Curses and Blessings of Instinct

Ichigo grinned dangerously behind his mask as he finished off the last of the Gillian in his area. It felt damn good to let loose on the enormous Hollows, and it felt even better to finally not have to hide his Hollow powers from the Gotei 13.

Damn straight, Cazador de la Luna agreed. Too bad there aren't more to demolish.

Looking around, Ichigo noticed that he was the first one done; not surprising, given that not only had he put on his mask, but he was in Bankai. The others weren't far behind, but what caught his attention was that Shinji was facing Aizen, striking down at him, only to be parried by Tousen. Komamura appeared in a flicker of Shunpo and used his left gauntlet to block Tousen's next strike, and while Ichigo could not hear what was said, after a few seconds both Tousen and Komamura left for a more spacious battle zone.

It was the next observation, however, that held Ichigo's full attention. Aizen's wide open. There won't be a better chance! His eyes widened before his grin took on a feral quality. Let's finish this! He vanished into Shunpo, launching himself at Aizen's back…

… Only to be stopped mere inches away by a sword backed by a fox-like grin. "Heya, Ichigo," Ichimaru Gin greeted. "'Fraid I can't let ya double-team him."

Infuriated that his perfect opportunity to take out the enemy had been stopped by another of the traitors, Ichigo turned his rage upon the oh-so-convenient target. "You can't LET me? I'd like to see you try to stop me!" He lunged forward, the black flames of the Getsuga Tenshou flooding down Tensa Zangetsu in a fashion that eerily reminded Gin of Yamamoto's Ryuujin Jakka.

Even so, he did not hesitate, Shunpo-ing out of the way, and well away from Aizen, before pointing his sword at the orange-haired Vizard. "Hmm, I'm not stupid enough to face your Bankai without releasing my blade. Shoot to kill, Shinsou."

Remembering Shinsou's ability from his first attempt to break into Soul Society, Ichigo jumped to the side, watching carefully as Gin's sword extended at high speed. With that done, he realized that Gin's side was exposed, and Ichigo flickered over, already swinging. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

To Ichigo's mild surprise, Gin had already managed to shrink Shinsou back to its usual length, slightly longer than a dagger, and used it to hold off the attack long enough for him to dodge to one side, allowing the incredibly destructive moon-fang to pass him by harmlessly. Instinct gripping him, Ichigo leapt backwards and swung his sword again, managing to bat away the suddenly extended Shinsou again. "You know, your sword's power is really annoying," he said deadpan, reaching up and crushing his mask. Masked Bankai was rather overkill against Shikai, and he really did need to conserve his strength for Aizen, not to mention he still didn't have a clue what his time limit was anymore. "It's impossible to get within your guard, because your sword just resizes so you can strike from any range."

"Aw, that's not quite true," Gin said, his foxy grin firmly etched upon his face. "As you've seen, Shinsou has the ability to extend and retract, but can ya guess its range?"

"Eh, a few dozen meters maybe?"

"Up to 100 times its length," Gin answered gleefully. "But that's just Shikai. Now that you know that, can you guess how far my Bankai can extend?"

"Who cares?" Despite his nonchalant attitude, Ichigo was indeed trying to estimate it. The thought hadn't occurred to him that Gin would have Bankai as well, despite having been a former taicho.

For once, Gin's smile faltered. He took on a disappointed look as he gazed on the Vizard. "How sad, you won't play with me? Alright, I'll just tell you. My Bankai can extend up to 13 kilometers."

Ichigo froze. "That's…!"

"I know, an enormous length, isn't it? But it's one you can't really understand until you see it." Gin brought his sword up to point it in the general direction of the faux city where no one else was fighting. "Bankai. Kamishini no Yari."

The next moment, several buildings in the distance had been cut cleanly in half and were collapsing on themselves, with Gin's ridiculously long sword to the side.

