Author's Notes:
And here we are, finally at the climax of the story arc! Sure took us long enough.
Anyway - for those who are into music suggestions for reading, try out these three for the three parts of the Byakuya fight: "You will know our names", "The God-Slaying Sword" and "Philosophorum Omega".
Rukia stood on her knees, waiting for the sword to come down at the back of her neck, ending it all. She had shut out the world; the reality outside her head seemed unreal, irrelevant. Her eyes closed; she was lost entirely in her mind. She hoped there would be no pain, she hoped her friends would be all right, she hoped-
What on earth was this delay, really? She should be dead by now- how long would they wait? Snapping out of her trance-like state, she opened her eyes, looking up- and saw something that at once made her heart soar with joy, and tear at her even more. Her worst fears had been realized- Ichigo had come for her, and now her brother would kill him, along with his friends. But even so, she felt… happy, just to herself, that she would not be alone in death. That she had people who cared, even as a criminal sentenced to death.
Not that she'd let hat fool know that.
"Ichigo, you fool!" She cried. "You'll die like this- run! Save yourself!" And as she shouted the words, the sense of elation drained from her, because she knew it was true. Nobody could stand up to the power of her brother; they were all dead men walking now.
"Shaddup." Ichigo sneered back. "You don't get a say in this."
"What…" She said, the urgency draining from her. It was so like him- to do what he felt was right, whether people approved or not- and his friends with him, Tatsuki, Orihime and even that cold Quincy, Uryu. "But-"
"Now, now," came the voice of captain Shiba, stepping up toward the stage, "everyone calm down- we'll fix this little situation in no time."
"Do not interfere, you Shiba dog." Byakuya sneered. "This is a Kuchiki matter, and it falls to me to handle it. I will kill these criminals, then execute the criminal on that stage because the law is the law and the law is-"
"Sorry, Byakkun, but I can't let you do that." Isshin said, grinning. "And I'm not the only one." Isshin looked down the hill. "Any minute now…"
As if on cue, Abarai Renji showed up, running towards the execution site in a shunpo, sliding to a halt just before the stage. He was short of breath, but looked otherwise fine- he was victorious, and moving forward.
"What is this?" Byakuya demanded. "Renji-"
"Sorry, taicho." Renji said, huffing.
"See, Rukia's not dying today." Isshin said, hopping up on the stage, drawing his sword. Rukia tensed, but kept still, and in one sweep, the chains holding her were severed.
"What-" she protested, but Isshin only grinned, lifting her by the waist, tossing her at Renji. He caught her just barely, looking surprised.
"Abarai-kun, keep up." Isshin said, turning around. "Follow me. We're taking her somewhere safe."
"Yessir!" Renji said.
"You idiot…" Rukia mumbled.
"Yeah, I am." He said. "But I'm fixing that, right now."
That could have been a rather emotional moment between the two, but Byakuya wasn't too keen on that. Letting a tone of rage slip through his mask of control, he snapped,
"Shiba Isshin, you treasonous dog!" He snarled, drawing his sword. "Have you abandoned all your honour, you shameless scoundrel?"
Few people had the capacity to make 'scoundrel' sound insulting, but there was a vicious vitriol in the way Byakuya said it- hate, rage, unlike something Isshin had seen from him before. But it hardly mattered now- both Isshin and Renji had already left the hill, taking Rukia with them. The battle wouldn't be theirs to fight.
"Look who's talking." It was Tatsuki, speaking coldly, clacking her two brass knuckles together.
"Funny to hear you call treachery, when you're the one about to kill your sister." Ichigo said, focus in his eyes. There was no doubt left, only purpose.
Byakuya turned around, focusing his attention on the four of them, as Isshin and Renji ran away, carrying Rukia. Byakuya gave them a venomous look.
"I know full well I am a traitor, commoners." He raised his sword, pointing it at them. "and I will atone for my failure to the fullest- when I have killed the four of you, and this criminal, and all the traitors to Gotei law there are left!"
His voice rose to almost a shout as he finished his sentence.
"You shouldn't hold back, you two." Uryu said. "We need to go all out from the start, or we're dead."
"You got it." Ichigo nodded. "Let's do it."
"Together." Tatsuki agreed. Their legs spread wide apart, the both of them flexed their muscles, Ichigo holding his sword straight out, Tatsuki raising her fists. There was a trembling in the air as their reiatsu rose in strength, and together they cried,
"BAN KAI!"
Instantly, both Ichigo and Tatsuki became enveloped in a bright, white light, making it impossible to see either of them. Quickly, the light grew stronger, forcing Uryu, Orihime, and eventually even Byakuya to shield their eyes with their arms – and then, just as suddenly as the light had appeared, it vanished, revealing Ichigo and Tatsuki once more, both bearing fiercely determined expressions on their faces.
"Tensa Zangetsu." Ichigo stated, his eyes all determination. Tatsuki, showing equal resolve, said, "Dai-Kaminari Raitora."
While the light had obscured him, more than just a few things had changed about Ichigo- gone was the enormous cleaver that he had previously wielded, instead replaced by a thin, black daito. His black shinigami robes had turned into a long-sleeved, ankle-length black coat with red lining while around his neck, a beaded necklace had appeared. By far the most unusual change was to his eyes and hair- while they previously had been brown and orange respectively, they had now turned into a golden tone of yellow and a clear, bright white, respectively.
Tatsuki, on the other hand, seemed to be just about the same as before: She was still wielding her , her robes had not changed in any way, and her hair and eyes were both also unchanged. In fact, only one thing was different from before – and that was the fact that she was surrounded by what seemed to be a dark blue, electrically charged cloud, which twisted back and forth, like an animal waiting for a chance to attack.
Together, the two of them stood together with Uryu and Orihime, ready to begin the battle and strike at any moment.
Byakuya however just stared blankly at the two shinigami, his expression slowly shifting into an contemptuous grimace.
"In the Soul Society, very few have the ability to raise a zanpakutou, and fewer yet can hear its voice. And out of those blessed few, less than one in a thousand can achieve the final stage of harmony between wielder and weapon, the ban kai. And if you are one of the few extraordinary enough to achieve it, it takes decades to reach and decades more to master." He quietly spoke, his voice slowly growing louder, still fixating Ichigo and Tatsuki with a look full of anger. "And yet, you commoners dare to stand in front of me, demanding this criminal's freedom with these pale, fake imitations of a real Bankai?! If you truly think that this will help you defeat a captain such as I, you are as foolish as you are disrespectful! She will die today, and so will everyone who tries to prevent her receiving her punishment!"
Without taking his eyes off Ichigo and Tatsuki, Byakuya unsheathed his own zanpakutou, and held it out in front of him. "Scatter, Senbon-"
Before he could even finish the release, Byakuya interrupted himself, and quickly jumped to the side– and not a moment too soon! Only a second after Byakuya had moved out of the way, an arrow of bright blue light flew past him, missing the hand with his zanpakutou only by inches.
"Don't just stand there!" Uryu shouted, suddenly appearing behind Ichigo and Tatsuki. "Give him no chance to use his zanpakutou! We need to take him out before he goes any further!"
Ichigo gave Uryu a quick look – and then nodded, before rushing after Byakuya, Tatsuki right beside him.
The two of them were fast, so fast- they both felt as if they could outrun anybody. Ichigo was feeling like every movement he'd ever made before had been like walking through syrup, like he was finally losing a ball and chain and running at full speed for the first time in her life. Tatsuki, for her part, felt unstoppable. The world was running in slow motion and she was moving past it; it felt like she could topple mountains, and certainly topple that obnoxious captain-
Which was why it was such a disappointment when Byakuya sidestepped them both with an expert flash step of his own, moving past them and rushing towards Uryu. Uryu quickly flashed back, Orihime covering him with a shield as Byakuya brought his blade down- but Byakuya side-stepped again, moving around it, cutting at Uryu. He brought the blade down- only to have to jump aside, having run out of time. He was an expert at shunpo, but Tatsuki and Ichigo were still quick, and were already coming after him.
Byakuya took five steps of shunpo, and ended up some twenty meters back. There was a furious glare in his face, and he wasn't sure what offended him more- that they were fast and strong enough to put him on his guard, or that they had so brazenly come here to defy the law.
"Damn, he's fast." Tatsuki mumbled.
"You got that right." Ichigo groaned, taking a stance. "He just… dodged."
"No." Uryu said, shaking his head. "He's fast, maybe faster than you- but the reason he got past you is because his shunpo is better than yours. That's the difference decades of training makes."
"Astute for an ignorant commoner." Byakuya said coldly. "And I do not have the time to play with you anymore. Scatter, Senbonzakura!"
There was a quick, light glow around his sword, and then, to their surprise, the blade of his sword seemed to disappear, scattering. For just a moment, Ichigo couldn't see anything; what was going on?
"Did- did he just disarm himself?" Tatsuki said, sounding confused.
"No!" Uryu snapped, grabbing Orihime by the waist. "God damn it, move!" Wasting no time, he flashed out of the way, and following his advice, so did Ichigo and Tatsuki. Not a moment later, there was a whirl in the air, and they could see it- petals, pink petals cutting through the air.
As one, Ichigo and Tatsuki dashed to one side each, coming at Byakuya with all the speed their Bankai could bring, Ichigo coming in from on high and Tatsuki from down low, both aiming for a vital point. Byakuya simply raised his arms, as if conducting something- and indeed he was, because the pink blades whirled around him, cutting into Ichigo and Tatsuki, who just barely managed to halt in time.
However, Byakuya had no time to press his advantage- before he could cut into the two young shinigami, an arrow cut into his shoulder, and he had to evade a second, third, fourth…
"Meddlesome…" he muttered.
