Hear me spit on you

Wither I

Remold into gold

And bury I from sun

With relentless pursuit, White dedicated all its movements to drawing blood from its opponent. No matter how many attacks Sosuke Aizen landed, nothing forced it to take the defensive. Each strike the Hollow threw had no control or restraint. The random and unorthodox style of fighting made it difficult for Aizen to identify any tendency. His impenetrable demeanor gave way to frustration.

After he evaded slashes from Tensa Zangetsu, Aizen teleported behind White and slammed it downward through several floors of the tower. Once he flew down to continue his assault, Tensa Zangetsu shot out from the dark. Aizen averted the sword as it raced past his face, but White emerged from below and threw out a punch. Aizen blocked, but the force of the fist sent him back to the top floor.

White opened its hand wide. Aizen stopped himself but ducked when his enemy's blade spun overhead. White grabbed the hilt and charged upward. Though he tried to evade, White reached him fast enough to graze his cheek with a claw. A droplet of blood trickled down his face after the Hollow passed him by.

Aizen took a deep breath and sheathed his sword. With its Zanpakuto drawn behind its head, White darted toward him once more. It aimed for a stab at his neck, but Aizen vanished before the sword touched his throat. He reappeared behind White with his hands pressed and fingers twisted.

"Bakudo 99, Kin." Once White turned its focus to Aizen, long strips of fabric came forth to bind its arms. Iron shafts flew down and struck the cloth, sending White's back crashing into the ground. Aizen gazed from above as it howled and thrashed, to no avail.

He slid a thumb across the streak of blood. "Decades have passed, yet you remain just as I left you: a mindless, untamed beast. Though, I suppose that is my fault. You would be much more controllable if I hadn't given you the genes of-"

White prepared a Cero in his direction. With full power, it launched the beam at Aizen. He chose not to engage it, but summoned Danku to shield himself. An explosion ensued, and the smoke cleared to reveal an untouched Aizen. He extended his hand and charged a yellow energy ball into his palm.

"My turn." The blast shot down toward White. Bound to the floor, the Hollow screeched, then vanished into the light of the blast. Through the dust, however, a silhouette grew visible. The dust peeled away to reveal tiny and scattered bone fragments, along with the pale body of Trunks Briefs. Tensa Zangetsu withdrew from his hand, and with no Kido spell to restrict him, he laid bruised and lifeless, just as he did before.

He felt no pain. He felt nothing at all, but he floated with his back to the ground. Lethargic, Trunks opened his eyes to find only darkness around him. However, he expressed no abrupt shock or fear. Was this all a dream, or was this death? If he was dead, was this where he'd dwell until his reincarnation? There were no sights or sounds to give him any clues. He only continued to sink into the void.

Something stood in the distance. Trunks squinted, but he couldn't figure out who or what approached. Once the figure drew closer, he deciphered it to be a person. No sound came from their footsteps, but Trunks recognized them as soon as their features came into his vision: long, dark hair, a black robe, and glasses.

Zangetsu…

Trunks' Zanpakuto Spirit stood over him while he floated. Zangetsu's lowered his gaze and spoke, but something wasn't right.

Wait, Zangetsu. I can't hear you.

He couldn't move or even make a sound. He tried to read his lips, but to no avail. Zangetsu stopped, then closed his eyes and lowered his head. He uttered one last sentence before he turned and walked away.

All of his frantic efforts to call out to Zangetsu were in vain. No, please. Zangetsu, I can't move. Help me!

His eyes shot open, and he gasped for air. Blood rushed back into his body as his skin returned to its normal pigment. The artificial sun beamed from the hole in the roof into his pupils, forcing him to avert his stare. His surroundings revealed that he no longer drifted in a realm of darkness. Once again, he laid in Aizen's throne room.

"I'm… alive?"

In front of the Squad Twelve barracks, Ichigo searched for anything that would shed light on the situation. Based on the reactions of everyone else inside and outside Las Noches, something fierce emerged. What it could be, however, was anyone's guess.

The screen that monitored Trunks switched back to its live feed. Everyone returned their attention. Though they observed Trunks in the same position as he was before, no one looked past how the room appeared. Decimated walls and floors showed clear evidence that more fighting took place.

