Author's Note: So your reviews have been totally awesome, guys! Thanks so much for the positive/helpful feed back. It really makes me want to continue writing this fic, so it is muchly appreciated. You guys rock a bunch. Okay, I know there have been a few of you requesting some RukiaXIchigo fluff, and I will try and incorporate some into this chapter, but for the most part the fic is supposed to be legitimately angst-ridden, as awful as that sounds haha. I'm not saying that it won't include any relationship aspects, cause it definitely will, but right now I am focused on building plot points and putting them in their respective areas. There is still a lot of gaps I have to fill, and a lot of plot that has to become unfolded before there can be a giant RukiaXIchigo reunion. I, too, would love to be able to write RukiaXIchigo fluff in every chapter, but the plot of the story doesn't really allow for too much fluff. Anyway, I think I legit just lost my train of thought. Expect a lot to happen in this chapter.

Martyna: thanks so much! I'm glad you think the story is exciting! : - )

Anonymous: Thank you so much for the kind review! Admittedly, I was a bit nervous to see how people would react to the introduction of my original characters, but since I don't plan on having these characters 'steal the show' so to speak, I think it's not too much of a prevalent issue. And thanks again about the characters. I wanted to show that some of them actually have sides to them that people don't see, but know are there. I mean it would be completely ridiculous if Hiyori was never depressed, Shinji was always a goof ball, and Toshiro never cried. Unfortunately, Soi Fon does still have to be an asshole, but that's only because I needed her and Yamamoto to be the ultimate jerks in this fic.

uzumakisunspydr: haha yes, I love the invasion of the USA as well. And, yup, they totally were bad in Karakura for a month. And things are only going to get progressively worse…

Nekura Enzeru: Haha thanks. Hell as the enemy should be interesting. ; - P And I know, 750 billion was totally excessive, but sometimes I just can't help myself, haha. I actually cringed as I wrote it and then left it anyway. What does that say about me?

happygirl24, biohazard82, IchigoKurosakiSoutaichou, & T.A.R.D: Thanks guys! I'll try and keep writing as best as I can. : - )

DarkJason: hahaha, you seem super upset about Mayuri's death. ; - P And yeah, Yamamoto is going to have a few scary realizations coming his way. And don't worry! Ichigo and the other vizards will definitely be able to do what Shinji can, just with their own techniques and what not. People sometimes complain about Ichigo being able to deify this and that and become stronger, but I totally love it. Any chance to boost Ichigo's hero-capabilities are an epic win for me, haha. So expect him to definitely shine throughout this story. And no don't laugh like that! Scary! ; - p

MrsKurosaki x: The vizards would totally kick soul society's ass in those forms, haha. I don't know about the royal guard though…; - P. I tried to incorporate a bit of RukiaXIchigo fluff in this chapter, but unfortunately the ending is once again super-angst ridden haha. Sorry!

Ukitake probably won't resurface for a couple more chapters. I need him to stay comatose long enough for the royal guard to make an impact, if you know what I mean.

Thanks! Glad you are liking the fic!

TAKCH1: Thank you! I love IchigoXRukia pairings too. : - ) The royal guard was definitely fun to explain, only because we all secretly know how bad ass they really are. And yeah, the whole 'hell' scenario is going to be extremely scary when the time comes.

KH777: Haha, well I tried to have Rukia and Ichigo 'somewhat' meet in this chapter, but they probably won't officially have their reunion for a little bit. I will try and update faster, but until after next week, I will have to divide my time between this fic and a little bitch I like to call microeconomics, haha.

anon & shina937: Thanks guys! Glad you're enjoying the fic!

Chapter 7: The Sight Unseen

The world was on fire.

Or at least, soul society was. The time, however, was not in the past or in the present. No, instead, soul society's future was to perish in an inferno. Somehow, Ichigo knew that this was some sort of premonition he had been dragged into. Nothing in this place resembled his inner world, and his hollow wasn't here. Neither was Zangetsu. Looking around, Ichigo watched as a mouth of flames consumed another of soul society's walls. Whatever had caused this had been relentless.

"It is your burden to bear," a voice said quietly from behind him.

Ichigo turned to see a woman standing before him. Her hair was pale blonde and straight, and ended just past her shoulders. This wasn't her most intriguing feature, however, because what immediately caught Ichigo's attention were the woman's eyes. They were a piercing sapphire blue and almost seemed to glow. While everything around them was in ruins, the woman was unmarred and dressed in a golden gown. She was seemingly unaffected by the situation, as her face remained passive.

