Author's Notes:
Well, guess it once again took about two months to continue this. . . I suppose this falls under "schedule slip"?
Now, before we get to the main part here, I would like to make note of something:
All future anonymous reviews that serve no other purpose than to criticize aspects of this fic without going into any sort of detail and lacking any sort of depth WILL be deleted from now on. If you have something to criticize, or something negative to say in general, you can say it without hiding yourself behind a mask of anonymity.
And one more thing: The "Tatsuki is just an Ichigo clone" complaint is getting old. If you honestly focus on power levels and powers in general that much that you ignore all other aspects of a character, there is no point in reading this fic for you.
The "Tatsuki is a mary sue" accusation is getting old, too. If you honestly think giving her screen time and a powerup makes her a sue, then you don't know what a Mary Sue is. As for her character- wait and see. We've got plans in that regard, and if you pay attention, you should be able to see it even now.

By the time Shiba Isshin and Abarai Renji reached the Squad Ten compound, the both of them were breathing heavily. Despite this, they were both ready and able to fight, against… well, whatever they'd be needed to fight. Isshin still wasn't sure; he had gotten only very vague descriptions from Yoruichi- someone was up to something, that was as much as he knew. It was a bit annoying- he really thought that he ought at least to know who to look out for. Gin, of course, but that was a given…

Renji, huffing, put Rukia down. "Damn…" he muttered.

"How's it feel, lad?" Isshin asked cheerfully.

"I'm a traitor." Renji said matter-of-factly, with a strange look in his eyes.

"Feels good, doesn't it? At least you didn't betray yourself, like what your captain did."

"Taichou!" It was his beautiful fukutaichou, Rangiku, with their third seat Toushiro in tow. "What- why did you come running here like that? I thought something serious had happened." He had ordered her to wait, to prepare the division as much as it could be prepared, and she had done her best, by the looks of it- not a soul was nearby.

"Well, Renji-kun and me just committed treason." Isshin said casually. "We got Rukia, you see, and we had to get her somewhere safe."

Rangiku sighed. "That was your plan? You big idiot…" She shook her head.

"Well, where is she?" Toushiro said, frowning.

"Right over there-" Isshin said, pointing- only to realize that where he pointed, there was absolutely nothing- just ground.

Renji, looking the same direction, jerked. "I- I was carrying her! I know I was! I didn't drop her-" He tore at his hair, looking genuinely shocked.

"I know you didn't." Isshin said, frowning. "I saw you carry her all this way- something's wrong here."

"What do we do?!" Renji exclaimed. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Calm down, Renji." Isshin said calmly. "Obviously, she isn't here- so somebody must have taken her. I think…" he rubbed his chin, thinking intensely. "We will head back to Sokyoku Hill, right now. That's our best bet- we've no idea where she is, but if somebody took her, they might have taken her back there."

"Or anywhere else in the Gotei! There's absolutely no guarantee that she'll be on the hill!" Renji snapped.

"Well, feel free to search the Gotei, then. And make sure to tell us how that went, once you're done." Isshin said cheerfully. "Rangiku, Toushiro, we're going."

"Sir!" Toushiro said, standing to attention – in a way, it still surprised Isshin how easily he agreed to committing treason.

"Fine." Rangiku said. "And what do you do when Soifon-taicho tries to murder you for treason?"

"That's a problem we'll deal with later. Don't you worry, I'll take full responsibility."

"That's what I'm afraid of..." Rangiku said.

Quickly, the four of them headed out, back towards the site of execution.

Yoruichi sailed through the air in gigantic leaps, Soifon just behind her. Sokyoku Hill- that's where Urahara had told her to be, where Aizen would appear. The man couldn't pass up a chance to gloat, he had said, and he still needed that thing…

Quickly, as fast as she could, she ran. If he was as dangerous as she had been told, they would need all help they could get to save Rukia.

Kenpachi was having a ball. Sure, he had broken an arm and probably busted some ribs, but Komamura was proving to be pretty entertaining. Not really strong enough to win, but still a decent workout, and some great entertainment.

"Hell yeah!" He shouted excitedly, blocking another swing, pushing back hard. It was not bad for a mutt-

And then the blade let up, and the giant stood back, sheathing its sword, slowly dissolving.

"HEY!" Kenpachi shouted. "What gives? Ain't I a foul, loathsome traitor what needs teaching a lesson, or somethin'?"

"You are." Komamura said, still bleeding from several places all over his body. He had not exactly been a target that was hard to miss. "But I just sensed Yamamoto-sama's reiatsu. He is fighting, and your treason is second to protecting my lord." He sheathed his sword, slipping into a shunpo.

"I ain't done!" Kenpachi growled, running after the beastly captain.

It took Aizen every last bit of his self-control to not pull an enormous grin as he himself, Tosen, Momo and Rukia materialized at the top of Sokyoku Hill – the place where his plans would at long last reach their next stage.

At the current moment, however, the place could not have looked less like a site for something as grand as what was going to happen now- the stage which had been built for Kuchiki Rukia's execution was destroyed, having without a doubt been hit by a stray attack, the ceremonial guards had all fled, and the ground was torn up everywhere, as if someone had made cut through it with an enormous sword. And amidst all of this, the only people left on the hill were Kuchiki Byakuya, Kurosaki Ichigo and the other ryoka... and for some reason, Unohana Retsu and her vice-captain, who were already treating them.

For a moment, Aizen found himself surprised; he would have expected to find most of the captains here, or just a battlefield – but Unohana Retsu, already treating the participants of both sides of the battle was something that he had not expected. His surprise was short-lived, though, as a scream from Kuchiki Rukia quickly brought him back to reality before he could dwell on any thoughts or theories.

"Ichigo! Onii-sama!" She cried loudly, and Aizen didn't even need to turn around to know that she was crying. Irrational girl...

Ignoring her entirely, he approached Unohana, walking slowly. "Good evening, Unohana-taichou... I must say, it is rather unexpected to see you here under these circumstances."

"So I can imagine, yes." The captain of Squad Four said, not even bothering to look up from her treatment of Byakuya. "But I cannot say the same for you. After seeing the mess that you have caused in the chambers of the Central Forty-Six, I would have been more surprised to not meet you here. What does surprise me is that you have somehow managed to drag poor Tosen-taichou and even your own fukutaichou into this silliness of yours."

Against his will, Aizen found himself smiling. Unexpected as it was, this little encounter with Unohana was certainly shaping up to be entertaining. "What you dismiss as silliness and a 'mess' are nothing more than the result of centuries- no a millennium of an unjust, oppressing rule; a proper punishment that nobody else was willing to deliver, if you will."

Unohana stood up, her face still holding that gentle smile, while Isane continued tending to the four unconscious ryoka.

"I already deduced you were a traitor of some kind, although I didn't know why." She said, taking a step towards him. "I don't know if you even believe what you said about oppression- but if you really fancy yourself a revolutionary rising up against tyranny, then perhaps I should mention that heroes do not bathe themselves in the blood of defenseless old men."

Aizen chuckled. "Consider it the start of a cleansing purge that will rid the Gotei of its inherent corruption. Nothing can be gained without pain- it is like lancing a boil."

Suddenly, Gin appeared on the site, stopping from a quick shunpo. "Aizen-taicho-" he began, then he saw Unohana.

"A good evening to you, Ichimaru-taicho." Unohana said, looking right at him. Gin winced.

Aizen looked at him with amusement. "I have to wonder- how did you see past my decoy?" he said, turning back to Unohana.

"I am the Gotei Thirteen's chief medical examiner. I noticed something was as it shouldn't be- or rather, it seemed so out of place that a captain be murdered so easily, without anyone noticing a surge of reiatsu, that I had to make a careful autopsy. I didn't find anything out of the ordinary the first or second time, even though I spent hours doing nothing but examine my findings and the data I retrieved. But then, just a day ago, I looked a third time, and I found the slightest anomaly- namely, that the reiatsu structure from a tissue sample taken from the body was not the structure of Aizen Sousuke- or any shinigami, for that matter. And somehow, I had been blind to this as long as I was near the 'corpse'. Strange, isn't it?"

"I suppose my illusions could use some work." Aizen said dismissively. "I set my zanpakutou to disguise the body itself, not every individual part of it."

"Illusions?" Unohana said, pondering. "Yes, that explains it- and adding to the fact that I found this 'death' very suspiciously timed, and even more suspiciously executed, I was able to see that Aizen Sousuke was not only alive, but probably the manufacturer of his own death. Which left the question- why would a captain do that?" Unohana put a hand on the hilt of her sword. "Sadly, I had to assume you were up to no good- and it seems I was not wrong."

Aizen gave her a look of genuine appreciation. "You know, in my time in this afterlife, there is but a handful of people- no, less even- who I have felt any degree of respect for. I may have hid my true self all this time- but so, it seems, did you."

"I try."

"It gets so easy." Aizen said, almost regretfully. "I never worried somebody would see through that plan, even though it's so flawed- nobody suspects a captain; we're above suspicion. But you," he said, waving a finger at her, "you saw through the illusion, and you caught a glimpse of something more than what I intended for you to see." He smirked. "You are an excellent mind, Unohana-taicho, but the excellent will always stand in the shadow of the brilliant."

"Yes, I figured that you would think like that..." Unohana noted quietly, keeping her eyes fixed on Kuchiki Byakuya, whom Isane was still busy healing. "Though there is a certain saying that you would do best to remember: Pride comes before the fall."

