Free Talk- Well, we've reached the last chapter and it happens to have come out way longer than all the rest. There was a lot that had to be told. Still, I haven't really treated it like a last chapter because there is still going to be an epilogue. Oh yes, I was going to ask a question about the epilogue regarding when it should be set: a few months after the end or a few years after the end. But I no longer need an answer to this question because I've decided to write the epilogue how I originally planned. I decided I should have more faith in myself and stop doubting my decisions so much. If anyone has a strong opinion about the timeframe for the epilogue they can still share it, though I don't know if it will make any difference. Anyways… thanks for the support. I hope you enjoy the 'last' chapter. And please comment and tell me what you think. I'll leave my closing words for the epilogue.

Sympathy For the Devil
By Miss Angel Maxwell

last chapter

YOU LIVE THE SURPRISE RESULTS OF OLD PLANS

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

Momo shieked as loud as she could until she'd used up every last drop of air in her lungs and had to stop just to catch her breath. The scream started and ended before she even caught a glimpse of Aizen streaking onto the scene. The source of her terror was an Arrancar, the most hideous creature she'd ever laid eyes on, lunging viciously at her with a sword in its hand. When she couldn't force any more noise from her throat, Momo closed her eyes, too paralyzed with fear to move and change her fate.

Blood splattered onto her face but she felt no pain. The blood wasn't hers. The girl's large brown eyes shot open and she immediately drew in a horrified gasp. In front of her, just centimeters away from her heart, was a glistening metal blade protruding out through Aizen's back.

"Captain!" she uttered, instinctively using her affectionate name for him. All around her, friends and colleagues were gathered, staring slack jawed. But she couldn't see Aizen's face, couldn't see what was going on in his head. That's what she wanted to see. And with that desire, she found the courage to move her legs and stepped back to get a clearer view of what happened.

The grisly scene before her robbed Momo of any words to describe it. Two men, one shinigami and the other Arrancar, were locked together by the swords that pierced their bodies. Aizen's hand was still wrapped tightly around the hilt of Hyourinmaru, which was plunged through the chest of the Arrancar that had tried to attack her. An intricate and frightening mask covered the left half of the creature's face, but the right side was exposed and featured a slit of an eye and a hideous grin. It smiled despite the fact that it was impaled on a zanpakutou.

"Ichimaru?" Momo gasped. Indeed, the blade that the Arrancar had thrust through the middle of Aizen's body was Shinsou, Ichimaru's zanpakutou.

"Remove… your blade," Gin choked hoarsely. He was alive, but just barely. "Remove your blade… Sir… let me… finish… my job… Let me kill… Hinamori…"

"I can't…" Aizen replied, in a voice even weaker than Ichimaru's. "Can't… let you… hurt her… Goodbye, Gin… I release you… from my service…" Then he reached out with his trembling free hand, grabbed Gin's arm, and pulled his former servant towards him, forcing both blades deeper into their victims' bodies. With the most pained expressions on both of their faces, the two villains drew closer and closer by Aizen's efforts. When the two were just millimeters away, close enough to feel each other's dying breaths on their cheeks, Ichimaru's body finally went slack and Aizen released his hold on the young man's arm. Gin fell backwards off of Hyourinmaru, pulling Shinsou out of his former mentor's body as he went.

For a moment after Gin hit the ground, Aizen remained on his feet, blood pouring from his wound, front and back. Momo watched him frightfully, unsure of what to do. But as soon as she saw him start to sway, she dashed to his side and caught him before he could fall. His weight was too much for her to support, though, and her small frame quickly buckled. She eased him to the ground as gently as possible and eventually found herself sitting with her legs tucked underneath her and her Captain's head cradled in her lap.

"Captain," she said softly, stroking his cheek to try to stimulate his eyes to open. She didn't care how many people were watching. "Captain you… you just saved my life. Ichimaru was about to kill me and… Please, just open your eyes so I know that you can hear me."

When Aizen's copper eyes opened they were dull and clouded, not sharp and intense like usual. "Miss Hinamori…" he breathed labouredly. "I can hear you."

"Why did you do it?" she asked, her clear voice breaking down into a shaky whimper. "Why did you save me?"

The dying man's lips curled up into a small, enigmatic smile. "I don't know," he answered weakly. "I don't know what force made me react as soon as I saw Gin moving towards you." Momo could see bright red blood in his mouth and knew that his time left was just a matter on minutes. Wishing to spare him the painful exertion of speaking, she pressed her fingers over his lips.

"You don't have to say anything else," she whispered.