"Who are you?" he questioned angrily.

"That's not important now. What is important is that this future," she responded motioning to the ruins of soul society, "Is yours to prevent."

"I don't work for soul society anymore, sorry, you'll have to find someone else."

"There is no one else. I have already given you the power necessary to deter these events," the beautiful woman replied serenely.

"Then take it back. I don't want it," Ichigo retorted harshly.

"Shinji said the same thing," the woman mused quietly.

"Shinji?! What?! I thought you said this was my burden to bear," Ichigo asked bewilderedly.

"That was a test. I wanted to see how you would respond. All of the vizards seemed to respond the same way," she reflected on it for a moment before continuing, "I have already given you all power. I cannot undo those actions. You are free, however, to choose how you will use that power. I cannot force you to help soul society, I can only remind you that even fallen leaders step up and take the lead when no one else can."

Ichigo looked at the woman strangely. She seemed to understand that he didn't want anything to do with soul society, but she was also trying to persuade him to 'be the better man' so to speak. He wasn't sure if this was a situation in which he wanted to be the better man. Not after everything Yamamoto had done to him already.

"This is why you should reflect on your decision. I know Yamamoto has done much to cause distress to you and your friends. And there is only more to come. He has delved too far into the realm of revenge for me to stop him now. What is coming your way will be extremely difficult to deal with," the woman interrupted and answered his thoughts.

How did she do that? Ichigo wondered, in awe, "What about this new power? Can't I stop the royal guard with not only my vizard power, but this new power?"

"No. Right now you will only have control of your vizard powers. And when I say control, I mean complete control. Your final stage will no longer cause you problems. That is what this power can do for you now. What it will do in the future will be revealed to you in the future," she responded vaguely.

"Is everyone else seeing the same images?" Ichigo wondered aloud.

"Yes…including Rukia," she said slowly and Ichigo's face lit up, "She requested to see you."

"Can she?" Ichigo inquired quickly.

"Yes, but only for a little while. I know that is important that you see her. I must go now, but please think about your decisions. They affect us all," she turned and started to walk away.

"Wait! Can't you at least tell me your name?" Ichigo shouted at the retreating back.

He watched as she turned around and smiled at him, "It's Sapphire. It was nice meeting you, Ichigo Kurosaki."

With that she was gone.

And in her place, was Rukia.

"Rukia," Ichigo murmured, a smile spreading over his features.

"Ichigo," she replied and walked towards him. As they met, Ichigo grabbed her into a fierce hug and buried his face into her hair. Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed deeply. She then pulled away and before Ichigo could recover, she slapped him across the face.

Startled, Ichigo rubbed his stinging cheek and glared at her wildly, "What the hell was that for?!?!"

"For writing me that letter! Do you know that I actually cried over it? And then to make matters worse I couldn't even talk to you about it afterwards! How dare you write such a beautiful letter knowing that you were leaving!"

"But that's why I wrote it!" Ichigo retorted, sending her a scathing glare, "Because I was leaving! It's not like I could pop into soul society where I was being charged with attempted murder and tell you how I felt! Wait – did you actually cry over it?" he asked suddenly, looking amused.

"Shut up!" she said smacking him again before sighing, "I missed you."

Ichigo rubbed his sore cheek a second time, "I missed you too. And I'm sorry for making you cry," he added softly.

"I didn't cry that much," she said in defense and then smiled at him, "Ichigo, what are we going to do? Now that you know that I love you --,"

"It's almost unbearable to be apart," Ichigo finished, "I know. I don't know what to do right now, Rukia. Everything is up in the air. Maybe we should just stick to making decisions for right now. Because I don't know about you, but I don't want to deal with that future right now," he said motioning to the burning soul society behind them.

"Me neither," she replied, "But Ichigo – when do you think we will see each other again? I don't know how much longer I can keep going like this," she looked at the ground sadly.

"It's hurting me too, Rukia," Ichigo moved towards her and wrapped her into another hug before holding her at arm's length, "Maybe I can talk to Shinji and we can figure something out. Until then, we have to keep moving forward. As much as it sucks."

