Chapter Seventeen: Another Showdown?!
Just as the blast was about to engulf them, an arrancar stepped in front of them and cut the blast in two.
"Now, now Aizen", the arrancar drawled. "That wasn't very nice or very fair".
Both Rangiku and Toushiro recognized that voice and thought, No, it couldn't be . . .
There he was, back from the dead, Gin Ichimaru.
Both Rangiku and Toushiro wondered how he had survived but more importantly, they wondered why he was saving them.
"Don't look so shocked Ran-chan and Shiro-chan", he chuckled, turning his head and grinning at the two. "I'm not saving ya's, it's just that I felt Aizen here wasn't bein' fair with killin' ya in all", he grinned even wider. "Besides, I don't won't anybody killing what's mine, and that includes Aizen. So I'll let ya live, fer now".
"Gin, why did you—"
"I thought I told you Rangiku is off limits", he growled at Aizen.
"She deserves to die for betraying you and he deserves to die for killing you", Aizen stated.
"Well, now our true colors come about and might I say", he chuckled. "They are some mighty ugly colors. And might I add, captain grumpypants over there didn't kill me, she did", he frowned, but only a little.
"What?!" Aizen gasped. "So then why are you defending—"
"Because Ran-chan finally stood up to me instead of letting her little Shiro-chan fight her battles and as much I hate it, I also have to respect it and admire her guts. So I decided then and there, as I was dying, that if I ever do get a chance to see life again that I would never lay another hand to harm her and I won't let you hurt her either", he glared at Aizen.
"I see", Aizen leered grabbing the hilt of his zanpakuto.
"Also", Gin began as he grabbed for his zanpakuto. "I don't want Ran-chan in the hands of a monster like you. I've seen what you've done to your bitch and you ain't doin' that ta mine", he unsheathed his zanpakuto. "Shoot to kill, Shinso!" he shouted, aiming his zanpakuto for Aizen's head.
"Shatter", Aizen shouted, unsheathing his zanpakuto as well.
"Nah uh", Gin flash stepped behind him. "That won't work on me. I never have my eyes open long enough to look at your illusion and arrancar moved twice as fast as shinigami", he said in Aizen's ear. "So your little trick won't work on me", he stabbed Aizen in the back.
"Why you", Aizen flash stepped away from him and appeared before Rangiku and Toushiro.
"Oh I'll kill you before you can even touch them", he flashed in front of Aizen and swung his zanpakuto at the brown haired traitorous shinigami.
Aizen fell backwards but managed to cut the sleeve of Gin's kimono.
(I don't think it's really a shihakusho since it's an arrancar uniform but we'll call it a kimono anyways)
"Well, putting up a fight eh? You're still going to die", Gin lashed Shinso forward and struck it through Aizen's chest.
Aizen struck Kyouka Suigetsu straight through Gin's chest.
"Now we'll both die together", Aizen laughed victoriously.
"What cha laughing about? I never said I wanted to live, I just want to see you dead", he snapped pushing Aizen down and grinning before the bleeding coward.
"Gin, wait", Aizen pleaded.
"Why are you begging?" Gin questioned irritably. "Serves you right for trying to take what's mine", Gin roared as he swung Shinso down to deliver the final blow but Aizen had vanished before him. "Come on Souske. I've seen that trick before. Still trying to save what's left of your pathetic life eh? No matter", he shrugged. "I still hit you and if I don't kill you, your injuries will", he shunpo-ed around the arena.
Rangiku and Toushiro just watched in awe at how powerful or more powerful Gin had become and how feeble Aizen looked in comparison to him.
"Gin, come to your senses and stop this", Aizen shouted for somewhere in the arena but no one knew where.
"Oh I have come to my senses", he grinned. "You tricked me into going after snow white so he could kill me and I would be out of the way but you couldn't have Ran-chan yet. No, you had to make sure your love sick puppet was out of the way but you wouldn't kill her, so you baited snowy into doing it, right?! Stop me if none of this is true", he growled.
Toushiro frowned as the reference of snowy and snow white. Definitely at being referred to as snow white
"I had never meant for this to happen", Aizen said after a while.
