeared on Freddy's other shoulder. "To think that a degenerate like you could ever even dream of conquering Soul Society."

"I'm not just a degenerate," Freddy growled as he curled his unclawed hand into a fist. "I'm the fucking boogeyman!" He slammed his fist onto his shoulder but once again only succeeded with hurting himself as Soifon reappeared before him.

"Please. Do I look like a young child to you?" Soifon put her fingers to her chin again. "Actually, I take that back. Even as a child, I would have never been afraid of something like you."

"You sure like to move your mouth, don't you bitch?" Freddy smiled. "But let's not forget who first fell victim to my Akumu No Otome!"

Soifon winced.

"Or whose Master it was I killed that night in the forest!" Freddy boomed in laughter as Soifon began to seethe. Remembering what she had seen and heard back in the Dream Realm, Soifon sighed and shook her desire to give in to Freddy's taunts aside.

"Talk down to me all you want but I will not give in to my emotions again." She explained. "That was my grievous error in our last battle and the only reason my I fell victim to your sad excuse of a Zanpakuto.

Freddy grinned. "Face it bitch! Even with that dammed dream skill of yours, you'll never defeat me in a million years!" Freddy pointed toward Soifon and with a flick of his blades, sent her flying away from the hill. The Shinigami screamed as she was helplessly launched through the air. "See? You're nothing but an annoying little gnat compared to me." Freddy willed a giant fly swatter into his hand and swatted at Soifon. "Bye-bye, Little Bee!"

As soon as the fly swatter connected with Soifon's body, however, it suddenly vanished into another Homonka Mark, leaving Freddy dumbfounded.

"Huh?"

"Did you forget about Suzumebachi's new power?" Soifon shouted as she stopped herself in mid-air. "Anything it cuts into with all five of its blades will cease to be!"

Freddy uttered a low groan. "You really think your glorified erasers are enough to stop me? Then come on then! Bring it!" As Freddy said this, he made a beckoning gesture with his clawed hand.

Soifon flew toward Freddy, her Suzumebachi ready to strike. Before she could deal the lethal blow, however, Freddy's torso opened up into a perfect circle through which she flew past. Soifon tried to turn around for a second attack, only for Freddy to backhand her across the sky with his unclawed hand. Once again, Soifon used the wing-shaped energy surging out of her back to recompose herself midair and charged toward Freddy again, aiming for his head this time. The Springwood Slasher was quick to notice this and with a short chuckle repeated the perfect circle maneuver with his head just as Soifon was about to make her killing blow.

As the two fought, the Seireitei continued to change. The few buildings that were left standing began to twist and distort into bizarre shapes, all while wailing as if they were dying in the process. The ground between the buildings started to crack, releasing an eerie red-orange glow. Shinigami and Arrancar alike were swallowed up by the newly-formed crevice, vanishing into the fleshy tunnel below.

Ikkaku, having already calmed down from his massacre of the enemy, found himself amongst the chaos. Given that this was after witnessing Freddy becoming a giant and attacking someone who could apparently fly, the Third Seat of Squad 11 could only think of one thing to say. "What the fuck is going on here?"

Soifon found herself launched into the air once again and tried to steer herself back in control. Before she could, however, a small hole opened up in the sky near her. Before she could react, a giant eel-like creature suddenly burst out of the hole and clamped its jaws around her before retreating into the darkness from which it came. Freddy laughed uncontrollably as the hole began to close. "Another bites the dust." He giggled to himself, certain that he had finished her off for good. "Even if that bitch manages to destroy my little pet from the inside, there's no way her dream power will help her escape my pocket dimension!" Satisfied, Freddy turned toward the white forest on the side of the hill, hoping to make quick work of Ichigo and what remained of his friends.

