Disclaimer: Kubo Tite-sensei owns Bleach. I don't and I never will. -pouts- If I did, there would be much more Aizen-love than there is. xD
Sakura stood in Western Rukongai, Aizen's arm casually around her waist. She placed a cold hand atop his, and turned to face her friends, who stood behind her. Akemi blushed and fidgeted with her top as Gin wrapped his arm around her shoulders; Mizuki and Ulquiorra stood together, talking quietly. Orihime stood off to the side near Tousen, staring right into Sakura's eyes and looking absolutely terrifyied. Sakura smiled warmly at the girl; her faced relaxed a little as she returned the smile. Sakura rested her head against Aizen's shoulder.
Aizen stared straight ahead.
"They know we're here." he said simply. Sakura nodded.
"Then it'll be that much more fun tearing the lot of them apart." she replied. It was impossible to miss the bloodlust that tinted her pleasant voice.
His free hand brushed her bangs from her eyes.
"Don't get killed."
"Okay."
"Don't get hurt."
"Okay."
"If anything happens to you, call for Orihime-chan and-"
"Okay."
Aizen stared straight ahead, at the seiretei.
"Sakura."
She looked up to see his hand slide inside his coat. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what he could possibly be up to.
Aizen slid a small black box out, then flipped it open and held it out for Sakura to see what was inside. Sakura gasped quite audibly, and everyone turned to look.
A tiny silver kanji "5" rested on the dark red satin inside the box, attached to a delicate silver chain.
"I-is this for me?" Sakura choked out.
"Yes. Just a good luck charm." Aizen said, moving behind her to clasp it around her neck. It rested about centimeter higher than Sakura's heart.
"Th... thank you..." she whispered, teary-eyed.
"Hey!" Akemi smacked her sister on the back. "Don't get all weepy on us!"
Sakura chuckled. "Sorry," she muttered, wiping away a stray tear.
Everyone stared at the city before them. The air suddenly seemed thick as all of them seemed to hold their breath, waiting for Aizen's command.
"Kaname. Send the Arrancar in."
Tousen nodded.
They watched safely from their place in Western Rukongai, not speaking, as the Arrancar battled it out.
"Ya think we should go in...?" Gin asked absently.
Aizen nodded.
"Espada. Go and assist."
The Espada all stepped forward.
"So long, Emo Kid Ulquiorra." Mizuki said politely, grinning at him.
"Goodbye, Mizuki. It was pleasant to get to know you. I shall see you on the battlefield."
Mizuki nodded once as he flash-stepped away.
The tiny group waited patiently as clashing metal, battlecries, and dying screams were heard.
"You ready?" Sakura asked quietly.
Aizen stared down at her.
"Only if you think you are."
She smirked wickedly, bloodlust obvious in her eyes. "Let's go!"
"Gin. Kaname. Akemi-san. Mizuki-san. Go assist the Espada. We're right behind you."
Akemi dashed to Sakura and threw her arms around her friend.
"Sakura."
"Yes...?" Sakura was having difficulty breathing, Akemi's hold was so tight.
"Don't die out there. Don't die on me, okay?!"
"Yeah... if you don't suffocate me first, sure..."
"Oh! Sorry!" Akemi released her friend, then patted her shoulder. "Sakura, you know I love you, right?"
"Yeah." Sakura smiled sadly. "Prolly not more than I love you, but you know."
She watched Akemi leave with Ichimaru, a slight twinge of sadness in her chest.
Aizen tried to place his hand between her shoulder blades, but as always, she slipped away.
"Promise you'll come home."
She was taken aback by the words.
"Ne, stop acting like you care. It's starting to freak me out."
"But I do."
She met his eyes.
"Good. Maybe you should show it before I potentially walk to the end of my life?"
He was surprised by her sudden sharpness.
"I love you. Don't be so pessismistic."
She patted his shoulder. "Daijoubu (1). I'll try my best to kill as many of them as I can."
He kissed her forehead and began to walk away.
"Sousuke!" she ran to catch up with him.
"Yes?"
"...If something happens to me..." A cool breeze blew around them, blowing her overlong bangs away from her eyes. "... Take my body back to the living world. Tell my family what happened to me. And... tell Akemi to tell Izumi-sensei about what I think really happened to Sayuri. She'll know what it means."
He noticed the tears in her eyes, but pretended not to as he caressed her face. "Why are you so prone to dramatics, love?" He smiled warmly at her. "Nothing will happen to you, and when this is over, we'll rule over this world together."
She smiled sadly. "Whatever you say."
He took her hand before sweeping her up in his arms and flash-stepping with her to the battlefield.
Sakura sprinted through the field, ignoring the ceros and blasts of kido going on around her. She knew which one she wanted.
The short white-haired boy stepped in front of her.
"Who are you?"
"Ne, that's a good question." she answered, chuckling, "But it's a pleasure to meet you, Hitsugaya Toushirou."
Hitsugaya's blue-green eyes widenedslightly in surprise.
"How do you-?!"
"Oh, no reason... Aizen-sama told me."
She grinned sadistically at the rage that crossed his face.
"I'm sorry, did I touch a nerve? ... Oh! Before I forget..." she lowered her voice accordingly, "... Tell me, how's Momo-chan doing?"
"That does it!" the boy-captain snarled. "I'll kill you!"
Sakura chuckled. "I'd like to see you try, boy." she taunted, flashstepping behind him and slamming her elbow into his back.
"Ah...!"
"See what I mean? It'll only get worse." she said darkly, slamming her left fist into Hitsugaya's cheek. He slid back and drew his sword.
"Playing rough now, are we? Lovely." Sakura said, drawing her own blade.