Before anyone speculated, Trunks breathed. The group uttered a collective gasp.

"He's alive?" Ichigo said.

Everyone in attendance gazed in disbelief. Had their eyes deceived them? It had been about five minutes since they watched Aizen strangle him. How could he still be breathing? They continued to watch as Trunks fought through his pain to sit up. All doubt had cast itself aside.

"How the hell is that possible?" Renji asked. "Did he hide some ability up his sleeve or something?"

Ichigo stood straight. All the worries in his eyes disappeared. "I'm not sure, but it doesn't matter. Right now, the name of the game is survival. As long as he does that, I don't care about how it happens."

With Kaioken activated, Goku darted toward Ulquiorra. Just as Ulquiorra put up his guard, Goku teleported behind him and landed a roundhouse kick on his back. Ulquiorra spun and slashed his claws at his eyes, but only dug into the skin under the Goku's eye. Goku grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and flung him through Las Noches' wall.

Inside, Ulquiorra gathered himself in the air as Goku chased him down. Goku disappeared, and in anticipation, Ulquiorra turned to defend against his attack. Nothing appeared behind him, but a pair of boots slammed him in the back of the head, causing him to crash down into the sand. Before Goku continued his pursuit, a Cero Oscuras shot in his direction. After he flew out of its path, Ulquiorra sprung from the sand to fight at close range.

The two traded blows again, but Goku's amplified speed and power proved to be the deciding factor. Bypassing Ulquiorra's defenses, he landed multiple punches to his body and face.

Ulquiorra summoned Lanza del Relampago and thrust it toward Goku's face. Goku grabbed his wrist before it touched, then Goku retaliated with a punch. However, Ulquiorra caught his hand. They interlocked fingers, but before they engaged in a tug of war, Goku jerked his interwoven hand back and pressed forward with a headbutt. He broke his hand free and pummeled his fist over the top of Ulquiorra's head.

Goku gave chase, but Ulquiorra materialized a second lance to his hand and heaved both. The Saiyan stopped and fired a Kamehameha to counter. The attacks detonated and produced shock waves that spread throughout the castle. Goku sped through the dust with a glowing yellow fist pulled back.

Ulquiorra planted his feet on the ground and prepared to launch another attack. As spirit energy gathered in his wings, he wrestled with a thought that refused to leave him alone.

I thought I understood the heart. I thought I learned all that I needed to know from Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue. But you're different from those two. None of my attacks can break you. It's almost as if they reinforce your spirit. Is it because you're a Saiyan? No, you're not as prideful as Grimmjow or Vegeta. I can't comprehend it. I don't understand why you're so different.

Tormenta de Murcielago spun toward Goku and left him with no space to avoid it. The tornado swallowed him whole, but Goku emerged from the other side. He bore more blood and scrapes than before. With clenched teeth and eyes of fury, Ulquiorra and Goku met. The head of a golden dragon appeared in front of his fist.

For a moment, Ulquiorra peered into Goku's eyes and received the answer to his question. He understood what separated Goku from Saiyans like Vegeta and humans like Ichigo.

It's your passion for battle. I can see it in your eyes and feel it in your fists. You don't assert your dominance, like other Saiyans. You aim to protect others, but you live to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of combat. That is why you never give up. If you lose, then you sacrifice your opportunities to meet and fight stronger opponents. So you train, you adapt in the middle of battle, and you push yourself to victory, not only to save the lives of the innocent, but to test the limits of your abilities.

Son Goku…

Without a doubt…

You are…

Fascinating.

"Dragon Fist!" Goku shot his arm on Ulquiorra's chest, triggering the dragon to explode forth and burst through him. The dragon towered high as it wrapped itself around Ulquiorra's body, then erupted in a flash of light.

Goku exhaled out of the Kaioken. Something hit the ground behind him with a hard thud. Goku turned to find Ulquiorra, absent of a body from the chest downward.

Ulquiorra directed his emotionless stare to the sky. "What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to deliver the killing blow?"

"I won't do that," Goku said. "Not while you're defenseless, at least. Besides, we both know there's no point in finishing you now."