Rukia nodded at looked up at him again. She brought a hand up and cupped one of his cheeks before standing on her tippy toes to press a warm kiss against his lips. Ichigo grinned into the kiss before lowering his head, making it easier for her to kiss him. Rukia wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him down for another kiss. This one was rougher and more desperate than the last. Ichigo soon realized it was because Rukia was fading. Their time together was almost up.

Wrapping both arms around her waist, Ichigo kissed her back just as fiercely. This lasted for a few precious seconds before they broke apart, both slightly winded. Ichigo leant down to kiss the top of Rukia's forehead. He then kissed the tip of her nose, and finally he pressed his lips against her mouth for the final time.

"I love you, Rukia," he gave her a bittersweet smile as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"I love you too, Ichigo," she smiled sadly as their interlocking fingers began to fade, "See you later."

"Goodbye, Rukia," and with that, they were both gone.

"Eh? Why do you think he's the only one still unconscious?" Shinji mused next to Hiyori as they both bent over prone figure of Ichigo.

"Considering he's been moaning Rukia for the past fifteen minutes, idiot, I'm going to say they had sex subconsciously," Hiyori announced and Shinji wrinkled his nose at the thought.

"We did not have sex," Ichigo muttered as he sat up and opened his eyes, "She wants to see me," he added looking over at Shinji hopefully.

"It's not possible right now. The royal guard was just sent out, Ichigo; we need to give it a bit of time before we make any drastic movements."

Ichigo sighed deeply at Shinji's response. Although he had assumed Shinji would say something like that, he had secretly hoped that there was some chance that he and Rukia could reunite soon.

"Can't we technically just take out the entire royal guard now? I mean we have complete control of our final stages now," Hiyori said hopefully.

"There's no way," Kensei said from the couch on the right, "The royal guard is made up of a shit load of powerful people. They might not have hollow powers on their side, but their reiatsu has practically aged to perfection."

"Just like this wine," Lisa giggled as she held up her glass from next to Kensei. The others looked at her in bewilderment. When had she gotten wine from the alcohol cabinet? Even more importantly, how had she gotten drunk in all of fifteen minutes?

"Lisa-chan is a light-weight," Hachi explained while pouring his own glass of wine. Well that explained where Lisa got it from and why she was drunk.

"How many glasses has she had?" Rose asked curiously.

"Three," Hachi replied and Lisa giggled loudly at the answer.

Mashiro started to giggle too, "I want wine too! Kensei! Pour me a glass!"

"Hell NO!" Kensei roared at his former lieutenant, "The last thing I need is you running around acting ten times more insane than you already are."

"Agreed," Shinji and Ichigo said from Kensei's left. Mashiro started to pout and whine about 'evil asshole-faced jerks' before Love shoved a pint of Ben & Jerry's 'everything but the' into her hands.

"Yay! Love-chan is my favooooooriteee!" Mashiro sang as she dug into her ice cream.

Hiyori growled lowly, "That's almost as bad as a drunk-Mashiro, Love."

"Would you have rather had her calling everyone names all night?" he retorted.

Hiyori crossed her arms over her chest and sighed in defeat. He had a point.

Suddenly Ichigo and Shinji were assaulted as Lisa wrapped her arms around both of their heads and squashed both of them to her chest, "And these two are muh favoriteeeeee, cause they gots lovely personalities," She slurred as she leapt over the couch and attempted to sit on both of them at once.

"I think Lisa-chan should slow down on the drinks and maybe get some sleep, yeah?" Shinji asked as he hauled Lisa off of both himself and Ichigo and threw her over his shoulder. As he headed upstairs towards her bedroom, shouts of 'Shinji if you're lucky I'll let you see my porno mag collection!' were heard from above.

Ichigo shook his head a few times and wondered how he had gotten stuck with such an insane group of people. Then he remembered what his dad was like only a daily basis, and he smiled. Maybe Isshin had hung out with the vizards too much before Ichigo was born and that's where he had gotten it from.

He sighed sadly and Hiyori raised an eyebrow at him, "What's wrong?"

"Eh, nothing. This just makes me miss my other family, is all," Ichigo replied.

"You'll see them again, Ichigo, don't worry. Besides, I'm sure they're having a lot of fun themselves right now."

"PUT THE DAMN RING BACK ON HER HAND NOW!" Isshin roared as a sudden flare of reiatsu filled the spacious apartment.

"I am trying, Isshin, please lower your tone," Byakuya replied as he finally managed to shove the reiatsu-blocking ring back onto Rukia's finger.

