Shikeguni Genryusai Yamamoto
Founder & Commander of the Gotei 13
Founder & Leader of the Originals
Also known as the Renegade
It could be said that knocking on Heaven's doors uninvited was rude. Yamamoto just knew from experience.
Dance with flames - Secession Studios & Greg Dombrowski
Turning her back to Kakira and the past the latter still lived in, Izayoi, the daughter of the Red King walked toward the door, her steps deliberately slow as she approached the open gates. Her gaze, once crystalline had turned a fiery reddish color. Black veins were scarring her pallid face. Her claws were still dripping with Kaiju blood. She made small steps in that immaculate Ichinose sewn kimono living barely there ghostly and bloody footprint on the ground.
"He is going to hunt you for what you just did. Do you even realize what you just did?!" Kakira cried out with blood tears, her eyes blinking in shock.
She couldn't believe everything that happened. It was beyond what she could ever fathom.
The moon empress froze on the threshold, squinting hard, trying to accommodate to the sunlight. She had a dangerous smirk on her lips.
"I'm counting on it, my little star."
She was so counting on it. Her mouth agape, Izayoi stared at the beautiful Seireitei, stared at her newly conquered freedom. It almost took her breath away how vast it seemed to her. It was such a sight, full of dust, dirt, desolation and chaos, smokes rising toward the blue sky. Craters and erected pile of ruins. Bodies and blood everywhere. The smell of death.
Glory.
It was just glorious how much misfortune and misery she could feel at once…
The Moon Empress inhaled sharply, admiring the view. Her heart filling with levity and… joy. Although, her creative side was starting to itch. This art piece wasn't nearly complete till everyone of them paid for betraying her family. Till everyone remembered who this world belonged too. Everyone will understand she wanted to add a bit of herself in this work of art. Paint the world red and watch it burn. Start again. If she could not rule this universe, she might just destroy it.
She snickered wildly, laughing like a mad woman. A bit of red would not hurt she thought as line after line of trees below caught fire. Her reiatsu sizzling and burning in the air, crackling like fireworks around her.
The doors of Muken were open right above his head.
Shunsui let out a whistle. Fuck if he hadn't seen it all! A giant polar bear with three heads had just passed through the threshold and he had no idea how to get it back to where it came from. To complicate matters, the creature let out a roar and angrily blew a cloud of blue flames into the air.
Another guard, a snake the size of a train, came through the door behind the artic monster. Jūshirō sprang forward and cut the snake's head off. Although, it grew back immediately, the white monster, not liking Jūshirō's attacking his friend, spray the Seireitei with another cloud of blue flames. Kyouraku tried to approach on the right but one of these heads anticipated the maneuver. He barely had time to use shunpo. In passing, he caught up with Jūshirō.
Shunsui just had time to shunpo his way to Jūshirō, whose situation was just as precarious. He grabbed him and ran for cover. They crashed behind a large piece of Muken Seals. In one second, things went from good to worse. The sky turned critically red. Shunsui searched for Nanao in panic. He found lower-seated soldiers instead, gasping for air. Their eyes were bulging out of their socket in agony, trying to accommodate the level of spiritual pressure in the air.
"That reiat…" Shunsui couldn't finish this thought aloud. He inhaled sharply, coughed blood, holding onto Jūshirō's shoulder in panic. They both crawled on their knees. Soi Fon collapsed immediately. From where he was, he couldn't see Gin or Rangiku… Even the Polar Bear monster and its snake grew wary and agitated. Several soldiers of the second division stationed in ambush howled in agony.
Yamamoto, Sasakibe and Unohana just stood there, eyes riveted toward the sky coldly.
"Everyone, Take cover!" Shunsui yelled.
The mere signature of her spiritual pressure already placed her in a category of her own. There was less of the tensions and threat he felt earlier.
Yamamoto didn't move. He stared at the shadowy silhouette with a frown. She was royalty. No doubt. That toxic spiritual pressure couldn't lie. Yet he couldn't seem to remember. It's not like Unohana and he remembered well what they did back there. He remembered enough to know he did something foul. A God was dead. He contributed to it. The details were all blurred by now. Water under the bridge. He was an old man. He sinned. He knew.
Her eyes fell on him, cold and deadly. For a second, and despite the abysmal distance separating them, Yamamoto was lost staring at crystalline eyes that reminded him of something in the past and something in the present. He frowned hard, trying to gather his thoughts. It was hazy like a dream. The past.