He only managed to take a single footstep before the sound of a large explosion behind him grabbed his attention. Turning his head, Freddy watched as the portal his pet had just vanished into reopened, the sides dripping with the blood of the creature that had once controlled them. Soifon, also covered in the creature's blood, flew out of the hole and stopped in front of Freddy. "Is that the best you got?" She asked as she wiped some of the blood off her face.

"H-How?" Freddy fully turned to face his opponent again. "How is it possible? There's no way your Suzumebachi could have helped you escape that dimension! You said it yourself! Your dream skill was to destroy anything you touch with your damn ripoff of a glove! But you can't touch space itself! What the fuck's going on here!?" What composure Freddy had kept till now had vanished and for the first time since Soifon had met him, he was beginning to panic. It was enough to make her snicker.

"Hey! What's so fucking funny?" He demanded.

"Oh! It's nothing." Soifon replied through her own giggling. "It's just...I don't recall telling you that Suzumebachi Black Diamond Mode was the dream skill I pulled out of my mind."

"What!?"

"If you had been paying attention instead of just looking at my legs, you would have heard me say that this glove was born from the combined power of my dream skill and the natural abilities of my Zanpakuto. In other words, it is an extension of those abilities. An extension of my dream skill but not the dream skill itself."

"Quit toying with me bitch!" Freddy growled. "If the glove isn't your dream skill then what is it? What ability did you pull from your dreams?"

"The only ability worth dreaming about for someone in my line of work." Soifon responded. "The unfaltering ability to complete any mission given to me, including ones I give myself."

"Huh?" Freddy's frustration turned into confusion. "What kind of lame-ass power is that?"

"Simply put, once I am given a mission, no matter how impossible it would be otherwise, I will complete it. Haven't you noticed how little your attacks have been affecting me, even the ones that distort reality itself such as that stunt you pulled with the giant eel."

Freddy's frustration returned.

"You were right in saying that Suzumebachi Black Diamond Mode can't destroy space itself. It was the power of my dream skill that allowed me to escape."

"Oh yeah?" Freddy pointed at Soifon with his clawed hand as if it were a gun and with an utter bang, caused her to explode into a red cloud. He burst into another fit of laughter but this one was cut short when the gorey mist dissipated and Soifon remained where she was, completely unharmed. "What...?"

"Like I said, As long as there is a mission to complete, not even your reality-warping powers will be enough to stop me." Soifon answered. "And I think it goes without saying that the mission I assigned myself for this power was simple and straightforward." She brought her blades to her face and flexed them. "To destroy you and save the Soul Society!"

Freddy growled in anger." If that's what you want bitch, fine!" Freddy reeled back as if he intended to spit something out and coughed out a swarm of giant insects. They resembled a cross between a roach and a bee and swarmed toward Soifon with their stingers directed at her. Soifon took a deep breath and willed her "wings" to reform into a shield around her, barring the insects from getting within stinging distance of her. Once she was sure she was surrounded, Soifon released the energy all at once, pushing the insects back and knocking them out of the sky.

"Try this on for size bitch!" Freddy hacked up again, only this time producing a giant stinger missile from his mouth. It was shaped very similarly to Soifon's Bankai and bore the image of a rotting nude woman on it in a pinup pose. "KISS YOUR ASS GOODBYE!' occupied the speech bubble coming from her almost-gone lips. "Fire in the hole!" Freddy garbled as he spat out the missile toward Soifon.

"I guess you are right. There really are no more original ideas." Soifon flew away from the missile's path, only to be followed by it everywhere she flew, realizing that it was not going to give up chasing her, Soifon stopped in midair and formed another shield of energy around her. Freddy laughed as the missile hit the shield and exploded on impact, breaking away the energy in the process. "Not even you could survive that bitch! Hahaha!"

As if waiting for him to make such a comment, Soifon flew out of the dust cloud born from the missile and charged toward Freddy, her blades outstretched. Freddy's laughter stopped again and he impatiently swiped toward the flying Shinigami. The force of his swipes cut Soifon into little pieces which suddenly vanished into thin air. The way they disappeared reminded Freddy of the trick her lieutenant had pulled on him during their fight. Remembering that sneak attack that followed, Freddy quickly veered around in time to see a stunned Soifon flying toward him "Oh shit!" She seemed to mouth as the dream demon smiled.

