This chapter is still a work in progress, but I think it's okay for now. :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Shinji stumbled backwards, watching the red blood soak threw his shoulder from the gash he had taken from Noitora's blade.

"You are an interesting creature." Noitora chuckled, his eyes seemed to glow as he gripped the large scythe, "You are not much different than I."

"I am nothing like you." Hirako stumbled backwards. He had to finish the battle quickly, even nearing an hour under his hollow form was pushing it for him. If he had not given Hiyori so much of his reiatsu, he might have been able to handle more time.

His hollow self was beginning to sneak in threw his senses.

"We are both powerful." Noitora sneered, "There is no one that can stand against us."

There was no way for Shinji to beat this Espada, and they both knew it. Deep down, Hirako did not regret giving up his powers for Hiyori. He would have done it again if given the chance.

Damn it. What a wonderful time to decide I love her.

"I'm nothing like you." Shinji whipped his zanpakuto threw the air, "And although I can't beat you, as you already know, I have still enjoyed beating the shit out of you."

Noitora laughed, "You are a pretentious bastard."

"Maybe..." Shinji sneered, ready for another attack, "We have more in common than I thought..."

Aizen stopped, staring at the gate, and then back at Los Noches.

More of his forces were waiting back in Karakura, who were no doubt picking through the meager defenses. At the moment, it appeared as if Hueco Mundo was going to fall against the invaders. But once he activated the Hougyoku and harvested the souls, it would no longer matter. He would have what he needed and no one would be able to stop him.

Ulquiorra was gone, Aizen felt the 4th Espada's life force disappear, along with two more of the Espada. Noitora was still fighting the Vizard leader, but it did not matter what his fate ended up being. Aizen did not need any of them for what he would eventually achieve.

Turning back towards the gate, he suddenly frowned as he glared at the shield that surrounded the dimensional gate.

"You are quite the talented little spell caster, Inoue-san." Aizen turned, smiling at her, "And just think, last week we were sitting in the grand hall together drinking tea and talking about the weather."

Orihime stood at the top of the hill, Ichigo Kurosaki hovering protectively next to her. Aizen had not missed the fact that Ichigo cared about the girl, his feelings were practically blaring as loudly as his reiatsu.

"I won't let you destroy Karakura." she said.

"You are going to fight me?" Aizen asked.

"If I must."

"You can't defeat me, no one can. There is nothing that you can do to change that."

Orihime glanced nervously at Ichigo, it would have only been a matter of time before Ichigo would have found out her little secret. Up until that point, the only one that knew about Orihime's new attacks was Tak.

Ichigo gave her an encouraging smile, he had her back if need be. Turning to Aizen, Orihime held her hands out in front of herself,

"Fly the highest skies, shine like the sun." she recited, "Hana Ryu, I reject."

Ishida ran threw the crowd, slashing and blasting away at every attack Zael threw towards him. He was beginning to grow tired, and had finally switched to simply meeting blow for blow with Zeele. The Espada was still keeping up with him, although he had taken on a few injuries during that battle that were slowing him down.

"I am beginning to grow tired of you, Quincy."

Ishida gasped as Apollo grabbed the Zeele blade in his fingers, broke off the top, and shoved the spirit blade into his shoulder.

"You are no match for me, boy." Zael Apollo breathed into his face, "You don't even belong here. A Quincy fighting along the Shinigami? You must be a laughing stock."

Grabbing a new blade from his belt, Ishida promptly shoved the sword into Apollo's arm to release his hold on the blade. Gripping the end of the metal, Ishida yanked the sword from his shoulder. With a loud roar, Apollo pulled himself out of Ishida's grip.

He was tired of running away. Tired of trying to be on his own. For the first time in his life, Ishida wanted to win this battle and walk away with something to be proud of. He wanted to walk away with a new start, and not by himself.

Stepping to the side, he missed another attack from Zael's sword.

"Say something, damn you!"

Ishida was happy to oblige him. Turning the Zeele sword in his hands, he raised his left hand and promptly caught Apollo's blade in his bare hand.

"I won't loose." Ishida murmured.

