Chapter 40: Winter War part 4
Irate frustration. That summarized Soi-Fon's current state of mind as she was locked in combat with the sleazebag in front of her. She cursed herself, she cursed the scumbag in front of her, she cursed the head captain for ever bringing her into this mission and she cursed Aizen Sosuke for being the one who was responsible for wiping out her entire squad. A squad she really wished she had at the moment. With each second, she was getting closer and closer to totally losing it and she knew it. Wisps of white reishi disappeared from her shoulders as even her shunko was failing. As disappointed as she was in that, she'd still maintained her shunko at full power for several minutes. A feat that was a vast improvement considering how incomplete her previous version was when she clashed with Yoruichi back during the invasion of the intruders.
She'd tried everything. Using her zanpakuto's ability to stab Nnoitora at the same spot twice, using her speed to gradually hurt him in hopes of wearing down his hierro to be able to get in that necessary lethal hit, and even using her shunko to increase the piercing strength of her Suzumebachi, which also failed. She considered using her Bankai, but against a guy that fast and agile? While her own Bankai was big, bulky and slow? The idea was ruled out as fast as it had come. And the guy looked like he was barely injured at all. Fighting this guy really reminded her of Kenpachi but way worse. He was fast, almost as fast as her but more importantly, incredibly strong. Each of his sword strikes could easily cut through her like a knife through tofu. But his most dangerous attribute had been his hierro. Nothing she did, even using a shunko boosted Suzumebachi string had put a dent on his skin. In all that time, he'd done nothing but demean her, downplay her by calling her a worthless bitch, weakling woman, trash, waste of time and a disgrace.
At first, she hadn't payed any attention to his words. She knew better than anyone to let the enemy's words and actions get to her and her composure. But then nothing was working. Not matter how hard she tried or how many injuries she incurred from those deadly strikes of his. Which only made her more and more frustrated as the guy goaded her for it, rubbing it in her face. It was very clear that he was completely enjoying toying with her. The only thing even saving her so far was her speed. For no matter how much he tried to get a shot at her, she could always avoid it with her speed and her stealth movements, provided she wasn't trying to attack him and only focused on evasion. At some point, she shiftd to just evading his attacks, dropping offense so that she could cool down a little and come up with a strategy. She'd considered asking one of the other captains for help, but immediately dismissed it. Her pride didn't allow it.
But surprisingly, her strategy of keeping her distance worked. It was cowardly and cheap even, prolonging the battle by running away. But who was she kidding, she was part of squad 2, where such things hardly mattered. As long as it worked, who cares? Her relief however, was going to be short lived.
"You fucking bitch…..you think you can escape me by running away?! I'm not even sure why I bothered to fight you in the first place, seeing how weak and feeble you are. I just can't stand it when 'women' like you think they're all the shit when they pick up weapons and try to fight in the same place as men. And you're not even that strong, so much so that I'm losing what little interest I had in crushing you. I can understand if you're dodging attacks to fight back or intend to stand and fight. It's a fighting instinct after all. But you're just a coward running away" rasped Nnoitora.
"Big words for a misogynistic pig who hasn't managed to kill a soul reaper only using her Shikai. For a 'superior' male and an arrancar, you're sure doing a hella great job huh?" taunted Soi-Fon.
"That's it, time to stamp out a bitch!" he growled. "Pray, Santa Teresa!"
Yellow reishi enveloped him, sending out a mini shockwave as it did. Soi-Fon watched in shock as his already massive reiatsu grew five-fold. He grew two extra arms which looked insect like, each one holding a scythe. He also had crescent shaped horns, with the right one being shorter than the left.
"How disgusting…" grimaced the squad 2 captain, almost covering her mouth as she said that.
*BZZZT!*
Her thoughts stopped midway when she felt the air shift, and the reiatsu that had been in front of her just moments ago was now right behind her.
*SWHICH!*
A splash of red, and she could see something red in front of her, followed by a slowly increasing burning sensation on her arm. The very same arm that was now falling right in front of her, with only a red stump. And the black and gold gauntlet that was her zanpakuto was still there, attached to her severed arm, stained with blood. Her widened eyes and breathless appearance was proof enough that she had been perturbed more than she liked to admit. But she wasn't left squealing in pain or shouting in agony. Instead, all that escaped her was a breathless choke. It wasn't the pain on her now useless stump of an arm that bothered her. Pain tolerance was part of her training after all. Nor was it seeing her arm fall away from her like a branch cut off from a tree. It was the fact that she'd been done in this easily and that nothing had changed since Aizen defected from the Soul Society. She'd been outwitted and outdone then and now.
And then, it started again, worse than before. Before, she could use her speed to gain some breathing space. But now, she was nothing more than a wounded, cornered animal running away from its pray, hoping only to survive. All of Nnoitora's stats had drastically increased after he'd transformed, and without her zanpakuto or her hand, there was little she could do but run. And he was enjoying every single moment of it. Watching her cling to life, as she hastily removed one of her hair ornaments and tied it around her bleeding stump in order to stop the bleeding while running for her life, just barely avoiding his four arms swinging at her with those deadly scythes. It was humiliating, pathetic and worst of all, there was absolutely nothing she had to turn the tides.
*BZZT!*
He appeared right in front of her, with one arm slashing downward while the other was slashing horizontally. Soi-Fon found herself backed against a building. There was no way out, no matter how she moved. With wavering eyes and helpless eyes, she could do nothing but ask whoever was listening, what it was that she could've done to change.
*BOOOOM!*
A black and grey blur rushed from the side, hitting the unsuspecting Nnoitora with such force that Soi-Fon was sure she heard bones cracking. The arrancar himself hadn't seen the attack coming at all as he was flung through several buildings.
"…Yoruichi….sama…." called out Soi-Fon, with a tone of surprise, but almost immediately turned away. She felt unworthy, undeserving. In her pathetic and defeated state, Yoruichi's concerned look for Soi-Fon felt like a curse. It stung and hurt, even more so than the pulsing waves of pain from the injury on her right arm.
"Just hold on for a little while, alright? I'll be right back" she said softly, before disappearing with a quick flash step.
Nnoitora found himself disoriented and in pain. He slowly picked himself from the debris around him, his broken bones and torn muscles and ligaments regenerating. He was dead certain the prey he had cornered had nothing to do with his current condition. But he didn't need to look for much longer. Appearing in front of him was another woman with her dark hair tried in a ponytail, wearing sleeveless black colored tights along with a pair of grey colored gauntlets and greaves. Her golden eyes were narrowed at him, looking down from above.
"You're kidding me…..another fucking bitc-GUAAAARGGGH!"
Yoruichi wasted no time as she pounded away at Nnoitora, giving him practically no chance to attack or defend. The impact of each punch could be felt even by Soi-Fon, who was several meters away, and each one was delivered with such speed that to an outside observer, Yoruichi's fists were nothing more than grey blurs. The gauntlets did an exceptional job breaking through Nnoitora's hierro. A fact the arrancar himself wondered.
"Th…this bitch…! Where the hell did she pop up from…?! And why the fuck…..am I receiving so much damage...?! How the fuck is she getting past my hierro…?!"
But she wasn't stopping. His feeble, stick like insectoid arms were the first ones to go the moment she started her attack. The sounds of his arms breaking, crunching and separating from Nnoitora's body could be seen and heard even by Soi-Fon. And then, a solid hit to his lower jaw caused it to literally shift from its position, the sight gruesome and unsettling. Whatever sounds Nnoitora tried to make then only came out as meaningless gurgles. Again and again and again, Yoruichi continued to pound away at supersonic speeds at him, breaking, shattering and making a mess out of whatever stood in the way of her fists. The agony and pain on the arrancar's face was clear as day. And yet, the tables had been turned so effectively. No matter how much Nnoitora struggled or flailed, he could do nothing to escape his current predicament. The arrancar's agony and suffering was only being prolonged by his regenerative abilities. The area around him became redder and redder with blood, severed appendages and bone fragments. The arrancar's eyes were rolled upwards from the unberable and intense pain and repeated blows to his head. After what seemed like a few minutes, Nnoitora finally stopped moving, and he regenerated no more. His body was becoming more and more transparent, slowly turning to dust and disappearing.
Soi-Fon could only watch in surprise as her mentor decimated Nnoitora. To her eyes, Yoruichi was nothing short of perfect in her execution.
"With that out of the way.." came her mentor's voice from next to her. "Let's get you patched up first" said Yoruichi, putting her arm around Soi-Fon. But the latter only turned away.
