VIII: The Heart's Will

M.G. Crystal: Alright, remember my question I asked in the last chapter? Well the answer is…Grimmkitty!

Grimmjow: -glares at M.G. Crystal-

M.G. Crystal: Oh, uh, I mean, Grimmjow Jagerjaques! His Zanpakutō's name is Pantera, meaning "Panther" in Japanese and "Panther King" in Spanish. So good job Antex-The Legendary Zoroark!

To Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: And interesting choice in Zanpakutō choice with Aizen's Kyōka Suigetsu and your choice to go against him even though it means you'll also have to face your partner. It turns out that there's this "Which Soul Slayer Would You Use?" quiz on Quotev and I took it and found out that I do wield Zangetsu. Maybe if you take it, you'll get Kyōka Suigetsu, your desired Zanpakutō! ^^

Grimmjow: If you're done babbling, I'll be doing the disclaimer now. -clears throat- "Mistress Galaincrystal doesn't own Bleach, if she did, then Aizen would have his butt handed to him by her."

-:- Opening: After Dark by Asian Kung-Fu Generation -:-

My shadow is fracturing

It's pieces are scattering

They all… run away

I skip over falling blooms

And though they are beautiful

Unseen— They decay

Sickening sweetness flows on the wind

From the corner of the street

And in the distance I hear the cries

As someone weeps

Stolen by the midnight wind

My hopes have all been swept away

Wonder if they'll ever be found…

I cannot accept this world

But it looks like rejecting it

Only makes my anger rebound

But I will wake up one day

If this is all in my head

And even if I still lose

I'll know that I am not dead!

[Nobody's P.O.V.]

117 1/2 Years Ago In The Past

Continuing K_a's Search For S_k-taichō

'Tch." K_a grumbled as she shunpos to find S_k. "Where the hell could that man be? Yoruichi lied to me damnit!" She muttered and then knew remembered someone who would know where exactly he's at. A smile appeared on K_a's face as she then shunpos faster to her uncle's house, knowing that S_k use to work under his Division before becoming a Captain. Captain Ukitake then felt the familiar energy of his niece as he then looked out at the window of his office. He then also had a smile on his face once he had her knock on the door. "Come in!" Ukitake said and then the door opened to reveal a smiling K_a with her sky blue eyes shining with happiness that her uncle was here. "Why hello K_a." He greeted and K_a replied back to him. "Um, Ojisan, I was wondering if you knew where S_k-taichō is at. Shihōin-taichō told me that he would be at his office, but he wasn't. Do you know where he's at?" K_a asked, taking a sudden interest in her feet to hide her blushing face.

"Hm…" Ukitake said, thinking for a moment before responding with, "I do recall him saying that he wants to meet you in the woods at night fall where you guys usually hang out at."

"Alright thanks Ojisan!" She said and before K_a could wake out the door, Ukitake then commented, "He better not do anything funny to you!"

"Ojisan!" K_a cried out embarrassed by the comment Ukitake said before leaving to try to find something to do before meeting S_k-taichō at nightfall in there usual place.

[My P.O.V.]

Once we got to the wall, and my talk with Sode no Shirayuki and Zabimaru has ended, everyone jumped off of Bawabawa. Then the same feeling from before came back again, only stronger than before. Just who are they and what do they have to do with me!? "This wall…" Rukia says and puts her hand on the marble white wall. "…I wonder what it is. It doesn't seem to be made out of Sekkiseki." She says as I remember that the walls of the Seireitei were also made of Sekkiseki. "Well hell if it's not Sekkiseki, then we should be able to break through easily." Ichigo says as he and Renji unsheathe Zangetsu and Zabimaru. "Alright, let's go Renji!" He says and Renji responds back with, "Hey you're not the boss here, smart***." I couldn't help but snicker at their short conversation. Renji then releases Zabimaru's shikai as Zangetsu's bandages unwrap and became shorter. Then the two knuckleheads charged up their reiatsus and attacked the wall with their best.

