Sorrow of History, Rage of Present

It is said that it is far easier to kill someone than it is to simply capture them. This lesson was being relearned by Kyoraku Shunsui as he worked with his old friend, Ukitake Juushiro, and the ex-Espada Nelliel Tu Oderschvank.

"Cero Metralleta!" Starrk barked out, firing hundreds of Ceros at once from his two guns, attempting to overwhelm them.

Once again, Juushiro and Nelliel jumped in front, and mere moments later, all of Starrk's attack had been redirected back towards him. However, Starrk had gained his position as the Primera Espada for good reason; he'd soundlessly used Sonido to get behind them, attempting to knock out at least one of his opponents.

Shunsui had other ideas as he countered the Espada with Katen Kyokotsu, before slashing his swords across his body in opposite directions. "Bushōgoma!"

Stark was taken by surprise when blades of wind erupted from the Shinigami's two blades and merged, forming a sharp spinning circle of reiatsu-infused wind. Blocking with one of his pistols, he aimed the other and fired a Cero straight through, diffusing the attack. "You'll have to do better than that," he called out with narrowed eyes.

"Starrk, look out!" Lilynette's panicked voice came from one of the pistols.

He reflexively Sonido-ed a distance away, narrowly avoiding being struck in the back of his head from Nelliel's lance. Seeing her obvious pain at fighting him, his eyes softened somewhat. Starrk understood; he felt the same pain himself, fighting a former comrade and friend of his. But he owed Aizen everything for freeing him from the hell that is loneliness.

Despite his feelings on the matter, Starrk knew that if this fight continued much longer, he would lose, and he couldn't afford that. He sheathed his pistols and absorbed Lilynette further into his body. Time to take things up a notch, eh Starrk? Her voice echoed in his, no, their head.

Yes.

"Then let's go, Starrk," Lilynette spoke softly from within their shared body. With that, the combined being of Starrk and Lilynette gathered their power.

The three opponents were stunned at seeing hundreds of gray wolves materialize behind Starrk. Of course, Shunsui put it best. "Huh. That's new."

"Nelliel, what can you tell us about this?"

"I don't know, I've never seen him go this far!" the green-haired Arrancar admitted.

"We don't like rejoining to this point," Lilynette explained with Starrk's mouth, distinguishable using her own voice. "It makes it more painful to separate again…"

"But for the sake of companionship, any pain is worth escaping loneliness," Starrk finished, his expression hardening. "I'll ask again. Nelliel, please retreat. If you continue to fight, I can't guarantee your life."

"You know I can't do that, Starrk," the former Espada Tres reminded him sadly, but just as determined. "I can't let you help Aizen sacrifice an entire town of innocents just so he can ascend to a greater power! Let me make you the same offer. Please surrender, and come with me back to Hueco Mundo! I'll be your companion, you won't have to be lonely anymore!"

"You know I can't do that, Nel…" the Primera answered in the same tone. "I should have known that would be your answer. You're so kindhearted, you hate unnecessary death and fighting in general… But you must understand! How could I live with myself if I turned my back on the man who gave me my heart's desire?" He sighed. "It seems there is no other way."

Nelliel nodded in sorrow. "I know."

Shunsui fidgeted a little, uncomfortable at witnessing such a personal moment. He felt as though this wasn't his battle at all, but Nelliel's. A quick glance in Ukitake's direction told him that his chronically-ill friend felt the same. It was getting harder to think of the two as Hollows with Shinigami powers, when they acted so very human. Shunsui couldn't even bring himself to take advantage of the opening their conversation made to strike.

He tried to give himself a quick pep talk. I am a taicho! My sword strikes with the weight and strength of duty! But Katen Kyokotsu felt so heavy, her blades dulled with reluctance. Even her usual enthusiasm to play her deadly games was diminished… Aw, who'm I kidding? I want those two to have a happy ending. "Yama-jii's gonna have my hide for this…" Shunsui muttered under his breath.

"Mine too," Juushiro agreed. "Letting such a powerful Arrancar go without really trying to slay it? He'll burn us alive. But it's the right thing to do."

"Think we can blame it on the Kurosaki kid? He's already recruited a few of Aizen's Espada…" Shunsui mused, his eyes glittering with amusement.

"Shunsui… don't go causing trouble for him when he's done nothing wrong." But the white-haired Shinigami was smiling.