"The Speed Clone Technique." Freddy smiled. "Your fatass of a lieutenant used it on me when we were fighting." Freddy quickly brought up his clawed hand and made a poking motion with it, impaling Soifon on his finger blade before she could stop herself. "Sorry bitch, but I've seen that trick before!" Freddy was about to enter another bought of laughter, only to gasp as Soifon vanished off of his blade like before. "Huh?"

"So Omaeda actually managed to use the Speed Clone Technique in battle." Soifon's voice spoke. "Not only that but from the sound of it, it would seem he actually managed a hit on you doing so. I suppose I'll have to praise him later, as much as I'd rather not." Freddy turned around and was taken aback by the army of Soifons now floating before him, all in that same condescending crossed-arm pose. One that mirrored Yoruichi's quite a bit.

"Still, the fact is that Omaeda is a fat slob who takes forever to learn anything. I doubt it'll take him at least another century to learn how to take full advantage of the technique and create multiple clones at once but at least he's off to a decent start." All the Soifon's spoke in unison, each as fleshed out and present as the real thing.

"You bitch!" Freddy cried as he swiped his blades madly at the swarm of duplicate Shinigami. A few of them were cut by the blades and vanished while the rest of them swarmed toward Freddy, their blades ready to strike. Freddy willed the flames of his Bankai to form around him a like a dark cloak, catching a few of the Soifon's in the flames. Freddy twirled around with his right arm outstretched, destroying several more clones in the process. Once he was done, he noticed one more flying toward him at high speed. Looking around himself, he saw no other clones and deducted that this one was the real deal.

"Nancy, Kristen, Alice and now you." Freddy took a deep breath and lowered his clawed arm, waiting for the Shinigami to get close enough. "You all thought you could defeat me. You all thought you could end my reign of terror by yourselves." Freddy exhales before suddenly screaming. "And all of you paid the price for it!" With a single reverse swipe, Freddy ran his blades through Soifon's body just as she was about to make her move. He smiled evilly as the pieces of her body fell away from his face and to the Seireitei below. "Sayonara, Soifon!...Gah!"

Freddy suddenly felt a sharp pain in his clawed hand. It felt almost like a bee sting. With a sinking feeling in his chest, Freddy slowly looked up at his weapon-infused hand. On the back of it was Soifon, her own gloved hand pocking out through the palm. All five of its blades dripped with blood.

"I suppose you do have a point," Soifon muttered as she gasped for breath. "I am far from the first person who has tried to stop your reign of terror. But there's a very huge difference between me and those other girls. I'm a Shinigami and I exist specifically to destroy evil like you!" Freddy tried to reply but the pain in his hand grew more and more intense. He could see the fingertips begin to contort as the effect of Soifon's Suzumebachi started to take hold. "You have put many people and Shinigami through their worst nightmares, myself included." Soifon continued. "But the thing about nightmares is that in the end, they are only dreams, and every dream, no matter how beautiful or cruel, must end." Soifon stared into Freddy's eyes, taking in and relishing in the fear they now portrayed.

"It's time to wake up." Soifon pulled out her Suzumebachi and flew away just as Akumu No Otome began to contort and twist. Freddy screamed in pain and gripped his wrist as his hand/weapon continued to deform into a black Homonoka before finally disappearing from his arm, never to send another victim to eternal slumber again. Black blood splurted out from the resulting stump, followed by a single blue orb of Reshi, a soul. Then another. And another until they began to pour out like a geyser. As she fell to the ground, Soifon thought she could hear tiny voices calling out from the blue lights. She couldn't make out what they were saying but they sounded delighted. "These must be all the souls he's consumed since arriving in Soul Society." She thought. "They must have been trapped the same way that Nancy and the others were. I wonder if...no...now is not the time for wishful thinking."

