The giant phoenix seemed to glare maliciously at Rukia, but she merely stared serenely back, as if daring the phoenix to do its worst
The phoenix reared back and as it screeched Rukia thought of her life so far, it had been long and fulfilling, and she felt a strange sense of peace beginning to wash over her
"I'm not afraid of this, I've led a good life… meeting Renji and the others, my adoption by Nii-sama, being assigned to the 13th division…and… Ichigo's attempted rescue"
Images of the people she cared about flew through her mind and she closed her eyes
"No pain" and Renji's face flashed
"No sadness", Ukitake and Kaien, on the night she was forced to kill him after he was fused with a hollow
"No regrets", Orihime, Ishida and Chad flashed in, all smiling and in Chad's case, giving a thumbs up
"Nothing that anchors my heart to this world" Ichigo and Byakuya came to the forefront of her mind, and she opened her eyes to stare directly at the Sokyoku phoenix as it flew directly towards her
"I can accept this"
She heard a flashstep, felt a familiar reiatsu near her, and the Sokyoku screeched and reared back as if it had been denied something
Rukia didn't dare to believe…but it was impossible to deny the sight before her eyes if Ichigo, standing with his back towards the phoenix, looking down at her and smiling
"Ichigo…" she whispered
"Yo" he replied
"You…you IDIOT!" she screeched
"Wh…what?" he stammered
"Why did you come back!, I'm fine with this, and you can't win against my brother!"
As Rukia and Ichigo argued the captains down below struggled to accept the sight in front of their eyes
"The Sokyoku, with the power of One million zanpakuto, stopped by one man's single zanpakuto" Soifon, whispered in awe "Who is this man?"
"Nanao-chan, Is that one of the Ryoka?" Kyoraku asked, not taking his eyes off Ichigo
"Yes… he fits the description given by Captain Kuchiki" she replied, sounding slightly uneasy
"Then, the one who made it in time…was an outsider" Kyoraku murmured
"What the?" Ichigo exclaimed as the Sokyoku slammed into Zangetsu, holstered on Ichigo's back, yet again
"Dammit Ichigo" Layne scolded as he appeared on one top of one of the execution pillars "You wasted too much time"
"Shut Up" Ichigo replied, as the Sokyoku made space for another attack
Layne raised an eyebrow as Ichigo tightened his stance "You can't seriously be thinking of taking another attack from that thing"
Rukia caught the thread of the conversation "Ichigo! You won't survive another hit" she shouted at him
"You talk too much!" he replied, with a hint of irritation
"Maybe" Layne cut in, then jumped up and kicked Ichigo out of the way "But I'm inclined to agree with her"
"Bastard"
"Let me take this one" Layne said quietly, unsheathing both of his zanpakuto
"Drift! Roxas!"
Oathkeeper and Oblivion appeared in his hands as the Sokyoku screeched its challenge and Layne dropped into a defensive stance, prepared for whatever the Sokyoku had in store for him
"So, the fire bird flies into a lake and fizzles out," Layne mused "No one is going to believe that when I tell this story later"
The Sokyoku charged forwards, but before it could reach Layne some ropes wrapped around its neck and it reared back
"What the?" Layne asked as he looked down and instantly spotted the source of the ropes
One of the captains from the bridge had placed some shield looking thing on the ground and the ropes extended from it
"What on earth is that thing...and why is one of the Captains interfering with this execution?"
Then he recalled Yoruichi explained why Moll would be alright
"It's Rukia's Captain" he murmured to himself, "It makes perfect sense for him to want to stop this execution"
Layne grinned as he saw the uproar that Ukitake's appearance had made
"This seems like a good oppurtunity"
Layne flashstepped down to that strange object and drew attention away from Ukitake and the weird captain that was wearing a pink kimono draped over his white haori
"How does this work?" he asked them
"Stick your zanpakuto into it" Ukitake muttered out of the corner of his mouth "It requires two zanpakuto though"
"Not a problem"
Layne stabbed the Oblivion and Oathkeeper straight into the shield and his power ran straight up the rope things and into the Sokyoku, which imploded, causing small bits of fire to rain from the sky down atop the gathered Shinigami, who looked on in amazement
Layne removed his zanpakuto and flashstepped back onto the top of the execution stand
"How's that?"
