Ch. 14

With their mission in mind, both Dante and Nemu raced to their destination as fast as possible. They crashed through brush and bounced off branches until they left the forest. Once they arrived on the tiled ground, the two were ambushed by a large group of shinigami. Both individuals stood back to back with enemies surrounding them. "It would appear that we were expected," Nemu droned as she surveyed the numerous foes.

"Hey, these guys are swarming around us like paparazzi. Hey, do you think they heard the rumors? Just to be safe, the ones with me and Andy Dick are completely false. But the ones with me and Craig Ferguson in that one club up in Miami with them Cuban bitches and Lindsay Lohan… No comment."

"A wise and effective strategy would be to use our combined skill to defeat the opposition," Nemu advised.

"Tag teaming, huh? I like the way you think," Dante said with a smile. Nemu blushed a bit by the compliment. "Hell, I've always wanted to dance with a fine dime like yourself. Let's hit the ass-whoopin' dance floor together and bust a move on these suckas."

Both rogue fighters stood in their battle positions, with both of their swords drawn. As soon as one of the foes went in for the attack, Nemu dispatched the foe with a surprisingly swift stroke of her blade. As if on cue, the soul reapers charged. Quickly, Dante rushed to Nemu's side and slashed a couple of the enemies who came near the lieutenant before turning around and launching a few lasers at a few more enemies. With Dante controlling his enemies, Nemu blocked an oncoming hit and kicked her attack in the head. She then punched her opponent in the air and delivered a few strikes. In the end, her foe was tossed into the side, knocking down a few shinigami on impact. Now both Dante and Nemu were striking enemies in fast speed, trading places and using their agility to their advantage. "Special attack: Crowd Control!" Dante shouted as both partners grabbed each other's wrists and swung their bodies clockwise, their legs kicking the heads of any foes in the way. Then they jumped and stabbed the ground at the center of the pit. Their release of spiritual pressure rattled the ground and threw their enemies off their feet. Now the battle was over as bodies of fallen soul reapers littered the ground around them. "Whew! That was pretty cool," Dante said before stretching his legs. "We should do this again sometime."

"Indeed," Nemu replied. "Now, we should continue on to the Central 46." Dante nodded and the two shunpoed from the scene. They leaped from roof to roof, moving quickly with a purpose. As the two ran, a loud blast from Sokyoku Hill grabbed their attention. They turned and saw a cloud of sand rising from the cliff. Both individuals could feel the high levels of reiatsu like a homing beacon, but continued moving. "What a sudden release spiritual pressure… One is Ichigo… But the other is…" Nemu asked in bewilderment.

"Byakuya Kuchiki," Dante interrupted with a smirk. "Shit's starting to get serious, ya feel me?"

Thanks to their speed, they managed to avoid the eyes of many enemy shinigami in the area. Along the way, Dante could have sworn that he saw Uryu, Orihime, and Chad, accompanied by a soul reaper. Of course, they did not notice him and his companion due to their movements nor did Dante feel the need to make sure. After a few minutes of running, both sword wielders felt a sudden rise in spiritual pressure as a blinding light erupted from Sokyoku Hill. Nemu was shocked by the sudden surge, but continued to maintain a stoic gaze. Dante, on the other hand, was smiled with a toothy grin. "That was Ichigo…" she said. "His spiritual pressure has just underwent a drastic increase."

"Oh, Big Ich's pumped up now," Dante said. "Kuchiki better start protecting his neck 'cause my boy's about to go for the throat." The black teen's smile widened as he felt the sudden change rise in spiritual pressure. He was excited that one of the most dramatic battles was about to take place at that very moment and wished he was there to see it. Of course, he knew that he was never one to simply stand and watch. Perhaps it was better that he went with Nemu instead and left Ichigo to his own business. Besides, he much preferred her company anyway.