Unohana had the same inquisitive look in her eyes. They stared back at the shadowy figure with a deadly gravity.
Shikeguni was the first for once to lower his gaze. Something compelled him to tilt his head down meekly. Images of the crown lying in a puddle of blood. Images of a dead king desecrated body, mutilated, mangled, burned and dispersed in all the Spirit World. Images of bones being crushed and ashes feeding the wheel. What have they done? Why did they do it?
Unohana stared blankly. It was like an instant connection between her and the shadow. One that was as incidental as it was eons ago. She was reminding of…
Shiro Sagisu – Soundscape to Ardor
The Kenpachi sword met flesh and after it tore a black wing. It pierced and hacked a Hueco Centro. The hollow made no sounds. Nope. The Vasto Lorde only stared at her with a blank gaze, her neck tilted at an odd angle. Unohana licked her bloody red lips greedily.
"Thanks for this fight. It's been just a wonderful experience, Hollow."
Paz Schiffer smiled, showing fangs. Black tears smeared her pallid skin.
"Well done my friend…"
"You call me friend, Hollow…as I slay you…"
"You're right again. Paz Schiffer…is the name."
Unohana nodded, her hair swaying wildly with the winds like tentacles.
"Kenpachi, address me as such. I allow you."
Paz sat down on a lower wall, nursing her mortal wound with one claw, staring ahead. There was such a grace in the creature as she paused with the sun rising in Hueco Mundo behind her. It took Unohana's breath away. She encountered this kind of beauty only twice.
"Kenpachi, Alright. Duly noted."
Paz snickered, staring at her own bloody katana. Yachiru Unohana blinked then, finally catching up.
"You're the governor of Jigoku. Mammongi's Mate."
"I am indeed."
Unohana came closer and bend forward respectfully.
" I want you to know that you were a formidable opponent."
Paz winked and took a step forward. Unohana stood her ground even as she felt the rush of adrenaline again in her veins. Paz smiled and leaned. Kenpachi let the Vasto Lorde kissed her greedily, her mouth tainting with blood. They let go breathlessly.
"I left my heart with you just now. Always remember the debt you owe me. "
She walked away a few steps, before turning again with a faint grin, blood seeping from her lips.
"Remember me always Friend. Because there is only glory upon death. Because you can only love the hardest what you've already lost. Remember me. For I am coming. The scent of my blood in the wind. The taste of it in the salt of your tears. I will kiss you again one final day. Because today I became Death at last."
She watched Paz Schiffer dissolved in the wind. She felt suddenly empty. She felt again and again this strange loss. The images replayed so vividly in her mind. It was so clear in her mind for a whole minute. Then it became blurry again and the details hazy. She felt this loss all over. This agonizing loss of her worst enemy tore at Unohana's inside. Her lips shivered.
She killed Paz Schiffer and she felt empty ever since.
Izayoi stared them down.
They were not ready yet. The empress concluded.
There would be ample time for revenge. Izayoi closed her eyes. She took a sudden momentum and rushed forward, leaving Kakira crying behind. Thunder rolled in the sky as she soared into the sky, riding the clouds. The Moon disappeared in the cloudy white sky. The world seemed to reset itself. The sky was blue again.
Kakira ran after her but was too late. So, the girl stood on the edge, blinded by the sun. She stared at the Seireitei below with horror.
She whistled.
The three-headed bear froze. Left head lifted its muzzle to the sky and the right head moved closer to the ground. Hz
Downstairs, another whistle covered the chaotic howls of the guardians for a second. All the officers present watched the scene breathlessly. A shadow loomed in the entrance. The closer it got, the smaller it was against the wall. Finally, a little girl with white hair appeared on the doorstep. Hand in a visor, Kakira shielded her eyes from the ambient light. She kept the bloody traces along her cheeks of her past exploits and her mane was still disheveled from her fall. The girl stroked the sides of the giant polar bear as it came back to her side and the animal almost lay down under the caress. The walls and doors vibrated again with every moves. The waves reverberated again throughout Soul Society. Jūshirō and Kyouraku covered their ears.
Kakira brushed Shiro's muzzle with one hand, then Shugo's collar. Shago, the left head whimpered pathetically. She hugged its last muzzle the best she could between her tiny hands and placed a kiss on the tip of the polar bear's wet muzzle. Shiro Shugo Shago had a sensitive heart. No doubt, he had been disoriented by the brutal interdimensional transfer like all her other pets.