"Of course, to the lesser minds this might appear to be simple pride- but the fact remains that for the longest time, even you had nothing more of a suspicion of my true nature. My mask has been perfect... whereas you seem to have gotten a bit too used to yours, no matter what your true nature was." Aizen spoke, his eyes shortly flashing over to Isane doing her work.

"Well, whatever my true nature may be, it is irrelevant right now." Unohana said dismissively. "What is of importance now is you, Aizen Sosuke... or rather, what you plan on doing to poor Kuchiki Rukia."

Aizen grinned. "My, my, aren't we impatient? Do not worry; we will get to that soon enough. For now, I am just awaiting the audience's arrival..."

oOo

"So now what, sensei?" Jushiro asked, looking over to Yamamoto. The old man had fought him and Shunsui for at least half an hour now, exhausting both of them to a point where their breath was going heavy, and their clothes were soaked with sweat- all while Yamamoto himself showed no signs of being worn down. At the same time however, even now, none of them was injured: Their fight itself was little more than a formality. "We could keep on fighting like this, not harming you until we just pass out from exhaustion... and at the same time, you wouldn't want to harm us either, and you know it."

"Be that as it may, you brats still need to be taught a lesson. You obviously have long since forgotten how to respect authority... and by the Soul King, I will make sure to remind you of it." Yamamoto growled.

"Or maybe, the lesson can wait." Shunsui said. "Don't you feel it, sensei? Something is going on Sokyoku Hill. Something that shouldn't be happening if this execution was taking place as it was set to be."

The old man glared at them with a fury in his eyes, then turned his head towards the hill. Quietly, he let his senses speak to him, feeling the flow of reiatsu across the Seireitei. There were strong emanations from the hill, residual energy dying out- he could feel Kuchiki Byakuya's power in there, and one, two, three, four strong signatures intertwined with it- whoever had won, a battle had been fought there- won or lost, but definitely over.

Then he sensed closer, and faintly, he felt it- Unohana Retsu was there, and Ichimaru Gin, and Kaname Tosen, and-

He shook his head. "Unthinkable." He said gruffly.

"You sensed something just now, didn't you?" Shunsui said cheerfully. "God, I love being right. Don't you, Jushiro?"

"What was it, sensei?" Jushiro said, sounding concerned.

"You selfish pups." Yamamoto grumbled, giving them a disdainful look. "Do not imagine for a second that your disrespectful transgressions against law and order are forgotten for even a second- but now, we must go at once. Fall in line!"

He shouted the last line, and his two students snapped to attention- although there was something lackadaisical about Shunsui's posture. Wasn't there always?

Sheathing his sword, Yamamoto grabbed his coat, looking towards the hill.

Impossible, he thought. Then again, he had seen the impossible done before- and his senses rarely lied to him. Aizen Sousuke had some explaining to do.

Before he could however take off with his students, something else caught his attention: Something- or rather, someone- rapidly approaching him and his students, with somebody else chasing madly after the newcomer.

Averting his gaze from the hill, Yamamoto turned around, towards the direction from which they were approached. Not a moment later, they were there: Komamura Sajin, followed by Zaraki Kenpachi, with the latter looking like he was about to hack up the former.

"Soutaichou!" Sajin shouted, dropping down on one of his knees. "I sensed that you were being attacked, and interrupted my battle with the traitor Zaraki Kenpachi to aid you."

Yamamoto glared at Kenpachi disapprovingly. He could easily see that the man had to use every last bit of self-control to not attack any of them right here and right now- but even Zaraki Kenpachi was not stupid enough to attack four captains at once, three of which were senior captains.

"Your concern is noticed, Komamura-taichou- but the issue that lead to the battle has been postponed. For now, it is of greater importance that we make our way to Sokyoku Hill... and you better come along, Zaraki-taichou." He added after a short pause, especially emphasizing the last word.

For a moment, Kenpachi hesitated, looking back and forth between Sajin and Yamamoto – before ultimately nodding with an annoyed sigh. "Fine, I'll come... but don't think that this is over yet." He said, hissing the last part at Sajin.

"The same goes for you, Zaraki-taichou. Your treason is not forgotten." Yamamoto spoke loudly, making it clear that any further kind of arguing would be pointless. "We have already wasted enough time here. It is time that we finally head to Sokyoku Hill."

oOo

Byakuya blinked. He was not only alive, but conscious- and the pain was far less severe than what he would have expected, given the circumstances. Carefully, he tried sitting up- it hurt, but it worked. Looking down on his body, he saw bandages around his chest, his arms, wherever he had been cut, and that typical, tingling feeling that medical kido left. Slowly, he gathered his strength, standing up. He breathed heavily, his vision somewhat blurred; pain and blood loss had dulled his senses considerably. He looked around- the four ryoka were being cared for by Unohana-taicho and her fukutaicho, all apparently alive.

This, he thought, really was his failure.

He blinked, and a realization- no, not even that, just a simple thought- hit him. Rukia. Where was Rukia? A shower of emotion hit him, and it was just as well that there was physical pain to dull it, because he didn't know what he could have done to keep his composure otherwise. Guilt, sadness, joy at the thought that she might still be alive, some foolish hope that she would live, anger- anger with the ryoka and the law and his inability to stop them, but most of all- with himself.

He shook his head. There was the thought, dawning on him, that he had been wrong- and it was something best saved for later. Taking a careful step forward, he looked for a distraction of some kind, anything-

And as fate would have it, one was graciously presented to him immediately. A short ways off, there was Rukia, on her knees- by Aizen Sousuke. Who was supposed to be dead.

"What was that… about treasonous dogs?"

It was the voice of that obnoxious ryoka, coming from the ground where he lay still.

"Be quiet, Kurosaki-san!" Kotetsu Isane said, in a fussy voice. "Just lie still, or this won't work as well."

Soon, within less than five minutes, every single captain had gathered around him. It was so amusing, Aizen thought- almost nobody had showed up for the execution, but they showed up for him. Unohana, that half-dead Kuchiki, Soifon, Komamura, Zaraki, Ukitake and Kyoraku- and with a frown on his ancient, wrinkled face, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai, chief lapdog of the central Forty-Six. He could feel Shiba Isshin approaching- the only one who seemed absent was twelfth division. No matter; a man with such a one-track mind meant little to him.

"Aizen Sousuke." The old man declared, his voice gruff. "You have some explaining to do."

"Soutaichou!" Aizen exclaimed, spreading his hands wide in a welcoming gesture. "You arrived later than I expected."

He really was an enormous drama queen, Gin thought. There was no reason he couldn't have taken what he needed from Rukia right away, and escaped with himself, Tosen and Hinamori, keeping his motives and intentions secret, but he had to do this- he needed to have an audience, he had to show how clever he was, he had to rub it in that he had fooled them for so long. He wondered if he'd ever see how much of a flaw that kind of arrogance was- well, hopefully not.

Sounding- and feeling- completely calm and in control, Aizen said,

"It really is quite liberating, this." He looked to the sky. This feeling was... remarkable. To stare all those people in the face, all these powerful, self-assured people with so much intelligence and potential in the face, knowing he was superior... to look at these people, who had so much potential, yet had willingly broken their backs in servitude of tyranny, and know that this was the beginning of the end for them, it was a feeling quite unlike any he had felt before. He had fantasized about it, imagined what it would be like, but none of it compared.

"For so long, you never had any idea." He looked around them, feeling almost intoxicated with the rush going to his brain. "And now, after all this time, I will soon stand above the gods. Your old order will soon be history, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai."

"You have betrayed your sacred charge as captain, Aizen Sousuke." Yamamoto spoke, sounding grim. "There is but one punishment for treason."

"Ah, but there is a slight problem with that, Soutaichou. The word 'treason' would imply that I had been loyal at one point or another... and truth to be told, I never was." Aizen said, almost gleefully. "The Aizen Sousuke you thought you knew, the kindly, dutiful, upstanding man that I crafted never truly existed. This man, the Aizen who stands before you, is who I really am- a bringer of change." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small device, wrapping around the fingers of his left hand. From it, a strange, green fabric spread across his hand, giving it a strange, stone-like appearance, ending just by his wrist. Slowly, he walked towards Rukia. "And now, my plans complete."

Rukia could feel cold sweat running down her body as she saw Aizen approach her, his expression full of a suppressed, smug kind of glee. Everything seemed to have slowed down, and she was paralyzed, unable to do anything, let alone understand anything that was going on. All she knew that now, after having so suddenly be saved by Ichigo and the others, she would still die- getting killed by Aizen, without a doubt. Her gaze wandered across the captains in front of her, silently pleading for help... but she knew that it was pointless. As far as they were concerned, she was still a criminal that needed to be executed... they would not lift even one finger if he were to do anything to her. The only ones who might do so were Ichigo and the others, who at the current time were only barely conscious at best. She was alone.

Just a few more steps, and Aizen was in front of her... walking around her... behind her. As if he was trying to calm her, Aizen put his right hand on Rukia's shoulder, sending discomforting shivers down her spine. "The entire unrest within the Gotei in the past weeks, the very order to execute Kuchiki Rukia as made by me, my supposed death, the long overdue murder of the Central Forty-Six... all these events were just minor parts that served to prepare this moment." Aizen paused, before adding a short moment later: "Though I do have to admit that I made a few miscalculations with regards to these ryoka, seeing as they were not part of my design."

"What are you even babbling about, brat?" Yamamoto grunted, glaring at Aizen. "The central Forty-Six, dead? The order to execute Kuchiki Rukia coming from you? You have lost your mind!"