After running for some time, Nemu and Dante arrived at the front walls Central 46. A large facility, it is here where deliberations on all matters concerning the Soul Society are judged. The ones who are responsible for these ideas are 6 judges along with 40 wise men. Nemu stood with a perplexed eye, knowing that there was something odd. The area was relatively quiet due to the absence of any shinigami. The doors were also opened, something that rarely happens. "This isn't right," the lieutenant said. Dante turned to her with a risen brow. "The area is restricted to all shinigami of the Gotei 13. No soul reaper, of noble decent or otherwise, is allowed on the premises."

"Maybe the guards are on vacation in Haiti," Dante said. "Or maybe they're having a party! Hey, do you think it's open invitation?"

Nemu turned to Dante with bewilderment from his comments. Perhaps the black teen was either very optimistic, or displaying an act of ignorance. Either way, she felt somewhat at ease by his disposition. The lieutenant pushed these thoughts aside and turned to the building ahead. They crossed the bridge which connected the entrance to a building at the center of a circular moat. Once they arrived at the building's entrance, the two found the door was broken through, including the steal bars which covered it. "Damn," Dante said. "Now this is a serious termite problem. Guess they really needed to call Clark, ya feel me?"

"I don't believe this is from insect activity," Nemu replied with an examining eye. She then placed her hand on the edges of the break and felt around it. "Judging from the smoothness of the sides and the angle, I believe this was made by a sword stroke. Also, the metal bars were also shattered, meaning whoever did this was a powerful individual"

"Hey, I knew that," replied the black teen as he placed his hands in his pocket. "Anyway, let's go check it out." Nemu nodded as the black teen entered through the hole with her following close behind. Once inside, the two warriors looked to the side to see flights of steps snaking their way down the side of the building to the shadowy depths below. "Man, this is gonna take too long. How about we ride the elevator instead."

"Elevator? I do not believe such a contraption can be found here."

Dante turned to the lieutenant with a smile. "You mean 'not yet,'" the black teen replied with cleverly, earning a risen brow from his teammate. The black teen drew one of his zanpakuto and shouted, "Burst with a fury from the future! Akumu hi Ryuujin!" With his laser scythe now released, Dante used his weapon's morphing ability to use shapeshift into his Heavy Wing form. "Going down," he screeched. Nemu acknowledged her comrade's plan of action and hopped on the dragon's back. Flapping his wings, Dante descended down the tower which was mostly below water level. It was due to this that the remaining light during his flight shone a few of the stories in a light blue hue. Cocking his head, he focused his eye on Nemu who inspected her surroundings. "Damn, this chick's so fly! Mmm Mmm!" the dragon thought. "Maybe after this is all over, she can get me caught up with some biological studies. Heh heh." About ten minutes passed before the duo arrived at the bottom level in front of a tall structure. This was the Underground Assembly Hall. Once Dante landed, Nemu jumped off the dragon's back as he returned to human form. He reverted his scythe back into its basic katana state before returning it to its sheath. "Basement level. Wrinkly old guys, bad legal decisions, flashlights optional."

"This way," Nemu replied as she led her comrade to the building. Once the two arrived at the entry way, Dante's eyes shrunk by the sight he saw. The entire room was covered in dead bodies. Some draped over the inner and outer octagon-shaped desks which decorated the center of the room. With others still sitting in their seats. Blood stains painted the nearby floor and walls. The stagnant stench of death still wreaked the chamber which was once a place of law and order.

"Looks like someone was hard at work," the black teen replied as the entered the room to investigate. "I've seen some bloodbaths in my day, but not an entire dead pool."

"How could this have happened?" Nemu asked. "And what possible reason is there for such a massacre?"

She turned around to see Dante chipping at one of the dried pools on a desk. In his hand were flakes of dried blood. "I'm no CSI or nothin', but I'm thinkin' these guys took their dirtnap a long time ago."

"Blood usually takes over a month to dry into this condition," Nemu explains. "This being the case, it would probably entail that the council had met their demise for quite sometime. Even before you and the other ryoka arrive here in the Seireitei."

"Hey, you said that this place is where all the rules are made right?" Dante asked.

"That is correct. This means that every decision, from the lockdown to Rukia's execution, were under the orders of another party." Hearing this, the black teen whistled. Of course, he knew exactly what was going on, but he still couldn't help but feel impressed by the these machinations.