Jūshirō had seen stranger things than that. Kakira sighed and leaned down a little more gently, a bit more cautiously. It was a matter of being precise so as not to make another irreparable mistake. But the more she leaned, the more her spiritual pressure imprinted this world. Even with powers as immature as hers, she did not know what calamity a fall could cause. She leaned down again.
Kakira pointed at Koshinko Geren. She easily identified him as the anchor. He was still linked to Kiborutō who kept Muken tied to Soul Society. She whispered softly. By amplification and cosmic interference, her squeaky voice crossed the air like the rolling thunder.
- Hado no yon, Byakurai.
A burst of electricity as clear as lightning shot across the sky from the tip of her index finger and struck Geren where he was kneeling. The explosion seriously rocked the cliff. A gigantic mushroom of smoke rose to the sky.
All the captains were thrown into the air like toy soldiers. Desperately clinging to the trunk of a dead tree, Soifon let out a silent cry. Where a second earlier the old third seat was standing, there was only a huge hole, a big crevice. A bruise forming on her cheek, Soifon clenched her jaw and fist to withstand the pressure.
A black panther crossed the field at great speed, a black cat after him. The cat she recognized instantly. Yoruichi. Soi Fon struggled to stay awake and make sense of all that was happening. She blinked and they were gone.
Kīboruto rose into the air. A glowing Kakira stretched out her hand. The small sphere slipped into the palm of her hand. She closed her palm and crushed at once the artifact that had claimed the lives of thousands of souls. Kiborutō sparkled for a few minutes before disappearing. She sighed like she actually needed to breathe. It could have ended here.
"Kaikoroku, I need you to start the undocking of Muken."
"Request denied. There cannot be another request as long as the precedent command is not fully realized."
"There is no precedent command."
"Manual Destruction Protocol had been engaged remotely. Countdown already started…"
"What?"
"Destruction is imminent, Reihachi."
"Who did that? Answer me…"
She already knew the answer.
" I am not sure . Data is being difficult to interpret. Reiyon… was the last user to log in seven minutes ago…"
"Kirio? Are you kidding me?"
"She accessed through the module in the royal chamber. I cannot kid you during crisis mode. The personality simulator module is disabled for optimal performances of the logic modulator."
She remembered her father's words and could have slapped her face for being so silly. Of course, the boring old man predicted this whole thing. He planned it all, right down to Reichi being out of commission trying to protect her. She stared at her father's body.
"Ok. Kaikoroku, that's enough. Close the doors."
She was met with silence.
"Kaikoroku…"
" Impossible. Memory system crashing . Undocking is down. Automatic lock is down… Machinery power are at 35% of their capacity. Rewiring is not an option. We have sustained important integrity damages. Destruction will go off in nine minutes."
" Integrity damages ?"
" The roof is gone. "
Kakira looked up in shock. She remembered Aizen, Reichi, and her ruthless fighting.
"Then reset the functions. Reset the whole engine if you have to. If we do not close that door... The Seireitei… below… is gonna… be blown right alongside us."
A black cat emerged from the shadows, followed by a black panther.
" Oh dear Guardians, I can't even have time to be sick from this impromptu trip in jail !" Yoruichi said as she morphed into her usual human form .
Furuichi Shihouin came out of the shadow.
"Seemed like this is Zero division's work?"
"Who is she, Reinana? We don't have time for this."
"How are we faring on this front. Don't mind her. This is my daughter Yoyo."
Kakira blinked in surprise.
" She is Yoruichi?! The real Yoruichi! You said she was small like me. "
"Well, she was when I left her. Yoyo, This is Kakira. She is Muken's Warden. Be nice. "
"This kid is a warden?"
Reinana nodded.
" Nevermind that. There are two kaijus dead behind me ."
" My father is n' t dead !" Ka ki ra roare d .
" Oh Sorry for your loss , sweetie ! A guy is missing his head and the other one is covered in melting goo. Which one is your father again?"
" You know a lot about Kaijus, Yoruichi?"
"It's not exa ctly my first rodeo a round here. Let's just say, I had a tumultuous youth."
"You… broke into my jail… I heard about it ."
"It wasn't your jail then."
"Well, it is now. I can't let you get away with any crimes even if you're his daughter."
