Again. I did say it wouldn't be a regular thing.

Also, I'm strongly considering moving this fic to AO3 or something. FF's uploading engine is some of the worst software I have ever seen.

X-X-X

Ch30

Silence Falling

X-X-X

"Strike him down, Kamishini No Yari."

Even as he saw it, Byakuya failed to believe the sight before his eyes: a child, a shinigami only a few weeks, achieving Bankai. Indeed, the tiny steel blade still seemed so innocuous. And how could anyone be expected to take such a dramatic name seriously?

"Strike him down, Godslayer Spear."

And yet, with the flick of the boy's wrist and the ear-splitting crack of thunder, the pain in Byakuya's chest did not lie.

Byakuya was the fastest shinigami in the Seireitei, at least excluding Yoruichi Shihōin. Yet his eyes had only barely seen the white lance as it lashed out and snapped back in under a tenth of a second, and blood sprayed from the stab wound on his sternum.

Gin staggered back before he caught himself. "Tch, I need to get used to her recoil," he muttered. "I'd have struck your heart if that hadn't thrown me off."

Byakuya coughed, and straightened, his hand clamped over the wound. He was now as bloodied as Gin was, but he carried himself with significantly greater poise.

"I am a proud man, Ichimaru Gin," he said, his voice cold. "But even I am not so arrogant as to deny the evidence my own eyes see."

Gin cocked his head.

"There is no doubt you have unleashed the ban kai of your zanpakutō. Though far be it from me to wonder what prodigious talent or cursed arcana allowed you to do so, I will not deny that fact." A single petal returned to Byakuya's hand. "But I have fought down opponents with bankai before, and I do not doubt my ability to do so again. I commend your lucky shot, but you will not manage a second."

"Won't I?" Gin chuckled. "Better watch out, Byakuya. A snake can bite anywhere. Cover your ankle, and he strikes your hand."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Byakuya replied.

And then he twisted, dodging, his sleeve ripping on the blade of white light that went on forever. He ducked as the infinity sword swung sharply, cleaving a swath of what would have been immeasurable destruction had their battlefield not been elevated.

"Well done, ryoka, but you will not hit me again." Byakuya returned to his poised position. "I may not be fast enough to dodge your spear's shot, but I can see when your hands move to fire."

"Aww," Gin whined. "Having the advantage was fun."

"Do not give yourself airs, boy," Byakuya responded, his tone almost amused. "You may have had the element of surprise several times, but you never had an advantage."

And then, calmly, Byakuya opened his hand. The lone petal drifted up from his palm.

"Senkei, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

The disparate cloud of magenta coalesced into a large vortex around the two combatants, forming an isolated arena. Then, the petals glowed.

"This is the next stage of my Bankai," Byakuya declared levelly. "The senkei... this form I show only to those I have sworn to kill with my own hands. You, Ichimaru Gin, are only the third person I have ever shown it to."

The petals formed themselves into single rows - and transformed. Each shard of metal grew, extending itself into a complete sword with the blade straight downwards. The effect was one of a bladed fence enclosing the two combatants on all sides, and forming a dome above them.

A single sword flashed and flew from the enclosure wall, smoothly landing in Byakuya's outstretched hand. The whole sokyōku hill began to tremble as Byakuya's reiatsu intensified, and a fiery halo sprang up around him.

Gin's smile tightened, but didn't fade.

X-X-X

Soifon wiped the sweat from her brow, a bewildered expression still on her face.

Beside her, Yoruichi exhaled heavily. "Well, your stamina's certainly gotten better than mine in the last century," she said. Somehow, she managed to make it sound smug.

Soifon blushed hard. "Sh- shut up!"

"Oho!" Yoruichi's grin grew wider. "My little bee has grown a hornet's stinger! You'd never have said that to me before."

Soifon looked away, her expression growing colder again. "I was a completely different person back then," she said quietly.

Yoruichi's grin similarly became subdued. "Well, completely is a strong word," she said. "But yes. So was I, really. I know you used to see me as a mother figure if sorts, but in truth I was just as young and foolish as you were - possibly even more so, in some ways."

Soifon smiled, almost sadly. "I put so much into becoming stronger, over all these years," she said. "It still seems strange I wasn't able to beat you."

