Summer Blood Chapter 24: Not All Endings Are Happy, a bleach fanfic

Song: Brave by Josh Groban

Back to the main action! I do not own Bleach, characters or locations.

~1st squad barracks~

Aizen had thrown Renji through the wall of the office. They were at least ten stories above the ground. You could hear him when he hit the ground followed by the debris from the wall.

"Renji!" Rini was exhausted. She could hardly stand. Renji had been worse off, but still attacked Aizen.

"Isn't that precious? Sibling affections." He blocked Kyoraku's attack. "Care to join him?" He slashed his hand across the Soutaichou's throat then grabbed the front of his robes and threw him through a different part of the wall.

"Shunsui!" Nanao moved to try and help her husband.

"Pathetic." Aizen attacked Nanao but found a sword blocking his attack.

"Please leave my little sister alone, Aizen-sama." Mist had abandoned her clipboard for her sword. Her eyes narrowed at the man attacking.

"Sister?" Nanao stared at the grey haired Espada protecting her. "Mana!" She stared at the girl in front of her with disbelief.

"Told you I would be back." She pushed Aizen away. She picked up Nanao and headed away from Aizen towards the entrance of the squad building.

Aizen went to follow the two, but Rini stood in his way. "You won't lay a hand on her." Aizen didn't know what form her zanpakutou was in. All he knew was that any hit would instantly kill him. She had already disintegrated multiple pillars and walls when she touched them.

Ukitake attacked Aizen from behind, but Aizen had anticipated it. "Hado 54: Haien." Aizen aimed at the white haired Taichou. Ukitake managed to block the worst of kido, but he was pushed through the same wall as Kyoraku and Renji.

"Jushiro!" Rini was distracted for a moment. Long enough for Aizen to get close. His hand was flat and aimed at her chest.

"Let's go!" Ayame had picked up Rini from behind and had jumped through one of the holes in the wall.

"Huh? Ayame-chan? When did you get fast?" Rini hadn't expected the rescue.

"I've always been fast. You're just faster." Ayame winked at her friend. She put Rini down when they landed and punched her in the gut with Chiryo-shi. "Let's get those wounds taken care off." Aizen landed near them. They were in the front courtyard of the 1st squad building. "Take this!" Ayame punched the ground with Kagami.

Aizen's footing broke beneath his feet. He easily moved out of the way and smiled at the two girls. "You haven't realized have you. I've already won."

"No you haven't!" Ayame yelled at the obnoxious man.

"Ame-chan. It's over." Rini was sitting on the ground as she undid her recently fixed jacket to reveal the Hogyoku implanted in the base of her neck. "It's doesn't matter if I fully block off my Spiritual Pressure. He modified it to suck it away from who ever holds it." Rini looked at the ground. They had lost, but she could at least take Aizen out with her.

Ayame hugged her friend. "It's only over if you give up, and I haven't." She dug her hand into Rini's chest and pulled out the Hogyoku. Rini collapsed from the shock of her friend attacking her. "Don't worry Nii-chan. I'll always protect you. Just like when we were little." She flash stepped behind Aizen, Hogyoku in hand. She placed her other hand on the ground. "Void." A circle appeared on the ground with a glowing wall going around the edge.

"Ame!" Rini knew what Ayame was doing. She saw Ayame say 'Good bye' before a light caused Rini to look away.

When the light died all that was left was the black scorch mark outlying where the circle had been. There was no trace of Aizen, the Hogyoku, or the pink haired shinigami.

"Ame! Ame! AME!" Rini was crying for her lost friend. She tried desperately to try and find even a trace of her friend, but found nothing. She doubled over in pain from losing her friend. Her cries could be heard throughout Seireitei.

Urahara had felt Ayame's Spritual Pressure disappear, but couldn't believe she was gone. He hugged Rini as she cried. "It's okay. She did that to save you and repay you for the happiness you gave her." Rini didn't pay attention to the shopkeeper. So she didn't notice the tears running down his face. Urahara had considered both Ayame and Rini to be his daughters, and it hurt him to lose Ayame as well.