Aizen looked up into her glistening eyes pleadingly and she moved her hand so he could speak. "I'm sorry… Momo…" They were the last words Aizen Sousuke ever said.

Shinigami and humans hastily started bustling around where Momo sat, Aizen's head still in her lap. Her brain hardly registered what they were doing. Even when a hand, probably Izuru's or Shiro's, landed gently on her shoulder, she couldn't muster a reaction. Her emotions were washed over like beach sand. As she stared at Aizen's lifeless body, his eyes permanently closed, she wasn't even sure if it was grief or just shock she was feeling.

Another hand reached out and touched her other shoulder. Whichever boy was already at her side, the other had joined him.

"Are you all right, Momo?" Izuru's voice asked softly. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm not hurt," she answered in a dazed voice. "I just… I can't believe Captain is… gone… I can't believe it all ended this way."

"Nobody can," Izuru replied. "Nobody even thought that Aizen would be able to break through our barrier, but he did somehow. I guess he just really wanted to save you and that gave him the strength."

"I don't think so," said Momo. "I don't think he even knew what he was doing when he dashed in front of Ichimaru's sword. He wasn't thinking."

"In any case," Toushirou's voice interjected. "He and Gin are both dead now. And you, Momo, are alive. That's what matters to me. Now we should take you back to get the rest you still need. You've been through more trauma in one day than most people do in their lives."

Momo didn't respond. She didn't even notice her long silence until her two dear friends moved away from her side, abandoning her shoulders to come kneel in front of her. Now at last she was able to look at their faces, sympathetic and taut with concern.

"It's okay. Momo," the blonde boy soothed. "You can let go, now."

It wasn't until she heard this that Momo realized she was tightly clutching the collar of Aizen's jacket with both hands. When she finally released it felt cleansing, like something toxic had just been drained from her body.

"Come on," Toushirou said, extending a hand. "Let's go."

"Okay," she sighed. But before she stood up, for some reason Momo felt compelled and she gently rearranged her dead Captain's hair so that his bangs fell in his face the way she always liked. Then, delicately lowering Aizen's head onto the ground, she took Shiro's hand, Izuru's too, and let them pull her up to her feet. She turned around to look at Aizen Sousuke one last time, intending it to be brief, but something unusual caught her eye and kept it there. There was a white corner of something just barely sticking out from the front opening of Aizen's shirt.

"What's this?" she asked, mostly to herself, as she bent down to pull the object out. "Oh my God," she uttered as soon as she realized what it was. "It's my picture… my picture of Taka and Suzume. I thought I'd lost it forever."

She held out the picture for her friends to see, and by now most of the others had stopped what they were doing and joined them. The corner that was sticking out of the shirt was the only bit of the picture that was still white. The rest was completely soaked with blood to the point where it was soft and mushy, but Momo could see the picture underneath and read the names she'd written. Through the middle of the image, right between the two white shapes, was a wide slash. Shinsou had stabbed Aizen exactly where the picture had rested against his skin.

"Why did he have that with him?" Toushirou asked curiously.

"I wish I knew," Momo sighed peacefully. "But I guess I never will." Then she took Hitsugaya and Kira's hands once again and let them lead her back to the Kurosaki home. She didn't look back again.


Rich orange dusk-glow poured in through a window over the desk where Momo sat reading. Two weeks had passed since Aizen's death and she was back in Soul Society, residing in a specially appointed dormitory that wasn't in use by anyone else. Her physical wounds had completely healed by now and she'd fully recovered from the miscarriage, but she was still supposed to be resting. When she first arrived back, Momo had begged to be allowed to return to shinigami work. But Hitsugaya and Kira, along with Captain Unohana who examined her, had successfully lobbied for her to have a mandatory vacation.

Even though she knew that the shinigami who made this ruling all had her emotional wellbeing in mind, it irritated Momo quite a bit. She didn't protest, though. She knew that if she told anyone why she wanted to work so badly it would probably land her on a permanent mandatory vacation. She wanted to work because she thought it might help her sleep more peacefully. Momo wouldn't admit to anyone that she hadn't slept through an entire night since she'd lost the babies.

Now, watching as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky, she was dreading the impending nighttime, dreading the tossing and turning that had become a feature of every evening. All she could do was keep reading and trying to put off sleep as long as possible. But she knew that when her body got tired there was little she could do to avoid slumber. As she turned on her desk lamp and pulled another massive tome from her towering stack of books, Momo's attention was drawn by a soft knock on her door.

"Come in," she called without lifting her eyes from her reading. She knew it was probably one of two people who visited her every day.

"Hey Momo," the visitor greeted.

