(Gomen. I know that this is the second time we have posted this story. But Ayame, in Ayano's absence, snuck into the writing room and decided to use the good old fashioned italics and bold tool to try and make the story a bit clearer, -the first one was terribly confusing-
Hopefully now that a bold word starts a new section and the flashbacks are in italics, people will get what the story is about. Double gomen to Hoshie and Touda, who's lovely reviews have now been deleted. If you could find it in your heart to review again, we would be ever so grateful.
Sorry again…… enjoy.)
TITLE: - Ryoshuu – Last One Standing (take two.)
AUTHORS: - Sakanoue Ayame and Arakida Ayano.
DISCLAIMER: - Ok……so we don't own Bleach! But we sure would love to.
CHARACTERS: - Centred around the lives of the aptly named Sakanoue Ayame and Arakida Ayano. But it is, as far as possible, true to the anime up to and including episode 61/62 (the start of the fillers anyway.)
Of course we've added plenty of new characters too, for your enjoyment (and ours!) But, we've tried to fit our characters around the main events, hopefully not affecting them!
NOTES: - For our own twisted purposes we made the decision ages ago when we first started this fanfic (about seven hundred million years ago) to add two extra squads, 14th and 15th.
Sorry if this annoys you, or you find it ridiculous, but it's kinda essential to our plot.
Please try and take our changes in your stride and just 'READ' the story before condemning it. And please… try to be nice… enjoy…
"Ayame kun!"
Ayame sprinted down the corridor. She had just returned from 13th squad and already she had work to do.
"Ayame kun!"
Thus was her life in 4th squad; it had been that way for nearly ten years. Well since she'd left the academy. She had made the choice of deciding to join 4th squad on her own.
"Ayame kun!"
Practically disowned by her parents of course, but Ayame didn't care, She knew she was rubbish at most things. Healing was her only real talent, she just had a knack for it.
"Ayame kun, hurry up! If we don't get there soon Isane san will be angry, she told us to be there in ten minutes and it's already been fifteen."
Ayame swore to herself, she hated lateness out of almost everything else. Well that and arrogance, and violence, and stupidity and lack of hygiene………… well there were lots of things she hated. But one thing she did hate was letting Isane down.
Her breath caught in her chest as she ran. She had to stop and get her breathing back in line. Hitori Arisa, her friend and fellow 4th squadder came back to the breathless girl.
"Getting too old for this Ayame?" she joked.
Ayame grinned up at her.
"I was never any good at running Hitori san."
"Come on Yame-chan! You're so slow!" bellowed Ayano from the top of the hill, adjusting the ribbon that secured reams of curly hair out of the way.
The young lady running slowly towards her was Ayano's complete opposite. Straight, black hair, tanned skin, a gentle and quiet soul. Funny how that made them perfect friends.
Ayame was breathing heavily, a little flushed from the run that the whole academy was obliged to join in on every morning.
A tradition not appreciated by either girl, but endured with more grace by Ayano.
Bouncing energetically on the spot to prevent herself from stiffening up, Ayano contented herself with smiling at the struggling freshmen and shouting encouraging messages to Ayame, who was beginning to climb the steep incline.
"The end is meters away! Come on!"
Ayame frowned and continued at very much her own pace.
"Not much further Yame! One last sprint!"
With a dull thud and a drag of her feet, Sakanoue Ayame reached the top of the hill and clutched her side, breathing erratically.
Ayano gave a small chuckle and smiled at Ayame, still bouncing.
"Where do you get the...energy, Yano-chan?"
"I'm just bouncy!" she grinned "Lets go, it's only down a hill..."
Ayame slouched, disappointed and still tired.
"You know how easy down hills are..." Ayano teased.
Tugging her friends arm in an assertive manner, they set off down the equally steep decline.
Without Ayano, dear Ayame would never get round to her training, and without Ayame, Ayano would not be nearly as busy. And in her opinion, busy was the best way to be.
They both took cold showers; actually, Ayano turned off the hot water. Ayame was used to the friendly, good natured torment of her stronger friend.
"It's good for you, and it saves water because you get out quicker!" Ayano reasoned. Why must she always be right?
Shouting through the cubicle, Ayano asked the same question as she did every morning,
"Decided on a squad yet?"
"No..." Ayame sighed in a thoughtful manner. Hopeless!
