Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 27
Shiro tried to lunge at Aizen again just to be pulled back by Grimmjow. Shiro looked at him with angry eyes, but it seemed that he knew that he was not a target even though he was the one restraining him. He may have been getting anxious, but fighting his allies wasn't the best way to take down the problem in front of them.
Okay maybe Grimmjow's count was a little off. Within the time he was holding Ichigo back Aizen was still talking about his plan. Geez, he can talk forever. Right now he actually doesn't have any resentment towards non-pure blood vampires. It's just that there were plenty of vampires who hated them and he was trying to gain control over them. He wanted to take over all the world's vampires by uniting them under the same flag. As he harped on Grimmjow constantly looked over his shoulder hoping that his backup would appear, but honestly it felt like he's been waiting for seven days.
Seriously, he was just at a meeting that was filled with potential backup that was ready to unite arms and fight back against Aizen, but here he was practically alone. Even Aizen's men seemed like they were getting agitated by how much Aizen was talking about how brilliant his plan was. They've been shifting back and forth for a while and Gin even left for a while and came back with a bottle of cream soda.
Shiro tried to pull his grip free again and even yelled for Grimmjow to let go, and it seemed to make Aizen quiet down and watch what happened next cautiously. He didn't know too much about shinigami, but he has never seen this. Grimmjow didn't know how, but he could feel Ichigo's energy from the body that Shiro was possessing. He was still there and he was trying to get in control so that he could fight for himself. He was resisting the control for the purpose of fighting for himself, something he has desired to do since he discovered his shinigami powers. Shiro was definitely aware of whom he was and that was probably the reason why he wasn't attacking him, but he didn't mind voicing his opinion with him. If Ichigo was allowed to do it then so could he.
Harribel eventually got impatient. Aizen finished talking so it was time to fight, that's how it's supposed to work, right? She took the first step towards Grimmjow, testing the waters and Aizen didn't stop her so she took the initiative and charged forward to attack recklessly. Grimmjow never let go of Shiro, throwing him behind him as he took the hit instead. She may have thrown herself at him recklessly, but her speed made up for the boldness in her attack. The lightning speed punch in the gut was absorbed and he grabbed at her shoulder and threw the female vampire back and kept an arm up defensively to protect the boy being held against his will behind him. He snarled as he guarded the boy's body with his own, having to fight a battle in front of him as well as behind him as Shiro only resisted more after Harribel attacked, not wanting to be the one protected. He cursed up a storm and tried to pry Grimmjow's iron grip off of him.
Grimmjow could tell that he wanted to protect him for Ichigo's sake, but he was seriously becoming problematic. He was in his body after all and even though he didn't know how the whole shinigami thing worked he was pretty sure he had a close relationship with Ichigo and he would be upset if he got hurt too even if he was thrashing behind him right now shouting and cursing saying that he had to do something. He definitely is more capable at fighting then Ichigo, but that didn't mean that Grimmjow was going to let him go just for him to hurt Ichigo's body. That body didn't belong to him and they had a common goal so he should learn how to behave.
Ichigo was losing his grip on Shiro's arm as the storm only became stronger. Thunder started to erupt above him and the sky became a dark and murky color. He could feel his frustration through him and it was really had a heavy effect on him. He could feel anger brewing up inside of him that didn't belong to his own will. It was amazing how even in his inner world Shiro had that kind of effect on him. He needed to wake him up.
He tried to shake him roughly to get him out of his trance and he could feel his anxiety rise and fall as Grimmjow tried to prevent him from fighting and how even Grimmjow has had enough and started arguing with him. He needed to get back soon so that he doesn't end up causing any more problems for him. He needed to fight just like Shiro wanted, but Shiro is too reckless. He just attacked a group of vampires by himself, pureblooded vampires, pureblooded vampires that was looking to gain even more power than they already had.
"Shiro, SHIRO!" Ichigo called out, but he wouldn't respond, "ZANGETSU!" Ichigo yelled out, shaking his arm violently. That seemed to rip his attention away from his trance for just enough time to come to his senses. Ichigo could feel him slightly lighten his control over his body.
Shiro looked at him with a shell-shocked expression as if he wasn't aware of what he was doing either. He was so focused on what was going on outside of his body to realize the storm erupting above him and how it was potentially damaging them. He looked frustrated, angry, and even a bit scared. He was more scared then he was putting off, but Ichigo could feel it.