Ichigo gaped for a moment before instinctively bringing Tensa Zangetsu to the side, stopping Kamishini no Yari's blade in its tracks. He smirked at Gin's face. "Why are you so surprised, Gin? A Bankai can always be stopped by another Bankai!" Batting the blade away, Ichigo promptly swung his sword in Gin's direction. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

Gin was hit from point-blank range, but when the smoke cleared, the traitor was only mildly wounded. His clothes were singed, and his forehead and knuckles bleeding somewhat, but it appeared he'd deflected most of the attack using his suddenly short sword. However, there was something wrong…

Gin's eyes widened as he realized; Ichigo was no longer there. He threw himself to the side even as he spun around, but it was too late to fully evade all injury. Tensa Zangetsu cut deeply into his back as Ichigo rushed by him, narrowly missing Gin's spine but it was enough to be quite painful.

"You've gotten a lot stronger and more ruthless since we last fought," Gin complimented, trying to buy some time. He'd underestimated the kid, and now he was injured. "I remember, after I cut Jidanbo's arm… You came rushing at me with such a threatening attitude…" He smiled. "'What an amusing kid,' I thought to myself."

"… I don't remember that."

Gin chuckled. "Liar, liar. Are you trying to provoke me? Because I'm sure you could do better than that."

Ichigo shook his head. "No. I don't remember your sword, or your heart. When your blade crosses that of another's, you understand a little about them, like the strength of their resolve, whether you're acknowledged or looked down on." He paused for a moment. "When I'm actually fighting someone, I'm always fighting for my life so I don't get the chance to think about it. But afterwards, it comes to me. And what I've found is, the stronger the person, the more of their heart is translated to me."

"My, my, how poetic," Gin commented dryly.

"Shut up, I wasn't finished. I didn't get anything from you. Neither acknowledgment, nor resolve, nothing! You didn't even see me, you were busy with something else! Maybe your upcoming defection?" Ichigo theorized.

"… I thought you were amusing, but now I can see that you're rather creepy…" Gin said carelessly. He's grown so fast! "I think I see why Aizen-taicho is interested in you…"

Ichigo sweat-dropped. "I'm not gay."

Gin looked at him oddly, his smile becoming somewhat strained. "That's not what I meant." He took on a pensive expression. "Then again… I've never known him to be with a woman. Not even his old fukutaicho, Hinamori, who was so desperate to please! He could have had her in a minute had he chosen…"

"Don't you think that you should have known whether he was gay before you and Tousen ran off with him? I mean, with his hypnosis abilities, and you being off in a dark secluded location for months, who knows what he's done to you?" Ichigo pointed out.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds as neither of them moved, before both shuddered in unison. "Let's just forget we ever had this conversation and get back to the fight," Gin suggested.

"Yeah."

"We meet again, bug."

Hitsugaya did not deign to respond; he was very tired, and had yet to be healed from his previous encounter with Baraggan. He did sneak a glance out of the corner of his eye, seeing Harribel once more at his side, still in Resurreccion. How are we going to kill him for good? I don't think he'll give me the time to trap him again, and even if he did, I'm not sure I have enough reiatsu left to pull it off. How do you kill something that you can't even touch?

"Not going to say anything? I'm not surprised. It must've been such a shock to see that your so-called ultimate technique was ultimately worthless against the might of time."

Speaking of time, Hitsugaya decided to try to buy some while he tried desperately to think of a plan. "Technically, you didn't break out of it yourself. You had to rely on someone else. Seems that you, oh avatar of old age, still have limits." He's a skeleton. "Even time must bow to the everlasting."Without any muscular padding, the bones themselves should break relatively easily… if they weren't being reinforced by his reiatsu. But I can't get close without being aged into dust!

He glanced at Harribel. Given the strength of his reiatsu, we would need a colossal amount of power, compressed to a single point. If we can break his skull, or maybe even some of his ribs, that might give us the advantage we need!

The only one that came to mind who seemed to suit that particular requirement was Kurosaki Ichigo, whose Bankai was unique in that its immense power was compressed into a simple sword. Hitsugaya shook his head; Melee is suicide against him. Kido is our only hope…

"Mind if I join you?"

Hitsugaya spun around, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, only to see a rather large man wearing a very odd, human-style outfit standing beside him in midair. Suddenly recognizing him from the glimpse of the Vizard before they had pulled on their masks, Hitsugaya's eyes widened momentarily before realizing he didn't have much choice. "I'm afraid I don't know who you are, but at this point we could use all the help we can get."

"I am Ushoda Hachigen, Kido specialist." Hachi kept his eyes on Baraggan as he spoke. "It seems to me that you are injured beyond anything normal Kido can heal."

