Just A Soul Chapter 54: Double Down, a bleach fanfic

Dark brown eyes shot open.

Her body jolted and she forced herself to look around.

It was silent.

"Damn it."

Katsuko hauled her body back on its feet and took a good look around. From where she stood, she could see Yoruichi and Urahara laid out unconscious. However, she couldn't find Ichigo's father anywhere. It was odd. She was sure that the blast attack that Aizen unleashed upon them rendered them all into instant defeat.

The reality was that no matter how hard they fought against Aizen, all that awaited them was instant defeat, just like the Captains.

Katsuko aimlessly walked around. She was near a street with several barely standing buildings.

Ichigo and his father were gone.

She heard noise on her left.

Aizen and Gin were gone too.

Their spiritual pressures could not be sensed anymore.

Shisugu had also gone mute.

"Where did you go?" Katsuko mumbled. Her scythe made noise when she accidentally dragged it across the rubble as she walked around aimlessly. With nothing but silence surrounding her, her mind was reflecting everything that happened since her arrival in the fake town.

It made her stare up at the sky when she couldn't help but feel uneasy. Her thoughts and feelings were all over the place and it was hard to pinpoint how she felt now.

At that moment, she felt so detached…

"What… was I doing again?"

Why am I alone here?

Two questions instantly plagued her mind. Only one of the two made her freeze in place and her head bowed down to stare at the rubble at her feet. Her eyes were wide and she didn't utter a word when a feeling of confusion and perhaps fear seized her body.

What?

Noise.

Katsuko gasped and looked around.

It was getting closer. It sounded like a person.

Instinctively, she held up her weapon.

The individual making the only audible noise was revealed. It was a Soul Reaper with shoulder length blonde hair which noticeably covered his left eye much like her hair. He was barely standing. His blue eyes widened upon seeing her form.

Who is this?

Ah.

Wasn't this the person foaming at the mouth back in the Soul Society when Ichigo and Inoue searched around for Rukia?

"Hiragi Katsuko— urk!"

Seeing him double over just as he identified her before collapsing to the ground made her feet move. Despite her body having suffered a recent decisive blow, she still found it in her to make it to him. When she was near, she set down her Zanpakuto and placed a hand on his shoulder while trying to find where he was hurt. She saw how his back suffered a blow much like when Hisagi was struck, he had been cut down and was sustaining more injuries by moving around.

Kira blinked when he felt some of his wounds begin to close. He lifted his head and found Katsuko touching his shoulder while hovering another hand above his back to somehow heal the wound. Her face looked concentrated in fixing him up.

But it would take too much time.

Fortunately, he was healed enough to push himself up on his knees without collapsing. He could bear the pain easier. She essentially performed an emergency first aid on him. He wasn't going to question this healing ability.

"Wait, don't move just yet. I want to get rid of that!" Katsuko tried pushing him back down with his shoulder.

He held her wrist and took it off him. "Please, do not concern yourself with me." Kira pleaded. "Thank you but I'm not a priority here."

Accepting his reluctance and his reasoning, she drew away from him and asked about Aizen's whereabouts. And to her shock, she learned that he went through a Senkaimon to go to the World of the Living. But her panic didn't surge too high when she learned that Ichigo and an unknown Soul Reaper chased after them not long after.

Now, she was mostly curious about what they had in mind to try and take down that walking… whatever he was now.

A shadow crossed her face.

A walking stranger… someone far beyond reach.

"Please!" Katsuko blinked when she found Kira bowing his head. "Matsumoto-san, you know her from the advance team deployed to Karakura Town before the war, has gone after them as well, most likely to chase after Captain Ichimaru… you have to stop her."

Matsumoto went after Aizen?

The confusion was written all over her face. She didn't even see Matsumoto during her first clash with Aizen in this fake town. She might have sensed her a little but… barely.

And that would mean she suffered a great injury that dropped the level of her spiritual pressure.

"Why would she go after them?"

"She has a history with Captain Ichimaru… but in her current condition she would most certainly die if she goes after them. She hasn't fully recovered from her fatal injury because I was only able to heal her enough to barely stay alive." His head rose to look her in the eyes. "Please, go after her and stop her."

If he could, Kira would have gone himself but he was clearly in no good shape to do any saving. And to chase after his friend meant to stand in front of the enemy that might kill her. Even worse, she might just die on the way there.

The concern she felt for the woman who had been nothing but amicable with her was evident. She could feel it. But in this quiet, fake town, something else was evident inside of her.

Her lips parted but no sound escaped as she kept her gaze on Kira, but she closed her mouth and bowed her head. Despite how frustrating it was, even if it was just for another second she would take this chance to cross over. Her soul felt compelled to go there. She wanted to go there but at the same time she didn't want to. She wanted to chase but at the same time she wanted to stay put.

Both sides pulled her when she simply wanted to look ahead and see what she wanted to see on her own.

Which one is it…?

"Okay. I'll go."

Kira felt hope for Matsumoto. He was so grateful to Katsuko who was willing to go save her.

Katsuko lifted her head solemnly. It made Kira feel as if maybe he was asking too much of her when he began to feel some guilt upon seeing the conflict in her eyes. But her eyes slid away when she pushed herself up on her knees to get back up once more, hiding the windows to her soul from him. Her hand was holding his arm to help him up on his feet which he accepted.

Kira jumped in surprise when she seamlessly closed the distance to use the same hand to wrap around his back and heal more of his wounds.

"Then… I'll ask just one thing from you. Please help that Lieutenant that Aizen hurt with his illusions. I really tried to save her."

Despite having taken the initiative to try and save her, she failed her. At that time, she really wanted to protect her from Aizen's illusions. She wanted to make good use of her good eyes and senses to help her. It felt like she was at fault when she thought back to that moment and pictured numerous ways to possibly save her from the manipulation.

"You mean… Hinamori-kun?"

"If that's her name." Katsuko smiled sadly, drawing her hand away from Kira when she felt that she gave him a better condition to move around in. Kira's eyes softened when he could see the genuine concern and guilt radiating off the Human Soul Reaper for inability to save her.

If that was all she asked for in exchange for accepting his request then Kira would no doubt accept. He wanted to. And with his wounds better healed thanks to her, he could go over and stabilize Hinamori's condition.

"Leave it to me."

"Thank you."

Kira took out his Zanpakuto and stepped in front of her.

"Now, we need a Senkaimon."

…

The Dangai was dark, it was always dark.

However, for some reason, Katsuko felt like the Dangai felt much darker. With every step, her body felt a familiar sensation that was akin to walking aimlessly in the dark. How irritatingly familiar.

It's weird… I almost feel like I'm…

The longer she walked in this darkness, the more she remembered standing in that darkness where she fought the faceless thing and constantly wrestled for control over herself. The desperation, frustration, and the despair that was the blood in her veins.

Her feet continued moving without stopping. Her Zanpakuto soundlessly swung back and forth at her side.

Despite Kira's plea to save Matsumoto, she wasn't running to the other end of the Senkaimon. She didn't run like she usually did in this accursed Dangai. She walked. And she could tell herself that she was doing this because she was overly cautious but she knew she'd be lying to herself. Lying would be pointless. It wouldn't muffle the uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

What would happen once I cross over and get there?

And as she got closer, her eyes that already adjusted to the darkness were beginning to see figures in the dark. Then she focused and realized that there were two familiar individuals there. Her lost in thoughts managed to block out one of her important senses as a Soul Reaper.

Instinctively, she lifted her hand and created bright light from the tip of her fingers. Instantly, the Dangai saw light and she saw Ichigo and his father. She didn't react to Isshin's gaze on her because her eyes were attracted to the light coming from her hands.

"Oh. Katsuko."

She almost wanted to turn it off.

Isshin saw the way her face fell and looked conflicted upon seeing the Kido she did. She closed her eyes briefly to take a deep breath and then looked at Isshin. He could almost see the way she strangled whatever she felt and stepped over it to keep looking ahead.

"What's happening here?"

Ichigo looked like he was meditating with his Zanpakuto on his knees. He didn't acknowledge that she was there so she figured he was lost in whatever trance he was in. As for his father, he was standing near him with his wrists attached to ropes that stretched to both sides of the Restrictive Current walls.

Apparently, Ichigo was in his Inner World with the goal of trying to extract the secret of something called Final Getsuga Tenshou from his Zanpakuto.

"Is there really time for that? Aizen already went on ahead to Karakura." Katsuko frowned.

"Simply put," Isshin pointed his chin at the walls of the Dangai which she just noticed hadn't moved at all since she came in. "I've stopped the Restrictive Current and given Ichigo at least three months to accomplish this."

Katsuko squinted her eyes in confusion.

"What."

"Two thousand hours is equivalent to one hour on the outside. And with the Cleaner somehow gone, Ichigo can use this time to get the strength he needs to fight Aizen."

Oh… is that so?

"Can he really?" Katsuko stared at Ichigo's form. She noted how a cut on his left arm appeared. Zangetsu was probably not giving him the information so easily.

"I'm sure you felt it too when Aizen came out looking like a space alien." Isshin prodded her memory. "I couldn't feel anything coming from him, not a trace of spiritual pressure." Her face twitched when she recalled that non-existence. "But Ichigo can. That means he's at least closer than any of us to Aizen's level. He just needs time to get there."