"Who asked you to, midget ? Your jail without a rooftop is about to blow up in the middle of our backyard. So please, spare us the morals. I never wanted to come back to this place. Your predecessor was a tool too. I told you we needed Kisuke for this."
The ground suddenly shook wildly as another member of the Zero division landed.
" Not in this lifetime. We don't." said.
Yoruichi snapped.
"You…"
"You… Right ! Another end of the world I guess!"
"This creepy clown is still around."
"That's not nice Yoyo. Say hi to Uncle Ego!"
"Never ! This psycho is not my uncle!"
"She is almost grown. You brought her back here so she can cause another apocalyptic event. I thought we had that covered already."
"Why? You can't be complaining. You like to study them, watch people die and do nothing, you're a creep."
"Creepy is the thing that pretends to be me and that follows you like a shadow."
"He is not pretending. He does not need to. He is better than you. You made him that way, you freak."
"Well, I was all about throwing away the draft at that time… if it was not for you and your little group of friends."
"I'm sorry, but why are we here?" Yoruichi asked. "There's a blinking red light and a countdown. I'm pretty sure it's a bad omen. I know you guys won't know how to save the world even if they mapped you the way to do it. I'd rather die at home if it's not too much inconvenience for you people."
"Kakira, you need to close that door."
"I'd be happy to... Except I don't know how."
"I just told you." Yoruichi said.
"Yes, you know how… and we are here to help you. You were born for this day so I know you know how. You just need to do what you know naturally how to do. We are just here as reinforcement, Ego and I."
"Okay and what is she doing here?"
" Yoyo ? Well, she is just here if the plan doesn't work . I want to die with my daughter. Join the wheel together. Reincarnate as her father in the next life and drink Mai tais on a beach somewhere . The rest of the family can burn to hell. My wife is cheating on me . My son is a clueless airhead who doesn't recognize his own father. She is my favorite child hands down.
" You fucked up selfish excuse of a Shinigami ! My mother remarried because you abandoned her four hundred years ago. My brother grew up without a father figure and is currently doing his best replacing us both as head of the clan. Cut him some slack if he calls somebody else Father! Last but not least, I don't wanna die with you."
Kakira was no longer listening though. She was staring at the giant gates, remembering Reiichi's words. This is your fate. That's the genius script Grandad wrote eons ago because everything got a purpose in this world.
Meanwhile, Ego went about his business.
"Kaikoroku? Armaggedon mode. Code 99. Override Protocol Omega. Divert all powers from all existentials ressources… " Ego said.
"Welcome into Armageddon mode, Reigo. Full control of all existential ressources requested. Priority 1. Diverting all powers now…."
"That's right. I need you to buy us some time."
"Reaching all existential networks. Listing Assets. Debug mode. 45% Risk of overload. 65% Risk of annihilation of all living Souls around selected perimeter. Reaching all Existential network... Diverting all powers now. Optimization of resources. 65%... 85%... Done. Resources optimized..."
In the Command Control headquarter in Soul Society, the computer screen became suddenly blue, then black and a list of white symbols took over.
Roku Gatino, fifth seat of the twelfth division remained stunned and powerless to stop it.
"Have you seen Yoruichi?"
Kisuke Urahara asked Kukkaku.
It was like she was here a minute ago and suddenly disappeared. Kukkaku stared at him, also at a loss. His spirit phone rang loudly breaking the tense silence. He reached for it fearfully, knowing he wasn't going to like what he was about to learn.
" Kaikoroku… Reaching all existential network. 45% Risk of overload. 65% Risk of annihilation of all living Souls around the control perimeter. Probability of Casualty increased. Reaching all Existential network. Diverting all powers now. Optimization of resources. 65%... 85%... Done. Resources optimized..."
"What? No?! Don't do that. Kaikoroku. Overrides last command now. Exclusion may apply."
"Kisuke Urahara requested an override of last comman. As our creator he has priority access."
"He can kiss my ass his priority access. Denied. Shall I remind you?I am, I was born, I exist. "
Kisuke's phone went black like all devices using Kaikoroku's vast network. He remained speechless. He stared at the empty spot where Yoruichi had been standing just a minute ago. In Kojima tower, all the screens went black with white symbols loading. He stared at the sky as beacons of lights blinked incoherently.
"How dramatic are these guys upstairs?" Mizuiro moaned. Jackie simply shrugged.