"Did we make it through?" Ichigo asks as he places the dull side of Zangetsu on his shoulder. "Looks like it…" Renji replies. "Winds passing through." He adds as I walked up to the hole they just made and examined it with my eyes while trying to sense any reiatsu. There was none whatsoever, but I then concentrated to see how far I can sense other reiatsu. Soon I found a few others which were in different places. One was a electric blue color with a grumpy aura; another was bright yellow with a calm aura being surrounded by three others; the next was a golden yellow with a murderous aura; then there was one with a blue aura with a lazy aura next to a pink energetic aura; and the other one I was able to identify was an emerald green impassive aura next to a orange depressed aura. Wait, the last two…that's Ulquiorra and Orihime! Did I forgot their conversation, the only time when Ulquiorra said something "nice"?

"Nel, thank you for bringing us this far, but this is where it has to end." Ichigo says, snapping me out of my thoughts. "If you involve yourselves with us anymore, you'll most likely wind up being seen as traitors. And so…this is goodbye." Nel stays quiet as she's in shock and then Ichigo says, "See ya!" Then Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, Chad, Uryū and I dash through the hole, leaving the Troublesome Trio behind. I feel sad because, truth to be told, even though I've only been with the trio for a short time, Nel feels like a little sister to me and you're leaving family behind to follow your own path. Then I realized that's whats going to happen to me too. To leave my family behind to get to my goal… my goal to become either an animator for a video gaming company, or a manga artist. "Ichigo! Vicki!" I heard Nel cry out and I swiftly turned around to face the blackness of the dark tunnel as did Ichigo.

Nel was saying that the moment the Sand Guardian appeared, our fates were sealed. I wasn't really paying attention what she was saying until her voice started to… fade? My legs took over and I started to run along with Ichigo as Nel's voice became fainter and she started to giggle? But all the sudden, we bumped into Dondochakka and Pesche. I screamed and started to shake. Did I forget to mention that I don't like being scared? Especially if I'm in the dark in a world where I have a half-and-half chance of either to be eaten alive or killed? "What are you fools doing here?" Rukia asked, as she came to a stop and I stopped my shaking and looked around to try to find that hole Nel has fallen down. As I listened to their conversation as I looked for Nel, all the sudden I felt weightlessness and then I had to look down. "Mother." I said in my Daffy Duck voice(yes I'm a fan of the Loony Toons) and I did Goofy's scream as I fell down the hole.

"Aaah hoo hoo huey!" My instincts, well, more like Hichigo's instincts took over as my left eye glowed with a black white of the eye and eerie yellow and turned my body and focused the reishi at my feet and made it to where I was floating a few centimeters off the ground before completely dropping to my feet. "You can thank me later Princess." Hichigo said and then I didn't hear him anymore. "Vicki, are you okay!?" Rukia said as I looked up and replied with, "I'm fine… I think I found the hole where Nel -and I- fell down in."

"Okay, we're coming down!" Uryū responded as I move out of the way and noticed Nel. "V-vicki!" Nel said and hugged me around my waist and I hugged her back. "Nel misses you!" She said and cried. "Ichigo you big idiot! Piece of garbage!" Nel shouted as she released me from the hug and I lean against the wall with my arms crossed. "Who's a piece of garbage?" Ichigo asks and lands, irritated by the fact that he got called "a piece of garbage". "Why did you come? Nel doesn't really want you to take her away with you!" Nel says with some sass. Ichigo then says something that made Nel cry once again. I swear that if he's going to have kids with Rukia(yes I ship IchiRuki), he's going to be a horrible father if he keeps making a 5 year-old Arrancar cry. Then the sound of rumbling came to my ears as I look to see garbage. Asymmetrical garbage to be exact.

"Everyone jump!" Uryū shouted and then I jumped back a few steps away from the entrance and began to run away. The other four dropped down and ran to where I was at. Pesche and Dondochakka ended up landing on Ichigo, so then Nel wanted to "join in on the fun" and jumped on top of the mini dog pile. "Get off me!" I heard Ichigo shout as I imagined him lifting the Trio off of him. "This nonsense is gotta stop-!" Then I heard him getting crushed by the rocks, dust surrounding him from landing. "Whhooa! That was close, you know what I'm talkin' about?" Dondochakka said as we all looked at the rock pile. "Whew, you said it brother." Pesche sighed as Nel asks, "Ichigo are you alright?" Said strawberry Substitute lifted the rocks off of his back. That would've hurt for me, but I was then reminded of a Girl Scout camp which I went for a week and carried about a little more than half my weight. "What idiots…" Ichigo sighs as Rukia adds, "C'mon, let's find a way out of here."