"Nice man, now watch out, because I'm going to get Rukia out of this thing"
Ichigo began spinning Zangetsu around by the ribbon that extended by the hilt
"Just a thought," Layne pointed out "This stand was probably built to withstand the impact of that bird"
"That's good, you destroy the bird, I'll destroy the thing that can withstand the bird, it's another way of proving I'm stronger than you" Ichigo replied, a vein pulsing in his head as he turned towards Layne, still spinning Zangetsu around
"You don't have to make everything into a competition" Layne sighed
"You talk too much"
Ichigo stopped spinning Zangetsu, grabbed the handle, and stabbed it straight into the stand
The crosspiece connecting the pillars split from the two uprights and shot straight towards the ground, where it shattered on impact
"See" Ichigo said to Rukia "I told you that it was going to be alright"
Ichigo had Rukia under his arm and Zangetsu over his shoulder, as he stood on the pillar that Layne wasn't crouching on
"You dummy" Rukia replied slowly "I'm not going to thank you for this"
"Whatever"
"But…what are you planning to do next?
"Run"
"Sounds good to me" Layne called over
"But those are captains down there!" Rukia exclaimed
"So? This is just about you anymore, Orihime, Uryuu, Chad, Yoruichi, and Moll…I'm going to go get everyone who's helped me and get out of here"
Sounds of fighting filtered up from below and Ichigo and Layne turned around to see what was going on
Renji had arrived, and he looked pretty beat up from last time Ichigo had seen him
"Renji!" Rukia shouted in happiness, elated that he was still alive
"Rukia!" Renji shouted back
Ichigo lifted Rukia up and held her above his head
"Renji!... CATCH!"
With that he tossed Rukia straight towards Renji
She screamed on the way down and Renji shouted "YOU DUMBASS" at Ichigo
Renji caught her…just and they both started screaming insults at Ichigo
"What are you doing!" Ichigo shouted back "Get Rukia out of here! Your job Is to carry her to safety! Do not let go of her! Even if you die!"
Renji came to his senses, nodded and sped off, Rukia in his arms
Below, Soifon watched the scene with rising anger "What are you doing idiots! All lieutenants chase down Renji Abarai!"
Each Lieutenant shot their respective Captain a look and all got their affirmation, so the fat one, the skinny old one, and Isane started chasing after Renji
"Layne" Ichigo muttered "Your turn"
"Got it"
Layne flashstepped in front of the Lieutenants pursuing Renji, and stuck Oathkeeper and Oblivion into the ground behind him
"Getting in our way eh!" The obese one yelled fatuously "Crush him! Gegetsuburi"
The old one pointed his zanpakuto at Layne and called out to it "Bite! Gonryumaru"
Isane hesitated, but Layne flashed her look that said play along and she called out Itegumo, hopefully quickly enough that the others didn't notice her hesitation
Layne started to analyze the two new zanpakuto releases, one gigantic mace on a chain, and a rapier
"Fuck it"
The fat guy moved forwards and Layne simply punched through his zanpakuto with his hollowfied hand, shattering the zanpakuto and knocking the guy out
The old guy appeared behind Layne and attempted to slice him as his back was turned, but Layne grabbed the zanpakuto and flipped the old guy straight to the ground, where he lay unmoving
Now it was just Isane
"Come at me" Layne whispered, not wanting to get her in trouble for disobeying orders
She hesitated another moment and then charged at him
Layne grabbed Itegumo, and gently laid her on the ground, having pretended to knock her out, "Thanks for your help" he whispered in her ear
Isane played dead, but she couldn't help but be a little afraid of Layne, he had taken out two lieutenants with his bare hands… and his reiatsu felt more…jagged than it had before
Layne called Oathkeeper and Oblivion towards him and turned to walk towards the execution platform when he heard a clash of metal on metal behind him, where Ichigo had intercepted Byakuya
The two flashstepped off after exchanging some words
"Oh great" Layne said sarcastically, seemingly to no one "So you leave me to fight two captains by myself"
He turned towards the remaining Captain's, Out of the five of them, he was definitely sure that Unohana was on his side, and he was pretty sure that Ukitake, and the Pink Kimono guy were as well, so that left the Ancient Guy, and the small woman who had been commanding the Lieutenants
Layne decided to try take on the Ancient Guy first, he looked the least threatening
"Ready Roxas?"