"I am afraid that Aizen Sosuke speaks the truth, Soutaichou." Unohana said, interrupting her healing of Tatsuki to look at Aizen. "Before I came here, I stopped by the chambers of the Central Forty-Six to present them the results of my autopsy, only to find every single member dead- and judging by the state of the bodies, they were already killed several days ago."

"You would do well in listening to your medic, Soutaichou. Every single one of these men had done more than enough to deserve death. You should be thanking me." Aizen removed his hand from Rukia's shoulder, and walked in front of her, causing her body to tense even more. "But I am getting off topic... what matters now is Kuchiki Rukia- or rather, the little treasure that Urahara Kisuke has hidden within her soul during her stay in the world of the living."

In a swift movement, Aizen raised his hand, aimed... and rammed his hand into her chest. A stinging pain shot through her body as the device wrapped around his fingers penetrated her body like a knife going through butter... and yet, for some reason, she didn't get the feeling of being injured. She was paralyzed, by her fear and the pain, unable to move as her consciousness faded- but neither did she smell blood, nor did anything in her body feel like it was destroyed or injured.

"Rukia!" She heard Ichigo and her brother scream simultaneously from the edge of her consciousness. Had the sight of Aizen attacking her woken them up? It was getting tiring to just think about it...

Finally, Isshin saw the site of execution, charging in at full speed with his three followers close after. It was Aizen Sousuke- and he had Rukia. Muttering a curse, he slid to a halt.

"Well, I'll be damned…" He muttered.

"Rukia!" Renji cried, drawing his sword. Quickly, Isshin put an arm in his way, blocking him.

"Don't, son." He said grimly. "This is bigger than Rukia, and the old man himself might intervene. Stay put!"

Renji looked at him angrily, but Isshin glared back- and finally, Renji stood down.

From the corner of his eye, Isshin could see Hitsugaya and Rangiku tensing, with the former staring over to Aizen in shock- or rather, the people at his side. "M-Momo...? What is she doing here? Why is she with him?"

Aizen, having noticed the new arrivals without giving any clue that he had, continued his operation. Slowly taking his hand out from Rukia's chest, he retrieved it- a sphere, smaller than a chestnut but larger than a pearl, and a small, triumphant smile crossed his face. Looking at Rukia's face, he couldn't help but voice his satisfaction:

"It is curious, isn't it, how allies work? When you lost your powers, Urahara Kisuke approached you- offering a gigai at no immediate charge. And you accepted, even though he is rumored not to be especially generous."

Fighting the growing desire to just fall unconscious, Rukia took in a sharp breath. It had happened... Urahara had come to her that night, sounding sympathetic to her situation, and she had taken the gigai he offered on the promise of payment later- and she had used it all the time, until it was time for her to leave.

Aizen looked her in the eyes. "To the naïve, an act of charity is not impossible. But in the real world, everyone has a motive- and his was an unexpected opportunity to hide this from me forever." He looked up to the others, speaking louder. "This… was fusing with Kuchiki Rukia's reiatsu. Another month or so, and it would have been gone forever. Urahara Kisuke is a brilliant scientist- implanting a device into the reiatsu signature of another being, that is as innovative as it is devious. It took me untold hours of study to realize that was his idea."

Through her weakness and exhaustion, Rukia felt sick. She had been used for this long, all this pain inflicted on her, all for being caught between those two?

"What is this then, that you are prepared to commit treason for it?" Yamamoto said.

"Hogyoku." Aizen said contentedly. "This is the stuff of dreams and legends, old man, and it rests in my palm. This will ensure your doom more than anything else." He looked down at Rukia. "Originally, I had planned to simply take it from her body after she was killed- but to be honest, I prefer this method."

"I've heard enough." Yamamoto said, drawing his sword. "Seize them. All of them! They are under arrest for high treason against the order of the Gotei!"

There was a quick flash, and not even a second later, Aizen, Gin, Tosen and Momo all found themselves surrounded, blades held against their throats, one shinigami for each of them: Isshin for Aizen, Rangiku for Gin, Soifon for Tosen and Yoruichi for Momo, while Renji quickly retrieved Rukia.

With the exception of Momo whose eyes grew wide with panic as she realized that Yoruichi was standing beside her, this did not quite have the intended effect: Neither Aizen, Gin nor Tosen budged for even an inch.

"Stay calm, Hinamori-san. There is no reason to be panic." Aizen said calmly, as if having a blade held to one's throat was the most normal thing in the world.

"Ahh, would you look at that, Aizen-sama- seems like we got ourselves captured!" Gin said, topping Aizen's indifference with his usual mocking amusement.

Isshin meanwhile stared at Aizen fiercely. "So it was you who Urahara spoke of... the one behind this all, the puppeteer in the shadows."

Aizen grinned. "Oh, so old Kisuke doesn't even trust his own allies enough to provide them with information this vital... it really makes you wonder just how trustworthy this friend of yours is, doesn't it, Shiba-taichou?"

Isshin said nothing in response, instead just continuing to glare at him. Aizen on the other hand just laughed.

"What is so entertaining, Aizen Sosuke?" Yamamoto asked.

"Well, the fact that you seem to think that you are the ones in control of this situation alone is already rather amusing in itself- but that you think that I would be captured so easily is even better."

"You are delusional." The old man scoffed. "You go to such lengths to orchestrate your acts of treason, set up an entire execution just to reach your goals, and then when you have what you want, instead of taking it without making your involvement known, you gather all of us here, and loudly proclaim what you have done, like a selfish brat craving attention. And not even once do you consider that this could backfire on you."

"Ah, but see- this is where you are wrong, soutaichou." Aizen noted, his grin against all odds somehow managing to grow even wider. "None of you can cause any harm to me, or my subordinates. This is all part of my design... but as much as I have enjoyed this conversation of ours, I am afraid that it ends now."

As if on cue, the ground started to shake, and a sudden loud rumbling noise could be heard – and then, the sky above them was torn apart. A hole in the world appeared above them, blacker than even the night sky surrounding it, ripping through time and space. At the same time, a bright light erupted around Aizen, Gin, Tosen and Momo, forcing the shinigami near them back.

An unusually somber expression on his face, Gin turned around to Rangiku, speaking quietly for only her to hear. "Sorry Ran-chan, but I guess that's it... time's up. I wouldn't have minded being your prisoner for a little longer."

The light grew stronger and stronger until suddenly, the four of them were lifted off the ground, standing on thin air, floating towards the hole in the sky.

Desperately, Hitsugaya rushed towards them, hoping to get to Momo. At the same time, Komamura did the same thing, running after Tosen.

"MOMO!" Hitsugaya shouted desperately. "Why are you with them?! Why are you doing this?! Momo!"

But no answer came. Instead, Momo just looked down on her old friend, tears running down her cheeks. Hitsugaya stepped forward, as if to reach for her, but Isshin firmly put a hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"That's the caja negación, boy! Nobody can touch them now- that light is how high-level hollows take their allies to safety. They are out of our reach."

"TOSEN!" Komamura roared. "Have you abandoned all of your morals!? What are you doing together with this traitor?!"

Tosen sighed. "No, Sajin. I have never abandoned my desire for justice- that is why I am here. Within the order of the Gotei, true justice is simply not possible. That is why I have sided with Aizen-sama: He will bring the justice to Soul Society that could never exist under the Gotei."

Komamura just stared after his friend in disbelief. He, Aizen, Gin and Momo had nearly ascended to the hole in the sky. As they got closer, white creatures appeared in it that the shinigami below all just knew too well: Hollows.

"So you would truly go this far, Aizen Sosuke..." Yamamoto spoke as he saw the beasts. "You would even side with these foul beasts to overthrow our thousand year-old order? Just how low have you fallen?"

"Falling?" Slowly, Aizen reached for his glasses with his right hand... and readjusted them. "No, my intentions is quite the opposite from falling. For hundreds, if not thousands of years, the Soul King has been looking over Soul Society, governing it, and allowing people like the Central Forty-Six to tyrannize it... but no more. No more. I will remove the Soul King from his throne in the heavens, and oversee the Soul Society in his place... turning it into a kinder world under my guidance, as it should have always been... as only I can do it. Farewell, soutaichou and Gotei – the next time we meet, it will be in war."

And with that, they reached the tear in the sky, which then closed, vanishing as suddenly as it had appeared.

oOo

Darkness surrounded Ichigo... or at the very least, it felt like he was surrounded by darkness. His eyes closed as they were, there was no way of knowing for certain that didn't involve opening his eyes, which at the current time seemed like just a bit too much of an effort. As things were, he had no way of knowing where he was- and hardly cared about. He still clearly remembered the last things he had witnessed: Their battle against Byakuya, his ultimate victory, the weird gathering of captains that somehow had taken place while he and the others were half-conscious... as well as that bespectacled captain, and what he had done to Rukia.

Had he been in any better shape, the sheer thought of what this guy had done to Rukia would have been enough to send Ichigo catapulting up (because he was lying, that much he had managed to figure out), shouting Rukia's name, and starting a hectic search for her... but not right now. He had been severely injured in their battle with Byakuya... and while for some reason, his condition had, as far as he could tell, improved, he still felt far too weak to catapult anything. All he could do was lie and wait until he felt better.

As time passed, Ichigo's thoughts began to drift. He was still alive- somehow, he had managed to fight Kuchiki Byakuya and live. He absolutely no idea what happened to the others, but if his memories from after the battle were anything to go by, chances were that they were alive, too... but they, like him were most likely captured, seeing as it was rather unlikely that Yoruichi and Isshin had managed to get him away from the other captains – especially not with what had been going on.