A sudden rise in reiatsu from Starrk and Nelliel alerted them that it was time to resume the battle. Gripping Katen Kyokotsu's blades, Shunsui leapt into the fray. What game shall we play, darling?

Hmm… Let's play Irooni! Katen Kyokotsu decided.

Shunsui chuckled lightly. This is gonna be interesting, with the additional players…

That's why I chose it!

Having little choice, the normally laid-back Shinigami called out the name of the game that they were all forced to play now. "Irooni!"

Familiar with his friend's Shikai, Juushiro immediately called out, "White!" He promptly began a furious assault on his opponent, who dodged and blocked every attack before leaping back, sending several wolves to attack the taicho.

Trying to end it early, old friend? Perhaps that's wise… Aizen is still waiting. "White!" Shunsui called out, intercepting one of the grey wolves and striking on an odd white spot. He struck with Katen Kyokotsu, wounding it. However, much to his surprise, the damage was regenerated nigh-instantly. But something about the way it'd regenerated bothered him. It's not like Hollow high-speed regeneration… Shunsui's eyes widened as he realized what it reminded him of. It's like it's made of flame! "The wolves are made of fire or something!" he warned. "They regenerate if you strike physically!"

"Indeed. Our wolves are fragments of our soul," Starrk explained. "Soul fragments, imbued with reiatsu, which gives us the ability to direct them all. They have no body, so they cannot be physically hurt. Now that I have explained that, why are you calling out colors?" Starrk queried with mild interest.

"My Zanpakuto's power is the ability to force children's games into battle. I don't get a choice in what game is played; Katen Kyokotsu enforces her rules on everyone within reach of her reiatsu. If you win, you live. If you lose, you die. Irooni is a colors game; you can only harm someone on the color that you call beforehand, and you can only call the one color at a time," Shunsui explained. "If you hit someone on a color that you didn't call, then no damage is given."

"I see… In that case, black," the Primera decided. "But against so many of you, I'm glad that my wolves are on my side."

Shunsui blinked; he'd almost forgotten about the pack of spirit wolves directly behind Starrk. This could get messy… Thanks, Katen Kyokotsu. Irooni may just save our lives.

Hmph! I have a reason for choosing every game we play, it's not my fault if you don't grasp it immediately. You should call me out more often.

The taicho sighed to himself with a small smile. Katen Kyokotsu liked her games, but Shunsui didn't particularly care for having the rules of battle change on the whim of a bored Zanpakuto spirit. He hardened his eyes, steeling his resolve as he faced the horde of wolves.

Juushiro struck then, attacking some of the white parts of the light grey wolves. He struck one, only to be surprised by an explosion as it spontaneously combusted, no longer able to regenerate. He escaped from the smoke mostly unscathed, and began repeating the process with the other wolves. "Careful, they explode!"

"Got it! Grey!" Nelliel called, before firing a Cero directly at one of the wolves. It hit, but did only superficial damage before the wolf regenerated. She frowned; her Cero should have done far more than that if the Shinigami was to be believed… unless there's more to this Irooni game than what the Shinigami has revealed… There has to be a way to inflict more damage in this game of his…

She didn't notice Starrk frown thoughtfully, having observed her attempt. He too felt that Nelliel was more than powerful enough to defeat several of his manifested wolves with a Cero, and that it didn't work bothered him. However, it was the child-like mind of Lilynette who gave him the answer. She had always been clever at games, and this was the last piece of the puzzle. The snowy-haired Shinigami, with a white taicho's haori, had called the color white, and had struck at a white spot on one of their wolves, obliterating it, while Nelliel, who had no grey on her, had done similarly but failed to do much. The color you call out tells where you can strike, but maybe the amount of it you have on you tells how much damage you do?

That would make sense, Starrk agreed. It's good then that I wear black pants. However, the wolves are apparently not enough.

We must join the attack.

Agreed. With a moment of focus, Starrk generated a sword made of his reiatsu in his right hand, and lunged at Shunsui. If I can eliminate him, then I can finish off the other without issue, and knock out Nelliel!

Meanwhile, Gin and Ichigo kept fighting, neither gaining any traction on the other. Ichigo had refused to use his Hollow mask for this fight, wanting to save his energy for Aizen, but that decision was being sorely tested at the moment. 