Freddy continued to howl in pain as the souls left through his arm. His body started shrinking and his hat, sweater, and overcoat came apart into useless seams. The scarred tissue making up his skin began to flake off as he resumed his normal height and fell to his knees. As this occurred, the Garganta, Senkaimon, and fleshy maw he created all closed up, and the Seireitei ceased its bizarre movement. Soifon landed in front of him and took in the sight of the powerless human soul at her feet. Slowly, he picked up his head and faced her, burning hate in his olive-green eyes. His remaining hand was still gripped around his now-bleeding stump as the last of his victim's souls made their way into the sky. "You...You bitch!" He growled

"So this is what you looked like before the fire." Soifon commented. "Not much to look at if I'm being perfectly honest." She intended to say more but before she could give Freddy another venomous comment, her attention was caught by the sound of her lieutenant groaning. She glanced to where he lay in time to see him wearily pick his head up.

"Uhhh..What a nightmare...Where am I?" Omaeda's sleepy eyes widened open seeing his Captain standing before him. "C-Captain!? Captain Soifon!? Y-You're alive!?" He quickly scrambled to his feet. "Wh-Where have you been all this time? When did you get here!?" His gaze fell down to her body. "A-And what's with that outfit!? What the hell happened to Suzumebachi!? Wh-"

"Omaeda. Shut up." Soifon demanded in an unusually calm voice. It was still enough to silence her lieutenant's barrage of questions. Once he had stopped speaking, both she and Freddy were able to pick up the groans and moans of the others as they slowly stirred from their unwanted sleep.

"Ugggh! Wh-What happened?" Kisuke looked up to the Squad 2 Captain and rubbed his eyes. "Soifon? Is that you?"

Shunsui, who had awakened at the same time as the former Captain of Squad 12, tipped his hat at Soifon. "I believe it is! And I have to say Captain Soifon, you're quite the sight for sore eyes, especially in that getup."

Soifon groaned and briefly considered gouging out Shunsui's eyes for staring at her rear end before deciding to save it for later.

"Are we awake?" Harribel asked as she looked around.

"Y-Yeah!" Nelliel shouted happily as she patted herself over. "The flames are gone! Ichigo did it!"

"Master Nelliel!" The green-haired Arrancar gleefully turned toward the source of the voices, her already huge smile widening even more upon seeing Pesche and Dodonchakka rushing toward her with tears in their eyes. "Master Nelliel! We missed you!"

Between Nelliel and her brothers, Grimmjow was beginning to stir. "Ugghh...What the hell happened? Where's that fedora-wearing bastard? When I get my hands on-OOF!" Pesche and Dodonchakka crashed into Grimmjow and all three Arrancar tumbled toward Nelliel before stopping at her feet. The former third Espada could only giggle awkwardly as the trio moaned in pain. Away from the group, the now awake Zaraki, still stuck in the ground, shook his legs angrily.

"Soifon!" Everyone's attention was grabbed by Ichigo's words. A single second later, the Substitute Shinigami appeared behind Soifon with Rukia in tow. They both looked around at the faces surrounding them. "Guys...You're all awake!?"

"Sure seems to be the case." Kisuke removed his hat and wiped his brow. "I don't know how you did it Ichigo but you pulled it off once again."

"Alright Ichigo!" Nelliel called out.

"No. You guys got it all wrong!" Ichigo argued. "I wasn't the one who stopped Freddy." He turned to Soifon who returned the favor over her shoulder. "It was Soifon."

"Captain Soifon?" Rukia asked. "You..actually defeated Freddy?"

"Almost." Soifon stepped aside to let the others see the now powerless Freddy still kneeling on the ground.

"That's...Freddy?" Ichigo could hardly believe that the injured man in front of him was the same monster that just moments ago was tearing apart the reality of Soul Society. "He looks so...normal."