"Orihime-san." Uryu said, his hands working like possessed to fire a hailstorm of arrows, while Ichigo and Tatsuki began their charge anew, dodging the blades as best they could, "Give them a boost."
"Yes!" She nodded, holding out her hands. "Santen Kesshun!"
There was an orange glow, and the shield materialized as a shimmer around the two fighters.
Ichigo and Tatsuki, feeling the effects immediately, rushed forward. Byakuya leapt into the air, letting his pink blades blaze a trail behind him, but now empowered, Ichigo and Tatsuki burst forward, past him and up into the air. Getting past his defenses, Tatsuki shot forward, slamming a brass knuckle into the captain's gut, sending pure electric reiatsu into the punch, while Ichigo came in from behind, cutting him in the back.
Letting out an angered grunt, Byakuya quickly moved down to the ground. Ichigo and Tatsuki pursued, but the blades could only be evaded for so long- both were cut multiple times as they descended, Byakuya hitting them like sitting ducks.
However, he was again interrupted by an arrow sailing just past his head, and he once again flashed back.
"No good." Uryu muttered angrily. "Orihime, that thing you did to that madman back then- do you think you could do that to him if I got you close?"
"I- I can try." She said, sounding uncertain. "No- I will."
"Good." He said.
Byakuya was once again dodging Ichigo and Tatsuki's attack. It was frustrating- between the captain's skill set, and the hundred blades sailing through the air, it was almost impossible to land a hit.
Byakuya, for his part, was frustrated- these petty commoners were trying him more than he cared to admit; few shinigami could push him this far. Angrily, he fired a kido at Tatsuki, while moving towards Ichigo- but there was that damn arrow again! His wounds were nothing that really hindered him, but the four working together was… a nuisance, at the least.
Firing another arrow, Uryu calculated a path. In five or so seconds, he could dash forward, then maybe five meters to the left, then maybe do a somersault to dodge those blades- and if they were lucky, Orihime would be within striking range…
"I'm ready." She said. There was an orange glow around her fist.
"Good." He said, grabbing her by the waist again. In any other situation, that might have been embarrassing- but awkward teenage feelings had a time and a place, and it was not during a battle for one's lives.
Quickly he dashed forward, then to the left- there were blades incoming, spinning around them, but he went low and Orihime's shielding slowed it down, then he went high, really high, and landed just before Byakuya, tossing Orihime…
Byakuya had excellent perception. It was one of his many good qualities, so he was not taken by surprise when the Quincy charged forward. It was surprising, though, that four would join the melee- with that many at once, they would be more likely to cut each other trying to get to him. But then, the Quincy stopped, and the two commoner shinigami moved aside, and that one human girl was coming at him- unarmed, no less. What kind of a joke was this? Quickly, he raised his arms to bring in the petals again.
Orihime knew she had only a split second. Letting Uryu toss her, she put one foot in the ground to add to her momentum, and charged forward. Quickly, she grabbed Byakuya by the arm, and slammed her free hand- a strong fist- into his solar plexus.
There was… pain. And it was unlike most things he had ever felt. Byakuya had, in his life, been cut, stabbed, clawed at, mauled, and it always hurt, but it was an expected kind of pain, the kind a soldier might expect. This was pain radiating through his body as if the very particles that made him exist had been unsettled, like his entire body might burst- and what made it so shocking was that it really shouldn't have, because this young girl was so… weak, by all he had felt from her. Choking, he staggered back from her, his reiatsu fluctuating.
"Did- did I do it?" Orihime said, her voice all disbelief. "Did I-"
And then, from behind, came a hundred blades, cutting her back thoroughly, and she collapsed with a cry, blood staining her clothes plentifully.
"Orihime!" Tatsuki cried, running to her.
"Don't lose focus!" Uryu shouted.
"Bastard…" Ichigo said.
"You…" Byakuya said, sounding furious. "I do not know what that was, and it really doesn't matter. But you filthy little rats, you are unforgivable- I really have to go all out for you."
"Shut up!" Ichigo shot back. "You don't get to lecture us- you're the scumbag who wants to kill his own sister! You should be helping us- what the hell is wrong with you?"
"SILENCE!" Byakuya roared. "You do not understand, and you never will." His reiatsu began to rise, rise, towering above theirs, and his sword took shape again, as a full blade. "To think you drove me here… I will kill you all quickly, and finish what I must do."
He pointed the blade down towards the ground, and let it go, and for a moment Ichigo thought he really was giving up- but then the blade sunk right into the ground, and the reiatsu around him grew steadily, like an elegant symphony of power and death. And behind him rose two enormous rows of gigantic sword blades from out of the ground, towering over all of them.
"Ban kai." Byakuya said coldly. "Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
And as one, each blade shattered into innumerable petals, and the world went pink.
oOo
Quite pleased with himself and the world, Ichimaru Gin took a leisurely walk through the gardens of the Squad Three barracks. It wouldn't be long before he would finally turn his back on the Soul Society for good now; better take a walk through the more beautiful places in the seireitei while he still could. At the place where he was going, gardens hardly were something that would fit with the general scenery, unless one were to count sand as something that would make for a good garden.
But with what lay ahead of him, gardens were a relatively minor concern of Gin's. It would finally happen – they would finally leave Soul Society. It would be him, Tosen, Aizen... and Hinamori Momo.
Even now, Gin had a hard time believing that somebody such as Aizen would decide to let her live, let alone have a naïve girl like her actually join them. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not wrap his head around what he had witnessed earlier. Over the last century, Aizen had done just about nothing that changed the image of the cold, manipulative, inhuman bastard that Gin had of him– and now, now of all times, he had actually done something that seemed to imply that he still had some last shred of human decency within him, even if he himself did not seem to be able to understand it. Or perhaps he had done it to mess with Gin's head, who knew?
Gin chuckled quietly. Unexpected as Aizen's actions were, in the end, they hardly mattered. Had he done something like this about one hundred years ago, it might have saved him from what was awaiting him – but by now, it was far too late, and he would make sure that Aizen would know it. When the time was right, Aizen Sosuke would finally receive the punishment that he deserved.
He stopped and took a look around him. The irony that came with somebody like him thinking of Aizen as a bastard was not lost on Gin. He was well aware of the fact that the vast majority of the Gotei considered him a questionable person at best and a psychopath that ought to be locked away as soon as possible at worst... and he hardly cared about it. Gin hardly ever cared about what people thought of him, and being considered a creep certainly did have its benefits from time to time.
In a way, it still surprised Gin that he somehow managed to inspire loyalty in the members of his Squad, particularly his vice-captain Kira Izuru... but unlike Aizen, he was not going to let something like that change his mind about what he had planned. The members of his Squad would stay behind, left with the knowledge that their captain was a traitor, a greater villain than anybody would have imagined... the thought was almost enough for Gin to regret not being able to see their reactions in full detail – but only almost.
Gin looked up at the darkening sky. He had wasted enough time... the real fun parts were about to begin soon enough now.
He was already about to slip into a shunpo to make his way towards Sokyoku Hill, when suddenly, a voice behind him spoke up. "Good evening, Ichimaru-taichou."
Gin whirled around. While he had been taking his walk, he hadn't paid the slightest bit of attention to any potential approaching reiatsu – after all, who would search for him at the gardens of Squad Three at this hour? – Which made somebody suddenly talking to him all the more surprising. And sure enough, there was somebody standing behind him, having snuck up while he wasn't paying attention... the Captain of Squad Four, Unohana Retsu, together with her vice-captain Kotetsu Isane.
"Why, good evenin', Unohana-taichou." Gin said, barely able to conceal his surprise. While he didn't exactly consider Unohana and her little pet of a vice-captain showing up to be much of a delay, it was still an unexpected turn of events, something which Gin did not exactly like. "What brings ya here on this fine evenin'?"
"I could be asking you the same thing, Ichimaru-taichou... we should both be at the execution of Kuchiki Rukia, and yet here we are. I simply wanted to have a little chat with you, and figured that I might be able to find you here." Unohana explained, keeping up the same gentle smile that she always seemed to be bearing, while her vice-captain was just silently standing behind her like a tall, pretty, gray-haired piece of decoration.
Gin resisted the urge to let out an annoyed sigh. Usually, if people wanted to have a 'little chat', it was not entertaining in the slightest, and only provided some inconveniences. Despite this, though, Gin did his best to hide his impatience, and instead said: "Ah, ya got me there, taichou... executions just don't really sit well with me, especially if it's such a poor little girl that's getting killed." Gin lied casually, not expecting her to believe even one word of it. "But anyway, what didja want to talk about?"
"Oh, it is a rather simple matter, actually. Just earlier, I have finished my work on my autopsy of Aizen-taichou's corpse, and I thought that you might be interested in the results."
Though he showed nothing, Gin tensed. There was no reason whatsoever for her, the chief medical examiner, to come to the captain of division three with this information- she should be reporting to the onmitsukidou, or the head captain. Meaning, it made no sense- unless she suspected his involvement. Was she on to them, or did she simply suspect him of being Aizen's murderer?
Without a word, Isane stepped up to Gin, handing him several pieces of paper. Silently, Gin took them, and skimmed over them. The vast majority of the text just seemed to consist of medical terms that he barely understood, but even so, one message came across rather clearly: While the corpse did certainly look like Aizen, many of the medical details were off. The illusion that he had cast, while very good, was not perfect.
Once Gin had finished skimming over the text, he still kept his eyes on the paper, pretending to read. He was uncertain on what to do; the most simple solution would be to just prevent any further complications by murdering Unohana and Isane right here... it was in fact rather urging, in fact. True, Unohana did hold a fearsome reputation among the Gotei, one that allowed her to intimidate most people with little more than just a gentle smile and a few words, but Gin didn't think of this as much more than hype. Everyone knew that Unohana Retsu was one of the oldest captains in the Gotei, second only to the head captain himself... and yet, seemingly nobody had ever seen her in action. The mysterious captain, leader of the medical Squad, the one that nobody had ever seen getting into action – it was a given that rumors that would lead to a reputation such as her would arise, even if there was nothing to back them up with.