During their little episode with the flaming soul society, Rukia had been out the longest. In her unconscious state, she had started to reach out to someone. In the process, her ring had been flung from her hand, which had caused the recent crisis to escalate. If anyone had sensed that ten-second interval of Rukia's reiatsu leak, then they were all very much screwed.

Urahara suddenly appeared between the two men with a small velvet sack in the palm of his hand. Turning it upside down, they watched as several similar rings tumbled out. He placed the rings in Byakuya's hand, who immediately set about trying to find a smaller one for Rukia's finger.

"Ah that was a little too close," Urahara laughed nervously and nudged the visibly upset Isshin, "If anything happens, we'll deal with it."

"If anything happens, we'll be dead," Isshin snapped and watched as Yuzu and Karin looked up at him, clearly upset. His expression softened and he placed his hands on his two girls' heads.

"Daddy won't let anything happen. Daddy will fight all the bad guys in a super sexy lovable dad fashion!" He pumped his fist into the air before reaching out to smother his daughters in a hug. Before he was able to, Karin punched him in the gut and he was sent flying across the room.

"Idiot, you're so embarrassing," Karin muttered as she walked off into the bathroom.

Several knocks were heard at the front door, and then the word 'sake-love' was muttered before Captain Hitsugaya swung the door open and walked into the apartment. Whoever had decided to let his lieutenant choose the password was seriously disturbed. Behind him, Matsumoto smiled warmly at everyone and entered into the apartment. Finally, Kenpachi, Madarame, Yumichika, and Yachiru entered and the entire group was together.

They had decided to rent out two apartments considering the number of people in their group. The eleventh division members and the tenth division members were sharing an apartment across the hall, while everyone else was sharing the apartment in which they were currently situated, because it was more spacious than the latter.

"We felt a flare of reiatsu," Hitsugaya stated and then looked down at the couch, where Rukia Kuchiki was just waking up and looking startled at the news.

"Nii-sama, was it me?" She asked nervously.

Byakuya nodded, "It was an uncontrollable event, but now it's over."

"There might be repercussions," Hitsugaya retorted and glanced over at Rukia apologetically, "Obviously it was an unavoidable mistake, but we have to prepare for any consequences that might occur."

Rukia nodded in understanding, "When do you think we'll know?"

Hitsugaya looked towards Yoruichi and Urahara for an answer. Although he knew about the royal guard, he had never before had a first hand experience with them.

"You'll know," Yoruichi stated softly, "Their reiatsu is hard to miss. Especially if my suspicions are right and it's the execution squad that is performing these duties. If you feel like you're being smothered, then you'll know that they're here."

"None-the-less," Byakuya commanded, "We will need to send out some groups to make sure they aren't in the area. They could be plotting a sneak-attack of some sort."

Yoruichi nodded in agreement, "You're right. Normally they are extremely bold when confronting their target. Even to the point where it seems that they're bragging," she added disapprovingly, "But since there are so many of us--,"

"They might want to focus more on getting the job done than being flashy," Urahara finished and Yoruichi nodded.

"Alright then Captains Kuchiki, Kenpachi and I can take the first sweep of the area. We should be back in no more than an hour," Captain Hitsugaya stated.

Kenpachi grinned, looking thrilled at the idea of hacking up some members of the royal guard, "Sounds like a good plan to me. Let's get going!"

Byakuya nodded and looked back at Rukia, "Please be safe."

Rukia was started by the deep emotion she saw in Byakuya's eyes. She nodded fragilely and watched as the trio walked out the door.

Renji sighed deeply and sat next to her, "Don't look so worried. Even if they do come across the royal guard, I'm certain that they'll be able to figure out a way to escape and come back to us."

Rukia nodded in agreement, "Well unless Kenpachi decides he would rather fight them than escape," the others shared a laugh at that.

Although they knew that Kenpachi would normally do something like that, they weren't worried in this instance. Yoruichi had previously given them a long run-down on the royal guard (because once upon a time she had almost accepted a position into the zero squad) and Kenpachi was well-informed of the danger that this group possessed. He wasn't about to mess with them.

Rukia couldn't help but feel rather elated, despite the fact that she may have put them all in danger. Seeing Ichigo again – albeit in a dream-like state – had given her the strength she needed to get through the next few weeks. Rukia turned to Renji and studied his expression. Her best friend seemed extremely calm, despite the events that had unfolded recently. She vaguely wondered if it was because of the 'new powers' they had all been told of. She knew, however, that those powers weren't going to be activated until later. Basically, the entire group was still screwed until this 'later' came about.