The blade cut deeply into his hand, and the blood ran down his arm as Zael tried to pull the sword back.

It was too late.

Ishida took the Zeele and shoved the blade into the Espada's chest. Watching the 8th Espada gap at him as he stepped away, Ishida staggard from the Arancar, wrapping an arm around his middle. His ribs were shattered and it hurt to breathe.

Zael glared at him, "You think...you've won..."

"I did win." Ishida replied, coughing slightly, "And before you ask, I did not do this for the Shinigami, I did it for myself."

The Arancar could feel himself begin to slip, he fell to his knees, "Who the hell are you?"

Ishida watched as the Espada vaporized into spirit particles, joining the stream of energies that made up the Seireitei. Standing in the middle of the battlefield, Ishida stared at the lone Zeele sword that now rest on the ground. Picking up the white blade, he whirled the edge once more in his hands.

"My name is Ishida Uryuu, I'm a Quincy." he said, pushing his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, "And I hate Shinigami."

Karin dashed up the steps, she needed to move quickly if she was going to try and get to all the wounded that were coming into the clinic at once. The city had almost exploded around them, and now there were a mix of Arrancar, humans, and Shinigami charging around the streets. The clinic had become a mix of a hospital for humans and Shinigami alike.

Chad Yasudora had showed up, and was now standing in front of the Kurosaki Clinic protecting it from Hollows and Arancar.

Passing by Hiyori's room on the third floor, she stopped in front of the door. It was open, and looking inside, Karin noticed that there was no one inside. She could not sense the Vizard's energy signal anywhere in the building.

"Hiyori-san?"

Or in Karakura for that matter.

Glancing in the corner, she noted the disappearance of the girl's zanpakuto.

Shinji fell to his knees, coughing, and blood speckled the ground in front of him.

"It would be a lot quicker and less painful if you stood still, Vizard." Noitora laughed, "You are only making this harder on yourself."

Hirako forced himself to his knees, staring threw the eyes of his mask. The left eye was cracked, and the split was getting larger. At any time, the whole mask was shatter, and then he would loose his transformation. Then that would be the end for him.

"It's a pity that you had to face me." Noitora raised the scythe, "You might have won against a lesser Espada."

"Thanks for the encouragement." Shinji replied.

The scythe swung threw the air, the whole blade seemed to shine as if it was on fire. Noitora grinned, "I have enjoyed this fight, Vizard. But I have better things to do with my time then play with you."

Noitora had injuries as well, and Shinji suspected that the Espada was getting frustrated and impatient. Raising his sword to try and block the attack, a wave of panic rushed threw his mind.

His mask shattered, and the pieces scattered from his face. Without his enhanced powers, there was no way that he would be able to stop Noitora's zanpakuto. Uttering a curse, he raised his own sword. Even if he was going down, he was going to go down fighting.

Noitora released the blade.

Shinji gasped as a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Hit the ground!"

He reacted without thinking, and his sword was ripped from his hands as Shinji let himself drop to the ground. Looking up, he found himself staring at the most beautiful sight that he had ever seen in his entire life.

Still dressed in hospital clothes, Hiyori blocked the scythe with Shinji's zapakuto, and raised her own. Noitora looked up at the petite young woman who was sailing towards him.

"Damn it..."

He had been too caught up in the battle to notice that another reiatsu signature had entered the field. Hiyori had escaped out of Kurosaki Clinic, and made her way through Urahara's gate alone to find Shinji in a full-out fight with the first Espada. It was not a surprise that Shinji was having trouble, and without the energy that he had given her, he did not have a chance against Noitora. It had occurred to Hiyori that Shinji was simply trying to divert Noitora from going after Kurosaki and Inoue, but there was no way that Hiyori was going to let Shinji die for something like that.

The sword plunged into the Arancar's chest.

He gapped at her, frozen in spot and still in shock from her surprise appearance.

"How does it feel, Arancar, to not be the strongest?" she hissed in his ear.

Noitora was quiet a moment, and then he sneered, "Whoever said I liked being the strongest?"