"Yeah I'm with you." Uryū agrees with Rukia's idea. "Let's see if theres a staircase or something around here." Chad says in his usual tone as I say with my arms crossed behind my head in a relaxing fashion, "Second that. I'm getting tired of the dark here." We all walk away from the scene as Ichigo yells at us while catching up to us. Later on as we walked on, I randomly hummed the Luigi's Mansion theme to see if I can creep anyone out. It failed sadly TT^TT. But these guys did see some scarier crap than I did. I think, but I watched those Chucky movies when I was 6-7 along with Resident Evil when I was 12. I don't like dolls because they're creepy as hell! "It sure is dark down here." Ichigo says after a moment of silence as I stopped humming. "Huh. Yeah I know, it's a good thing I'm here." Renji says as I silently smirked, remembering what happens as I came up with the lyrics for it in my head, making Hichigo chuckle at them. Why does here have to peep into my mind? Oh wait, he is part of my mind.

"Why? There is nothing you can do about it, is there?" Ichigo asks Renji, curious of what the crimson-haired Shinigami's going to do. "Well you see when slightly tweaked a bit, kidō can be used- like this! Shakkahō(Red Fire Cannon)!" Renji concentrated his reiatsu to form a large fiery red sphere of Shakkahō, but it shrank size as I giggled at it. "Wow…" The Quincy sarcastically comments with his arms crossed. "That's a pretty small light you got there. So do you use it to help you find the bathroom in the middle of the night?" I couldn't contain it as I laughed while clutching my stomach as Renji's cheeks glowed the same color as the Shakkahō spell. "You're a fool." Rukia adds, rolling her eyes I think. "This happened because he tried to look cool by using a… even though he's not good at it." The Kuchiki added as my laughs calmed down to a single sigh. "Well, don't worry about it." Ichigo says and places his hand on Renji's shoulder. "We'll just use that red hair of your's to guide our way tonight. They even wrote a song about it once. Something about a red-haired Shinigami guiding Santa's sleigh on a foggy Christmas Eve."

"Renji the red-haired Reaper, Reaper

Had very bright red hair~

Like Shakkahō~!"

This irritated said Shinigami as he tried to punch me with his free hand, which I managed to move in time and hid behind Chad as I continued to giggle. Overall, no harm has been done to us except for a song written by moi which may have wounded Renji's pride for his fabulous hair. "What kind of place is this anyways?" Ichigo asks as my mond wanders off, answering his question mentally. "A horrible place Strawberry. We are walking into the lion's den with a death wished written on our heads and a target painted on our reiatsu. I only have little experience about battle, but I hold knowledge of the future… I can only apologize for keeping a secret from you about the truth about both Zangetsus and the lost of O-" My train of thought got cut off as I heard an explosion, only to see the "Crossroads of Fate" as I called them since it separated the group. My eyes leered as I realized that there's another crossroad, which I recall that there's only five crossroads, not six. The song "On The Precipice of Defeat" played in my mind as we all felt the reiatsus of our soon-to-battle opponents.

The path I was looking at, the one next to Ichigo's, felt sinister as I closed my eyes to "see" it's ribbon. The ribbon was an inch wide, just like the others I've seen in the Agent of the Shinigami arc, the first arc, colored a purple ribbon with a lavender aura. I stepped back without realizing it as my eyes are now open with shock at it's "scent" as I called it. The "scent" felt sinister, like any other villain, with a calm and calculative aura, much like my favorite villain, Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII. "There are six paths." Chad pointed out as Uryū added, "We have to check each one, starting with the ones on the ends."

"No." Rukia disagreed with the Quincy's idea. "Let's each go down a separate path at the same time." She suggested as we looked at her. "That's just crazy!" Ichigo responded to Rukia's idea. "I mean, we're talking about Espada here! If we all stand together as one unit, we'll have a better chance against them… Think about it, if we become separated-"

"Enough." Renji butted in, cutting off Ichigo's words. "It's insulting to a warrior to be concerned about his life while he's out on the battlefield." He said, those words now etched into my head. "Ichigo, you say that because your worried about me, but that's just not like you." See? I told you that she has to have something for him and vice versa! "I told you, don't worry about me. I didn't come here so you could worry about me… Believe me, I can take care of myself. Even without your help."