"I'm sorry….Yoruichi-sama…..for showing you such a shameful side" she whimpered. "I was….this was supposed to be my duty. I was supposed to avenge my men and I was supposed to defeat the enemy….and yet…I haven't changed at all since the last time….I couldn't put a scratch on him and you….again…you've….." she said. She could hear a disappointed sigh from Yoruichi, following which she could feel her head being pulled to Yoruichi's side, which surprised the 2nd squad captain.
"There you go again, being all guilty and hard on yourself. Look at the situation once more and you'll see just how much of a good job you did considering everything. First off, as part of the stealth unit, a head on battle isnt something that was supposed to be your job in the first place. If anything, sending you to Hueco Mundo for recon. would've been more appropriate. And yet, respecting the decisions they made, you still stood your ground against an arrancar, an Espada who specialized in frontal assault. Not only that, you had to do it all by yourself using only your shikai and shunko, since your bankai isnt the type that's effective in a head on fight. You lost your lieutenant to madness and your entire squad and yet, you still stood off against him for as long as you did, maintaining a level head against someone like him even when you lost your 's also really unfair to compare yourself to someone like me or Kisuke or the other captains who were naturally gifted, either thanks to us belonging to noble houses or because we were too smart for our own good. And I'm pretty sure I was cheating by using this anti-hierro armor Kisuke made. Honestly, sometimes even I shudder at that guy's inventions. You were only a captain for just over a hundred years and even so, you stood your ground. If you ask me, I'm nothing but proud of you" she said, stroking her head. Soi-Fon looked up at Yoruichi's smiling face in surprise. In all the time she'd known her, never had Yoruichi been this caring. She was playful, considerate and concerned for those close to her. But there had also been a kind of tough love from her where she would usually leave things upto Soi-Fon to handle on her own. But now….it was as if there was a touch of softness to her that didn't exist before. A fact that both intrigued yet made Soi-Fon feel warm on the inside.
"Come on. Let's go get you patched up first" said Yoruichi. "If you're still thinking about not being useful enough, lose that thought. Trust me when I say that this isnt the end and that you will always have chances to improve. And besides, the fight isnt finished yet. Kisuke's already called for the others and they should be there any minute now. I'll go and drop you off with Ryuken and Hachi first, and then get your Zanpakuto. Until then, just do your best to recover" she said, and while Soi-Fon couldn't immediately accept it, she decided to nod her head silently and go along with Yoruichi, basking in the comfort her presence provided for the time being. A comfort that she needed at the moment.
Saying that this was a bad day for Shinji Hirako was a bold and gross understatement. First, he was left watching as many of his companions are burnt to cinders while the others went mad and tried to kill the rest of them, leaving only himself and Hachi. As if to make matters worse, all of this happened before they even get the chance to actually do anything. All of the Vizards, for just over a hundred years, were waiting for the chance to take their revenge on Sosuke Aizen for his deeds. And now, it appeared as if he was the only one fortunate enough to be given that chance. The rest would never get that chance. Almost as if fate was spitting on their graves for the hundred years they spent in vain. And now, to make matters worse, Tosen was insistent on getting in his way when all he wanted to do was get to Aizen. And there couldn't have been a worse matchup for Shinji's abilities amongst all of those that he faced.
Being blind meant that Tosen was practically immune to the reversing and trippy effects of Shinji's zanpakuto Sakanade. Whereas on the other hand, if Tosen decided to use his Bankai, Shinji would be in a world of trouble. Given that all Shinji wanted at the moment was to fight Aizen but also realizing that Tosen was also responsible for the events that happened 100 years ago, Shinji didn't mess around. He went straight for his hollow mask, going full power from the get go. At first, Shinji certainly had the upper hand in both speed, power and technique. Firing ceros that practically required no incantations like Kido spells was a game changer. So much so that Shinji was sure the battle was in his favor even if Tosen did use Bankai.
As if to put out any hope Shinji had at the moment, Tosen played his card. To Shinji, the surprise factor came the moment Tosen placed a hand on his face, as if pulling down on it.
"Yo…you bastard…don't tell me…!" cried out Shinji flabbergasted, as an intense dark purple aura covered Tosen, increasing his reiatsu by nearly five times. A smooth looking white mask covered his face, the only feature on it being a small vertical slit running from top to bottom of the mask. His outfit also had two shoulder pads and orange straps running down his shoulders.
"Hollowficitaion…." Cursed Shinji, a frown forming on his face hidden behind his own mask.
"Correct. You thought I would use my Bankai, Hirako? I no longer need the filthy abilities of a Soul Reaper, that I do not. Words cannot express my gratitude for the power bestowed upon me by Aizen-sama. Now…..I am clean of the filth of the Soul Reapers and their corruption. All that I have is a form that is nothing but justice"
"Bah, Justice my ass. Don't give me that crap, you hypocrite. You still have a Zanpakuto. You still have the spirit energy of a soul reaper. You were only able to get this strong because you, a soul reaper, crossed over and became a hollow. You're even worse than us Vizards in that aspect. We were forced to become like this because of that bastard whose boots you keep licking. You, on the other hand, had more than enough going in for you. And yet, you still kissed his ass for more power. You're nothing more than a power-hungry piece of shit who betrayed his comrades and even got them killed because you wanted to kiss up to the top gun" spat Shinji, raisin his sword.
"I cannot tell you how wrong you are in your assumptions, and frankly, I couldn't care less. Putting you down will be my gift to Aizen-sama; you Vizards are nothing more than embarrassing memories of Aizen-sama's attempts to create a hollow-shinigami hybrid. Something very much different than what you are, something like me and the arrancars. I'll be sure to erase that stain so that Aizen-sama is never reminded of his past embarrassment ever again. Since you seem to be so mistaken, I'll show you just how different my hollowification is from that imitation of yours"
Declaring so, Tosen charged in using a clean flash step. Or so Shinji thought. But it was immediately obvious that he was using Sonido, not flash step. Though there was no real difference between the two techniques, it did tell Shinji that Tosen's hollowfication was indeed more complete, for he himself couldn't use Sonido. But that wasn't all. All of his previous abilities had been enhanced much more so than Shinji's own. Before, Shinji had the upper hand but now, Tosen was very much in lead. After parrying a few sword slashes, Tosen twisted his torso, bringing his foot and driving it straight into Shinji's midriff, sending him flying downwards with considerable force. It cracked away half of Shinji's hollow mask. Not wanting to give such an easy opening, Shinji tilted his head towards Tosen as he was falling, charging up a crimson cero using his fist. But to his dismay, Tosen did the same, opening his mouth and charging a lime green cero.
The two death beams clashed for a fraction of an instant before the lime green one pushed through, making its way towards the still falling Shinji.
"Dammit, I wont be able to…!"
The head of the Vizards waited for pain to come, only for him to find himself being pushed away in a completely different direction. He watched the lime green cero pass through the place where he'd been just moments ago.
"You don't look so good" came the familiar voice of Isshin Kurosaki.
"I would've figured something out you know, Isshin-san" complained Shinji in a somewhat exasperated but still largely grateful voice. "Still, appreciate the help"
"You…! Isshin Kurosaki…!"
"Yo Shinji" greeted Isshin casually, but Shinji could tell that his tone was lacking the usual 'playfulness'. "You mind if I take out this guy? I know you have some beef with him an' all, but I just thought it would be faster if I handled him. No offence, but you did seem to be struggling…..and well…..after what these guys did to Shiro….let's just say that I really want to finish up here"
"Not really. Actually, I'd be glad if you could take care of that hypocrite for me. I'm really only interested in finishing off that bastard Aizen. Sorry to dump this on you Isshin-san. I just never thought that bastard would fall this far" said Shinji.
"Don't worry about it" assured Isshin, switching places with Shinji. Once again the tides of battle shifted drastically. Shinji knew that Isshin was strong, of course. But that was mostly in the mock battles he'd seen Isshin participate with them every once in a while. This time, Isshin was dead serious and was really in no mood to mess around slowly. Even with Tosen's enhanced abilities, Isshin was easily able to overpower him in speed, power and technique without even using his Shikai. A fact that Shinji found it hard to swallow despite knowing about it.
"Cero"
"Soren Sokatsui"
Isshin's blue fire kido blast easily tore through Tosen's cero as if it was nothing more than a gust of wind, despite having no incantation. As if passed through Tosen, it easily burned through the right half of his body, leaving chunks of burnt flesh, exposed bone and smoking skin.
"Holy crap….." cursed Shinji.