"You'll never guess which squad my mother is raving about now, 11th! I'm not sure how I'd like Zaraki Taicho..." both girls laughed.
Those academy days did set up a firm base for all the training Arakida Ayano went through with 11th squad. She earned her place as a seated officer, and as a favorite of Kenpachi.
Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Arakida had a lot to say about their daughters career, noble families always did.
They ordered Ayano to second squad next, and obediently, Ayano trudged off to Yoruichi and Soi Fong. From there she rose to 5th seat and then moved, to sixth squad.
This suited her perfectly, and she worked her way to 3rd seat. The whole experience from 11th squad upwards had been a struggle, a result of the hard work Ayano prided herself in applying to being a shinigami.
Fukutaicho was a natural next step. At the first opportunity Ayano was forced to jump squads into 15th under squad captain, Sayura Tsubasa, who had a reputation for misconduct.
As soon as Ayano met him she felt his long greasy black hair reflected his personality perfectly. She had little respect for him.
A few months in the position and she discovered his womanizing and his abuse of her fellow squad members. Desperately, she immersed herself in work to avoid his attentions.
By two years, she had come accustomed to seeing girls upset or distraught by his actions.
But when she caught him dragging a tearful young lady to his quarters by her wrists, red and resisting furiously, Ayano decided that she could not turn a blind eye anymore without being as low and evil as he was.
"After the failure of our mission, Captain Sayura took one of the officer's punishment into his own hands. He took her to his quarters to privately reprimand her for her actions in battle.
On her reappearance she looked distressed by the affair, Sayura told her that he thought she had "learned her lesson."
The report was filed and it was only a matter of time before it was either picked up on or slipped through the net. If only it could do both? What would Sayura's punishment be for her?
Waiting for him to appear out of Captains' meeting every day, Ayano looked edgy. Her friends tried to ask if anything was wrong, but she skillfully put on her mask of happiness and carried on. Always with one eye on the meeting room door.
The fourth day after her report was sent, Sayura was the first one out of the meeting.
"He's early..." Isane whispered. Byakuya, Ukitake and Aizen normally lead the other Captains out.
Ayano began to walk away from the other Vice Captains, towards Sayura, attempting confidence.
Gripping her arms tightly, he exhaled one lungful of rank breath over her face before turning her to the courtyard to walk away.
"I heard your report," he hissed. "A pitiful attempt."
She remained silent.
"You'll pay for your mistake, in the same way that any other woman in my squad would."
He wouldn't break her that easily. Her fuse, that slowly burnt down over the two years, ran out. She flicked her sword from it's sheath on her back, and sliced it down into attack position.
Ayame finished wiping down the operating table. She was always the one to clean up after operations, because she was the one who did it best. The smell of disinfectant filled the room.
Hitori stood on the opposite side of the table packing away the equipment, sniffing every so often in protest to the fumes.
Isane had left the two to finish up when she departed to go and meet Unohana Taicho from her captain's meeting.
Hitori sighed.
"I think that went well?"
Ayame looked up from her work and smiled, sleepily.
"Yeah, end of the day for me now. Once I'm done here I have the afternoon off, unless Ukitake Taicho needs me."
Hitori grinned.
"You and……………."
She was cut off by a sudden commotion outside in the corridor, the sound of many people running and chattering excitedly.
One of them stuck their head through the door.
"Sakanoue san, Hitori san, you'll never guess what's happened!"
"What?"
"A Fukutaicho has turned on their Taicho outside the captain's meeting. There's a full scale fight in progress. Casualties, certain; fatalities, highly likely."
And then their informant sped off to catch up with the others.
Ayame and Hitori exchanged looks and swallowed. Then they promptly gave chase.
"Who do you think it was?" mused Hitori as she urged Ayame on, pushing her by the shoulder. "13th squad?"
Ayame looked shocked.
"Kaien! Kaien would never do anything like that, Ukitake Taicho thinks the world of him. He's a great Vice-captain."
"Well who else is it likely to have been? Ise san? Sasakibi dono? Isane kun?"
"No………………" replied Ayame, knowing it was none of those fukutaichos.
In her heart of hearts she knew who it would be. She could only think of one captain vile enough to warrant it.
Ayame bit her lip and ran on.
Sayura laughed at her cruelly, shaking his head to decline and turning away.
