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Chapter 13

Deaths: Shinigamis: 0

Hollows: 1

Vizards: 0

Rika jumped on Aizen, trying to take him on surprise. She had no chance. Within a second, Aizen had sheathed his sword and laid an attack on Rika. She fell to the floor with wound running from her far left shoulder down to her waist. She had barley a second to react.

She gasped. The pain was unbearable. She fell to the floor, grasping her chest.

"Silly girl. I would try not to get in the way if I were you," he said smiling. He felt no guilt in harming her. He had what he wanted and he had no need of her now… Well, there was something. "I'll just take that for now," he said.

Rika feebly raised her hand in attempt to ward off Aizen. She made a strangled noise which could only been identified as a gasp. Aizen's cold hand wove around her neck, and then finding what he was looking for, smiled.

He was fingering a small crystal globe, Rika's small crystal globe. In her final attempt to talk, she managed to say, "You… bastard! Keep your… hands… off that! It… won't do… you… anything… anyway!"

He laughed, watching Rika's life fade away. "You think I don't know what this can do? I do, my girl. I know very well," he said. Then his hand went towards his own neck, taking out an identical crystal from around his neck.

Rika gasped involuntarily, then fell into unconsciousness. It couldn't be happening… but it was.

"I'll go and find her," Hitsugaya shouted towards Ichigo, meanwhile making a swipe at an unimportant Espada.

Ichigo nodded. There was no time to argue if they both wanted Rika to be alive. Hitsugaya headed towards the divisions as Ichigo took on his Espada. He managed to give a side-glance to see how Renji was fairing.

Renji meanwhile, was having problems of his own. Tosen, unfortunately, was ending up to be an equal match for his Third Release. Renji grimaced. Then, suddenly, the dark was consuming him. In that short second, he lost his sight. He lost his hearing. He lost his sense of smell as well. He was disabled.

"So, you think you'll still be able to match my powers. After all, even with your fancy new release, you are but a lieutenant," Tosen remarked.

Renji was relived. At least he could hear his voice, no matter how unnerving it was.

"Is this really what you want?" Renji asked. He had to distract him… to persuade him.

"Like I said before, I chose the way where there is the least amount of blood shed. This is my path. If you stand in my path, there is nothing I can offer but death," he said calmly. Then on an unsuspecting Renji, he stepped forward and cut him.

There were some limits to feeling things, and Renji realized that he could still, most definitely, feel pain. But he knew that Tosen was only toying with him. This wasn't even a fraction of his power.

Although, to Tosen's surprise, Renji just smiled. "It's true that I can't see anymore. But did you consider Zabimaru? He can, very well, still see," he said slowly.

"What?" Tosen yelled in surprise. But he was too late. The snakeheads made their way towards him in lightning fast speed, and before he knew it, he was unconscious. If it were not for Renji, he would have been falling towards his death.

"Renji, take him to my office, and make sure he doesn't escape," Byakuya ordered, making another strike at Gin.

"Yes, captain," and with that, he was off.

Byakuya, on the other hand, was still very much into his fight.

"Oh, Tosen's down already? Tsk, tsk…" Gin muttered.

"You should be more focused on your fight. You never know what can happen…" Byakuya said, already managing to wound Gin.

Gin smiled. "I've always wondered what the outcome of this fight would be. What fun this is!"

Hitsugaya (out of his third release state) found Rika, who was just getting up. Her wound was sealed with a thin layer of ice, her sword in Shikai form. Hitsugaya hurried to support her.

"Damn! What happened?" Hitsugaya shouted.

"I'm sorry. Aizen… he has the sword," Rika said.

"What sword?"

"There is no time. We have to get back to the battlefield. I'll explain while we get there. Hurry!" she said.

"You've come at last," Aizen remarked.

"Well, I hadn't the need," he replied, eyeing his hand. It was his sword, calling to him… He made a grab for it.

Aizen was expecting this; he moved a step back. "You can have the sword… for a price. Will you side with us?"

Already knowing the answer, he handed Keiji his sword. He would still have to watch out for him… he was a tricky one.

Keiji smile maliciously. A strange aura began to fill the air, the source being he. The sword will finally awaken after years of sleep. It was time.

"Stay here," Hitsugaya ordered. Rika stubbornly shook her head.

"You need everyone who can help. I'm here, and I can help. I can use my release form. Your not the only one who's been training," Rika said.

It was true, as she taught the gang the final release form; she had mastered it as well. Hitsugaya mused that that was what she had been doing when she seemed to have disappeared.

"Your wounded," he commented.

"So are you," she retorted. He had barley noticed his wound upon his arm and various other places. To him, there was nothing. He felt nothing.

"Please," he said finally. Rika looked at his face in surprise. His expression was filled with sadness and worry.

Rika still shook her head. Then, barley audible, she said, "I can't loose you again."

Then distracting him, she asked, "Where's Rukia?"

To answer her question, he turned his head upwards. There was Rukia, fighting two Espada at once. She was also winning. To Rika, she was the most bravest and beautiful. She smiled, longingly.

"Hn, should we interfere?" he asked.

"Nah, wait a few more hours. They're fine without us," she said, not really caring.

The sky seemed to darken, as he stepped onto the battlefield. There was a clasp of thunder and lighting as it began to rain. All heads turned to him. The clouds blocked his face, and then with a flash of lighting, they could make out the number zero.

Okay… that took four pages on word. It was a little confusing; I'm jumping all over the place in this chapter.

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