Even if he tended to be an arrogant asshole most of the time he was still looking at Ichigo for help and he was ready to follow his guidance. He may have been the one mentoring Ichigo on how to use his powers, but Ichigo was still the boss. "I need you to calm down." Ichigo said trying to reassure him. He placed both hands on Shiro's arms at his sides and held him in place so that he could meet his eyes. "I'm upset too, but we need to fight together if we are going to survive this. You can't just take over and charge into battle and hope that I'm okay letting you do everything."
Shiro looked at him apologetically. Ichigo didn't know Shiro personally for too long, but he has been with him his entire life. The logical side of Ichigo was angry that something that terrible has happened to his uncle, but he knew that Shiro was more concerned about what was going to happen to him. That guy wanted to take Ichigo apart and make Ichigo have the same fate as his uncle, Kaien. As his inner soul and the source of Ichigo's powers he was not going to allow that to happen to him.
"That thing, it's cryin' out." Shiro admitted. "I can hear his cries."
Ichigo cocked his head and tried to listen. He couldn't hear anything. He didn't know what he was listening for, but whatever it was it made Shiro really uncomfortable and it was rubbing off on Ichigo.
"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.
"That thing's soul, yer uncle's previous inner soul, he's trapped." Shiro said. "When that asshole took yer uncle apart he trapped the soul there so he could give that thing shinigami powers."
Ichigo listened a little harder, knowing what he was listening for. He slid his hands upward to hold Shiro's shoulders out of instinct. He didn't know where the thought came from to touch his shoulders and to now lay his forehead against his, but he knew what he was doing somehow. He was trying to connect their minds and get a better grasp of what he was hearing, what he is seeing, and how he is feeling. Just from that interaction he could hear a loud cry echo throughout his inner world. It sounded sad and haunting like a whale song. It was heart wrenching and Ichigo now understood why he went berserk.
Ichigo never met his uncle therefore Shiro never had either, but no one deserves a fate like that. Knowing who he was and that he potentially may have played a role in his life if this didn't happen still hurt like hell. Right now his uncle's power was being forced to occupy a body that he had no control over, unable to have authority over his own power with his life force being sapped away from him against his will. If they don't help him not only will he be unable to receive a swift and merciful death, but Shiro will end up just like him. He needed to be a hero this time and if he was going to do that then he needed to be in control of himself.
He was pulled away from the shinigami that he supplied support to, his best friend. "I won't let anything like that happen to you." Ichigo said. "So I need you to trust me."
Shiro looked into Ichigo's unwavering eyes. He felt his uneasiness drop and the storm clouds above him started to brew less intensely. He trusted him and he was ready to give support when he needed.
"Let's save Nejibana." Shiro called out grabbing hold of Ichigo's arm by the elbow and releasing his power into him.
Ichigo was back in reality. His eyes were no longer discolored, but they definitely looked lighter and held a different kind of fury behind him. His irises seemed to be glowing amber that held fire behind them that resonated power. Ichigo spoke out loud rather than in his head even though he may have looked absolutely batshit crazy for talking to himself. He never looked so powerful before and he must have felt the need to communicate to the one who was making it possible.
"I know you are scared even if you won't admit it, but this time we can't let our fears influence our actions." Ichigo mumbled. "Let's do this, Zangetsu!" He said calling out. A giant sword appeared in his hand. It was the same one he wielded before, but there was an energy running off of it and even though the sword didn't have any physical change there was a malicious aura coming off of it that seemed to want to tear apart the enemies in front of him.
Grimmjow stepped away so that Ichigo could have more space to wreak havoc. Ichigo was back and if he got to close then maybe he will end up getting torn apart from the blade unintentionally even if he did trust Ichigo. Reassurance washed over his face as he watched his boyfriend now stand in front of him ready to fight on his own two feet.
There was a loud crash behind them as a metal plate fell from the ceiling a little too close for comfort. Ichigo and Grimmjow stood ready for the surprise sneak attack, but their stern emotions were quickly replaced with relief when they saw familiar faces look down from above them that belonged to Shinji, Nnoitra, Rukia, and his father.
"It took you long enough to awaken your full power." Shinji said in a loud groan as he jumped down first, landing in between both Ichigo and Grimmjow. "Now show us what you've got kid."