"Don't do anything too stupid Layne"
Layne launched himself at the stand but before he could reach it, the Ancient Guy, Ukitake, and the Pink Kimono guy flashstepped away
Unohana was making her way over to the injured Lieutenants, leaving only the small captain at the stand
"Guess you're the only one left then" Layne called across to her "Unless you'd prefer not to fight, which I'd be okay with"
"Hmph, you are obviously strong Ryoka," she replied calmly "But do not think that you can defeat a captain so easily"
An orange blur shot past Layne and tackled the captain off the hill
Layne knew it was Yoruichi, but he could have sworn he felt her reiatsu winking at him
Now it was just Layne, and the Pink Kimono guys Lieutenant on that half of the hill
"Sooo… mind explaining why you're helping us?" Layne said offhandedly, sticking Oblivion into the ground and leaning on it, and resting Oathkeeper over his shoulder
The lieutenant pushed in her glasses before replying
"Captain Ukitake is Rukia's superior, and Captain Kyoraku…my captain, is Captain Ukitake's best friend"
"And just who are you?"
"Lieutenant Nanao Ise, of 8th Division"
"Awesome" Layne replied "Now what am I supposed to do?"
"You could commit suicide…that would make this much easier for me" A voice spoke, and Layne immediately recognized it, and his expression changed into a cold snarly
"I suggest you get out of the area Lieutenant… This is going to be messy" Layne warned
Nanao didn't need to be told twice as she felt both Layne's and the stranger's reiatsu rise
"Show yourself" Layne called out, his tone tinged with a cool rage "I know who you are"
"Oh my" The voice called again "What ever happened to the emotionless Layne? Poor Little Tin Man? Why don't you come and find me and then we can get this party started"
Layne stood still and silent, refusing to be baited by the voice, who seemed to know him quite well
"That's more like it"
Kieran appeared from nowhere, with the unconscious forms of Joel and Moll on one shoulder, and Anita and Jed on the other
"I was disappointed with my…comrades" Kieran said calmly, as he dropped them onto the ground "They lost to yours"
"Of course they did, you lot aren't worth shit"
"But then, they lost to me"
"And I'm surprised you didn't kill them… I guess I should be grateful, but I'm sure you have your sick reason"
"I think it would be more painful for them to see you die, and then I kill them"
"You have to kill me first" Layne challenged, consciously raising his reiatsu so the ground around him cracked
"I have to say though" Kieran said, rubbing the back of his head with his hand "I wasn't expecting so many Captains in the Gotei 13 to turn out to be traitors to the cause, All we are supposed to do is ensure the death of Rukia Kuchiki"
"Like you can talk" Layne shot back "Anita's zanpakuto powers required betraying comrades or murdering innocents… and I know you and Jed, and I refuse to believe that you'd lend your strength to any form of authority, anywhere"
"Is it that obvious?"
"You have no idea"
"Well, either way it suits me to have you dead, and not just because I hate you"
"Talk is cheap, but you talking makes me feel fucking sick"
"Funny you should say that, around me, lives are cheaper, Mutilate! Plagado!"