"Time… huh?" Katsuko echoed slowly. "Kurosaki-sensei… Will Karakura Town be safe within the one hour Ichigo will spend here? Sousuke–" she clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Aizen has spent less time turning into that thing and even less to take down a number of people against him."

There was probably fifty minutes left with how much time passed so far.

But that was still a lot of time. So much could happen within five minutes. What's one hour at his disposal going to do to Karakura Town?

Honestly, it was a stretch to believe Ichigo could make it there in time while Aizen had a free hour to roam. Hopefully, he could make it in less but there was no guarantee that he could. Isshin was well aware of how stubborn his sword was going to be for this Final Getsuga Tenshou. The only thing left now was to have faith and believe.

"I don't know." Isshin admitted with a sigh. There was no way to tell what he'd do next. He might even be making the Ouken as they speak.

Yeah… I figured.

"Then all the more reason why I can't stay here. I'm going there only because someone named Matsumoto went on ahead when she's seriously injured. The Lieutenant who opened the way for me said she was chasing after Gin. I want to save her."

Isshin expressed surprise. "Are you serious?" He looked over his shoulder to the other end of the Dangai. He never saw her the entire time he'd been here. She must have gone ahead before them. How reckless!

How noble. Her mind mocked, freezing her in spot when she began striding past Ichigo.

"But… I realize that I might not be completely honest about that." She admitted with a chuckle. Isshin looked at Katsuko to find her staring at her lit hand with a conflicted look. "I trust Ichigo, no doubt I do. But I don't want to sit and brush my hands off the problem to leave it all to him. Blind faith isn't always good. You two have your own roles to play. So, what can my small life do in this case? I won't leave it to chance that Aizen won't hurt anyone within one hour. I won't be passive, especially now. I have to do something."

Isshin understood where she was coming from. In here, they were literally in the dark with no guarantees.

That's all good but what else?

Her head bowed.

There's more isn't there?

Why shy away at it?

Is there any point in lying to yourself if you'll fall anyway?

Isshin saw her raise her head enough to look at him but she avoided his eyes as if she was ashamed of the words she'd speak.

Katsuko chuckled hollowly and clenched her lit hand tightly, dimming their surroundings. "And… but at the same time… I have this urge… this feeling of wanting to be close to Sousuke. I want to keep chasing after him… I want to be there." There was no correction in the name. But she knew damn well she wasn't close to the man. "It's almost scary. All this time, I've never feared him when I had every reason to and… I can't hate him or dislike him even after he led me down a path of destruction." She dipped her head and pressed her fist against her chin when she clenched her eyes shut. "He's right about not being able to escape Shisugu's shadow. He's not even 'awake' right now and I'm feeling like this. Because I am him. Ever since I started getting close to the truth, I've always seen and felt things that didn't belong to me. When I see Aizen looking like that, I feel like I'm losing a part of me."

Part of what made her today. The past.

She thumped her fist against her chin as she gritted her teeth.

Maybe she wasn't as genuine as she thought about Matsumoto…

The body belonged to Hiragi Katsuko.

But the soul wasn't just hers anymore.

What were her true intentions?

The longer she fought this battle against Aizen, the more her doubts from deep down became clearer. She might have been saved from the chaos that was Noctter but the fact that she was someone else at the same time wouldn't change.

He was still there.

Even if he didn't express any desire to take her soul for himself…

He was still there, just like a twin that could possibly absorb its other half without meaning to.

If she blinked now, would she still be Hiragi Katsuko?

"Kurosaki-sensei…" Katsuko lifted her head enough to look at the man who was listening to her inner conflict freely overflowing. Her weakness, her fear was exposed. "Tell me, who do you see right now? Do you recognize me?"

Because right now… she wasn't sure if was able to.

Because I'm scared of becoming someone else again for the sake of this war.

Her soul could never despise Aizen Sousuke.

However, perhaps she didn't realize that her soul had no qualms about wanting to hurt him. Isshin knew that was the sole reason why her doubts were valid yet unnecessary. It was the one flaw, the contradicting variable between the two identities, the proof of choice and individuality.

And while Isshin couldn't possibly understand the depth of her circumstance without all the details, he could see the obvious insecurity that was clouding what she was supposed to see.

It was clear how much a certain trauma affected her mental.

She knew her Zanpakuto spoke truth about her not getting lost in the depths of her own soul due to self-awareness. But if she willingly pushed too far, would she still remain as herself or would she absorb her twin and come out as someone else? What would the reverse do?

Fear and self-doubt for self-sabotage.

"Has your mother ever told you how I became your pediatrician?"

Huh?

"... A few times?" Where was he going with this?

"The day you were born, I was the pediatrician on duty for the maternity ward in the hospital. Your mother didn't have a pediatrician for you yet so I offered to be yours. During your first hours, I watched over you closely because—"

"Because my mom came in with a fever." She dropped her fist and looked at him properly.

Isshin smiled slightly. "Not a dangerous one but a fever nonetheless. Yours needed to be monitored since you were a newborn, a fragile human already facing one of the worst. And to my surprise, you recovered quickly. I remember thinking to myself, 'What a strong, little girl. How fitting for a beautiful yet strong sounding name'."

His words made her eyes soften and her heart, somehow, felt somewhat soothed. She couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Speaking of something that was hers was like chasing away the shadows of the past to gently replace them with silk, something softer and more tangible, something she could trust.

"So, if you ask me, who do I see standing in front of me right now… I see a strong girl who is capable of overcoming the worst, even if she does need help in the end. That won't change. If you're scared that Naogoma Shisugu might swallow you or if you might change so much that you might not recognize yourself then you'll have to make sure he doesn't and that you follow your own heart and throw away what you don't need, take only what you need and come out knowing you didn't regret a single thing. Your heart belongs to you and no one else." Isshin pointed his thumb to his heart. "Ask yourself: what does Hiragi Katsuko's heart want to do?"

Her eyes widened.

And just like that, there was clarity.

"... I see."

Pushing forward with what she understood was to leave behind her doubts and her fears, to weed out what was in the way and to keep everything else. Stay true to herself no matter what and never lose sight because of some phantoms of the soul.

And when everything is done, when Aizen is defeated, she could decide for herself what was hers.

She wouldn't be alone.

A sword without a firm grip indicated confusion, frustration, and weakness. But ultimately, the wielder would still need to move forward just like a blade, always pointing ahead.

Her hand opened again, brightening up the Dangai once more.

Katsuko gave him a lopsided smile, slightly embarrassed for exposing herself to the adult. "Thank you."

"So, if you plan to keep going then you need to promise me something."

"What?"

Isshin scowled and pointed his finger at her. "You need to come back for your yearly check ups, missy! No more radio silence from you, understand?!"

Stiff, Katsuko closed her eyes and her lips formed a tightline when she nodded her head. "Got it." Her eyes opened to drift away and stare at the ugly walls. I was planning to since I stopped going to that place with the doctor… But I guess that's a nice way to put it.

Her attention found its way to Ichigo who continued sitting on the floor in silence. She ended up crouching in front of him to peer at his face. A soft chuckle escaped her lips. It almost looked like he was sleeping. If she didn't know he was in his Inner World then she'd be immensely jealous. Sleep was a great way to forget things without feeling any guilt.

But alas, she was awake and willing.

"I'm placing all my bets on you."

I'll choose to believe that someone will find me again if I step and fall into the dark with no way out.

Isshin looked over his shoulder to see Katsuko running off to the end of the Dangai since there was no time to waste in the dark. The first thing she took with her was the light and hope, slowly leaving Isshin and Ichigo in the dark once more.

Thanks to Shisugu's library mind, she wouldn't die instantly.

But she wasn't invincible.

Isshin looked back at Ichigo who remained mute throughout the whole conversation.

"Come on, don't take too long. You can't let her do all the work before it's too late."

His finger twitched.

…

A girl entered the convenience store while adjusting her surgical mask on her face. She was of average height with long black hair and dark brown highlights that matched her eyes. She was dressed in blue converse, loose black candy pants, a blue t-shirt and a long gray hooded cardigan with black stripes.

A boy with short black hair looked up from his phone which made the singular black bang in the middle of his face sway. His green eyes landed on her form.

"How is it?"

The girl shook her head. "No luck."

Another boy was seated atop the clerk's counter. He frowned deeply when she entered the store.

"Oi, don't go wandering off by yourself without saying anything. It's dangerous, Aiza."

Aiza tugged the surgical mask off her face and let it rest under her chin and removed the hood off her head. "Sorry, Matsuoka-san. I was just curious about the current situation so I went to go check the end of the street."

"Jun, I'm sure Aiza-san knows to be cautious."

Jun scowled at Mizuiro's calm and collected behaviour.

Earlier, Jun awoke to find Mizuiro trying to wake him up. To his immense confusion, everything aside from the two of them was at a standstill. But he didn't panic. Instead, he felt immense irritation when he figured this was all related to the world Ichigo and Katsuko were involved in. It was so vexing to be left in the dark, especially when he was caught in the middle of it.