"Curse you…Isshin Kurosaki…! Once again….you Soul Reapers dear to get in the way of my justice…!" rasped Tosen, standing limp. "Do you feel proud?! Defeating the enemy….that's all that matters to you isnt it? You never stop to consider that you might be missing the full picture, don't you? That the entity you put down might not be so different from yourself and that the real culprit, the one you should really be punishing might be right beside you? No. You're nothing more than mindless sheep following the shepherd wherever pointed to by the shepherd's stick"
"That so? Honestly, I don't care. You say I don't get it but I totally do, much better than you I'm sure. You're doing this because your friend was killed by a Soul Reaper and when you went to Central 46 to ask for justice, they let the murderer run scoot free, am I right?" asked Isshin, surprising Tosen. "Yeah, Ruby told me all about that when she was here. Honestly, I do feel sorry for you. But don't pretend as if this is about 'justice' or 'righteousness' or some crap like that. You're just salty that you didn't get what you wanted. Revenge against us because of the unfairness of what happened. This is as basic as it can get. You're so far in denial, you refuse to acknowledge that this game of revenge you're playing is an act of justice. Take another look at the Vizards whom you've trampled upon. You say they're embarrassing and inferior and yet, they're way more open and honest about their intentions, going so far as to join with the head captain simply because they saw it as an option to fight their common enemy. They didn't kiss up to the old man like you did with Aizen and even now, you still think that you're doing this for someone else when really, this was all about yo-"
"SILENCE!" roared Tosen, holding his zanpakuto upside down in front of him. "That's enough out of you, Isshin Kurosaki. What would you understand, when you have no idea what I've gone through, when you haven't walked the same path I have in my position? Don't talk as if you empathize. But now I realize that I was only wasting time trying to talk sense with you or question your actions. I have nothing more to say nor anything to listen from you or the likes of Shinji Hirako. From now on, I shall only focus on finishing the task given to me by Aizen-sama" he said, taking a deep breath. "Suzumushi Hyakushiki, Grillar Grillo"
Dark spheres enveloped Tosen where he stood, soon transforming into a miniature tempest as his reishi spiked once more. But that wasn't all. His form too began to morph. His body changed to become more hollow like, essentially sprouting two more arms that grew thinner and clawed at the ends. Black fur covered him throughout his body and a hollow hole appeared in his torso. Overall, his form resembled that of an giant flying bug with his head now resembling a cricket.
"His spiritual pressure just went up like two or three fold…." Said Shinji with caution.
The two large bulbous 'eyes' on Tosen's mask opened, revealing insectoid eyes. A slow cackle escaped him, followed by full blown laughter.
"Ah…..! Ahah….! KAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! So this is what it means to see! The sky! Soul Reapers! Buildings! Trees! Corpses! Fire! And yet….being able to 'see' the same things you do…..I thought….I might be able to see some reason behind the immoral actions of you Soul Reapers. But...I only find myself fortifying my beliefs even more. Shinji Hirako, even with the lifeless corpses of your comrades with whom you swore to take revenge against Aizen-sama lie there, their deaths caused by none other than the leader of the Soul Reapers, you still pursue me, pursue Aizen-sama instead of finding fault in the incompetence of the one who calls himself leader of the Soul Reapers. Isshin Kurosaki, you who swore to stay away from the Soul Society and their shenanigans for the sake of your family, are now joining hands with them to go after us, when our actions against the Soul Reapers have nothing to do with you this time. Then why do you find the need to interfere? Don't you think that's quite conceited? WELL?!" roared the transformed Tosen, appearing in front of Isshin, locking his clawed hand with his zanpakuto. Isshin could feel much more force behind Tosen's strikes than he did before he transformed. With a heavy heave, Isshin sliced into the clawed hand and sending him several feet with a finger flick.
"Oy Shinji, I need you to do something" said Isshin quickly, whispering into his ear. "Got it?" Shinji promptly nodded, following which Isshin followed after Tosen.
"That was almost like a resurreccion…no, I think it is one. Didn't think it would be possible to use the mask AND resurreccion. It even gave a blind man the ability to see" remarked Isshin to himself. "Still…with that, he's almost certainly sealed his fate"
The claw that Isshin sliced away quickly grew back, showing that he had a certain level of instant regeneration. Using his claws, Tosen drew green circles in the air.
"Los Nueve Aspectos" he said, generating a massive sound-based concussive force which Isshin guarded against by crossing his arms. He could feel his arms stinging. But that didn't deter him too much as he regained his stance and went in forward aiming a slash downward at Tosen. Anticipating the attack, Tosen caught the blade with two of his four clawed hands, albeit with some effort. Using his other two free hands, he grabbed Isshin, making sure he was immobilized.
"Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro" said Tosen, summoning six yellow beams of reishi that clamped and immobilized Isshin even further. And then, lime-green reishi began gathering in his eyes.
"You really should've just stayed away from all this, Isshin Kurosaki. But trust me when I say that taking your life is not something I enjoy doing. You may paint me as some kind of bloodthirsty murderer, but there is none that despises needless bloodshed as much as I. After all, you do have a family, people to return to, and you even vowed to stay away from the Soul Reapers, things that I envy and commend you for. You were also one of the very few who could see them for what they are. Which is why it pains me even more that it has come to this" he said, the two lime-green orbs charging in his eyes growing even bigger. But instead of firing it straight, Tosen swerved his head towards the ground. Approaching him was Shinji with an expression of shock.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice you approaching, especially when your strategy was so obvious, Hirako? Especially when you've made no effort to even hide yourself that well! La Mirada!" The two lime-green orbs fused together to form an even bigger orb before firing off in the direction where Shinji was present, engulfing him and everything in Tosen's line of sight by a dense lime-green beam of reishi, exploding violently as it collided with the ground, kicking up massive clouds of dust and debris.
"And now, you'll follow after him, Iss-KRRRGGHHH!"
Red flashed before Tosen's eyes. He could feel a sharp, burning pain in his throat and when he tried to speak, his mouth gurgled, and he could taste blood. With a lot of effort, Tosen managed to turn his head to see Shinji's eyes narrowed on him. When he saw Shinji's zanpakuto, he understood what happened.
"Boasting that you could see was a fatal mistake, Kaname. Because of that, my Sakanade's ability which didn't work before could take effect. You really shouldn't have used your eyes to battle anyways, even if you could see. After all, you haven't used them in all your life. Trapping you in my zanpakuto's shikai was like taking candy from a baby. Honestly, I feel bad for doing it even" said Shinji.
Tosen tried to fight back, to move, but couldn't do anything with Shinji's zanpakuto wedged into his neck.
"But you're right. I don't know what kind of circumstances you've been through, but I really don't care. I only want to avenge my folk for what that bastard did to us 100 years ago and now. It's nothing personal" said Shinji, slicing upwards, bifurcating Tosen's head in two. Isshin said nothing as he witnessed the scene, instead opting to break free of his bindings and dusting himself off, sheathing his zanpakuto. Tosen's body was slowly disintegrating and disappearing as it felt down to the ground.
"I'm surprised that you let yourself get caught like that Isshin-san. Knowing you, you should've been much faster than that guy" asked Shinji.
"Yeah I know. I wasn't planning to. But….I guess I did feel a little sorry for the guy despite what I said. After all, what Ruby told me about what happened to him really is unfortunate. I'm sure he wouldn't have gone through with this if he just had the right person to guide him. But too bad he was already brainwashed by Aizen's words" said Isshin.
"Yeah…." Said Shinji absentmindedly, looking elsewhere. His thoughts were now back to Aizen.
"How're you holding up?" asked Isshin. Shinji showed the few scratches he had, but indicated that he was still battle ready. "Alright. Let's move on then. I'm sure the others should be wrapping up too. Head captain may be strong, but knowing how far Aizen went to corner him, I'm sure head captain won't escape unscathed even if he did win"
Shinji nodded and the two disappeared with flash steps.
Jushiro and Shunsui expected that their encounter with the arrancar in front of them would be one to remember. An encounter that they couldn't take in jest. Little did they know how right and wrong they would be. Even for Shunsui, who was usually relaxed even during the most dire times, the current situation was one that required his complete commitment given the massive loses they sustained. Both elder captains were from an era where war had already taken things precious to them once before. Since the time they lost people such as Reiji and a person who was as good as a mother figure to them, they took it upon themselves to ensure that such a thing would never come to pass to those under them.
And yet, the very thing they came to fear was made real. Out of all that could've survived so far, it was those who were supposed to take over their own roles that were the ones to be snuffed out. Soul Reapers whom the duo had come to live with and watch since they were nothing but students at the academy all the way until they became captains or lieutenants.