"You mean you never meat for Ran-chan to kill me or you never meant for the little snowball to live? Which is it?! Oh, I see, you meant for me to be dead as long as someone killed me but cha ne'er meant for the squirt to live. You meant fer ya'r bitch and him to kill each other off, am I right?!" he yelled.
Again, Toushiro frowned and his eyebrow twitched at being referred to as snowball and squirt, especially squirt. And he didn't really care for Gin referring to his dead childhood friend as a bitch
Rangiku noticed Toushiro's annoyance and couldn't help but smile at his pouting. He just looked oh-so-cute
"Gin, this isn't what you think", Aizen replied.
"Oh but it's exactly what I think", he sneered and flashed before Aizen in a corner hiding. "You wanted me gone so you could have Rangiku all to yourself. You said so yourself, you were jealous at how lucky I was to snag a woman like her. Isn't that what you said?!" he bellowed as he gripped Aizen by the collar and lifted him off the ground.
"Y-yes . . . but—"
"Don't but me. You've been after her all this time and I was too stupid and too busy with the betrayal to notice, which is just the way you wanted it. I was supposed to be your partner. No, screw that, I was supposed to be your friend but you cared more about having her to think about me", he slammed Aizen up against the wall.
"Gin, I promise you—"
"Save it!" he spat. "Whatever lie you're about to tell, save it. Or better yet, shove it up yer ass".
"Fine", Aizen grinned and grabbed Gin's arm and threw him back. "I did want her. Wanted her bad enough that I came up with this elaborate plan", he walked over to Gin and punched him in the face. "And I should have her. You certainly didn't know how to treat her", he threw Gin across the arena.
"And I suppose you did?" Gin rose to his feet.
Both Rangiku and Toushiro were surprised to see Gin being throw back like that and wondered how he could be losing when he just had the upper hand
"Better than you", Aizen shunpo-ed in front of Gin and aimed his zanpakuto at his neck.
"Maybe I could have treated her better, but I can assure you, Ran-chan was way better off with me than she would ever have been if with you. I've seen what you did to Hinamori and I won't let you do that to her", he shouted as he gathered a cero blast in his palm and directed it at Aizen and sent him flying across the arena.
Aizen tried to stand to his feet but felt a foot pressing into his shoulder blade, pushing him back down to the ground again.
"I suggest you stay down", Gin gritted through his teeth. "Let me be clear, I would have never tried to take your bitch from you but then again, Hinamori was only your slave. You never really cared about her. She was just a toy, a play thing for you to pass the time away with", he spat. "Rangiku is not a play thing. She is a woman and should be cherished. And I wish I had seen that before", he turned to look at Rangiku then looked back at Aizen. "And I won't let you ruin her like I did and the way you did Hinamori", he said as he raised his zanpakuto above his head. "Now die!"
"Gin . . . wait!" Aizen screamed, struggling to get free.
"Shoot to kill Shinso!" he roared as he delivered the final blow, severing Aizen's head from his body.
Both Rangiku's and Toushiro's eyes bulged as they saw blood spatter all over the arena and Aizen's head rolled away from his body
"Gin . . ." Rangiku whispered, trying to hold back the tears.
Toushiro grabbed her hand and looked at her serenely. Then Rangiku finally cried, for she knew Toushiro understood her tears of joy and sorrow for her childhood friend Gin.
"Don't cry Ran-chan dear", Gin turned and smiled. "I should have been a better man to you but now you have the better man", he walked over to the couple and opened the portal separating Hueco Mundo from Soul Society. "Go and be happy".
Rangiku smiled, wiping away her tears as she lifted Toushiro to his feet and they slowly walked (limped) to the opening of the portal.
Just as they were about to step into Soul Society, Gin called after them.
"Take good care of Ran-chan Shiro-chan", he drawled. "Or you'll be next", he grinned.
"Will do", Toushiro nodded then they disappeared back into Soul Society.
Toushiro opened his eyes to see eleven pairs staring at him (or rather ten pairs of eyes and one eye from Kenpachi).
"What are all of you staring at?" he growled lowly.
