Author's Soundtrack:
Who Will Save You Now by Les Friction
A Stutter (feat. Arnor Dan) by Olafur Arnalds (on the beach - the revelation)

Chapter Twenty Six

Genryuusai was dead, his body sitting prominently on his chair while his head glowered up at Aizen from the floor.

Shinji was dead, draped across the table with his head clinging to his body by a few thin tendrils of tissue, his hand gripping his bloodied sword.

Sullivan was dead, her throat ripped from her as if eaten by a pack of wild animals.

Every single chancellor was dead, killed by sword or mauled by the hungry teeth of Aizen's enraged soldiers. Not one of them lived. The head of the Councils had been ripped off, and with it, the hope of uniting their people against the very man who had ended their lives. With their leaders dead, the councils would withdraw within themselves or war with one another to take advantage of the chaos or seek revenge.

Aizen had won.

Several of the enraged soldiers gnashed their teeth as they encircled Rukia and the others, but she paid them no mind. There was only one man who had her attention, only one man she desperately wanted to kill. The one man who likely couldn't be killed.

Without a doubt, he had taken one of those damned pills, crafted from the First's blood and perfected by the study of her own torture. The duration of the effects was unknown, but Rukia was willing to wait for them to wear off and expose his mortality. She had all the time in the world.

One of the soldiers grew bold and lunged for Orihime, receiving a sword shoved down his throat for his efforts. Unlike the Chancellor's, Rukia and the others were not to be caught off guard.

"I'm afraid you're all a bit late to the party," Aizen said with an amused smirk, his tone almost jovial. "There is no one here left to save."

"But there is someone here to kill," Ashido growled through clenched teeth.

Aizen's grin widened. "I wonder about that. Do you think I'm so easily dispatched?"

"Those pills don't last forever," Orihime stated. "We know there is a limit."

"Is there?" Aizen seemed genuinely entertained and Rukia felt her stomach twist. "Perhaps in the versions I've given some of my experiments."

He was lying.

He had to be lying.

"There's only one way to find out, asshole."

Ichigo charged before she could stop him, his sword taking the head of one of the soldiers as he burst forward with frightening speed. He was blind with fury and blind to the guards flanking him from either side, too fast for her to intervene in time. One of the soldiers snapped at her face and grabbed for her. Cursing, she kneed him in the groin before removing his head with her sword.

Ichigo had managed stopped Ulquiorra's attack, blocking the heavy downward swing of the large glaive, but it left him exposed to Gin, who'd stuck his sword in Ichigo's side. Ichigo struggled, his blood spilling on the ground as he fought to hold off his attackers.

Ashido lunged at Gin while Rukia went for Ulquiorra's exposed torso, forcing him to focus his attention on her instead. She cringed under the bone shattering weight of the glaive as she blocked his heavy strike, her arms numbing under the immense pressure. Deep green eyes stared at her with little more than faint recognition as he reached out and grabbed her by the throat. Long, narrow fingers squeezed and white filled her vision just before Ichigo severed his arm.

She ripped the detached limb from her throat and inhaled sharply, struggling to maintain her footing as air filled her lungs.

"Idiot," she snarled with a curse as she glowered at Ichigo. Her gaze softened when she saw the extent of his injury. Gin's sword had cut deeply into Ichigo's side, the blood continuing to soak his clothes, and she worried Gin had coated his blade with a poison similar to what Kaien had used.

"I'm fine," he insisted, pulling her attention away from his wound.

"I don't think you have the luxury of being distracted," Aizen advised as Ulquiorra slammed into Ichigo.

Even with one arm, Ulquiorra was a challenge for him. His attacks were not only powerful, but determined. Whatever Aizen had done to the man, he'd created a loyal, fighting machine. One arm or not, he would fulfill his master's orders until death claimed him.

Rukia struck at his turned back, hoping to give Ichigo an opening, but Ulquiorra swung his glaive wildly. She managed to get her sword up in time, but the strike threw her across the room.

Sado's war cry filled the room as he plowed through the remainder of Aizen's soldiers. Ichigo and Ashido continued to deal with Ulquiorra and Gin. And Orihime -

While Aizen watched the spectacle before him with interest, Orihime had snuck behind him. She was crouched low and out of sight, her steel gray eyes alight with determination as she cut her blade upward.

