"I'm not gonna die, I'm not gonna die," Alex repeated to herself like a mantra. The waves were breaking in earnest against her. It took all her strength to keep herself and the baby in her arms a float. She knew Chiquita wasn't fairing any better. If the continuous waves slapping against her was any indication, Mitchie had lost control of the water. Every now and then she would stop and listen to the whimper of the child in her arms, and she would fight harder against the mighty river. "I'm not gonna"… a giant wave slapping into her face stopped her from finishing her sentence. She dipped under the water clutching the baby tightly in her arms. She floated them to the top of the water. "Oh shit, Oh shit," she thought, her legs were cramping from the cold, and the continuous struggle against the water. It should not be this hard she thought. It had never been this hard to use her powers before, but now when she needed her powers the most they were deserting her. Her arms clutched tighter against the child, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't stop to listen for the baby's cries. She was panicking now and looking for a savior. She looked all around her for her older sisters Denny and Hime. They had always been there to save her before, where were they now? But as another wave slammed into her, she realized they were not coming. It was up to her alone to save herself and the child in her arms, her powers and her sisters had deserted her. She clung to the child not noticing how still the babe was. She swam harder trying to reach the riverbank. The cold water and the cold child in her arms weren't doing anything for her rapidly decreasing body temperature. No matter how hard she swam, she didn't seem to be moving forward and she tried desperately to hold on to the words she had repeated to her self earlier, "I'm not gonna die." Though she wasn't so sure of those words as she had been moments before, they still held some comfort. Using the last reserves of her power, Alex shot from the river rapids into the sky. She laughed triumphantly it's gonna take more then a river to defeat me! She cooed down to the baby in her arms, they were going to be okay, she had saved them both. Her heart stuttered to a stop and she let out a blood-curling scream. The baby in her arms was still, ice cold and blue. She was …Dead. Alex let go of her hold on the air at the same time she let go of the dead baby. "I deserve this, I deserve to die," she thought dejectedly. She knew there was only one reason why her sisters had not come to her aid, they must be dead already. She risked her and her sister's lives to save that family and she had failed miserably. She had sentenced her sister's to death by trying to play hero. She didn't deserve her power or her life. With her arms raised up in offering and her feet together, she sank into the water. As the water encased her, her last vision was one of her family smiling at her. "I am so sorry," she said to the vision, until it faded leaving nothing but darkness.
"Come on Denny, come on," Cheyenne mumbled from a bridge in Karakura Town. Her eyes fixed on the spot in the river, where the black SUV had just disappeared. She held her breath waiting for her sister Denae to come back up from the river. After she had counted to ten twice in her head she started to tremble, in her anguish she did not notice the sudden tremor that ran through the bridge. All she could think of was Denny wasn't coming back up. And from her position on the bridge she couldn't even see where Mitchie and Alex were. Cheyenne closed her eyes, this day had gone horribly wrong ever since they stopped on the bridge. Cheyenne wished with all her heart that this was just a terrible nightmare and when she woke up, she and her sisters would be safe at home in their beds. She lifted her hand to her shoulder and pinched hard. She wanted to wake up now or she would be in danger of wetting the bed, for this was Cheyenne's worst fear. Cheyenne stood on the bridge paralyzed with fear. Her entire life she was terrified of heights, she wasn't nicknamed the Earth Hime for nothing. She got her nickname because she was grounded like the earth. Every time she was off the ground she felt as though she was being suffocated, her heart would race, her hands would get all clammy, and worst of all her mind would start playing images of what her body would look, like splattered on pavement. This time was no different. Only her fears were worsened by ten fold. Because she just knew there was no way to avoid jumping off the 20-foot bridge into the icy water rapids below. The true terror came from knowing that not all of them would walk away from this tragic incident. Wind whipped through her hair as she tried desperately to choose which sister to save. It felt as though her heart was being split into three. Memories of childhood assaulted her. Her, Denny, Lex, Chiquita whispering to each other in the middle of the night when they would all creep into Denny's room during thunderstorms. Her and Denny sitting side by side playing the piano and singing their hearts out. That time when she and Alex found an injured golden retriever and begged their parents to let them keep her. And the many times Mitchie came home from school with tears in her eyes asking for her help. Cheyenne remembered every memory in perfect detail as they sped through her mind like a fast-forwarded dvd. She did not know what to do. How does one pick between your sisters, best friends, the other parts of yourself? It was like God had asked her to choose between her heart, lungs, and her brain and she just wanted to cry out; "I CAN'T CHOOSE, I NEED THEM ALL TO SURVIVE!" Water sprayed her as wind blew the water from the crashing waves up. She shakily leaned over and saw Mitchie sinking into the water headed for a collision with rocky cliffs and her decision was made. She raised her hands and the rocky cliffs smoothed and molded into a hand that reached out to grab Mitchie and the little boy Mitchie had been trying so desperately to save. Simultaneously