"Ah, Shiro," she replied, recognizing the voice. "Good evening. I was just reading." Hastily, she set down her book and went to greet her friend face-to-face.

"You're always reading," the young captain said plainly. "Every time I come to visit you have a different book in front of you."

"Well, they won't let me work," Momo insisted. "I've really got nothing else to do but read and take walks with you or Izuru."

Toushirou looked at her sternly. "Don't think I haven't noticed what sorts of books you've been reading, Momo."

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, furrowing her brow. Before Hitsugaya could respond, though, there was another knock at the door and Momo hollered, "Come in."

"Oh, I didn't know Captain Hitsugaya was already in here," Izuru said rather sheepishly as he stepped inside. "I could come back later, if this is a bad time."

"You can stay," Momo chirped.

"Yeah," Toushirou snorted. "Jeez, I thought our whole experience had made you bolder, but I guess it was just temporary." The statement was rather harsh and Momo probably would have objected if she hadn't noticed Shiro flashing a coy smile at their blonde friend.

"So what brings you both here so late?" she asked innocently.

"Actually, we each came on our own," Izuru answered nervously. "That is… we're not… we're not conspiring against you or anything. I have nothing against Captain Hitsugaya, of course. I just wanted to see you is all, check up on how you're doing."

"I'm doing okay," she answered, unable to hide a small smile. "Just like when you came to visit yesterday, and the day before. Both of you have been so considerate these past two weeks… almost makes me wonder if you've been put on a 'mandatory vacation' too. Now why don't we all sit down and I'll make some tea or something?"

"You don't have to make tea," said Toushirou. "Let's just sit down and talk."

"I'm not even thirsty," Izuru added.

Momo frowned slightly. Not working was one thing, but she certainly didn't appreciate being treated like an invalid. She brought a pitcher of water and three glasses instead and sat down at the table with her friends. Both of them were acting suspiciously tonight.

"So, I hear Renji and Rukia are still in the Living World with Kurosaki Ichigo," she said casually, pouring herself a cup of water. "Are they tying up some loose ends?" If she started the conversation she figured it would be easier to steer it away from such sensitive topics as Captain Aizen, Tobiume, and the babies.

Hitsugaya snorted. "I think a more accurate account would be that Rukia is still in the Living World with Kurosaki Ichigo and Renji is staying so he can keep a very close eye on them."

"I see," Momo sighed. "Love triangles sure are strange." She closed her eyes and took a sip from her glass, totally missing the awkward looks her two male companions were exchanging. She didn't even notice the uneasy silence between the two of them until Izuru broke it.

"Did you come to talk to her about the books, Captain Hitsugaya?" he asked quietly.

Momo's ears immediately perked. "That's right," she said. "Shiro, you were just about to say something about the books I've been reading when Izuru came in. What did you want to tell me?"

The white haired boy drew in a deep breath then looked up at the young woman's curious face as he spoke. "You're trying to find your children. Vice Captain Kira and I have been paying close attention to your choices in reading material. Every single book you've taken from the library has to do with finding souls that have been lost in the cycle of birth and death. We know that you're trying to find Taka and Suzume."

"I thought you said you two weren't conspiring against me," Momo said, wrinkling her nose.

"We both reached the same conclusion on our own," Hitsugaya replied. "But both of us are very worried about you."

"Why?" Momo snapped defensively. "So what if I am trying to find them? Is that any of your business?"

"Nobody has ever determined for sure what happens to the souls of the unborn who die," Izuru said in a tone clearly meant to calm her down. "And many mothers have gone mad searching for the children they've lost. We just don't want you to be one of them. We know how badly you want to see your babies…"

"Oh you do?" the girl spat, standing up from the table. "Well since you both know so much, then tell me why I still hear them crying every time I fall asleep! Tell me why I wake up sweating, with tears in my eyes because I have to listen to my children in pain!"

Both young men stared at their pretty friend's unexpected emotional revelation.

"That's why you haven't been sleeping?" Izuru gasped. "Momo, why didn't you tell anyone sooner?"

"I thought," she began erratically, but her voice soon relaxed and took on a sadder tone. "I thought you'd think I was crazy if I told you. But… maybe I am crazy… I can't get their voices out of my head. Sane people don't hear their dead babies crying every time they fall asleep."

"You're not crazy, Momo," Toushirou assured.

"You're still grieving," said Izuru. "You know… there are herbs you could take to help you have dreamless sleep while you're recovering. I've been doing some apprenticing work with Captain Unohana, so I can get you some if you need it."