With that comment, he dissolved into a burst of light and faded into the warm air of Hueco Mundo. Hiyori stood in that same spot, holding both swords in her hands, and staring at the place where Noitora once stood. He had always been a bastard, with morals that were even worse than Aizen's. But Hiyori knew Noitora was that way because the Hougyoku had made him that way, it had not been a choice made on his own.

She did not feel sorry for him, but she did pity him.

Turning around, she gasped, "Hirako!"

He was lay on his side, covered in his own blood. Kneeling at his side, she turned him over in her arms, both of the swords dropped to the dusty ground and forgotten.

"Hirako!"

His eyes cracked open, and he coughed, "I thought I told you to stay at the clinic." he whispered.

"Since when have I ever done anything you said?"

"Good point."

"Besides, you're a dumbass, Shinji. You always think you know everything, but just because you're smart doesn't mean you have common sense too."

The blond man smiled at her, "And I suppose that means you have the common sense that I don't?"

"Hell ya, it does."

"We should to stick together then, huh?"

Hiyori stared at him a moment, and then smiled, "Hey, Shinji?"

"Yeah?" he murmured, his eyes had drifted closed and his head was leaning against her shoulder. God, he was tired.

"When this is all over, let's go back home." she said, "I think we've been away long enough."

"Okay." he replied, "But only if you stay with me."

Shinji fell asleep, his reiatsu was completely drained and although his wounds were severe, he did not have anything that she considered life threatening. His ribs were broken, maybe along with a few other bones, and he was covered in gashes.

Over in the distance, the other Vaizards were rushing towards them, having all finished their own battles. Running her fingers through his hair, Hiyori smiled, and rest her forehead on the top of his head.

"I won't leave your side ever, dummy."

"Fly the highest skies, shine like the sun." Orihime recited, "Hana Ryu, I reject."

Ichigo watched as the white blade appeared in her hands. It looked like a burst of white light, the hilt solidified into some sort of white metal that Orihime grasped firmly in her hands. As the sword appeared, she whipped it once through the air, and another burst of light followed, forcing Ichigo to close his eyes.

When the light died down, he opened them again. The floor of the castle gate room was covered in a field of black and white flowers. Orihime stood in the middle of the field, looking at the flowers that resembled the potted plant that sat on the windowsill of her villa.

"A zanpakuto?" Aizen frowned.

"I died once, remember?" Orihime told him, "My own powers, which I still had not been able to completely control back then brought me back. Because of the energy I took from Grimmjaw, I was able to use it to convert my current Koten Zanshun into a more concrete form. It took two years of training...but I learned how to use it."

Ichigo was amazed, he had never made the connection before. Orihime looked like a she was surrounded in white light, and he could feel her reiatsu radiating from every corner of the room. He had never realized before how powerful she actually was, and although it was hard for him to admit, she was much more powerful than he was.

"God verse god." Aizen replied, gripping his own sword and drawing it from the sheath at his side. He had hidden the Hougyoku inside his own body. If Orihime wanted to reject it, she would have to kill him, "I believe this is a battle that I have looked forward too."

Ichigo gripped her arm, and Orihime caught the alarmed gaze in his eyes. She smiled, and he felt a ghost of a kiss touch his cheek.

"This is my fight, Ichigo." she told him, "Please understand."

He did understand, as much as he wish he did not need to.

Hitsugaya rushed down the hallway of the departure building, and stood in front of the dimensional gate at the Seireitei. The Shinigami seemed to have the upper hand in the battle at the Soul Society, but the matter of Aizen and the other Arancar at Hueco Mundo was yet to be addressed. Knowing what he knew, that the Arancar relied completely on Aizen, and if he was gone Hitsugaya knew that the Arancar would stand down.

"Shirou-kun!"

He turned to see Hinamori heading towards him, he gave her a sad smile. She froze in the doorway, the hurried look in her eyes changed to surprise.

"I'm sorry, Hinamori." he told her.

"F-For what?" she asked.

Hitsugaya looked towards the open porthole, and turned back to her, "You told me many times that if I ever fought Aizen, that you did not want me to kill him."