"It was an effect of his time dilation," Hitsugaya reported. "Don't get close, no matter what. His time dilation ages and disintegrates everything around him. What happened to my shoulder and arm was his time dilation before Resurreccion, I really don't care to know what would happen if you get close now."

"I don't plan to get close. Go visit your healing station; I will take care of this Arrancar."

As much as it pained him to admit it, Hitsugaya knew that was the best option. Someone fresh that Baraggan hadn't fought had a better chance of surprising him. With a curt nod, he Shunpo-ed away.

Inoue was quite tired. She'd spent the past several minutes healing several people. Yumichika and Ikkaku had left a few minutes ago, and she was working on restoring Renji's arm. "And… there." She stopped her Souten Kisshun technique, breaking the god-like event reversal barrier. Renji's arm was restored as though it had never been lost.

Renji stood up and flexed it a few times, testing it. He sent an honest, appreciative smile to the human who'd singlehandedly fixed an injury that Unohana-taicho herself could not have repaired. "Thanks, Inoue."

She smiled back. "No problem, Abarai-san."

Renji opened his mouth to correct her and ask her to call him by his given name, but Hitsugaya's sudden appearance cut him short. "Hitsugaya-taicho! What happened?"

"The second Espada," the diminutive taicho said shortly, clutching his wounded shoulder. "Inoue Orihime-san. Please heal me as best you can, I must rejoin the fight soon! Aizen is free!"

Renji's eyes narrowed in anger and frustration. "Aizen!" he bit out. Before anyone could stop him, he vanished into Shunpo.

"Damn that hothead, he's as bad as Ichigo!" Rukia cursed as she turned to follow him.

"Kuchiki, I would not normally ask such a thing of you as you do not have Bankai, but the two of us are the only ice users here," Hitsugaya interrupted Rukia. "The one I fought, he is susceptible to ice and water. Please, go aid the large man who took over for me until I return. But be cautious, and fight from a distance; melee is suicide, even to a taicho!"

"Yes, sir!" Rukia flickered into a Shunpo of her own.

"Lie down," Inoue ordered wearily. She was tired, but she could not afford to rest now, not when everyone needed her! I may not be able to fight physically, but I can at least help where I am needed most! "The healing goes faster if you are completely resting."

Hitsugaya gave a short nod before lying down, doing his best not to jostle his wounded shoulder and arm any more than he already had.

"Souten Kisshun!" As soon as the healing barrier came over him, Inoue frowned in concentration, determining just what had happened; she'd never seen an injury like this before. "Hitsugaya-taicho, your shoulder and arm's bones are longer and more brittle than the other side's. What happened?"

"They were forcibly aged with a time dilation field," the white-haired taicho said wearily, feeling the injury start to mend.

"Aged?" Inoue murmured. That explains why the bones are so weak and brittle there right now. They collapsed under their own weight! "Don't worry, I should be able to fix it, and your arm will be good as new."

That intrigued Hitsugaya. "The man who replaced me said that my injury was beyond any Kido. How can you fix it?"

"I don't use Kido," the redhead told him. "My power is rejection. This shield allows me to reject your injuries, and make it as though they had never happened. I haven't found anything I can't fix given enough time and reiatsu."

And that gave the taicho of Squad 10 an idea.

Komamura Sajin looked stoically at his old friend they stood, staring at each other. Well, staring was perhaps not an appropriate word, for the blind Tousen Kaname could only see by way of his reiatsu sense. He spared a glance at his left bracer, which had been slightly damaged from taking Tousen's sword strike. "I never thought I'd be protecting someone from you," he murmured lowly.

But Tousen's keen hearing caught it anyway. "I knew. We were always destined to cross blades one day, Sajin, and on that day, one of us would die. That time is now." He raised his sword to begin, only to suddenly have it wrapped in chains… very familiar chains.

"Forgive me, Komamura-taicho… But may I join you in this fight?"

"Hisagi!" Tousen recognized. Hisagi Shuhei, Tousen's ex-fukutaicho, stood there with his released Zanpakuto, Kazeshini. Kazeshini took the form of two medium-size scythes linked by a chain at the hilt of each. The scythes themselves were double-bladed, but the second blade was upside-down compared to the second in that instead of reaching down like the first blade, the sharp edge curved upwards.