"No." she shouted at him. "No. I am defending my dignity, at least have the decency to acknowledge that."
Other Captains gathered, awe struck at the spectacle. She didn't stand a chance. Kuchiki Taicho silently willed her to put away her sword but she held fast, as was her nature.
Sayura drew his sword. It was thick and cumbersome, but Sayura certainly had the power to wield it, Ayano judged. Her little Taisei-tsuru would be faster.
Sayura dragged his sword through the dusty courtyard towards her, leaving a trail darker than everything else, before swinging it up into attack position.
Parry, parry, attack, parry, attack, attack. A crowd formed as Sayura forcefully hacked and Ayano flew around the arena with surpassing agility.
"Kurihirogeru, Taisei-tsuru!" Ayano said to her blade.
The sheen on the sword became dull as it sliced in two, joined at a band around her wrist.
The two blades looked as if they could be parted into segments along the length, like a feather, and Ayano smiled as the weight of her sword halved, as light as a feather too.
"Migaku, Hokkyokusei" Sayura growled.
The katana reformed into a morning star and he immediately began to wield it viciously. Ukitake, Kenpachi, Kyouraku and Kuchiki held the hilts of their swords firmly.
"This is more like it," Zaraki chuckled.
The power Sayura wielded was incredible, but a lack of agility rendered him subject to many small slashes and cuts.
Ayano had been taught grace and how to flash blossom with surprising precision.
Her sword span round her wrist, beating away attacks as Sayura smiled, laughed a little, believing she was on the run, purely defending. This was a good excuse for some fun.
"Bankai." he roared.
His shikai grew, he grew in proportion with it, by at least a foot, and it sent out a shock wave that knocked Ayano to the ground.
Calmly standing, Ayano told herself she had to up her own game. There was no way she could avoid it.
Unwrapping a necklace from the hilt of the sword, she placed the silver chain, with a gold feather pendant over her head.
What strength she had remaining poured through her body, accentuating the exhausted dizziness she was experiencing. The necklace suddenly contracted, glowing green and becoming a choker around her thin neck.
"A surprise for me?" Sayura grinned.
"Why do you always underestimate me?" Ayano asked, quite seriously, letting the sword fall to her side.
"Bankai," she shouted, clearly for the growing audience to hear.
"God! How did she get Bankai?" whispered Ayame to her Vice-captain.
"I don't know," Isane answered, brow furrowed slightly. "Sayura Taicho never paid any attention to the training of his subordinates; it is possible that she achieved Bankai without him knowing."
Ayame blinked as the fight ensued. She hadn't seen Ayano in years, and now there was a very high chance she'd never see her again.
"Why are the other captain's not doing anything? Why don't they stop this? There's no way she can win. Why are they just standing there?" she hissed angrily.
The young 4th seat was right. All of the other captains were simply calmly watching the fight play out.
She marked however, Captains Ukitake, Kyouraku, Zaraki and Kuchiki all with their hands on their swords, itching to draw and put Sayura in his place.
"But they can't," muttered Isane, reading Ayame's thoughts. "This is her fight, she needs to finish what she started. But she'll never beat him, she will be killed."
"She has a habit of picking fights she has little hope of winning."
Ayame frowned again.
"What are you doing, Baka?" she growled.
Ayame trotted, trying to keep up with her best friend's longer stride.
"Yano chan, where are we going?" she whined. She was sick of walking for the day. "Can't we just go eat?"
"No," snapped Ayano. "I want to talk to Seigen."
Ayame sighed, since Ayano had started dating Futomara Seigen she had become really sharp and irritable. Ayame didn't like it, she wanted her bubbly old friend back.
They passed into the courtyard. Ayano immediately stopped, hands on hips, looking extremely irritated.
"There he is, and you'll never guess who he's with!" she said, a fake smile plastered all over her face.
"The Thing is hanging off his arm again," Ayano spat. "It's disgusting!"
Ayame quietly nodded her head in agreement.
The blond haired, green eyed girl currently clutching at Ayano's boyfriend's shoulder was willowy, beautiful and obviously all over the upper classman.
It was rare to see Ayano jealous, Ayame frowned, a little worried.
"I'm going over there." Ayano decided, straightening her haori and striding over, to no doubt, give him a piece of her mind.
"Seigen," she called.