"Renji, how do you feel about all of this?" Rukia inquired from his side and watched as he lifted his head in surprise.

"I don't really know, to be honest. Part of me thinks I should be terrified, but so much has happened too quickly. It's hard to even process the right emotions as of now," he replied honestly.

"That's probably a good thing," Yoruichi commented. Although she hadn't intended to overhear their conversation, it was nearly impossible not to considering the limited privacy they had with their current lifestyles, "It's better to fight with only some fear."

"Speaking of," Matsumoto said slowly, "It's already been an hour and taichou isn't back yet."

"We'll wait another fifteen minutes. If they aren't back by then, Matsumoto, Renji, Rukia, Madarame, Yumichikia, and I will go out and look for them," Yoruichi stated calmly.

The rest of the group prayed that the trio would return in fifteen minutes.

Byakuya Kuchiki moved through the crowd of shoppers at a rapid pace. Los Angeles was certainly full of people 24/7. Byakuya didn't understand how so much activity could occur in one place. It did, however, provide for good coverage when attempting to see without being seen. His hair was currently flat and matted to the back of his head due to the sweltering heat. He had been forced to take out his kenseikan when both Renji and Rukia had informed him it would stand out. Traitors.

The only other person who had been forced to change their hair style was Kenpachi. The man's usual spikes had been tamed somewhat and his hair hung down to tie into a pony tail at the base of his neck. Renji had mentioned something about Yachiru changing her hair as well and Kenpachi had practically killed Renji with his glare. It was one thing to ask Kenpachi to change his look, but another thing entirely to make Yachiru change hers. Before any fights could break out, they had all agreed that Yachiru could keep her bubblegum-pink hair.

From his left, Captain Hitsugaya was busy snarling at the passing crowd instead of looking out for the royal guard. Several people had already made comments about how cute the little boy that was with them was. It had led to Captain Hitsugaya beginning to silently seethe over the events. Byakuya was pretty certain that the small captain would take out the entire block if the comments continued. He wished that Captain Hitsugaya would direct his anger elsewhere. Like attempting to find the royal guard and taking them down instead.

On his right, Kenpachi was receiving a multitude of stares as well for the several scars that adorned his face. Not to mention the eye patch that made him look like an overly vicious pirate. Kenpachi, instead of angry, just looked amused by the events. He was even more amused at the fact that Captain Hitsugaya was getting pissed off so easily.

Turning another corner, the trio suddenly stopped as their breath was abruptly taken from them. The reiatsu that had just flared up was overwhelming. Byakuya was the first to recover. As he brought his head up his was met with the cold gaze of a tall, brunette man in front of him. As Byakuya took a soul candy out of his pocket, four other zero division members suddenly appeared behind the first. It was officially five against three.

As the three rebel captains popped the soul candy into their mouths, they commanded their artificial souls to return to 'base' and inform the others as to what was going on. As their gigais were leaving, all three rebel captains quietly murmured a single word before an activation switch went off in the gigais and they suddenly turned invisible. Urahara had installed that function specifically so that they wouldn't be followed in an instance such as this.

Byakuya removed the reiatsu-suppressing ring and placed it into one of his pockets. He watched as the other captains did the same. With five zero division members already knowing who they were, it didn't really matter if their reiatsu was flaring all over the place. As he unsheathed his zanpakuto, he watched as the leader of the group stepped forward.

"Gentlemen, how about we take this somewhere less crowded?" he inquired, almost too politely for someone that was about to act as the trio's executioner.

"I agree," Kenpachi answered with a broad grin, "We don't want any of your body parts hitting some poor civilians."

Byakuya had to admire Kenpachi's relentless passion for war. Even though it was likely that they would not return from this unscathed, if alive at all, Kenpachi was still entering the soon to be battle with an air of victory already hanging over his head. Byakuya watched as Captain Hitsugaya merely nodded at the leader's request, before flash-stepping away. Byakuya quickly followed the tenth division captain, and could tell that Kenpachi was also right behind him. Along with the five zero division members.

As they moved onto a wide, but fairly empty park, all members of each party unsheathed their zanpakutos and prepared for battle.