"Are you kidding? First of all, I was a fugitive - I had to stay pretty sharp too. Second, you ran me like a dog." Yoruichi closed her eyes contentedly. "Now, I didn't have my zanpakutō, so I don't know if it would have been a fair fight either way, but if you'd had the wits about you to deploy the skill which earned you the captaincy of the Kidō Corps you would have crushed me back there. So, I guess I should apologize for being so distractingly sexy."

Soifon blushed, but before she could reply, a shockwave of reiatsu washed over both of them - the reiatsu of a soul that they had both believed was dead.

"Aizen."

Until that moment, an observer would not have believed it were possible to put clothes on at flash-step speeds.

X-X-X

Byakuya had grown faster.

That was saying something. Byakuya had been virtually invisible to a mundane human's eye before he'd even released his Bankai. Gin could only guess how many kilometers per second they were both managing in their protracted, relativistic battle; one of the perks of titanic power was that it made one capable of stretching one's perception of time down to the breaking point.

But now Byakuya was faster, and even the strike of the snake could not follow him. Kamishini no Yari still shot faster than any flash step, but Gin had no chance of aiming.

Block left. Spin, block behind. Block high, block low. Block, never parry or swing back. Byakuya was simply too fast.

Then pause. Byakuya stood still for a minute, their swords crossed. Gin's right hand gripped Kamishini no Yari in a white knuckled grip.

Byakuya raised his hand. "Hadō 4: - "

Gin tensed, whipping his slack left around. "Shakkaho!"

Byakuya twisted as the red firebolt seared his ribs, leaving a painful mark, but didn't lose his own concentration - and Gin's back was to him -

"Byakurai."

Gin's smile finally slipped, and he howled in agony as the lance of white light pierced his upper torso, barely missing his spine.

X-X-X

"So..."

Uryū looked back up at Tatsuki. "I haven't come up with anything in the five minutes since you last asked, if that's what you're about to ask."

"Hmph." Tatsuki fell silent.

"Do you know why they put all of us in the same cell?" Ganju wondered aloud. "We definitely weren't all captured by members of the same division."

"Probably to make us easier to guard. Not that we're much of a threat." Chizuru kicked the stone wall.

"I wish Inoue were here." Tatsuki's expression tightened. "At least then I'd know she wasn't dead."

Uryū rolled his eyes. "Look, there's no way any of us are escaping anytime soon, so there's no point in - "

And then the wall exploded.

In the cloud of dust, the silhouette of a hugely tall man in loose clothing could be seen. The heads of two smaller figures peeked over his shoulders.

"Sup, ryoka," Kenpachi grunted. "Anyone wanna help me start a fight?"

X-X-X

Gin's knees buckled, and he fell, barely keeping his torso upright.

Get up. Get up!

But his limbs would not move. His head would not rise. His lungs would not draw breath.

You've come too far to die, snake! Bite back!

But the lance of pain in his chest pinned him to the earth. He already knew he was defeated; there was no way that even he - in all his might - could take Byakuya as he was now.

"Despite my personal distaste, I must admit you were a worthy foe, ryoka," Byakuya said as he raised one of his swords. "There is no shame in losing to a captain of my stature."

"Losing? There's always shame in losing!"

The bitter, spitting venom of the tone was as alien as its cold and echoing cadence. Byakuya involuntarily drew back.

Gin was rising to his feet as if drawn by marionette strings, his limbs limp yet somehow animated.

"In a battle of life and death the only shame is death, Byakuya... and I will not die today." The creature grinned, it's head still bowed. "Not even if this pathetic kid gives up. I won't be ruled by a king who's afraid of his throne."

And then it raised its head. Though it was Gin's face, its eyes were open - and two bright emerald irises glowed from within pits of darkness.

But most frightening of all were the shards of bone floating and coalescing around the left side of its face, gradually building into what was recognizably a partial hollow mask in the likeness of a demonic fox.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "What are you," he hissed. "Are you a hollow?"

"You know... I don't know!" The thing shrieked. "But I'm definitely not human. That time is past. You fought the man - now fight the monster."

Then it lunged, the blade of Kamishini no Yari flashing almost too quick for the eye to see.