a rock the height of a hill shot up towards her on the bridges edge and she carefully grabbed onto it as it sunk back into the water. She ignored the sounds of awe coming from the crowd. She raised the earth hand holding Mitchie and the little boy up out of the water. She moved her makeship latter against the land hand and gracefully jumped on to it. She checked the little boy, he was coughing up water, but he was okay. His brown eyes looking at her fearfully. "It's okay honey, your safe now," she said in her most sure voice. She turned to look at her sister and her heart broke, Mitchie wasn't moving, her neck was bent at an odd angle and on her head was a large wound. Cheyenne examined Mitchie's wound closer and found herself looking at her sister's bare skull. She emptied her stomach as she realized her sister was dead. Without a second thought she jumped off her platform into the cold turbulent water. She searched frantically for her sister Alex. She knew that Denae and Mitchie were dead, because she had failed to help them when they needed her the most. She had one last chance to do the right thing, she had to save Alex. Her youngest sister, the sister that she personally had named when her dad asked three year old Hime, what she wanted to name her baby sister she had immediately said Alex after her favorite popstar. The one person who could always make her laugh. Assaulted with memories Cheyenne swam harder until she was caught in seaweed like debris, she began to frantically struggle to free herself until she collided with something hard. She pulled her head up and realized with horror that she had run into Alex facedown in the water. The seaweed wasn't seaweed at all; it was Alex's luminous blonde locks. Blood pounded in her ears at the realization, and she desperately grabbed her sister. She shook Alex roughly, "wake up Lex," she shouted. "Goddamit wake up! You're all I have left! Please?" she ended in a plea. Alex did not move. Wide unseeing grey eyes stared into Cheyenne's and Cheyenne screamed. Alex was dead, Denny was dead and Mitchie was dead. She was alone in the world. She clung to Alex's limp frame as a wave hit her. As the towering wave engulfed her, she smiled. She clutched her dead sister, while water filled her lungs. She embraced her death gracefully; she would join her sister's in 'whatever came after life'. Because living without them was not an option.
Meanwhile in the Soul Society, Surreal was speaking to Captain Aizen in his office at squad five headquarters.
"Those girls are as good as yours. They should be arriving in the Rukon District at any moment now," Surreal said. In a some what hesitant voice she asked "Did I do well Lord Aizen?"
"Yes, Surreal you delivered them to the Soul Society just as I asked. So I shall deliver Kisuke just as I promised," he replied.
"Oh goody" she exclaimed rocking back in forth on her heals and clapping her hands in delight.
"Surreal did you happen to see Gin before you left the World of the Living?"
"Captain Ichimaru isn't here yet?" She exclaimed in surprise. "I spoke to him right before the accident to let him know the girls where on the way to the Karakura Bridge. I assumed he'd be back by now; he didn't stay long enough to watch the fun parts" she said with a smile and evil glimmer in her eye.
"No Gin has not returned yet, but I will be sure to give him the appropriate greeting when he does return," Lord Aizen said in the same monotone polite voice as always, but for some reason Surreal shivered at his words. Hours later, Gin arrived in the squad five Captain's office.
"Captain Aizen," Gin greeted upon entering the office. His usual wide grin stretched over his face.
"Well Gin I am so glad you finally made it back," Aizen said with a slight lift of an eyebrow at the word "finally".
"Sorry I worried you Captain, I had some things to take care of," said in a slightly mocking jovial tone.
"Things? Well if that's what you want to call it I won't fault you," Aizen replied in a bored voice.
Gin's grin widened, "I don't know what you mean by that Captain Aizen?" Gin said in mock surprise.
"Now Gin there is no sense in lying to me, I already know you went to save her," Aizen said in a slightly admonishing tone.
"You know me so well Captain Aizen," Gin Ichimaru answered.
"That's right Gin, I know you just as well as you know yourself. I can see all those little "things" you are trying to hide from me." Gin opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced by Aizen's raised palm, the universal symbol of stop.
Aizen continued speaking," now Surreal told me those girls would be arriving in the Soul Society soon. Can I count on you to welcome them?"
"Sure Captain Aizen," he said, "it would be my pleasure."
Some days Bill Samson hated his job, and this was one of those days. He slowly walked towards the ivory colored mansion. Poor girls, he thought miserably as he looked at the picture of four girls, two of them blondes and two of them brunettes. So beautiful, so young, so talented, this was every parent's worse fear. He fought tears of sympathy as he imagined what he was about to do. Thanking God that his little girls were safe and sleeping in their beds. He stopped in front of the french doors wearliy knowing that he was about to deliver a blow to the MacDowell family that they would never recover from. He had been a police officer for 17 years and this was only the second time he had to make this visit. He took a deep breath, a knocked twice. A short elderly butler lead him to the elegant sitting room. A mocha skinned woman with sky blue eyes and jet black hair came down the stairs in a lavender silk robe follwed by a tall thin blonde man with sharp grey eyes. He could tell by their anxious and tired expressions that they had not been sleeping. Probably waiting up for their daughters to return, he mentally sighed. "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. MacDowell, I am Deputy Samson from the Karakura Police Department. I have some bad news for you, there has been an accident involving your daughters…."