"I don't want to be drugged," Momo sighed. "I just want some sort of closure. I want to feel like I can go on with the rest of my life and be happy without feeling like I'm forsaking the loved ones I've lost. I want my babies to be someplace where they're at peace, and won't feel any more pain. Will that… will that ever happen?"

By this time, the two boys had gotten up from the table and were at her sides, comforting her.

"It will happen," Hitsugaya reassured. "Don't rush it."

"And we'll be here for you no matter what," said Kira. "Both of us."

"Thank you," she said softly. "You know I appreciate it. And I'm sorry I yelled. I guess I'm just used to talking about these sorts of things with Tobiume. And now she's gone too. And Captain is gone… although I lost him even before he died…"

"Oh, that reminds me," Izuru chimed. "I brought something for you." For the first time since he'd arrived, Momo noticed that the blonde had a long, slender object wrapped in cloth tucked under his arm. He pulled it out and placed it in her hand. "You don't have to use it right away," he said. "Or ever if you don't want to. I just thought you might want to have it around… for when you think you're ready."

Momo unwrapped the object right away and looked it over from hilt to blade tip. "It's a zanpakutou," she breathed. "It's the nameless zanpakutou that they give to cadet shinigami when they're just getting started."

"I hope it doesn't upset you," Izuru nervously replied. "It's not meant to replace Tobiume. It's just to practice you're skills with while you're on holiday."

"How could you give her a new zanpakutou?" Hitsugaya grumbled. "Especially when I had the idea to do the same thing first." The young captain promptly pulled a parcel identical to Izuru's out from his belt and thrust it into Momo's arms. "Everything I wanted to say, Vice Captain Kira already said," he huffed.

"Thank you guys," Momo said, though her tone indicated that she wasn't really sure if it was the right thing to say. "I just don't think I'm ready for this yet. I…" She stopped because she couldn't avoid a long, deep yawn that had been waiting to come out. "I guess I'm getting kind of tired. Maybe you guys should leave so I can try to get some sleep."

"Will you be okay?" Izuru asked. "Somehow it doesn't seem right to just leave you here to have miserable, restless sleep."

"Please don't worry," Momo pleaded gently. "Before I told you about how I've been sleeping, I endured it every night for two weeks. It doesn't really make any difference now that you know. Besides. Once a yawn that big hits me there's very little left I can do to stay up. Just go back to your dormitories and, please, don't worry about me."

"All right," Hitsugaya huffed. "We'll go because there'll clearly be no arguing with you. But we're still going to worry. Sorry, but you get no say in that matter. So goodnight, Momo, and take care of yourself. You know I'll be back to see you again tomorrow."

"I will, too," Izuru added. "And if you change your mind about those herbs, don't hesitate to ask. You can ask me for anything, anytime. Goodnight."

The two young men exited and Momo was left holding two nameless zanpakutou. Just as with the forced leave from work, she knew that the motive behind giving her these new blades was pure, but she didn't like it. She set the pair down on her desk and went to her closet. I don't want another zanpakutou, she thought as she slipped out of her daywear and into a nightgown. The only zanpakutou I ever want is Tobiume. With a heavy sigh, she crawled under the blanket on her futon. Before she set her head down on the pillow, she pulled out the torn and stained picture of her children out from underneath and pressed a kiss onto its reddish brown surface. Then she tucked it back away and lay down her head. Her eyes closed immediately. She couldn't stay awake any longer, so she would face the horrible crying once again.

Almost as soon as her eyelids closed, Momo fell asleep and was whisked away to that purple-tinted place. Why did her dreams always bring her back here even after Tobiume was dead? Any minute now she would hear the crying. She turned around in her spot, cupping her hands over her ears to pick up the sound as soon as it was audible. There was nothing there but silence. She walked around a bit, even though she usually could hear the shrill wails from every direction no mater where she stood. Still, there was no sound.

An inexplicable panic seized Momo's heart and she moved her hands from around her ears to around her mouth. "Taka! Suzume!" she called out as loud as she could. But she couldn't hear their cries. Her mind raced.

Oh my god! They're gone! I can always hear them when I'm here! But tonight they're gone! Wait… Isn't that what I wanted? If they're not crying anymore, then they must not be in pain anymore. Was telling my friends about the crying really all it took to free them? And then why… why do I feel sad? I should feel nothing but happiness now. But in a way it feels like I've lost them all over again… which means I've finally lost my last connection to Captain Aizen… Knowing that they were out there somewhere was the only thing left that bound me to him. And now… they've moved on… so I guess I should too…

Logically, Momo knew that she should be overjoyed that the two souls she loved above all else had found peace. But logic meant very little to the mind of a bereaved mother. After all, Momo had spent her every waking moment the past weeks poring over books for any clue of how to reunite with her babies, even though she knew her efforts were futile. Now she didn't even have the cries she thought she dreaded, and to fill the excruciating silence she sank to the ground and began sobbing. She sobbed and sobbed, hugging her knees to her chest, but she wouldn't wake up.

