Author's notes:

Hmm… as always: r&r

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This wasn't a battle anymore.

That whole ordeal had turned into a slaughter.

Metal clashed against metal as Gin brought up shinsô to deflect another attack from Hisagi, at the same time falling back on his hunches as another katana sliced through the air where his head had been a millisecond ago.

Right after Yamamoto-sôtaichô had decided that it was time to let them out of their hot prison, they had come at the three traitors screaming bloody murder. Most shinigami, as battered as they may have been (Ikkaku was looking rather worn and even Kyôraku-taichô had a few minor scratches here and there) were still in Bankai or were at least considering using it.

So by now, Tosen was doing what he could do best; Suzumushi Enmakorogi already having surrounded Komamura and his second IC plus Soi Fon. He couldn't hear a thing with that balloon wrapped around the battle field, but he was sure, Tosen was having the time of his life (hail Aizen and his path of the least bloodshed…)

Aizen on the other hand, was pre-occupied with his own little group of vengeful ex-comrades. God bless, Yamamoto, Ukitake and Kyôraku thought killing Aizen was their personal privilege, because to be frank, Gin despised fire and lectures and the sôtaichô was spouting both.

And Gin? Well, he was dodging most of the time.

He had a shrimp with a personal vendetta at hand and Hisagi, though the latter had some problems with his eyes (that blood loss couldn't be too healthy).

The others were still quite vehemently fighting against a half dead Barragain and a semi-frozen Halibel. About Stark's present state of existence, Gin had no clue. The guy had already been gone when the fire wall had disappeared. Probably looking for a peaceful place to sleep.

Another attack from Hyôrinmaru came with all its iciness, frozen water wrapping itself around Gin's left leg and sneaking up his thigh. And because he really didn't want his privates to be put into the freezer department, he aimed a fire kidô and defrosted his limb before the horror could happen.

"Ichimaruuuuu!!"

Why the kid taichô didn't put more energy into his Bankai instead of yelling his opponent's name every few seconds was a mystery to Gin, but he couldn't care less.

While Hisagi threw his Shikai at his legs, trying quite unsuccessfully to cut away his feet, Gin dared to look down at where Kira was crouching behind a wall of kidô.

Rangiku and Hinamori were both lying to his feet and his former right hand was doing his best to heal their sever injuries.

A grim expression appeared on his features. Not because Shiro-chan was screaming his name again, making his ears ring in annoyance, but because he had to really fight the urge to plunge downwards to where the trio was and heal her himself.

Gin had realized before he had gone to Hueco Mundo that she would be an essential part of the fighting power of the remaining Gotei 13 and that he would have to face her again in the war that had lain ahead.

But his inability to save her from any harm (if Grimmjow hadn't killed Lupi, Gin surely would have) was wrenching his heart more than he could take. And with a slight feeling of honest gratitude, he was glad Kira and Yamamoto had rescued her in his stead from that freakish monster of Halibel's Fraccion.

Again Gin dodged a double attack easily, blissfully ignoring the increasing frustration of his opponents. What had they been thinking? That the three would sit idly by and watch Soul Society strengthen their defensive and offensive powers?

Gin was quite capable himself and using his Bankai for a change would be quite entertaining, considering most shinigami didn't even knew he could spell the word, because he never used the drastic measure.

But his radar felt some explicitly strong reiatsus drawing nearer and they were faintly familiar (apparently Urahara had outdone himself with keeping Aizen's compulsory lab rats alive), so why waste energy on Histu-taichô if the real hard work was lying ahead?

Looking back down at Kira and his patient, Gin didn't put his mind into dodging another ice attack and was blown backwards right through a high building. Shaking off the plaster and glass from his white outfit, Gin suddenly felt Tosen's Bankai dissipate with a poof and turned around curiously.

The dark skinned man with the extremely stylish glasses (Gin had laughed half a day only at having recalled his first good look at them) was standing triumphantly above three falling forms as they tumbled downwards to the ground.

He himself was covered in uncountable wounds, Soi Fon's own Bankai having left behind some nice ornaments on a diversity of body parts.

It was then that they locked eyes for a second and Gin felt a slight frown furrowing his brows.

Something wasn't quite right and a feeling of foreboding spread out in his tightening guts.

"Uaaaaaaahh!!" Hitsugaya roared, another petal of his released state disappearing as he threw a river of ice down at his mildly confused arch enemy, who easily parted the wall with his own zanpakutô.

The grin on his lips was gone as Gin mumbled a coarse "Ikorose", watching as his katana extended at high velocity towards Hitsugaya. The tenth division captain brought his dragon wings around his frame to protect himself against the sudden attack, spiraling backwards as shinsô almost cracked open the ice shell.

Not wasting a second thought, Gin took the chance and shunpoed back through the hole he had created in the building and strained his mind to make out the reiatsu of his supposed comrade.

Jerking his head around abruptly, he almost missed the sight of Kira getting slammed into a house. He was unconscious even before he crashed into the ground.

Frozen into place, Gin watched as Tosen kicked aside Hinamori and grabbed Matsumoto by her arm, lifting her up until her pale features were level with his face. His white orbs looked up at Gin, jaw muscles clenching and unclenching.

"I shall show you justice."

There wasn't one coherent thought on Gin's mind. Just blank nothingness as he realized that he wouldn't make it even with shunpo. Tosen's katana sliced through the air just as Gin heard a whispered "No" coming from someone behind him.

The dark spot in his mind spread out its tentacles.

And then he was moving.

Matsumoto in his arms even before he himself could realize it.

Shinsô dripping with fresh blood as Tosen collapsed into a boneless heap to the ground.