He really had to contain himself- killing somebody was a great pleasure to him, and somebody strong, important… that was almost irresistible. He could see it in his head- a quick shot right through Isane's head, killing her just to make Unohana angry, then gleefully cutting the captain of Squad Four up with his blade…
But he held himself back. He had a plan, a greater goal, and more importantly- he was in control of his urges, not the other way around. Still, one day…
"I don't quite understand, Unohana-taichou." Gin said instead, restraining himself carefully. "Unless I'm misunderstandin' this, it seems like you're sayin' that-"
"-that the body that was found is not the corpse of Aizen Sosuke, yes. Surprising as it may seem, this is the only logical conclusion." Unohana interrupted him. "I ran all the standard procedures – blood tests, reiatsu samples, and so on. All results seem to be implying the same thing: While on a superficial level, the body looks exactly like the Aizen Sosuke that we knew, most of the medical details are entirely wrong. This would mean that the body is a fake... which in turn means that the real Aizen Sosuke might still be alive, and hiding somewhere within the seireitei. Quite the unexpected turn of events, wouldn't you say, Ichimaru-taichou?"
Gin just blankly stared at Unohana. She was definitely on to them. The minor nuisance had just become a big one... and while it was definitely too late for Unohana to stop the plan entirely, it was not too late yet for her to mess a good amount of things up.
"You know, I think that if nothing else, the Central Forty-Six should at the very least be informed of this turn of events... while they mostly pay little attention to the inner workings of the Gotei, the fact that a captain that was presumed to be dead is still alive might still be good news to them." She continued, not even waiting for Gin to reply.
Gin opened his eyes entirely to take a better look at Unohana. There she was, standing in front of him, still smiling that obnoxious, overly-gentle smile of hers, as if she hadn't realized that she had just stepped into something that she should have stayed out of... perhaps she would be better off being informed of it.
"Now, now, I think that such measures might not be necessary..." Gin said quietly, placing his hand on his sword. "Y'see, that could be mighty inconvenient for me."
"By all means, feel free to try anything you please." Unohana said, smiling as she placed a hand on the hilt of her own sword. "I would be all too happy to show you just how gentle I can be."
Gin looked at her carefully. He was used to fear- everyone feared him, even his peers among the captains were intimidated- but looking into the gentle, smiling face of Unohana Retsu, he began to understand why the rumors that led to her reputation to begin with. He felt not like the snake swallowing whatever prey it felt like, but rather like a snake confronted by a bigger, older serpent, one that had eaten snakes before and would do it again. It was an unfamiliar, and rather unpleasant feeling.
Unohana casually walked up to Gin, her hand still kept at the hilt of her zanpakutou. "My dear Ichimaru-taichou, you seem to be mistaking me for one of the poor low-ranking shinigami that you are so used to teasing. So used to it, in fact..."
She stopped, standing right in front of Gin, who found himself unable to do anything – whether it was out of fear, curiosity, or just simple being indecisive, he did not know. "...that you do not realize it when you are biting off more than you can chew."
There was a flash of steel, a stinging pain in his chest – and before Gin knew what had happened, he found himself dropping to his knees, his eyes growing wide.
"I always considered it to be a bit odd that you would go out of your way to act as much as a questionable individual as you can... of course, a big part of it is just the kind of person that you are, but the extent to which you are doing this also has an added benefit: It draws more attention to you, and keeps it off other captains." Unohana meanwhile spoke, her tone not changed in the slightest. "When I came here, I just had a hunch that the answer to this all might be found in the chambers of the Central Forty-Six, but now I know for certain." There was a short pause. "We're leaving. Isane, come along."
The sound of two shunpo could be heard, and only a second later, Gin was alone in the gardens once more. After a few minutes that seemed to last an eternity, his shock had died down enough for him to reach for where he had felt the stinging pain earlier. He knew by the metallic smell that there was blood; he had felt her blade pierce his chest, but oddly enough... there was no more pain – and, as it turned out, no wound either.
Feeling very disturbed- an unpleasant feeling; was this how everyone else felt around him?- he rushed away, towards Aizen and the central Forty-Six.
oOo
"BAN KAI! Kokujo Tengen Myou!"
His grin growing wider and wider, Kenpachi stared at the towering colossal titan of a samurai that the Bankai had summoned. The giant stood at least one hundred meters tall, covered entirely in a black armor, and wielding a katana that, even in proportion to its own body, was huge. Standing at the foot of the titan was its master, Komamura Sajin, still wearing his own armor and helmet, covered in an unnatural spiritual glow.
"Ah, now we're talkin'... a straightforward Bankai, with an entire giant for me to slaughter." Letting out a laugh, Kenpachi picked up the unconscious Tosen Kaname, who was still lying at his feet. "Far better than that cheap trick that your friend here pulled- why couldn't you just have gone for this right away? Would've saved ya the trouble of seeing me cut him down."
"Talk all you want, you accursed traitor – it won't do you any good." Sajin growled, his contempt clearly audible in his voice. "We will see how long you can keep up this disrespectful attitude before I strike you down with all my strength. You'll receive a grim reminder of what happens to those that betray the Gotei..."
Kenpachi sighed. "C'mon, not this shit again! Didn't you already finish all your justice-and-traitor-talk? I thought you'd get it by now that I don't care for any of that shit – I just want to fight, to swing my sword until there is nothing left to slay in front of me. All your talk about justice is just getting in the way here... and so is your friend. Catch!"
And with that, Kenpachi took Tosen, and threw him over to Sajin, who swiftly caught his friend, and lay him down on the ground behind him.
With a cold, determined look on his face, Sajin took a step forward, raising his arm- and with him, so did the giant. The sword, easily the size of something very, very large- Kenpachi's mind was not one especially well versed in metaphors- begun to come down, falling with enormous force down on the wild captain. Kenpachi laughed like a madman, raising his sword to block as the sword came down on him.
And down it came, with a force that leveled the entire block around them. Sajin grunted, looking through the dust.
"Such is the fate of traitors." He said resolutely, raising the blade. He had gotten a direct hit with his Bankai- there was very little which should be able to survive that.
Then again, Kenpachi was an impossible kind of man… carefully, he sensed for reiatsu. And as the smoke cleared, he saw him- standing on one knee, holding his sword. He had been forced down, and his blade was broken- roughly a third had been cut off, and there was blood; one of his arms looked broken, and there was an open wound in his shoulder, blood pouring from it in abundance.
Slowly, Kenpachi got to his feet, struggling to stand.
"Ya know…" He said, reaching for his face with his one working arm, still holding on to the sword, "if that's all ya got, then ya have to try real hard not to die when I give it my all."
Sajin frowned, almost in disbelief. Was he delusional? He looked half dead- as he should be; Kokujo Tengen Myou was nothing if not powerful- yet here he stood, declaring victory. Then he ripped off his eye patch, and Sajin remembered- and for a split second, before the flood gates opened, he cursed himself for his pride.
Then it exploded, the raw power of Zaraki Kenpachi, mighty like a spring river bursting, like an earthquake, and the man sprang into action, leaping forwards, directly at his Bankai. Sajin tried to parry, but Kenpachi jumped into the air, past the blade coming his way, and cut deep into his chest, his power amplifying the sword's strike a thousandfold. Sajin staggered back, a gash appearing across his chest. It was like a sledgehammer coming down on him, and he almost keeled over, his helmet dropping to the ground, cracking. He fell down on one knee, looking at his opponent eye to eye. Behind him, so did his Bankai, the mighty giant following his every move.
Kenpachi landed on the ground, looking elated. It was absurd- nobody should be so wounded and smile like that.
"So that's what you look like." He said merrily, looking at Sajin. Behind the now broken mask was the head of a canine, a fierce, beastly visage. "Question is, are you as tough as you look, dog boy?"
Standing up, Sajin shrugged off the pain, sending the traitor a determined glare. "Your blade… it did not cut me deep enough!" He shot back.
"That's the spirit!" Kenpachi said. And once again he charged, and Sajin felt somewhat like a villager facing down a tsunami.
oOo
Yoruichi ran, stretching herself to her limit- she had been largely inactive for a hundred years, and it was showing. Still, in a way it felt good to have to push herself to be as good as she could be- Soifon had gotten faster, so much faster, since the last time she had seen her. She was good, quick, and almost as fast as her. Almost.
They were dashing through a forest now, trees all around them- definitely far enough away that nobody would be hurt in their fight. Abruptly, Yoruichi slid to a halt, landing on a tree branch far up high, on an ancient tree. Soifon followed suit, stopping on a tree opposite to her. They faced off, just staring at one another, and Yoruichi felt a strong pang of guilt. Soifon had good reason to hate her, and it was no misunderstanding, either- Yoruichi had wronged her once. Not enough to distract her from the mission at hand- but she had amends to make after this, to be sure.
"Shihoin Yoruichi."
"Well hello, Soifon." Yoruichi said, grinning cockily. "Look at you, all grown up- well, almost."
"I have come to execute you, traitor."
"And here I had hoped we could catch up on old times. It's been so long, hasn't it?" This, she realized, was cruel- but psychology too was part of battle, and she couldn't lose, couldn't risk endangering the plan.
Soifon flinched. "You are as disrespectful as you always were." She raised her arm, and Yoruichi could see a long, gilded needle-like weapon attacked to her middle finger. A stinger of some sort; probably her shikai. "Still, you will face justice-"
"I think you meant revenge."
There was an odd look on Soifon's face, for a moment breaking her determined mask of hate. "…I will kill you." She said quietly.