"I'll take those three brats in the back, you two handle the ones up front," Kenpachi announced as he swiftly moved off to attack the trio in the back of the group. As the four of them were separated from the fight in a flurry of steel and well-aimed kidou attacks, Byakuya turned back towards the leader of the group.

"And I shall take you as my opponent," Byakuya proclaimed before the two of them also moved off in a flurry of violent movements.

Captain Hitsugaya was left with a small turquoise-haired woman who looked to be only about three inches taller than him. He briefly scowled, wondering if Kuchiki and Kenpachi had done this on purpose to mock him. None-the-less, Hitsugaya followed suit and prepared to strike the turquoise-haired zero division member. Just as he was about to attack, he was caught in surprise as pain suddenly erupted from his stomach. Looking down, he saw a wide gash spread out across his stomach. Blood was flowing freely from the wound.

Toshiro met the cold eyes of his opponent and was suddenly more cautious than before. There was no avoiding it. If an attack such as that had already thrown him off his guard, he knew he wouldn't get anywhere unless he went all out.

"Bankai," Hitsugaya stated coldly. Wings of ice protruded from his back and an 8-point star appeared on Hitsugaya's hilt.

"Daiguren, Hyorinmaru," Hitsugaya announced as he studied the reaction of the woman in front of him. She seemed greatly surprised at the sight of his bankai.

"So it's true then," she said and smiled slightly, "Captain Hitsugaya really does possess the strongest ice-based zanpakuto in soul society. It's just a shame that you have to die. We could really use someone like you in the zero division," turquoise-haired woman stated somberly.

"I do not plan on being the one who ends up dying here," Hitsugaya retorted scathingly.

The turquoise-haired woman chuckled at that, "Don't bother making such threats, Captain Hitsugaya, even if you do miraculously manage to defeat all five of us, there are still five others in the area."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in alarm at that. Five others in the area? How the hell were any of them supposed to survive that? As much as he hated to admit it to himself, this woman was right. Even if, somehow, they managed to defeat these five captains, they would be in no condition to fight five others. And they only really had three captains left at the base, and one of them hadn't used his bankai in years. He really doubted that even if Isshin was able to produce his bankai, he could use it at full-power.

There were two others that had managed to obtain bankai, but Renji's was no where near at full-power and Madarame refused to use his in most instances. Although Hitsugaya did not like the prospect of dying here and now, he knew that this might be the last battle that he would ever fight.

"Tell me your name," Hitsugaya requested, raising his zanpakuto, "I at least deserve to know the name of the first victim of Hyorinmaru today."

The turquoise-haired woman smiled slightly at that. It was almost cute that her opponent was still trying to act as if he had the upper hand, "My name is Keiko Amuro. It was nice meeting you, Captain Hitsugaya. I think I shall make your death swift, so as to honor your pride."

Captain Hitsugaya snorted at that, "Spare me any favors, Amuro, all I want is for you to fight at full power."

"Well if that's the case," Keiko said smiling all the while, "Bankai."

Hitsugaya watched in alarm as Keiko's zanpakuto scattered into what appeared to be thousands of rattle snakes. He watched as the snakes climbed up the back of Keiko's shinigami robes and settled into her hair. They then started to grow and stretch and were seemingly attached to Keiko's head. They were squirming about wildly and Hitsugaya watched as one of them – a different shade of green than the rest – broke off from the group and slithered down to wrap itself around Keiko's arm. It continued to grow and expand and Hitsugaya watched in disgust as the snake opened its mouth and engulfed Keiko's arm.

The snake on her arm had stopped moving and started to harden into what could only be described as razor-sharp scales. The snake's fangs had protruded several feet from its mouth before dividing and expanding into four deadly-looking bone-blades. All in all, it had looked like Keiko had now developed a wicked-looking claw on her right hand. The transformation, however, was not over. Hitsugaya watched as the eyes of the snakes in Keiko's hair started to glow red before dulling to a soft brown. As Toshiro wondered what that had been about, his silent question was answered as he noted that Keiko's eyes were now similar to a snake's.

All in all, she looked like a very twisted version of medusa.

"If you were thinking, medusa, you are correct," Keiko said in a somewhat raspy voice, "Well. Correct in the sense that I can and will turn you into stone, Captain Hitsugaya."

"Hebi Shi," Keiko said simply, "Attack."