"Well, you gotta give props to this guy," Dante said. "I mean, everyone says their gonna throw a society on its head. But not a lot of people would go do it. And fewer people actually get away with it when they do. Hell, the motherfuckers from Oceans 11 could take a tip from this son of a bitch." He then turned to Nemu, who gazed at the black teen with a cold silent gaze. Seeing this, Dante only chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry… expository dialogue. Blame the author."

"It is possible that the responsible party is still inside this structure," the braided-haired lieutenant began. "The Seijōtōkyorin is not far from our current location."

"The Say-Joe… what?" Dante asked with a raised brow.

"The Seijōtōkyorin. It is the living quarters of the Central 46. Restricted documents, past case files, and many other types of information are also found in its confines. Perhaps that is what the culprit is after."

"Man, this girl is good," Dante thought with an impressed smile. "Hey wait a minute. If I catch that punk ass Aizen, that would mean I'd be a hero! Oh I can see it now…" The black teen drew a mental picture of the aftermath of his victory. Various women grouped around him singing his praise as a party rang out in the background. His arms wrapped around the grateful bodies of Rangiku and Nemu while Yoruichi rested her head on Dante's. "Hella tight…" he thought as he salivated from his thoughts as he looked up blissfully.

"Are you alright, Dante?" Nemu said, her comment enough to bring her partner back to reality.

Dante only stared blankly at the young woman. "It's all good… Well then, let's bounce Sexy Sherlock! Time to nab the guy behind this!" Excited, Dante hurried out of the chamber with Nemu in toe. Before she left, the 12th Division lieutenant gave one last glance to the once exalted members of Central 46.

Once they left the Assembly Hall, the two took another passage which led to another large room. Once they arrived, the two found themselves near another staircase. In front of them were large pillars the size of small towers reaching into the shadow-covered ceiling above. Now they were in what used to be the living quarters of Central 46: The Seijōtōkyorin. "Whoa…" was all Dante could say as he scanned the area before him. "It's like a small city up in this bitch," Dante awed. He then looked ahead to another entryway and saw two figures walking toward a tower. One of them was a lieutenant that he had faced days ago: Momo Hinamori of Squad 5. The other was a captain-level shinigami dressed in a white shihakusho. He had short white hair and a wide smile with closed eyes almost like a fox grin. Just looking at him gave the black teen shivers. "Hey, that's Momo! And that other guy's…"

"Gin Ichimaru," Nemu finished. "He's a captain who leads the 3rd Division. Recently, he has been labeled as a suspect for the murder of fellow captain, Sosuke Aizen of the 5th Division. Of course, this is all mere speculation and no charges have been brought against him." She then paused and focused on the lieutenant accompanying him. "I find it odd that Lieutenant Hinamori is in his company. It was said that she engaged with an altercation with him once Aizen's cadaver was recovered."

"Damn, I kinda feel sorry for her," Dante thought. "She follows her captain like a fangirl for Soulja Boy. Now that I think about, both do have a habit of stabbing their fans in the back." As Dante thought about what might happen if things ran their course, the black teen then had an idea. "This might be my chance right here! If I save Momo, I might be able to stop Aizen. Hah! Two birds up in this bitch!" "Come on!" Dante replied to his partner. "We gotta get Momo out. Then we'll take care of Chuckles."

"Ichimaru is one of the strongest shinigami in the Soul Society and has honed his skills since childhood. Are you sure you can stand against him in battle?"

"Only one way to find out." Dante said boldly. Feeling that time was of the essence, Dante rushed over to the two shinigami with Nemu not far behind. With a quick sprint, the two arrived just behind the soul reapers. "Hold it right there, Laughing Octopus!" Dante replied as he held one of his swords pointing at the captain's back. Hearing his voice, Momo snapped around in surprise. "What? You couldn't invite us? We're so hurt!"

