Author Note: Here's the final battle. Only a short epilogue remains.

Fighting scenes aren't really my strong point so I tend to just gloss over them, sorry if you came here hoping for a very detailed fight scene.

I might one day come back to this story and write a proper fight scene but for now I'm really eager to call this story complete so I hope you can accept this for the time being.

Disclaimer: Bleach and its characters belong to Tite Kubo

Chapter 15: The Final Battle

Akira and everyone else were temporarily blinded by light as her form changed to accommodate and reflect her new powers. Everyone paused to stare when the light died down. Even Aizen remained where he was to take in the woman's new form.

Akira's wings had grown in length and the feathers were now sharp and deadly though their weight did not change. Her helmet was gone and her armor was thinner to increase her speed though it now covered her legs as well. There was a row of bone spikes protruding from her outer forearms and matching spikes near her ankles, which were further covered by a thin coat of armor.

Her facial features were also changed. Her ears now came to a point, like those of elves in fairy tales, and fangs could be seen jutting from her gums. Her eyes turned animalistic with a slit like pupil and finally sharp claws grew from her fingertips. Akira didn't waste time looking over her new appearance and instead rushed forward and swung her swords at Aizen. The battle finally started.

The battle was a rather difficult one, as Akira had to try her hardest to injure Aizen but also make sure he didn't release his shikai and at the same time dodge his own attacks. She did have some advantage though as Aizen hadn't fully merged with the hogyoku yet so there was still some limit to what he could do, not that she had pushed him to that point yet.

Her wings provided her with another weapon to use against him and they had managed to injure him at first but then he quickly adapted and was no longer unprepared for those strikes. The battle didn't last long though as she was still no real match for him. Aizen managed to create distance between them at one point and used rikujokoro to bind Akira in place. It wouldn't last long against her power but it gave him time to draw his zanpakuto. However, he didn't release his shikai like she had expected and feared.

Akira gasped as Aizen's zanpakuto went right through her abdomen up to the hilt. Blood filled her mouth, making her gag and choke. Her blades burst as her control over them fluctuated. Weaponless, she gripped Aizen's wrist as tightly as she could and dug her claws into his skin. Aizen didn't react until he felt her spiritual pressure start to seep into the cuts.

He attempted to retract his sword but she refused to let go so he kicked her below her wound with great force. She was forced to release him as she was propelled backwards off his sword, blood spewing out of her mouth and gut. Aizen examined his wrist and scowled slightly at the marks but relaxed when he saw that her energy was having no effect on him.

He watched her rapid descent, waiting for her impact with the ground. However, she was caught before she could crash to the ground. Aizen narrowed his eyes a bit when he saw just who had arrived.

Ulquiorra landed gently despite the slight gashes he received from Akira's wings and looked down at the woman in his arms with an uncharacteristic look of concern that enraged Aizen; he understood instantly that this woman had stolen his most loyal subordinate from him. He tightened his grip on his zanpakuto and slowly approached them while they were distracted, using a bit of kyoka suigetsu's power to mask his presence.

"Woman. Woman." Ulquiorra called softly, trying to rouse the unconscious woman. He saw that it wasn't working and decided to use a slightly different approach.

"Akira." It was strange to actually use her name and it came out quietly with very little confidence but it had the desired effect. Akira stirred and slowly opened her eyes. He frowned at how pained and unfocused they were but was also relieved to see her conscious.

"Ulquiorra." Her voice was so weak but it still sent a shot of warmth through him that made his face soften.

She smiled at him and he found himself lost in her eyes. The moment was destroyed as Akira suddenly screamed his name and pushed against his chest with all her might, which surprisingly was enough to make him drop her and stumble back a few steps.

He watched with wide eyes as blood suddenly spurted out of her shoulder, right below where his neck was a second before. He couldn't see the source of the attack but understood that it was Aizen. He rushed to her side, disregarding the danger. She was covered in blood but still reached out for him. He gripped her hand like she wanted and froze as he felt some of her remaining spiritual pressure seep into his skin.

He closed his eyes at the sensation and basked in the feeling. It was warm and made his body feel light but strong. It seemed to flow directly up to his eyes and he felt a subtle shift that he couldn't explain. The flow of energy eventually stopped though the energy remained. He opened his eyes and stared down at her quizzically.

"There…I've returned your sight to you…but he still has control over your other senses…so be careful."

She was forced to speak slowly but didn't let that stop her from warning him. He understood what she had done. Aizen hadn't shown her his shikai so he didn't have any control over her. Her giving him some of her spiritual pressure was almost the same as him seeing through her immune eyes.

Ulquiorra was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude and awe; she had used her remaining strength to make sure he had some way of fighting Aizen. He nodded to show he understood.

"Make it back alive." Her words were even weaker but the love and concern behind those words was beyond strong.

"Wait for me." He responded, letting her know she was not to die while he was gone. Tears formed in her eyes but she smiled nonetheless, even as her resurrección faded.

"Always."

He gently brushed a tear away then stood up to face his former master with a promise of vengeance in his eyes.