"You should probably go…"
Mizuiro shook his head and shrugged.
"The truth is. I never cared about saving the world once, Jackie. Keep searching for Chad."
"Without Kaikoroku, it will be difficult to access the list of registered departed."
"Send an Xcution Team then."
"Right Sir."
"Override denied. Diverting all ressources complete."
"Perfect. Bring about Sargophagus Delta."
A sarcophagus floated toward them at high-speed stopping next to them.
Meanwhile, understanding he was trying to buy her time. Kakira spread her arms and closed her eyes. She brought her hands together just as brutally.
The doors thundered. She gave a quick glance behind her. Her father was still out of it, the body of his twin disintegrating and melting. He was lying in undistinguishable gore and blood. Nothing in this world is ever wasted. No energy is lost. Was one of the first lesson she was taught. The difference between her power and a pureblooded Kaiju was like the distance between heaven and the center of the Earth. There was no comparison between their powers. The distance she still had to cover was not even quantifiable. If Reichi was awake, that door would have already be closed.
Audiomachine - Army of Kings
Kakira felt tears of blood blurred her visions. She felt…. She looked back worriedly… slowly realizing what just happened. Until now, it's like her brain hadn't understood fully. Sands and dust rolled unnaturally backward. She glimpsed back. The ground started to shake. Yoruichi turned toward the source of power in slow motion. Dread on her face. She finally understood what Ego Urahara was trying to do.
After his twin had been reabsorbed, Reichi's chest slowly rose.
"Fuck! He is waking up!" Yoruichi yelled.
But Furuichi was concentrating on drawing motifs on the floor with his blood.
"Right, I need help. The Sarcophagus now." Yoruichi sprinted forward, gliding on the floor like the Shunpo Goddess she was. While Ego was picking Reichi's under his left arm, she took the right. But Holy shit! He was heavy.
Kakira spread her arms and took an unnecessary deep breath. Focusing her mind. She raced the stars. Black ink spilled in her left pupil. Racing through the river of time… The doors roared again. She repeated the same gesture.
I have faith in you.
She spread her arms again. She gathered Reishi again. And again. And Again. The discharge of reiatsu caused a shock wave in the air which crossed the sky of the Seireitei. Her gaze was lost. She could see her own birth.
She spread her arms and gathered her arms again. She was travelling a black corridor. Dark. The furrows of blood, like streams of misery, formed around her eyes and ears. Racing against time. Going against the current. Concentrating, her eyes glowing, she clasped her hands. The black panther manifested next to her. Furuichi Shihouin. He didn't ask questions. He didn't ponder. He mirrored her moves, drawing glowing pentagrams on the ground where she stood, amplifying her powersEgo tried to yell something, but Yoruichi couldn't hear him. She was staring at Reiichi's body while Ego was trying to move him to the sarcophagus.
"He is burning. Is he dying?"
"No, but he is going to wish he did. Then he is going to wish we all were. We will be toast then. Come on, he is waking up… Faster. Help me."
"There's no time. He is waking up. He is gonna blow a fuse… Furuichi! You fucktard! Close the fucking door!"
"What is she doing?"
"Girl is in Henzai state being a hero."
"Did you know she could do that?"
"That's it, baby girl. Channel your magic. Connect with it. The wheel. Feel the energy coming from it. Come on, you can do it. You're one of them. Close the door."
Kakira stared ahead as she faced her mother, her claws bloody. Izayoi spit blood on the floor. They were back in the royal palace. His Majesty smirking cruelly. Her vision blurred. Kirio was. She was hurt. Time. Space. She raced the stars again. She paused in front of the translucent "wheel" before her. Saw a silver haired child stand on its edge as he molded a soul like a child using clay. He was soon gone. How long did she stay there? She wasn't alone. A child like her was standing beside her, her hair orange like fire.
" Who are you? I'm Kakira. You shouldn't be here. It's dangerous."
"You're the one in my dream."
"What?"
"This is my dream. This whole thing is my dream."
"Your dream?"
"I understand you need help. Aniki is asleep though. Sister too. But I will help in any way I can. I will lend you power."
Kakira looked around in distrust as the factory transformed into a girl's bedroom. She stared at a seemingly inanimate lion plushie. A Don Kanonji's dedicated old poster. Dolls. Remnants of childhood. She frowned. Who are you? Where are we? What? No time to ponder. She felt such a surge of energy back.