Not long after, they found Katsuko (Aiza) wandering around with a surgical mask on her face. She was dressed in one of Katsuko's casual attires instead of the school uniform. She had been awake this whole time. According to her, the state of the town had been going on for at least three hours. As Katsuko's substitute, she made it her duty to make sure the people Katsuko cared for were doing okay. It was quite a task with all the public transportation in complete stop, especially the trip to check on her father. Thank god for her detection of spiritual pressure.

She never tried waking anyone up out of caution to the current situation. But now that some were awake, they were to stick together no matter what.

"How is your phone Kojima-san?" Aiza approached him curiously, wondering if his battery was filling up quickly. A while ago, they entered the store and found the clerk slumped in the backroom. It looked like he was getting some stuff to restock the shelves until he passed out on the floor with his ass sticking in the air. The three silently stared awkwardly until Jun decided to slowly close the door.

They decided it was better to leave money along with a note for taking one of their chargers. They could process the payment later. Mizuiro forgot his charger at home and he couldn't get it even if he wanted since the town was completely isolated. Naruki City was gone.

"Mhm." Mizuiro smiled and held it up for her to see. "It's working but the signal's kind of wonky."

Jun watched as Mizuiro interacted with the Katsuko-imposter. He was surprised at how easy his classmate was communicating with her. The revelation about Katsuko missing and being replaced by another didn't faze him too much. According to him, this only helped him understand his suspicions since he knew Katsuko would act a little differently on certain days. How observant of him.

Ever since Ichigo declared he would save his friend and disappeared to find her, Jun and Haruki explained what they knew to Mizuiro and Keigo since Aiza couldn't keep it together and pretend to be Katsuko without worrying so much, giving the two obvious hints that she wasn't their friend.

"It must be because of the hidden war…" Aiza trailed off. "The Soul Society must have—"

"Aaah! Shut up!" Jun yelled, slapping his hands over his ears. It startled the two and their heads whipped around to see him scowling like an unhappy cat. If he could, he would have hissed at her.

"Jun?" Mizuiro tipped his head.

The youngest of the group lowered his hands when Aiza just stared at him in bewilderment. "Katsuko said she would explain this all to me. I want to keep this spoiler free because I'm going to interrogate the shit out of her!" He pointed his finger at Aiza. "So don't say anything! I want the truth from her!"

Aiza sweat dropped. "Oh… alright. But, Matsuoka-san, wouldn't it be better if you at least knew a little?"

It was also interesting how she immediately started calling them by their last names when the truth of her and Katsuko came out.

"I don't wanna hear it." Jun stubbornly looked away.

"I'd like to know more." Mizuiro turned to her when she pulled her mask back on to show that she wouldn't speak any more of it to Jun. "I feel like it's important to be up to date with our situation."

Jun clicked his tongue. "I'm about to leave you both."

"OH! Jun!"

The three turned to look at the entrance and found Haruki and a stranger with him. Upon seeing him, Jun let out a loud curse and all but leaped off the counter to hug his best friend. Haru yelped when the younger boy nearly tackled him in relief.

"Ichida-san." Aiza greeted behind her mask.

"Oh. Haru." Mizuiro's eyes slowly drifted to look at the blonde guy standing nearby. He was shuffling some cards in his hands while whistling a familiar tune.

"Ka– ah, Aiza." Haruki quickly caught himself just as Jun released him. Seeing as Aiza was logically the only person to know what was going on, he didn't hesitate to ask her for details.

But that only triggered Jun to tell her to not say anything once more.

"Why not?!"

"Katsuko said she would tell us what's going on! She owes us that!"

Haru scowled and shoved him. "I think knowing whether or not we're in danger is more important! I care more about my self preservation right now!"

Jun groaned and slapped a hand over his face. He couldn't argue against that one. Oh– but the undeniable satisfaction of having Katsuko tell him the truth herself! He wanted it so badly!

"Urrrrghhh…"

Haru scowled at him. "Geez. Get your priorities straight, you dope."

"Arhg, shut up, Haru!"

Aiza blinked at the interaction. "Hmm… they kind of feel… reversed."

Mizuiro hummed. "Yeah…"

"Wow, you guys seem very close." The stranger who arrived with Haru chuckled. He was still shuffling his cards with an easy going smile. However, he suddenly yelped when the cards exploded and fell from his hands. With a shrug, he walked past Haru and Jun to enter the store while making a quick scan of the store with his eyes.

"... Oi, Haru… who is this?" Jun whispered, eyes following his every move.

"Some dude named Koumine Ryouto that decided to follow me." Haru summarized, shrugging with his hands.

"Don't forget that you assaulted me with your bag!" He said before disappearing around the end of the isle. They heard him let out an excited laugh and started rummaging through the shelves.

"Assault?" Jun echoed, giving Haru a look of disbelief.

"... It was self-defense. Hey, why are you buying cards?! This is like the fourth deck you've dropped! Why don't you just pick them up from the floor?! They're still here!" Haru pointed his hands at the cards lying at his feet while Ryouto whistled with six new card decks in his hands.

Ryouto pouted at him. "This situation is very unnerving. I use cards to manage my stress, thank you." He also had three dies in his hand. He politely asked Aiza to step aside before leaping over the counter to start processing his own payment. He looked like he was very well acquainted with a cash register.

"He can apparently see monsters too." Haru added as they watched him do his thing. "Anyway, Aiza? Do you know what's going on?"

Aiza started playing with her hands. "To put it simply… Karakura Town is caught in a war. I don't exactly know what's happening but it seems like this is related to the war. It might have already begun."

"Wait, Katsuko and Ichigo… are they fighting in this war?" Mizuiro inquired.

"They were willing to because Karakura Town was involved."

"But Ichigo went after Katsuko." Haru spoke to himself. "Along with the others."

"And right now, from what I saw while investigating the town border, we're currently in the Soul Society because the area around looks like Rukongai…" Aiza placed a hand on her chin and frowned. It was best to not go into detail about other world.

"Rukongai?" Jun echoed.

All of a sudden, Mizuiro's phone began to ring. Everyone looked over and pretty much gathered around the boy to see who was calling. For a while, Mizuiro had been trying to contact Keigo ever since his phone came back to life but he was unable to due to the terrible signal.

"Huh… Looks like Keigo was able to get through." Jun realized. He nudged the smaller boy's arm urgently. "Hurry! Answer it before the signal dies!"

…

"Mizuiro?! You finally picked up! Holy shit, listen, you'll never believe this—"

Mizuiro's group met up with Keigo who was with Arisawa, Honsho and Ogawa. They were situated at the entrance of an alleyway. Luckily, the street they were told to meet them at wasn't too far from them.

Earlier, Keigo had already filled Arisawa in what could be possibly happening which could be related to Ichigo. That led to him opening the box about Katsuko's disappearance. Arisawa wasn't stupid. Chad, Ishida and her best friend Orihime were missing so it must be because she went missing. It made sense why those three disappeared if she thought back to when they all returned from their summer vacation. Katsuko who usually didn't talk much with Orihime was actually interacting a little more with her. And as if on cue, Mizuiro showed up and Katsuko's body was there, almost as if contradicting his story.

Keigo eyed the outlier student with them. "Who the heck are you…?"

Ryouto comically pointed at himself. "Me? You don't know?"

Mizuiro, who was sitting on the ground with Jun, lowered his phone to look at Ryouto. "That uniform you're wearing means you go to Kaisei High." Keigo whipped around in disbelief as Mizuiro began revealing his identity. He would never get over how he knew this kind of stuff.

"Ah? You know of me." Ryouto chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You know people from that school?" Keigo inquired.

"I don't. It's just that sometimes he's on the front page of that one model magazine."

Keigo fell silent.

"You're a model?! What the hell?! Wait, Mizuiro– you're into that stuff?"

Mizuiro deadpanned at his friend's insinuation. "I'm not. I just don't limit magazines to porn like you."

"Ack–! Don't expose me like that!"

Jun snickered at his reddening face. Haru gave him a look. "Dude, you gotta broaden your horizons if that's your only literature."

"You disgust me." Arisawa spat, further embarrassing him while he attempted to poorly defend himself.

"Ah, so you're famous just like me." Oh, and Dan Kanonji, the famous spirit medium, was present with them as well. He nodded at Ryouto as if he found a kindred spirit.

"Hah? Who are you?" Ryouto asked flatly, landing an imaginary arrow into the adult man's shoulder.

"Anyway, we should be asking why Keigo is holding a sword." Jun cut in to direct everyone's attention to the blade he carried in his right hand. They were side tracked by the unknown boy that the presence of a sword completely slipped their mind.

"He said he found it." Arisawa revealed.

Keigo frowned and held it up to look at it closely. "I found it on a guy a couple of blocks away. It's the same kind of sword that Ichigo carries. Well… not really. But the guy was wearing the same kind of clothes as Ichigo."

Arisawa thought back to the woman who forced her and Kanonji to run. She wore the same black robe as Ichigo too.

"Katsuko has one of those." Jun pointed out. He couldn't forget the sword sheathed in its scabbard that hung by her waist as she stood in the air while looking down at him with a sheepish look.

… Before she was taken away.

Keigo lowered his eyes at the mention of their friend's name. "Do you think… Ichigo found her?"

No one knew the answer to that.

"Ichigo swore to save Katsuko… and if he was the one to make that vow, then I would believe him." He believed him a hell of a lot than he thought he would. "Because he convinced me long ago that he wouldn't let her get hurt."