Aizen had watched the whole exchange from a distance away, not really feeling the need to interrupt but was now intrigued to see how Ulquiorra was going to fight him. He revealed himself to Ulquiorra, spurring him into action. Ulquiorra wasted no time and immediately released his resurrección, knowing his spiritual pressure might be hard on Akira in her weakened state but deciding that he had no choice.

He rushed Aizen and Aizen let him push him back a distant distance from Akira before parrying the blow. Ulquiorra let Aizen draw back from him and went into his second form. Everyone, but Aizen, watched in stunned silence as blackness filled the sky and rained down. Aizen showed no surprise at Ulquiorra's second form. He spoke calmly as if he was completely unfazed by the heavy spiritual pressure, which he probably was.

"Never thought you would turn your sword on me. I must say I underestimated that woman. She managed to take you, my most loyal, for her own…then again it must not have been that hard to do. All she needed to do was give your pitiful life some meaning…isn't that right, Ulquiorra?" Ulquiorra merely glared in response.

"How pathetic…only the weak depend on others to give them a purpose; the strong make their own purpose."

Clearly he was referring to himself with that last comment. He activated his shikai then and took control of Ulquiorra's senses. He rushed forward thinking it would be easy and simple to take him down now that he was at his mercy.

Aizen was shocked when Ulquiorra easily grabbed his sword and glared right into his eyes over the blade. There was no doubt that Ulquiorra could see him…but that was supposed to be impossible. Aizen gritted his teeth, anger flaring up, but then quickly composed himself. It didn't matter if Ulquiorra was immune to his power; he was still no match for him.

The battle continued and Aizen found that it was just Ulquiorra's sight that was immune. He used this to his advantage and managed to injure Ulquiorra when he was dodging something he was hearing or sensing but not actually seeing.

Ulquiorra eventually managed to ignore his instincts that were telling him to block or dodge a blow he had sensed or heard coming. This still left the gap in power between him and Aizen though. Even his lanza del relámpago only did so much damage and even then he had to actually hit Aizen, who was proving himself to be a difficult target.

All he could really do was try his best to injure Aizen while his injuries, though healing, were steadily making him weaker. It was like his fight against Ichigo's hollow form but this time Akira wouldn't be saving him from any final blows…at least that was what he had thought.

Ulquiorra had just about reached his limit and Aizen was ready to finish him off when a glowing crack suddenly appeared in Aizen's arm where his coat had been ripped earlier by one of Ulquiorra's lucky strikes. Aizen's expression took on a slightly panicked look as he ripped his coat further open to find the crack start branching towards where he knew the hogyoku was located in his torso.

He felt the hogyoku reacting to the invading energy and felt its panic and fear. His anger reached unimaginable levels when he recognized the spiritual pressure behind the crack as Akira's. All that time it had slowly been battling and overtaking his own inside him without him even knowing as he was too focused on Ulquiorra.

He turned his furious gaze on Akira. His anger flared even more when he saw her smirking up at him even as she lay slowly dying in a pool of her own blood.

Done with acting composed, Aizen charged her with a furious cry of rage. Ulquiorra intercepted him though and hit him with his lanza del relámpago. The damage of the attack helped Akira's spiritual pressure take over even more and Aizen was now riddled with glowing cracks of her energy. The main crack was just about to reach the hogyoku when the hogyoku forcibly removed itself from Aizen, fearing what would happen to it.

"NO!" Aizen yelled as he reached to catch the hogyoku as it plummeted. Aizen was intercepted once more, but this time by Kisuke Urahara, who had just arrived.

Kisuke fired a kido specially designed for Aizen that hit him dead on. Aizen cried out as spikes of energy sprouted from his body and started forming crosses. His frantic attempts at reaching the hogyoku even then were pointless as he was engulfed in a strong material that completely sucked up his spiritual pressure and immobilized him.

"DAMN YOU, WOMAN!" Aizen cursed Akira right before he was completely engulfed.

A tense silence fell over the battlefield as everyone waited to see if the seal would hold. It seemed to and it was then that everyone broke out into cries of victory.

Only one person wasn't celebrating and that was Ulquiorra. He resealed his zanpakuto and moved to rush to Akira's side but was stopped. The soul reaper captains that could still stand and some of the vizards had surrounded him, wary of him despite his fighting against Aizen. Ichigo immediately put himself between them and the arrancar.

"Woah guys! Trust me, you don't want to get in his way right now." Ichigo warned and the murderous look in Ulquiorra's eyes was proving him right.

Still wary, they drew back and watched closely as Ulquiorra sped past them. He kneeled beside Akira's side and gently lifted her into his arms. She was giving him a weak, relieved smile that was brimming with pride. Unfortunately she no longer had the strength to speak.

He took to the skies and looked about, seeking someone with the potential to heal and saw a soul reaper captain beckoning him over. He was wary of the captain but the woman just gave him a patient, encouraging smile. Having very little choice, he brought Akira over to her. The woman went right to work in healing Akira.