"He must have lost his dream demon powers in addition to all the power he's amassed since coming here." Rukia deduced. "Look, you can see his Soul Chain." She pointed to his bare chest where indeed, lay a short chain coming out of a hole. "He's nothing more than a Plus now"

"Should we perform Konso on him then?" Ichigo asked.

"That won't be necessary," Soifon stated as she took a step toward Freddy and brandished her blades. "My mission is not over until Freddy is no longer a threat to Soul Society. Therefore, I will see to his destruction personally."

"Go on then, Bitch!" Freddy cursed. "You'd be surprised how much pain I can take! Bring it on!"

Soifon raised her blades and prepared to gouge Freddy's eyes out, only to falter as the ground began to shake. The others were thrown off balance by this sudden shaking as well with Nelliel tripping over Grimmjow just as he was getting back up. Ichigo and Rukia held onto each other for support, the latter sinking into the former's chest in the process.

As everyone watched, a giant doorway portraying two skeletons on each door rose out of the ground behind Freddy, born from the blood flowing from his wrist. Once the doorway finished its ascension, the ground finally ceased its movement, allowing everyone a moment to rebalance themselves.

"Get off me!" Grimmjow aggressively pushed Nelliel and her brothers off of himself and got to his feet. "What the fuck is that thing?" He asked as he stared the doorway down.

"No..."Kisuke muttered. "It can't be..."

"It's The Gates of Hell!" Rukia shouted.

"Why are they opening here of all places?" Soifon asked herself, only to gasp as she suddenly came to an answer. "Freddy!"

The former Springwood Slasher looked behind himself in horror as the gates slowly began to open. "I...I remember those gates..."

"I still remember the day I met them. The Dream People."

Freddy watched as the flames surrounded him, encroaching closer and closer with each passing second. His skin and clothes were soaked with sweat and he could already feel the heat raise within his body. It wouldn't be long before he was one with the fire. From outside, he could here the jeers of the parents of the children he took.

"Thinking back, given what I know now, they must have been some sort of Hollow. Yes. Hollows with a very special power."

"Freddy!" A voice from above caught the Springwood Slasher's attention. He looked up to see three serpentine beings with ghostly faces floating toward him. "Freddy!" The first one repeated.

"We know what you want." The second one spoke.

"What I want? That confused me at first but only at first. It was clear what I wanted back then. It's the same as I want now. What I always wanted. To kill. To consume. To be a living nightmare!"

"I want it all!" Freddy screamed in elation. What these strange beings were offering him, he did not know for sure but somehow, someway, he could tell it was something he wanted. It was as if he could feel their intention in his very soul.

"Of course you do." The third one laughed.

"Then open up!" The second one commanded.

"And you shall be forever!" With that final declaration, the last three remaining Yumi No Seirei fused their essence with Freddy's soul just as the flames engulfed his body and rendered it into nothing but ash and bone. Instead of entering the Cycle of Souls or becoming a Hollow right then and there, Freddy's soul entered the Dream Realm and laid dormant for almost a decade before his full powers were realized.

"Once I got the hang of my new abilities, nothing could stop me from stealing the souls of the Elm Street children! Sure, I hit the occasional snag every now and then, but every single time, the power of the Dream People brought me right back! Cutting off their fear didn't help. Using my mother's soul as a prison didn't help! Haha! Even putting my soul to rest with holy water bought them a year at the most! No matter what they did, I just kept coming right back!...At least...until she came into the picture."

Freddy was once again back in the World of the Living, bleeding heavily from the various wounds on his body, the objects that created them still inside and binding the Springwood Slasher to the wall behind him. Standing before him was his own flesh and blood, his daughter Katheryn, putting on the glove he had used to take on so many lives in the Dream Realm.

"My own seed...to think that she of all people would be the one to end me..."

