Rukia slowly got to her feet and surveyed the situation. Dust was floating around everywhere, which made it harder to see. Even so, the damage caused by the explosion was clearly visible. The concrete was riddled with deep jagged cracks that stretched down many blocks. Many of the nearby buildings' windows had blown out, and some of the buildings closer to the explosion had caved in or collapsed altogether. Cars had been smashed and turned over, and streetlights had been torn from the ground and thrown down the street or into buildings. Rukia was becoming aware of the fact that she had been flung quite far away from where the detonation happened. The dust was especially thick in the air around ground zero, but Rukia could make out a tall silhouette moving closer. Rukia held her sword out before her, preparing for the worst. But what happened next was something she never would have expected.

For one moment, it felt as though the air stood completely still. And then in the next, it felt as though Rukia was standing in the middle of a tornado. The dust in the air was gone completely in an instant, and the hidden figure could now be seen clearly. A tall, beautiful young woman stepped out of a large crater that had been masked by the dust. She had long, curly purple hair that hung down to the middle of her back and bangs that draped over her left eye. Her voluptuous figure was barely covered by white robes with golden-silk trimmings, and on her head was a gold-and-jewel-encrusted mitre. Her Hollow hole sat above her cleavage, and around her bellybutton there was a large purple star tattoo. In her hand was a long, white-marble rod with a flawless star adorning the top. The star had a large gem at the center of it that glowed with a bright light. Floating behind the woman was a large golden halo with five prongs extending from the top, sides and bottom. The woman smiled. Her mouth moved as though she was speaking, but Rukia could hear nothing over the roaring of the wind. The Shinigami fell to one knee as the strong gusts crushed down on her. Rukia felt as though she might be torn to pieces, but the beautiful woman appeared oblivious. She raised an eyebrow at Rukia, and then nodded. The winds stopped abruptly. The woman smiled again. "Thank you for helping me to unlock my Wish-Fulfillment Mode," her voice had a melody to it that enhanced her beauty even further. "I've never actually used this form before. No one will ever play the game with me."

Panting, Rukia got to her feet. "So that storm just now… That was you?"

Tinlinn Georgicks gave Rukia a quizzical look. "Storm? There was no storm. That must have been my reiatsu you were feeling," Rukia's eyes went wide. The arrancar smiled again. "It's rather impressive, isn't it? But don't worry. That was my full power I was exerting just now. It doesn't get any better than that. I just wanted to see how far I could go!"

That was more than enough… Rukia thought bitterly. In an instant this enemy had gone from being almost a joke to being far out of the Shinigami's league. Looking down at her sword, Rukia could see that she was shaking. She shook her head and stood firm, but even so the fear was still there. The power I just felt… Could Ichigo even stand up to this monster?

The arrancar flipped the rod in the air. The formerly gnarled wood staff was now an expertly-crafted wand no more than two feet in length. Tinlinn raised the wand over her head, and the gem in the center shone brightly. "Let's see just what I can do now, shall we?" She waved the wand in front of her, and the air in front of Rukia exploded with a roar. Buildings nearby were decimated, and Rukia was sent soaring backwards through the air. The Shinigami righted herself in the air and found the arrancar floating not three yards away. "I think I'll call that attack Estrella del Fuego," Tinlinn said with a giggle. "I can't believe I have this much power now! And this body," she rubbed a hand down her thigh and then brought it up to her chest. "I bet it turns you on, huh?"

"Ye lord…"Rukia sheathed her sword. "Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man…"

"What are you doing?" Tinlinn asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you trying to seduce me with poetry?"

"…Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws," Rukia raised her right hand in front of her and gripped her wrist with her left. "Hado #33: Sōkatsui!"

A large blast of blue fire shot forth from the Shinigami's palm. The arrancar smiled and raised a hand. Just before the blast was about to hit, Tinlinn backhanded it and sent it careening off into the sky. It exploded like a firework miles away from the two. The arrancar winced and shook her hand. "That stung a little bit," she said.