After a while, a wonderfully sweet voice whispered in her ear. "Why are you crying?"

Getting up on her feet, Momo found herself face-to-face with the most beautiful youth she'd ever seen. The young girl was slender and graceful, with a heart-shaped face and pale, translucent skin. Her eyes were large and round, as brown as fresh earth. Her long wavy hair was brown too, chocolate brown, and it hung across her back in a loose, low ponytail. From head to toe, she was dressed in fine purple clothing.

"Who are you?" Momo asked, still staring at the breathtaking stranger. There was something so familiar about this girl that made her feel indescribably happy.

The girl smiled at her warmly. "Don't you recognize me, Mother?"

Momo gasped. "You're… my child… my daughter…" Acting on her first instinct, she reached out to touch the adolescent, held her face in her hands and looked her directly in the eyes. "You look so much like Captain," she breathed. "My Suzume."

"Suzume?" the girl asked, blinking curiously. "But that is my brother's name. I am Taka."

Now Momo was confused. Even in an unbelievable situation such as this, things somehow had gotten even stranger. "Why is your name Taka?" she asked.

The girl being questioned giggled and it was the sweetest sound Momo had ever heard. "My name is Taka because that is the name you gave me, Mother. You wrote it next to my picture."

Momo understood immediately. "I see," she said. "You're named the way I labeled the ultrasound picture. So… is Suzume here too?"

"He is," Taka said with a grin. "He's just a bit shy. Let me get him."

When Taka disappeared into the purple shadows, Momo felt her heart sink a little. For some reason, she was scared that the girl, her daughter, would never return and that she would wake up while waiting. But her heart rebounded completely when the beautiful girl stepped back out of the shadows holding hands with a beautiful boy. He looked almost exactly like Taka, only his hair was short like Sousuke's and his features were less delicate. Even his outfit was like his sister's.

"Suzume," Momo said softly. Then she pulled both children into her arms, desperately holding them against her as she cried joyful tears. "Taka… Suzume… How are you even here? And you're not babies anymore… You're grown, both of you… And you're… you're so beautiful! My children!"

"Zanpakutou are ageless," Suzume spoke gently. His voice was just as wonderful as Taka's.

"Zanpakutou?" Momo asked in surprise, pulling out of the embrace so that she could look at the children.

"Yes, Mother," Suzume continued. "We've come back to protect you, because you protected us."

"We've been allowed to return to you and be your zanpakutou because you named us," Taka added. "Some zanpakutou were born to be zanpakutou. Others are souls that were unable to pass on or have wishes they need to fulfill."

"Our wish is to protect you, Mother," said the boy. "We will stay by your side forever. And you don't need to be afraid of waking or sleeping anymore. When you are awake, we will protect you as your zanpakutou."

"And when you are asleep, we will watch over you as your children," the girl finished.

Momo couldn't say anything else, she could barely remember to breath she was in such euphoria. One more time she pulled her babies close to her and cried into their soft brown hair, breathing in the scent of sandalwood and citrus. And they embraced her too, burying their angelic faces in between her neck and shoulders. Momo felt something warm and wet against her skin. Taka and Suzume were both crying, just as happy to have found their mother as she was to have found them. She was still holding them when she woke up.

With a gasp, Momo sat up in her futon and looked around the room. For once it wasn't a nightmare that woke her, but the sun streaking through her window and across her face. She'd slept through the entire night and now, waking up, she felt so happy she could barely describe it.

"What was I dreaming?" she asked herself with a dreamy smile as she rubbed her eyes and got up out of bed. She glided over to her desk in a blissful trance. When she saw the two zanpakutou lying there, the two that her friends had brought her, she remembered everything. "Taka! Suzume!"

She grabbed the two blades, one in each hand. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the hilts, they both began to change. The once nameless zanpakutou released into two identical blades, each straight and medium length, with a single auxiliary blade branching out close to the base. They looked very much like Tobiume.

"It wasn't just a dream," the young woman breathed.

Momo let her grateful tears fall freely from her chin and onto the shining metal of her new zanpakutou. Somewhere behind her, she heard knocking at her door. Shiro and Izuru had come to check up on her. Today, for the first time in two weeks, she would tell them she was happy and it wouldn't be a lie.

The End

Epilogue to Follow…