"Feel free to try." Yoruichi said, crossing her arms.
Soifon… smiled, and it looked wrong to Yoruichi. "Oh, I will," she said, and suddenly, three marks, looking oddly like a stylized butterfly, materialized on Yoruichi's body. "and this is how."
"What- what is this?"
"This is the mark of Suzumebachi, my zanpakutou." Soifon sounded almost gleeful. "Nigeki kessatsu- if you are hit twice in the same spot, you will die. Nothing can save you once that is done."
"How-" Yoruichi started, bewildered.
"I hit you when we were running. Three times."
Yoruichi bit her lip. Damn, she had gotten good- she hadn't even felt that. Then, she grinned.
"Well, look at you- captain, commander of the onmitsukidou, and a murderous shikai to boot- now there's a good girl! You did all right on your own, kid, didn't you?"
Soifon was quiet for a bit, then said,
"…why?"
They both knew, of course, what she meant.
"Now, that," Yoruichi said, scratching her head casually, "is something you'd have to beat out of me. I really don't have time to reminisce."
"So be it, then."
It was amazing how fast she had gotten. In an instant, just a single step, Soifon had crossed the distance between one tree and another, coming at her with the stinger. But Yoruichi was the one who had taught her everything, and that had its advantages- like reading her like an open book. Quickly, as Soifon came flying at her, she crossed her wrists and redirected the stinging arm upwards, slamming a knee into Soifon's chest. Soifon grunted, shoved back- and instantly reappeared behind Yoruichi.
She had gotten good.
oOo
Orihime had come into this adventure prepared to fight and suffer as much as was needed to save Rukia, but knowing you would feel pain and actually knowing pain were two vastly different things. And at this moment, Inoue Orihime knew pain. Her entire back felt like it was on fire, like her skin had been torn off it. Her first instinct was to scream, to break down and fall into merciful unconsciousness- but the moment the thought entered her head, she pushed it away. They needed her. Kurosaki, Uryu, Tatsuki- they all needed her, and it would be pathetic for her to just break down now, after all of them had fought so hard.
Struggling, she flexed her hands, and the orange light formed around her, lifting her, and slowly she got to her feet. She tried her best to ignore the burning pain, looking around her.
And what she saw was… pink. A seemingly infinite cloud of pink blossom blades, hurtling through the air. Byakuya, who had apparently moved a good distance away from her while she had been lying on the ground, was standing in the center of it all.
"Goodbye, petty humans." Byakuya said coldly. "I acknowledge your strength, but this has gone on long enough. It is time to…" He seemed to hesitate, and for a moment, there was a strange look flickering across his face. "…die."
"We don't have to die!" Orihime cried. "And neither do you! Or anybody else!" She didn't quite know what she was saying, but it seemed to have an effect- for a moment, the petals stopped advancing.
"Yes." Byakuya said, dispassionately. "Everyone must die. It is the way of things."
"Don't underestimate us, then!" Orihime said determinedly. "I didn't die just now- just you wait, when we're done, we'll have beaten you and then, I'll heal you! After I healed everyone else! Because everybody lives!"
"A foolish notion." Byakuya noted, sighing quietly. "Everybody knows that everybody dies, and there is nothing that can be done about it. My life, your lives, and any life – they all will end sooner or later... and you pretentious ryoka will die now."
What followed was silence, during which all that happened was Byakuya staring at them, and likewise, them staring at Byakuya, all of them waiting for somebody to make the first move.
"What happened? What's with these blades?" Orihime whispered into the silence, just loud enough for Tatsuki, Uryu and Ichigo to hear it.
"Bankai." Ichigo answered shortly. "He-"
Orihime never found out what "he" did, as in this moment, Byakuya apparently had waited enough. All of a sudden, he started moving his hands like a conductor directing an orchestra... and not a second later, the blades started moving, flying towards them at an incredible speed, almost too fast for Orihime to see.
"Shit!" Before Orihime herself could react in any way, Uryu had grabbed her, and jumped out of the way with her. And not a moment too soon; almost instantly, the swords came down, making deep cuts into the ground. Ichigo and Tatsuki had managed to evade the attack, too, and were now both charging at Byakuya from two different directions.
Before either of them could however even get close to him, Byakuya had already disappeared, having moved back several meters.
"Hold still already!" Tatsuki snarled, stopping dead in her tracks to see where Byakuya was now.
Ichigo on the other hand spotted Byakuya instantly, and continued charging after him right away. He just had to get close to him- any other attack that he had just simply wouldn't work in this situation. But getting close to him was easier said than done; Byakuya's absurd, Bankai-boosted speed was already bad enough by itself, but the blades made it just impossible to follow him. When Ichigo thought that he had finally actually gotten close, thousands, millions of blades came down on him. Dodge left, move to the right, duck, jump- just one quick movement to get out of harm's way, and Byakuya was already out of reach.
By now however, Tatsuki had gotten a clear sight of Byakuya once more – and better yet, his efforts to shake off Ichigo had lead him to ignore her for just a few seconds... which was all the time that she needed. Quickly taking aim, Tatsuki raised her hands, gathering electricity between them, before firing it off in a great ball. "Denjiho!"
With little more than a thought, Byakuya directed the blades of his Bankai. Blocking off Uryu's arrows, halting Ichigo's movement towards him; all it took was a silent command, and the swords moved accordingly. And yet, Byakuya was dissatisfied, yes, angered even with the way the use of his Bankai worked out. Before its power, the ryoka should have gone down in a matter of seconds, and yet, they still had managed to evade his attacks, with one of his blades only now managing to get a shallow cut on Ichigo's chest.
It was his own fault for letting himself get enraged like this, he thought – had he been able to retain his composure, this all would already be over now. But there was no use thinking about this... it didn't matter. They-
Byakuya interrupted his thoughts, as a sudden, strong pain shot through his left arm with an impact that forced him back. Frantically, he whirled around- he had forgotten about the other shinigami besides Kurosaki...
"Gotcha!" Tatsuki shouted enthusiastically. Her attack had hit – now better follow up on it before the chance went to waste!
Forcing herself to go as fast as she possibly could, Tatsuki charged towards Byakuya. She could do this, she thought- just a few more seconds, and then she'd be up to Byakuya and able to finish him off...
"WATCH OUT, YOU MORON!"
Surprised, Tatsuki turned her head around, only to see Ichigo charge towards her- and then he was already there, pushing her and himself out of the way of the striking blades. For a short moment, Tatsuki just stared at Ichigo- and then the realization struck her. She had made the same mistake as Byakuya: She had only focused on him, completely ignoring his blades...
"We aren't getting anywhere like this..." Uryu said, having apparently also moved in to help Tatsuki together with Orihime. "Arisawa-san, Kurosaki-san – I'll need you to keep his attention off me. Just give me about one minute, and I'll be able to do something which should help us out."
"Right. One minute. Gotcha." Ichigo muttered. "You up for this, Tatsuki?"
"It's only sixty seconds, isn't it?"
And as if fate didn't like to be tempted, once again the blades swelled, blasting at them like a pink nightmare, charging, forming long strings of thousands of blades, rising up as if to swallow them whole, and they both knew that a moment's laxity could be fatal. Quickly, they both dashed away, then directly toward Byakuya, as Uryu moved back. They could feel his reiatsu change and grow- as could Byakuya, surely.
"Left side! Go low!" Ichigo barked, bracing his sword, going high, the both of them moving closer- to no avail, of course. There was no penetrating Byakuya's defenses; the both of them were cut as they came closer, both flashing back in a hurry.
Uryu took a deep breath. Had somebody told him before yesterday that he would have to use the stone, the Stein der Weisen, in another battle to the death to ensure his survival and that of his partners, he would have quickly agreed to it, after some initial skepticism. By now however... things were a bit different.
He still vividly recalled the training that Yoruichi had put him through both yesterday and today. The moment that Uryu had explained to Yoruichi what the stone was that he had used against the freaky captain that him and Orihime had fought, she insisted that he should use it again, figure out how it worked, and what it exactly it allowed him to do. Of course, Orihime had immediately objected when she heard these plans, remembering oh so well what the use of the stone had done to Uryu after a while. Ultimately however, she had to agree with Yoruichi: The use of this stone might just give them the offensive power that they would need to turn the tides in the battle in their favour.
So Uryu used the stone again.
And again.
And again.
For hours and hours, Yoruichi made him push his ability to use the stone to the limit- he would use it as long as possible before losing control, using as much of its power as possible, using it against Yoruichi... and then, at least a dozen tests, and several hours later, their tests were finally over. Through the entire ordeal, they had learned two things: One, Uryu's offensive power while using the stone was, if Yoruichi was to believed, comparable to that of an average captain using Bankai; and two, Uryu could use the stone for a minimum of ten, and a maximum of twenty minutes before starting to lose control over it.
Once all of their tests were done, Yoruichi had been in unexpectedly high spirits; finding out that Uryu had something like this at his disposal had strongly improved her view on the inevitable confrontation with Byakuya that she had to send them into. Uryu himself, on the other hand, was a bit more skeptical. Even with this power, it would still take little more than just one clear hit for him to be taken out for good – even moreso since this power made him a bigger threat. And this wasn't even getting into the issue of the control itself...
In essence, the use of the stone was simple: Tap into the power of a stream of souls, not unlike the interior of a hollow, and use their power for yourself. This did also mean opening oneself up to these souls, though, hearing their screams of rage and agony, and slowly but surely losing control because of them, as it happened each time that Uryu used the stone. Back when he had first used it, the thought of this all had intimidated Uryu greatly – but the more he used the thing during the tests that Yoruichi insisted on running, the more normal it got to him. After a while, Uryu had even managed to simply ignore the souls by focusing on fighting.