Komamura gave Hisagi a brief, but critical once-over. Hisagi appeared to be doing quite well; he'd probably managed to get some healing and rest between fights. He wasn't at full strength, that was obvious, but close enough to fight well. "Very well."

Hisagi merely nodded, his mind burning on the tattoo of the number 69 on his cheek. On that day as a child, I was saved by a man who bore this number. Now it is time for me to save my mentor! "It's been a long time, Tousen-taicho. I'd like to thank you."

The dark-skinned blind man's face hardened somewhat. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"No. Thank you for everything you've taught me. I will be using those very techniques I learned from you, to open your eyes and take you back to Soul Society!" Hisagi finished strongly, determinedly.

"'Open my eyes?' You really think you can do that? …Hmph. You haven't changed," Tousen scoffed as he focused reiatsu to his Zanpakuto. "Suzumushi." His blade vibrated strongly, emitting enough sound to force the chains of Hisagi's released Zanpakuto, Kazeshini, around it to loosen, allowing its owner to draw it easily. "I do believe I taught you that men who do not know fear are not fit for battle, for it is only knowing that fear that grants the wisdom and caution needed to succeed. But there isn't a shred of fear in your words. Not a shred. No matter, now that Aizen-sama has entered the battle, I will fight at my full power. Let us fight our destined fight, Komamura!"

"You will release your Bankai? Then so shall I!" the giant of a Shinigami promised, preparing to unleash his full strength upon his traitorous friend.

However, Komamura was startled when the sightless enemy scoffed and shook his head. "No, I will not. For what is Bankai, when I have achieved a power so much greater?" And with that, he reached up to his face.

Komamura recognized the move instantly, having watched several Shinigami do it in tandem mere minutes earlier. Beside him, Hisagi was equally shocked. "Tousen! Don't tell me you've…" Horror erupted anew from within Komamura's chest as Tousen proceeded to complete the move, spawning a swirl of reiatsu that blocked sight of the traitor for a few seconds. "Just how far have you fallen, Tousen?" he roared, both in anger and in pain from the realization of just how much his ex-ally had betrayed him.

"Taicho…!" Hisagi grunted, standing his ground despite the reiatsu trying to push him away.

Then the smoke cleared, and Tousen was revealed. He had materialized a white, blank mask with only a line reaching vertically down the middle. Astoundingly, a chest plate and shoulder guards had also appeared, bearing the same design as the mask. Komamura's keen intellect that had borne him through to his position as taicho coldly informed him Tousen must have completely mastered Hollowification.

"A Hollow form?" Hisagi asked incredulously.

"Yes," Tousen confirmed matter-of-factly.

"Why?" the fukutaicho cried out, his voice breaking as he struggled to comprehend why one of the strongest Shinigami would turn his back on everything to become a Hollow.

Tousen said nothing, but was suddenly in front of his ex-subordinate, swinging down. Luckily, Hisagi managed to block the worst of it with his own Zanpakuto, though he still received a deep cut to his shoulder.

"Tenken!" Komamura barked as he swung his sword at his friend-turned-foe. A disembodied arm swung down with him, a giant sword bearing down upon Tousen as though to cleave him in half.

However, the newly revealed hybrid blocked with merely his unreleased blade. There was no apparent strain either, which made Komamura's eyes widen, even as he was abruptly sent flying back and down by a retaliatory kick that moved too fast for him to see, even with a taicho's experience. What? What is… this power?

The anthropomorphic canine crashed down into a building, then, but Tousen did not pursue. "It's strange," he said. "You are all quite willing to align yourself with, and even fight alongside, that half-Shinigami boy, Hollow form and all. But when I gain the exact same power, it's something I should be ashamed of?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo was never given a choice, and even if he had been at the time, he required all the power he could gain to go against the will of the Gotei 13 and save his comrade," Komamura argued. "But you, who were so strong, so respected, so liked among all the Gotei 13… you chose to become this! How have you become corrupted?"

"Corrupted?" Tousen sounded almost amused by the thought. "How does flirting with my Inner Hollow mean that? No, Komamura, you are blinded by what Yamamoto has taught you, that Shinigami and Hollow are opposites and never meant to mix."