Hitsugaya watched as Keiko made a slashing gesture at the air in front of her and four neon-green beams sailed towards Hitsugaya. Before he had enough time to react, four bloody gashes were left down the entire right side of his face, just missing his eyes by inches. Gasping at the sudden pain, Hitsugaya bent over and clutched his face. He peered out of the corner of his eye to see Keiko smiling wickedly and he let a small smile grace his features as well before he quickly flash stepped in front of her and sent an explosion of ice at her un-clawed arm.

He watched as she let out a shriek of pain before her eyes glowed red. Snarling viciously, she attempted to make eye contact with him, but Hitsugaya quickly averted his gaze. He couldn't afford to be turned into stone this early in the battle.

"Wise decision, Captain Hitsugaya, but you won't be able to avoid it for long. I can keep this technique running the entire battle if I have to."

Captain Hitsugaya silently cursed his luck and looked over to see how the others were fairing. It appeared that Captain Kuchiki was using his bankai against the rather bizarre-looking bankai of his opponent. His opponent's bankai appeared to be a swarm of maggots that kept disappearing and reappearing on Byakuya's skin, whenever he let his guard down. Toshiro watched as Byakuya quickly removed the maggots using Sebonzakura. He was horrified to see that the maggots had eaten a small hole through Byakuya's left arm. What, exactly, were these people made of?

Toshiro looked towards the other side of his own opponent to see that Kenpachi had apparently made the correct choice in choosing the other three as his opponents. The first man that was attacking Kenpachi was holding a bankai that appeared to be a giant butcher's cleaver. Hitsugaya could tell that it didn't hold a particularly large amount of Kidou-based attack. The second of Kenpachi's opponents was using a bankai that had turned his entire arm into that of a machine gun, however, instead of bullets; the gun was firing out throwing knives at Kenpachi's face. The last of Kenpachi's opponents was using a bankai that was essentially a long metal pole with wicked-looking spikes on top.

Before Hitsugaya had any time to reflect on the fact that Kenpachi was oozing blood from almost every inch of his skin, Keiko was suddenly in his face and his eyes snapped shut almost automatically. Keiko only chuckled at the sight, and Toshiro was unprepared for the deep cuts that had assaulted his chest. Wheezing in pain, Hitsugaya was suddenly alarmed at the burning heat that he could feel near his eyes.

"Did I forget to mention? Your eyes don't have to be open for me to turn you into stone. As long as they're meeting mine, closed or not, you're done."

Hitsugaya's feet suddenly started to feel extremely heavy. Realizing what was happening; Hitsugaya threw himself to the ground and rolled unceremoniously out of the way of Keiko's onslaught. He quickly peered at his feet and noted that, visibly, they weren't any different. He couldn't move them, however, and that's what alarmed him the most.

"You know there is one way to break the spell," Keiko informed him and Hitsugaya could tell she was smirking, "But that would require you to rip out your eyes."

Hitsugaya visibly blanched at the thought and instead swung his zanpakuto around and swiftly aimed an attack at Keiko's feet, without looking. Obviously the woman had issues with speed, because he heard a dull thud and a screech as she fell to the ground.

"If I have to fight with my feet immobile, it's only fair that you should have to as well," Hitsugaya stated and heard an angry snarl sent his way.

"Well then, Captain Hitsugaya, I'm sorry to inform you that my feet –in fact—aren't immobilized," she stated and to prove her point she kicked him in the face.

Hitsugaya went spiraling out of control before he landed, face-up, and unfortunately staring into the eyes of his opponent. He felt his left arm go numb as, it too, was turned to stone. He shut his eyes and rolled over again and thrust his zanpakuto upwards, where ice shards exploded into the flesh above him. He felt droplets of blood fall onto his back and heard a hiss of pain before he was grabbed roughly by the front of his shirt.

Hitsugaya was unable to escape as his face was brought up to his opponent's. He could feel the rest of his legs going numb and soon his entire waist was numb as well. Hitsugaya knew that if he didn't act fast enough, there would be no hope left for him. Panicked, he felt the beginnings of his right arm going numb and he act swiftly and somewhat irrationally.

Bringing up his right hand, Hitsugaya placed it before his own eyes, "Shakkaho," he announced before flames consumed his eyes, and his sight was lost.