But as the tests went on and the hours grew longer, there had been one more thing, one unexpected feeling that even now made him feel uncertain about making use of this stone, something which he had told neither Yoruichi or Orihime about – and why should he? It had been little more than a small but persistent uncertainty, most likely just an effect of training and testing for so long.
But even with these rationalizations, Uryu didn't manage to shake off this feeling – the feeling that somehow, in some way, something was watching him whenever he used the stone, observing him from beyond the tempest of souls, staring down on him...
Uryu shook his head. No second thoughts now.
"Please watch my back, Inoue-san. When this gets out of control again... you know what to do." Uryu said quietly, addressing Orihime, who was standing right beside him with a worried expression on her face, knowing full well what he was going to do.
Orihime nodded determinedly. "I will!"
Uryu took another deep breath. "Den Leidenden die Erlösung..."
Byakuya looked at both Ichigo and Tatsuki coldly, his hands moving slowly, the cherry blades keeping track of them both. Then, he looked at the Quincy- his power was rising exponentially, reaching heights that he would not have believed to be possible to reach for a Quincy... this could be bothersome if left unchecked. Directing the petals with his left hand, he aimed his palm towards Uryu.
"Hado sixty-three: raikōhō!" He exclaimed, a large mass of kido energy forming, sending out a massive burst of yellow lightning towards the Quincy. Quickly, he redirected his efforts towards the two fake shinigami- they wouldn't be allowed to interfere. But Ichigo had already moved, putting himself between the kido and Uryu.
"Think again!" He shouted. Quickly, he raised his sword, and Tatsuki hopped back. It happened in just a split second, but it seemed so slow- just as the kido was about to hit him head on, he brought his sword down on it, shouting,
"Tsuki-ryuha!"
And as he did, the energy stopped- not disappearing or deflecting, simply stopped, for just an instance- then, surrounded by what looked like a whirlwind, it whirled back, coming at Byakuya twice as strong. Taken aback, Byakuya tried to parry- he managed, mostly, but the razor winds tore at his clothes, sending his blades flying, scattering away from him. It would take only seconds for them to return- but seconds was all Tatsuki needed. Following directly behind the whirlwind, she appeared before Byakuya, slamming a fist toward him. Byakuya dodged, but Tatsuki followed with a roundhouse kick, hitting him solidly in the chest. Byakuya was sent backward, and Tatsuki charged her fist.
"Denjiho!" She cried, and her attack hit home, the electric sphere slamming right into Byakuya's chest. Then, the blades came back, and Tatsuki only barely managed to run back and away.
Byakuya felt… infuriated. These audacious commoners were giving him more trouble than they legitimately should- and now he felt it, from the Quincy, power… enormous power, wild reiatsu so much like a hollow's…
"...Hermetis Vöglein ist mein Nahm, Verlaß meine Flügel und werde zahm!" Uryu finished his incantation, his voice already echoing as if there were dozens of people, all speaking at the same time. For a short second, he looked around him, as if he was able to see his surroundings only now... and then he focused his attention to Byakuya.
"That… will do." He said. Stringing his bow, he let out a barrage- red, strong, powerful arrows, all well aimed. "Let's give him hell, Inoue, Kurosaki, Arisawa!"
Raising his hands, Byakuya assumed a defensive posture. He wanted nothing more than to destroy them- but for now, he had to feel them out.
What followed for the next three minutes was obnoxious repetition- the two fake shinigami, with their fake Bankai, would come at him over and over again, never getting close enough to harm- but whenever he directed his attention at one of them, that damned Quincy would fire on him, aiming for his head. His arrows wouldn't break through, but it took considerable power to block them- how could any human have a power like this?- and he found himself unable to do much of anything. It was… frustrating. Options, tactics, alternative approaches ran through his head, but it was all garbled- he was losing focus; this entire… day, this entire period of his life, was chaos.
"Damn it!" Ichigo cursed, hopping back for the umpteenth time. "We can't even touch him!"
"We're winning." Uryu said calmly.
"How so?" Tatsuki said, spitting, sounding tired. "We're not even close!"
"He means we're stalling him." Orihime said. "And he can't do anything to stop Rukia when he's stuck here with us."
"…I guess." Ichigo muttered. "But I wanna win. And we can win, damn it, if we only got close!"
"Your friend is astute." Byakuya said, his blades whirling around him in a passive pattern. "I am not making any progress here." He shook his head. "To think that you commoners… no, never mind. I am left without choice." Slowly, his Bankai began to change, transforming from the amorphous mass of pink blades to something else, expanding and glowing…
And then, around them, was a ominously shimmering dome, consisting of dozens, hundreds, if not thousands of katana hovering in the air, forming a prison that could only bring death to whichever unfortunate soul found itself trapped inside.
"Senkei." Byakuya said, and one of the swords came down, firmly into his hand. "Do not worry- they do not all come down at once."
"Hey, he's got no way of defending himself like he used to- let's get him!" Tatsuki exclaimed, clacking her brass knuckles together.
"So you think." Byakuya said coldly, and in an instant he was before her, cutting across her body, smoothly and with deadly precision. Tatsuki let out a gargle, staggering back but remaining on her feet.
"How- how-" Ichigo stuttered. "He just- he's so much faster!"
"No." Uryu said, adjusting his glasses. "Whatever he's doing is affecting our reiatsu patterns. We're moving slower." And immediately he began to move back, holding Orihime- just narrowly avoiding decapitation from Byakuya.
"Astute." The noble warrior said. "You have entered into my domain- and this is where you die."
"I heard that before." Ichigo said, putting on a grin- probably a fake; this was a terrifying power to face.
oOo
It was exhilarating, in a way. Soifon had grown- dear god, had she grown- and she was pushing Yoruichi like nothing had in over a hundred years. It was like waking up after a long slumber- for more than a hundred years, she had done nothing of consequence in the field of fighting- she had done the minimum needed to keep fit, but the most she had ever done was to dispose of the odd hollow. And now, pushed by her self-proclaimed nemesis, her old student, she found she remembered everything- where to kick, where to punch, how to launch into a sequence of attacks, how to attack and how to defend. It was like that human saying- once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget how to.
And though Soifon had gotten so much faster, though she had stabbed Yoruichi three times without her even noticing, she was matching her pace- no, not only matching it, but it was… almost easy. She had taught her everything, and Soifon's fighting style hadn't changed much at all. She wasn't hitting her, not in any severe way, and neither did Yoruichi hit Soifon back. Trading blow for blow, they danced around, countering and defending each other's attack. Despite herself, Yoruichi found herself enjoying the fight- it was like one of her old training sessions.
Soifon, for her part, looked frustrated. Her face wasn't showing much, but Yoruichi could read her quite well, even after all this time. Just like when she had taught her all those essential hand-to-hand skills, she knew when Soifon was angry- and there was frustration in her now; quick jerking movements, trying harder and harder to land those critical hits that would disable her, kill her. By the slimmest of margins, Yoruichi sidestepped a quick thrust aimed at her chest, where one of the marks was. It was yet another save, one out of what felt like innumerable times where she had avoided by the thinnest margin a wound that would mean certain death. And after so much inactivity, after so much carefree living, it was invigorating to fight with her life on the line again. It was like… a game.
It was, of course, not a game, she reminded herself. She couldn't keep scoring even- she had to win, and get back to help the others out. Those four had come a long way, but assuming they could take down an elite like Byakuya was expecting a lot from them- no, the better this was done, the sooner.
"Damn you!" Soifon spat, breathing heavily.
"You're losing your composure, Soifon." Yoruichi said cheerfully, hoping to throw her off further. "What was it I always said about keeping calm in battle?"
"Don't you dare lecture me!" Soifon sneered, stabbing forward with her stinger hand, with quick, repeated thrusts. Yoruichi calmly dodged each one, taking a step back each time. Finally, she caught Soifon's wrist, pulling her forward, slamming a fist into her neck. Soifon gargled, staggering back for just a moment. A moment was all Yoruichi needed, launching into a roundhouse kick. Connecting solidly with Soifon's shoulder, the little captain still managed to bring her arm up to block it- but she was on the defensive now, and Yoruichi was not about to let up. Quickly, she continued her assault, spinning rapidly, letting kick after kick rain down on her. Soifon was parrying, but Yoruichi knew it had to hurt- but she couldn't back down. Again, she spun round, her leg coming in for another roundhouse-
And then Soifon grabbed her ankle, ducking under the kick, launching her own foot upward, right into Yoruichi's face. Seeing stars, Yoruichi flashed back- she really had gotten stronger; that was clever, thinking on her feet to break out of a difficult situation. If she'd had the time, she would have felt proud.
Time, of course, was a precious resource in a fight reliant on split-second reactions, and Yoruichi quickly glanced over her shoulder to see if Soifon had already come round to attack her from behind- but she was not there, and another quick look showed her that she hadn't moved at all- she was still standing where Yoruichi had left her.
"This…" Soifon began, and there was so much frustration there, almost desperate- not noticeable perhaps to just anyone, but certainly to Yoruichi. "I can't win like this." She said, her arms hanging by her sides.
For a moment, Yoruichi dared hope she had given up- but no such luck. Soifon raised her arms, and her reiatsu surged. "I saved this one especially for you, Yoruichi. All that time I trained wasn't for nothing- I developed this especially to fight you. Shunko!"
Her reiatsu blazed, and there was a blast of energy from Soifon's shoulder- kido energy, lightning surrounding her shoulders as wind whipped around her. Just looking at it, Yoruichi couldn't help but feel impressed- she had come this far, all by herself, developing even this particular technique without any help?
"This technique combines kido with hakuda. All my hits will be that much stronger now-"
"But because of the energy it uses up and how it manifests, you have to wear a sleeveless uniform." Yoruichi said, smiling.
"What?"