She was dragged back in the tide. Against the tide. Barely following. Racing back. At the greatest of speed.
Kakira blinked as she regained her full consciousness. The doors finally shook on their giant axles. With a grimace, she squeezed her fists together, her eyes red with fury closed. This time, with a low growl, the doors moved frankly.
Below spiritual pressure easing as the doors closed, Shunsui hissed in admiration.
Soifon stared wide at the prodigy. Unohana put her hands together, calmly. Feeling the pressure in the air ease, Jūshirō and Yamamoto straightened up.
Kakira squeezed her knuckles hard, her face sweaty. A drop of sweat beaded on her nasal bridge. She could feel the flow of energy directly from the wheel and it was bigger than her. Stronger than her. Her eyes were bright and shiny. She suddenly felt the lack of resistance. She gathered the door at last. The doors made a thunderous racket as they close, a deafening roar truly. The doors slammed violently. The remains of the old chains fell in rain on the Seireitei. The inter-dimensional doors closed slowly commanded by her thought.
At the same time, Yoruichi and Ego were putting the lid on the sarcophagus just in time. The blast took everyone by surprise though. They were all thrown into the air from its force. Suspended by gravity for a long second before they crashed on the floor.
The walls started to be put back together. The automatic locks engaged. New chains wrapped around the gigantic doors. Kaikoroku rebuild the ceilings.
Sarcophagus Delta was surrounded with seals. He managed to install a split second earlier through coding the reality engine.
Inside, a beast was unraveling in its wrath. The pain it felt was something too intense to be described. It wanted out. It wanted revenge. It wanted to feed. He wanted to tear the world to pieces.
Yoruichi was the first to pick herself up.
"We did it. We made it."
Her father moaned loudly as he scrubbed his backside in pain. Lying on his back, Ego lit himself a cigarette. He yawned. He was fucking tired.
Kakira stared with empty eyes at the sarcophagus. She walked slowly toward it. She could feel the beast inside, trying incoherently to free himself. She brushed the sarcophagus lid with both her hands.
"I'm sorry, Father. I failed you. I now know what needs to be done. Let's go to sleep now." She whispered.
Just like that. Wishes do come true. Like A candle blown in the wind, she dropped down like a dead weight, the Eternal Sleep claiming her for the first time. The beast inside fell asleep too.
The beast inside the Royal Chamber though was wide awake with greed. The fight had been somehow unfair from the start. He bit her twice. Clawing at her neck and soul Reika. His size and strength were unmatched. But using her full-powered bankai, Kirio managed to make the creature let go. She had another advantage. The hundred chains restraining the beast's movements. She crawled on the floor blindly, a gash on her neck poured blood on the ground. During the fight, the spirit god had fallen from its pedestal. It was glowing beside him, giving the dimly lit room a frightening atmosphere. She finally managed to crawl toward the grand door. But fell short of opening it. She stared back at the beast, It was suddenly waiting.
Tears blurred her sight so much and it seemed like she couldn't breathe from her sobs. Yet, she had enough restraint to stop herself halfway before reaching for the knob.
She looked up to see the beast was staring at her curiously. She dropped her arms.
"I'm not going to open that door. You're not going anywhere."
It morphed back, looking like Masahiro's twin in royal attire. He sat back on his throne and smirked with bloody fangs.
"Not opening it means your death. It's going to be slow. Painful. Agonizingly painful. I will eat your soul. It will be the end then. The end for you."
She sat down with a smile.
"Reichi is going to come."
"Not to disappoint you, but I fear he is overwise preoccupied in the field. I don't think he will be available for a long time."
"You planned this, didn't you?"
"No one will save you, child. All of you shall play your part and be grateful. It is the world I designed."
"Wow, I've known my fair share of entitled men but you just top all of them."
"Open the door. Your instinct demands it. Your human souls are the most friable."
"I see…"
"Open the door."
"I have not made my wish."
The creature frowned.
"Have you forgotten my king? You owe me one. Or should I ask the Spirit God myself?"
The creature blinked and searched for the spirit God on its pedestal. Kirio rose slowly.
"Here goes nothing, I wish I would live long enough to see its Majesty get slayed, his body, his very soul decaying like ashes in the wind, and his legacy destroyed and forgotten. I really want to see that. I wish for the rebellions to start now."