Tensa Zangetsu held Gin's Bankai on the flat of its blade, having extended faster than the eye could see. While Ichigo was heartened to see Gin's surprised face, he was thinking furiously, trying to come up with a way to counter the insane speed of Gin's Zanpakuto. "Kamishini no Yari," Ichigo breathed, trying to buy time. "The name of your Bankai reveals it all. The length of your Bankai was never the most frightening aspect of it. It's a spear, a god-killing spear. The reason you told me the length your Bankai could reach, was to distract me from its true deadly power… the speed with which it extends!"

"… You're a really creepy kid, you know that?" Gin repeated his words from mere minutes ago. "You're a human teenager, but you're the first ta figure out my Bankai. Too bad everyone knows how your Bankai works. The power of Bankai, compressed into that blade and your body, allows ya to move at speeds ya shouldn't be capable of. It's the only reason you were able to block, and only as a fluke. Let's see how ya do with this!" Without warning, Kamishini no Yari was back to the length of a dagger, the hilt of which Gin held firmly against his chest. "Butō!"

INCOMING! Cazador screamed at him, echoing Ichigo's instincts as his eyes barely caught the extension of Kamishini no Yari.

Fast! The Vizard registered, swinging Tensa Zangetsu. To Gin's shock, he had batted away the attack again with one hand! Taking immediate advantage of the opportunity, Ichigo's left hand rose up, index and middle fingers extended in the direction of Gin's head. If anything is faster than that sword, it's lightning! "Hado 4: Byakurai!"

Gin managed to dodge to one side, evading the attack, but what Ichigo caught was that his foe had instinctually retracted his Zanpakuto and that his evasion now had it away from his chest, and pointing to the left side. Flickering into Shunpo, Ichigo appeared to the right side of Gin, slashing with all his might!

The traitor barely managed to twist and block with his Kamishini no Yari, but was surprised when he saw a tiny crack appear in his sword. No! He leapt back, bringing his sword back to his chest. "Butō: Renjin!"

Oh shit! Against the onslaught of Gin's repeated Butō attacks that attacked faster than he could see, Ichigo found himself doing a variation of what he'd done against Byakuya's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi back in Soul Society; standing still, focusing his speed and reiatsu to his arm, Ichigo stood still and forced his arm to blur into hundreds of blocks, Kamishini no Yari either being blocked by the blade of Tensa Zangetsu, or being batted to the side where it wouldn't hit him. He suffered a few minor nicks to his legs, but he was mostly unharmed.

Finally, Gin's attack was finished and Ichigo took a moment to breathe. Zangetsu, let me just say, damn am I glad you're my Zanpakuto. I'd have been a goner without you.

OK, credit where it's due, that was fucking impressive. Kick his ass, King!

"Niiiiice," Gin complimented. "I've never seen anyone come out of that attack as unscathed as you. That Bankai of yours is really something. Even with my sword on the offensive, it still feels like it'll break at any moment against yours!"

"… I don't get it," Ichigo confessed. "That last attack aside, you don't really seem to be trying to kill me."

"Why would I? I'm only keeping you occupied," the fox-faced ex-taicho confessed easily. "Aizen-taicho's interested in fighting you, but he needs to take care of the pests."

Ichigo's eyes widened in realization before he narrowed them, anger and determination dominant in his emotions. He raised and pointed Tensa Zangetsu at Gin, his body turned to the side as he looked down his arm straight at Gin's eyes. "Then I can't afford to waste any more time on you."

"Damn straight you can't, Ichigo!"

The Vizard was shocked when a familiar bald Shinigami jumped in front of him. "Ikkaku?"

"I've got Gin-teme," Ikkaku declared. "You go take down the ringleader!"

"Do you really think you can take down his Bankai with just your Shikai?" Ichigo barked, gesturing towards Ikkaku's Zanpakuto, Hōzukimaru. It was currently in its Shikai form, as a spear with a small but very sharp blade on the end.

"No," Ikkaku agreed easily. "If there's anything I've learned from being defeated by that Arrancar from earlier, it's that when it comes to this battle…" His reiatsu began to build, manifesting in a crimson light around him. "The stakes are too high to hold back! It doesn't matter whether anyone's seen this if we're all dead! BANKAI!"