Byakuya jerked back, barely parrying in time. Despite the thing's limp and puppet-like motions, it made up in speed what it lacked in finesse.

The first slash was followed up almost instantly by a stab - then another slash. By all the hells, Byakuya silently cursed. How can arms move like that?

The sixth captain flash-stepped back, and was slightly thrown off by the fact that the monster did not give chase. Instead it brought Kamishini no Yari around and planted her hilt against its chest, her blade pointing straight at Byakuya.

Byakuya flash-stepped.

The thing pivoted, its aim tracking flawlessly. And beneath the fragmented mask, its grin intensified.

"Butō."

There was no flash, no visible sign of the endless blade. The only giveaway was a whiplash-like snap of air being split at hypersonic speeds - and the slamming thud as the Godslayer Spear recoiled into the thing's braced body.

Even with his teeth gritted, a pained grunt forced itself from Byakuya's mouth. His off hand came around to press against the second bleeding stab would that had appeared on his abdomen.

Byakuya was not used to feeling fear.

Null-step... that's what the thing said. Too fast for even my eyes. What unholy power...

The snake turned to strike again, and Byakuya raised his sword, hoping against hope that the next blow would not cut him down for good.

But the strike never came.

The fox-masked beast jerked, abruptly losing poise, and one hand swung up to latch onto its partial mask.

"No!" A voice echoed. "No! Damn you, this ain't how we work!"

Despite retaining the hollow echo, this voice was recognizably more human.

"Dammit, King," the first voice rasped. "Go back to sleep. This is for your own good!"

But Gin would not be suppressed. His hand tightened and the mask shattered, his normal - albeit dirty, sweat-streaked and bloodied - face turning upwards again towards Byakuya.

And Byakuya felt his jaw clenching again, as the insufferable ryoka's carmine eyes narrowed to slits and the familiar, infuriating plastic grin spread across his face.

"I am not a hollow," he said, his tone low yet vibrant. "My heart is not missing - only cold."

Kamishini no Yari twirled in his hand.

"Shall we, captain?"

Byakuya finally forced himself back to a semblance of composure. The massive Senkei sword-cage around them vanished.

Gin raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Huh? Did ya just drop yer Bankai or something?"

Byakuya sighed. "No, Ichimaru, I have not," he said. "I have merely shifted its focus."

He drew back a foot and raised his blade. The pink tinge turned white.

"Victory or defeat, ryoka, swell with pride." A white aura began flickering around the captain. "This form of my Bankai is perhaps not its most powerful, but it is its most pure. Within this sword is every blade and petal I have ever commanded. I have never used this form in battle before today."

Kamishini no Yari stopped twirling, Gin's hand stilling suddenly.

"I gotta admit, I am kinda impressed at that," Gin said. "Rest assured, I know it ain't a light deal to push a captain to their limit. Even with my determination."

Byakuya's other hand landed on the hilt of his weapon.

"Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Two plumes of white fire flared from the captain's shoulders, forming wing-like shapes against the clear blue sky.

"Last Sight: White Emperor Sword."

Gin's knuckles turned white, and Byakuya stepped forward.

X-X-X

Kenpachi staggered in his running gait as the very earth shook. The others stumbled much harder, with Chizuru even falling over.

"Should have guessed," Kenpachi muttered. "That pink reiatsu earlier has to have been Byakuya. No way I'm getting a solid fight now - whoever wins will have the tar beat right out of them already."

"Is he going to be okay?" Orihime blurted out, alarmed.

"Hah!" Kenpachi grinned twistedly. "Byakuya's hard as two barrels of deathstone nails, but I still don't give him strong odds. Kid out-foxed Shunsui, and not even Shunsui out-foxes Shunsui. If he can cheat a win out of a man that even old Yama listens to, your friend will win."

"That was just a shikai match." Uryū narrowed his eyes. "This is a different kind of fight now."

"True, true. But with a shikai like that, do you even want to think of what your friend's second release is like?"

Uryū became visibly pale.

X-X-X

It had happened in the merest second.

The white emperor sword had curved so close to Gin that he could feel the missing silver locks it had cut from the side of his head - and the missing skin from the edge of his upper arm where the sheer concentrated power of the blade passing near it had seared a third degree dermal burn. But he had twisted just right, and brought his own hand around.