"You really are my student, coming this far." Yoruichi said happily. "But you're not there yet. Why do you think I designed that outfit without sleeves to begin with?" Yoruichi let her reiatsu rise, and as it did, the sleeves of her own shirt ripped- pity she didn't have her old uniform; it was a nice shirt- and kido energy manifested around her shoulders, lightning coursing through her arms. "This is my technique, Soifon. And unlike yours, mine is complete."
"You lie!"
"Try me." In that instance, she really did feel sorry for her- her own technique had been perfected, and Soifon's was still rough around the edges, undeveloped, imperfect- and here she stood, hoping to defeat her with it.
Letting out a frustrated cry, Soifon charged forward in a flash, moving so fast Yoruichi could barely see her- but she didn't need to see, only to react, and know where to hit.
An observer would have seen a brilliant flash of light, felt the surge of energies clashing in an instant, and dispersing equally as fast. It was like an explosion, and any lesser people would have surely died.
But as the dust cleared, it revealed both women still alive, Yoruichi slowly taking her fist from Soifon's chest. A single hit, delivered with as much force as she dared use, bypassing Soifon's defenses- and it had worked perfectly, because she could still read her movements, read her like a book. Defeated, Soifon sunk to her knees. Her will broke, and the marks from her shikai faded away, and Yoruichi looked at her, turning around to walk away.
"Why?" Soifon asked, and her voice was hopeless, so desperate and pitiful; it was like an emotional stab wound.
Slowly, she turned around, facing Yoruichi. "I can explain." She said calmly, struggling to keep herself collected. "It's not a very good excuse, but there is an explanation. But now is not the time. There is something bigger going on, much bigger- and I have to go. Don't attack me again, or I'll have to hurt you."
She turned around, and flashed away, heading for the site of execution.
"Wait!" It was Soifon, desperately coming after her.
"I told you-"
"You said you'd explain, right?" Soifon said, and there was that same desperation in her voice, eagerness of a zealous kind. "In that case, I'm following you. I'm not letting you get away this time!"
"…fair enough." Yoruichi said, and the two of them headed towards the sokyoku hill at breakneck speed.
oOo
As fast as they could, they dashed across the rooftops over the slowly darkening Seireitei, away from Sokyoku Hill, away from the site of the execution – just away. Despite the fact that the hour was already growing late, there were many shinigami out on the streets, the fights that seemed to be going on in the area having not been lost on them. Out of those shinigami, few seemed to notice them, and even, the most they did was shout after them, just as they rushed past them – Isshin and Renji had more important things to deal with than to stop by and explain themselves to anybody.
Rukia meanwhile, being carried by Renji as she was, did not pay the slightest bit of attention to their surroundings, being simply too caught up in her racing thoughts, her mind trying to comprehend everything that had happened. Ichigo, Tatsuki, Orihime, Uryu, Renji- they all really had come to rescue her from her execution. They all had so willingly put their own lives in danger, just so that they would have a slight chance to safe hers. And she was still alive – the sun had set, the appointed date for the execution had passed, and she was still alive.
Even now, Rukia was not sure on how she felt about this. Of course, she knew that she should probably be rejoicing, cry tears of joy, thank all of these idiots for not giving up on her, and a part of her certainly felt like doing so- but another, stronger, more rational part still could only worry. Certainly, she was being brought away from the hill, sure... but she could just as easily be brought back. The seireitei was enormous, and no matter where she went, the laws were still in effect there. Ichigo, Renji, and all the others – did they expect her to go into exile, into hiding, constantly running from the law? They would have to realize that she could never do this, would never do this... not with her being so deserving of punishment, not with her brother-
Her brother.
A cold shiver went down Rukia's spine as her thoughts drifted back to the scene that they had just left. Ichigo and his friends, all about to face her brother in battle, entirely disregarding that they simply could not hope to stand a chance against him... Byakuya was probably already killing them as she was being carried away.
"Why..." She whispered, speaking moreso to herself than to anybody in particular- but apparently still loud enough for Renji to hear it.
"Huh? Did you say something, Rukia?"
For a moment, Rukia hesitated, uncertain if she did have something to say... but after thinking about it for a moment, she realized that she had more than enough to say. "Why... why are you running away with me? You're a vice-captain, Renji – if you fought together with Shiba-taichou against my brother, you could stop him! Why are you letting Ichigo and the others fight him, when it only kills him?"
Renji snorted in response. "I think you're kinda underestimating these guys here. I already got defeated when I just faced the Quincy and this weird girl- with all four of them facing Kuchiki-taichou, I'm pretty certain that they'll manage."
"And besides" Isshin added "This is all planned out. Just have some more faith in my son. Okay, Rukia-chan?"
Rukia and Renji blankly stared at Isshin, trying to figure out whether they just heard what they thought that they had heard – which nearly caused Renji to miss a jump and fall down to the streets. "Your son?!"
Isshin stopped dead in his tracks and looked around to Renji and Rukia, who had already halted, giving them a surprised look. "Well, yeah. Ichigo is my son. Didn't I already mention that?"
"Uhhh... you kinda didn't, Shiba-taichou." Renji managed to get out, while Rukia just continued staring. It did only make sense, of course... already back when she had first met Ichigo months ago, his surname "Kurosaki" had left her more than just a little startled, as she still remembered Shiba Isshin using the name for a while after returning from his exile years ago. When Ichigo had asked her whether she knew of a Kurosaki Isshin in Soul Society, she already had her suspicions that Ichigo could really be his son- but having the man himself confirm this was still another thing entirely. Especially since it meant that Ichigo was related to Kaien, after all...
Isshin scratched the back of his head. "Huh. Well, now you know, I suppose. But anyway- we need to get going. It's still a good distance to go before we reach our goal."
"...Where are you taking me, anyway?" Rukia asked, trying her best not to think about what Isshin just told her for now.
"For now we're just going to the barracks of Squad Ten – once we get there, we'll only need to wait until this all is over. So enough standing! We need to get moving!"
oOo
Slowly, Tosen regained his senses, and his first thought was wishing he hadn't regained consciousness at all. He felt like he had been run over by a cart, several times- no, that didn't quite cover it. No metaphor was sufficient for being run over by Zaraki Kenpachi.
And the second thought that came to mind, as soon as he had got awake properly was the shame. He had been unable to defeat this monster; he had been beaten soundly- on this day of all days, when he was essential to Aizen-sama's plans. How could he? How could he be so weak-
Quickly, Tosen shook those thoughts aside. Today was far too important for self-pity. Focusing his senses, he tried to figure out what had happened to him. The distinct metallic smell of blood was still in the air, but it was weaker than he would have expected it to be- and more importantly, he could feel bandages being firmly wrapped around his chest. For a short moment, Tosen thought that Sajin had defeated Kenpachi, and treated his injuries- but after trying to sense his fellow captain's reiatsu, he quickly realized that the fight was still going on a good distance away from his current position. But there were two others close to him...
"Kaname." It was his voice, the voice of Aizen, his master. "You recovered. I am glad."
"Aizen-sama!" Tosen exclaimed, struggling to sit up. "Please accept my most sincere apologies, sir! I recklessly endangered myself-"
"I found you in time to apply some healing kido. I had to work fast, but you should be able to move. Do not overexert yourself, though." He said gently.
Tosen managed to get up on his feet, using his sheathed sword as a crutch. It was amazing how much patience Aizen-sama had with him; even in the face of such shameful failure, his one concern was Tosen's well-being. He truly was lucky to be following a good man such as him.
Slightly confused, Tosen turned around to the person besides his master. Thus far, they only seemed to have quietly stood there, observing what had happened. When he had regained his senses, Tosen had paid no attention to this person, being too caught up in explaining his failures to Aizen – but now that he could be certain of his forgiveness, he could not help but to wonder about this person. Whoever they were, they possessed a notable strength, though nothing in comparison to the power of Aizen, or even that of Tosen. Their reiatsu even seemed a bit familiar, though Tosen could not quite put his finger on it, his head still feeling dizzy from his recent uncounsciousness.
"Who is this, Aizen-sama?" He asked, pointing at the person.
There was a short moment of silence. Then- "Ah yes, her... it is my fukutaichou, Hinamori Momo. There has been a slight adjustment to our plans – she has joined our cause now." Aizen said, speaking in such a tone that made it rather clear that he didn't want any questions. But even though this only added to Tosen's confusion, he knew better than to pry. Momo herself meanwhile just seemed to be perfectly content with silently watching everything that went on.
"What do we do next, sir?" He asked instead, tying his sword to his belt, wincing slightly at the pain from his injuries, but still managing to ignore it. "That man- that monster upset our plans-"
"Our plan remains the same. A simple brute like Zaraki could not hope to topple them in a thousand years." Aizen said calmly. "Urahara made his move- apparently he is allied to Shiba-taicho." Aizen smiled to himself. "Somewhat unexpected, but nothing we cannot easily handle. We intercept Shiba Isshin and Abarai Renji, grab Rukia, and proceed as planned. The plan will not be delayed more than twenty odd minutes- well within acceptable parameters."
"Yes, sir!" Tosen exclaimed.
To himself, Aizen felt glad. Urahara wasn't so desperate that he'd make a mistake like gambling on some teenagers- it had all been a distraction. An easily countered one, but a good reminder that his nemesis hadn't lost his touch.
"Let's go." He said, gesturing to Tosen and Momo. Without a word, his two subordinates followed after him, jumping up to and across the rooftops just a short distance behind him.
Turning around to take a short look at Momo, Aizen could not help but to once again notice how strange this situation actually was to him- before yesterday, he had wasted no thoughts to Hinamori Momo, other than considering killing her before he advanced his plans to the next phase. And now, here she was, well, alive, and most importantly, ready to defect to his side. Even now Aizen was not entirely sure why he did it... but then again, there would be more than enough time to think about this later on- or to kill her, should the need still arise.