Aizen easily blocked the strike with a small blade and chided her. "You're going to have to do much better than that if you want to touch the likes of me."

"Like this?"

An explosive crack thundered through the room and everyone stilled. Smoke wafted from the barrel of Orihime's pistol aimed at Aizen's head. The back of his head was gone, splattered across the bloodied floor, his smile fading as his body fell.

It wasn't done - he wasn't done. Already the wound was beginning to heal, but this was the chance they needed. They could bind him, restrain him, and finish off everyone that remained. When his pills wore off they could finally put an end to this.

But what if they didn't wear off? Aizen's mocking words planted a seed of doubt in her mind. What if, like Starrk, and like her, his immortality was eternal?

Waiting was no longer an option. They would have to come up with a more permanent solution.

An agonized wail erupted from Ulquiorra and he charged at Orihime. Ichigo and Sado moved to intercept him as Rukia hurried to her side. The thick blade of the glaive slammed into Sado's side. If not for the armor he wore beneath, now exposed and damaged, she was certain Sado would have been cleaved in two.

The large Mexican stumbled and coughed up blood, his ribs likely shattered in the impact.

Ulquiorra snarled and nearly hammered his weapon into Sado once again, focusing on the weakened armor. Ichigo buried his sword through the crook of Ulquiorra's neck. Blood stained teeth snapped at him one last time before Sado wrenched his head off his shoulders.

They waited a few breaths to see if the body began to heal.

Nothing.

If Ulquiorra had taken the pills, they had worn off.

All that remained was Gin, who stood quietly watching. For once in his life, he didn't look the least bit amused.

"Worried?" Rukia wondered, drawing his attention.

Surprisingly, all he did was shrug. "We all die someday. Well, most of us anyway."

She flinched at the barb, but she had questions. "Where's Halibel?"

"In a ditch somewhere, I imagine."

Rukia looked at him curiously, leaving Orihime to restrain Aizen before he finished healing.

"Why? Was he through with her?" She asked, genuinely curious. As far as she could tell, besides Gin, Halibel had been with Aizen since the beginning. She assisted him with his experiments, watched over them and guided them to meet her master's goals. He trusted her to carry out his commands and evolve his plans. It seemed impossible for him to just toss her aside. Unless. . .

"She was the leak."

"One of them," Gin replied, that small smile returning. She frowned, sensing a deeper meaning behind his words. "She was helpful, even when she wasn'. But, once he had what he wanted, he didn' see a point in leavin' her be."

Gin peered around her towards Orihime. "I'd suggest you make those bonds nice an' tight. Double 'em, if you can."

"Offering us advice?" Ashido sneered.

Gin shrugged. "I suppose. Nothin' I'm sure you haven' thought of, except. . ."

"Except?"

"That you underestimate the speed with which I heal."

Rukia and the others turned and her heart stopped.

Aizen stood with his hand buried in Orihime's chest, his fingers gripping her heart. Blood spilled from her lips and down her chin as he squeezed the life from her.

Her heart hurt, recalling the familiar sensation of his fingers wrapping around her own heart, crushing it until it exploded.

She couldn't allow that to happen to Orihime, she wouldn't allow him to take anyone else from her.

She charged, targeting his arm. He didn't bother to move, allowing her to cut through the bone and separate his arm at the elbow. The appendage and Orihime dropped. Thankfully, Ichigo caught her before she hit the floor, his face pale with worry.

"Fascinating." Aizen studied the stump at the base of his arm with mild intrigue. Along the exposed muscle, ice glistened in the light, preventing Aizen's wound from healing. "It appears your powers extend to much more than creating ice from the air."

He turned his eyes to Rukia and she forced herself not to take a step back. Desire, of the most dangerous and recognizable kind, filled those ochre eyes and she resisted the urge to vomit. She didn't want to think about the new experiments he was conjuring up in that twisted mind of his.

Then his eyes widened with surprise and rare distress as the ice began to spread, consuming the heat of his body and crawling up his arm towards his body. It was like what had happened to Nnoitora in the alley.

And then his arm was gone.

Gin stood beside Aizen starting down at the remnants of Aizen's infected arm.