Aiza frowned behind her surgical mask. When her fingers adjusted it on her face, she noticed one of Katsuko's classmates, sitting across from Mizuiro and Jun, looking at her in confusion. It was the girl with red hair and matching red framed glasses. Her hand dropped and she tipped her head to silently ask her why she kept staring at her.

"I don't understand…" Honsho finally spoke for the first time since they gathered. "You're all talking like Hiragi-san is not here. She's standing right here, isn't she?!" Unfortunately for her, she was the only one amongst her conscious classmates that was completely out of the loop. "And how is everyone so calm about what's happening?! I know you're all hiding something from me! Tell me what's happening!"

Immediately, everyone felt an overwhelming presence at the end of the alley.

"He's here!" Arisawa exclaimed, alarmed.

Honsho didn't even have time to voice out her question fueled by panic when an explosion occurred in the narrow alleyway. Arisawa slid across the pavement and coughed a few times. When her mind recovered from the shock, she quickly called for everyone to see if they were alright. Jun and Haru were getting back up on their feet and helping up Mizuiro and Kanonji quickly while Keigo snatched the sword from the ground.

Ryouto stood on the side, staring at the sight before him.

"H-Help me!"

Arisawa whipped around and found Honsho stuck under the rubble. The explosion of the alleyway caused debris to fall around them. Honso was the unfortunate one to get stuck underneath. The red head was frantically trying to slither her way out but her body was trapped from the weight, leaving her helpless and at the mercy of the one who wanted to kill them.

And that powerful man in white was slowly walking towards her.

Aiza's eyes widened in realization. This man was Aizen Sousuke. It had to be him! But what was he doing here in Karakura Town that was transported to the Soul Society?

"Chizuru!" Arisawa ran to her while her own name echoed behind her. The red headed girl had her arm outstretched to her desperately.

However, humans in the presence of Aizen Sousuke were powerless in every sense of the word.

First came his overwhelming spiritual pressure that made her stumble. Second came his blade that pierced her side. And third was her own downfall in front of Honsho who screamed in shock when her classmate began bleeding out in front of her.

"Arisawa! You bastard–!" Keigo made a move to get to her while Aiza tried to grab his arm and restrain him only to fail when he moved too quickly. "Asano-san! Everyone, don't get close!" She shouted at everyone when she sensed them all desperate to get the two girls out of danger.

Aizen eyed the sword in Keigo's hand and smirked. "A human wielding a Zanpakuto is… laughable but not impossible."

Before another move from either sword wielders could be done, a barrage of oversized cards flew in between them and blocked Keigo's way. All the cards created a wall that blocked Keigo's sight as they kept swirling around him, and then they retreated back to its origin.

"Don't just stand there! Move!" Ryouto shouted at Keigo as he held the cards that reverted back to their normal size. On the other hand, he held two cards that had an illustration of both Arisawa and Honsho. Keigo was momentarily stunned by the sudden impossible display that Aiza had to yank him away from Aizen and pull him along with everyone that began running away down the street.

"What did you do?!" Haru freaked at Ryouto. "What are those cards you're holding?!"

"Just some regular cards, I assure you." Ryouto promised before swiveling around and letting Aiza and Keigo pass by him. He took out four cards and threw them at the man who was actively following them. The cards hit two light poles and two cars which created an explosion and debris in order to cause a smokescreen and give them more time to escape.

"That's definitely a fucking lie!" Haru yelled at him while the Kaisei student turned back around to continue running again. Ryouto ignored him and urged everyone to keep running.

"You have powers just like me?!" Don Kanonji realized.

"Shut up and run!"

"Wait, where's Ogawa?!" Keigo suddenly remembered and tried turning around to look. But Aiza slapped her hand on his back and forced him to keep running while he protested.

"I have her with me." Ryouto lifted up a card and showed it to him. Ogawa looked like she was still sleeping inside his card. This way, they wouldn't have to worry too much about carrying people while fleeing.

"Asano-san! Listen to me, don't even think about pointing that sword at Aizen!" Aiza began. "This sword does not belong to you so it won't work for you, especially not against him!"

"What do you mean? Ichigo and Katsuko both have swords, right?!"

"They have their own swords." Aiza corrected him. "That Zanpakuto you're carrying can't be used at its full potential because it's not yours. Every Zanpakuto is unique and only the wielder can use it properly!"

While Aiza was doing her best to explain in simple words, Keigo could surprisingly understand what she meant after his mind brought him back to that night when Ikkaku Madarame fought against a man in white with red hair. If Ikkaku somehow created a giant weapon from his simple sword… How the hell was Keigo supposed to do that?

"In your hand, that Zanpakuto is nothing but a sword—" Aiza gasped and fell to the ground. The sound of her body thudding against the concrete made everyone stop. Her calf was bleeding out. The imposter lifted her head and looked behind to find Aizen holding up a finger that was obviously pointed at her calf. "Byakurai." Aiza realized, hissing.

"Come on, fuck off!" Jun yelled at him while Haru and Keigo hurriedly went over to Aiza to help her up on her feet. Seeing the blood dripping down from her leg made him grimace. Never before did he ever seen this kind of gruesome injury in person.

Aizen blinked and tipped his head when he recognized Jun's face. "I see. You were the one present when Ulquiorra took Hiragi Katsuko."

Hearing this, Jun and Haru looked at Aizen sharply. Was he the one? Was he the one who ordered her capture? Was he the one who took their sister away?

Mizuiro threw a can of gas and a lighter while Ryouto summoned the cards he had been dropping on the streets the entire time to create a wall and block off the explosion from reaching them.

"We have to keep going!" He shouted right after the shockwave died.

However, Aizen suddenly appeared on the other side of the wall of cards and stared at the humans who stood in shock at his presence.

There was no way to escape him.

It was impossible.

…

She dashed out of the Senkaimon.

Her feet touched the pavement in front of the edge of town. She used this moment to look at and feel her surroundings. From the looks of it, Karakura Town was situated somewhere in the Rukongai. She could sense the spiritual pressures of Soul Reapers somewhere further away from the real Karakura Town. They were probably officers stationed around the fake town by order of the Court. Maybe.

Inside the town, however, she could feel Matsumoto and Gin's spiritual pressure. They looked like they were together…

But Katsuko's eyes narrowed sharply when she recognized the presence of her friends… and their spiritual pressures were dangerously low.

You…!

She instantly moved and flash stepped towards their location, leaping atop buildings to avoid any obstruction. The closer she got, the more she could feel them which only fueled her to move even faster.

She could see them.

People were lying on the floor.

Blood.

Jun, Haru and Aiza were on the floor. Keigo and Mizuiro were barely standing. Two other people were on their knees clutching their bleeding sides. They were all injured in some way.

And Aizen was standing there with his blade drawn.

You…

Her weapon trembled in her grasp.

How dare you!

Aizen slightly glanced over his shoulder to see Katsuko literally spinning her way down with her scythe. He got a glimpse of the anger expressed on her face, the fuel of her swing. He merely lifted his blade to counter her blade, forcing her to flip over him and swivel to a stop before her friends. Her body straightened up and she faced off against Aizen with a deadly stare that he recognized from her encounter with Yammy.

Matsumoto can wait.

Because I can't wait.

"You chased after me faster than I expected."

"... K-Katsuko!" Aiza exclaimed, suddenly feeling relief in seeing her okay. Jun, who had his cheek pressed against the pavement, slowly started pushing himself up to stare at her back. He felt the wound on his back aggravate but he just kept staring. His eyes widened gradually when he realized who was truly standing before them.

The sudden relief coursing through him made him want to hold her close and thank whoever he should.

Katsuko sucked in a breath and immediately bared her teeth as she summoned a huge gust of wind by spinning her scythe. The wind then circled around their surroundings, carving everything that wasn't caught in the eye of the storm. Haru nursed his bloody shoulder and stared at the way she gripped her weapon with oozing anger, he could somehow tell from the way her presence flared.

Keigo and Mizuiro stared at the wind that howled around them while shredding the walls of buildings and destroying the cars. It was like she didn't care about anything else.

Katsuko swung up her blade to the sky and the wind suddenly converged together above its summoner before darting down towards Aizen.

As expected, it didn't harm but only caused a crater into the ground as it mercilessly rend the concrete.

"I-It didn't do anything!" Keigo backed away. "It— ack!" He was suddenly punched in the back of his head which made him fall on the ground while the Zanpakuto was snatched from his hand.

"Gimme that, you fool!" Mizuiro looked at Keigo to find him at the feet of some man wearing the same kind of robe as Katsuko. His noticeable afro was hard to miss. Despite him shaking in front of a being that could crush him in an instant, he wasted no time in setting his mind to attacking once Katsuko gave him a slight look. It trapped the question regarding her identity in his throat and he let out a shout, the type which an animal would when it had nothing to lose.

Kurumadani held up his sword and placed his palm on his blade. "Good morning! Tsuchinamazu!"

Katsuko stepped back and flipped her scythe onto her shoulder. "Let's try and to rend him one more time, Arashihoro!"