Shinji pulled out his own sword that was more traditional. Nnoitra, who never left his side closed the distance between the two of them and positioned them so that Nnoitra was standing in front of him.
"Oh hell nah. Yer not fightin'. That's my job." Nnoitra said gruffly. "Yer here fer back up and ta set up a protective space or somethin'.
Grimmjow never would have believed it if it wasn't right in front of him. Shinji was pouting, pouting at him. Like he was actually listening to what his tall bastard of a brother was telling him. What kind of relationship formed between the two of them when he left them alone? Shinji was being oddly obedient even if he did have Nnoitra's spell on him. It must have been working incredibly well or something happened between the two of them that Grimmjow didn't know about.
"Fine, I'll do that since you kids don't know how to do that yourself yet." Shinji mumbled while looking accusingly at Ichigo and…Rukia for some reason who jumped down right beside him while Nnoitra was busy being all protective of his new…whatever Shinji was now. They needed to be in a protective space if they wanted the fight to continue. Grimmjow didn't know exactly where he was since he was underground, but there could be people above him that may get hurt if things go out of hand.
Rukia looked a little too distracted to pay any mind to the stab that was taken at her by Shinji. She was more distracted by the zombie-like individual that was standing far ahead of her, "Dad?"
Then something clicked inside of Shinji as he stared at his former roommate and best friend. He had a very solemn expression and it seemed like Nnoitra was able to feel it radiate off of him from the mark that he left on him. Nnoitra's usual cocky expression changed to a more somber one. He couldn't tell what to do or what Shinji was thinking, but it was clear to everyone that Shinji was hurt seeing Kaien like that and Nnoitra didn't know how to handle it since he didn't know too much about Shinji to begin with. They just met that day so he probably didn't know anything about his best friend who went missing.
Seriously, how is that mark more powerful on Shinji then Grimmjow's on Ichigo? They were both shinigami so it shouldn't be that powerful. Did spells work on shinigami after all and Grimmjow is just shitty at using spells? No, he used them and was way better at using them then Nnoitra ever was. None of this was making sense, but he could harp on that later. He was a bit more distracted from what Rukia said.
"Dad?" Ichigo asked. He repeated the word in his head a few times before he dissected it and defined it over and over again until the word made sense. She called Kaien her dad. That was when a realization hit him like one of that chimera's waves. Ichigo knew that Kaien had a daughter and Szayelaporro also reminded him of that fact. He managed to forget about his long lost cousin with the stress that Aizen was the reason for the shinigami flooding into the world of the living. Kaien may have looked a lot like Ichigo, but he had the same jet black hair as Rukia.
Rukia was Kaien's daughter? His best friend since high school was his daughter? His best friend who he has known since high school who allowed him to cry on her shoulder, who snuck over to his house late at night to talk or play video games is his cousin? What is this? How did this even happen and how has he not realized this sooner. Did she know about this or was he the only one left out again?
Szayelaporro suddenly seemed very interested. "Oh, Aaroniero's daughter returns as a vampire. Now that is an interesting twist." He looked at her smugly. "I'd hate to turn a father against their child. Oh, who am I kidding? This is incredibly fun."
Ichigo looked over at Rukia desperately. Her eyes have lowered after hearing what Szayelaporro said. He had no business to make light of the situation after he killed her father and did the worst thing possible. She looked determined to bring him down and from the look on her face Ichigo believed that she wouldn't stop until he has suffered as much as her father. Maybe she shouldn't be the one to fight Szayelaporro.
"Yeah sorry Ichigo, I was planning on telling you, but I've been working on something myself." Rukia said. Her voice was as cold as the air around her. The temperature seemed to have dropped quite a few degrees to a point where Ichigo could see his breath.
Rukia's dark eyes now turned into an incredibly light blue that was on the verge of being white. A snow white sword appeared in her hand. Ichigo's jaw dropped. Didn't Szayelaporro just say that Kaien's daughter didn't have any power? Now here she was making the entire room feel like Antarctica. How did she master her powers before he did? How long has she known about them?
Ichigo looked over to Grimmjow. He didn't look as shocked by Rukia's powers, but he definitely didn't expect them. Weren't shinigami supposed to smell really good? If that was the case then why didn't Grimmjow notice that she had powers?
"It looks like I was wrong. That's odd. You didn't smell like shinigami the last time I saw you." Szayelaporro admitted. "No matter, a vampire shinigami is way more interesting and after this fight I'll acquire three more shinigami."