"Oh Toshi, don't be like that. They all were just worried about you", Rangiku cooed in his ear.
"What happened?" he asked trying to sit up. "I thought you were dead", he pointed to Kenpachi. "And you!" he pointed to Juushiro. "I thought you were in critical condition. What the hell is going on? And Gin . . ." he turned to Rangiku.
"Wait a minute, just slow down honey", Rangiku wrapped her arms around the confused white haired captain.
"But I heard Unohana-taicho say—"
"Oh that", Retsu smiled at Toushiro. "I thought he was dead but he just had some internal bleeding and after the surgery was completely fine", she informed him.
"Che, like I'd die from something like that", Kenpachi said.
"Yeah, Ken-chan can never die!" Yachiru exclaimed.
"Well, Kenny bear needs to get some rest", Retsu said as she tugged on Kenpachi's arm. Toushiro noticed that Kenpachi went red (only for a second though) as Retsu's hand slid down his back and if he didn't know better, he would say that she had grabbed Kenpachi butt.
Needs some rest my ass! Toushiro thought.
"But what you Ukitake-taicho?" Toushiro looked at the older white-haired captain.
"Oh, don't worry about me", he smiled at Toushiro. "You won't get rid of me that easily. Besides, I have two lovely assistants to keep me company", he nodded toward a certain strawberry head and raven haired couple. "Come along Ichigo, Rukia, our little Shiro-chan needs his rest", Juushiro winked.
Toushiro blushed, knowing exactly what Juushiro meant behind that wink.
Juushiro turned on his heels, followed by a strawberry haired boy and his raven haired girlfriend.
"Take care", Ichigo nodded.
"Bye!" Rukia waved.
Ichigo just grunted and Juushiro chuckled as they dragged Rukia along.
"Well, we're gonna head off now", Yachiru chirped tugging Byakuya along. "Take care snowball", Yachiru waved.
"Get well soon", Byakuya nodded.
"Come on Byakushi. While Ken-chan and Mama are busy", Yachiru hurried him along.
Toushiro also noticed that Byakuya went red, but only for a second as Yachiru bounced her . . . uh . . . new, large assets up and down in front of him.
Yachiru's breasts were almost nearly as large as Rangiku's and she's only sixteen.
It seemed Kenpachi, Byakuya and Toushiro all had one thing in common: a weakness for happy, bubbly women.
"Well, we're gonna head off to. I need to get Tatsuki back home before Yamamoto notices I snuck her in", Renji grabbed his girlfriend's hand and they started to leave.
"Bye shorty. Feel better", Tatsuki smiled at him and Renji laughed.
Toushiro glared at the retreating dark haired girl but Renji death glared him, daring him to freeze his girlfriend. So Toushiro decided he'd be nice and let her go. But Renji would pay for it later.
"Well, I am glad to see you two alive and well but me and Nanao have a division to attend to", Shunsui smiled, grabbing Nanao's hand in his and heading to the exit.
"You mean I'll have to attend to our division", she corrected him.
"But Nanao", he cooed in her ear. "I always try to help out with the tasks of heading our division. Remember, I promised to help with the paperwork", he wriggled his eyebrows.
"Well, you did promise", Nanao blushed.
"Shall we head off then?" he asked.
"Lead the way", she smiled and they were off.
"What is with everyone today?" Toushiro asked his strawberry blonde fiancé.
"It's just that everyone is so happy we're finally together, safe and sound that they want to celebrate", she answered him.
"Well, if they wanted to celebrate, why not throw a party?" he threw his hands up in the air.
"Oh come down my darling", she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why don't we just have a little celebration of our own?" she cooed in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.
"Oh? What did you have in mind?" he pulled her into his lap.
"Lie down and I'll show you", she pushed him on his back.
"I love you", he smiled at her.
"And I love you", she smiled back. "Now strip", she commanded.
"Yes ma'am", he complied.
Well, that was the end. So, what did you think? And for all of you who guessed Gin, you were right! Well, I'm hungry, so I'm gonna go eat. Please review and I'll read them when I finish eating. Bye!