A/N: This is the ending I had first written when I started the story, but I felt it was too happy and didn't quite fit so I re-wrote it into something more...sinister. And well...something more hopeless for our dear characters. Enjoy.

Healing Hisagi-fukutaichou had taken its tool. Soifon could feel the tiredness dragging at her every step, yet she forced her eyes open, tried her best to keep her mind alert. The sound of Abarai's stumbling steps behind her were reassuring – yet terrifying.

She had never had a problem with taking responsibility…but that had been during times where she had been strong. Right now…right now she felt weaker than ever before.

She never saw the attack coming.

All she saw was red.

A mop of fiery red hair blocking her view.

A spray of red.

A spray of blood and an aborted cry.

"ABARAI!"

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Shuuhei's weight wasn't as bad as Renji had thought in the beginning. It was the cold that bothered him the most, as well as the uneven ground which made it hard to keep quite on the already too silent battle field.

He had always been shit at sensing Reiatsu. Second only to Ichigo.

But this time – this time he felt it. He hardly had the time to drop Shuuhei before he threw himself in front of Soifon-taichou.

Zabimaru had still been in his hands, always ready for another attack. Yet his faithful Zanpakuto had only managed to block half of the attack aimed to kill Soifon-taichou. The dagger which the Quincy had wielded imbedded itself into his shoulder. Renji gritted his teeth against the pain and pushed back against the Quincy with his Zanpakuto. A spray of red painted the air as the blade slit through the man's throat mercilessly.

"ABARAI!"

Renji ignored the scream in favor of pulling the dagger out of his shoulder. It clattered to the ground loudly.

"Are you alright…Soifon-taichou?" He asked, his face flushed and breathing accelerated as he turned towards her.

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Soifon had no words as she stared at him. Her jaw locked, and she nodded at him once.

"Your friend." She finally reminded him, watching with some amusement as Abarai panicked and rushed back to Hisagi's side, fussing over his form on the ground. She stared at the Quincy that had almost taken her life. With a sneer on her face she delivered one last kick to his ribs before turning her back on him.

"Abarai!" She called out once again.

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Renji lifted his head as he heard his name called once again, he had been checking on Shuuhei's wounds when Soifons voice had broken the silence that had settled in the last few seconds. The adrenaline was slowly dimming down and the wound in his shoulder was throbbing, yet he couldn't bring himself to regret what he had done.

She had saved his friend. Despite all odds standing against his survival. Despite the fact that her efforts might end up having been for naught…For that alone he owned her.

Yet when her voice carried over. Softer than he had ever heard before he couldn't help the shock that came over him.

"Thank you…Abarai."

A small smile spread over his face as her words finally registered.

"You are welcome…Soifon-taichou."

If she heard his response she gave no indication.

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When he woke it was to the motion of being carried, red was blocking his view. Before he could swallow it down a low groan escaped his lips.

"Shuuhei?" A familiar voice in front of him enquired softly. "Can you hear me, Shuuhei?"

Another low groan before he managed to open his lips and forced out a reply.

"…yeah…" He rasped.

"Soifon-taichou! Shuuhei has woken up!"

Soifon-taichou…and that voice…Renji. They must have found him. Still his body felt like he had been dropped at a couple of hundreds of meters of height. The carrying motion stopped.

Shuuhei winced as he felt himself being lowered slowly.

"How are you feeling?" Renjis concerned voice carried over. Shuuhei cracked his eyes open, Renji was leaning over him while Soifon-taichou lingered a little away from both of them, her sharp eyes were surveilling their surrounding intently.

"Like shit…" Shuuhei rasped into Renji's direction. He must have heard wrong for he could swear Soifon-taichou had emitted a snort at his rather dry response.

"Heh, stop complaining." Renji grinned at him ruefully, though the concern was still evident in his eyes.

"No worries…I won't…kneel over…that fast." Shuuhei forced a grin onto his face. Renji laughed. It rung loud in the still air around them.

His laughter however was drowned out by a booming noise and a blinding white light illuminating the night sky for a spilt second before dying out once again.

"…What was that?" Shuuhei enquired eyes widening as he stared at the sky.

"No…not what…who?" Soifon asked, staring at the sky too.

"He has come…" Renji said, voice hoarse and distant to his ears as if it had been buried beneath oceans.

"Ichigo has come."