Nnoitra pushed Shinji behind him and glared at Szayelaporro. Shinji was in Szayelaporro's ideal body count and there was no way he was going to let him touch him. Shinji just rolled his eyes, but he that didn't exactly hide the small blush on his face. It was a good thing Nnoitra didn't see that.
The chimera, Aaroniero, looked pretty uneasy. Ichigo listened and heard the inner soul's conflicting feelings. It definitely recognizes Rukia and the fact that it realizes that he is being forced to fight his former master's daughter only made him cry out more desperately then before. It wasn't exactly helping Shiro feel at ease even though he was previously feeling better with more allies standing beside them.
"What fight?" An adult with shaggy brown hair that Ichigo has never seen before dropped from the ceiling. Where did he come from? Was he with the other's before or did he just get there? He didn't know who this guy was, but he was hoping someone would clarify. "We haven't done anything yet. We've practically been standing around this entire time. You guys take too long."
Grimmjow shrugged. "Bad guys always wait till the heroes finish talking before fighting." He didn't seem too surprised by this guy coming out of nowhere. He must have done that a lot, whoever he was because no one really regarded him when he joined the group, not even Rukia. Here it was again, Ichigo being left out and not knowing what was going on. The thought things would change after he unleashed his full power, but it seemed that this was still relatively new.
The man just sighed. "Isn't that a bit easy going? Can't we just get this over with so I can go take a nap?"
The man scanned the room then cocked his head when he looked at Ichigo. He looked him up and down before a smile appeared on his face. "Oh, you must be Ichigo." He said in a friendly voice that differed from his bored monotone voice he had before. "I'm Grimmjow's father. It's too bad we have to meet in this fashion. I feel bad that I didn't have the opportunity to talk with you more."
Grimmjow looked from his father to Aizen who just shifted from one foot to the other. For a guy who just called this 'easy going' and that they were taking too long for this fight to start he didn't seem to mind talking to his boyfriend. How hypocritical. Ichigo never had the chance to meet Grimmjow's father, but. He didn't seem to give a damn.
Ichigo wanted to tell him that the entire reason for this fight was probably to try and take down his family, but even if he knew that then Stark probably wouldn't do more than raise an eyebrow to that. Ichigo could tell from a glance that he was strong and him being the leader of the clan that Grimmjow came from was proof enough. Having him around was reassuring.
Stark has been around for hundreds upon hundreds of years and never gotten a battle scar. He's been around so long that he has long forgotten how old he is and he barely has any memory of what he was doing before finding Grimmjow. He only describes his life before the clan by shrugging and calling it 'lonely.' It was clear why Aizen was so afraid of him. He was a force to reckon with and his laidback attitude only showed that this wasn't worth his time, that no one was worth his time.
Grimmjow may be a little annoyed at his father who was now trying to cram an interview with his boyfriend and future life partner, but immediately a smile appeared on his face. If this was the final battle then there was no way they were going to lose. He was surrounded by friends that had his back even through the toughest battles. Yeah, apparently he made friends all he needed to do was fall in love with a shinigami human hybrid for him to learn that being grumpy for over two hundred years was a bit overkill.
"Alright, let's go." Grimmjow announced. "Let's do this for friendship or some other shonen manga shit."
It wasn't much of a battle cry, but everyone immediately started to fight. Shinji reluctantly agreed to stay behind and make the protected space and was ready to offer support whenever someone needed it. It might have been more strategic to have Ichigo back there too just in case someone needed healing, but with his new found power there was no way of holding him back.
Ichigo was fighting with Szayelaporro deciding that it was a smarter choice for Rukia to fight the chimera. He didn't like Rukia fighting her father, but the pink haired psychopath ordered the chimera to attack her probably because of the entertainment. At least it was better that Ichigo take down Szayelaporro just for the fact that Ichigo wasn't sure what Rukia would do to him if she got to fight him. Revenge was a bit too ugly and he didn't want her to bear that burden. He'll do it for her because that was what friends are for.
Ichigo refused to think of it like revenge, but it also gave him the opportunity to get back at the man that put him through hell back in America. The mark on his back that came from the dart that was fired at him was a constant reminder of what happened to him and how he has almost went into frenzy and devoured Orihime. He never wanted to hurt his friend and she went through something truly terrifying. That's not even mentioning the pain that he has caused Rukia and probably his own father. This man needed to go even if it meant him disappearing forever. He may not be comfortable with the idea of killing someone, but he was sane enough to be the one to take care of it.