"Very fascinating," Aizen remarked to himself. "It seems I'm not meant to be through with you yet, after all. Ulquiorra-"

"Dead," Gin informed him. "Pills wore off."

"That's rather unfortunate. Gin, please capture Ms. Kuchiki and bring her with us."

"Like hell we're going to let that happen," Ichigo snarled. Covered in Orihime's blood, his eyes gleamed with rage as he continued to hold her dying body. Ichigo looked ready to tear the world apart, and not even she wanted to get in his way.

Aizen studied Ichigo, then Ashido, who had moved into position beside her. Sado was clambering to his feet, and though he wasn't even close to being healed, he was ready to fight.

"Sir. . . " Gin began, his tone insistent.

"I suppose you're right, Gin. Until next time, my dear," he said with a quick bow before retreating.

"There won't be a next time," Rukia growled, racing after Aizen as he fled. She appreciated what the others were trying to do for her, but she would not be protected. She would not hide. She would be the blade that cut through Aizen and ended this once and for all.

Gin turned to stop her, but Ashido tackled him to the ground, leaving her path clear.

Ichigo called for her, but she wouldn't stop. Any delay could mean Aizen's escape.

Aizen was racing down the mountainside, unbalanced and stumbling as his arm continued to heal. Something in the depths of her heart reached out to her, called for her. It had been a whisper in the pavilion, but now it was a roar. And she answered it. Gathering all her anger and grief, Rukia joined with the call and swung her sword. A wave of ice sprung from her sword and hurtled towards Aizen. The sounds of rocks sliding and ice forming rapidly behind him had his head turning. He shifted to avoid the frozen tidal wave and turned to smile at her.

She hissed and sent another wave. Then another. Then another. She would bury him in ice and rock and seal away his monstrosity forever. Whether his healing was permanent or not, it didn't matter. He would spend the remainder of whatever days he had trapped in her prison.

The sand of the beach gave beneath her feet as she stumbled off the mountainside. Running here wasn't much easier than on the uneven, unstable rock of the mountain, but she managed to close the distance between them.

Another wave of ice missed, but nearly caught his arm. Every time she used the powers, it seemed to come to her much more easily, like drawing a breath, and she wondered how it had been so difficult before.

She spotted a helicopter on a small landing pad, his only means of escape. Mustering as much energy as she could, she sent a large wall of ice towards it. Metal groaned as the ice encapsulated the nose and blades, damaging them beyond use.

With nowhere to run, Aizen stopped and turned to face her. His injured arm had finally been resorted, along with his pensive demeanor.

"I've been curious about these abilities of yours since you first used them. Have you always been in such control of them?"

"I don't give a damn about your curiosity," she snarled, sending another wave towards him. The depths of her anger seemed bottomless, providing nearly endless fuel for the powers. But her limbs were growing heavy, her body beginning to tire from use. Never had she used her powers to such extent and for so long. It was clear there would be a limit and she would need to capture him before that limit was reached.

Aizen dodged the attack and continue to study her.

"That is one thing I was never able to determine. Why were my healing factors temporary and yours not? Why did you receive nearly impossible abilities when I and others did not?" It was the most frustrated she had seen him, but it did little to satisfy her.

Rukia threw another wave at him and followed through with a series of attacks with her sword. Unarmed, he was still able to avoid taking damage from her assault.

"Of course, I imagine it has something to do with your legitimate blood ties to the First. It's unfortunate Halibel damaged the blood samples and data we took in Guatemala. We'll have to start over from scratch."

"The fuck you will," she growled, sending another wall of ice towards him, forcing him to dodge once again. The fighting arena was shrinking, towering walls of ice steadily closing off any further opportunities of escape. Just a little more and she would have him completely cornered.

"Are you afraid?" Aizen whispered in her ear, sounding genuinely intrigued by the concept. Seething, she kicked backward and stabbed at him.

"Which scares you more, I wonder? The experiments themselves or what they reveal about your true character?"

"Shut up!" She clenched her teeth and tried to grasp the threads of her anger. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her heart pounded with exhaustion.

Just a little more.

"Does he know?" Aizen asked, amused he had found a sore spot. "About the lives you stole? The young girls whom you comforted only to devour so violently?" His grin spread. "You needed so many, it was almost difficult to supply them."