Throughout the entire time in which Aizen had been busy healing and talking to Tosen, she had just stood there and watched, bearing an expression on her face that was not unlike that of a child spending its first days at a new school: Overwhelmed by all the new things, while trying to find any familiar things that make adjustment easier... and judging by the slight but clear relief written on her face, she found something. His treatment of Tosen, perhaps? It certainly would make sense that his facade to deceive the man would also work on her...
Before he could however get any further with his thoughts, a movement off in the distance caught his attention – his prey...
Aizen halted on the next-best rooftop, waiting for Tosen and Momo to catch up.
"Wait here. I will take care of this myself." He said once the two had caught up. Both just nodded silently in response, with Tosen keeping an emotionless expression while Momo – she was just so easy to read! – gave him an uncertain look, as if she thought that his words could just as well mean murder as they could mean deception.
Grinning, Aizen continued his pursuit. Either interpretation wouldn't be too unlikely, though for the time being, just deceiving Shiba Isshin and Abarai Renji for his goals would be enough.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu." He said as he got closer, releasing his Zanpakutou.
At once, Isshin and Renji stopped dead in their tracks. The two of them as well as Rukia herself probably all felt a certain sense of uneasiness: The feeling that someone or something was approaching them, something that they could not understand...
…and then they continued running, the feeling of unease passing them by. Isshin glanced down at Rukia- there she was, in Renji's arms. Why had they even stopped? They had to hurry; there was no time to waste.
Rukia sat on her knees in the street, befuddled. One moment she had been carried by Renji, and the other she was here, in the street… looking up on the unambiguously not dead figure of Aizen Sousuke, accompanied by Hinamori Momo and Tosen Kaname. She blinked. What in the hell was going on?
"Well done, Tosen." Aizen said, smirking.
"It was nothing, Aizen-sama." Tosen said. She noticed he was bandaged quite heavily- had he been injured? No, more importantly, what were they doing?
"What is this?" She asked.
"It's all right, Rukia-san." Hinamori said comfortingly. "You'll be fine. Aizen-taicho just needs you for something."
"You're not dead." Rukia said flatly.
"It was all too simple to fake, really." Aizen said, and there was something different about his voice; mild amusement and self-satisfied assurance. "The original plan was that you be executed, but it seems Urahara delayed us a little. Not that it matters- you don't need to be dead for this." He nodded to Tosen. "Start the incantation. We move to sokyoku hill as soon as possible."
Tosen immediately began to chant, and she could feel kido energy swirl around them- matter displacement kido, or in simpler terms, teleportation.
"What do you want from me?"
"You'll know soon enough. If you live through this, ask that shady shopkeeper. He'll have answers for you."
Helpless, Rukia could only stay still as Tosen begun his spell.
oOo
The battlefield was growing increasingly hopeless. As they were now, slowed down by Byakuya's field of- well, whatever the field was made of- his superior skill and experience was showing off. They had kept fighting like before, Tatsuki and Ichigo pushing him while Uryu and Orihime would support them, but it wasn't working like it used to- he would dodge, moving fast enough to attack in turn- or even worse, try to target one of them down. Uryu had already had to narrowly dodge what could have been a killing blow twice, and it looked like there would be more to come.
"Damn it!" Ichigo swore, breathing heavily, keeping his guard up.
"We can do it." Tatsuki said, clacking her fists together- but Uryu could sense it; her reiatsu was burning out fast- her Bankai was not tempered well, and her control was not good enough.
"Then I suggest you do it soon, humans." Byakuya said coldly.
Raising her hands, Orihime raised two shields around Tatsuki and Ichigo, but the effort was visibly straining her. She was, considering the physical proportions for a human body compared to that of a shinigami, the one most badly injured.
"Go!" She cried. Quickly, Uryu stringed his bow again, as Tatsuki and Ichigo charged. Ichigo swung down hard, while Tatsuki attempted a flank- but Byakuya acted with cold precision, evading them both with a couple of simple steps, bursting forward past the two bruisers. Uryu fired, expecting him to come right for him first- but Byakuya had other plans. Quickly, he dashed forward towards Orihime, his blade cutting with surgical precision. Orihime tried to guard, tried to dodge, but she had no energy- she was already protecting Tatsuki and Ichigo. The hit came in, the blade running through her chest, and Orihime collapsed, gasping.
Orihime's vision was failing her; darkness was overtaking her. She had come this far- so far, so much further than she could have imagined- but here she was, struck down. Desperately, she tried to get to her feet, tried to summon more of her powers, but there was no helping it. For all her efforts, Inoue Orihime fell into unconsciousness, bleeding copiously.
Uryu felt a fury rise in his chest, but he stifled it- he would not lose his calm. Quickly, he strung another arrow.
Tatsuki, for her part, did lose her calm. Roaring like a beast, she charged Byakuya, her energy revitalized for this one strike. Byakuya dodged, flipping over her in the air- and that was as much as Uryu needed. Letting the string go, he flung a hollow-powered arrow towards the captain, finally hitting home.
Byakuya landed, a spirit arrow sticking from his chest. Calmly, not even a wince of pain crossing his face, he reached up to the arrow, and shattered it with his hand.
"One dead." He said dispassionately. "Three left."
"You bastard." Tatsuki growled, and it sounded almost scary- so filled with hate, like she wanted to rip his throat out. "You bastard, I'll kill you!"
"Calm." Uryu said sharply. "Lose your mind now, and we all die. We've gotten far as a team, and if we let that crack, then we're all dead."
Tatsuki said nothing, her face twisted in a grimace of pure anger, but she nodded.
"He's right." Ichigo said, nodding as well. "We haven't lost yet."
"And that arrow wasn't nothing either." Uryu said. "He might act tough, but that was a clean hit."
Byakuya, having had enough of their idle chatter, charged forward, blade raised. Tatsuki charged forward with vigour to meet him, her reiatsu burning bright- too bright, Uryu noted; she was going to run out even faster this way- one of her brass knuckles colliding with Byakuya's blade. Her other hand, balled into a fist, lashed out towards Byakuya's face- but the graceful captain had already moved past her, simply stepping to the side, quickly moving forward. Ichigo stepped forward, his blade slamming into Byakuya's- but Byakuya simply redirected the momentum of Ichigo's attack, holding his sword in one hand, before moving further forward, another sword coming down to his free hand. Uryu hopped back- he was being targeted, and he wouldn't be fast enough to keep running indefinitely.
Luckily he didn't have to- just as Uryu narrowly avoided a swipe at his throat, Tatsuki came charging, roaring, her charged fists striking like a woman possessed. Byakuya dodged, countered, blocked, seemingly unperturbed- but Uryu wasted no time, stringing his bow again, letting a flurry of arrows fly, forcing Byakuya back. Finally, as he stepped back, Ichigo came from behind, his reiatsu surging.
"GETSUGA TENSHO!" He shouted, and the attack discharged, hitting almost point blank. Byakuya spun round, his blade blocking the attack, but he was sent sliding backwards several meters. His sword had broken, Uryu could see, and his clothes were being ripped- and there was blood across his chest, where he couldn't block.
Byakuya spat, shook his head, and gave them a look of contempt as another sword flew down from the dome surrounding them, landing neatly in his hand.
"We're doin' it." Ichigo said confidently. "Tatsuki, with me!" Stepping forward towards Byakuya, his sword raised, Ichigo flashed forward, Tatsuki but a moment behind him. Uryu strung his bow; this would have to be precise-
Then Byakuya raised a finger, pointing forwards. "Bakudo number sixty-one:Rikujōkōrō ." And suddenly, six yellow pillars of light slammed into Ichigo's midsection, pinning him completely. His charge halted completely, a dumb look crossing his face- he had no idea what had just hit him.
Uryu did, though- this was high level kido, it had to be, and this could be very bad.
Tatsuki still charged, her fists raised- but as Byakuya met her, he held up one palm pointed right at her chest. "Hado number one: Shou!" He shouted, and some invisible force slammed into Tatsuki, sending her flying. She was landing on her feet, but Uryu was exposed now- on his own.
Quickly, Byakuya dashed forward. Uryu feverishly fired arrow after arrow, but the captain zig-zagged as he moved forward, quickly crossing the distance. In no time at all, he was upon Uryu, mercilessly cutting at him. One stroke- Uryu barely managed to dodge, hopping backward. A stab, furiously coming at him, and Uryu rolled to the side, getting up on his feet right away, desperately trying to form an arrow- but Byakuya was already there. Quickly, Uryu launched himself into the air, flashing backwards. And as if on cue, Byakuya raised his palm, pointing it at Uryu.
"Hado number thirty-three: sōkatsui!" He cried, and from his hand surged blue lightning, almost instantly closing the distance, slamming into Uryu as he sailed through the air. He cried out in pain, his vision going blurry as he crashed into the ground. Wasting no time, Byakuya charged forward, leaping towards Uryu, his blade pointing down. There was the quick, nasty sound of steel piercing flesh, and Uryu saw a blade running through his chest, pinning him to the ground like a needle through an insect. He struggled, breathing raggedly, trying to stay awake- he couldn't go down now; they needed him, there was too much to lose-
Then, Byakuya twisted the blade, and Uryu fell into merciful unconsciousness, the stone falling out of his hand.
"Two dead." Byakuya said. "Two left-"
But he was cut short- it was Tatsuki, furiously slamming into him from the side. Byakuya tried to parry, but it was too late- she landed a furious roundhouse kick, sending him staggering back, and Tatsuki continued her assault, raining blow upon blow down on the captain. Roaring with anger, she hit him from below with a clean uppercut, sending him flying up in the air- and instantly, Tatsuki was there, having moved above him in a flash. With another furious roundhouse kick, she slammed the noble captain into the dirt. Still not letting up, she came down with an axe kick, trying to finish him.