Gin, on the other hand, still kept his grin. The white-haired man seemed calm and his smile on continued to creep Dante out. "Well, this is quite a surprise," said the captain. "Lieutenant Kurotsuchi of Squad 12. And you must be one of the ryoka. A pleasure to meet you."

"Cut the crap, chump. We're here to shut your ass down."

"Lieutenant Hinamori, you must leave this place," Nemu droned. "It is not safe here."

"I won't leave," Momo replied. "I was told to come here I will not go until I find out the reason why."

"As you can tell, it was her choice to come here," Gin said. "All I'm doing is helping her out. After all the pain she has gone through, this was the least I could do."

"Bastard…" Dante snarled with gritted teeth as he knew full well of the albino captain's true intentions. He then returned his focus to Momo. "Yo, listen. Whatever bullshit this fool's selling, don't buy it. Everything on that piece of paper is all a big ass scam."

Momo was surprised by Dante's statement. "How did you know I had a note?" she asked.

"Um… That's not the point! What matters is you got to get the fuck outta here! Trust me, you don't need to be here."

"Oh? And why would she need to do that?" a new voice replied from a nearby tower. Silence filled the room as Momo, Nemu, and Dante turned their attention to the entrance of the building. Stepping out of the shadows was a man in a white robe similar to Gin's. He had brown hair and matching eyes behind a pair of glasses. He had a rather modest smile on his face. "Hello, Momo."

Both Momo and Nemu were stunned by the appearance of the individual. Dante, on the other hand, was far from surprised as his hands found their way to the two grips of his zanpakuto. "C-Captain Aizen…" Momo said in disbelief. "I-It can't be… I-Is that really you?" Drawn by curiosity, loyalty, and a mix of emotions, Momo began to walk toward her leader.

Seeing this, Dante was about to dash forward in an attempt to save the young woman. However, his path was blocked by the blade of a katana drawn lightning fast. "Uh, uh, uh," Gin sang, his grin widening even more. "This is a private moment. I'm afraid I can't let you just barge in."

"Damn it…" Dante hissed. Acknowledging his predicament, Dante drew his other sword and stood in an offensive position. "Fine then. I'll just go through you and get at Aizen!" Hearing this, Nemu also stood offensively. In her mind, her chance of success was slim to none. However, teaming up with Dante may increase those chances.

With "The Divine Spirit of Language" from Star Ocean: Till the End of Time playing from his device, Dante and Nemu charged into battle. Dante slashed at the albino captain with quick and furious strikes from his blades. However, Gin managed to block the attacks with ease before striking down with a slash of his own. Dante crossed his swords in order to block the maneuver, though the foe's spiritual pressure made him struggle to keep the foe's sword away. Luckily, Nemu was just above and ready to use a counter attack. Gin saw this and quickly hopped away just as Nemu's kick hit the ground. Using her agility and speed, the lieutenant dashed ahead and used multiple kicks and slashes from her own katana. Though as with Dante, Gin was able to dodge and block all of her attacks. After a couple of minutes of dodging and blocking, the captain managed to bounce one of Nemu's strokes off his blade. This caused the lieutenant to stagger back and gave Gin the opportunity to counter. Before his blade met with Nemu's body, Dante managed to block the attack with one of his katanas and strike with the other. Gin managed to push away the blocking weapon just in time to distance himself from the striking sword.

"Nemu! Go and get Momo out of there! Leave Sir Smirk-a-lot to me." Dante called to the lieutenant, who responded with a nod. He then turned back to Gin to make sure he wouldn't go after the young woman and impede on her task.

The captain maintained his cheshire grin as he focused on the renegade. "What's wrong? I would have thought you were stronger than this," the albino warrior replied. "Maybe you understand that you're playing a game you can't win."

"You don't know me, Casper," Dante replied as he twirled both swords in his hands. "So let me break it down for you. I'm in it to win it and I play for keeps!" The black teen then began charging his spiritual pressure, standing in a guard position while doing so. Still gathering power, the black teen's strength continued to increase. "Whenever you see my face, you know what it is!"

