CHAPTER 30: THE LAST RESORT

Tayomi ran her fingers through her long black hair with one hand and held her school bag with the other. School had ended at last and it was finally time to return home. Lessons that day had been absolutely boring. She had spent most of her time gazing at Hitsugaya, who turned back from his seat every once in a while to smile at her. She sighed in content, as she felt his arm find its way behind her and curl around her waist. Feeling a little tired, she yawned sleepily and walked home together with her friends.

Once they reached home, she undid her ribbon, threw herself onto her bed and hugged her bunny. Hitsugaya watched her fall asleep and sighed. He took off his shirt and grabbed a black shirt from his closet, using it to cover her. He stroked her hair and gazed at her closed eyes. Matsumoto was about to enter the room and ask her Captain something, but held back once she saw him and Tayomi having a moment together. She smiled and hurriedly asked everyone to gather. The four Shinigami peered through the gap and smiled in content, as Hitsugaya proceeded to lie down beside Tayomi. He covered himself with the shirt as well and hugged her tight, as they lay on her bed together, covered by his black shirt. Tayomi tossed and turned in her sleep, making it hard for him to hold her. Hitsugaya kissed her on the forehead as the whole room was silent, except for the sound of the breeze from the air conditioner, their breathing and their heartbeats.

Two hours later, she rustled from her sleep and opened her eyes slowly. She saw Hitsugaya in front of her, gazing at her. She felt his arm around her and noticed that he was shirtless, causing her to blush a little. Looking down, she realised that her first two buttons had become undone after tossing and turning in her sleep.

"Susu-chan, what time is it?" She asked.

"I don't know…" He replied, lost in her eyes, before subconsciously looking downwards at her chest.

"You're staring at my chest again…" Tayomi's cheeks turned bright red.

"No, I'm not." He sighed. What did I just do again?

Tayomi leaned over Hitsugaya and grabbed her watch, checking the time. It was five in the evening and she squeaked in shock. Ichigo and his friends were coming over at four in the afternoon! That meant that they were already here… And Matsumoto, Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika did not bother to wake them up. Tayomi got up immediately and jumped off her bed, grabbed clothes from her closet and got changed immediately. Hitsugaya scratched his head and put on a shirt, waiting for Tayomi to get changed. Once she was out, she blushed, grabbed his hand and went out of the room together. Ichigo and everyone else were waiting for them. They nodded at Hitsugaya and Tayomi, smiling. Tayomi smiled back and everyone left the room, heading towards the city for dinner.

They walked through the dark streets, lighted only by the streetlamps. Suddenly, Tayomi's ears picked up footsteps from behind them. She turned around and saw a most horrendous sight. It was Aizen and Ichimaru. They both grinned at her and she felt Hitsugaya squeeze her hand.

"Hello, Tayomi-chan…" Aizen smirked. "We meet again."

Aizen walked towards Tayomi, with Ichimaru following behind him. Once they were spotted, all eight Shinigami popped the Soul Candy into their mouths and transformed into their Shinigami form. Ishida prepared his Quincy Bow, Orihime was ready to use Shun Shun Rikka and Chad's arm had transformed. After a month since their arrival, Aizen and Ichimaru had finally decided to strike. Everyone was unsure if Kyoka Suigetsu had been fixed, but upon seeing its shining blade, they instantly knew that it was ready to be used in battle again. Aizen smirked, as he claimed that he was ready to dominate the world and make his comeback once again. He reached out to touch Tayomi's cheek, but Hitsugaya pushed Aizen away violently, protecting her from him.

"Don't touch her."

Hitsugaya drew out his blade and dashed towards Aizen, not bothered by the fact that he had been fooled by Kyoka Suigetsu's illusions previously. Tayomi instantly rushed after him, determined not to let his impulsive nature get the better of him. She unsheathed Inazuma Kaze and released it, trying to avoid looking at Aizen's Zanpakutou. Aizen smiled, commenting how glad he was that Tayomi had finally decided to come close to him. Her blade crashed against Aizen's, producing a defeaning sound. Hitsugaya stared at her in shock, he had never seen her resolve burn so strongly before. Tayomi drew back, holding Hitsugaya's hand and scolding him for being impulsive. Aizen watched the two of them bicker for a short while, before sighing and using Shunpo to strike at them. Tayomi instantly reacted by blocking his Zanpakutou's blade.

"A girl worthy enough to have a place in my heart indeed…" Aizen smiled.

"Shut up, Aizen…" Tayomi shouted back at him. "Stop acting so high and mighty. The Hougyoku has been plucked out from your chest and your extra powers with it. You're back to square one, with your normal powers before you defected. Taiho Kin!"

The spears of light glowed, as it appeared in the form of spiritual fabric and flew towards Aizen. The fabric wound itself round Aizen's body, tying him up and creating a devastating explosion. The impact of the explosion was so great that even Tayomi had to back away from Aizen once she fused the two Kidou spells and used it against him. She covered her eyes and waited for the smoke to disappear, before looking up. To her utmost shock, she realised that Aizen had escaped her spell, for some unknown reason. Damn it! Nodding at Hitsugaya, they both released their Bankai and so did Renji and Ichigo. Even though they were furiously trying to avoid destroying the area, they had to cast aside that thought for now. Their top priority was defeating Aizen and destroying him, or at least, injuring him to the best of their abilities. The last time Aizen entered Karakura Town, he had taken several innocent lives. None of them were about to let history repeat itself again. This time, there would be no deaths, except for Aizen's.