Rukia's hands slowly fell to her sides. Before, that spell had been able to cancel out her Cero. But now…

"So does saying that little poem before the spell make it stronger or weaker? I couldn't tell," the arrancar laughed. She pointed her rod at Rukia. "Do you want to see if my Cero's gotten any stronger?"

Rukia drew her sword again and swung at her opponent. Tinlinn grabbed the sword with her free hand and threw Rukia towards the ground. Before Rukia crashed, she saw the arrancar, who seemed to have teleported to the ground below, touch the ground with a hand. The area lit up, and a large purple star appeared on the ground. Rukia was able to land on her feet when she hit the earth, but when she did the star began to glow brightly. The arrancar giggled. "I call this one Estrella de La Trampa!"

The ground below exploded in a burst of violet light, and Rukia was sent flying. She crashed into a tall office building, smashed through a few desks and finally stopped once she hit a wall of filing cabinets. Rukia lay still in the wreckage, her entire body sore. Blood trickled from her mouth and nose, and her clothing was burnt and torn. This is my fault… I could have finished her, but instead I got tricked into playing that stupid game… I deserve all this…

There was a slicing sound overhead, and then the roof of the building slowly slid off and fell to the ground below. Tinlinn stood in the sky, wand raised in the air. "I haven't tried out all my new powers yet," the arrancar said with a wink, "so don't die yet, 'kay?" She swung her rod down, and the building was showered with dozens of purple balls of fire. The comets smashed through the building as though it were made of paper, and by the time the attack was over all that was left was a smoldering pile of rubble. Tinlinn smiled. "I'm glad you dodged. I didn't want our fun to be over yet." The arrancar flipped the wand in her hand. "I think I'll call that attack… Iluvia Cósmica? Does that sound too cheesy?"

Rukia was crouched underneath a turned-over van, trying to catch her breath. The arrancar's attack had been strong, but relatively slow, so Rukia had been able to get out of the building without taking any damage. She chewed on her lip, trying to figure out what to do. This arrancar… She's much stronger than I am. But that doesn't mean I can't win… I have to take advantage of her confidence somehow… Rukia stood up, her released Zanpakutō in her hands. I can't leave this enemy undefeated… Ichigo can't do everything on his own!

The arrancar frowned, tapping her foot impatiently on the air. "Heeeeey," she called down to the Shinigami, "come on, your input matters to me. lluvia Cósmica? Yes or no?"

Rukia scoffed. "It's too cheesy."

Tinlinn pushed out her lip. "You're just mad because I have big boobs now and you don't," She grabbed her chest and shook. "Well too bad for you! You ugly lesbian bitch!" Rukia sprung into the air, sword poised to strike. She slashed her sword at the arrancar, who merely blocked the blow with a hand. Rukia kept up her attack, throwing swift slashes and jabs at her opponent. The arrancar laughed, not dodging any of the attacks but instead blocking the strikes with a single hand. "My Hierro is unbreakable now," the woman said, swatting Rukia's sword away and then waving her wand upwards. Rukia felt as though a giant had grabbed her and thrown her into the sky as she went soaring upward. The arrancar appeared behind the Shinigami, pointing her wand. A small purple ball of energy was forming at the tip, and it was steadily growing bigger. "Now about that Cero…"

Rukia sheathed her sword and held out her hands. "Bakudō # 4: Hainawa!" A crackling yellow rope of energy extended forth, wrapping itself around the arrancar's arms and torso.

The Cero continued to grow bigger, and the arrancar frowned. "What's this now, some kind of joke?" Tinlinn scoffed. "You'll have to do better than that to stop me."

Rukia smiled. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six!" The Shinigami took one hand off the rope and pointed a finger, which began to glow yellow. "Bakudō #61: Rikujōkōrō!" The yellow ropes around the arrancar began forming into six wide bands of light, which then slammed into the arrancar's midsection.

The arrancar's Cero dissipated almost immediately, and the woman looked surprised. "What is this…?"

Rukia stabbed the air in front of her to form a semicircle, and then took her battle stance. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" The wave of ice washed over the arrancar in a spectacular surge of white. For a moment, it seemed as though the arrancar had been completely consumed by the attack, but then the ice began to fall away to reveal the arrancar standing tall, a large purple star glowing in front of her.