Tsuchinamazu took the form of a wind and fire wheel type of weapon before he slammed it down into the concrete, causing the ground to fissure and rumble hard enough as his creating his own earthquake. The giant fragments rose from the ground and were directed at Aizen, slamming into him to create a type of coffin. As soon as he was trapped, Arashihoro was slammed into the ground as well, blade pointed at the skies, which dropped a powerful ray of lightning that thundered loudly upon contact.

Keigo and others reflexively covered their ears after the sound shook the earth.

Katsuko whipped around and looked at everyone. "Anyone who's injured, don't move!" She ordered before lifting hand and immediately enveloping them in green light. The urgency to heal everyone quickly before Aizen was free must have accelerated her time reversal because she knew she was pumping more power into it. Ryouto, who realized what she was doing, released Arisawa and Honsho from their card imprisonment so that they could heal whatever injury they had. Judging from their expressions, they were aware of everything that happened thus far.

"Katsuko! What's going on?!" Haruki suddenly blurted when his shoulder was healed. "Are you okay?!" Arisawa stared at her side in disbelief as the blood vanished and the pain receded.

"No time to explain."

Everyone flinched when the rubble was pushed away from Aizen's path. He was moving again. The wielder of Arashihoro clicked her tongue in annoyance and stood back up on her feet. Kurumadani wasted no time in bolting away, shouting over his shoulder that the monster was all hers.

"Whaaat?" Keigo gaped. "You're gonna let the girl do all the fighting?!"

"Follow his example and get going. No looking back no matter what." Katsuko helped Jun up on his feet before turning around to face off against Aizen once more, not giving them a chance to ask anything at all when they had so many questions.

However, a hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to look back questioningly. Her eyes softened for a brief moment when she saw Jun behind her with worry and relief on his face.

Then her eyes stared back with silent resolve.

She wondered if he would hold her back again.

Would he tell her to stop fighting and go along with them instead to increase her chances of not getting hurt?

Would he tell her to give up?

Would he insist on her not protecting them?

He was powerless in the face of this world she was acquainted with. It was like she said, even if he knew there was nothing he could do. And then there were people who did know about the world she was in, involved in the same one, who told him that she wasn't as weak as she appeared to be.

When did she grow stronger without him knowing?

Was she really?

He didn't know.

But…

He squeezed her wrist.

"Just be careful, please."

He would believe in her this time without any proof.

"But that guy is too strong! You can feel it can't you?!" Haruki panicked, slowly inching away as Aizen got closer. He didn't like staying here but surely his friend knew that this guy was a problem. Or did her becoming a monster slayer give her the ability to be just as dangerous?

Keigo and Mizuiro watched as she smiled reassuringly to them all. She didn't often smile like this, especially with such confidence.

"I won't die. Now, please, go." She pleaded.

The way she stood and smiled didn't give off the vibe of someone who was going to sacrifice themself. There was a resolve to do something. And in face of that resolve with a creeping menace getting closer to them, like Jun, they all trusted her and began fleeing once more, leaving the two with each other.

When their backs were turned, Katsuko's eyes became half lidded when Aizen's footsteps got closer.

"To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

The girl turned and shrugged nonchalantly. "Just me. Regular Hiragi Katsuko."

Aizen seemed amused. "It seems Shisugu refuses to poke his head out anymore. But, in a sense, he has never left since you stand before me once again."

Ever since Aizen gave Shisugu a reality check, he didn't surface anymore. It forced Katsuko to fight on her own and use the new abilities she had the best way she could.

"I'll admit… you're right about me not being able to escape his shadow. I can't dismiss how he… how I feel towards you. I can't forget, friend." She said the word sharply and almost mockingly. "The longer this war goes on the more I get closer to him. It's annoying and confusing. But even so," She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Even so…

Even if it's you…

If you touch my illusion of happiness…

She suddenly pointed her finger at him and yelled angrily, "But if you touch what's mine I won't stand idle!"

Aizen smirked and lifted his palm out to her. "Very well, then I shall begin with you instead, Hiragi Katsuko. I will have another use for you before Kurosaki Ichigo arrives. I was going to kill his friends and show it to him but I have changed my mind. The person who he fought so hard to save, and his friends from the town he wants to protect, I will end them all and give him hatred to perfect the new power he will bring with him."

Katsuko smirked darkly. "Ichigo doesn't need hatred to beat you. And I won't let you give him hatred because I will not die first. They will not die either because I will make sure of it. You can try to kill me… but don't think it'll be as easy as eighteen years ago!"

"What familiar confidence." He chortled.

Alright.

Katsuko dragged her foot back and reeled back to drag the blade backwards and point the end at Aizen. She shifted her foot slightly and then darted like a ray of lightning, leaving behind a burst of wind that shook nearby tree leaves.

…

Even though Katsuko told them not to look back, the sudden crash behind them which echoed loudly only made them disobey. There was a giant cloud of smoke where Aizen and Katsuko were. Haru's eyes fixed on his friend who leaped backwards out of the cloud of smoke with her weapon. Standing in the sky, she looked around carefully and quickly guarded against Aizen who seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of her. Even though she blocked him, his powerful stroke knocked her weapon away from her center and he landed a perfect slash across her body.

"Katsuko!" Keigo shouted, worried. Honsho slapped her hands over her mouth.

The female Soul Reaper groaned at the impact and nearly tilted backwards to fall. But her body stopped and she regained vigor, immediately slashing after him relentlessly. Wind roared loudly and lightning flashed, proof of Katsuko's vitality which went against such a fatal blow.

Aiza stared at everyone who worriedly watched the aerial fight. "We can't stay here. We need to move."

Jun forced himself to tear his gaze away when Hirako's voice echoed in his brain, cementing his feet to his spot.

Haru gritted his teeth and kept running away, inciting everyone to do the same.

"Katsuko is a smart girl. She knew what she was doin'. And she isn't as weak as you think she is."

…

She didn't hold back anything at all.

All her moves were not wasted and she pulled out every stop to 'defeat' him.

She was glad he intended to kill her first. Her friends would have died very fast.

And even though she knowingly signed up for this kind of pain months ago…

It was still hell.

If she wasn't Shisugu's reincarnation, without his unique Kido, she might have fallen so fast.

But she won't fall, especially when her friends were in danger. Facing off against the threat of her peaceful life to preserve it… she never thought her of all people would do it.

Every decisive blow he landed on her was repaired, reversed, to have her keep on fighting. There were times when she fell but she still got back up and attacked him. He'd note how concentrated she was despite her futile attempts to defeat him.

This was what people would refer to as being lost in a flow, ignorant of time and space in exchange for focusing on one particular goal.

Even if that goal brought suffering and blood.

Aizen knocked her back a few feet with his sword but she was able to block it with her weapon. The shockwave of his stroke pushed her far but she shifted on her feet to stab the concrete and stop her movements. She didn't want to stray too far from him.

She lifted her weapon and darted towards him just as he lifted his hand and conjured up some type of black energy in his palm.

"Kurohitsugi."

Katsuko staggered to a stop when her surroundings had a black square outlining the concrete around where she was situated. She grimaced when she saw it shoot up and began to block her sight while Aizen stood on the outside, watching her calmly. She met his eyes one last time just before she was completely enveloped in the darkness of his giant black coffin.

Katsuko's gasp was caught in her throat, suffocated when she felt unbearable pain. Numerous lacerations appeared all over her body and it made her body trip nearly fall back. Some were not as deep but they all still carved into her body nonetheless. Her weapon almost slipped out of her hands just as a pained sound finally escaped her. Funny how pain made her almost soundless rather than loud. The way the cuts came at her out of nowhere and set her pain receptors on fire was reminiscent of the pain she experienced when Chisaki undid her seals in the Soul Society.

In this darkness, she would surely die.

She was dying.

There was no reprieve here.

There wasn't enough time to reverse when the invisible slashes relentlessly attacked her.

But in the dark, her eyes never lost the light of her resolve.

Don't give in!

Don't falter!

"Haah…" She breathed.

…

In her Inner World, Katsuko stared at Shisugu's back.

The gentle breeze of her world that rustled their clothes and the ripples that came with each step she took to stand a few feet away from him resounded in the calm silence.

Katsuko's dark brown eyes eyed him almost in a melancholic manner.

Shisugu remained still, unaware of the hand reaching out to his back.

…

Her hand tightly gripped her scythe and she stomped on the ground to keep herself steady against the assault, doing her best to numb herself so that she could pour all of her focus into reversing time on her body.

The flashes of light inside the darkness highlighted her blood spurting out and splattering against the concrete. Sometimes she couldn't see when her eyes were taken out.

But she didn't stop mending the wounds.

With a cry, she threw her head back and then clenched her teeth.

…

Around blue light, a pair of hands came out of the shadows and gently approached it while gradually curving as if to cup it.

The blue light was flickering around wildly in its agitated state as if fearing its destruction.

But the hands kept coming closer as if to shield it from a harsh wind that would take it out.

…

When the black coffin disappeared, Katsuko straightened up and took a step back with gasping breaths. Her eyes took in the bright blue sky that attacked her retinas.

She could barely hear her foot splash in her own blood from how she panted. Her body was still dripping a little since she wasn't finished.

Her eyes narrowed when she noticed Aizen missing. When her mind wondered about his whereabouts, his sword ran through her chest from behind. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance.

After it was ruthlessly pulled out of her, she took this as a chance to back away, spinning on her heel to face him.

