CHAPTER 64: MUCH TOO LATE

"Oh? Another switch?" Viqueirra muttered to himself.

Before him stood Ichigo, who was clearly fatigued from his previous battles. The final face-off between Aizen and the Gotei 13 had begun, with Aizen deciding the rules of the battle. Ichigo grumbled, having been switched out so quickly while he was in the midst of a battle with Aizen. Yet, there wasn't time to ponder about who was the unlucky one facing Aizen now. Seeing Viquierra in front of him reminded him of the time he fought Ulquiorra, and the struggles he faced just to defeat him. In his moment of thought, Viquierra took advantage of the opportunity to strike, rushing up to Ichigo with his green lance aimed straight for his forehead. A deafening crash was heard as Ichigo raised his zanpakutou in retaliation.

"Distracted?"

"Only for that while," Ichigo replied. "You won't have another chance."

"Or will I?"

"Ah… It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Tayomi bit her lip and gripped the hilt of her zanpakutou, trying to restrain her anger as she came face to face with the very man who had attempted to assassinate her. Just looking at the sinister, devious grin on his face made her want to puke. Tayomi stood her ground, unflinching, even as he approached her slowly, step by step. He reached out to place his hand on her head, only for her to turn away from him and unsheathe her zanpakutou, pointing it at his chest.

"I'm not going to fall for any of your tricks, Aizen."

"What tricks are you talking about, Tayomi-chan? Do I look like one who would cheat?"

"That's a stupid question. You fooled the whole of Soul Society. Why don't you tell me if you're one who cheats others with your so-called kindness?" Tayomi snapped.

"Now, why would you say that, Tayomi-chan?" Aizen grinned devilishly.

"Drop the act, Aizen!" She shouted. "We both know you wanted me dead long ago!"

Suddenly, the arena fell silent. Aizen chuckled, before breaking out into hysterical laughter, leaving Tayomi confused.

"Seems like you've inherited a bit of a temper from Hitsugaya-kun, huh?" He teased. "I guess being together with him for too long has caused you to pick up his little weaknesses."

Aizen's fingers slowly wound around the hilt of his zanpakutou, keeping Tayomi on an even higher alert.

"What a disappointment, Tayomi-chan."

"Same to you, Aizen…" Tayomi huffed. "Not exactly the most invincible man you once were, after losing the Hougokyu?"

Tayomi raised her eyebrows as her eyes followed the trails of blood tricking down the side of Aizen's face. It wasn't hard to guess that Ichigo was the one who had inflicted those wounds, since most of the Captains were deemed ineffective against Aizen and the hypnosis from Kyoka Suigetsu. Aizen used the back of his hand to wipe the blood away, before slowly taking his zanpakutou out. Upon seeing that, Tayomi quickly took her pink ribbon and tied it around her eyes, having no intention of taking a single look at his zanpakutou.

"Really, Tayomi-chan? You want to blindfold yourself in a fight against me?" Aileen snickered.

"I'd rather just lose one of my senses than all of them."

Releasing her Shikai, Tayomi lunged forward towards him and attempted to strike him, only for his blade to block hers. She could feel herself trembling, both with fear and anger. Fear, because there was so much riding on this battle and she could not afford to lose. And anger, from the past events that had taken place and the stability he had destroyed in Soul Society and the Gotei 13.

"What..?"

Hitsugaya turned his head around wildly, realising that another switch had taken place and he had been removed from the arena completely. He looked around, frantically hoping that Tayomi had also been pulled out from the battle. He knew that their jobs involved danger, but he wasn't prepared to lose her any time soon. Especially since she had finally agreed and they had more or less secured their future together. The less battles she was involved in, the safer she would be.

"Taicho, Tayomi-chan is in there, isn't she?"

He turned, only to be greeted by Matsumoto, followed by Hisagi.

"Yeah, I guess so. I don't see her around."

"I wonder who she's facing…"

Hitsugaya shook his head.

"Well whoever it is… I just hope it won't be that bastard Aizen."

Hisagi's face fell once he head Hitsugaya's words, thinking about what Tayomi had told him on the rooftop prior to this battle.

"I hope so too."

Hitsugaya noticed the discomfort on Hisagi's face, instantly sensing that something was wrong.

"Hisagi. Answer me this one thing."

"Oh…" Hisagi snapped out of his dazed state. "Y-y-yes, Hitsugaya Taicho?"

"What did Tayomi tell you on the rooftop that day?"

Before Hisagi could answer, a hell butterfly appeared and landed on Hitsugaya's shoulder.

"EVERYONE!" He shouted. "Activate your anti-sealing kidou now!"

Tayomi was panting, her legs shaking and completely zapped of energy. Somehow she was still standing, but she could barely feel anything in her body right now. She guessed that the arena had been well destroyed by the onslaught of attacks from both her and Aizen, mainly from her due to the destructive powers of Inazuma Arashi. She could hear Aizen gasping for breath as well, and judging by the amount of damage she had dealt to him and the number of times blood had splattered on her clothes.

"The amount of damage we've done by now… Should be sufficient…" She muttered to herself softly.

She took a deep breath.

"Everyone should have casted to kidou spell by now, right?" She smiled.

She rushed towards Aizen and grabbed him by the hand. She could feel his shock radiating from his arms, telling her that he was confused by what she was doing.

"What do you have up your sleeve… Tayomi-chan?" He questioned her.

She could feel his slender fingers grasping hers tightly and instantly, she realised how vulnerable her position was right now. She had delivered herself right into his hands. Yet, she had to do that, in order for the plan to work.

The plan to save Soul Society.

Before Aizen could do anything, Tayomi grabbed his other hand firmly, with both disgust and resignation welling up within her. She was grossed out by having to even have some form of physical contact with him. However, it was necessary for the plan to succeed.

"I can't believe the last hand I'll ever hold has to be yours," she thought.

Gritting her teeth and trying to hold back her own tears, she firmed up her resolve and spoke.

"Eien no shiru*."

*Eien no shiru: eternal seal

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

It's been such a long time since I updated this story omg T.T I'm sorry the update took so long, but my semester is finally coming to an end and I hope I'll be able to provide a conclusion to this extremely long story soon! I feel like I've dragged out some parts way too much throughout this story, but I want to leave the other chapters as they are.

This is a relatively short chapter because I don't want to drag it too much, I feel like I've kept the suspense behind Tayomi's secret for far too long. It's time to put an end to Aizen and fully explain what she's been hiding!

Next chapter will finally mark the end of this long battle, but it'll also reveal the casualties that are left behind.

For those who have been reading, I apologise to have kept you waiting for a conclusion for so long :( I've planned the end of this story from the start and I have every intention to finish it as quickly as I can!

Thank you for reading and do stay tuned for the next chapter :) Do leave any feedback if you'd like to! I will try to upload the next chapter as soon as possible :)