Which in turn only meant that half-conscious as he was, it was clear enough that he had no way of figuring out what was going on.

Essentially forcing himself to stay awake, Ichigo opened his eyes, and slowly sat up, which in itself already felt way more exhaustive than the entire battle with Byakuya, and seemed to take ages.

"Ah, you're finally awake Kurosaki-kun!" An unfamiliar voice greeted Ichigo as soon as he sat more or less upright. Blinking a few times to clear his sight, he looked around. He seemed to be in something that looked a lot like a sort of hospital room, with him sitting in a bed, with Tatsuki, Uryu and Orihime lying in beds of their own besides him, being seemingly just as awake as him... and sitting on a chair in the middle of a room was a white-haired man wearing a captain's haori,

giving him a kind smile.

"I was just waiting for you to wake up, so that your friends don't have to repeat everything to you later."

"...And you are?" Ichigo asked, more croaking than speaking normally.

"I am the captain of Squad Thirteen, Ukitake Jushiro. I am here to inform you of the situation you are in right now."

Ichigo stared blankly at the captain. His use of words did not exactly make it seem like it was anything good. "...Oh."

"So what are we in for?" Uryu asked from over his bed, being clearly a lot more awake than Ichigo was right now. "We fought many of your men, including one of you captains, and even killed some of your soldiers- I doubt that you'll be letting us off easily."

Ukitake nodded. "You are correct. The four of you have infiltrated the Gotei, created a commotion unlike anything we've seen in centuries, critically injured many people and were probably involved in the disappearance of a member of my Squad. But at the same time, the chaos you've caused has helped us uncover a conspiracy in the Gotei, and for that we are thankful... but even so, crimes are crimes."

"And that means...?" Tatsuki asked, trying to hide the annoyance in her tone.

"It means that we have yet to reach a decision on what to do with you. We will be considering everything that has happened – but what our final decision will be like, I cannot say. Right now, there are more important things that us captains needs to discuss than your fates."

"So what does this mean for now?" Orihime asked, sounding hopeful.

"For now? Well, for now you need to heal. Until we have reached our decision, the four of you need to rest- and I'm rather certain that after over a week of hiding in the seireitei, you'll appreciate getting to sleep in a bed." He got up, and moved towards the door. "I will be leaving you now, since there is a meeting I need to attend. You will be hearing our decision regarding your fates soon enough."

oOo

One by one, the ten remaining captains filtered into the meeting hall. Byakuya had come, despite his injuries, and even Kurotsuchi Mayuri, as Yamamoto had made it quite clear that insubordination would not be tolerated at this point. The mood was heavy, the shock of Aizen's betrayal still hanging fresh over all of them, each captain processing it differently. Kenpachi, Mayuri, indifferent- although for different reasons. Some others, like Ukitake or Kuchiki, with a sense of shock and bewilderment that loyalty could be broken like so. Komamura with grief; he had lost a friend. And others, like Soifon, with cold pragmatism- they were enemies now, and necessity as much as honour demanded that they die.

Finally, when the last captain arrived, each one standing before him, Yamamoto slammed his cane into the floor.

"There is no need to be anything but blunt on a day such as this." Yamamoto said, his voice heavy. "We have been betrayed- completely fooled by some of the people we trusted the most. We are at a dark hour now, captains- and to make matters worse, no less than four of you before me are guilty of treason. Whether by design or by accident, we have all but fallen apart." He looked around, his old eyes showing steel. "But this order of ours is well over a thousand years old, and I have weathered storms worse than this. Rest assured, Aizen Sousuke will be brought to justice- or to the sword. Every single traitor will meet this fate."

There was a bit of a rustling, as four captains- Shiba Isshin, Ukitake Jushiro, Kyoraku Shunsui and Zaraki Kenpachi- looked around. They were the ones who had, strictly speaking, committed treason, and Yamamoto was in no mood to fool around- he never was, but an incident like this was bound to make the old man a bit grumpy. That is to say, furious behind that composed face.

"I would like to note," Unohana said- who else would dare speak up at a time like this?- "that I strongly object to Kuchiki-taichou's presence here. He is still not well- his wounds are barely treated as it is."

"I am well enough to attend." Byakuya said curtly, although he did look very pale.

"Your objection has been noted, Unohana-taichou." Yamamoto said brusquely, continuing as if nothing had happened. "The Central Forty-Six lie dead. Pending orders from the Soul King, I have assumed complete authority over the Soul Society. Until they can be replaced, all orders will come from me. And my first order, as such, is the following: I, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai, Captain-Commander of the Gotei Thirteen, hereby grant a full pardon for all offenses committed by seated officers within the last seven days." He gazed down upon them, and sounding a bit weary, he continued,

"It may be that you saw what I was blind to. I will make no apologies, but in my loyalty to the order established by His Majesty, I was made Aizen's puppet- and you were not. I erred."

There was a mild murmuring between the nine captains before him, and quite noticeably one gasp.

"Soutaichou!" Soifon spoke up, loud and clear, her voice all protest. "I object! These people are criminals- they are guilty of offences they should lose their lives for!"

"Bite your tongue, Soifon!" Yamamoto spat, and she shrunk down. As impetuous as she could be, she at least recognized authority- it was beaten into the backbone of onmitsukidou members like her. "Your own overzealous pursuit of Shihoin Yoruichi turned what should have been a desire for justice into a personal vendetta, luring you away from Sokyoku hill at a critical time- presence was mandatory!- and because of that, Kuchiki-taichou was left to face the ryoka alone. On top of that, you were defeated. That would be more than enough to call into question your competence as commander!"

"Yes sir!" Soifon snapped, almost squealing. She was a good captain, but in her own small way she could be naïve, immature- then again, most of everyone in the Soul Society was naïve compared to Yamamoto.

"Fortunately, I just issued a pardon- and that pardon stands. I cannot afford to lose four more captains after a tumultuous event like this one- at times like these, we must stand united or risk crumbling."

There was a sigh of relief coming from Isshin, and although the other three did not show it, they too felt relief- not even Kenpachi could defy the fury of Yamamoto, the captain commander.

"We must make ready for war." Yamamoto continued. "And to that end, we must fill some of the gaps left in our ranks by treason. I am told that Abarai Renji displayed Bankai- is this something you are aware of, Kuchiki-taicho?"

"No, soutaichou." Byakuya mumbled. "Surely, you cannot suggest that…"

"With the betrayal of both Aizen Sosuke and his fukutaichou, division five stands entirely leaderless. In situations like these, leadership is vital. Given that Abarai Renji has demonstrated Bankai, and already holds the title of fukutaichou, I have to ask: will you recommend him for captaincy?"

Byakuya took a moment to think. After a short while, he said,

"In this situation, yes."

"And normally? Do you believe him capable?"

"Abarai Renji is a competent leader and a strong fighter." Byakuya said, speaking more honestly than he had expected. "However, if the situation was less extreme, I would have recommended some more time for him to develop- ten years, maybe twenty, before I would recommend him."

"It is decided, then. Abarai Renji will take up leadership of division five."

"Let me handle that one, Yama-jii." Kyoraku said. Yamamoto nodded- if he wanted to, let him.

"Furthermore, inquiries will be started with regards to the supposed guilt of ex-captains Yoruichi Shihoin and Urahara Kisuke. They may yet be allies, but more importantly, it may be that the exile imposed upon them is wrongful."

"I will handle it, Soutaichou." Soifon said eagerly, perhaps wishing to make up for her earlier slip-up."

"You will not." Yamamoto said. Seeing the look on her face, he continued, "You have a personal bias towards the case. You will elect an investigation group that does not."

"…yes, sir." She said, standing firmly to attention.

"There is much to be done. We must ready ourselves for war, keep our composure, prepare to fight for all we hold dear till our last, dying breath- Aizen Sousuke made himself clear enough; he wishes to uproot all we stand for. We will stop him, or we will die trying."

The meeting was not quite finished- many small points of exact, practical orders still had to be made, but all things of the greatest importance had been said.

oOo

It was with hesitance that Soifon approached the gardens of her second division that night. Most of her day had been spent issuing orders, organizing security, directing the workflow of a dozen separate, entirely new investigations- it was hard, intensive work under extreme stress, which was where she felt the most comfortable. But today especially, the relieving feeling of stress had been especially important, because at the end of her to do list- which was extensive- was talking to Shihoin Yoruichi. Formally, it was to inform her that she and Urahara Kisuke were not currently under suspicion of treason, that she was free to move around the Gotei, but she knew there was more. She would finally know about that, about why she…

She could barely think straight without the constant demand for organizing, synergy, orders, structure. As she came closer, there was a feeling of dread in her gut- she left because I was useless, she was glad to be rid of me- and even though she knew her racing mind was being wildly irrational, she still felt like a little child who had lost her mother, alone and insecure.

Not that she showed any sign of this outwardly, of course. A century's worth of hate, discipline, training and more discipline had, if nothing else, given her the ability to keep a straight face.

Focusing, she put one foot down in front of the other. She let herself sense ahead, reading the reiatsu all around her. It was as natural to her as breathing, as it would be for almost any captain; certainly for a specialist like herself. Letting her senses extend, she felt it all- every house, every straw of grass…

And of course, she was trying to feel for one person in particular. Part of her almost hoped she had disappeared again. Then, she could go back to how it used to be, she wouldn't have to go there and face her-

But there she was, her signature clear. Not blazing, but not hidden either, waiting further down in the gardens. She took a deep breath, swallowing- suddenly, her mouth felt dry. She was still there. She hadn't left. She felt surprised, not really knowing why. Quickly, she sensed again, more closely- there was no mistake to be made; Yoruichi's reiatsu signature was there.