Aizen smirked and stepped back, as Ichimaru hopped over in front of him. Aizen whispered something into his ear and Ichimaru's grin widened. Aizen walked to the corner of the alley, as he allowed Ichimaru to stand in for him and do all the fighting. Matsumoto's heart was bleeding by now. Why? Why have you become like that? She ran towards Ichimaru, with Haineko in her grasp and attempted to stab him, just like how he stabbed her before. Ichimaru simply dodged her attack and headed for Tayomi and Hitsugaya, releasing his Zanpakutou. Tayomi and Hitsugaya deactivated their Bankai and activated their Shikai, rushing towards Ichimaru with their Zanpakutous in hand and striking at him. Ichimaru blocked both of their blades abruptly, with his wide grin still wiped all over his face. Tayomi pushed her blade against Ichimaru's with all her strength, as Ichimaru grinned happily at her.

"Hey, don't cha think it's sorta unfair if you both take me on at the same time?" Ichimaru teased. "Show some love for ya fellow prodigy, can't ya?"

"No, I won't show any for you!" Tayomi shook her head stubbornly.

"Oh my, Tayomi-chan's losin' her cool!" Ichimaru laughed. "Hitsugaya-kun, ya might wanna cool her down… And it's still pretty unfair to fight me, two against one!"

"Fine." Hitsugaya replied coldly. "Tayomi, stand back."

"But…" Tayomi protested.

"JUST STAND BACK!" He shouted at her. "I'm not going to let you risk your life again! I don't care what happens to me, but I can't let anything happen to you!"

Tayomi stood back meekly, stunned by Hitsugaya's actions. That was the first time he had shouted at her so fiercely, but she knew that he did so out of love. She knew that he was too afraid to lose her again, after her disappearance. But she knew that she could not lose him as well. Taking a deep breath, she decided to believe in him and his abilities, letting him fight Ichimaru alone. Ichimaru grinned and let Hitsugaya run towards him. Tayomi watched the fight ensue, as her heart beat rapidly. She knew that he was definitely stronger than Ichimaru, but Ichimaru was clever and sly enough to outsmart him. Ichimaru released his Shikai, as his blade extended in length at a high speed. Hitsugaya avoided it abruptly and slashed Ichimaru's arm. Tayomi turned to her right and looked at Matsumoto, whose eyes were wide open in shock. She felt furious right now, how could Ichimaru be so… Irresponsible? It hurt her to see her friend in such pain over a jerk. Tayomi clenched her fists, tempted to join the fight. But she knew that she had to respect Hitsugaya's wishes and remained rooted in her position, as the two fought. She was well-aware that he was blinded by his own rage now and hoped he would be careful. Hitsugaya froze Ichimaru's arm and pushed him aside, heading straight for Aizen.

Aizen smiled, as Hitsugaya rushed towards him, his face full of anger. He released his Bankai, his blade full of hate. It was Aizen's fault. It was because of Aizen, his childhood friend was hurt, Soul Society was thrown into chaos and he had been separated from the girl he loved the most for decades. Hitsugaya raised his blade and struck against the air. Just then, he realised that he had been tricked, as Aizen disappeared into thin air. It was Kyoka Suigetsu. He had been fooled by illusions and deceptions again. He felt a hand grab him by the neck, fully aware that it was Aizen who had grabbed him. Aizen slashed at his ice wings and Tayomi watched in horror as blood spattered against the wall and across the floor. Blood poured from his wounds, causing Aizen to smile.

"Give it up, Tayomi-chan… Drop your Zanpakutou." Aizen smiled. "You can choose to come with me, or to watch Hitsugaya-kun die…"

Tayomi's heart was in turmoil. Hitsugaya was in Aizen's hands. Ichimaru's blade was pointed at her neck. Aizen wanted her to give up. But she knew she could not. As the Captain of the 5th Division, a Captain of the Gotei 13, she simply could not stand down and let her comrades suffer the wrath of such a villain. But then again, if she did not stand down, it would come at the cost of Hitsugaya's life. It would come at the cost of losing the boy whom she had been fighting to see all these years. The situation looked bleak. I guess I really have to do it, then…

"Fine." She replied bluntly.

Aizen grinned and the others gasped in shock. Hitsugaya, trying to bear with his injuries, screamed at Tayomi, asking her what she was doing.

"Any last words, Tayomi-chan?" Ichimaru asked.

"Yeah." Tayomi turned to Hitsugaya. "Susu-chan, if there is water around, you can regenerate your Bankai, right?"

Hitsugaya nodded slowly, still stunned by her sudden question. What is she doing?

"Alright, that's all I need to know." Tayomi closed her eyes and nodded, dropping her blade onto the ground. Aizen and Ichimaru grinned.

Tayomi suddenly opened her eyes. The colours of her eyes were no longer purplish-blue, but were now a dark shade of navy blue. It was absolutely frightening, as everyone was confused about what was going on, including Aizen and Ichimaru.

"Oborejinu, Inazuma Kaze*."

TRANSLATION:
*Oborejinu, Inazuma Kaze: Drown, Inazuma Kaze

Author's Note:
No, it wasn't a mistake! Tayomi DID give a second command to her Zanpakutou! :D Her Zanpakutou is drowning...
Next chapter, we shall find out exactly what is going on! What does this second form of Inazuma Kaze do? How does it work? Why hasn't Tayomi used it through the whole story and waited for 61 chapters to use it? XD Stay tuned to find out!
I'm gonna start studying for my exams tomorrow, so the chapters won't be out as quick as it usually is T.T But I'll definitely update when I can! Hence the reason for 2 uploads in one day :D I bet you're going to hate the way I left such a big cliffhanger there XD
Hope you all liked this chapter! Please review! Thanks ^.^