"So Shunsui, are going or should I lead? Or should we both intercept them at once?" asked Jushiro.
"Hmm….seeing as how they came to us on their own, I imagine they're quite confident in their ability. Plus, out of all the arrancars that started fighting, those two were one of the few who were smart enough to refrain from fighting. Unlike the rest of their comrades, these ones were a lot more calm and composed and chose to wait until the time was right. I have a feeling they're a lot more capable than they let out. And…..their spiritual pressure is no joke either. I'm sure you sensed that too, right?" asked Shunsui.
"You're right. Though…..it's strong but lacks any kind of bloodlust. If I didn't know from before, I'd have trouble believing that they were the enemy" answered Jushiro. "Not to mention….that child…" he said, looking at Lilynette.
"Subordinate perhaps? But still, for an arrancar, that kid….doesnt look that strong" said Shunsui. "Still. Looks can be deceiving after all. Aizen is the biggest proof of that. Let's say we not take any chances and go at them 2-on-2. You ready?" Jushiro nodded. They waited for Starrk and Lilynette to do something, anything that resembled an attack or signs to show that they were about to battle. But apart from appearing in front of them, Starrk didn't do anything to indicate that he was even aware of Jushiro or Shunsui. He was rooted to the spot, sometimes looking upward and other times murmuring to himself while the girl was quietly tapping her foot on the ground with her arms crossed.
"Uhh…should we….interrupt them…?" asked Shunsui slowly.
As time passed by, the tapping grew faster and the frown on the girl's face grew deeper and deeper, veins popping in her face. About five minutes passed until the girl finally snapped and fiercely hissed at the older arrancar.
"Alright, what the heck are you doing?! You said you'd handle it so I kept quiet. But this is just ridiculous! You've been staring off and murmuring to yourself for the last fee minutes! Well, out with it!" she said, shaking her fists.
"You know this isnt the kind of thing I'm good at, just give me a little bit more ti-"
"Are you kidding me?! How hard can it be to say one sentence?! What are you, a shut-in that has trouble talking with strangers?!" hissed Lilynette, appalled by the while thing.
"But you can't just expect me to just blurt out something that outrageous just like that! It'll be a pain in the ass if they took it the wrong way and attacked the two of us for it. And they don't look like they're in the best of moods and for good reason too!" argued Starrk slowly. "And come on, it's usually Nel or Ruby that's good with this sort of thing"
"Oh for fuck's sake! You are impossible you know that…?" sighed Lilynette. Much to the captains' surprise, the duo continued to argue with each other in a rather laid back and flippant manner.
"Um…you know we can hear you right, miss-" called out Shunsui, unsure of what else to say. Even if either of them wanted to, they just couldn't deal with the sudden change in the atmosphere. But Shunsui's efforts were promptly ignored and he couldn't tell if it was deliberate or unintentional.
"Looks like that's not working. Fine, let's just wing it then" said Shunsui, calling over Jushiro to make the first move and interrupt their routine. However-
"Oy you both! That's right, I'm talking to you two captains" called out Lilynette in a rather exasperated manner. The duo stopped, surprised, looking at each other.
"We're friends of Ruby and Summer Rose. You know her, right?" asked Lilynette.
"Summ…..what..?" asked Jushiro.
"You heard me! You know that Ru-chan…..Ruby is friends with Ichigo and his family and that she has other allies right? Well, we're one of them. We came because we realized that you were the ones Summer-san talked about. Shun-chan and Juu-kun. Ring any bells?" she asked.
Upon hearing those names, Ukitake and Shunsui froze in their spots, an expression of shock etched on their faces. Starrk meanwhile, facepalmed hard.
"Who the hell goes around calling grown men by names like 'Shun-chan' and Juu-kun'?!"
But surprisingly, it had worked. They looked at each other and then at Lilynette and then back at each other.
"Where….whom did you hear that from…?" asked Jushiro.
"Ruby of course, who else. Duh!" said Lilynette.
"Ruby…..That's Summer-san's daughter. The one that captain Unohana went to find, right?" asked Ukitake. "But that doesn't make any sense. Summer-san died 1000 years ago, at a time when her daughter was still nowhere to be found. The only ones who knew about the names she gave us were those that lived during those times and were close to Summer-san"
"How do you explain an arrancar like you knowing that, missy?" asked Shunsui, narrowing his eyes at her. "Unless…..you heard it directly from her? Which would mean that you must've heard it from her when she was still alive. 1000 years ago. And then there's this. The specifics are not very clear to both of us, since both Yamaji and Unohana-san refused to tell us more. But….the reason that Natsuko-chan died was because she went to confront an exceptionally powerful enemy. An arrancar, I was told. And what do we have here in front of us? An arrancar powerful enough to be at our level who also happens to know about Natsuko-chan. Now isnt that interesting!" chimed Shunsui with a smile, but one that conveyed anything but cordiality.
"Hey wait just a minute! What the heck do you mean by 'dead'?!" asked Lily. "Don't you think you're misunderstanding something fundamental here? Summer isnt-!"
"Hai Hai~~! Allow me to explain~~!" chimed a sing voice behind them. Appearing n between them, twirling his zanpakuto, was Kisuke Urahara.
"Kisuke…?" asked Ukitake.
"Ah..! You're that guy that trolled Aizen! Wait, you're also the same guy that's been in touch with Ruby!" exclaimed Lily.
"Indeed, I'm glad you've heard of me~! Phew, I'm glad I made it here before you both started fighting" he said, sighing. "Before we do anything, I think I should clarify a few things with them" he told Lily and Starrk, going towards the captain duo.
"What's this about, Kisuke?" asked Shunsui once more. And then Kisuke proceeded to give them a short version of the events and updates on everything that happened, including Summer, which also confirmed their stories.
"See" said Starrk, leaning closer to Lily. "You should've listened to me! This is why I wanted to make sure I worded it right. They would've attacked you if that guy didn't interfere first"
"It's fine and besides, it worked out didn't it? They would've listened to us once we told them that Summer wasn't dead. Still though, how come they don't know? I thought she would've told them" wondered Lily.
"Somehow….I doubt that" said Starrk, recollecting the numerous times how Summer would comically shy away whenever Unohana's name was mentioned.
To say that Ukitake and Jushiro were stunned was putting it as brief and short as their reactions could be described.
"No way…Natsuko-chan….she's really….alive then…?!" asked Shunsui, a kind of emotion in his voice that was rather odd considering how he usually was.
"But…..why..?! How…?!" asked Ukitake.
"Now now gentlemen, I know you have a lot of questions, but she should be here herself. After all, Unohana-san went to find her, which means that she should be with her now. And I just sent out word to them asking them to return to help us with Aizen. Why not just ask her in person? I'm sure she'd love to catch up too" explained Urahara. "And as I explained, they're with Ruby-chan and by extension young Ichigo and us. They're here to join us against Aizen. And so are they" said Urahara, pointing to Tier Harribel watching them from the distance.
Ukitake and Shunsui took a long pause, until Ukitake sighed.
"I never thought I would ever be affixed by something after the long lives the two of us have lived. But you're right, Kisuke. For now, I'll take your word for it" said Ukitake.
"What he said" added Shunsui. "Though….this is definitely a curious turn of events. I took into account that we might have allies amongst Aizen's army, but never thought it would be such powerful arrancars"
"Oh there's more to where that came from, after all, some of their allies are still in Hueco Mundo. They should be arriving really soon" added Kisuke.
"You don't say" replied Shunsui. "Well isnt that nice. Now I'm having a real good feeling about the whole thing. So, why don't we get going then?" he asked, and Jushiro nodded. The two approached Lilynette and Starrk.
"Sorry about the whole thing earlier missy. I heard it all from Kisuke. What can I say, I'm glad we can work together" said Shunsui, offering his hand to her and Starrk.
"That was fast" she remarked.
""I'm glad myself. I rather detest something as much of a pain in the ass as fighting someone as powerful as you, captain. If you ask me, I'd rather settle down for a nice, cold pitcher of sake and a nice, long sleep" added Starrk, taking his hand. "I believe we haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Coyote Starrk and she's Lilynette Gingerbuck. But you can call us Starrk and Lilynette"
"Well whatdya know, I didn't think I'd find another fellow with common tastes! If you'd told me that from the beginning, we could've done just that!" said Kyoraku excited, pulling out a couple of small cups and a small flask of sake. "But I suppose we'll save that for later. You already know, but for courtesy, I'm Shunsui Kyoraku and he's Ukitake Jushiro, captains of squad 8 and 13 respectively" replied Kyoraku, returning the greeting. "Still Starrk-san, I'm surprised you'd turn coat this easily. Forgive me for putting it that way, but I can only wonder since you came straight to us without even fighting anyone else. Almost like you knew this would go this way"
"That's pretty much the reason" explained Lily. "It's not like we're loyal to that bastard Aizen. We were pretty much forced to follow him because he was strong and because of circumstances. We really only care for Ru-chan" she said.