Feeling like she was standing at the brink of an abyss, Soifon walked forward, every step feeling like it was weighted down by lead. The landscape around her was beautiful; the setting sun bathing the garden in a wonderful, fading light, little trees and bushes well-tended to; even a small pond- but Soifon paid it no attention. It might as well have been a swamp, or a desert, or a great void.

Finally she saw her, half lying down on a rock next to a pond, in the shadow of a tree. She wore mostly black, just like herself, and she still looked… beautiful. As Soifon walked closer, Yoruichi stood up. Her steps felt heavier still, but finally she stood face to face with Yoruichi.

This… Shihoin Yoruichi had once been everything to her. The Shihoin were, still were, a major noble family, once entrusted with caring for Gotei intelligence, and Yoruichi had been head of their family. And Soifon, little Soifon, had been a measly ninth child of a servant family, devoted only to serve the Shihoin. She had been born Shaolin Fong, but that name had been forever tossed aside when she became Shihoin Yoruichi's bodyguard. Those had been the happiest days of her life- it had been her and the purple-haired princess of the Shihoin, them and only them. She had served happily, learning from her noble example, and in turn she had been treated like more than a servant, which was more than expected- Shihoin Yoruichi was not a conventional noble, she never had been. In this very garden, a lifetime ago, they had watched the moon together, and Soifon had wished for it never to end.

But of course, it had ended. One day, over a hundred years ago, Shihoin Yoruichi had simply vanished, along with the traitor Urahara Kisuke. Soifon had been left behind, alone, with nobody to depend on. It had hurt.

She had turned it around, though. In many ways, it had defined who she was- hard, strong, efficient. She had removed the Shihoin from their position as caretakers of the onmitsukidou as soon as she was made commander, citing the treason of their once leader. She had made it her own organization, she had made it great in the service of the Gotei Thirteen- and she had done it, wanting only to kill Shihoin Yoruichi.

And here she was, face to face with her, and the urge to kill was gone- so distant, like some strange dream, absurd and unreal.

"Hello, Soifon." Yoruichi said softly.

"It has been decreed by Yamamoto-soutaichou, currently acting as supreme ruler of the Soul Society, that yourself and Urahara Kisuke are not under suspicion of treason. The exact nature of your exile and the events surrounding it will be investigated." Soifon said quickly, firing off each word like it was an arrow. It was formal- formal was good. She knew formal.

"Well, that's… good, I suppose." Yoruichi said, sounding almost confused.

There was a silence, and Soifon felt herself almost panicking. What was there to say? What could you possibly say, in a situation like this? 'You left me behind and I have hated you for all this time, you awful person'? Maybe some shouting would not be unjustified- some anger, some righteous fury, perhaps. But despite herself, Soifon could muster the energy for none of that. The hate that had burned so intensely in her only this morning, when they had fought, it was all gone. She felt… something indescribable when she looked at her face, something her straight face and discipline had no way of dealing with.

"Soifon…" Yoruichi began.

"Yes, what?" She snapped, and immediately regretted her harshness.

"Well… I'd say this is awkward, but I don't think awkward covers it." Yoruichi said, sounding half joking, almost… nervous?

Soifon remained silent, lost, with no clue what to say.

"I'm sorry." Yoruichi said quickly. "I'm really sorry."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry I left you." She said, shaking her head. "Would you believe me if I told you there was a good reason for me betraying the Gotei?"

"Betraying the Gotei!" Soifon exclaimed, taking a quick, deep breath. "Betraying them- that didn't matter, I'd have-" She cut herself off, overwhelmed with emotion.

"You would have followed me anywhere." Yoruichi said quietly, looking down. Soifon only nodded.

"Anywhere. No matter what, I'd have-" She stopped, took a breath, forced herself to focus, "the way I was back then- I would have followed you anywhere. I would have betrayed everyone else if you asked it of me. Why didn't you take me with you?!"

She shouted the last bit, surprised at herself. She was trembling, feelings overwhelming everything remotely close to discipline.

"It was Aizen Sousuke." Yoruichi said solemnly, and for once, there wasn't a hint of jest or mirth in her voice. "A hundred years ago, he was plotting. Kisuke got involved somehow, and Aizen framed him for some horrible things- you should know the crime reports- and…" Yoruichi looked helpless, slowly shaking her head. "He was going to be executed, Soifon! My best and oldest friend, killed- for something he didn't do! So I took him and ran- I ran as fast as I could. There was no time- I was sure there was no time. I wanted to tell you, but before I knew it, we were in the world of the living- and Kisuke told me…" Her voice trembled a little. "He was terrified then, Soifon. He said we couldn't go back- that we'd endanger everyone we knew, that Aizen could kill anyone he wanted whenever he wanted-"

"You could have told me! You should have told me!" Soifon shouted, and finally the anger came, finally she felt the rage that had burned for so long. "You could have sent a message- you could have done anything!"

There was a pained expression on Yoruichi's face. "I could have- I should have! But I kept telling myself you'd be safer this way- I was sure Kisuke was right, that he had to be because he's always right about these things! He's the smart one, and I'm…" She trailed off. "Just look at you. You got your zanpakutou; you became a captain and a commander- you're probably better at it than I was!"

Soifon could find no words, and tears began to trail down her cheeks. She hadn't cried for a century now, but here she was.

"Look," Yoruichi said frantically, sounding almost desperate, "you made it really far- you're great, like I always knew you were, and I'm sorry, but I had to- I had to do something, and, and- if you want to kill me, I can't blame you. You could do it- I'd probably deserve it-"

She was rambling, but Soifon wasn't quite listening. She sunk to her knees, completely overwhelmed. It had been like standing at the brink of an abyss, and now she had fallen there, every single misery she had repressed for a hundred years welling over her like a tidal wave. She was crying, and some part of her knew she should despise that, but she couldn't bring herself to care- she was miserable and alone.

And then there was a pair of strong, warm arms wrapping around her, embracing her, and she could feel tears against her cheeks that weren't her own. As she cried into Yoruichi's shoulder, dampening her shirt, some part of her thought that maybe, just maybe, all this time she hadn't been the only one who was miserable.

As the sun set, the two of them held each other, not letting go for a very long time.

oOo

Rukia sat by her brother's sickbed. He had only just come back from a captain's meeting- it had lasted for well over an hour before he had left, and he had collapsed as soon as he got home. Unohana-taichou had consented to let him be treated in the Kuchiki mansion, provided that he stay in bed for at least two weeks- a medic would come check on him twice a day, administering medical kido, and if he tried to leave his bed prematurely she would know, and not even Byakuya dared risk her anger.

So here she sat, keeping her brother company as he lay there. He looked so vulnerable, lying there with his eyes closed, so unlike the potent, strong Kuchiki leader she knew. She felt so strange- only this morning, this man, this wonderful man she respected so much, had been prepared to kill her by his own hand- and now he lay broken before her, all alone, and she could only feel pity and compassion for him. Ichigo would probably think that would be weird- but there were some things about nobility that he could never really understand.

"Rukia." He said, opening his eyes slowly.

"Nii-sama?" She said urgently, reminding herself not to get overly excited- he was weak now, and it would be wrong for her to be a nuisance.

"You still live." He said matter-of-factly, his voice low.

"…yes, nii-sama."

"Good."

He was silent for a bit, and Rukia wondered what to do. Could she dare to speak back? Undecided, she remained quiet.

"Rukia, do you know of my past?" He asked, finally speaking up again.

"Only very little, nii-sama. I haven't pried."

He nodded. "You always have been very respectful. Nevertheless, you ought to know-" he coughed, and grimaced- his many wounds must still hurt.

"Please rest." Rukia said. "I'll call the medic-"

"You will not." Byakuya said, ignoring whatever pains he was suffering. "I must say this- so listen."

"Once, when I was young and foolish, so unlike what I am now, I met a beautiful woman. She was delightful, spirited, graceful, kindly. She was like the ideal woman to me- feminine, beautiful, yet at the same time intelligent and strong."

Rukia simply sat back and listened. This was the first time he had ever spoken to her about something so personal.

"She was not nobility, but I loved her with all my heart- and foolish as I was, I still had a sense of honour. Normally, when a nobleman fancies a woman unsuited for marriage, he takes her as his mistress- it is all too common. But I was too proud, and I couldn't bear such shamelessness. Even though my parents disapproved, even though I went against the will of the entire clan, I married her. For a little while, I was genuinely, truly happy. I was loved and loved back, and I have never felt a thrill like it before. Even though I suffered sour views from my relatives, even though she was slandered by nobility as a luck-seeking tart, I didn't mind it. I had everything I wanted.

"But then my parents died. Father died in combat, and he did his clan proud. Mother died soon after, out of grief. On their graves, I vowed to never break the rules ever again. It was a vow made by a young, emotional man, lacking in wisdom and nuance, but it came to shape who I am."

He went silent for a while, and though his voice was dispassionate, she felt as if she could detect just a hint of emotion in his voice.

"And then…" he hesitated. "she died. She would often go searching the Rukongai, and she caught a disease."

"What was she searching for?" Rukia said, finally speaking up, forgetting her place entirely.