"Ah-"

"I'm sorry, Hinamori." he told her, "I'm going to Hueco Mundo, and I'm going to kill Aizen."

She felt her heart seize, and the color drained from her face.

Aizen-taicho.

The man she had loved for years. She had worked for him, ran countless missions with him, fought side by side, ate meals, celebrated holidays, and the memories that she had with him would forever be ingrained in her soul.

Toushirou gave her one last look. He knew what she was thinking, and he did not care anymore if she would hate him for the rest of her life. For that moment, he actually found himself wishing that he had never become a Shinigami in the first place. Hitsugaya missed sitting on the porch of his house, eating watermelons, and not having a care in the world.

But that life was gone, and now she would be gone too.

"Good-bye, Momo."

Hinamori gapped at him as he stepped through the dimensional gate.

Ishida sliced another hollow, stumbling to the ground as his reiatsu was beginning to drop. He did not have much energy left after his fight with Zael Apollo. What he needed to do was lay down and sleep for a week, but what he wanted was to win the war.

They were getting the upper hand, but there were so many enemy forces that Ishida doubted the advantage was last long. Looking to his right, he spotted a dark-haired Vice Captain who was blasting a line of Arancars while trying to block their attacks at the same time.

Ishida appeared with his back to hers, raising the spirit bow in his hands, he resumed firing into the crowd of attacking Arancar. His fingers were covered in blood from being cut by the bow's string, and his entire arm was numb from exhaustion.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Nemu did not look back at him, "I do not have much energy left. I do not know how much longer I will last."

"I'm almost out myself." he replied, taking down another Arancar, "Nemu?"

"Yes?" she replied, her eyes were still focused on the battle.

"I love you."

She was silent, and with her back to him, he did not see her smile or the tears in her eyes. Ishida could not stop himself from smiling, despite the situation they were currently in.

"I love you too." she told him.

"I know."

"We're going to die here, aren't we?"

Ishida sighed, "Probably."

She turned away from her fight, grabbed the front of his sleeveless shirt, and kissed him. It had been such a long time since they had been alone together, but Nemu was simply happy to have him there at that moment. Looking back into his eyes, he was smiling down at her, brushing her disheveled hair from her face.

The Arancar and hollows were moving closer to them.

Throwing her arms around Ishida's neck and burying her face into his chest, she waited for the hollows to attack. Neither of them had the strength or energy left to fight the enemies.

Ash tickled her cheek.

Landing next to Nemu, Rangiku gripped the hit of her zanpakuto in front of her. The ash from Haineko filled the battlefield, and she smirked at Nemu when she looked over her shoulder, "Getting lazy again, Vice-Captain?"

"Rangiku-san?" Nemu stared at her.

She looked over Ishida's shoulder as another figure landed next to them. Ichimaru Gin whipped his sword through the air, "I guess that's my cue."

Calling out his sword's name, the burst of energy from his zanpakuto ignited with the ash, and both Ishida and Nemu watch as the attacking hollows around them were surrounded in a burst of flames.

Gin was well aware that he was a fugitive from the Soul Society, and that returning meant that he had a lot of explaining to do. Once everything would quiet down, the Shinigami would probably through him in prison for the rest of eternity. But at the moment, he was fighting against the Arancar like everyone else, so the surrounding Shinigami did not make a move against him.

Gin and Rangiku exchanged glances, and began fighting the Arancar.

"Orihime!"

Ichigo watched as Inoue crashed into the floor. Her zanpakuto was powerful, but Aizen's experience in battle greatly outweighed Orihime's. Making a step towards the battle, drawing Zangetsu, he heard Orihime shout.

"Stay away!" Orihime pulled herself to her feet. At this rate, Aizen was going to kill her before she had a chance to get at the Hougyoku.

"I won't let him kill you!"

"Stay out of the fight!"

This was not an Orihime that he knew. Ichigo was used to her laughs, her bright presence that seemed to light every corner of his mind. But the warrior that he saw in front of him, sword in hand, standing against one of the most powerful Shinigami to ever live...Ichigo did not know this side of Orihime.

"I am impressed." Aizen replied, "But you can not win."