The Thing jumped from her perch and looked innocent.
"I've really tried, over these last few weeks, I have. Tell her to stop. Now."
"Er..no," he scoffed, pulling his hands out of his pockets in an aggressive manner.
"You bastard! You selfish, inconsiderate, ill-mannered arsehole." Ayano didn't care how loud she was shouting, or who could hear her either.
Students stopped to see what was going on.
Being faster, older and more experienced, Seigen's first strike came as a complete shock, square on Ayano's jaw sending a searing pain through her skull.
"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Seigen yelled in his best teacher's pet voice.
" You're pathetic, picking a fight with a girl!" Ayame shouted from afar, backing away nervously just after she said it.
"You're worse than pathetic," Ayano laughed, wiping the blood from her lip " You're a snivelling worm."
Her cheekbone was the next target and she turned as she fell onto the floor awkwardly. " That sickening smile you give your teachers…"
He kicked her violently in the stomach, making her retch.
"…Your friends…"
Seigen placed a knee to her back, sending her crashing back to the floor.
"…Those poor girls that hopelessly worship everything you touch."
Ayano began to push herself up off her elbows.
"You aren't nearly as big and important as you believe you are, Seigen."
Raising his foot he stamped on her skull, coming close to breaking her nose on the pavement, swiftly exiting before she could do his reputation any more harm.
Ayame rushed over, squeezing through the crowd as it began to disperse.
"Yano-chan? You ok?" she asked anxiously.
Ayano touched her nose lightly, wiping away a little blood on her sleeve.
"Yes, yeah I'm fine."
"BAKA!" Ayame slapped her arm firmly. "He could have killed you."
"I needed to stand up for myself, Yame-chan. That's all. It doesn't matter whether I could beat him or not, I won't get pushed around by scum like him."
"You're insane, Yano chan."
The blades multiplied, hanging ominously in the air around her.
Frowning, a hint of rage took over Sayura's expression. Not knowing the extent of your subordinates' powers was a failing indeed.
This was truly embarrassing.
Controlling the hundreds of replicas, steel swords that looked increasingly like feathers sapped Ayano's strength.
This level of power was so new to her, and she was having trouble limiting the flow of reiatsu let alone concentrating on what she would do next.
Sayura was a Captain, experienced, powerful, much stronger and bigger than her. Ayano was lucky her Bankai had a good defense.
Striking with pure anger, Sayura was met with a shield of outward pointing swords and he withdrew quickly, trying to avoiding the sharp points of the swords facing him.
Ayano had a double take, seeing the light peeking through the shield. Sayura's white robe showed through the gap. He was to the right of her now.
She moved the shield. Once again seeing the white captain's robe glimpsing through, Ayano didn't hesitate, thrusting her sword out and into him.
Blood ran down the blade and Ayano flinched away a little. The shield disappeared along with all the swords save the one piercing him.
Pulling it free, Ayano looked at Sayura as he attempted to shuffle away. The crowd was utterly silent. Nobody could move.
Clutching a wound below his sternum, Sayura watched his Vice Captain concentrate on staying upright. She swayed and faltered once, closing her eyes momentarily to stop the world from spinning.
Sayura took his chance. He swung Hokkyokusei is one last attack. Bringing it crashing into her ribcage.
Ayano felt her bones shatter under the enormous pressure released, even from a weakened Bankai.
Blood sprayed from several open gashes on her side, every second that passed, her reiatsu was crumbling away.
Even as she whispered "Tobu", the sword lurching into life and buzzing through the air, crunching against Sayura's windpipe, Ayano was reaching out for a non existent surface to steady herself.
She was desperate to be the last one standing.
The dull thud as Sayura hit the ground was somehow relieving to Ayano as her vision blurred, it was over.
Then the comforting footfalls of Kuchiki Taicho releasing his iron grip on his sword as he rushed forward, placing a hand on Ayano and catching her just as her knees clicked forward and she blacked out.
NOTES: - "Kurihirogeru Taisei Tsuru" means " Unfold, Dark Blue Crane" and " Migaku Hokkyokusei" means "Shine, North Star" (We hope, otherwise we have been lied to)
See! It's alright once you get over the changes isn't it……? Isn't it? It is right? -They look at each other with worried faces.- Please put us out of our misery and tell us! Review! -Ayame cries-