"When she first arrived, she had her little sister with her. But life was hard, and she was forced to abandon her, so that she could survive. It was her greatest regret in life, her greatest shame. And when she lay dying, she asked but one thing of me: find her little sister and protect her. And I swore to do so, if I could." He turned his head, looking her in the eyes. "My wife's name was Kuchiki Hisana. Her little sister was named Rukia, and she grew up to be strong-willed, hardworking and kind."

Rukia drew in a sharp breath. This- this was why she had been adopted?

"When she died, I was heartbroken." He continued. "I wanted only to be the best I could be, to be the greatest leader the Kuchiki could have. And this led me to a path where I wanted you dead." He raised his sword hand, holding it over his face. "I have erred." He mumbled.

"Nii-sama!" She exclaimed. "You did only what was-"

"I almost destroyed the one thing I had left." He said quietly. "You look just like her- every time I see you I am reminded of her. But you are such different people- you are a Kuchiki through and through, and she would have been proud of you."

Rukia didn't quite know what to say. She had never been praised like this, not by nii-sama.

"For the sake of honour, there is nothing I would not do." He said, making a fist. "And for the vow I made to Hisana, I was prepared to die."

"Die, nii-sama?"

"I may have been cold to you in the past, Rukia, but know this- you are my family, all that is left. You matter."

He went quiet, and Rukia had no clue what to say, overwhelmed by emotion. Slowly, she reached a hand out, taking his hand in hers, and they sat quiet.

oOo

Tatsuki let out a long yawn, wondering just how the hell an entire day of doing absolutely nothing could get you so tired. Ever since the white-haired captain had visited them in the morning, all that she and the others had been able to do was essentially sitting around doing nothing. This, of course, was because all four of them- especially herself and Ichigo- had been badly injured. Through whatever magical treatments the shinigami had to offer, their wounds had already closed up, but that captain lady with the braids had told them not to move about too much- and she didn't feel like disobeying her, for some reason.

Of course, they were allowed to go for walks on the grounds of this Squad, but neither she nor Ichigo had their zanpakuto anymore, and wherever they went, they weren't entirely without supervision... but even so, there's nothing they really could have done without supervision. All the battles were fought, there was no more reason to train or otherwise prepare yourself for something... it was just over.

For the entire day now, the thought had been on the edge of the Tatsuki's mind, following her wherever she went, and yet, she still couldn't entirely comprehend it. On the first chance that she got, she had left the others behind in their room, and had been wandering around the barracks of this Squad by herself ever since, just to be able to think about it in peace – and now here she was, just after sunset, sitting on some bench near the entrance to the Squad grounds, some shinigami watching her in a bit of a distance, and still unable to comprehend it. There was nothing left to fight for. They had done it.

It actually shouldn't be so hard to get, Tatsuki thought to herself. They- she always knew that through one way or another, the fighting would end at some point, and that she'd no longer have to worry about people trying to kill her. She had lived her entire life until this point with this knowledge – so it shouldn't be too hard to remember it, right?

But somehow, it was. Somehow, her battle instincts were working, even now, even though she could be certain that no one would attack her. Despite her not even being back at full health, she still found herself thinking about how she could overwhelm the shinigami that were around her, overcome the disadvantage of her injuries and not having her zanpakutou...

Tatsuki shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking about this... she was in no danger. These people didn't mean any harm to them- they were at the medical Squad, after all. They were only trying to help...

"Ahh, here you are." Tatsuki turned around – only to see Ichigo standing next to her.

"I've been wondering where you went off to. Inoue was already getting worried, and I'm pretty sure Ishida was also starting to think about where you went... though I doubt that he'd ever say anything." He said, sitting down next to her on the bench.

"I- I just needed some time to myself. I needed to think." Tatsuki said, trying to sound dismissive.

Ichigo nodded, giving her an understanding look. "Yeah, I can imagine... but remember, it's not just you who's dealing with this. We all went through this... and we all need to think about this."

"Oh, come on." Tatsuki said, sighing. "It's honestly not that big of a deal. I'll get used to it sooner or later, so there's no reason for you to go all emotional on my about it, got that?"

Slowly, Ichigo turned his head around, giving her a look that was… off. "What we did- what we've done, it's pretty big, isn't it?"

Tatuski nodded. "I didn't think it was possible, but somehow, we… did it."

"We beat Byakuya and saved Rukia. And… we killed people to get there." His voice was solemn, quiet, sounding strangely defeated. "There are people who have stopped existing because we didn't know how strong we were. People with families and loved ones, hopes and dreams. We made murderers of ourselves, Tatsuki."

Tatsuki stared blankly at Ichigo. "...Oh."

"At first, I was just so happy." He mumbled. "We won. We did everything we came to do and more. But then I remembered that getting there, we destroyed lives. Is it really worth it? For just the one life?"

"Would you rather Rukia was dead?" Tatsuki said bluntly.

"…no." Ichigo said, shaking his head. An agonized look crossed his face. "I just wish… I just wish they were still alive. I can't…" He trailed off.

"Yeah, they're dead." Tatsuki said, keeping her voice level. The implication was not lost on her- it was still sinking in, the unfathomable notion that because of her, wives, daughters, sons, brothers might be mourning a loved one. "But it wasn't for nothing."

It was a lame retort, she felt- but no words felt sufficient.

"How can you be so calm?" Ichigo said, sounding strange. "We killed people- they're dead and won't come back again."

"Leave it be, Ichigo." Tatsuki mumbled. "Just… leave it be."

"I can't." Ichigo said bitterly. "I can't stop thinking about it- what we did, if we could have done it better- and I can't believe you don't feel the same!"

Tatsuki's arm shot out, grabbing him by the collar, pulling his face close to hers. "Ichigo, listen," she said, her voice trembling a little, "I know you feel bad. But don't you dare tell me what I think! I know what we did, and I- I think about it too, and the only reason I'm not crying about is because I don't know if I could stop if I started to!"

Ichigo leaned back, looking surprised.

"I'm… sorry."

"It's fine." Tatsuki said, letting go of Ichigo's collar, running a hand through her hair. "It… it was bad luck. They had their orders, and we didn't know. We have to learn from it, Ichigo- we have to both get better, stronger, no matter what. Sometimes people die, but if we do it right, we can make sure that if we're around to help, people don't have to die for no good reason."

"…yeah." Ichigo mumbled.

Silence fell again.

As they sat there on their bench, looking out into the night, two shinigami went past them in some distance: One obviously a member of the Squad, judging by the way he looked after the other, blonde female shinigami... who herself was a patient, as her missing left arm made rather obvious. Tatsuki vaguely remembered her being one of the shinigami stationed to stop them on their way to Byakuya and Rukia... hadn't it been her who was in charge of their group?

As if she had noticed her stare, the blonde shinigami turned her head towards Tatsuki and Ichigo – only for her face to immediately twist into an expression of hatred that send shivers down Tatsuki's spine.

The shinigami whirled around and walked off into the other direction, leaving the Squad Four shinigami to chase after her.

"I... really wish I could just forget them, too, Tatsuki." Ichigo said, finally breaking the silence between them. "But I just can't. I can't get their faces out of my head... the faces of these people that we killed. I think I'll never be able to forget them..." He looked into the direction in which the shinigami had run off to. "And I'm sure they'll never forget us, either."

With that, he stood up and walked away, leaving Tatsuki alone once more.

oOo

Elsewhere, Ishida Uryu sat at his bedside, staring out the window. He had been put in a bright white hospital room with Orihime, under strict instruction not to overexert himself.

The moon was clear, but it wasn't the light that was keeping him awake. There was plenty of cause for concern- he and his… friends, they were all captives of the shinigami, his natural enemies- and while Kurosaki and Arisawa might not see it as clearly, there was no guarantee they'd even be allowed to live.

But even so, the prospect of death or worse was not what occupied his mind. He had the most experience fighting out of all four of them; he'd been the best prepared for what it meant to stake your life; he had known that the cost of lethal force was innocence.

And he had kept calm, even when he had killed shinigami to get there. How cold would he have to appear to his friends; how unemotional and heartless must that not seem to naïve, inexperienced people like them?

But he was anything but heartless. He had destroyed hollows many times before, but killing unambiguously evil monsters was different from taking the lives of people who were just following orders.

And to top it all off, he now had… friends. What other word was there for it? It was a strange thought- uncomfortable, a bit frightening, and- although he would never say it aloud- exciting. He had always kept to himself, always just tried to be strong, but now providence had flung him in the way of three perfectly lovable idiots.

One of which was somewhat more loveable than the others.

"Uryu-kun, you can't sleep either?"

It was Orihime, sitting up in her bed, and Uryu snapped out of his thoughts.

"Something like that." He mumbled.

"Uryu-kun, are you… all right?"

Uryu resisted the urge to groan. She just had to care. "I'm fine." He said, sounding neutral.

"It's natural to be upset." She said softly, nodding to him. "I'm upset too. These last few days were pretty upsetting, weren't they?"

Uryu simply nodded. "Yes…" he mumbled, trying to think of something to say. There was an awkward silence, and Uryu felt more uncomfortable- what would a friend say right now?

Orihime, though, didn't seem to mind. Stepping over from her bed, she sat down next to him.

"We did a lot these last few days." She said, and she sounded so… gentle. "And things are different now." There was a wistful look on her face. "I learned a lot. I learned that sometimes people die and you can't do anything about it."

How- just how did she know? How could she possibly know that was on his mind?

...Well, a small voice in his head pointed out, she was there too, you know.