But Aizen seamlessly pierced her throat immediately after.

Honestly, how many times was she going to get stabbed there?

Aizen was… surprised. He thought for sure she'd be lying on the ground like most caught in that Kido.

But Katsuko was not like most. He knew that.

Her eyes widened and she croaked in shock. Oh. But… this was good. Glaring at him, Katsuko grabbed his sword with her bare hand and removed it from her neck without flinching as she immediately pointed the tip of her scythe at his body.

Bakuhou!

The sudden explosion that triggered between them helped Katsuko put some distance since the shockwave helped her back away. Her feet skidded across the concrete when she stopped herself all while healing herself hastily. Her mouth spat out the blood she tasted.

Of course, it wouldn't be that easy though. Aizen flash stepped near her and started swinging at her. She was prepared for that. Like usual, she repositioned her scythe repeatedly to block his strokes while she remained at a safe distance thanks to the length of her weapon.

Was it really called blocking when she could barely maintain her stance and recover?

After using flash step to appear behind him, she reeled back and flipped her weapon around to have it come up from underneath. With a cry, she slammed it into Aizen. He easily blocked it. The attack was infused with wind and lightning which only seemed to rebound off his blade and destroy the building nearby loudly.

It was a powerful attack… more than what she was familiar with outputting.

She pulled back her weapon and unleashed the attack once more, this time destroying the ground on which they stood when it had no effect on him. Aizen's eyes eyed the sparking light around her blade thoughtfully.

Rapid slashes to her body made her stagger back, allowing Aizen to shift his sword's angle and launch her into a few buildings, spooking the human group when they realized how close that sound was. His blade followed after her and she could feel herself dying again when his blade pierced through her body again.

His Kyouka Suigetsu became infused with Raikoho, effectively frying her body from the inside to a high degree.

Struggling, Katsuko stretched her hand out to Aizen's face with her teeth bared.

"It's over, Hiragi Katsuko." Aizen declared.

The voltage increased and it imploded from the inside.

…

The blue light flickered around frantically when the hands were struck down by lightning, exposing it to the harsh wind called death.

That's what it feared the most.

But the lightning froze.

…

Aizen stared at her body that lay on the ground in a gruesome state. Her flesh was torn and open, especially in her center, leaving the damage exposed. Her blood kept seeping out of her fatal wounds and her eyes remained open while her body began lying in a pool of her own blood.

A portrait of death.

…

That is until her spiritual pressure flickered again.

Aizen's eyes narrowed when her hand twitched. Again.

Katsuko's eyes blinked before darting to look at Aizen. Then she pushed her body back up on its feet when it started rapidly healing itself, faster than before. Aizen saw how her hair became ash blond once more as she stood back up while all the blood disappeared on her body, leaving only the mess at her feet as proof of her 'death'.

"I get it." Katsuko mumbled as a lock of ash blond hair fell out of place in front of her eyes. "Oh man… it gradually becomes so easy. I get it."

There was an unmistakable grin on her face.

…

"Hehehe… so easy."

Aizen stood still as he watched Shisugu get up with a giddy grin, immensely pleased and excited over his success. Around him were Hollows that tried to eat him for his power lying on the ground, slowly fading away just like the light at his fingertips.

He straightened up and looked at Aizen beneath his ash blond hair, crystal green eyes brimming with excitement.

…

With every life-or-death situation she put herself in against Aizen, she came out of it alive with the help of time reversal. If there was one thing she learned about spiritual power it was that it was faster to increase it when putting her soul in a state of being destroyed and to survive such danger.

She abused that knowledge.

A reckless tactic.

She couldn't use Kaido which would replenish her spiritual power so she could only increase what she had. By doing so, she could implement time manipulation's reversal as much as she wanted as long as she didn't falter and die too early and had enough time.

It was like a toxic relationship. Honey and pain.

With every usage of the technique the more proficient she became at it, especially when she was caught in Kurohitsugi.

But that last attack would have killed her faster without question.

"What did you do?" Aizen asked simply, curiosity getting the best of him. Hiragi Katsuko couldn't survive that.

"Time manipulation, right?" Katsuko lifted her head and straightened up, eyes wide with a grin. "That's what I'm good at right? You 'taught' me how to reverse time. In that last attack, when you destroyed me from both inside and out, I had to quickly reverse time on myself to save myself. But that's easier said than done! I poured all of my focus and still didn't have enough time. Time! I needed more time! Time! I didn't consider the definition of time manipulation! If you need more time then you need to STOP!"

Unconsciously, she was able to stop his Raikoho, because it was in her body, before it became too fatal because she needed time to reverse time on herself. There was no way for her to replicate this technique, especially when it was a fluke.

But still…

Again, she felt high.

Aizen could almost see history repeating itself when Shisugu realized how to do something amazing.

This was a clear application of one of Naogoma Shisugu's abilities and knowledge that was ingrained into her soul.

Aizen should have predicted she would have relearned this application soon.

Especially when it was used before.

There were times when Grimmjow tried to kill her, or rather Noctter Grandett because he was becoming the very epitome of annoyance. But he could never land a fatal blow on him.

It was why Noctter freely taunted him whenever he could.

…

The second he made a move to walk towards the human, Ichigo was starting to move his arm while pushing himself up.

He managed to swing at Noctter.

But the enemy Soul Reaper didn't even lift a hand to stop the sword from reaching him. As if it touched an invisible wall, it stopped an inch away from his arm that was already grabbing Ichigo's hair harshly, forcing him to look up as he towered over him.

"You little cockroach. Why do you keep fighting so hard? Fighting for one person… how unrealistic. Come on, just admit you came here looking for a fight. You enjoy the thrill of battle. A masochist, perhaps?"

Ichigo glared at him. "I think you're just talking about yourself." He moved away his sword when he understood he couldn't strike him now.

…

True to her word, she wasn't making it easy for him to kill her.

It made him chuckle in amusement. He couldn't help but find it so entertaining and interesting to watch her improve in such a way. It was so novel.

"I admire your persistence. You are aware that fighting is futile but you fight with the intention to stall but attack with the goal of defeating me. But constantly using your gifts will only exhaust you faster in this situation, making your death swift and almost suicidal."

Katsuko frowned when her grin dropped, falling back into her apathetic-like expression. "I rather fight than stand by and do nothing."

"Hm… so that's how it is."

Illegal Kido was very troublesome.

Then the only way to best her now was to exhaust her faster than what her current abilities healed her.

To kill an insect, cutting off its head alone may not be enough.

Aizen smirked and stepped forward.

Sometimes, eradication until there was nothing left was the solution for regenerating insects.

Katsuko tensed when she felt his overwhelming power for the first time. She could tell he dropped it to intimidate her. But she took a deep breath to relax herself before getting back into a fighting position. She dragged her foot back and held her weapon like a spear as it sparked and howled with the wind swirling around.

I just need to keep myself from dying! This is how I win against Aizen!

Haruki couldn't help but glance back when he heard destruction reverberate. He could tell from that man's overwhelming power that the fight was undeniably one-sided. And yet… she was still back there fighting with everything that she had. It was killing him to feel her flicker away like candle light only to come back, as if struggling to exist, to fight back even harder.

Everyone could feel it.

Jun gritted his teeth. "This is insane…!"

Keigo yelped when he felt the ground shook beneath his feet. "How is Katsuko even surviving back there?!"

Mizuiro furrowed his brows with a frown. "It doesn't feel like she's 'surviving'."

If anything, it almost felt like she was forcing herself to survive.

That was completely different from surviving.

"Shut up and run!" Kurumadani yapped. "Don't let her sacrifice be in vain and just focus on surviving!"

"She is not sacrificing herself!" Jun snapped at the coward. "And I don't want to hear that from the only other fighter who turned tail and ran!"

"Listen, boy! There is no shame in running away!"

"'cause that's all you do." Keigo muttered.

Tatsuki stumbled when another attack shook the ground. That caused Katsuko's presence to feel even fainter than before. Before, her presence would spring back to life enough to keep fighting. But it seemed like it was becoming harder to fight back with every attack they felt.

"Katsuko…!" Aiza whined.

"It feels like she's getting weaker fast." Ryouto remarked out loud just before a louder explosion resonated across the town.

With weapon in hand, Katsuko coughed and her body fell into the rubble after a stagger as she panted. She could see Aizen approaching her again. There was difficulty in standing with the exhaustion stacking up.

"How much longer…?" She rasped to herself, pushing herself into a position to get back up on her feet.

After Aizen figured out what was happening, he just kept coming at her fast, faster than she could heal herself. It only forced her to try and outmatch his speed which only seemed to prove his point when she could feel herself getting exhausted.

At this rate, she was easy prey.

Such complex Kido that was labeled as illegal was work of precision with no room for error. The common denominator between manipulation of time and space, and the sacrifice of self was that they were all demanding, so demanding that even the slightest mistake for a novice could be fatal.

A demanding Kido that she forced herself to use to the point that her strength kept depleting and replenishing a little with every survival to such an intensive extent. Using her Zanpakuto's abilities repeatedly was also making her aware that her choices were very limited in this fight.

It was downright abusive to her body and soul.

She couldn't keep up anymore. She knew that. But she was still trying. What else was she to do? Stop and wait?