"I'm not talking about that," the canine growled. "You threw away everything you ever knew for forbidden power! Your friends! Your subordinates! People who trusted you, who believed in the justice you preached! That, dear friend, is where your corruption has led you astray."

Distracted by the conversation, Tousen was caught completely by surprise when the same chain as earlier wrapped around his neck and picked him up off his feet, slamming him into a nearby roof. A moment later, Hisagi appeared in a flicker of Shunpo and gripped Tousen by the throat, holding one of the blades of his released Zanpkauto at his ex-taicho's throat.

"… You are being far too lenient," Tousen reprimanded.

"I know," Hisagi admitted freely. "But this is one of the lessons you taught me, not to use excessive force. There was no true malicious intent in catching you with my chain, which I suspect is why you did not do anything about it. But I need to know, Tousen-taicho… you taught me that those who do not fear and respect their weapons did not deserve to see battle. You told me that because I was so afraid of my blade, my Kazeshini whose blades look like they reap life itself, I was a true warrior. How can you say such things, and then ignore them? Look at yourself! What drove you to do this? What drives your fear now?"

It was a close thing, but being in peak condition and recuperated from his previous fight, Hisagi felt more than sensed Tousen stabbing at him from the ground. As it happened, Suzumushi stabbed through one of the links in the chain between Kazeshini's two scythe-like blades. Abandoning his grip on the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid's neck, Hisagi leapt back, using Kazeshini's chain to snag the Zanpakuto in the link it'd stabbed through before tugging. Suzumushi had still penetrated Hisagi's shoulder somewhat, but it was merely an annoying injury instead of a crippling one.

Startled once again at the unusual maneuver, Tousen suddenly found himself without his Zanpakuto. This was a highly unusual situation for him, as Suzumushi was the last remnant of the woman he'd loved so long ago. Have I become overconfident since I acquired these powers? Reflecting over what had just happened, the traitor was forced to admit to himself that he needed to get serious. "For the last hundred years, Hisagi… my greatest fear has been integrating into the Gotei 13 and dying a pointless death! Cry, Suzumushi!"

As Tousen was not holding the weapon to provide some reiatsu, Suzumushi was compelled to do what it could with the reiatsu it had. As a result, it let out a very high-pitched, grating sound at point-blank range. Hisagi dropped his knees, his hands having released their grip on his own Zanpakuto in favor of holding his ears, trying to shut out the incredibly painful, all-encompassing noise. Tousen took the opportunity to calmly retrieve his Zanpakuto, and raised it in preparation to finish his former subordinate…

"Bankai! Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

… only to be forced to block a literal giant's sword as Komamura's enormous armored Bankai swung down upon him. "I was beginning to wonder when you would step in," Tousen commented calmly. "But to fight me with merely a Bankai is foolish. Especially when I already know this one's weakness." And with that comment, he leapt up and slashed at the giant's right arm, noting with satisfaction that an identical wound appeared on Komamura. "Power, yes, but your Bankai is based on the idea of a crushing strike, without giving opportunity for counterstrike. A wound to the Bankai appears on you, and a wound to you appears on the Bankai. Simply put, you are linked, and your Bankai has insufficient defense to keep me from striking, and is too large to use evasive techniques effectively."

"Perhaps so," the taicho affirmed, "but even if you know my power, that doesn't mean you can evade my own attack!" As a taicho, Komamura was extremely good at Zanjutsu, and he used it then, striking at Tousen over and over again as the giant he controlled mimicked his movements and speed to the letter. However, it was the instinctual backhand from defending from one of Tousen's counterattacks that dealt the first damage. The giant's enormous fist managed to completely crush Tousen's left arm.

"Don't forget about me," Hisagi's cold voice reminded him, as Kazeshini's reaping blade skillfully cut off the newly-useless arm. "Can't you see, Tousen-taicho? Even with Hollowification, you cannot defeat us together."

Behind the Hollow mask, Tousen Kaname's face contorted with rage and frustration. I willfully gained this power, I abandoned everything except the pursuit of my dream, but I'm still so weak? I need more time to prepare… "It seems that this form is not enough. Let us see what you can do when you've lost all senses except pain!" He placed his left palm against the ring on the end of the hilt of his Zanpakuto. "Bankai!"