"But that only means you have to try harder." She said resolutely. "I want to help people- I have the power to. I could heal so many people. That's my strength."

"And I have the strength to destroy." He said quietly.

"You are strong. And maybe you can say "I just destroy" if you want to, but strength can be used in more than one way. You could say "I can protect", too. That sounds better."

"Yes, quite." He mumbled. Why was talking to her so hard? If it were Kurosaki, some witty retort would undoubtedly have come to him by now.

"You don't have to be so strong, you know." She said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "If it's hard, then you can tell us- what are friends for?"

Uryu looked her in the eye, and hesitated for a moment.

"It was… difficult, this." He said uneasily. "Harder than I thought."

"You're just like us, you know." Had it been anyone else, Uryu might have felt insulted. "A young person thrown into a really weird place, doing his best."

"I guess I am." Taking a deep breath, he said, "thank you, Orihime-san."

She smiled. "You looked troubled. And sometimes it's best to be alone, but right now, I thought you needed somebody to talk to. I know I did. Keeping this all inside me, I felt like I would burst."

"You're remarkably strong, Orihime-san." He said. "You learned a lot- so did I."

"What did you learn, exactly?"

"That… I'll tell you another time." He said hesitantly.

"All right then." She said. She stood up and walked back to her bed. She yawned, stretching her arms. "I think we better sleep now, Uryu-kun."

He nodded, lying down. She really was remarkable.

oOo

Eventually, after a night in which none of them found sleep easily, the next day dawned, filling their room with the light of the morning sun... which was lost on every one of them, except for Orihime. Be it because of her own abilities letting her heal more quickly, or her not having been too tired to begin with, Orihime simply found herself lying in her bed wide awake, despite none of the others being (seemingly) even close to waking up yet.

To her surprise, she found herself to be less bothered by being the only one awake then she would have expected- sure, she certainly did enjoy talking with Tatsuki, Uryu and Ichigo, right now she was just content with lying in her bed, letting her thoughts wander.

Looking back on it all, the past weeks had been nothing short of crazy. Traveling to the afterlife, infiltrating what was essentially its capital to rescue a friend from being executed, fighting in battles to the death against the government... and most notably, succeeding in it all, managing to win. Kind of.

And now here they were, lying around in a room of the military's medical rooms. Even though this kind of subject was a rather serious matter, with it being what made the afterlife what it is, Orihime still was rather amused by the fact that in spite of all the fancy names like Seireitei, Gotei, Central Forty-Six or Rukongai, it still was all essentially like any nation in the world of the living, complete with politics, military and crime.

For a moment, she quietly giggled about the thought of Gotei the participating in the Olympics, -Kuchiki Byakuya in particular doing figure skating... but then her thoughts wandered back to what else this meant. While they- or rather, Ichigo – had certainly managed to defeat Byakuya, at the current moment, they were still little more than prisoners... which wasn't exactly that comfortable of a thought.

Of course, the white-haired captain that had talked to them on the day before had appeared to be a nice enough person- but that didn't exactly change the fact that one of his equals was that creep of a captain that she had fought together with Uryu, just like it didn't change the fact that Tatsuki and Ichigo had killed people. While she herself didn't have quite as much of a problem coping with the thought of people being dead because of them, at the current time, what worried her more than anything was the thought that no matter what the Gotei would decide to do with them, it simply wouldn't be over that easily for them... and there was no way of telling what would happen next.

As she lay in her bed like this, hanging after her thoughts, a quiet noise suddenly caught her attention. Slowly she turned her head over to the door, from the general direction of which the noise seemed to come from. What she saw was Tatsuki climbing out of her bed, seeming like she was trying to make as little noise as possible. Silently, Orihime watched her friend get up, quickly sneak towards the door, open it, and go outside and close the door behind her, all without turning around even once.

As soon as Tatsuki had left the room, Orihime sat up in her bed and looked at the shut door in confusion. Tatsuki had already spent most of yesterday outside, staying away from both her and the others and only coming back late at night. What was she doing?

Without thinking much about what she herself was doing, climbed out of her bed and left the room as well to go after her friend, making sure not to wake Uryu and Ichigo in the process. Once in the hallway, it didn't take her long to find Tatsuki; apparently, after she was certain that no one else was around, Tatsuki had seen no more need to hurry anymore, settling instead for a simple slow walk with her head held low, which had not brought her too far away from the door to their room.

"Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime shouted, starting to run after her.

At once, Tatsuki stopped dead in her tracks and whirled around, staring at Orihime with an expression that was equally surprised - shocked? - and tired. "...Orihime-chan? So you're already awake?"

"I have actually already been awake for a while now, but didn't want to get up yet... but what about you, Tatsuki-chan? What are you doing?"

Tatsuki flexed, looking uncomfortable. "I didn't sleep well." She grimaced. "I was awake thinking- about all we did these last few days, where we go next..."

"I think we're all thinking like that." Orihime said, smiling at her. Walking alongside her, she said,

"Are you sure you can walk around like this? I heard you were badly injured."

"So were you." Tatsuki said, flexing her muscles as if to prove a point. "And yeah, we both were- but it's almost healed, somehow. I still got this big cut, but it doesn't hurt too bad- whatever their doctors are doing, it's working great."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Orihime said, looking down on her body. It really had healed fairly quickly, although they were both heavily bandaged. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Well, I..." Tatsuki mumbled, trying to think of a way to put it into words. "It's this big thing, you know?"

"Like what?" Orihime said cheerfully. "Do you mean-"

"I mean this whole thing. Just a couple months ago we were just... normal people. Going to school, with a normal future and normal lives and normal everythings. And now you've got magical powers that defy everything we knew about how the world works- and so do I, even if it's not quite the same. And the more I think about it, I wonder..." She trailed off, and stopped her walk, trying to collect herself.

"I am Arisawa Tatsuki." She said finally, leaning against a wall.

"Yes, I know." Orihime said happily.

"But I don't." Tatsuki said. "Right now I am Arisawa Tatsuki, the shinigami- a strong fighter. The kind that can fight hollows, be like a damn superhero or something. And I wonder... how do I go back to being Arisawa Tatsuki the law student? How do I just switch all this off?" She made a helpless gesture with her hand. "I remember what Urahara-san said- if I do this, if I get this power, there's no turning back. And I understood what he meant then, I knew what I was doing- but I don't think I really realized what he meant until now. There's a whole world we're part of, invisible to almost everyone else, and it's fantastical, magical and terrifying- and I can't un-know it. Am I even human anymore, Orihime?"

Gently, Orihime placed a hand on her cheek. "Listen, Tatsuki-chan," she said, speaking quietly, softly. "you have a mother and a father. You have siblings. You have friends. You have a school to go to. You're definitely human. Of course you're a bit scared-"

"I- I'm not-" Tatsuki said, but it didn't sound very convincing.

"Yes, you are. And I am too. But you still have a life back there. One day that will end, and there's only going to be one world left for you- but that's a long time away. Until then, be human. Be human with me, Kurosaki-kun, and Uryu-kun. We can still have both lives if we want to."

There was a strange determination in her soft, quiet voice as she spoke, a kind of helplessly optimistic attitude that no matter what came their way, they'd be okay. Tatsuki felt at a loss for words for a second.

"...yeah, I guess." She mumbled. "I guess I'm just stressed out."

"It's okay." Orihime said, pulling her into a hug. "This has been a pretty stressful week, hasn't it?"

"You could say that again." Tatsuki said, leaning into Orihime. She was very comforting- always so reliable.

"This has been a pretty stressful week hasn't it?" Orihime said cheekily.

Tatsuki laughed, breaking away from the hug. "I didn't mean that literally, you know."

"I know." Orihime said. "Want to get some breakfast? I'm sure they'll at least feed us, even if we're prisoners."

"All right." Tatsuki said, and the two of them headed off to find some food.

oOo

It was just past breakfast, and Ichigo, lying alone in his bed in their room, was getting restless. Tatsuki and Orihime had already left a few hours before he had woken up, and Uryu had left just as Ichigo had woken up. His wounds were healing fine- he still hurt, but he was doing much better than he had expected- but now he was starting to feel like a bird trapped in a cage. Which might be all too accurate an analogy- right now they were technically speaking prisoners...

But somehow, it didn't seem as that big of a deal. It might be, soon, but for now...

He had rescued Rukia. He and his friends had really done it against every odds there were. He'd played the hero and made it work. She was still alive because of what he'd done. He had repaid her for everything.

So now what? Well, if they were let free, he'd go back to his old life- and she'd be here. He might never see her again, and... the thought hurt him.

"May I come in?"

There, in the doorway, she was. She was wearing a kimono with pale colours of purple and red, presumably noble attire. She looked serious, but there was the smallest of smiles on her face.

"Yeah." He said. What could he really say?

She walked in, pulling up a stool, sitting down next to his bed. The two of them sat in silence for a while, both of them unsure of how to even start the conversation.

Ultimately however, it was Rukia who finally broke the silence, shaking her head with a sigh. "The four of you really are idiots, you know that? Forcing your way into Soul Society, breaking into the Seireitei, fighting against the Thirteen Squads-"

"-And fighting against your brother, a captain to prevent this god damn execution." Ichigo interrupted her before she could go any further. "I know, I know... we've already spent the last few weeks thinking again and again just how stupid a thing to do this is. But you know what? I dunno about the others, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm perfectly fine with being an idiot."

Another short moment of silence followed as Rukia started smiling weakly at Ichigo. "...But why? I remember that you were perfectly fine with letting me go when my brother and Renji came to take me back. What made you change your mind? Why did you come?"