Katheryn marched up to her father and plunged the glove's blades into his stomach, the final piece of the morbid puzzle that spelled his demise. Well, almost the final piece anyway."

"Katheryn!" A blonde teen shouted from outside the room as she tossed a lit cherry bomb to her raven-haired woman. Katheryn caught it and rammed it into the fresh wound created by Freddy's blades, causing him to grunt in pain. She leaned over to his face, wish him a happy Father's Day, and planted a small kiss on his cheek before running out of the room and out of the bomb's range.

"Kids..." Was all that Freddy could think to say as the bomb inside his chest wound exploded, reducing his entire body to a bloody pulp. Freddy's soul remained in the same spot, no longer bound by the implements that had mangled his body before and a strange chain had formed on his chest. From the shower of gore that was once his body, he could see the three beings that had given him his power in the first place, laughing manically as they vanished from sight. They were nothing but ghost and Freddy knew that, the spiritual imprint of the original source of the power that now resided within him. A power that could no longer serve in this new realm nor save him from the fate that was about to befall him.

The bloody mist formed a giant doorway behind Freddy and what happened next would only form in his mind as a blur.

"All I can recall from my time there was that it was utter torture. Maybe it was so painful my mind refuses to recall it. But I do remember one thing. I remember meeting him there."

"Ki ki ki, Ma, ma, ma"

"I remember meeting Jason there in the darkness, seeing his bloodlust and realizing that he could be my ticket out of here. I remember giving him what little was left of my power, giving him the strength to rip his way out of there and go to Elm Street. And once he had instilled enough fear into those bastards and bitches, I simply phased out. Err.. But that plan went south and I ended up dying in the Real World again. Only this time, I ended up here in Soul Society and started making my mark...And now,,,,it's come full circle.

With a single thrust, the gigantic entity behind the gates impaled Freddy with its mighty sword. The former dream demon coughed up blood as the entity slowly pulled him inside. He took one final look at the Shinigami and Arrancar before him, one final look at Soifon and to their shock, began to laugh like a madman. "You think you won!? You think you actually beat me!? This isn't my first rodeo, you know! I'll come back! Someway, somehow I'll escape again and when I do," He pointed a finger toward Soifon, I'll be coming after you first, Captain Soifon! I'll see you in your dreams! Hahahaha!" Freddy's insane laughter continued as he vanished into the doorway but no one heard it for it was drowned out by the laughter of the entity holding the sword as it reclaimed the Springwood Slasher once again. The gates closed and vanished into the ground with another rumble.

"He...He's gone." Ichigo whispered. "He's really gone back to Hell."

"And hopefully, this time he'll stay put." Rukia followed. The two Shinigami exchanged warm smiles with each other, only to suddenly realize how close they were to each other's faces, blush, and turn away quickly. This action did not go unnoticed by Kisuke and Shunsui.

"Is it just me, or do Lieutenant Kuchiki and Ichigo seem closer than usual," Shunsui asked.

"You should have seen them last night," Kisuke commented. "They were practically joined at the hip."

"Shut up!" An embarrassed Ichigo and Rukia shouted in unison. Ichigo in particular intended to threaten Kisuke with a punch to the gut if he continued but was silenced by a loud thud behind him. Turning back around, he saw Soifon sprawled on the ground. "S-Soifon!?"

"Captain!" Omaeda cried.

"Dammit...I must have used too much power...but at least I fulfilled my mission. If I die right now...that'd be just fine." Soifon thought as her vision began to go black. "Thank you for everything Nancy...and thank you as well...Lady Yoruichi...farewell."

(Well we're near the end of this arc. One more chapter and the Nightmare from Hell arc will be completed. I'm not gonna pretend that this story was super successful because let's face it, it's barely gotten any attention as far as I can see. But you know what? I'm still proud that I took the time to make this and to all of those who did read the story, Thank you and I hope you continue to stick around as I have lots more planned.

PS: I'm considering replying to the reviews I do get from now on. Ok bye.)