The ring began to spin rapidly, then as it span it grew incredibly large, as large as Tousen himself, before suddenly splitting into ten rings, which flew out a very large distance, a few blocks at least, and then darkness filled the space between them. As Komamura and Hisagi prepared for the fight to recommence, they watched Tousen's form disappear as he finished calling out the name of his Bankai. "Suzumushi Tsuishiki: Enma Kōrogi."

Both Komamura and Hisagi were very familiar with Tousen's Bankai, being his best friend and fukutaicho respectively. They knew, theoretically, that it would deprive them all senses except that of touch. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, even reiatsu sense was dampened to the point of nonexistence. Tousen himself called the effect "Ignorance". The only one immune to the effects was anyone touching Tousen's Zanpakuto.

But while both Shinigami had knowledge of the effects, only one was prepared for them. Komamura knew he'd be fighting Tousen today, so he'd talked to Kenpachi, the only one he knew who had defeated Tousen's Bankai.

**Flashback**

"Eh? It's you. Whaddaya want?" Kenpachi asked boredly, watching his division spar and wishing that even one among them could challenge him. I wonder how Ichigo's doing…?

"Zaraki-taicho," Komamura greeted. "I need some assistance with something, something that only you can help me with."

"Oh? What's that? Does it involve a good fight?" Kenpachi began to grin in excitement.

"Possibly." Komamura was very well acquainted with his bloodthirsty comrade's tendencies, but luckily it worked in his favor. Besides, a fight with the man would be good training for the both of them.

The taicho of the 11th Division gave the man his full attention. "I'm in. What can I help ya with?"

"I need to know how you fought Tousen, and won, in his Bankai." To sweeten the deal, he then added, "That's the fight I'm offering. You fight me until I can fight him the same way you did. An opponent of captain-level strength, you could not ask for a better fight than that. In return, I'll help you become an even stronger fighter by helping you gain your Shikai. I can't imagine how strong you'll be after that."

Komamura was more than slightly disturbed by the eager ferocity in his fellow taicho's expression.

**End Flashback**

In order to duplicate the effect, Komamura had worn a blindfold, stuffed his ears and nose, and enlisted the Research and Development Division to create an armband that could temporarily inhibit reiatsu-sensing ability. What ensued were perhaps the most brutal, crushing defeats he'd ever received in his life. However, each defeat succeeded in honing the key to victory: instinct… until one day he'd won and managed to put Kenpachi in the hospital, though the fight-happy maniac went down the biggest of grins on his face.

Instinct was the key to defeating the sense-depriving Bankai, but it had to be developed. To be able to fight with only the sense of touch to guide you meant being able to interpret the barest of sensations against your skin; the gentle movements of air as someone comes towards you, the nearly-nonexistent tremor of the ground beneath your feet as your opponent, the coldness of steel as it approaches and touches your skin before it penetrates. To defeat Tousen's Bankai, Komamura needed the instinct to recognize them and react accordingly. Counterattack was the key to victory.

During his time with the Squad 11 taicho, the canine had gained an enormous amount of respect in Kenpachi, despite the man's odd ways of running his division. To be able to fight under such conditions and win decisively was incredibly impressive. The fact that Kenpachi still did not have Shikai simply made the achievement that much more astounding. True to his word, Komamura had aided the man in achieving the state most conducive to conversing with his Zanpakuto. It had required using a stronger version of Kenpachi's reiatsu-sucking eyepatch to lower his levels enough to actually do so, but Kenpachi did eventually manage to learn how to talk to his Zanpakuto. While he hadn't managed to get into his own Inner World yet by the time they had stopped practicing together, it was a promising start.

As it was, Komamura was prepared for fighting Tousen's Bankai. However, there was a variable he hadn't thought of: Hisagi. He knew how to win in one-on-one combat… But with someone else there, there was no way to know who was attacking. All he could do was hope for the best. However… Sorry, Tenken… You're a bit large for this fight. Komamura dismissed his own Bankai, allowing the armored giant to dissipate and return to his Zanpakuto.