"I must." Orihime gripped the light sword in her hands, "I won't let you kill all those people."

"It is not your choice to make." he raised his sword, "There is nothing you can do about it."

His zanpakuto effected the senses, she knew somewhat about how it worked. Getting read to block his attack, it suddenly occurred to her that she could no longer move.

"I have frozen your mind's ability to connect with motor functions." Aizen replied, the sword held in front of him, "You can not longer resist my attacks."

He was not lying, Orihime could not move an inch. Aizen disappeared from where he stood and in a flash of shunpo, he appeared in front of Inoue, his sword was pointed straight at her heart.

"I will miss our talks, Hime."

"Orihime!" Ichigo roared, heading towards her. There was no way he would get to her in time, but he had to try. Aizen drew the sword back, and something flashed before his eyes. Ichigo froze, and stared in horror at the scene before him.

Orihime looked up from where she was, and saw the point of Aizen's sword only an inch from her. There was a figure in white standing in front of her, a familiar figure dressed in a white uniform...with ice-blue hair and savage looking eyes.

The sword ran threw the center of Grimmjaw's chest, and protruded from his back. He glanced up at Aizen, and sneered, "You are not my master. No one owns me..."

Grimmjaw stumbled backwards as Aizen gave him a dark glare, and yanked the sword from the Espada's chest. Falling backwards, Orihime found that she was able to move again, and caught Grimmjaw in her arms.

Sinking to the floor, he gazed up at her with an odd smirk on his face. He had just moved without thinking. After running across the entire length of the complex, he had come across the battle between Ichigo, Aizen, and Orihime. Unable to make a decision on what to do, he had simply stood and watched.

Grimmjaw did not deny the fact that maybe he valued the girl a little more than he was willing to admit, but the loyalty to Aizen was welded into his soul the moment he was brought into existence from his raw hollow form. Aizen's orders, Aizen's wishes were also his wishes, and there had been nothing that he had ever done to change that.

Until now.

There were tears already streaming down her face, and he chuckled, "This the first time...I've ever seen you cry...for me."

"Wh-Why?" she whispered, "Why did you do it?"

He gulped, knowing very well that Ichigo Kurosaki had just appeared at Orihime's side. Perhaps to protect her from Grimmjaw? The Arrancar was amused at that thought.

Orihime watched as an arm shot out and grabbed Ichigo by the collar, and pulled Ichigo within earshot. Whispering quick words into the Shinigami's ear, Grimmjaw than shoved him away and ignored the look of surprise on Ichigo's face.

Ichigo gapped at him, "What?"

Grimmjaw looked back at the girl staring down at him, and coughed. The sword had ran threw his lung, and he could do nothing about the steady stream of blood that ran from in between his lips.

"H-Hey..." he rasped, trying to get her attention.

"Yes?" Orihime looked down at him.

"Smile."

She looked at him like there was a horn growing out of his head. He then chuckled, knowing that she would think it was an odd last request. Orihime almost choked out a sharp laugh, even when he was dying the only way Grimmjaw could seem to speak to her was in a command.

"Grimmjaw."

He looked up at her.

Orihime smiled, a bright, honest smile. It was the first time he had ever seen it. He figured Kurosaki saw it all the time.

Lucky bastard.

"Grimmjaw?"

The Espada did not respond. Ichigo turned his head away, he did not want to see her cry. His attention then snapped in alarm as Aizen raced towards them. Drawing Zangetsu, his hollow mask appearing on his face, he matched the ex-Captain's sword.

She did not even try to stop the tears. There were memories that she would never forget from when she was living at Hueco Mundo, and Grimmjaw was part of most of those memories.

Orihime stared down at Grimmjaw's blue orbs. Calmly raising her hand, she laid it over his face, and closed his lifeless eyes.

Then, in a burst of light like all hollows when they were vanquished, he disappeared into the air.

Two chapters left, I promise. Next week will be a busy week ::both mine and my sister's birthdays and because of the 4th:: so there may not be an update. But when I finally do post, I will be putting up two chapters. Thanks for reading, and send a review to tell me what you think!

Arigato

Lilith