As the black teen gathered spiritual energy, Gin was starting to feel a spike in the temperature. He watched as the black swordsman's aura began to waver like heat, his red eyes becoming more pronounced. "Well, you may not be as weak as I thought. Yet this all feels strangely familiar."

"Maybe it's because you see yourself ready to get your ass beat!" Dante replied. "You must be a psychic or something."

"Oh, really? Then maybe I should cut you down before that comes to pass." Using his shunpo, the captain was in the air just above Dante and ready to strike him down. Quickly, the black swordsman fired a laser which nearly hit the captain had he not moved off to the side. With his foe now on the ground, Dante raced forward and attempted to slash, but was stopped as Gin flung pieces of the floor at the black teen. Dante managed to block against the debris, but saw the captain's blade coming in to stab him. The maverick avoided the albino captain's trick and shunpoed behind him, hoping to slash at his head. The captain reacted by ducking the blow and slashing upward. Dante blocked the hits, but was being juggled in the air by each strike before his opponent jumped and slashed at the black teen back.

Dante slid across the ground before using one of his swords to stop. Knowing that his spiritual pressure was high enough, the black teen held one of his swords out in front. "Shred with the rage of the past! Kowa ro Shii Maru!" With his lightsaber shiki released, the black teen quickly dashed at Gin once more with increased speed, both weapons trailing behind. Once the two met, they began parrying one another's blows. Their strikes were quick and deadly and they matched one another in speed. The clanging of blades and the crackle of Dante's energy sword deafened their ears.

After a few minutes, the two locked weapons before bouncing back. The duel between the two combatants seemed to effect Dante, who was trying to catch his breath. Gin, on the other hand, only smiled at his foe. "Well, this is a surprise. I wouldn't have expected you would keep up for this long. Quite impressive," the captain replied with a congratulatory tone. Dante only scoffed in response. "Before I kill you, tell me your name and why you came here."

"You really want to know? The name's Dante Blaine, and I'm here to represent by droppin' you and your partner's ass."

"My what a colorful vocabulary we have. I guess it's true what they say about people with little intelligence and smack talk."

"Really? Beats being someone who can Jim Gaffigan look like a brother," Dante shot back. "Seriously, it must be trouble going to sleep when you light up like a Roman candle. And then that smile. I mean sure Botox is good for some people. But when you can't break out of face, you just might need to stop going."

Gin chortled at the remark. "You are quite the comedian, I'll give you that," he said just before he disappeared from view. With his reflexes taking over, Dante twisted to the side and brought his lightsaber up just as his foe's zanpakuto struck. Now the captain was towering over the black teen. His spiritual pressure and grin leaked out murderous intent. "But I'm afraid that's not going to save you."

"Sure it is. Hell, everybody loves listening to my charming, lovely voice as I beat their ass."

"Yes. I'm sure they all appreciate listening to someone whose voice gives the same effect as sandpaper to wood and Rickrolling."

"Oh, touche," Dante replied. "Low blow, but you still get a point." The black teen used shunpo to distance himself from the soul reaper and fire a couple of lasers. Gin jumped over the particle blasts, somersaulting forward before bringing his sword down. Dante quickly backed away from the strike before using the bottom hook of his beam weapon to wrap around the foe's blade. He then slung himself forward and swiped Gin with a spinning attack.

The captain slid back from the bladed revolution and turned to the black teen. Hair fluttered to the ground where he once stood. Now the shinigami's fox-like smile was gone as he watched Dante fire another beam. However, Gin managed to free his blade and swat away the beam. The captain then crouched down, his sword arm pulled back. "Shoot to kill, Shinso!" The albino captain then threw his arm forward and his zanpakuto's blade began to extend at high speeds like a bullet from a gun.

Dante saw that the sharp end of the sword was aimed straight to his head. Reacting quickly, the rogue bent his body backwards and blocked the strike with crossed swords. Shinso only missed by inches, though it did manage scratch the black teen's forehead, causing him to bleed a bit. The shiki continued to travel until it hit the wall, breaking off pieces. Still, even thought the enemy's sword was pinned, the black teen could still feel Gin pushing down own him. The black teen also knew that Gin could recall and shoot Shinso again at anytime. He can only react and adapt so many times.