"*sigh*… alright then." Ichigo gave up, knowing that he can't win an argument against a woman, much less Rukia. "We'll go down separate paths." He added as everyone silently agreed with the idea. I got nervous so I lightly gripped on my Hollow Cross necklace to calm my nerves. "Good," Renji said. "But before we do that, I think we should probably do a charm together."

"A charm?" Both Ichigo and I asked with an eyebrow raised as I turned to face the redhead lieutenant of the 6th Division. "That's right. It's a ritual that the Gotei 13 has used over the years and it's chanted before a big battle. Its full on out of use and to be honest, there aren't many divisions that still do it anymore. But I figured it's a good thing to do it at a time like this." Renji said as he put his hand out. "C'mon, join hands. Let's go, if I can do it, you can do it too." I watched they put their hands together with my arms crossed, my lower half of my face slightly covered by my scarf as I gazed at the crossroad next to Ichigo's where the violet ribbon came from. "Hey, kiddo," I heard Renji said to me as I slightly flinched and looked at him. "Come over and join us."

"Thanks, but no thanks." I declined with a shake of my head. "You guys barely know me, let alone I don't even know if you guys trust me." I added as I heard him sigh. "Look, you just helped us even though it isn't much help." Ichigo said, trying to convince me to join them in the ritual. "But you're a friend, and no friend will be left behind." I grew silent for a moment before walking over and placed my hand with theirs. My "Inner Fangirl Me" was squealing because I'm part of one of the greatest things happening in Bleach. "As we approach the crucial battlegrounds, believe that our blades will not shatter… believe that our resolve will not weaken! Though our paths may diverge… our iron hearts will remain together! Swear that though the land itself will break asunder, we will come back here… alive." Then in a flash, we each darted to different paths. To be honest, I'm scarred to the bone, but as Renji said, "…believe that our resolve will not weaken." So I'll keep going and not be afraid because my friends have my back and I have theirs.

"Hey Old Man, Hichigo." I asked them as I ran down the halls like a ninja. "Who, or what do you think we'll encounter?"

"*sigh*… I dunno Princess, but by the reiatsu you had sensed a few moments ago, he's pretty strong." Hichigo responded as I can imagine him grinning his trademark grin. "So promise me that you'll use me during the fight, ya hadn't use me since the Sand Guardian and he's was only a warmup for me." I shook my head with a small smile on my face. Silly Hollow, of course that would be a warm up compared to him. "Hey, I see something a head. A light." Old Man pointed out as I looked up to see light. Once I reached there, I instantly went blind for a few moments before it cleared up. "Holy smokes…" I muttered as I looked at my surroundings. I'm standing in a large room, much like Renji and Uryū's fight with my favorite Espada, Szayelaporro Granz, but it was slightly dark too with pillars as the only decor besides dark blue tile floors and white walls. "Ah… so the little black riding warrior comes along." A oddly familiar voice said in a calm manner. The voice sounded to sweet, like a nice perfume thats too strong in scent.

(Play Final Fantasy VI- Dancing Mad [Remastered])

(link on my bio)

I swiftly turned around, trying to find the voice as my hand rests on the hilt of Zangetsu. "Cannot see me? How sad I nearly feel pity for you to meet me, your ultimate demise." The same voice said as I saw something come out of the shadows where I once stared at. My senses nearly felt numb as I felt their reiatsu, the same one from before. Oh Kami why. Out of everyone, why him!? As he slowly came out of the shadows, I saw that he wore white clothing with black accents and I grew more fearful once I saw the sash color, a magenta-like red sash. "You…" I growled as I felt Hichigo also growl in my mind as I drew the oversized katana from my back. "So what is it that you plan to do with that weak sword of your's?" He taunted, a smirk on his face as he looked down on me from 10 meters away from me. "Be careful." Old Man said, appearing as a transparent figure next to me along with Hichigo on my other side. "He is strong if I can recall the last time we encountered him." He warned as Hichigo grinned and said, "Just be careful Princess… he's a though guy and don't let yer guard down for any second."