Around half an hour later- though no one could be sure the time- Sakura rejoined her group.
"How'd you do?" Akemi asked.
"Great. Hey, Sousuke!"
Aizen looked over at her.
"Took down Hitsugaya."
He smirked. "I knew you could."
"It... wasn't too much fun, though." she said, disappointed.
An explosion of reiatsu turned her attention to the orange-haired boy she'd seen earlier.
"Hey... that looks... like me..."
Kurosaki Ichigo had gone into bankai.
"I'm gonna go fight him. Hiraita sora wo tsukisase, Etsuko!" she cried out, already running towards him.
Kurosaki turned to Sakura running at him. He quickly blocked her attack.
"You lookin' for a fight?"
She smirked evilly as her eyes changed and her wings exploded out of her back. "Hell yeah."
Suzuki Sakura's scream was absolutely hair-raising. Aizen, Akemi, and Mizuki rushed to the sound.
She lay on the ground in a pool of her own blood, a huge gash across her chest, blood all over her uniform, and her right arm in shreds.
Aizen's face darkened in rage.
"...Kurosaki!"
KUrosaki smirked. "What? Pissed that I beat your girlfriend?"
"Hold your tongue, boy!" Aizen turned his glare on Orihime. "Orihime!"
"I'm on it!"
"... No...!"
Orihime stopped as she saw Sakura's uneven eyes staring up at her.
"What?"
"Don't... waste your strength..." She smiled. "I don't... mind dying..."
Akemi dashed to Orihime's side.
"What's going on?!"
"...She said she wants to die..." Orihime's face was as white as the uniform she wore.
"Sakura! Suzuki Sakura!"
Sakura stared up, half-dazed, into Akemi's determined face.
"You promised us you wouldn't die! You promised!"
"Aw... shut up... Akemi..." Sakura's breathing was becoming more and more labored. "... You know... as well as I do... that it's no good..."
"No, dammit! You can't just give up!" Akemi turned over her shoulder. "Aizen! Come over here and talk some sense into her!" The tears in Akemi's eyes began to overflow.
"Stop crying... you'll make me cry too... you dingbat..."
Akemi stifled a sob as Aizen flash-stepped to her side.
"Sakura..."
She felt a warm hand brush the hair from her face, but her vision was too clouded to see who it was.
"...Sousuke...?"
"Do you really want to die, Sakura?"
She opened her mouth to speak, but ended up coughing blood. She gasped, caught her breath... and then her eyes closed.
"Sakura!"
"Sakura-san!"
"No!"
She heard the screams, but couldn't respond to them as she descended into unconsiousness...
"Sakura."
Sakura opened her eyes to find herself lying on her back, in a drift of snow.
"Etsuko. Hi." she said, getting up and brushing snow from her hair. The snow wasn't falling like the last time she'd been here; a cold wind blew sharply, and there was a gentle rain falling. Thunder boomed ominously and lighting flashed across the sky.
"What's with the wacky weather?"
Etsuko stared at her. "Something is troubling you. That's what happens in this world when you are troubled."
"Oh."
"Sakura, why do you want to die?"
Sakura looked the ground.
"It's not that I want to die, Etsuko... it's just that I feel that my time in this world is done. Sayuri is waiting for me." She smiled at the thought.
"Now... Sakura, you have a choice to make. You can allow me, the Inoue girl, and your inner Hollow to save you... or, you can die at the hands of Kurosaki Ichigo. What do you choose?"
Sakura walked over to the great white tree and stood against it as the rain began to fall more heavily.
"So that was his name..." She turned her eyes back on her sword.
"Etsuko, he's stronger than me. There's nothing I can do about that. So, it would be honorable for me to die by his hand, yes?"
The blade-woman sighed as Sakura's inner Hollow appeared, hissing and sputtering in rage.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" it screamed. "Where do you get off thinking you have the right to end my life as well, you little bitch?!"
"Silence." Sakura said with a new conviction. "It's over. You're a monster. I won't give in to you, even if you can save me."
"What about Sousuke?" Etsuko asked.
Sakura's memories of Aizen flashed through her mind. She sighed, tilting her head back to smile at the rain.
"He'll be fine without me." she said quietly.
"Dammit!" her inner Hollow screamed, kicking a snow drift.
"Etsuko...?"
The blade-woman nodded. "I will return you to your world for your final moments. After you've said your goodbyes, it's all over."
Sakura nodded once, leaned her head against the tree, and closed her eyes...
Sakura's eyes fluttered open.
"Sousuke...? ...Akemi...? ...Taiyou-chan?" she blinked.
"Thank God!" Akemi cried out.
"We thought we had lost you." Aizen said gently.
"Don't scare me like that again!" Mizuki yelled.
"You guys... thank you... for coming after me. I mean it." She smiled sadly at her friends. "You two... are no longer my friends."
The other two stared at her, unblinking.
"You are... my sisters..."
Sakura turned her gaze back to Aizen.
"... Nothing to say except that I love you..." she chuckled. "Funny... when I first came to Hueco Mundo, I hated you... and now..." Sakura coughed blood again. Aizen stroked her hair.
"Don't worry, Sakura. It's alright now. ... I love you, too."
She smiled up at him.
"Good to know. Everyone... thank you... from the bottom of my heart... I love you all..."
She closed her eyes for the last time.
When Suzuki Sakura took her last breath, Aizen kissed her with as much passion as he could muster.
Author's Notes: All right, one more chapter to go! Bet you guys didn't see that one coming, did you? xD
(1)- Daijoubou: Japanese for something to the effect of, "Don't worry."
Thanks to everyone who reviewed throughout. I appreciate your feedback. Reviews are appreciated here as well, thanks.