Others came upon the scene. When Orihime showed up she directed the others to leave the grieving people be and help moved the three injured Taichous to the hospital. She left Hisagi be when she saw his empty face. She knew his heart was breaking. She made sure to have Kensei keep an eye on Hisagi in case his emotions took over and he went berserk.

Rini's hysterical crying changed to hiccups. As she ran out of tears. Rini didn't know why, but she started to sing. She didn't know how, but she wasn't using her Hollow voice, but it had the same effect. It was Ayame's favorit song.

Wake up, wake up, the sun cannot wait for long
Reach out, reach out before it fades away
You will find the warmth when you surrender
Smile into the fear and let it play

You wanna run away, run away
And you say that it can't be so
You wanna look away, look away
But you stay 'cause it's all so close
When you stand up and hold out your hand
In the face what I don't understand
My reason to be brave

Hold on, hold on so strong, times just carries on
All that you thought was wrong is pure again
You can't hide forever from the fire
Look into the storm and feel the rain

Go on, go on

You wanna run away run away
And you say that it can't be so
You wanna look away look away
But you stay 'cause it's all so close
When you stand up and hold out your hand
In the face what I don't understand
My reason to be brave

Tears formed in everyone's eyes. Hisagi snapped out of his daze. 'Ayame. You showed me a way to fight with Kazeshini. I will use what you showed me to protect others. My reason to be brave, to honour your memory' He turned and helped everyone gather debris from the fight. Trying to clean up the mess Aizen caused, again. Kensei, seeing Hisagi help out, joined the cleaning, but still kept an eye on him.

Urahara smiled at the Fukutaichou. 'It seems he found a reason to continue on.' He carried a sleeping Rini to the hospital as rain started to fall, hiding everyone's tears.

~Hospital: Rini's room~

"You guys are going to wake her if you talk to loudly." Voices pulled Rini back to consciousness.

"You're one to talk Yuzu. You were yelling when Urahara walked in with her." She recognized the voice as Karin's.

"You guys! She's waking up." Rini opened one eye to see Nanao sitting beside her. Mist was standing behind Nanao. "Morning Rini-chan." Rini smiled at her friends.

Rini sat up. All of her muscles ached. "I should really stretch before fighting." She complained sensing the sullen mood in the room.

"Like you'll ever get enough warning to do that." Renji sat on the other side of Rini's bed.

Rini smiled at her brother with tears in her eyes. "Good to see you still have a working mouth." She teased her brother who had both his arms bandaged. They both chuckled at their sibling banter.

"Everyone. Abarai-chan needs to rest." Orihime winked at Rini. Rini didn't get what Orihime was doing.

Everyone left the room. Well, almost everyone. "It's good to see that you're okay, Rini." Ukitake sat down where Nanao had been sitting.

"Jushiro. Are you okay?" Rini had forgotten about the Taichou when Ayame had died.

"I'm ok. Better off than Shunsui, and he's already out of the hospital." Jushiro was hoping to keep Rini from going back into a crying fit.

"That's good." Rini leaned back on her pillow. "It doesn't feel like she's gone. I know she is, but she still feels like she's here." Rini thought she was going to start crying again. "I can even hear her laughing like she's playing a joke on me, but there's isn't a trace of her. Only memories." Rini looked out her window. She remembered when Ayame had left for a trip once. The sky had looked the same, pink clouds and a red sun. 'Farewell, Ame.'

"Shunsui said they were going to have a memorial service for her. They are also going to set up a grave for her where some of the other Taichous havd been buried." Rini seemed distant, but happy in her memories of her friend. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you, Jushiro." Rini leaned on Jushiro.

He wrapped his hands around Rini. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you. Would you consider spending the rest of your life with me?" Jushiro looked down into Rini's smiling face. He wasn't sure if now was a good time to bring this up.

"I couldn't think of a better way to spend it." Jushiro leaned down and kissed Rini.

"Wedding number three!" They both turned to see Orihime with her hands over her head. Orihime ran out of the room still yelling.

They could hear Isane start to raise her voice to try to calm down her excited Taichou, but to no avail. They both laughed a little at the strange Taichou.

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