Kieran's simple zanpakuto changed from the form of a Katana, to what looked like a large two-handed hammer, with a shattered head, leaking some gross liquid
Layne made a face as he watched it drip onto the ground
"Let's go, Plagado!" Kieran shouted as he lunged forwards, thrusting the hammer forwards
Layne crossed Oathkeeper and Oblivion in front of him and absorbed the blow, twisting slightly so Kieran became overbalanced and stumbled forwards, and using the opening Layne brought his knee up to catch Kieran's ribs, which caused Kieran to lose his breath and fall forwards, recovering just enough to somersault and stand up, breathing heavily and clutching his stomach
"Stop fucking around" Layne said calmly, not taking his eyes off Kieran "If this is your true strength, then all you're doing is wasting my time"
"Fuck…You" Kieran wheezed as he started to regain control over his breathing "This time, we'll try something different…Plagado!"
Kieran dripped some of the…stuff onto his left hand, which started to bubble, and mutate, growing thicker, the fingers becoming bladed and spikes protruding from the knuckles
The entire scene made Layne want to vomit
Kieran began twirling Plagado around in his right hand, as he flexed the blades on his left
"Scared yet?"
"You wish" Layne replied, edging his foot forward
Layne kicked off the ground, moving towards Kieran at a frightening speed, who attempted to push Layne back by thrusting Plagado into his chest, Layne dodged it and attempted to connect Oathkeeper with Kieran's face but Kieran caught it with his bladed hand and swung Layne to the other side of him, where he would of crushed Layne if Layne hadn't brought Oblivion up and blocked Plagado, The impact of Plagado hitting Oblivion cause some of the stuff to fall out and land on the sleeve of Layne's shihakusho and right hand
Kieran kicked Layne in the stomach as he was distracted by the slime and scratched his arm with the bladed fingers, then jumped back, grinning in triumph
"Win!" he gloated "Does that satisfy your urge for power?
Layne coughed as he picked himself up "Better, this is closer to what I expected from you from all your big talk"
Layne inspected the holes the sludge had melted through his shihakusho
"How do you fight with that stuff?" Layne asked, mildly nauseated by the smell
"I can't smell remember? Something about a bone fragment lodged in my olfactory bulb"
"If you weren't such a cunt I'd feel sorry for you, But I guess I set myself up for this then"
"Layne" Kieran growled, sounding confused
"That should have melted your hand off"
Layne extended his hollowfied right hand holding Oblivion
"I dunno, I guess your reiatsu couldn't burn through the reiatsu that this hand releases subconsciously"
"Why did that happen, Roxas?" Layne questioned "If it couldn't melt through the hand it would have slipped off and melted through the ground beneath my feet, but the hand absorbed it didn't it"
I needed a concentrated sample of reiatsu
"What you got?"
Disease, Plague, Everything involved with Sickness
"I gathered that…anything I should be worried about?"
Be careful Layne, this is unknown territory
Layne returned his attention to the real word and Kieran
"Enough talk, Lets end this"
"Whatever you want"
Layne heightened his reiatsu and fired off a Rain, which Kieran jumped over, landing closer to Layne
"Try this one on for size! Riptide Strike: Surge!"
Water expanded and surrounded Layne and he charged into Kieran with the force of a Tidal wave, slamming him backwards into the ground
"I wonder if your plague can withstand being washed away at extreme speed"
Kieran hit the ground, hard, and Layne turned around and began walking off, before he felt Kieran's reiatsu rise, to a level significantly greater than Layne's own and despite himself, Layne had shock flit across his face, partly because of the level of reiatsu being emitted and partly because of the control Kieran had to have over his own reiatsu to keep this level hidden
"I was being arrogant Layne, I thought that my mastery over Shinigami powers would be better than yours because I've been here for so long…I should of come out full power from the start and filled your corpse with so much disease that it exploded"
"You could try, but even though I don't look like it, I can't lose here and let Ichigo, Moll, Chad, Uryuu, Orihime and Joel down"
"That's just too damn bad"
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm going to lose"
"Say that after you see this"
Kieran slammed his hammer into the ground, creating a sphere that looked like it was making the air wither and die
"BANKAI!"