"That's enough, Ichimaru," the smooth yet calm voice of Aizen called out. Gin's smile returned to his face as he recalled his sword. Feeling that this was something of a victory (though it was technically a draw), the captain jumped back and landed next to Aizen. He stood at his fellow captain's side patiently.

When Dante turned to Aizen and stood with shocked eyes. Standing in front of Sosuke with his sword still impaling her abdomen was Momo, whose face was still painted with horror by her captain's betrayal. The black teen then turned to the building and saw Nemu's body sitting up bloodied and restrained by a strong kido spell. "I'm sorry…" she weakly said to her partner. "I tried, Dante…"

"Damn it!" Dante replied.

Just as he was about to move to her location, the black teen stopped in his tracks as he heard Aizen call out, "I wouldn't leave if I were you." Dante turned around and saw the bloody body of Momo flying towards him. The black teen manage to catch the young woman before she hit the ground. His shirt was smeared in the young woman's blood.

"C-Captain Aizen…" she said weakly. "How c-could you…" The lieutenant then passed out. The shinigami was quickly loosing blood from her stab wound.

Seeing this madness, for once in his life, Dante was disgusted. Aizen not only humiliated Nemu, but attempted to murder his own subordinate in cold blood. Dante, a young man with little convictions, thought this was low even in his book. "You's a bitch-ass nigga, Aizen!" he shouted.

"My, what a foul mouth," Aizen said in a mock tone. "I expected so much from you, Dante Blaine."

Hearing the traitor speak his name so casually made Dante cringe in shock. There was no way this man would know who he was. "What the hell gives you the right to call my name!?" he shouted. "'Dante Blaine.' You say it like you know me or something." Aizen merely chuckled, seemingly savoring every second of the black teen's insulted liberties. "Answer me, you son of a bitch!"

"I guess for you, it has been such a long time. The last I saw of you was after you escaped that lab."

"What!? You know about the lab!? You're saying…" Dante was beginning to understand what the man was saying. "Now way… It was you all along… You were the one who did all of this…?" The black teen was mortified by the news. All of these years, he wished to know who was responsible for all those experiments. Now that he knew the answer, he felt the wind knock out of him, almost too hard to breathe.

"That's correct, Dante. I'm the one who hired those scientists. I'm the one who found those zanpakuto. And I'm the one who made you what you are today," Aizen said. Dante was speechless. He knew that someone from here was behind his misfortune. Of course, there was no way he thought it would also be part of this conspiracy. Acknowledging this mortified the black teen. "Would you like to hear a story? I promise you will be very bemused." Before Aizen could continue, he felt the presence of someone's spiritual energy coming to the chamber. "Perhaps I will tell you later. Right now, it seems that an expected guest has come to visit."

Dante turned his attention to the entrance of the chamber and saw a young child who was just above the four foot line with snow white hair and a long katana strapped to his back. The black teen knew who this was. After all, he was one of the first people he met when he first arrived in the Seireitei. It was Toshiro Hitsugaya, captain of the 10th Division. "Toshiro…" Dante thought. "Oh crap…"

"Hey, Toshiro," Aizen said with a wave.

The young captain was shocked by seeing the supposedly dead captain. "What's going on here?" he asked. "Is that really you Aizen? Or is this some kind of trick?"

"No trick, Toshiro. This is really me," the brown-haired man said. "Would you excuse me for a minute." He then turned to Gin. "Gin, Toshiro arrived here sooner than schedule. I believe you may have an explanation for this."

"Forgive me, sir," Gin said. "I guess Izuru was unable to keep him at bay."

"What are you two saying?" Toshiro interjected. "What is going on?"

"Oh, it was nothing," Aizen said. "We were just speaking of the finer points of strategy. To be more precise, we were speaking of the breaking down of an enemy's fighting power."