The red light flared, reaching up to the sky with the immense pressure of Ikkaku's reiatsu. When the light faded, Ikkaku wielded three ridiculously-large blades, all connected by an enormous chain. He held an oversized Chinese Monk's spade, and a gigantic Guan dao, each having the traditional red horsetail tassel attached to the hilt. Behind his back, apparently floating, was an axe-like blade with a parallel handle hovering behind Ikkaku's head. It also held a faded red Chinese dragon crest as an emblem. "Ryūmon Hōzukimaru!"

"What a beautiful speech," Yumichika's voice came from behind Gin, making him spin around.

How did I not sense him there? the traitor thought in surprise. He's not even a fukutaicho.

"A beautiful speech," Yumichika repeated, gripping his unreleased Zanpakuto tightly. "Ichigo, go. We have this handled."

Ichigo needed no further prompting, and promptly Shunpo-ed away. Gin let him go, seeing as he now had two new challengers. "How interestin'. I didn't know ya had Bankai," he commented.

"It's not something I advertise," Ikkaku answered with a manic grin. "I don't want to be taken away from Kenpachi's squad. Now let's get to it!" He lunged at his opponent with a fierce battle cry.

Renji waited at the ready, holding the hilt of Hihio Zabimaru as he watched Aizen plow into the ground from a tackle from the head of his mighty bone-snake and a second Hikotsu Taiho. He could not help but take vindictive pleasure in it; after Aizen had damn near killed him in Soul Society during his escape, had almost succeeded in killing Rukia, and had mentally broken Hinamori Momo…

The unknown Vizard who had been fighting him sidled over and whistled at the damage; several buildings had been destroyed as Hihio Zabimaru smashed Aizen through them before plunging him into the ground. "That's pretty good," he commented. "Name's Shinji."

"Renji," the tattooed man answered absently, calling back his Bankai to coil around him protectively, waiting for the dust to clear. It was too dangerous to dive into a situation you couldn't see, not for an opponent of Aizen's strength. "Hope that hurt, you conniving piece of shit," he muttered. He knew that Aizen hadn't died from just that. It'd be too much to hope.

"So, not that I mind the assist, but why'd you decide to take him on?" Shinji inquired.

"Does it matter?" Renji murmured. "Let's just say that he's hurt too many of the people I care about for me to be able to leave this to someone else."

"Ah." Shinji nodded. "I can understand that. It's about the same for me."

The dust finally cleared, revealing an apparently unharmed Aizen. However, the top of his coat had several holes and tears, and it had been almost completely burned off on the back from Renji's Hikotsu Taiho attacks. After a moment, when it appeared that they weren't chasing after him, Aizen Shunpo-ed up to them and began clapping in a slow, slightly mocking manner. "Very impressive, Abarai Renji," he complimented. "Your efforts are futile, of course, but you've grown much stronger in the time I've been away."

Damn it! That was our strongest attack, and I caught him off guard! Renji lamented.

Do not worry, Hihio Zabimaru reassured him. We did more damage than you think. The bone-snake fixed its eyes upon its enemy, letting out a dangerous hiss.

I don't see how… Then Renji saw it. The injury Aizen had received earlier, when attacked by Shinji… it was gone. He healed himself while in the dust. Either that or he's using his damned illusions to make it look like we did nothing. "You're gonna die today, Aizen."

Aizen smiled. "So I've been told. But if I do, it will not be by your hand."

"We'll see about that! Let's go, Hihio Zabimaru!" Renji swung his handle at Aizen, directing his reiatsu through his Bankai, and Hihio Zabimaru lunged at Aizen.

"Such a straightforward move…" the lead traitor sighed. "Perhaps I was wrong about your growth." He reached forward to grab the Bankai by the tooth, quite literally, but was surprised when the bone-snake suddenly twisted, veering away before it began circling around him, obscuring his vision. "Oh?" Within seconds, he was surrounded by the coiled form of Hihio Zabimaru, sharp-looking extensions from each segment all aimed directly at him. "I see. You plan to either stab me from all sides at once, or crush me directly. Inventive use of your Bankai, Renji, I applaud you. You have obviously learned much from facing Kuchiki Byakuya's Bankai. But not enough. Hado 63: Raikōhō."

The enormous lightning blast annihilated three segments of Renji's Bankai, disassembling the remaining segments, making them start to fall to the earth below. "I think you're the one who hasn't learned enough from OUR fight, Aizen!" Renji roared. "Higa Zekkō!"