Layne reflexively crossed Oathkeeper and Oblivion in front of him to block the chunks of ground that Kieran's release tore up and threw outwards
Something moved behind Layne and he didn't have enough time to react as something blunt crashed into the side of his chest and crushed his ribcage
Layne went flying and rolled along the floor, coughing up and spitting out a couple of mouthfuls of blood
"How'd you like that?"
Kieran appeared in front of Layne, holding his Bankai over his shoulder
"Plagado de Putrefacción"
The mace had enlarged in size, and grown several spikes that resembled bone spurs, but that wasn't what started causing Layne to choke on his own vomit
Layne's feet had become furry, and grown large pustules, which looked like they were about to burst, and the vomit was a side effect of the plague spreading through his bloodstream
Layne stood up, his resilience alarming for someone with four crushed ribs, feet that weren't even his own anymore and some unknown plague ravaging his insides
"While gross" he coughed out, after spitting out some more blood, you're going to have to do better than that to kill me"
"Oh you're going to die, and I'm going to be the one that kills you, but I have a secret… that I think I finally want to let you in on"
Layne frowned, and prepared to ignore almost any lie that came out of his mouth
"You remember when Mum died… and they never found who killed her… I did it, I killed that stupid bitch"
Layne's eyes opened wide in shock as that revelation passed through him… and he lost control of his emotions
"You're a fucking dead man!" he bellowed "RAIN!"
Kieran sidestepped the green crescent with ease, laughing at Layne's misery
"Getting angry are we?" he taunted, high off the blind rage he'd driven Layne into
"You wish, Surge!"
Water enveloped Layne yet again, but with his fucked up feet, charging forward with the force of a tidal wave proved difficult and Kieran simply caught Layne and threw him to the floor
"How's this…brother?"
Kieran brought Plagado up and over his shoulder and slammed it down on Layne
"What the fuck?"
Layne sat up in his inner world, having been lying down on the edge of the lake
"Roxas, why the hell am I in here? I really have more important things to be doing" Layne demanded "I don't have time for this cryptic bullshit!"
"He won't hear you", a familiar, and yet incredibly unfamiliar voice sounded
Layne stood up quickly and turned around to behold the figure it came from, frowning in confusion
A near perfect copy of himself looked back at him, face, features…It was almost perfect except for the colouring, shades of white and grey, with green irises and a black pupils and sclera
"Who the hell are you?" Layne asked defensively "You're not Roxas"
"Well you see, that depends on whether or not you're ready to know what I am"
"Excuse me?"
"I can either be your greatest ally, or I can be your deadliest foe… it's up to you"
"Look, seeing my own face talk in riddles is really stupid, so stop…just stop ok?"
"You're the boss, but before I let you go back to getting us all killed, let me show you a few things"
The Carbon Copy led Layne over to the edge of the lake that had two trees sprouting from the ground, and the Carbon Copy Layne kicked some pebbles into the water
"Take a look"
Layne did so and was surprised by what he saw
Captains Ukitake and Kyoraku, looking fairly beaten up, surrounded by a fire that threatened to overwhelm and consume them
The scene flashed and Layne was shown something new
Yoruichi running away from the small captain she had tackled off the Sokyoku hill. Weird flower tattoos all over her clothes and face
*flash*
Unohana and Isane, walking towards a grey tower that seemed to radiate maliciousness
*flash*
A ginger woman with huge breasts fighting that Lieutenant from the third division, while an icy dragon soared through the sky in the background
"What is all this?" Layne asked, a little confused
"Fights that are happening at the moment, and most of these will turn out really badly unless you stand the fuck up" The carbon copy nodded towards the lake "These ones should be more interesting for ya"
*flash*
Renji running through the maze that was the Seireitei, Rukia in his arms, looking over his shoulder as if he was being pursued
*flash*
Ichigo disappearing as he was crushed by a pillar of small pink blades that Layne recognized as belonging to Byakuya
*flash*
Joel losing ground to Kieran, as Moll knelt by Layne's body, shaking it and screaming
Layne abruptly stopped watching
"I've seen enough"