"Hmph, it was foolish of me to expect something like that from you." Ulquiorra's body deteriorated before Goku's eyes. "How shameful. Yet again, I find myself useless to Lord Aizen." He then turned his head toward Goku. "I envy you. You can always fight for what your heart desires. But I… I always fail."

A tinge of sadness rested in Ulquiorra's eyes before he withered to ash. A breeze lifted his remains and scattered them across the desert.

"Goodbye, Ulquiorra. I hope you find a purpose in your next life."

There was no time to dwell in the moment. He pulled out a Senzu bean and ate half of it, enough to heal his injuries and restore most of his energy. Goku then assessed the status of the others. He turned to Vegeta's battle with Starrk. Though his ally was on the defensive, he predicted Vegeta would turn the tide of battle soon.

Outside of the castle, Goku detected the signals from his sons. Goten's involvement with Gohan's fight eased his prior concerns. The only thing left was to find out what happened with Trunks and Aizen.

The bloodthirsty energy that permeated from the tower vanished, and Trunks' faint presence returned. Goku couldn't make sense of what transpired inside of the throne room, but Trunks' life depended on him. Without another thought, he placed two fingers on his head and locked onto Aizen's signal.

With his body still in agony, Trunks propped himself onto his elbows. The level of structural damage perplexed him. Without a doubt, a fight occurred in his absence, but who did Aizen face? Did one of his allies come to his aid, or was it the work of a new foe? Did he fight while he was unconscious?

"So, you're still alive." Trunks snapped his head upward to Aizen. His power bore down on him as it did before. An icy gaze from above sent a chill down his spine.

Aizen pointed a finger at Trunks. "And yet there you sit, still so pathetic."

Intimidation took hold and prevented him from any movement besides a tremble. A purple beam shot him through the stomach. Blood spilled out through a gap in his torso and forced him onto his back. Paralyzed and unable to breathe, he tried to cling to life.

Goku appeared in the room faced Aizen. However, once he spun around to Trunks, he sprinted to him. He scrambled to pull out the whole bean from his sash, then kneeled and lifted Trunks' head.

Trunks trembled. "G-G-Go-"

Goku forced the bean into his mouth. "Don't talk, just eat it!" Trunks labored to chew, but with his last ounce of strength, he swallowed it. All of his wounds healed, but his head slumped to the side. Goku breathed a sigh of relief, then picked up Trunks and carried his unconscious body to the edge of the room.

Aizen grinned and floated down to the floor. "You finally arrived. I hope Ulquiorra didn't give you too much trouble. Now that I've finished using him as a warmup, it's time for us to finish what we started on Namek."

After Goku rested Trunks on the ground, he made his way toward Aizen. He peered into his enemy's eyes with no grin spread across his face.

"Is something the matter?" Aizen asked. "Of all people, I would expect you to be excited about this."

"Sorry if I'm not my usual self, but you're too dangerous for me to take this lightly. The only thing that I'll be excited about is ending you."

Aizen chuckled. "I'm honored to be held in high esteem by such an accomplished warrior." He unsheathed his Zanpakuto. "This won't be like our last battle. I'm not the same fighter I was before."

Goku stepped back into his fighting stance, then ascended to Kaioken times ten. "Don't think you're the only one that's changed. I've spent months preparing for this moment."

"Really? I've spent years." Aizen teleported in front of Goku and swung his sword downward at his head. Goku sidestepped the blade, but Aizen kicked him in the stomach. He slid back, but dashed forward to land an elbow on Aizen's cheek. Aizen stood his ground and the two of them exchanged strikes. Neither one looked to give the other any advantage.

Starrk continued to pressure Vegeta with an endless volley of Ceros. Vegeta fired back with his energy blasts, but he could not counter all the attacks that flew in his direction. He tried to outmaneuver them, but Starrk stayed vigilant and kept him at a distance. In his current state, he couldn't win in a shootout. His only choices were to close the space between them, or sacrifice more energy with another transformation. With Trunks unconscious and Goku engaged in combat with Aizen, the battle needed to conclude soon.