And just like that, the fight was over. Gin wasn't even a noble, but he knew.

Byakuya had not been critically wounded. Gin's twisting backstab had likely punctured a lung, and had certainly rendered his off arm unusable, but he would recover.

But Byakuya had lost his footing on the missed swing, and when struck, he had stumbled.

His left knee was resting on the ground.

Gin flicked Kamishini no Yari in his hand. The flash of reiatsu burned away the blood on it as he released his focus, the Ban Kai vanishing and the blade becoming just Shinsō once more.

And Byakuya stood up, his posture finally allowing a hint of pain. He didn't turn.

"This matter is in your hands now, ryoka," he said, his voice grating and soft, yet almost showing a tinge of relief. "I am defeated, and no more shall I pursue enforcement of the forty-six's judgment. I hereby recuse myself as an officer until further notice."

Then there was a hiss, and a blur, and the defeated captain was gone. Gin was left standing alone in the noonday sun, amongst the blasted, diced ruins of what had once been the sixth division barracks.

Gin stared at where Byakuya had been for a while. Even in his own moment of victory, the noble's internal conflict had pierced his invulnerable sense of vindication.

Byakuya had never wanted Rukia to die. From the moment of the verdict he had been split in two; his honor-bound oath of service forcing him to follow the law of the Seireitei, and his honor-bound familial loyalty forcing him to defend his sister. It would have driven a lesser man insane.

Gin shivered involuntarily. Mighty though he had become, the fight might have turned out very differently had Byakuya been able to fight with a clear conscience and a single mind. Skill and reiatsu were one thing, but it was hard to replace a pure battle focus when it was lost.

But then, finally, the grin returned to his face.

Rukia was safe. And, as far as he truly cared, that was all that would ever matter.

"Gin!"

"Ichimaru!"

Gin's expression became comically inquisitive as he turned to face the voices - and then brightened as he saw his friends.

Then the fatigue hit him.

Gin did not fall. Though pushed to the precipice of defeat, he had made his bloodied victory, and he would not collapse like a fatigued child before bedtime - but still his snake poise evaporated, his body hanging limply from a barely-functional skeleton. He had fought down a captain and now the brutal exhaustion of the battle ground down on him like the weight of a building upon his shoulders.

"Hey... sup, guys," he managed. "Long time no see..."

"We were so worried about you!" Orihime babbled. "I haven't seen you since we entered the Seireitei and the others have been locked up in jail! We - "

As the orange-haired girl kept talking, the war captain stepped up to Gin, his towering frame looming over even Ichimaru's lanky 6'1".

"Nice to finally meet you, Hyapponzashi," he grunted, smiling despite himself. "I see I'm far too late to get a good fight out of you, but no matter. I'm sure I'll have another chance in the future. It'll be good to cross blades with the man who brought down my third seat and two of the stronger captains."

Though he remained outwardly calm, Gin's heart skipped a beat at the thought of such a fight. Byakuya had been terrifying, but even in his bankai's Senkei Byakuya's reiatsu had not reached the crushing level of overpressure that the giant man seemed to radiate without bankai, without shikai, without even thinking about it.

"Your third seat?" Gin blinked, carefully maintaining his calm tone. "Oh... hah. He said I'd know ya when I saw ya. Kenpachi of Zaraki, right?"

"You know it." His grin was wild. "Even the weakest of all of you has a bite. Hell, you're not even the only one to take down a captain - that European monk man beat Mayuri flat, and while Mayuri ain't exactly A-list in duel combat, he's still one of the thirteen. No small feat."

Gin let out a small laugh. "Hah. I guess Uryū ain't all talk after all. Nice."

The striking snake finally coiled, his work done. He re-sheathed Shinsō for the first time in what felt like hours, and he pulled on a spare shihakusō shirt from the emergency disguises that Tatsuki and Uryū had been carrying. He stretched his spine, feeling the knots in his muscles perhaps approach some semblance of loosening -

Then two bursts of bright light flashed and five figures appeared, along with a pulse of reiatsu as immeasurably intense as it was inhuman.

Kenpachi's hand was instantly on the hilt of his sword.

"Aizen!"

X-X-X