The chimera might have had the power to manipulate water just like Rukia's father, but she seemed to have ice powers and was able to freeze the water that he tried to attack her with and her vampire body was way more agile then his sluggish zombie body so he had no chance of keeping up. At first she was a little hesitant to attack her dead father, but after he managed to land a hit on her she realized that that thing was not her father even if he looked like him. He had no feelings of love for her so she needed to put her feelings aside and fulfill her side of the battle.
Nnoitra took on Harribel. She has approached their family multiple times when she was trying to make a clan exclusively for women. She came in the interest of recruiting Nel for her clan. Nnoitra resented her for trying to pull his sister and sparring partner away from him, mostly because he has not beaten her in a fight yet. Nel may have always been stronger than him, but he wanted to prove that he was at least stronger than the woman that wanted to take her away from their family. After Nel turned her down she went back to being a solo vampire and eventually joined Aizen. If she wanted to kill Stark then without a doubt she may be trying to get Nel to join her again. Harribel seemed a bit old fashioned and expected Nel to be old fashioned too. She probably thought that if she can prove that Aizen was stronger than Stark then she would leave the clan and join her by her side.
Grimmjow was on Gin and Gin was more than happy to fight with him. He didn't give a damn about the loss of Tosen he seemed to be more interested in having a good fight that actually offered a challenge. He was happily dodging all of Grimmjow's attacks and didn't really bother throwing his own punches and it only helped in irritating Grimmjow further which lead to his attacks being sloppier. Even if he left himself full of openings with the intention of luring Gin in he never took the bait and continued making the fight not progress any further. Grimmjow couldn't comprehend why he didn't give a damn when he attacked him before to try and prevent him from getting to Ichigo when Tosen abducted him. If anything it looked like he was just stalling for time. What he was stalling for he couldn't tell. Hopefully he was just over thinking things because if he wasn't then things may end up getting messy.
Stark had the most on his plate. He had to take down Aizen. This entire time it didn't seem like Aizen was much of a fighter because he always sent his subordinates to fight for him instead, but he was actually the fiercest fighter of them all. Stark was the strongest so he clearly had the upper hand and Aizen even seemed a little nervous as they bounced around the room from one place to another. It seemed that Aizen had more stamina, but Stark hit harder even if his move seemed pretty sluggish and his limbs were getting a bit stiff.
"I'm pretty sure that you've realized it by now, but by the time you've stepped in here this place was decided to be your final resting place." Aizen said.
"Maybe so, but I will at least hold you off so that the kids will be able to win in the end." Stark grumbled.
"You don't understand. I don't care if my subordinates die. I just want your death." Aizen said throwing another hit that connected to Stark's neck.
"Will you be alive to see me die is the real question." He said throwing a sluggish punch that completely missed.
"I'm pretty sure you've noticed that I released a poisonous gas in the room as soon as you've stepped in here. You know that it doesn't affect vampires rather it's one of the poisons that vampires evolved to survive since hunters used to use it on killing sprees. Too bad you haven't exactly evolved since you are so ancient." Aizen said.
The look on Stark's face didn't waver. He knew from the beginning that Aizen was going to stoop low to try and kill him. That the poison would affect him even though it wouldn't affect the other vampires in the room, but why did he enter the fight knowing that his life would be in danger? The answer was obvious. He told Grimmjow that in a situation where he needed to pick him or Ichigo he told him to save Ichigo. Shinji was out of the room since he put up the protective space and is hanging behind as backup so that meant that everyone in the room was immune to the poison whether they realized its presence or not that is except for Ichigo and himself.
Stark kept on stealing glances at the human-shinigami hybrid. He looked energetic probably because of the adrenaline of finally being able to fight with his full power and the aura wrapping around him from his sword may have been doing something about the poison unintentionally, but he doubted it. He was the one exposed to it the longest and his fears were confirmed when Ichigo started to cough and wheeze.
Ichigo collapsed and fell to the ground as blood started to come out of his mouth. Ichigo's eyes were swimming. He hasn't realized how lightheaded he was until his vision blacked out for a second and he found himself on the floor. He thought he was only getting lightheaded because he was getting tired and his power was taking a toll on him. He had Szayelaporro on the ropes too. Now the pink haired vampire towered above him. He seemed pretty self-satisfied that he was able to hold off long enough for the poison to kick in.