Byakuya growled, rolling out of the way, the kick demolishing the ground beneath him. Quickly, they both got to their feet, as Ichigo finally broke loose of the binding kido.
"Just two down, was it?" Tatsuki shouted. "JUST two? Just wait will we're done with you, shit-for-brains!"
He words were cocky, so self-assured by a surge of adrenalin and reiatsu, but it was evident that she was weakening. Even Ichigo could feel it- her reiatsu was diminishing, and even though Byakuya looked beaten up, he was still standing strong.
"It's just you and me now." He said, taking a stance. "Can you still fight, Tatsuki?"
"Hell yeah." Tatsuki said. "Did you see what I just did? I can do it again, if I have to- no, I want to do it. Let's get him!"
"You got it." Ichigo said, grinning despite himself. They really were doing it- they were taking losses, but they weren't being outclassed. Orihime and Uryu might be down, but they weren't dead... they just had to finish this quickly and bring them somewhere safe. They weren't ants stepped on by a giant- they were hunters, taking on a titan on even terms.
"You have already lost." Byakuya said coolly, ignoring his wounds. He raised his sword, pointing it at them. "Within minutes, you'll be dead. Nothing can change that."
"If that's so, then we'll make damn sure you're too sore to raise a finger against Rukia!" Tatsuki shot back.
With a look of contempt, Byakuya raised his arm again. "Bakudo sixty-one: Rikujōkōrō."
Suddenly, the six rods of lights appeared again, just around Tatsuki's waist, fixing her in place. Ichigo made a face, then charged at Byakuya again, bringing his sword down on his. Byakuya pushed back, hard, and Ichigo stepped back, nearly losing his balance. Pointing his finger at Ichigo, he said,
"Hado number thirty-one: Shakkahō." A glowing red ball flew towards him, and Ichigo hopped aside, preparing for the follow-up attack. But it didn't come- Byakuya had dashed past him, towards Tatsuki. Ichigo swore, running towards him- but Byakuya was already there, his sword coming down.
She could see his sword- just moments away, but everything played out as if in slow motion. It was infuriating- she was all but spent already, her reiatsu almost completely burnt out- god damn, this Bankai was as power-demanding as it was strong- but to be stuck, with no means of defense, that was just… disappointing. What a way to end a great fight!
And the blade came down, running from shoulder to hip, and as the binding spell broke under its force, so did Tatsuki, collapsing lifeless to the ground.
"Three dead." He said, fixating Ichigo with a cold stare. "One left... it seems like it will begin and end with you, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"You bastard!" Ichigo shouted. "She was defenseless, and you-"
"You dare come here, facing me as if you were an equal, four to one- and you accuse me of foul play?" Byakuya said with contempt. "The gall on you, commoner- you deserve all you will receive at my hands."
"As if! This isn't over yet!" Ichigo shouted, trying his best to sound defiant... but even he could hear his own voice shaking. There was no way that he would fool Byakuya.
Had he said this been anybody, they would have laughed and struck him down where he stood – but Byakuya only stood there and watched, knowing full well that he could end the conversation at any moment. "It is time that you open your eyes to reality, ryoka. All of your allies have been struck down. Soon enough, you will join them. All four of you will have died today – and for what? A criminal that only a few weeks ago, you let go so willingly?"
They aren't dead yet. The thought shot through Ichigo's head. No, they couldn't be dead yet... if they were dead, he would no longer be able to sense them... but he still had to finish this quickly.
"Yeah, I did let her go." Ichigo admitted, figuring that continuing to talk would be his best chance to stall for just a little bit of time to figure out what to do next, even if it did mean letting the others just lie there, bleeding out. "And I've been beating myself up over this since the moment she was gone. If I'd known that you're only taking her back to kill her, I would've attacked you then and there!"
Byakuya sighed. "Then you are more foolish than I thought. Your comrades are dead, and yet you still seek to continue fighting, for a person that is sentenced to death to begin with. You would have done better to escape with this criminal yourself, and let Shiba Isshin be the one to face me – the result would have been the same, but you would not have wasted your lives in a fight that you were destined to lose to begin with."
"Her name is Rukia!" Ichigo growled. "She's your sister, not just some criminal! You should be the one to save her, and yet here you are killing the people who want to help her, only so that you can kill her!"
"Do not speak to me as if you understand my situation, Kurosaki Ichigo! I have lived a life longer than you can possibly imagine, spent years becoming the man that I am today, and lost things that you could never hope to understand. You and I could not be more different, so do not think for a moment, do not even pretend that you understand anything about me!" Byakuya shouted, his stoic facade breaking.
"You're right." Ichigo said, nodding. "You and I – we couldn't be more different. I don't understand you, not in the slightest. And honestly, I don't want to understand you. I don't want to know what needs to happen to a man that he becomes a cold bastard like you, who sends his family to their death. I don't understand you – but you know what I do understand? Loss. Just recently, my own sister died. Her soul is still there, in the world of the living, unable to move on... but she's still dead and gone. And let me tell you something: It hurts. It hurts worse than anything else. So if I see someone like you, who just knowingly sends his own sister to her death, and would even kill her himself, just so that some stupid law can be upheld – it just pisses me off."
Byakuya gave Ichigo a furious glare. "DO YOU NOT THINK THAT I TOO-" He roared, abruptly stopping himself before he could say any more. He shook his head. "...No. It is of no consequence now. Nothing you say makes any difference now, Kurosaki Ichigo. Senbonzakura will take three more lives today, of which the first ones will be yours and that of Ruk- this criminal. The law will be enforced... because the law is the law, and the law is everything."
Ichigo snorted. He could pass out any minute now, Byakuya would probably kill him in even less time than that... and he just found himself amused. "Right. A bunch of rules that some old farts came up with, that they can change whenever they feel it's convenient for them – totally more important than everything else. Tell ya what, Kuchiki Byakuya- I'm just getting tired of your talking. Let's get done already."
Byakuya said nothing in response. He just stood there, watching Ichigo, his expression full of barely concealed rage. Well, no point in waiting for him to do anything – letting out a fierce cry, Ichigo charged at Byakuya, trying his best to ignore every single part of his body that seemed to hurt.
Just a few seconds later, he was in front of Byakuya, bringing his blade down- only to find it blocked. Anticipating a counter attack, Ichigo jumped back... but no counter attack came.
Byakuya felt his wounds burn. There were many, and so severe- much more than he had ever expected. Perhaps one hit in a hundred had landed, but the ones that had… they had left a mark. His chest was cut, pierced and slashed, several of his ribs were broken, and he had lost a lot of blood- and there were limits to even the physique of a captain shinigami. Angrily gritting his teeth, he held on to his sword feverishly. These arrogant commoners- to think they had taken him this far, forced so much out of him. If this kept going for very much longer, he would lose consciousness- just one more good hit, that would do it. His opponent looked even worse, bleeding and bruised from his attacks.
And yet, Kurosaki Ichigo still stood, ready to attack, ready to keep fighting. It was obvious that he too was worn out by the fight, at least as much as Byakuya himself... and yet, he continued to stand up every time he was struck down. It was... annoying.
"This has gone on longer than it should have." Byakuya said, sighing. "This will end now... in one strike."
Instantly, the entire dome of blades surrounding them broke down, with the swords themselves disintegrating into the petals that they had been before Byakuya had started using his Bankai. Frantically, Ichigo looked around him, trying to understand what was going on. He didn't have to wait long for the answer: Bit by bit, the petal blades moved towards one central spot where they all gathered – the sword in Byakuya's hand.
Before long, the petals had all gathered into the blade, which was immediately followed by what appeared to be two enormous wings made of white light sprouting out of his back; at the same time, the sword itself also lit up in an equally white light. "Shukei: Hakuteiken".
Ichigo just stared blankly at Byakuya. He really was right: No matter the outcome, this would end now. He realized that he should probably nervous, afraid, anything – but the fight had already gone on too long for Ichigo to still feel anything like this.
So, now what? He couldn't use the Tsukiryuha against this, he was too weakened to make use of the Tsuki no Kizu, and the Getsuga Tensho would be of no use now... so Ichigo did the only thing he still could do. Raising his sword, he gathered every last bit of his strength that he had left, focusing it all into his blade- and then he charged right at Byakuya, who himself was already dashing forward.
For a few seconds that seemed to last ages, they just seemed to be running towards each other... and then their swords clashed. The moment the blades connected, Ichigo already had the feeling that he could bear no more. His arms felt like they were catching fire, the light from Byakuya was blinding his eyes, he could sense that Zangetsu was at his very limit...
And then it was over.
Ichigo felt Zangetsu's blade break, and in what felt like slow-motion, his broken sword came down on Byakuya's chest, making a deep, diagonal cut- but at the same time, the light of Byakuya's blade died down, as the sword itself came down on Ichigo's own chest, giving him a deep, vertical cut.
Time itself seemed to stand still as Ichigo and Byakuya quietly stared at each other, the pain from the new wounds washing over him.
Then Byakuya collapsed.
An incredulous expression appeared on Ichigo's face as he looked down on the defeated body of their enemy. At that moment, only one thought shot through Ichigo's head: It was over.
Byakuya was down.
They had won.
A weak smile flashed across Ichigo's face as the realization struck him... just before darkness seized him, and he too collapsed.
The night had come.
Author's Notes:One thing to note about the last part of the fight: As it should already be clear by now, this fic aims to entirely rewrite canon from start to finish, and hopefully in a way that is better than said. As such, several of the more nonsensical reveals and plot twists of recent canon will be ignored, such as the permanently breaking Bankai in this case. Our Alternate Universe, our rules.