Screaming in pain, Toshiro kicked out at his opponent, now that his feet were once again mobile and he held his damaged eyes, all the while sobbing at the steady flow of pain that consumed his face. Toshiro moved forward in the surrounding darkness and sought out the reiatsu of his opponent. Ignoring the pain for the moment, he knew he had a job to finish.

He knew that this would be his final attack. If he failed, then he would die for certain. Raising his zanpakuto, Hitsugaya pointed it towards the sky, "Hyoten Hyakkaso," he announced and the surrounding area noticeably dropped in temperature.

"What's going on? What are these flowers?" his opponent demanded and Hitsugaya gave a brief sigh of relief as he realized it had worked.

"Once the last of those petals falls, your life will be over," he announced and a shriek of anguish met his ears.

"That's impossible! Imposs--," her statement was cut off and a body suddenly hit the ground.

Hitsugaya turned his head at the sound of a second body hitting the ground and his name being called. He realized it was Byakuya.

"Is she dead?" he inquired.

"Yes," Byakuya replied and glanced at his own opponent. He had finally managed to kill the brunette, but at great costs of his own. The flesh of his left arm had almost been completely eaten away and Byakuya had made a make-shift tourniquet out of the sleeves of his shirt in the hopes of at least salvaging his arm somewhat. He watched as Kenpachi brought down his first foe. However, the monster still had two others to deal with.

Byakuya made his way over to Captain Hitsugaya and looked at the burnt flesh that covered his eyes in worry. It was most likely that Captain Hitsugaya would never see again. Well unless Unohana decided to step over enemy lines and heal his eyes for him. Byakuya doubted that that would happen. Placing a hand on Captain Hitsugaya's shoulder, he watched as the younger man shrugged it off and a choked sob escaped his lips.

"It's over, Byakuya. I don't want to think about it anymore," he stated and turned away.

Byakuya nodded to himself. If he had lost his own eye sight he probably would have done the same thing. Byakuya had overheard Keiko explaining her bankai and knew almost instantly that Hitsugaya was going to be in for the battle of his life. He had hoped that Captain Hitsugaya wouldn't have had to resort to burning out his own eyes, but it had happened.

Byakuya's attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere as he heard someone shout out his name. Yoruichi appeared in his line of vision and made her way over to himself and Hitsugaya.

"Pull Kenpachi away, we don't have time for this bullshit. We have to move at once," Yoruichi stated, worry eating away at her. She was even more worried as she finally took note of Captain Hitsugaya's eyes and Byakuya's left arm.

"Shit, we have to go," she said and Byakuya waved her off, "We cannot simply leave Kenpachi here to die."

"Which is why I'm saying that you have to pull him away, damn it!" Yoruichi snapped.

"How would you like me to do that? Interfere in the battle and get my head cleaved off?" he stated just as harshly.

Yoruichi looked at him sadly, "That's not what I meant Byakuya. It's just…I have to use my flash-teleportation technique, only on all of us. It's the only way. But I have to use it now or the others will come."

Byakuya nodded in understanding and he watched as Kisuke and Matsumoto stepped into his line of vision. Matsumoto took one look at her captain and a screeching wail escaped her mouth. She suddenly flew at Hitsugaya and wrapped him into her arms.

"Oh Taichou, I'm so sorry! I should have gone with you!"

"Why? So I could watch you die?" Hitsugaya snapped and then felt guilty as Matsumoto pulled away, still sobbing softly.

"Matsumoto, don't worry about it. This is no one's fault but my own. We do what we have to, to save our own lives."

Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to Kenpachi who had just let out an alarming roar. The roar, however, was not because of what everyone immediately suspected. They had all thought that Kenpachi had been seriously injured. And although he was, the roar had been because Kisuke had managed to stop Kenpachi from fighting and he was pissed. Grumbling at the shop keeper, Kenpachi reluctantly flash-stepped away from the battle and the entire group moved swiftly to where the others were waiting.

Yoruichi screamed at everyone to link hands, and they all looked back in terror to see the two zero squad members rushing towards them. Snapping her eyes closed, Yoruichi used all of reiatsu to consume the entire group at once. As the two zero division members finally reached them, the entire group was gone.

Author's Note: Damn, that was an INTENSE chapter for me to write. I'm somewhat emotionally drained as well. Did it make anyone else sob out loud when Toshiro had to burn out his own eyes? Okay, sorry, I know that is my own evil bitchyness fault, but hey, Keiko had a fucking awesome bankai. At least Hitsugaya still managed to own in the end.