Grimmjow immediately noticed Ichigo fall and he was quickly to his side switching his target from Gin to Szayelaporro in a heartbeat. It didn't seem that Gin minded as much as he shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Grimmjow defend his fallen boyfriend.
Ichigo struggled to stand up and a bit of power flashed through his eyes as he noticed Grimmjow fighting above him to protect him yet again. He crawled on his stomach and while the pink haired vampire was preoccupied with his new opponent he sliced at his feet. The blade carved at his ankles and imbedded itself in bone. The blade started to viciously drink the blood of the vampire as if it were quenching a thirst. The vampire tried to free himself from the blade, but blade's invisible aura wrapped around him and held him in place as it sucked out his blood.
The previously invisible aura around the blade started to turn red and Ichigo pulled it away. He had a look on his face like he knew what he was doing, like his inner soul was feeding ideas into his head of what to do now while Grimmjow just watched in astonishment. With all of Ichigo's remaining strength he pulled himself to his knees, using the blade as leverage and sliced the air with the blade. The red aura cut through the air and sliced Szayelaporro to shreds before turning him to sand. What was that power? He used his opponent's blood as a weapon. It was like Grimmjow's Gran Rey Cero, but for that power Grimmjow had to use his own blood. It didn't compare to the power of Ichigo's vampiric blade. This would explain why his inner soul was so blood thirsty. This was his power. His powers revolved around body manipulation, whether it was his, his allies, or his opponents.
Ichigo collapsed again and he started to heave as blood dribbled out of his mouth and down his chin. Grimmjow got on his knees immediately as he inspected Ichigo. The life drained from his burning amber eyes and his eyelids slid over them. His skin felt like he was left in the sun for too long as he broke out into a fever that came out of nowhere. There was no way his power could have done that. Shiro would have wanted to protect Ichigo so there was no way he would let him do something so reckless.
He didn't have a lot of time to realize that his life was in danger. He looked up to see that Aizen was bolting to him with a wooden stake in his hand. He didn't know where he got that from, but he knew that if he or Ichigo got hit with that then they would be over. He wasn't going to allow Ichigo to get hurt anymore. It may have been wood, but a stake could still kill a person especially if they are in the same shape as Ichigo. He needed to get him to safety.
He picked up Ichigo and was about to run, but Aizen was faster. He swiped at him a few times and missed him barely as he tried to make it to where Shinji was so that he could let them out of the protected space, but if Aizen was so close there was no doubt that he will be able to escape it too. He needed to gain some distance. Ichigo couldn't stay here for much longer. If he did then he might not make it.
Aizen was right in front of him again and despite his fierce actions he still looked smug as if he was able to predict what happened next. His next attack was aimed at the boy in Grimmjow's arms. Grimmjow knew that he couldn't dodge it in time so he tried to close over Ichigo to defend him, exposing his back to Aizen where he could stab him even if it meant his death he wouldn't let Aizen get Ichigo.
He was expecting his life to end, but his death never came. He looked up to see his father standing right in front of him holding onto Aizen's wrist with the wooden stake poking at his skin, threatening to plunge into his heart.
"Dad!" Grimmjow cried out noticing the position he was in. He was ready to jump in and kick Aizen away from his father even if the sudden jolt may hurt Ichigo a little more
"Don't." Stark yelled trying to push Aizen's wrist away from his heart, but his wrist insisted on trying to plunge the piece of wood into him. "I told you that if there was a time for you to pick between me and your lover then you need to pick them. You two were made for each other and he's once in a lifetime. Get him out of here."
Grimmjow wanted to refuse. He wanted to tell his father that even though Ichigo was once in a life time he only had one father. He may have had one way in the past, but he was dead now and he couldn't even remember his face. He couldn't bear lose someone he has spent his entire life with, but to his horror his father started to cough just like Ichigo did. He continued to try and push Aizen away, but it was clear that he was reaching his limit and Aizen was easily able to fight him in this weakened state.
"I'm sorry son. I love you." Stark said before releasing his grip on Aizen's wrist and allowing the wood to plunge into his heart.
A/N: Three more chapters to go. Review, favorite, and follow to prevent this story falling into the "No man's land." Also hearing from you guys makes me incredibly happy.