Akira wasn't completely healed by the time the woman stopped like Orihime's powers would have guaranteed but at least now Akira would survive. He cradled Akira in his arms and offered his thanks to the captain in the form of a firm nod. The woman accepted it and returned his silent gratitude with a warm smile. Akira was still weak but she still pushed herself to wrap her arms around him and bury her face into his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you're safe." She said so softly he barely heard her.

The only response he offered her was to hold her tighter though he was just as relieved that she was alive. She showed no upset at his lack of words though as she had read his relief easily enough without him needing to say a thing. The moment was interrupted as the head captain approached them. Akira pulled back and greeted the old man with an easy smile.

"Greetings, head captain. I hope you don't mind that we got involved in the battle." The man simply grunted, as he looked the two over.

"You did the soul society a great service in aiding in the defeat of Aizen…however, that raises the question of what you intend to do now that the battle is over." The wariness in his tone was expected but Akira was prepared for it.

"I assure you we have no malicious intentions towards the soul society or the human world. We simply want to live in peace." She assured him, knowing that that wouldn't really be enough to convince the old man. She continued though. "I was wondering if it would be possible for us to reside in the human world."

The displeasure and objection on the old man's face was very visible but he remained silent and let her speak.

"Naturally, I know you'd want to keep us under careful watch. Might I suggest letting us stay with Kisuke Urahara until you are sure of our intentions."

"Now why would you drag me into this?" Kisuke spoke up, tone light and teasing with only a bit of distrust. Akira smiled his way, thinking a bit better of the man after all he had done for her in her timeline.

"You're the best candidate beyond Ichigo Kurosaki and his friends." The head captain was still silent as he observed the two and thought over what the woman suggested. He suddenly turned his eyes on the silent arrancar.

"Whatever your intentions young lady, this man was the one responsible for the kidnapping of one Orihime Inoue. Can you guarantee that his intentions are as innocent as you claim yours to be?"

Akira didn't get to respond for, as if speaking her name was enough to summon her, Orihime emerged from a garganta along with the others from Hueco Mundo. Orihime spotted the two instantly.

"Akira!" Orihime ran forward with a big smile. "You're alright."

"Indeed I am." Akira returned the smile, happy to see Orihime once more. The head captain turned his attention onto Orihime.

"You know this arrancar?" Orihime was a bit startled that the head captain was addressing her but immediately spoke up in her friend's defense.

"Yes. She looked after me and protected me while in Hueco Mundo. She's a good friend." The head captain silently took the girl's words into account.

He turned his attention back on the two, waiting for an answer to his earlier inquiry. Akira looked up at Ulquiorra, waiting for him to speak for himself.

"I will not harm anyone in the human world or soul society or cause any havoc as long as no harm comes to my woman."

His protectiveness shined bright in his words, leaving no doubt that he meant the threat. Akira smiled up at his words. Orihime also smiled at the care Ulquiorra was showing. The head captain scowled slightly at the threat but then Ichigo spoke up.

"I can't really say much in Ulquiorra's defense but I can say that Akira will keep him in line." Ulquiorra glared slightly at the phrasing of the words but remained quiet. The head captain sighed then took on a more commanding and intimidating stance.

"I will grant you two one chance…show any signs of ill intentions and I will have you both exterminated."

Orihime cheered and Akira's face broke out into a big grin. Akira lovingly smiled up at Ulquiorra. He returned her look and even gave her a small smile. Akira hugged him once more, swearing that she would never be separated from him now that it was time to start her new life with him.

Author Note: I know I took Akira out pretty easily. She doesn't have any healing ability in that form like Ulquiorra does and Aizen is still stronger than her which is why he was able to stab right through her armor. The fight wore her down and made her use up a lot of her spiritual pressure.

I want to emphasize that Ulquiorra's feelings for Akira aren't quite on the same level as hers towards him and they might never quite get there. However, he does care for her and is protective of her. His feelings will probably eventually evolve into love but as I said, not quite like Akira's.

I know I made Ichigo useless but I really wanted it to be Akira and Ulquiorra that essentially take Aizen down, even though it was Kisuke that seals him away.

I kind of feel that Akira and Ulquiorra's roles are reversed when compared to the fight with Hollow Ichigo. Now it is Ulquiorra stepping in when Akira is about to be finished.

It's really hard to remember that kido exists in bleach when writing the fight scene. I ended up using eight bars of light, which is what Byakuya used to restrain Rukia when she was under Zommari's control in case anyone needed an example of it.

I made it that Akira's spiritual pressure could now affect others like with slowly overtaking Aizen. That's her main power but it isn't very effective unless the other person accepts it or is unaware of it. Really all it was doing to Aizen was weakening him to a degree that the hogyoku was starting to fear for its own existence. It didn't want to be taken out along with Aizen, which is why it removed itself from him. Akira assumed she could do this from what Gloria did before. It was a desperate test on Akira's part but one that proved true.

It was rather hard to write Aizen when he is desperate and angry but I don't think I did too bad of a job.

Please Review.