Rukia stumbled and her heart dropped. She only remembered a couple of them. Even through the hazy, drug-addled memories, it was easy to recall their terrified faces as she drained them, their depleted bodies lying limp on the floor. But there were more? How many did she actually feed on? How many did she not remember? How many died so she could live only to be tortured again?

It was almost worse knowing she couldn't remember their faces, hidden away in shadow to be forgotten by the one who killed them.

"Do you think he could ever forgive you?"

Aizen's voice was distant, but she could still feel him behind her. She needed to focus, to fight him, but she needed to remember them all.

Why couldn't she remember them?

"He's strangely attached to his humanity." He was in front of her now, staring down at her with those terrifying eyes. They brimmed with glee as he easily tore her down from where she had struggled to build herself up. "How long do you think he would stay by your side if he knew?"

Her heart wrenched as he asked the question that had been eating away at her.

Ichigo's promise filled her ears but couldn't reach her heart that was saturated with the blood of innocents.

"Until the day she gets tired of me."

The black blade of Ichigo's sword pierced through Aizen's chest and wrenched upwards, splitting him in two. Dark amber eyes pinned her with their intensity and, for a moment, she couldn't breathe. There was anger there, relief, desperation, and fear. But there was something else, something more powerful. It was too much, and she found herself collapsing in the cool sand.

Ichigo was beside her, pulling her to him and wrapping her in a tight embrace.

"Shit, Rukia, you're freezing."

"A side effect of her using too much of her powers."

Rukia stared up at Nelliel and Grimmjow as they weaved around the maze of ice.

"Like what you've done with the place," Grimmjow remarked, tapping one of the icy walls with the pommel of his sword. "And here we were supposed to be worried about you."

The sounds of Aizen healing drew their attention to his body. In just a few seconds his torso was nearly completely stitched together. Grimmjow sneered and rammed his sword through Aizen's heart, slowing the healing process, buying them some time.

"We're not sure how many pills he took or how long they last. Our contact wasn't able to give us consistent numbers," Nelliel offered.

If Aizen was to be believed, he had overcome those limits.

It wasn't safe to assume the effects of the pills were temporary anymore. She had to believe he was a true immortal. If that was the case, they couldn't risk leaving him in a typical prison.

The call was back, softer, like a song. She was exhausted, but she needed just a little bit more.

"Stand back," Rukia ordered. "Grimmjow, leave your weapon."

"The fuck I will," he argued.

"Leave it," Nelliel commanded. "You've been complaining about not getting a new one for some time anyway."

Rukia held her hand out and reached to connect with the power. The air crackled around her as the temperature dropped and ice formed around Aizen's body and Grimmjow's sword. Only when he was completely encased in a nearly a foot of ice, did she stop.

Ichigo took hold of her once again, rubbing her arms to warm her.

"You're gaining better control," Nelliel observed. "That's good."

"What about her body temperature?" Ichigo asked, his voice etched with concern.

"She'll warm in time."

"And Orihime?" He asked, drawing a desperate look from Rukia.

"She's alive?"

Nelliel smiled. "She is. Her heart was severely damaged, but the pills Ashido found on Ulquiorra were quite effective."

Rukia shivered despite the relief she felt. At least something good came from those pills.

Then an idea struck her.

"Could we use them on the Chancellors?"

The smile fell from Nelliel's lips. "I'm afraid not. The benefits of the pills only work as long as it is consumed before death. If not, the body cannot break it down. Your chancellors are gone."

Genryuusai and Shinji were gone.

It was difficult to imagine her life without either men in it. Genryuusai had been a grandfatherly figure to her. Even though he had exiled her, he had spared her life and Ichigo's. He had been strict and seemingly harsh in many of his decisions, but he had fought to find a life for their people in a world ruled by humans. Without him, their people may have died out a long time ago.

And Shinji had sacrificed so much for her and Ichigo, giving them a home when they had none. Helping them in their search for Aizen when he could have ignored him like so many others. He had taken on the mantle of Chancellor when no one else had wanted it, putting himself at risk and setting aside his own desires. He had picked up the broken pieces of the British Council and rebuilt it to be stronger. There were times he had been obnoxious and ridiculous, but he had been a good man.