… She had long exceeded her limit and was treading into dangerous thresholds.

How much longer could she stand against this?

Katsuko directed her gaze towards where she felt her friends and classmates. It felt like they were closer to where she was. She wanted to create more distance between them and the threat. She wanted to safeguard them as best as she could.

Damn… I think he was purposely pushing us closer to them with every hit that sent me flying back.

A cry escaped her when she was ruthlessly thrown across the street and into a wall, her mind barely registering what just occurred, proving her thought. With a groan, she pushed herself up and positioned herself sitting on her knees. Her eyes blinked, trying to understand what just happened.

The blood that ran down her face from her forehead and from her chest was the only proof that Aizen attacked her again without her realizing it.

As the rubble of the wall fell around her, she directed her gaze forward to see Aizen, with those strange eyes of his, staring her down. When did he get so close?

The grip on her weapon tightened.

If I die here, then they'll be in trouble.

If I die here, I'll lose everything.

If I die here, he'll have killed me twice.

Come on… I can last a little longer than this… I can win here. Just need to stand back up…

If I can just keep them safe… then that would be enough. I could focus on defense for now instead of offense…

Aizen's gaze watched how her eyes never lost their light. She knew she had just proven Aizen's words, evident by her current state at his feet, weakly trying to heal herself. But she was refusing to simply let go of the blade in the face of a powerful being. She just kept walking the path of a stubborn preservation.

Her gaze was almost irritatingly familiar to her past self. Instead of watching him, they looked towards where her friends were. Once again, those eyes made the mistake of looking away at what was truly important in favor of a more personal and trivial matter that would not provide any merit in the long run.

A slave to a moral compass.

Eventually setting themselves up for failure.

Oh, how far he had fallen.

Katsuko forced herself to get up and put some distance between her and Aizen. She cringed when the reversal didn't have enough time to heal her in her current state, proven when she lacked coordination and nearly stumbled. His eyes were like observing a cornered dying prey that was struggling to escape his range.

It was pathetic.

Her image seemed to become like static as another person briefly plastered over her, someone taller with the same hair colour.

Still, they refuse to look at him.

Katsuko's eyes widened when she suddenly felt someone appear behind her next to Aizen.

"I'm back, Captain Aizen."

Her teeth clenched. She could almost feel the mythical Grim Reaper behind her with its own scythe at her neck, waiting for the right moment to reap.

Fuck…! I definitely do not need that!

"So you are. What did you do with her?"

"I killed her."

Katsuko staggered when she turned around while trying to rejuvenate herself. She felt incredibly guilty when Gin declared he killed Matsumoto. She told the Lieutenant that she would go and save her… but she was selfish and chose who took priority in her heart. That was a choice she would never regret but that didn't stop her from feeling bad about it.

"Her spiritual pressure is certainly gone…"

When she looked back, she saw how they were both looking at her.

"Shouldn't she disappear too?" Gin suggested with that unnerving smile of his. Katsuko took a step back and held her scythe close to her chest, closer to her heart. If Gin's sword could pierce her before she could blink then she wanted to protect a vital organ to at least increase her survival rate as much as possible.

Aizen took a step forward with his sword, forcing her to move back cautiously, trying her best to heal herself faster. "Yes, I think it's high time that she does. I've had enough entertainment."

Think! Think! What can I do right now?!

"And after we deal with her, it's those kids?" Gin guessed.

"Then we'll proceed with the creation of the Ouken." Continuing, he smirked at Katsuko, blade pointed at her.

Her body stiffened. No. Absolutely not!

"Sounds good."

In her mind, her loved ones disappeared in a burst of blue light and swirled into a vortex to create a key. They'd be reduced to a tool for this man! She'd have nothing left! He was going to steal it all from her!

"I won't let you…!" Katsuko declared, holding up her scythe unwaveringly. "I won't!"

"You're quite the stubborn girl, hm?" Gin addressed her, taking slowly steps forward. "Stubbornness can easily be snuffed out with the perfect blow to the heart." Katsuko's eyes widened and immediately brought her scythe close to her chest once more.

He knew that she was trying to keep herself from dying in one shot against his Zanpakuto!

Gin put a hand on Aizen's sword as if to lower it.

"I will be the one to take care of you first."

Katsuko looked down at her chest to check on her body. She was good enough to keep moving at least! She could put enough distance and avoid his blade…?

"Gin…"

She inhaled sharply and shot her head up, alarmed.

She wasn't sure if she could…!

A beat.

Then the sound of an object flying and piercing through something resounded around them.

Surprise reflected on both Aizen and Katsuko are they saw Gin's blade piercing Aizen through his long white sleeve.

What was she seeing? What was this?

Gin lifted his head and straightened up with his hand still on the blade, Kyouka Suigetsu. He turned enough to look at Aizen properly. "The only way to escape Kyouka Suigetsu's power is to touch the blade before complete hypnosis has been activated. It took decades to get that out of you. Not a single person in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads knows that fact. Not even your old friend Naogoma Shisugu. Yet they all thought they could kill you. It was interestin' to watch them try. But I'm the only one who can kill you, Captain Aizen."

He retracted his blade from his chest and left behind a spurt of red blood.

'Why, what, how, why, what how'. Those questions kept repeating in her mind when Gin continued to talk in response to Aizen's denial that Gin could kill him. His blade was chipped since it was left behind in Aizen's chest, the reason being that his Bankai was actually one that was capable of leaving behind a deadly poison that could dissolve cells.

Aizen looked down at his bleeding chest while Gin sauntered over to him. "If you've got somethin' to say, you'd better say it fast. Then again, even if you do… you're gonna die anyway."

Her hands gripped her weapon tightly as an indescribable something touched her heart...

Gin and Katsuko bore witness to Aizen's collapse. He was now lying on the ground with a gaping hole in his chest which was missing the Hougyoku that was embedded in it. Gin was now the one in possession of it after successfully removing it from him. He did, however, suffer an injury when Aizen tried to take it back during his final moments.

At Gin's side, Katsuko observed how his right arm looked a little concave, it was bleeding too. He lost a piece of his arm when Aizen tried his attempt to reclaim it. They were both ten feet away at least to make sure they were safe from him.

Aizen didn't even twitch.

"Did that kill him?" Katsuko wondered.

"It's over. The Hougyoku isn't reactin' like when you tried to steal it from him." Gin replied, looking down at the glowing orb in his hands. "My Bankai worked."

"And what's your next move?"

Gin turned his head to see her looking at him apprehensively. Ah. She didn't trust his next move despite killing the enemy. "Nothin'. I've done my part."

Katsuko blinked, unsure. Her hand rose up and held it out. "Gimme."

He wanted to try and recover what Aizwn had stolen long ago. But even if he wanted to, he didn't know how. With a sigh, he gently set it in the palm of her hand.

She closed her fingers around it and was about to tuck it into her pocket.

But she quickly dropped it like as if it burned her. She looked down at Hougyoku with a grimace.

"Ah, ahh~ What are you doin'?" Gin picked it up when it rolled over to him. "I hand it over to you and here you are droppin' it."

Katsuko shook her hand and grabbed hold of his good sleeve and then pushed him forward. "Whatever. If your goal was to kill Aizen then let's make sure there isn't a chance for him to get back up. I don't feel comfortable being near him with the Hougyoku. I want this thing far away from him. I feel like it's safer."

True. There was never such a thing as being too careful when it came to Aizen.

"I suppose you're right."

As suggested, Gin started moving to create more distance by flash stepping away with the Hougyoku in his hand. Katsuko followed in suit, closely behind. The sounds of her breathing made him curiously look back over his shoulder only to see how she was looking down, face wincing as if she was suffering from slight internal pain. The result of her abusing her powers in one go to stop a god-like being.

Sensing his stare, she looked up with weary eyes.

Hm, definitely overexerted. Gin thought. She'd be deadweight if there's another fight.

All of a sudden, someone flash stepped a few feet in front of them, causing them to stop. Katsuko actually stumbled and rammed her nose into Gin's arm. Annoyed, she looked up to take a good look at who it was. Her breathing stilled when she saw Matsumoto standing there, gauging the situation.

"Oh, shit, you're alive." Katsuko realized. She completely forgot that Gin had killed her. But here she was, in perfect condition.

Seeing the Hougyoku in Gin's hand, made Matsumoto walk towards them. At the same time, Katsuko stepped forward because she wanted to ask her something. She was hoping Matsumoto would know more about the situation in the Soul Society, where they currently were, to perhaps figure out a solution for this Hougyoku.

"Matsumoto-san, do—"

She blinked when the busty woman walked past her. Confused, she looked back and startled when Matsumoto smacked the side of Gin's head.

"Ah, that hurts." Gin frowned and looked at Matsumoto, nothing else to say in response to that. And it didn't look like she had anything to say to him at the moment either. Instead, she turned to Katsuko and examined her condition with her eyes.

"Katsuko-chan, are you holding up okay?"

"Hm?" She snapped out of it and nodded once. She figured she must have looked worn out but she didn't care for that at the moment. "Matsuomoto-san, we have the Hougyoku and Aizen is dead. Is there anyone from the Naogoma Clan nearby at all? I want this thing sealed away for now just in case!"

She didn't know if they could even seal it. She just wanted it to be unreachable.