She opened the palm of her hand, revealing she picked up the Spirit God as she was fleeing.
"No… No… You cannot…"
The orb started to glow, and the room faded to white.
Rangiku Matsumoto
Vice-captain of the tenth division
Friend of Kira Izuru
She didn't want to be rude. But really couldn't the universe do them all a favor?
As if an air capsule had been opened, Rangiku could breathe again, the overwhelming spiritual pressure was gone. The doors were finally closed, and the sky was clear as well. Yet, everyone remained confined to their places. Even the Captain-General hadn't moved from where he stood. Snuggled up in Gin's arms, the world could have imploded there that Rangiku would have had no regrets. With her back to the door, she just hugged the man she had spent a lifetime chasing.
The World could have imploded there.
Did this love corrupt her so much, she no longer could the difference between good and evil?
She admired his face; she spent years searching in the crowd. She closed her eyes and squeezed a little tighter. What was going to happen to them now? Only the future could really tell. Rangiku was not so naive as to think that the past could be erased with the wave of a magic wand. She couldn't forget all the times they had traded lies and pretenses. She couldn't entirely pass over his betrayal. She also couldn't pass over her own faults and weaknesses. She had forgotten herself on the way. Would she be able to forgive herself one day? More importantly, would Haineko forgive her?
Gin's arms tightened around her. He was crushing her shoulders right now. She sighed in relief. Muken's doors were closed, taking with them the vile designs of the Primeros. Even if Aizen's fate remained unknown, she knew that it opened to another era of peace for them. That's all war ever hoped to achieve.
Over Gin's shoulder, she scanned the place she called her home, a vast construction site of ash huts, rickety towers, burnt banners, dust, columns of smoke, remains and ruins. ruins as far as the eye can see.
Gin had the longest arms in the world, she thought. With her eyes closed, she saw herself with him again, children, huddled together, trying to make the most of the warmth of the fire. Already at that time, she already thought that his arms had grown faster than any other parts of his body. She hid a smile against his shoulder. It was so familiar. Its smell, a mixture of earth, blood, ash, and sweat. It was so familiar.
"Is it really over?"
It was more than a whisper in his ear. He took a deep breath and of course he spat out a lie without the slightest hesitation. So it was really over.
"I'm sorry about everything, Ran."
She hated when he did things like this. He chose his moment well as always to apologize. The moment when she was most vulnerable ... The moment when she was most attentive ...
" It does not matter..."
Yes, she could pretend he had just accidentally stepped on old Amatsu's cat. She could close her eyes to his betrayal.
"Everything will be fine now. You will see."
Question or affirmation, she herself could not have said.
"Everything will be fine," he said with the same weary tone.
But he had buried his face in the crook of her neck, so the lie had echoed through her whole being. She shivered.
" Let's move on ! Let's go!"
The fingers playing with her golden mane had stopped at the base of her neck still covered with bruises. Rangiku caught him off guard for once.
" We could go wherever you want. I'll follow you wrever you want this time, Gin." She continued.
A tear beaded at the corner of her right eye, it clung tightly to her eyelid.
"Let's do what Rangiku-chan wants to for a change? What would make her happy? Extended vacations in the world of the living? What about in Hueco Mundo? Na, the Hueco Mundo is dreary and gray, not for Ran-chan anyway. No, Ran needs some sun. Can we go back to Inuzuri? I could build us a house even a little bigger this time.
" With a garden?"
" That's the easy part, darling. Of course, and I'll grow whatever you need there."
Paranormal (Russian Group) - Happy End
She nodded against his shoulder.
"You always had a green thumb."
"Rangiku will cook something strange. My stomach can't wait."
"I can cook perfectly. I learned loads of new recipes from my friend Orihime."
"That's what I'm saying some strange thing.
She silenced his mockery with a small punch on the shoulder.
"Ran?"
Hmm?
"It had always been you ... Always."
She couldn't find fault with that. This heartless selfish monster! He could have entertained her fantasy longer. He could have given her five more minutes of happiness. She squeezed as long as she could. She was pathetic in wanting to keep him against her heart. But was it too much to ask?
Five minutes of ...
"All was well that ended well".
Five minutes of ...
"They lived happily ... had many children ... Their prosperous descendants had many adventures ..."
"For centuries and centuries. "
Just five more minutes. Her smile faded.
Gin Ichimaru could have lied to her five more minutes.