The segments stopped in midair, glowing with reiatsu, before they began flying directly at Aizen as fast as Renji could make them. Aizen finally drew his sword, and almost casually sliced at the first segment that came near. However, when it met no resistance, his eyes widened. It was only then that he saw, out of the corner of his left eye, Shinji grinning and holding up his Zanpakuto.

Shit! But it was too late. He'd been impaled through the back by the protrusion on a large segment, and it was sticking out of his stomach.

Whoa. Renji blinked. Did… Was that it? Did I seriously just land a critical blow to Aizen?

But then, Aizen cut off part of the protrusion, an annoyed look on his face. He then flared his reiatsu, twisted his sword around so he held it in a reverse grip, and then stabbed under his arm, into the segment of Hihio Zabimaru that had struck him. It shattered in an instant. "I underestimated you. That won't happen again," he told the pineapple-haired Shinigami. "But right now… you're wide open."

It happened in an instant. One moment, Renji was at full health, readying himself for another attack. The next, Aizen was somehow behind him, and Renji's chest was sliced open, blood spurting through the air. He looked down at his torso in disbelief, even as he began to fall. Then he looked to his right, where Shinji was, and saw that the Vizard had suffered a similar fate.

"Shinji… your Zanpakuto's power is merely an optical illusion. Your positions were never changed, it was only my perception of them. Once someone gets used to it, your power is child's play."

Is this… the extent of our strength, Zabimaru? Renji asked, time slowing to his perception as he fell.

We fought well, and landed an injury that will help the others. Now rest.

Renji was about to do just that and pass out, but then a stray thought passed through his head. What of… everyone else? They may die… No. I cannot afford to rest. I cannot afford to die! I cannot afford to give up when my friends need me! With the strength of his renewed resolve, Renji caught himself, stopping his fall with the air-walk technique. Inoue-san! She'll heal me quick again, and then I can rejoin the fight!

But it went against his pride to just run. He stood his ground and coiled Hihio Zabimaru around him, blood running in rivulets down his chest and legs. He glared up with all his power at Aizen's back. "Once more, Hihio Zabimaru," he whispered. "Let's do this one more time. Let's go! Howl, Hihio Zabimaru! Hikotsu Taiho!"

The giant bone-snake lunged once again at Aizen, who half-turned to face the threat. With a single sword swipe, Hihio Zabimaru's head had been cut in half, and the Hikotsu Taiho exploded in a flare of red reiatsu. When the dust cleared… Aizen stood there, completely unharmed.

Hihio… Zabimaru? Even Renji's thought seemed like a whisper. No! But it was true, Renji knew it even as his sword reverted to Shikai. Zabimaru would need time to recover, or some healing from a particularly skilled woman he knew. I'll get you recovered in no time! Ignoring the pain of his injuries, he fled to the healing station in Urahara's tent.

"AIZEN!" a female voice screeched. "Baka Shinji, why the hell did you try to fight him alone!"

"I didn't fight him alone, Hiyori! But don't attack on your own, he's too strong!"

The blond glared at Shinji even as he struggled to get to his feet. "I know that!"

"Oh? Are you worried that she'll die?" Aizen taunted. "No matter. Regardless of whatever you may do, the ending is the same. Besides, she has nothing to fear. She and all the rest of you died on that night over a hundred years ago."

Hiyori screamed her fury as she broke Shinji's grip on her leg and lunged at Aizen, drawing her Hollow mask at the same time. "Chop Cleanly, Kubikiri Orochi!" Her sword warped, becoming a large cleaver almost as tall as she was, with a serrated saw-like edge. "Time to get revenge for what you did to us, Aizen!"

Komamura barely dared to breathe in the darkness of Tousen's Bankai. In the absence of any stimuli save that of touch, he couldn't afford to be distracted even for a moment. He stood perfectly still, waiting for the moment he knew where his opponent was. And in that moment, a counterstrike. 

The fur on the left side of his face shifted subtly thanks to a change in the air, and that was enough. He struck! … Except there was no resistance. He'd hit nothing but air. Komamura had anticipated this; Tousen had discovered the weakness of his own Bankai at the same time he had; of course he'd worked to eliminate the problem, that being his own speed.