"If you can't even put up a fight against me, you wouldn't stand a chance against Lord Aizen," Starrk said. "You'll only end up like your son."

"Cocky bastard!" Vegeta said. He changed course and flew into Starrk's Ceros. "You think you can get the best of me?!"

Vegeta weaved through a hoard of blasts before he unleashed a Final Flash. The massive beam and a barrage of Ceros collided, then erupted in the sky. Starrk kept his eyes upward, but when the dust cleared, Vegeta vanished from sight. Starrk activated his Pesquisa to locate his opponent's position, then sidestepped to avoid a downward kick. As the Saiyan slid into the sand, Starrk used his Sonido to appear in front of him. He pointed both of his guns in Vegeta's face and launched a full-powered twin Cero. With no time to escape, Vegeta disappeared into the blast. Only a crater persisted in its wake.

Starrk took a moment to catch his breath before he activated his Pesquisa once more. He dropped his weapons to his sides, but remained vigilant for any attacks that may come from the horizon.

A torn glove surfaced behind his ankle. In one swift motion, it grabbed and yanked him. Starrk gasped and fired a Cero from his boot into the air. Vegeta rose from the sand with tattered Saiyan armor and unbridled anger. He landed a crushing punch to Starrk's jaw and another to his torso, which caused him to stagger backward.

Starrk shot a Cero to create distance, but Vegeta closed the gap between them and placed both of his palms on Starrk's chest. With an enraged yell, he unleashed an energy wave. When the dust dissipated, nothing remained of Coyote Starrk.

Out of breath, Vegeta did his first to stand straight. He spat out blood from his mouth and scoffed at the ground his enemy stood on. "Aizen must be a fool if he trusted a one-trick pony to defeat the prince of all Saiyans. How laughable."

He reverted to his base form, then collapsed on his hands and knees. He lifted his head and fixed his senses on Goku and Aizen's battle. In a rare instance, he didn't mind that Goku fought first.

He pulled out his last remaining Senzu grain. Wait until I get my strength back. I'll gladly finish that half-Saiyan disgrace if Kakarot can't finish the job.

Vegeta bit off half of his bean, but sensed someone behind him. Before he put up his defenses, pale appendages wrapped themselves around his neck, body, and arms.

"What the hell?! Sneaking up on me won't work!" Vegeta tried to power up to Super Saiyan Blue, but to his surprise, only transformed into Super Saiyan 2.

I can't transform further! What the hell's going on? Unable to muster the strength to break free, an unknown being dragged Vegeta backward.

In the air, Aizen dashed toward Goku and landed his knuckles on his face. He pursued, but Goku forced Aizen back with an energy push. Before they lunged at each other once more, something from the desert flashed across their senses.

Goku's mouth gaped open. Vegeta's energy signal had vanished. How was it possible? Goku sensed him the minute before.

He stared out into the desert through an enormous hole in the wall. The landscape offered no signs of life. Goku wanted to investigate the situation further, but that would require him to leave Trunks alone with Aizen.

Aizen grinned. "Well, it looks like Vegeta bit off more than he could chew this time."

Goku scowled at his foe. "You're behind this, aren't you? What did you do to him?"

"Oh, you'll see soon enough."

From the opening in the wall, Goku sensed someone approach them. He turned once more to the person who stood inside: a child with short blonde hair, clothed in an outfit similar to the rest of the Arrancar. With actions like babbling and drooling, however, Goku expressed more confusion than distress.

"What in the world?" he said. The boy stuck his fingers in his mouth. "Who is this kid?"

The child lifted his eyes. "Aaaah aaaaah."

"It's always nice to see you, Wonderweiss Margiela," Aizen said.

"Aaaaah aaaaah."

"Thank you for taking care of Vegeta for me. You always prove your worth."

Goku's aura shot outward from his body. "Tell me what you did to Vegeta before I force it out of you!"

"As I said before, Goku. You will see soon enough."

A/N: Damn, it's been a while. My bad y'all. I couldn't bring myself to write for a while, but in the last two weeks, I made time and I'm happy with what came out. The break gave me time to evolve some ideas. Gonna try not to do that again. Anyway, have a great day!