Tousen observed his two familiar opponents as they prepared themselves for combat. Unsurprisingly, Hisagi seemed nervous, if his reiatsu was anything to go by. There truly is little he could do in this situation… Tousen mused. However, he was intrigued by his former colleague, Komamura. The fox-like being had taken on a strangely familiar stance. It seemed a blend of what he typically used, but it held hints of… "Zaraki!" the masked traitor spat in realization. "So, you've been learning how to fight me from that brute?"

Naturally, Komamura couldn't hear, and so didn't respond.

Tousen took a deep breath to calm down. "No matter. I'm far faster in this form, and you cannot possibly counterattack fast enough to catch me." With that, he began walking towards Komamura; Hisagi was weak, and could be easily disposed of after Komamura was put down. Besides, the darkness that concealed him was more than sufficient to hide how his arm was being restored by his Hollow powers. High-speed regeneration is truly a godlike ability… I never would have gained such power if I limited myself to purely Shinigami abilities.

Shinji and Aizen continued to face off, neither of them injured. But then, they had only been testing each other's capabilities through speed and swordplay, and Shinji was trying to buy some time. He'd seen Ichigo's attempt to tag-team Aizen, and it was a good idea, especially with Shinji's Zanpakuto's power. However, there was no more delaying the true fight; it was time to take it up a notch. "Aizen, I hope you realize you're going to die today," Shinji prophesized.

"Of course I am," he agreed unexpectedly. "But then, to be reborn as a Kami, one must die in a certain sense of the word."

"You were right all those years ago that I could have seen your betrayal coming if I'd just come to know you, let you become a friend. But I always kept you at arm's length," Shinji recalled. "But that goes both ways, Aizen! You have no idea what my Zanpakuto does, and if you think you're the only one with a Zanpakuto that affects the senses, then you've got another thing comin'," Shinji informed him lowly. "Why do you think I was always so good at detecting your damned illusions?"

Aizen merely smirked. "And just what does yours do?"

"You'll see. Collapse, Sakanade." Shinji's sword pommel became a large ring about two hand spans wide, while the sword itself grew very straight and gained five small holes along the length. He began spinning it almost out of habit.

"An interesting shape," the leader of traitors complimented.

"Yeah, Sakanade's great, but I'm certainly not lending it to you," came the Vizard's rebuttal.

"But it doesn't seem to be giving off any sort of aura of power," Aizen observed with a frown. "Did I mishear about your Zanpakuto having sensory-affecting abilities?"

"Take another look," Shinji suggested. "Oh, by the way… doesn't it smell nice here, for all the fire and destruction around?"

Aizen's eyes widened, and suddenly, everything was upside down.

"Too late to escape, Aizen. Welcome to the Inverted World, Sakanade's specialty," the blond Shinigami-Hollow hybrid boasted. "All your senses have been inverted."

Aizen observed his surroundings carefully. "An interesting ability, I admit. Everything appears opposite. Up and down, and if I'm not mistaken, left and right as well."

The upside-down form of Shinji grinned viciously as he stopped spinning his Zanpakuto, ready to wield it as the sword it was. It's time! After all these years, vengeance! Let's finish this, Sakanade! "My Sakanade equalizes all opponents in that everyone reacts on instinct in close quarters, Aizen. Every time they see something coming from their left, they'll block to their left… but in this Inverted World, the block will go to their right! It's impossible for the brain to interpret all the opposites in time to change your reaction accordingly, and so you fail, every time!" With that, he dashed at Aizen, hoping to finish it quickly.

Aizen prepared himself, having figured out another secret of Shinji's Zanpakuto. Back and front are reversed too. Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? Your power is simplistic, but it certainly has potential. He span around at the last moment and smiled, slicing at the Shinji coming from behind. However, Aizen was shocked when it went right through. Luckily for him, his own instinct made him leap to the side, keeping him from being stabbed straight through, but he received a deep gash for his efforts. He opened his mouth to question what had happened, but was cut off by the sudden appearance of a familiar giant bone-snake, a red orb of explosive power in its mouth.

"Hikotsu Taiho!" Renji roared, bringing his most powerful attack to bear upon the traitorous leader of the Espada.

Aizen, thinking he'd learned the trick, did not spin around this time, but faced the blast head-on. However, as soon as he felt the heat and power of the attack upon his back, he realized he'd been had. But it was too late, as he was engulfed in the enormous blast of Hihio Zabimaru's Hikotsu Taiho.