However, speed had a necessary side effect: the displacement of air. In his heightened sense of touch in lieu of his other senses, his training with Kenpachi was paying dividends. Komamura's face shifted to a grim satisfaction as he tracked his old friend, following him from the gentlest feeling of air brushing his fur as Tousen moved out of the way of Komamura's attack. For once in his life, the anthropomorphic canine was glad for his inhuman characteristics.

I know where you are. And that simple knowledge made Komamura smile grimly, revealing his fangs. Even so, he didn't attempt to follow the traitor; it was difficult enough to track someone while standing still; moving around would make him lose track of Tousen. It once again came down to a counterattack, or wearing Tousen down through maintaining his Bankai.

Komamura waited, carefully keeping his attention on his only sense remaining. Even so, the complete darkness and lack of any other sensory input practically invited him to think about his situation. It's not Tousen's style to make his opponent wait… He doesn't have as much reiatsu as many of the other taicho, he always preferred a clean, quick defeat. Komamura frowned pensively. He's buying time. But for what? A secret weapon?

He had not even a moment to consider the idea, as he suddenly felt the cold steel of a Zanpakuto against his fur and skin. Instinct took over, and Komamura twisted out of the way, taking a shallow gash to his abdomen even as he swung Tenken. He missed, as expected, but he'd also swung his left arm up at where he knew Tousen's neck was, gambling that the traitor would be too preoccupied with his sword to notice. He was gratified to feel it connect, and the stronger vibrations from the ground let Komamura know that his clothesline move had worked, sending Tousen to the floor at his feet.

Not one to pass up such an opportunity, Komamura pounced! He immediately had Tousen pinned, his right arm held behind his back. Komamura's massive knees held Tousen's legs down. As Tousen had been wielding Suzumushi in his right hand, the fox-like taicho took it away, holding it in his left. Instantly, he could see! He smiled, having achieved his goal, but was shocked to see Tousen's left arm having returned. But Hisagi cut it off!

"Well done, old friend," Tousen murmured. "But unfortunately for you, it's over. Resurrección."

"What?"

But in his moment of distraction, Suzumushi vibrated wildly in his hand, coming loose and being caught by Tousen's left hand. The Bankai's darkness shrunk nigh-instantly, until it concealed only its wielder's body, before violently throwing Komamura away.

Shaking his head to clear it from the dizziness of being thrown so suddenly, Komamura looked up with newfound horror at what his best friend had done to himself. He'd become a full Hollow, complete with a Hollow hole, and gross misshapen form. Komamura had never, not even once, suspected that Tousen could or would go so far.

"Suzumushi Hyakushiki: Grillar Grillo."The blind Shinigami hunched over, his four clawed hands dangling beneath him from insect-like arms as he attempted to adjust to his new body. So this is what it's like to become one with your Zanpakuto for a Hollow… Tousen mused. He counted four hands, and two legs. Six limbs in total. I suspected as much, given my Zanpakuto's name. Similarly, he discovered he had short fur on his body, and wings as thin as rice paper. Again, that could be explained by the insect properties of Suzumushi. His head changing shape was also not a complete surprise; insect heads were very different from human heads. His mask covering every part of his head but his mouth was interesting, but not overly so. He could feel and hear metallic chains as they clinked, covering a set of twisted horns protruding from his back. A remnant of my Bankai perhaps?

The one thing that he did not expect, however, was the feeling that his eyes had grown huge and bulbous, and they were poking outside of his head. It was a unique sensation, even if they were closed. But there was something new… there was… was it…? Could it be? Light?

The prospect of being able to see for the first time in his life was too much to resist, and his eyes flew open. "I… I can see!" He turned and spotted his old friend. "You're uglier than I thought you would be," Tousen taunted.

Komamura was able to regain his senses, and he glared up at the man-turned-beast. "You have truly abandoned all traces of being a Shinigami, haven't you?" he accused.

"Tell me, Komamura, do you remember why I became a Shinigami? What my goal was the whole time?"

"Justice."

"Indeed. Do you remember why that was my goal?"

"Your friend, from before. The one whose Zanpakuto you wielded, and have now perverted."

"Yes!" Tousen cried out. "She wanted to help bring justice! She wanted peace and justice in the world! And she was killed by the Gotei 13! Did you not think it strange that I, whose greatest friend was killed by the Shinigami, would willfully join them?"