A porcelain mask shattering to reveal Gin's sweaty face.

A shuddered breath escaped his lips as he knelt down in mid-air, holding the woman close against his chest. Her mere presence silencing the snickering monster in his head.

It was then that Gin realized that his surroundings had gone absolutely silent. Deathly stillness wrapping around his form like cold air and when he looked up, he found every shinigami present staring at him.

His lips transformed into a faint smile as he placed Rangiku's body carefully onto his lap, her head being held upright as it lay in the crook of his left arm. Her breathing was ragged, the gaping hole in her side still wide open and bleeding.

Expertly, Gin allowed his reiatsu to pour from his right hand into her form, glowing pale blue as he started where Kira had stopped. Almost instantly, her heartbeat slowed down and her breathing became more even.

Aizen would have his head.

Chuckling humorlessly, Gin didn't dare and look up from the ashen features of the sole reason for his existence. No-one had resumed fighting, all eyes transfixed on him. They were all in shock and it needed some seconds until the first fight involving Halibel started off again.

Oh, there was no doubt. Aizen would have his head.

It had been one thing not to kill little Hitsu or let the ryoka boy through or play with the corridors of Las Noches.

But killing Tosen? Well, Gin could have signed his own death sentence way easier.

Matsumoto suddenly tensed in his arms and Gin's heart jumped when he found her eyes cracking open, green orbs staring up at him.

His last and only chance to regain complete control over his own consciousness and soul via the King's Key shattering like all those dreams in his childhood. "Lets plant trees and sell their fruits on the market!" "Together we're unbeatable, Gin!" "Lemme take care of ya. Ran."

"G-Gin?" Her voice was so feeble, that he could only guess by the way her lips moved what she had tried to say.

Quite a few sources of immense reiatsu suddenly flared up then, telling Gin that the rest of the battles had resumed again, but he knew what was to come.

He'd been around Aizen for a long, long time and as much as the power hungry man would have liked to deny it, he wasn't the only one who could manipulate and hide his true strength.

Gin had studied him, never trusting, never showing any signs of lacking crucial loyalty. He understood Kyoka Suigetsu, knew how it worked. Hell, he had been on the receiving end of the hypnosis for so many decades that he could tell when Aizen was Aizen and when a talking stick was staring at him through shimmering glasses.

A black coffin suddenly surrounded Yamamoto and then Gin felt it.

Three individual sources of spirit energy speeding straight towards him, one so faint that it was barely perceptible. Pursing his lips, Gin doubled his efforts to heal Rangiku's wounds and found her eye lashes fluttering irregularly as she strained herself to stay conscious.

"Gin… why?"

"I came ta save ya, Ran." He mumbled, lowering his head towards her face. "Forgive me for bein' late again." His lips touched her forehead in a feather-like kiss.

He had only another second to decide what to do.

There was no way he could dodge all three opponents. Hitsugaya came from behind and the other strong owner from his right. Those two weren't his actual problem though. They wouldn't hurt Rangiku and merely kill him.

The real danger came invisible to everyone from the front. Aizen wasn't a forgiving man and Tosen –as unnecessary as his existence may have been in Aizen's eyes- had been a viable instrument to get rid of some ants and Gin had squashed the bastard somewhat too early in Aizen's ultimate plan.

He would slice through him and the woman he was holding close without a second thought.

So what was Gin to do?

He would die one way or another, but taking her down with him wasn't even an option.

Smiling ruefully down at Rangiku, he squeezed her upper arm slightly. His right hand extracted from her side, the wound closed to the point where only a hateful scar remained on the immaculate skin.

Shinsô had never been so heavy before as Gin gripped the hilt and brought it up, just as he felt the cool rush of air as another invisible katana was brought down from above, sparks flying as the two wielders fought for dominance.

Right on cue, Hitsugaya and the other attacker reached their goal, their reiatsu so strong that it almost suffocated the woman in his arms. A broad grin spread out on Gin's face when he heard a disembodied snort from the man hiding from everyone's eyes right in front of him. He pressed down harder, Gin having a hard time keeping the invisible katana from slicing cleanly through his skull.

"I've had high hopes for you, Gin."

"Me too."

And then two zanpakutôs were there, Gin having closed his eyes in anticipation of the imminent pain.

But there was none.

Frowning startled, Gin cracked his eyes open and stared.

Hirako Shinji and Histugaya were on either side of him, their katanas having partly vanished somewhere in the air in front of Gin. At the same moment, the pressure on Shinsô left completely and then he was there.

Aizen appeared out of the nowhere, wide eyes staring back first at him, then at Hirako and Histugaya. Incredulity mixed with white anger as he stepped back slightly, blood gushing out of the two puncture wounds in his chest.

"I-I am God… I am sitting on the throne!"

Gin watched mesmerized as Aizen's body collapsed without further warning, head and torso tumbling into two independent directions. Yamamoto-sôtaichô stood solemnly in front of the four people, a slight flicker of his sword hand sending a spray of blood from his katana.

Suddenly a hand appeared on his sleeve, grasping feebly for the soft material.

Still too shocked to move, Gin stared down at Rangiku's eyes, not really surprised to find a few tears sliding down her blood stained cheeks as her pale lips parted slightly.

"Thank you."

And Gin smiled.

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FINIS!?

This is the end… I humbly thank you all for reading so far and dropping comments here and there.

I actually wanted to kill Gin, but when I re-read the story, I was slightly shocked to find him still alive and kicking… somewhere on the road, my inner Hollow had taken over it seems. Hmm.

Well, I'm off. Feel free to write some nice reviews! :D