She wanted to grieve for them both, and for the others who had died tonight, but there was still so much to be done.

"Aizen killed your contact, Halibel," Rukia informed them, though she couldn't bring herself to sound upset about it. She might have meant something to Starrk and Nelliel, but her loss meant nothing to her. Perhaps she might have done some good, but in the end, she had been responsible for a great deal of suffering for both Rukia and Ichigo.

"I don't blame you for your anger," Nelliel said. "And though I know it will bring you no comfort, know that she did try to help where she could."

Ichigo scoffed, but Nelliel didn't appear insulted.

"Will you come with us?" She asked Rukia. "Mr. Starrk would still like to train with you, get to know you. Ichigo can come as well."

Weeks ago, she would have jumped at the opportunity. Now, however, the councils needed her more. With the chancellors dead, the councils would need guidance in their recovery, direction to help them move forward instead of falling into chaos. And Aizen would need to be dealt with. There were few she would trust in dealing with his body.

And there was a nagging feeling Starrk was more than what he seemed. Although he had done nothing to earn her distrust, she couldn't ignore her instincts.

Even if she did, now was simply not the time.

"No. Not yet, anyway," she answered.

"I understand. You have my number, should you change your mind."

With a polite bow from Nelliel, and a bored scoff from Grimmjow, they departed.

Rukia and Ichigo sat alone in the sand, his arms wrapped tightly around her. It hurt, but she didn't mind, not compared to the pain that was steadily gripping her heart the longer they sat in silence.

Ichigo had heard what she had done, knew that she took the lives of humans. It was the one thing she feared to tell him most, the one thing she was certain he would never forgive.

And still he refused to leave her.

Ashido had been right, and Ichigo had kept his promise.

Despite being 131 years younger than her, Ichigo was the stronger of the two.

"I wanted to tell you," she whispered into his chest, her fingers gripping the material of his shirt. They shook, but she wasn't entirely convinced it was because she was still cold. "I was afraid of what you would say, what you would think. I-"

"Rukia," he cut her off, pulling away so he could look her into the eyes. He brushed stray strands of hair from her face, giving him an unobstructed view. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for you, what you had to go through, what you had to do."

She opened her mouth, but he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and continued. "I know it couldn't have been easy, and that it still isn't. It haunts you, and likely will for years to come. I wish like hell I could take some of that away from you, but I can't. All I can do is be here for you when the nightmares become too strong, when the regret and grief are too much for you to handle, and to listen when you need to talk."

He cupped her cheeks and brushed the tears that fell from her eyes with his thumbs. "I'll be here for you, just like now. I can't do much, but this I can do, and I will. Happily."

She choked on the sob caught in her throat and her heart ached at his words. There was so much she wanted to tell him, to share with him. There wasn't a single thing she wanted to hide, but at that moment all she wanted to do was be in his arms and take comfort in his presence and love.

She didn't know how long he would be able to keep his promise, how long they could be together, but she didn't care. They would take it day by day until that very last day.

"Come on," Ichigo said, kissing the top of her head, then her lips when she looked up at him. "Let's get back to the others and start cleaning up this mess."

With a nod, they stood, leaving the cause of their pain and suffering freezing on the solitary beach.

They could finally move forward. And for their love, she would move forward as well.

Author's Notes: And here we are, at the end of the second story! It's taken us a while to get to this point, and I hope the wait was finally worth it. I know romance is one of my weaker areas, but I hope this tugged on all the right heart strings ;).

There is one more chapter left, the Epilogue. That one hopefully shouldn't take as long for me to get out since I shouldn't have to rewrite the entire thing 80 times like I did with this chapter.

I want to thank everyone for your continued favorites and followings, and the reviews, which mean so much to me! A special thanks to: NieveDrop and IchiRuki 4vr - the pair of you have been amazing throughout the posting of this story!

Please R&R with your thoughts on this chapter! I'd love to hear from you guys until the very end!

P.S. I did want to note that I reread some of my previous chapters and found some continuity errors (why didn't you guys tell me?!) that I want to go back and fix. I've already fixed one at the end of Chapter One. It's not a huge change, but should make things a little clearer between the end of Chapter One and Chapter Two.