"Aizen... is dead?" Matsumoto was quick to understand her intention. "There are Soul Reapers stationed on the border of this District. They might be able to get in touch with a member of the Clan, perhaps those fourth seats from Squad 8."

...

Nothing else was said as Matsumoto led the way which just so happened to be where Keigo and the others were loitering around after they deemed that they ran far enough.

When the humans noticed the Soul Reapers, they barely had time to breathe a syllable when an eruption of spiritual pressure came from where Aizen was.

"The Hougyoku!" Katsuko exclaimed, looking at the orb that begun to vibrate in Gin's hand. He tried closing his fingers around it but the energy it started emitting was resisting enclosure.

"This can't be..." Gin frowned, looking back up at the light. "How...?"

"What's happening?" Matsumoto wondered, moving to approach them… but she was stopped when Aizen appeared on the side. His chest was repaired and it looked like he had three white wings coming out of his back. Effortlessly, she was knocked away into an alley, prompting Katsuko to turn back and almost side step in front of Gin who looked back as well, only for both of them to end up having fatal slashes across their bodies. It just happened so fast. The Hougyoku in Gin's hand also exuded a pressure that knocked them away. Gin rammed into a car's side while Katsuko crashed into the display window of a jewelry shop.

Ryouto and Aiza quickly restrained Haruki and Jun when they saw them make a move. They could see what was going on despite being far. It was best to maintain this distance for their own survival.

"Evolution requires fear. The fear that one will perish if one remains stagnant. Thank you… Gin."

Despite their injuries, they forced themselves up on their feet instead of being completely vulnerable. Gin could see his white clothes inking in red. Katsuko groaned when she ripped out glass from her side. Was there anything else they could do?

Aizen glanced at Katsuko as the Hougyoku started forming back into the center of his chest. "You have fulfilled all your roles and are no longer useful. Now that everyone is in place, I will begin to create the Ouken. I have no need for Kurosaki Ichigo anymore now that I have become a being that transcends both Soul Reapers and Hollows."

He vanished and reappeared high up in the air. There was barely any time to ponder his next move when he lifted a hand which started glowing a blue light brightly. Matsumoto hissed when her skin started burning. It wasn't just her, everyone, especially the humans, were starting to suffer the effects of being within the Jureichi Zone. Reishi was being ripped away and slowly being absorbed into Aizen's hand.

It was happening.

He was creating the Ouken.

Katsuko hissed and slapped a hand over her cheek, a fruitless effort as her hand now started having its reishi being ripped off. She saw how Gin's injured arm was sustaining more damage thanks to this process.

She could see some buildings begin to lose fragments that began turning into light.

What can I do?!

"What's happening…?!" She could hear Honsho's voice along with some collective cries of pain.

How can this stop?!

That damn Hougyoku that was in her hand earlier. She should have tried to crush it with Kido when she had the chance! Damn it! Why?! Why didn't she do it?! Why did it sting to hold that accursed rock?!

As a pained moan escaped her, she frantically dove into the archives of her soul's memory to try and find something that she never thought of in the present. There had to be something she could use to make him stop, even if for a few seconds… or else everything was going to be lost!

Her mind was bouncing around memories she desperately clawed and extracted from the depths of her soul like a person running through a thick crowd in a desperate attempt to find a missing child.

She needed to find just one thing that could help!

"Invoke. Rumbling Towers. Eye of White Pillars—"

Wait.

What was the other one?

What was the other incantation?

Her mind raced when she filtered through it all to—

A flash of red.

That's the one!

Her arm swung down her scythe and she placed her fingers on the tip of the blade. Ignoring all else aside from the feeling of the sharpness of her blade, she recalled the feeling and the memory, freely imagining the result beyond the idea of manifestation.

"Nine thorns. Parallel lights. Ravens and enlightenment. Traveling from the horizons…"

Just the activation was enough. Her incantation invited an orb of bright red light to form before expanding, causing the energy to rustle her hair and clothes. She clenched her teeth and poured it all to increase its size, expanding it as much as she could until she decided it was time to throw it at him with a shout.

"Akatsuki!"

The red orb flew with lightning and wind in its small shape despite its earlier expansion, leaving behind a sharp loud sound, and then glowed brighter once it got farther before ultimately exploding and destroying everything that stood between her and Aizen. It created shockwaves after a delay that shattered surrounding windows and obliterated the top halves of several buildings, creating a deafening sound.

To put it simply, it was an attack that said fuck everything in that direction.

That was mostly for her case more than Shisugu's because of her inexperience in space manipulation, pushing space. Akatsuki was lacking in precision, created from faint memory. Even so, the attack was enhanced enough to become effective enough to stop Aizen from continuing.

The creation of the Ouken ceased and Aizen was back on the street a few feet away from her. She was becoming a persistent annoyance. Sensing the danger, she reeled back her weapon to use Akatsuki again. But the toll on her body and the still fresh wounds made her slow, her body wobbling with her unsteady legs.

She steadied herself and tried to regain her stance, but she only stumbled forward just as Aizen lifted his blade when he took a step forward.

Katsuko blinked when she felt her body tilting forward.

Huh?

"Katsuko-chan!" Alarmed, Matsumoto shouted and readied her sword to help her. She could see it. The girl had gone way past beyond her limit! She could sense it, her lifeforce had already taken too much damage!

She was finished! Aizen was going to kill her!

…

But all sides stopped when a figure suddenly stood in front of Katsuko, catching her body supportively and effectively stopping any more harm. Katsuko blinked wearily and looked down at the limb holding her. The arm supporting her body was holding a long black sword. When she saw the weapon, her eyes traced the arm up to the shoulder, noticing the chain wrapped around it.

It was Ichigo. She didn't even sense him arriving…

"Ah…" She voiced as he helped her stand. "Ichigo… oh, you're here…"

He glanced at her. "Sorry for the wait."

He looked… taller and his hair was longer than usual, appearing more like her own as it covered his right eye before he leaned down to set down his father that he was carrying on his shoulder, his hair swayed and parted enough to reveal both his eyes. He looked like he aged in the Dangai, his father too from the sight of that obvious beard.

Katsuko blinked slowly and wobbled on her legs. She couldn't find it in her to keep standing. Strange. It was just that… the moment she saw Ichigo, the immense relief she felt suddenly drained her of her adrenaline… and just… left her hollowly standing.

"... Can I stop now?" She mumbled, dipping her head down just as her legs gave out. She barely registered the fact that she was sinking to her knees nor the fact that she dropped her scythe.

As her weapon clattered to the ground, Ichigo was quick to catch her and gently set her down. She looked very much like a puppet that had her strings cut. He peered at her face and glanced at her hair that had become ash blond again. And the way her spiritual power, her life was just barely flickering… she pushed herself way beyond the limit and risked her life force at the same time. She was probably the reason for that red light.

His father was right to be worried when he revealed to him what Katsuko had gone while waiting for him just before he passed out from exhaustion.

He saw the way she lifted her head to keep her weary eyes on Aizen. He looked over his shoulder and looked at Aizen as well… or rather those who were being protected from him. They were far away, too far, too hear, but close enough to see them. That's what she was looking at all this time.

Yeah, that's enough.

He was glad she was still herself when he finally arrived.

Looking back down in front of him, Ichigo patted her head. "You did good. Rest now. I'll end this soon."

At his words, he could feel her slowly relaxing against him, succumbing to the hands of the abyss named sleep. Her Bankai immediately reverting back to its sealed state was proof that she was finally resting.

"Rangiku-san," He lowered her next to his father. "Can you watch over her, please? If she wakes up again, don't let her move. Just make her stay put."

"How disappointing, Kurosaki Ichigo." Aizen finally decided to cut in, eyes narrowing in disappointment when Ichigo radiated nothing. He could not sense a silver of power coming from him. "Even with the time she 'bought' you and the time I gave you, you failed to evolve. As consequence, you can just watch as I resume with the creation of the Ouken—"

"Aizen." Ichigo cut him off, just as Matsumoto came over to Katsuko's side and started healing the wounds on her body, and finally looked at him nonchalantly. "Let's go somewhere. I don't want to fight here."

This was ending now.

15k+ words that nearly became 20k with how much was supposed to fit in here. But nope. We stop here and leave it for the next!

I hope notifs are working again ._.

Alright, so as far as I remember, there hasn't been any proof that you can run out of spiritual power/energy/reiryoku. EXCEPT! Isshin buying time for Ichigo was the only time it clearly happened. Also, there was the time that Chad was using so much of his power that it was borderlining his lifeforce when he kept throwing attacks at Kyoraku. So, running out of power is possible and it could also be life threatening if you KEEP forcing it. That's what happened to Katsuko. It was even worse since she kept reversing time to keep fighting. Her butt was literally hanging over the fire.

She knows she can't beat Aizen so she tries to survive as long as possible even if it means 'entertaining' him with her life in the balance to protect everyone else and hopes that Ichigo will arrive, her bet. Hence the name of the chapter: Double Down.

Yes. Gin is alive. I have plans.

And Ryouto isn't an NPC.

We're soon approaching the end of this arc... geez. Chapter 36-54 is... pretty long. I apologize if you found it long ._.

Names!

Akatsuki (暁): Dawn/Daybreak

Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you have a nice day/night!