"So it would seem" replied Ukitake. "In any case, I'm glad to be fighting on the same side"
"Now that that's settled, shall we catch up with the others?" said Urahara. "I think it's best we regroup and make a plan to confront him as a group"
And so, the five of them set off.
Yamamoto Genryusai had no more words to say to the man who was responsible for the genocide of his men, the very same subordinates whom he considered akin to children. And that was only the beginning of the audacity of his crimes. And yet, as their battle went on, Yamamoto couldn't help but view the soul reaper as more than just a criminal with a sharp mind. He had lived over 2000 years, and in all that time, there were very few who ever came close to the level of combat ability Aizen Sosuke possessed. An unforgivable enemy he was, but he was definitely one that deserved respect.
The moment their blades clashed and exchanged strikes, the head captain's mind was instantly reminded of Reiji Ouzumi. A name he thought he wouldn't ever recall for time immemorial. The way Aizen moved, the way his sword twirled and danced around his own Zanpakuto was so strikingly similar to the unique sword fighting style of Reiji. A man who had never taken on any disciples. It didn't take brains to figure out the obvious. But getting himself to be accepted as his student was a feat in itself. And yet, Aizen's swordplay was no mere imitation. It was immensely better, even more so than Reiji's techniques.
Given that Reiji's build was more muscular than Aizen's, his sword style had limitations in movement and the number of ways he could move and direct his sword. It was as if Aizen had perfected that to suit his own build and zanpakuto over the long years he spent as a Soul Reaper. The number of people who could swing a sword with the same grace, speed and power as Aizen were countable in one hand. He had no wasted movements and it would not be hard to state that one could not get better than Aizen did with the sword. Aizne's response to an attack was never the same each time, and he always found creative ways to use anything around him to his advantage to make up for the difference in power between himself and Yamamoto.
Such as the time he deliberately shifted the timing of his attacks to throw off Yamamoto's rhythm, creating an opening for Aizen to lunge in and deliver a precise strike. Or that time when Aizen used the reflection from the mirrors from within a building to attack Yamamoto from a blind spot. Or for example switching the hold on his sword to throw off Yamamoto's guard, and then striking by swiftly changing his hold again, making it difficult to counter such a versatile technique.
But be as that was, Yamamoto was still Aizen's superior in sword play. Though his technique was superb, Yamamoto had no trouble at all matching Aizen's movements, both in speed and power. However, as Soul Reapers, Kendo was not their only weapon.
"Raikouhou"
"Danku!"
None of the battles around them could even measure up to the level of intensity of the explosions and forces generated whenever Aizen Sosuke and Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto clashed. Each time a kido spell was used by either of the combatants, entire buildings and city blocks would be torn apart. In the replica of the town that was about 60 sq. km large, their battle alone took up a third of that space.
The raikohou spell used by Aizen was one used without its incantation. In other words, it was the weakest possible version of Hado that could have been used by Aizen. And yet, when Yamamoto blocked the spell using his bakudo, the explosion alone reached so high that it dwarfed the height of entire buildings, easily reaching up to 100 meters to the sky. Direct hado spells below number 89 were pointless as they could be easily blocked by using Danku. However, neither was remotely using it to directly harm the other.
Yamamoto retreated back a few paces, drawing back his fists and curling them tightly.
"Soukotsu!"
"Tenran"
Hand to hand combat was not Aizen's style of battle, but he had more than enough ways to counter opponents that were well versed in using it. The force of the whirlwind generated by Aizen's incantation-less kido was more than enough to completely cancel out the force of Yamamoto's fists. The old captain used ultra fast flash steps to move erratically while advancing towards Aizen, his zanpakuto prepared to intercept any attack thrown his way and his speed making it impossible for Aizen to keep track.
"Geki"
"Hyapporankan"
"Sajousabaku"
The first spell had done nothing but stop him for an mere instant, but that instant had been enough for some of the innumerable light rods that rained down on him from the second spell to get past his sword as he proceeded to cut down the rest faster than the eye could blink. But even those rods of binding reishi had done nothing to stop Yamamoto's advance towards Aizen, despite them landing on his leg and arm. Aizen however, wasn't retreating. Instead, he closed the distance between the two, his palm outstretched.
"Soren Sokatsui"
"Danku!"
A massive tsunami like wave of blue fire erupted from Aizen's palm, the wave easily five times as big as any of the buildings around them as it collided with the barrier Yamamoto erected right in front of him.
"Did he really think using a kido spell below 90s level work just because he fired it by distracting me with a slew of bakudo spells?" thought Yamamoto to himself. However, he had relaxed too soon.
"….!"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a faint glint which then grew brighter and closer. With reflexes much to sharp for an elder of his stature, Yamamoto barely moved out of the way of Kyoukasuigetsu attached to a glowing rope of yellow reishi, the result of the third bakudo spell Aizen used before he used his hado spell, telling the head captain that AIzen's real intention had been to hide the fact that he'd anchored his zanpakuto to his Sajousabaku spell to strike him from behind when he was distracted by his previous bakudo and hado spells. And just then, he felt something on his back.
"Hiryuu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou"
A colossal beam of electrified reishi blasted forth point blank from Aizen's palm, it's width wider the roads and buildings they were standing in front of. Yamamoto's form was immediately consumed by the blast as was everything in the street that it came in contact with as far as the eye could see.
*SHHHACK*
Aizen's expression did a 180 when he felt his body being blasted away by an enormous force from behind. Standing behind him was Yamamoto, his arms outstretched and his fists curled. His attire sported light new burns from the previous attack, but other than that, he wasn't seriously injured. However, what was more surprising was the expression on his face.
"What an incredible talent to have gone down the wrong path…" he couldn't help but wonder. He had coached several students over the course of his long life as a soul reaper and as a martial artist. Out of all those that he personally taught, like Ukitake, Shunsui, his own lieutenant and others, they had all turned out to be exemplar soul reapers, each one worthy to go down as great warriors in the annals of the history texts. And yet, this man standing in front of him surpassed them all. His natural talent, the amount of effort he had no doubt put over his own life as a soul reaper to better himself made him a being that was capable of pushing the head captain of the soul society itself this far in combat. Granted, neither was able to use their strengths to their full potential, but even under these circumstances, Aizen Sosuke was no doubt one of the most formidable he had ever had the pleasure to cross blades with. A feeling that was matched only by his battle with Juha Bach from the Quincy wars 1000 years ago.
"It's such an immeasurable pity, Aizen Sosuke" he said with an empathetic voice. "Such wasted potential. You had everything that a soul reaper of your ilk could ask for. You had the ability, the charisma and peerless thirst for knowledge. A desire to improve yourself. People who trusted you and considered you as good as family. You were what many aspired to be and an example to so many of us. And yet, there can be no forgiveness for the acts of treason you have committed. You are strong, perhaps one of the strongest I have had the fortune of crossing blades with. I do not understand the reason as to why you would take on a path that leads to your eventual ruin, and I have no wish to. But as much as it has been my fortune to do battle with you, it is equally unfortunate that your ambitions end here, by my hands, Aizen Sosuke. No matter how much you try, you will not be able to defeat me" declared Yamamoto, raising his fist.
Aizen watched the old man with a curious expression and then at himself, his eyes unfocused on the world around him. His body ached throughout. He could feel himself becoming weary, his breaths somewhat constrained and his heartrate much higher than what it usually was. Something that had only happened when he crossed swords with a very few select individuals. No, it wasn't excitement nor was he tired of this farce. It was merely routine. In this specific situation where neither he nor the head captain could overwhelm the other without any room for Aizen to struggle and evolve. This was a situation that was possible thanks to his own predictions and Kisuke Urahara's intervention. Therefore, his physical condition was nothing to ponder about, except for acknowledging that everything was going according to his plans.
What did get his mind racing were the words his enemy spoke. He scoffed to himself internally. 'I do not understand…'. Yamamoto's words resonated within his mind. Truer words couldn't have been said, Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto, he thought to himself. From the beginning, there had been none who could ever see the world the way he did. Admire the things he did. Chase after the things he did. No matter how discrete or open he was about them.