"Estrella Escudo…" the arrancar said with a sigh. "That was a close one. You almost had me!" The arrancar waved her wand again, and Rukia jumped backwards… But nothing happened. Tinlinn waved her wand again, and still nothing happened. Looking at the wand, she could see that ice covered most of it, and she huffed. "Dammit…"

Her wand…! Rukia realized. That's the source of her power. Without that, she has nothing! To test her theory, Rukia rushed towards the arrancar and slashed at the rod. Tinlinn pulled away from the Shinigami and swung a fist. Rukia ducked the punch and slashed the arrancar across the chest. Blood gushed out, and the arrancar screamed.

"You fucking bitch," she hissed. She smashed the ice off her wand with her other hand. The gem in the center of the star was cracked slightly, but it still glowed bright. "How dare you scar my new sexy body!" She waved her wand at Rukia. "Estrella del Fuego!" The air around Rukia erupted in flames, and Rukia was scorched and sent flying towards the ground.

"Bakudō # 4: Hainawa!" The energy rope extended outward and tangled around Tinlinn. Rukia pulled, and the arrancar got dragged down with the Shinigami. They both crashed into the ground, and Rukia was able to get to her feet first. She ran towards the arrancar, spinning her Zanpakutō in her hands. "Some no mai, Tsuki—" Rukia stopped in midsentence. Looking down slowly, she saw that Tinlinn's hand was buried up to the wrist in her stomach. She fell to her knees.

The arrancar gave an evil smile. "Did you really think you still stood a chance?" Rukia weakly grabbed at the arrancar's wrist. Tinlinn laughed and twisted her hand around. Rukia cried out in pain, which only made the arrancar laugh harder. Not… Yet… Rukia grabbed the wand in the arrancar's hand. "What the hell are you doing?!" she shrieked. She dug her arm deeper inside Rukia. Rukia could feel herself fading, but she didn't give in. She lifted her sword and smashed the rod with it. Part of the star chipped, and the gem cracked a bit more. "Stop it, you bitch!" The arrancar tried to tear the wand from Rukia, but the Shinigami held strong. I can't die… Just yet…! Rukia smashed the rod again, and again, and again. Each time it broke a little more, and each time the arrancar became more panicked. As Rukia raised her sword again, the arrancar raised her reiatsu to its max. Rukia could feel the immense torrent of the arrancar's power tearing at her own body. Her sword quivered in her hand, and her vision started going black. "I'm going to kill you, do you hear me?! You're going to die here!" The arrancar raised the wand high over her head, and it began to shine the brightest it ever had.

Rukia pointed her sword at the rod. "San… no… mai… Shirafune!" The icy extension of the blade pierced through the wand's gem. The broken gem blinked for a moment, and then it went grey. The star and gem crumpled to dust, and the marble handle fell to the ground uselessly. The arrancar's reiatsu immediately vanished, and the air was still once more.

The arrancar looked at Rukia, horrified. "What… What have you done…?" she stammered, her eyes wide as the moon. She looked close to tears. "M-my power… All my power…"

Rukia grabbed the arrancar's wrist and pulled her hand from Rukia's stomach. As she did this, she also stuck her sword deep inside the arrancar's chest. "Hakushi." Ice slowly branched outward from the Zanpakutō, covering Tinlinn in a white sheet until her entire body was a frozen sculpture. Rukia pulled her sword out of the arrancar, and it returned to its sealed form. As she sheathed her blade she tried to stand, but found that her legs would not allow it. Remaining on her knees, she took a deep breath as a strange cold washed over her. She closed her eyes and let the cold take her away.

Hi guys! Hope you enjoyed Rukia's battle. I enjoyed writing these two chapters the most. Anyway, here are some translations:

Estrella del Fuego: Star Fire

Estrella de La Trampa: Star Trap

Iluvia Cósmica: Cosmic Rain

Estrella Escudo: Star Shield

Hakushi: White Death

Thanks again for reading. Comments are always/greatly appreciated. This story's coming close to its finale, so stay tuned!