"Enemy?" Hearing this, Toshiro scanned his surroundings until his eyes turned to Dante, who was still sitting over Momo's body with an unconscious Nemu a few feet away. Realizing that his childhood friend maybe in serious jeopardy, Toshiro used his shunpo to get to her location. Seeing this, the black teen hurried out of the way using his own shunpo technique. Seeing Momo's grave injuries, Toshiro knelt quietly over his companion stunned who was barely breathing. "No… This can't be… Momo…" he thought in distraught and disbelief. One of his worse fears have finally come to pass. He swore to himself that he would always protect Momo from whatever harm came her way. However, it would seem he was too late. The young captain stood up and was now trying desperately to battle with his emotions. Everyone in the chamber could feel the temperature in the room gradually drop to cold levels. Between the three conscious contemporaries in the room, only Dante was the one who seemed to pale. "Do you know what you did, ryoka…?" Toshiro asked with a sharp, yet low tone. "Momo was my best friend and someone I care deeply for. Then you… You came and did this, didn't you?"

"Hey, yo! I don't know what you're talkin' about!"

"Shut up!" he replied. "I can sense you're spiritual pressure. It may have changed, but I can tell that you're that Deinonychus who I crossed paths with a couple of days ago." Dante was surprised by Toshiro's observation. Sure his spiritual energy doesn't change drastically between forms. However, his power and spiritual pressure did between that interval. It was surprising to see that the captain was able to remember who he was. "For the past few days, you've been wreaking havoc at my expense. But this… I never thought it would escalate this far…"

"H-Hold up, Cap!" Dante said. "This ain't what it looks like!"

"Oh, really!?" Toshiro said as he spun around, his spiritual pressure now exuding from his body. "Then what is it, really? Hinamori's blood is covering your shirt! What excuse do you have for that!?"

"Look I have a skin-tight alibi that would explain everything in the simplest matter possible," Dante said with raised hands. "… I didn't do it."

Hearing this, Hitsugaya's fists clenched tightly from what could be the worse four letter excuse to possibly be given. "Do you think this is a joke… Do you actually think I would believe such a simple excuse!?"

"Oh shit…" was the only thing Dante could mutter. "I knew I shouldn't have taken legal advice from Michael Vick."

"Enough of this!" Hitsugaya drew his sword from his sheath, holding the long blade out to the side. His reiryoku levels began to rise. At the same time, the room. "I will make you pay for everything that you've done. You will pay for what you did to Momo." Dante stood still, amazed by such a high spiritual pressure. It was too bad that all that energy would be used against the black teen. Yet at the same time, the black teen sensed something strange about the shinigami's reiryoku. It felt similar to something he knows, but what was it? "Any last words before you die?"

Pushing these thoughts aside, Dante knew that Toshiro was not in the listening mood. If he didn't defend himself from Toshiro, the maverick would be nothing more than a dead man encased in an ice coffin. "As awesome as it would be to get killed by you, I just don't have the time," he said as he drew both swords from his back and set his Ipod to "So Cold" by Celph Titled and Oktober. "Just so you know, I'm Dante Blaine." He then turned to Aizen with a murderous look on his face. The traitorous captain only watched him with a deceitfully innocent smile. Dante then pointed one of his swords at the white-haired leader. "Usually, I wouldn't go up against a kid. But seeing that this is the big leagues, I'll try not to put you down for a dirt nap."

"Is that a fact. Well then, how about I introduce myself," replied the shinigami. "I am Captain of Squad 10, Toshiro Hitsugaya. Usually, I would have let past incidents slide. However, after what you did, do not think you will be spared. Remember me as I send you straight to hell!" Toshiro rushed toward Dante at full speed with his sword aimed at his opponent. The battle had begun and Aizen only watched on the sidelines in amusement.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note 1: In the next, and certainly final chapter, Dante and Hitsugaya finally go at it. It's a powerful battle between polar opposites. Tactical genius versus urequited street smarts. Frozen desire for retribution against burning hot passion for revenge. Dutiful balance versus wild insanity. Plus, an exciting and unexpected revelation will be unveiled. You don't want to miss this conclusion.