Nobody had ever been able to see the vastness of the world around him as much as he did and study them as much as he did in his pursuit of the knowledge of the universe and how everything worked, including beings such as Soul Reapers and their role in the grander scheme of things. From the beginning of his existence, as far as his memories would allow him to recollect, he had but one driving force. He needed to know. He needed to experience. He needed to grow. He needed to progress. Further and further. Above and beyond. And he needed to see it all. The world. Humans. Quincy. Soul Reaper. Martial arts. Kido. Science. Religion. Politics. Human nature. The stars. The solar system. Galaxies. The universe. The gods.
Nothing in the world was boring. The only thing that changed was how interesting they were relatively to the things he had already known. When he gazed up the sky, while others might see nothing but an empty obsidian blanket covered by numerous stars from afar, he would have a million things to ponder about. The fact that the universe was expanding thanks to something present even in the vacuum of space, something that the scientists of the World of the Living called dark energy. The fact that even the darkest regions of the night sky were lit with light that was as old as the universe itself. Or the fact that just he alone was made up of more number of spirit particles than the number of stars present in the entire galaxy. Or the feeling he got when he was reminded of the fact that despite there being no notion of real world particles like electrons, protons, neutrons, neutrinos and other sub atomic particles in the spirit world, reishi could perfectly emulate the same behavior, down to the quantum level and their probabilistic natures. And yet, those in the spirit world could exhibit phenomenon such as Kido, which wasn't possible by normal humans using non-spirit matter. And that train of thought would lead him to question why the number of kido spells stopped at 100. Surely, given enough permutations and combinations more and more kido could be developed? Following which he would be engrossed in testing said hypothesis.
Unlike those 'scientists' such as Mayuri and Szayelaporro, who indulged in self serving petite practices, he saw things with a far simpler mindset. From the smallest things too small for the eyes to see all the way to things that were bigger than the planet he lived on, none had been able to appreciate, ponder, question and see them the same way as he did with nothing but a genuine curiosity to fuel him. And as such, there had been none that could stand beside him as an equal. None that could understand. To him, the minds and approaches of those around him going on about their lives worrying about the most trivial things felt so very painful. Painful and suffocating. And Yamamoto Genryusai was the epitome of such suffocation. The universe was so vast, and the things to learn about within it even more so. How could a man who was satisfied by spending his life doing nothing but drink tea, play shogi, watch other ill motivated people go on with their mundane lives ever hope to understand him? The audacity of that statement struck Aizen as the heights of arrogance. The very thought of breaking out of such a suffocating environment would be the fuel he needed to advance and evolve further.
But no. That was wrong. There had been those. Those that had come to see. Those rare, few beings, the only two he ever acknowledged. The moment his thoughts had drifted to the notion that he was all alone in this infinite universe, their faces came to mind. A woman with an insight far more welcoming and broader than his own was, and the only one who did as she pleased, regardless of who or what she was dealing with. The only one who remained who she was even in front of him, even in the face of the gods themselves. The only one whose comapny he truly enjoyed. And that man with an intellect and thirst for knowledge that matched his own, his train of thought just as advanced and far reaching as his own. Summer Rose and Kisuke Urahara. The only ones in the vast universe whose presence brought a genuine smile on his face, and the only ones amongst trillions who stood out, the only ones who could see the things he did, regardless of which face he used. Sure, there had been those that came close. Atleast in terms of battle ability. Such as Ruby Rose. Ichigo Kurosaki. Karin Kurosaki. Yuzu Kurosaki. But while they were interesting and had the potential to reach his level and beyond, that was it. Even thye would never understand, never see as he did. No, in the end, it was only those two. Two out of many billions in the vast universe.
His mind raced back to the battlefield, back to Yamamoto. When he gazed up at the old head captain, he looked almost insignificant. He could feel the Hogyouku pulse in response to his thoughts, and his body changing from within.
"Indeed. You could never begin to comprehend, head captain of the soul reapers. None of you can. From my perspective, you are all no one. Absolutely nobody worth considering. Beings made up of the same things as I, have the same brains, lungs, heart, organs as I and yet, are as devoid of life as the hole in a hollow's heart. A complete contrast to what you could be" he said, parting his shirt sideways, revealing the glowing purple-blue orb.
"You…..that is the Hogyouku….is it not?! You have gone so far in your pursuit of power, that you would even assimilate such a demented thing as part of yourself?!" demanded Yamamoto.
"Subjugated, not assimilated. The Hogyouku works in ways that is far beyond your current understanding, and I have no interest in explaining it to a man who cannot even see despite having eyes. However, there is one misunderstanding that I can help clear, in words and actions you can understand and comprehend"
"A misunderstanding?" asked Yamamoto.
"You have prided yourself as the mightiest Soul Reaper, the one who stands at the zenith of an entire realm. However, don't you think such a being would have no trouble at all finishing me off, despite being handicapped? And yet, I am not even gravely injured, despite how long this has gone on. You were not even overwhelmingly victorious against your battle with the Quincy 1000 years ago. The best you could do was drive them away. You were deluded then and you are deluded now. But back then, you had some truth to your words. And back then, there had been none others to challenge your claims. But here and now, I shall open your eyes to the real truth, and reach far beyond the labels of soul reapers, hollows, arrancars, Quincies or the gods. And to that effect, I give you my final thanks for making it possible" he said, as white, cloth like emissions from the Hogyouku in his chest began to slowly cover his body.
Within the garganta, an animated discussion was taking place between a certain soul reaper and a certain arrancar while the rest bore witness to their 'discussion', unsure of how to interrupt them.
"Haaah?! The fuck did you say?!" rasped Grimmjow.
"I said you can stay out of the way while I gut Aizen to pieces. I wouldn't want your sorry ass dyin' on me anytime soon. After all, I'd have nothin' to cut after I'm done with Aizen" replied Kenpachi. And to make matters worse, Yachiru was egging them on as well.
"Go Kenny! Go Yankee-kun! Fight on!" she chimed, excited.
"How about you piss off and I take care of that bastard? After all, I'd hate to run out of soul reapers to fight after I'm done with him" replied Grimmjow in a similar manner. Ulquiorra merely looked away in disappointment.
"Can't you move two feet without starting a fight with someone?" asked Nel, annoyed. "Especially with someone we're supposed to be fighting together with"
"I ask that you stop causing a stir amongst out ranks, Captain Zaraki" said Byakuya in his usual stoic manner.
"And who the hell's askin' you?!" replied the two in unison.
"Gentlemen" came Unohana's voice with her signature smile. "Although I understand your enthusiasm in doing battle with Sosuke Aizen, I would like to remind you that we are still within the Garganta and any sudden action might cause one of us to fall off and face a fate worse than death. To that effect, I kindly ask that you stop fighting with each other. You aren't children after all. And that goes for you too, lieutenant Kusajishi. I ask that you not encourage your captain" she asked, her voice as polite as it could get. Zaraki merely stared at her while Grimmjow looked at her, vexed.
"Huuh? And the hell said you could order me around, woma-"
"Gentlemen" she repeated once more, her smile now accompanied by malice. "Could you please stop your childish bickering?"
Dead silence followed while Unohana's aura continued to permeate through them.
"Tch…whatever" said Grimmjow, turning away. Zaraki did the same. Yachiru pouted and shook her fist at Unohana but obliged nonetheless.
"….as usual, I can never not be amazed by captain Unohana's ability to pacify any situation" thought Rukia to herself, sweatdropping.
"Ahahahaha thank you" said Nel, laughing awkwardly and scratching her head. "Sorry about that, he's a bit low on proper manners this one. I'll make sure he's better behaved from now on" she said, earning Grimmjow's glare but this time Nel silenced him with a, ice-cold look of her own. "Still, that was quite impressive! To calm them down like that by just using your words. Even back home, there haven't been many who could do that!"
"No no, you patronize me too much!" replied the 4th division captain, her normal demeanor back. "I completely understand how difficult and embarrassing it can be when your acquaintances start showing their wild side out of excitement"
"Yeah I suppose that's true! Ahahaha I haven't seen even Tia with give such a menacing look! And with a smile to boot! I feel sorry for your subordinates, they do seem a bit scared" said Nel.
"Mhm? Are they?" she asked, looking back with an innocent look. Rukia and Renji frantically shook their head. "They look quite alright to me" she said, going back to Nel. Renji, Nel and Rukia sweatdropped. Orihime smiled awkwardly while Uryu and Chad looked extremely nervous.