I nodded and said, "Thanks for the heads up." They then vanished, Old Man in a swirl of black and Hichigo vanished into red and white reiatsu.

(Pause Song)

(Play Advent Children OST- J-E-N-O-V-A)

(link on my bio)

"So what's it going to be?" He taunted as I flared my reitasu as did he, his the same lavender color I've seen before and in the Winter War. "I had enough of your bull… Aizen!" I shouted as I shunpo'd behind him to strike, but be blocked it in time. "So you'll fight me head on? Then don't disappoint me." He stated as his reiatsu flared, sending me flying as I landed on my feet against the wall, making a crater as an after effect. "Huh!" I grunted as I jumped off the wall and clashed swords again. In about a few seconds, his attacks were growing more and more difficult to block. "Damnit!" I growled as I was sent flying once more. "Time to up my game." Zangetsu glowed silver blue as did I. "Stand my vanguard…Zangestu!" Black and red aura surrounds me in a whirlpool and then fades away to reveal a different from before. In my hands is Zangetsu's shikai that Ichigo is mostly seen with.

My clothes have also changed, but it wasn't like the other one I used. It's a black sleeveless haori that is maroon red underneath it, and on the back in silver white was a different version of the Gotei 13's four-pointed rhombus for it had eight-points with the kanji for Zangetsu(斬月) in the center. A slate grey kosode(kimono top) with a pale grey shitagi(kimono undershirt), black hakama, charcoal grey hakama-himo(belt), white tabi(socks), and waraji(sandals). I also wore a black sash that flared red much like her scarf around her waist and over the haori(like Suì-Fēng), but it was slightly lower than the white one. On my arms were black elbow length tekko gloves with three white tiger stripes on the side with red ones inside the white ones like my gloves. "Let's get going." I said and sent a weak Getsuga Tenshō at him. He managed to block it… with his hand. My eyes widened, but I then remember that the Hōgyoku(Crumbling Orb/Breakdown Sphere) gave him some "super power" as I called it.

I mentally shivered as a part of my mind thought, "He has to be gay if he's got a butterfly suit. Really, I honestly think so!" The villain smirked as he then shunpo'd away from my sight. Crap, where is he!?

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Behind you."

Slash.

"Graaahhhh!"

I fell onto the floor with Zangetsu kicked across from me by Aizen. He looked down on my a few feet away as I tried to get up, but I only ended up coughing up a coopery taste in my mouth and in front of me. Blood. I coughed up my own blood as I kept coughing up more as I tried to get up once more, but fell to the ground. "Huh, to think that the wielder of one of the most powerful Zanpakutō, a Summoner no less, has easily fallen down." He taunted as I growled at him with a glare. His brown eyes leered down at my with a slight tint of anger to it, but mostly annoyance, which I never saw emotion in him until he was being sealed away by Urahara's special Kidō he created. "Your fate…" My vision began to flicker from black to color as he neared me, his Kyōka Suigetsu(Mirror Flower, Water Moon) drawn and at my neck. Touching me lightly before moving high above his being with a single hand. "…Is sealed…" Silently, I prayed that this was a dream, but it sadly wasn't. "…Goodbye, Summoner of Zangetsu."

My vision faded to complete darkness as my sense went completely numb, but not before I heard a clash of two swords and a shout of, "Stop."

IX: Servant of "God"

Hichigo: Now that is a twist of fate, eh Princess?

M.G. Crystal: *passed out during the fight*

Hichigo: Well… *scratches head* I completely forgotten that Princess passed out.

Hebi: *facepalms*

Saru: *sigh* How is this man even related to Old Man?

Sode no Shirayuki: *shakes head*

Old Man Zangetsu: -turns to audience- Since Misstress Galiancrystal has passed out during the fight, she has about two questions. 1: Which of the following outfits would look nice in black and white? Cloud Strife of Advent Children, Claire "Lightning" Farron of XIII, Tifa Lockhart of Advent Children, or Squall "Leon" Leonhard of Kingdom Hearts II? The next question is Bleach-related. What is an Arrancar called if the were ex-Espada and have been stripped of their rank to a 100 or below?

Hichigo: Hey Old Man, tha's pretty long for 2 questions. -turns to audience- So please review, follow, and/or favorite. Flame and it's that 'astard's wrath ya'll face. *cackles*