Ichigo grunted. "Y'know, if it weren't for us, you'd be dead by now. Being a bit more grateful really wouldn't hurt you."

Once again, Rukia sighed. "Yes... without you, I'd be dead- and I would be fine with it, too. Before I had learned that there were actually people out there trying to rescue me, I had fully accepted the sentence. I was willing to die for everything wrong that I had ever done- but I still wanted to live, I really did. So, don't think that I'm not grateful. You and the others restored my will to live, and that was even more important than actually rescuing me. But that's also why I want to know why you came for me in the first place... so could you please not avoid the question?!"

"Oh, uh..." Startled and taken aback, Ichigo his head away from Rukia- anything to not look her in the face for this... "Well... I can't really speak for the others... the entire thing was more or less just Urahara's idea, and the others kinda talked me into it, and..." He took a deep breath. Time to say it. "I... just didn't want that the last thing that you remembered of me was me being an insensitive ass who pushed you away because he didn't want to deal with his problems and saw an opportunity. You may have messed up my life more than anything else- you turned it upside down completely and I'm not even sure if that's a good thing or not, but even if it weren't... you simply didn't deserve to die for it."

Rukia remained silent, being seemingly content with giving Ichigo (who was still not looking at her) a long, quiet look. Before the silence had however any chance to become awkward, Rukia broke it- by starting to giggle. "The entire time since you had let Byakuya take me, I had thought that you'd have every reason to hate me, after everything that I have done, and being insensitive about your sister's death. And now, you just tell me that you yourself guilty for letting me go..."

Despite feeling more than just a bit surprised about Rukia's reaction, Ichigo grinned and turned his head back towards Rukia. "Which one of us is the idiot now? Of course you messed up my life- but you also helped me. You were there for me... and for that, I could never hate you."

And to his even greater surprise, Rukia stood up from her chair, walked over to the bed, and pulled Ichigo into a strong hug.

"I-" he began, cutting himself off when he realized that he had no idea whatsoever what to say, no clue what would be appropriate and what wouldn't. So instead, he just put his arms around Rukia, hugging her back. And it occurred to him that sometimes, maybe you didn't have to say meaningful things.

They hugged for a while, and finally Rukia broke off, sitting herself at the side of his bed.

"Well…" he said awkwardly.

"Ichigo, you're a complete and utter idiot." Rukia said gently. "And I'm really happy you are." She smiled.

"…thanks." Ichigo said, smiling nervously.

"But don't think that makes you special, okay?" She said, sounding less severe. "There's lots of idiots out there- you just got lucky."

"Yeah, I lucked my way right into Bankai." Ichigo grumbled, not feeling quite as grumpy as he sounded.

"Yes, you did…" Rukia mumbled, staring at him. "And Arisawa-san, too. You really went that far…" she trailed off, and just when Ichigo was afraid things would get awkward again, she said,

"Ichigo, there was one time…" she sounded a bit shaky, as if trying to collect the right words. "Once, there was this man- a really important person, and he-" she cut herself off, mid-sentence, as if she was literally incapable of saying more. "What I mean to say is-"

"It's okay." Ichigo said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You got something important to say- but you don't have to say it right now. Say it later. Tomorrow, in a week, in a year, in a decade. Tell me when it suits you. 'Cause we'll see each other again. Won't we?"

"Yes." Rukia said weakly. She had wanted to tell him about Kaien, what he had meant to her, why he had come so close to her- but now wasn't the time. Not yet.

"I'm going home." Ichigo said. "But you're a friend now. Friends keep in touch. And maybe it sounds cheesy, but friendships last." Ichigo took a deep breath. His words were heartfelt, serious- he only hoped they didn't sound as dorky as he thought they did.

"Yes." Rukia said solemnly. "Yes, we'll see each other again. And before you know it, I'll be back to teasing you and making your life harder."

"I look forward to it." Ichigo said, grinning.

Author's Notes:
Aaaand this concludes our version of the Soul Society arc (or rather, Gotei 13 arc, to stick with our own naming). Even though towards the end, it took longer than expected. . . well, I'd say we're still through with this quicker than expected.
So, to give just a small outlook on how this fic's storyline is going to continue from here. . . basically, forget canon. Seriously, just forget canon. The next two arcs will still vaguely resemble two story arcs from canon, but even those will be massively rewritten, and in a different order than they were in canon, since for the storyline of this fic, they just work better in the new order.
Before we however get to that, and on the note of the omake that follows these Author's Notes, there is also a small announcement to be made:

The next chapter will NOT continue the story yet.

Instead, it will be a Gaiden chapter- a pure-comedy non-canon celebration of sorts for us being done with this story arc. Given that it will be a less serious thing to write, I hope that it will be finished sooner than this chapter, so that there isn't too long of a wait before we actually continue the story itself.

TOTALLY NON-CANON CRACK OMAKE TIME!

The showdown was happening, with as much drama as was appropriate for a male teenaged protagonist going up against an impossibly strong opponent. Of course, his odds were somewhat hampered by the fact that he had three companions (as everyone knows, a protagonist's chance of victory is proportional to the amount of people the villain has to fight), but Ichigo didn't let that deter him. Bankai at the ready, he stood prepared to fight.

"We can't slip up even once." Uryu said gravely. "One mistake, and we're dead."

"I'm ready!" Orihime said spiritedly. Tatsuki struck a pose, and said, "We've come this far. We're not going to stop now."

Miffed that the dramatic cool lines were being taken one by one, Ichigo said,

"Determination friendship loyalty happiness kittens flowers!"

It was not the best of speeches, all things considered. Tatsuki looked at him like he was retarded, Uryu just shook his head, and Orihime laughed uncontrollably.

"What?!" Ichigo said, flustered. "It's totally what every shonen speech is about!"

"Usually, you put a little bit more effort into it, Kurosaki." Uryu said, as if explaining things to a mentally challenged person.

Suddenly Byakuya's petals- which had activated off screen- shot forward, nearly cutting each one of them. Sliding back, Ichigo stood up straight, and proudly declared,

"Guys, I got this! I didn't read all of Naruto for nothing!"

His three friends gave him looks that ranged from pity to laughter, but Ichigo didn't let himself be deterred. Eagerly, he pointed at Byakuya. "Kuchiki Byakuya! We're totally alike! That's how I know we'll resolve this peacefully in the end!"

Byakuya gave him a strange look. "No, I'm quite sure we're very different. Each other's foils, you might say."

"Nonsense." Ichigo said, waving off his comment as he waded further into genre obliviousness. "Just like me, you totally had a rough upbringing without a father, growing up with a reputation as a thug fighting punks all the time! That's how I know we share our pain!"

"…no." Byakuya said.

Ichigo gaped. "Uh… are you sure you didn't grow up without a father figure?"

"Yes. My parents did die, but that's another story."

"I see. That's totally similar to me!" Ichigo said proudly.

"Who has both parents alive?"

"Uh…" Ichigo said. "We're both really straightforward and don't play by the rules! Impetuous, you might say!"

Tatsuki's palm met her face, and Orihime collapsed with uncontrolled laughter..

"You are delusional."

"We're both shinigami who, uh… we're both shinigami!"

"You're kind of grasping for straws there, ryoka."

Frustrated, Ichigo stopped to think. "Okay!" He shouted. "I know- we're both shinigami! And we both use swords! And we both have bodily functions! And organs, and eyes and stuff! That's totally similar."

"…bravo."

"And we both have penises!" Ichigo cheered, as if he was a genius.

"Actually, I was just raised as a boy." Byakuya said. "My deep voice is the result of vocal cord surgery."

Ichigo's jaw dropped.

By now, all three of his companions were writhing with laughter.

"Um, but we're still people who are shinigami and stuff. Aren't you beginning to see how our ideological viewpoints aren't that different, and how circumstances have made our life choices different, but in the end there isn't much reason for us to fight? And we should totally be happy friendly allies and stuff?"

"Actually, now that you mention it..." Byakuya said, taking a step towards Ichigo, a beautifully wide smile combined with an expression of understanding appeared on her face, which instantly, against all scientific laws and teachings, managed to look even more feminine than before. "You are obviously right! Why didn't I see it before?"

"Really?!" Ichigo asked with a face that could best be described as =D.

"No. Not really." And with that, Byakuya stabbed Ichigo thirty-seven times in the chest, cut off his hands, cooked them, and ate them, all within the span of just a few seconds. Hungry nobles could act fast. "Believe it."

"AHH! NARUTO TAUGHT ME NOTHING!" Ichigo cried before he collapsed.

"That manga is awful. Read Attack on Titan, nerd." Byakuya said with contempt, displaying a level of elitism that only nobility could pull of so magnificently.

Off in the distance, Orihime shook her head disapprovingly. "That fool... any self-respecting shonen protagonist knows that you have to weaken your enemy first before these speeches work!"

Interrupting his deeply philosophical but very unimportant ponderings, Uryu turned to Orihime. "Uh, are you sure aren't thinking about capturing Pokémon here?"

"Hogwash! I know what I mean!" Orihime said determinedly, reaching for the PokéBalls at the belt that she had totally already been wearing the entire time. "Now go, Tatsuki! Use Thunderbolt! And Uryu, use Ice Beam!"

And that was how shonen manga ruined Ichigo's day entirely. Fortunately however, Orihime was a competent enough Pokémon Trainer to lead her friends to victory while completely and utterly shattering all the mechanics and laws of the universe.