"Ah!" gasped Nel quite audibly, surprising Unohana.
"Is something the matter?" she asked.
"Ah it's….It's nothing too urgent but…I just realized as we were talking about subordinates…..I….I seem to have forgotten my fraccione back in Hueco Mundo…" she said deadpanned. "Ahhhh! How could I just forget them! I'm a failure of a master!" she said, shedding comical tears. Unohana offered a consoling smile.
"Please do not worry too much about it, I'm sure they will understand" she said. "Things happen, especially when our minds are pre-occupied by something. For now, wouldn't you say it's good that they can be out of harm's way? This way, you can focus on the battle ahead while not having to worry about your subordinates"
"Hmm…..yes well….I suppose you do have a point. But…." Said Nel. "And…..just maybe, if they come looking and find Ruby…then….she could join us as well and have Pesche and Dondochaka open a garganta for Ichigo instead!"
"True. While it isn't guaranteed your fraccione will find Natsuko and Ruby for certain, it is certainly something to hope for" agreed Unohana.
"We have reached the other side" alerted Ulquiorra, which immediately drew all of their attention forward. There was no saying what the situation would be like on the other side, nor the kind of enemies they would face. All they could do, was prepare for the worst.
The moment they jumped out of the peerless void and into the cityscape in front of them, multiple different things assaulted their senses, informing them of some of the various things that had happened while they were away.
The smoke rising from various sections of the city. The broken buildings, vehicles, burnt flora wherever they could see. But most importantly, the sight of arrancars and soul reapers alike in front of them.
"Tia! Starrk! Lily! You girls!" called out Nel, rushing out to meet them first followed by Grimmjow and then Ulquiorra. The Tres bestias did the same, rushing at Nel the moment they saw her.
"Captain Kyoraku! Captain Ukitake! Urahara-san! Yoruichi-san!" said Rukia with relief, going towards them with Renji, Orihime, Chad and Uryu followed by Unohana, Byakuya and then Kenpachi.
Although there were a lot of things both groups had no inkling about, for those from Hueco Mundo, it was a huge strain off of their minds to meet with familiar faces when they finally got to the epicenter of the battles.
Karin, Yuzu and Tatsuki could hear distant voices in the wind as they slowly stirred their eyes. No one was sure how much time had exactly passed since Nel and the rest departed for the World of the Living, but it had definitely been a while. Ruby's ears perked up too as they picked up the sounds of shouting in the distance background.
"…..ster….."
"…st…..el….!"
"Oy….you both hear that..?" asked Tatsuki.
"Sure do" said Karin. "You see anyone, Yuzu?"
"I'm looking" she said, looking around and her eyes narrowed. "hmm….I don't see anyone…..? Wait…..I….I can see someone approaching! Two of them!" Karin and Tatsuki looked in the direction Yuzu was pointing at. Ruby picked herself up from the ground as well.
"Master…!"
"Master Nel…..!"
"It's Pesche and Dondochaka!" she said surprised.
"Huh…? But why are those two..?" asked Yuzu.
"They're Nel's fraccione….right? So then how come she didn't take them along?" asked Karin.
"Ah, she must've forgotten in the heat of the moment" said Ruby. "But….but….this could work" she said.
"What could, aneki?"
Ruby looked at the approaching Pesche and Dondochaka who were still looking around cluelessly for Nel. And then she turned her gaze towards Ichigo, who still had a very strained expression on his face.
"Yuzu. Go and get them here" she instructed. Yuzu nodded and quickly vanished using flash step. Karin and Tatsuki watched as the duo comically started protesting after Yuzu spoke something to them. And then she pulled at them, asking them to follow her. When they saw Ruby, their pace quickened. Ruby did feel quite bad for the two considering how devoted they were to Nel. But at the same time, she felt it was really fortunate.
"Master Nel, why did you go away by yourself…!" cribbed Pesche. "Hey wait...master Ruby, you look...hmmmm" pondered Pesche, leaning in closer to Ruby, observing her. "Different...?"
"Wha...?! Master Ruby is different...?!" exclaimed Dondochaka, surprised.
"...you've got to be kidding me...right...?" asked Karin, deadpanned.
"I think it's cute..." said Yuzu, sweatdropping.
"And just which part did you two dumbasses miss?!" shouted Tatsuki comically, pointing to Ruby.
"Whoaaaa! This is...Master Ruby got a makeover!" chimed Pesche.
"No you idiots, its her resurreccion!" shouted an annoyed Tatsuki once more.
"MASTER RUBY HAS A RESURRECCION!?" they exclaimed together.
"Where in the world did Nel pick up these two...?" wondered Tatsuki, giving up.
"Ah, MASTER NEEELLLLL! Whhhyyyyy did you leave us baaaaack!" they started crying again comincally, down on their knees, shifting the mood once more.
"Now now Pesche, Dondochaka, you know how Nel is. At tense times, she does tend to become a bit absentminded. Hii hii, kind of like how you both are now. But leave that. For one, there is one really important job that you can help her with. Even more than if you went with her" said Ruby.
"Really?" asked Dondochaka. Ruby nodded.
"Please….watch over Kari, Tsuki and Yuzu until Ichi wakes up. And then, when he does, could you open a garganta and lead him back to the World of the Living?" she asked.
"Huh..? But why would that..?" asked Karin.
"We could but…..I'm don't understand how that's going to help Master Nel, Master Ruby" asked Dondochaka.
"I'm going to join Nel and the others in the World of the Living. They could use my help. The only reason I stayed behind was so one of us could open a Garganta for Ichi to come by after he's done. But now…..you guys are here. Which means that I can join the fray and leave this to you both" she said. No sooner had she said that, protests rose from both sides voicing the same thing.
"But we want to fight too!" they argued in unison.
"I can agree with having Pesche and Dondochaka help onii-chan leave Hueco Mundo but I don't want to stay here while you put your life at risk out there, Onee-chan! We want to fight with you! Please….dont just leave us here!" pleaded Yuzu.
"Kari…Tsuki…Yuzu….I'm sorry but if things have gotten to a point where Urahara-san himself is worried, I'm not sure I can be at peace sending you three to such a battle. I'm really reluctant to even send Ichi, even if he is strong enough. But you three are definitely out of the question. As for you both, let me tell you that this job is the most important job out of all of our roles. It can really decide the tide of this entire battle itself. I'm sure Nel would agree as well…Please" she said, looking at her siblings sternly and then at Pesche and Dondochaka with an earnest look.
"…well, if you put it that way, I suppose we can't really argue back, now can we Pesche?" asked Dondochaka.
"It can't be helped. Very well, the two of us will guard your siblings with our lives! Yup yup, just leave it to us and you just go out there and help master Nel!" chimed Pesche.
"Awww thanks a bunch, you guys! You're the best!" said Ruby, leaning in forward and grabbing the duo in a big hug, embarrassing them both.
"Onee-chan!" called out Yuzu, going after Ruby but Pesche and Dondochaka stood between her and Ruby.
"Sorry Yuzu-cchi, if master Ruby says no, then I'm afraid I can't let you pass, even if you make a really cutesy face" said Pesche, crossing his hands.
"Sorry you three. But I'm only doing this for the best. Trust me, it's not that I want to keep protecting you all the time or watching over you all the time. As much time as it took me to realize it, you three have definitely grown up a lot over the past few years. More so than I could ever imagine. And you've become a lot more powerful than your average hollow, soul reaper captain or even menos. Ichi's battle taught me that perhaps I might have overdone it from my side. You guys will definitely get your chances to fight and improve, and I promise I won't stop you then. But this is just a whole different league. Just stay here, just this once, alright?" said Ruby apologetically, grabbing them one last time around her arms. She then let go and opened a garganta. "Pesche…Dondochaka, I'll leave them to you" she said, jumping in. The Kurosaki twins + Tatsuki watched in dismay as her figure disappeared within the void, following which the void itself closed up.
"No…that's a lie…..it can't be…please tell me it's not true, captain Ukitake!" asked Rukia, her face utterly distraught.
"Hisagi….captain Hitsugaya…Tetsuzaimon…..captain Komamura…..I….I just can't believe so many are….." said Renji, shaking.
"So many people…..how cruel….." said Orihime, sobbing.
"….I….expected that there would be a few casualties but this is just….." muttered Uryu. Even Yachiru was solemn, looking down and unusually quiet.
Ukitake pulled Rukia close to himself, comforting her. "I'm really sorry…..Rukia. Aizen was just too powerful and we all fell prey to his nefarious schemes….I'm really sorry" he said. Unohana looked sombre and it was hard to tell if Byakuya felt anything from the new information but it was clear he was angry. As for Kenpachi, he looked quite indifferent. Kyoraku took it upto himself to brief the situation to the soul reapers while Tier and Starrk did the same to Nel, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. The two were currently by their own groups while Kisuke was having an animated discussion with Shinji, Yoruichi and Isshin after Yoruichi left Soi-Fon off with the rest of the injured to treat her amputed arm.
"Well, if you dipshits have time to be sittin' around and cryin' you might as well have stayed back at that place. I've got an enemy to kill and I'm done waitin' here" rasped Zaraki. "Come on Yachiru"
"Wait captain Zaraki! Let's all work together as a group! I understand you're upset about your squadmates but brashly rushing in will get us nowhere" said Kyoraku.
"Huh? Who says I'm worried? In a fight, you win some you lose some. That's how it is, isnt it? That's what the old man teaches you, doesn't he? Then why should I worry about others? Now that Ikkaku and Yumichika are done fighting, I'll just do their share of fightin' as captain"
"That's enough, Captain Zaraki. If you plan to further risk our chances of success in this battle, not to mention our sense of unity, I shall stop you here and now" said Byakuya, drawing his sword.
"That's enough you two" alerted Unohana. "While unity amongst our ranks is important, I agree with captain Zaraki to a certain degree. When we left Hueco Mundo, we agreed to take into consideration the worst case scenario and prepare for that. Aizen is still out there, and we all have our roles to fulfil. And as such, I shall assist Ryuken Ishida and Hachigen Ushoda in healing the injured. Meanwhile, I ask that you work together with Urahara-san and the rest of Ruby's comrades in defeating our enemy and assist the head captain. As for you three, I would like you to come with me. Your abilities will be much helpful in treating the wounded, Inoue-san. Is that understood?"
Zaraki tsked and Byakuya put away his sword. Rukia and Renji calmed down and steeled themselves, although Rukia still chose to remain by Ukitake's side. Kyoraku heaved a sigh of relief.
"Very well put, captain Unohana. Honestly, things may have been quite grim till now, but the number of allies we have is really something. And they're all in a class of their own I can see. Especially that one" said Kyoraku, looking at Ulquiorra. "Let's go ahead and join the others. The sooner we're done with this, the faster we can go and assist Yamaji"
By the side of the arrancars things were a lot calmer. For one, they weren't too bothered by the deaths of the soul reapers or the other captains, nor were the deaths of their other arrancar peers that shocking. If anything, what did surprise Nel, Ulquiorra and Grimmjow was the fact that Urahara took out Baraggan and his fraccione all by himself.
"…..It's so hard to believe. I mean, don't get me wrong, but he was stronger than you Tia! To finish him off as well as four other arrancars at once…..I guess Ruby wasn't joking" said Nel.
"It explains Aizen-sama's weariness of him and my own assessment of his spirit energy" said Ulquiorra.
"Heh, this just keeps gettin' more and more interesting. Every single time I look some other way there's some guy more powerful than the last one" grinned Grimmjow. "And that broad and that old fart are the same, right?" he asked, looking at Isshin and Yoruichi.
"You bet your ass" said Apacci. "That chick took us on along with Momo using her Bankai without breaking a sweat"
"And from what I hear, she also took out Nnoitora all by herself. Apparently, she has this armour that can get past out Hierro" said Lily.
"And that guy, Isshin….he took out Zommari with a single hit, as well as Tosen with the help of that other Shinigami" said Starrk.
"All three of them are immensely powerful. Easily at out own level" said Tier. "However…you still haven't explained why you are here, -"
*VOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM*
Just then, a massive explosion rocked the entire cityscape they were standing on, visible even from the distance they were at. Aizen's spirit energy signature as well as Yamamoto's spirit energy signature had completely disappeared. And yet, it didn't look like this had settled. Without wasting any further time, the three groups reconciled quickly with each other, agreeing to put aside trivial matters aside for the time being and headed towards the epicentre of the explosion.
Some more of the previous unfinished fights prior to Aizen are now done, and honestly I wish I could've finished them last time so that I could've focused solely on Aizen this chapter. But oh well. Now all that's left is Aizen and yes, I haven't forgotten Gin. The war is really coming to a close now.
Soul Reapers:
Omaeda Marechiyo, Hisagi Shuuhei, Tetsuzaimon Iba, Nemu Kurotsuchi, Captain Komamura, Captain Toshiro, Captain Mayuri, all other members of the Stealth Force.
Vizards:
Lisa, Kensei, Mashiro, Rose, Love.
Arrancars/Other Hybrids:
Yami, Barragan and all six of his fraccione, Zommari, Nnoitora and his fraccione, Tosen
Injured/Incapacitated:
Rangiku, Hiyori, Yumichika, Ikkaku, Nanao, Wonderweiss, Izuru, Momo, Soi-Fon
Response to Reviews:
Kokomo: True and it's not just him. The people of Remnant will have a lot more to react to other than just Juha Bach.
Juan Chena: Raven huh? I think her reaction will be similar to both of them. It would be very similar to how she reacted to Salem. Essentially, Aizen and Juha Bach are just 'big, impossible existences that she cannot understand and threaten her'. Therefore, she would be terrified out of her wits. But well, not before Aizen has a million plans for her and Juha would probably try to offer her powers or abilities and enlist her as part of his army.
Argorok: Thanks a lot and not long actually! As you saw from this chapter, it's right around the corner!
NinjaGogeta: Thanks! I'm glad you saw it that way and that was the intention when I wrote that part. Well, we could also have the cast from Remnant. I agree, there are quite a few characters and its just that many of them couldnt have survived in canon considering it was Aizen they were up against.
L4 of the WEST: Thanks and I still have some more stuff planned for the war (which is almost reaching conclusion but if it goes well, I think it can really enhance those last few parts by a lot. I cannot say how happy/honored I am when someome tells me I helped someone else get into writing. I'm really happy for you and hope you'll continue writing! I would say dont worry about how good or bad it is, as long as you feel happy writing and reading it, that feeling will be shared by those that read it as well. I would be happy to check out your fic as well!
firewyrm2: Indeed. I always find it fascinating how much potential real world science has in fiction and how well it can be used to make a story extra interesting, because it also makes those parts relatable. And well, I suppose this wasnt really early but I did try to add some more of the good bits. And from the next chapter on it's all going to be about the big battle anyways.
Fregreg: Of course, there will be a segment that focuses on that after the war, before the remnant arc.
Vedahzii: True, I can see why you would feel that way. I could've done with lesser dialogue. After all, fights should be about more action and less talking. Well, I did try to improve on that bit a little this time. Hope it's better this time!
Imperial warlord: Thanks a lot!
rama alif: Of course, the Remnant arc is coming, real soon!
RandomName3064: Yup indeed. It's a shame I agree. Toshiro could have had better development. But I just thought that he was one of those that should've died long back, even in canon (that time in the Soul Society arc when he faced off against Aizen). And this time was just bad luck for him. Haha true, I'm glad you picked that up! Indeed, Yumichika is one who may be overlooked by many, but when it counts, he does have presence of mind. A fact I wanted to show. Yeah, always thought Aizen v Yama was one to see/write. As for Momo, I suppose she was always an easily influenced person. It really didnt take long to get to that state. But I'm still not quite done with her. I still think she has potential. Yup, and so are Isshin and Yoruichi. It's like those three alone fought off Aizen in his transformed state (even if they didnt win). The rest of the captains were basically taken out before it even got to that point. Haha will we now? Butterfly Aizen is a curious transformation that happened when Gin 'killed' Aizen in canon. But will things go the same way? Time will tell. True but well, as far as the time period of her return goes, it's not technically a spoiler since I've mentioned it many times in the fic before but it won't exactly be during the point she disappeared. But I can guarantee that her return will be a big turning point in the story for those in Remnant. Yup, you're right. As much as I want to get to Remnant, I dont want to rush things either. It wouldnt look good in the long run. Thanks a lot once more!
Xeno01: Thanks a lot and now all of the other fights are done, leaving only Aizen. I definitely have more for Momo. I think she's interesting and has potential to improve. And well, we did see some dialogue between the primera Espada and the two captains. They will have some more screentime together after the war. Ah, as for the power levels, I'll put them up soon. It's just that I was focusing on finishing the chapter that I didnt quite get into the power level compilation yet ahahaha! But I'll put them out for sure! Thanks a whole bunch as always!