"You always said you had taken up her will, her desire for the ideal of a truly peaceful world!" Komamura answered. "The ideal of true justice!"

"But what is justice? Goodness, and justice… they are not the same. To live a peaceful life, spreading justice wherever I can… that sounds like a life of goodness, no? But I cannot tolerate that! Where is the justice for the murder of my friend? Living out a peaceful life in the same organization as they who killed her without taking revenge… that would an act of evil!"

The two of them stood silently for a few moments. Finally, Komamura raised his head once more and looked his opponent straight in the eyes, a new fire of determination within them. "It seems I totally misjudged you, and we will never be able to see eye to eye again. But if our core beliefs are so incompatible, then words are meaningless…" His grip around Tenken tightened as he pointed it at Tousen. "And if words are meaningless, then there is only one way this can end! Bankai! Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!"

Hiyori leapt back, breathing hard through her mask as she attempted to reel in her rage. Blood dripped down her right arm from a strike she'd taken to the shoulder, and her left leg buckled slightly under weight; she'd received a slash to her thigh, and was losing blood quickly. But not a single one of her attacks had connected. Not one. Her hands clenched angrily around her Zanpakuto. It… it's like he's just playing with me!

Aizen frowned at her. "You've grown somewhat stronger, yes… but I expected more after a hundred years. What a waste."

What made Hiyori even angrier, was that she knew that Aizen was right. She had had more than a century to grow stronger than she had been as Shinigami under the Gotei 13, but Hiyori was not one to train for the sake of training, like Kensei. Nor was she a person with much patience, like Mashiro or Hachigen. She wasn't laid-back but serious when the time called for it like Rose and Love, nor was she a woman who strived to better herself like Lisa. She wasn't even calm, collected and incredibly focused like Shinji when he took his personality mask off, and put his Hollow mask on.

All that Hiyori had on her side was an inexhaustible anger and hatred. She hated the Gotei 13 for trying to kill her for something that wasn't her fault. She hated the humans for being so prone to losing hope, succumbing to despair over the smallest of things, because it made them Hollow when there wasn't any need for it if they'd just get off their asses and fix their own damn problems! She hated Aizen for inflicting the Hollowification on her, and she hated Shinji at that moment because he'd been right to try to hold her back and keep her from fighting. Most of all, Hiyori hated herself for being weak. If I were more patient, or dedicated, or focused, or even a little more serious… she berated herself angrily.

"If that's all you have, then run away," Aizen advised coolly. "You are not strong enough to fight me."

Hiyori's eyes flew wide when her mask crumbled, her time limit having been exceeded, before they narrowed. She looked to her lower right, her expression morphing to that of humiliation and emotional pain. Coming to a decision, tears coming unbidden to her eyes, she rushed over to Shinji, picking him up in a smooth motion that ended with him being held over her shoulder, and then rushed to where she could detect Hachigen; she trusted no one but the Vizard to treat a Vizard.

Aizen raised an eyebrow; he hadn't expected her to actually take him up on his offer. Perhaps she's grown a little, he mused to himself. Taking advantage of not being attacked, he glanced around, observing his surroundings and counting the fights. Baraggan is fighting Hachigen, Harribel and… my, is that little Kuchiki Rukia? How bold. Grimmjow is over there, guarding their quaint little healing structure. Starrk is fighting Ukitake-taicho, Kyoraku-taicho and… "Hmm… Kaname was correct, that is indeed Nelliel."

Taking note of it, Aizen nodded to himself and continued looking around. Kaname has revealed his Resurrección and is fighting Komamura-taicho and Hisagi-fukutaicho. Ichimaru is fighting… "Oh?" Aizen let out interestedly, "It seems that Ikkaku-kun has finally revealed his Bankai. I wonder if Yumichika-kun will reveal his Shikai's true form?" Abarai-fukutaicho, Hiyori and Shinji are heading to be healed. Histugaya-taicho appears to be there as well, but he's regaining strength quickly. Yamamoto-soutaicho… is simply waiting? He's preparing for something, I'm sure…

Aizen smiled, sensing a new fighter approach. "You can come out now… Soifon-taicho."

The glare on her face could have melted steel. "Sting, Suzumebachi." Her Zanpakuto immediately took on the form of the lethally venomous stinger. "Aizen."

"Soifon-taicho… have you gone insane?" he asked curiously. "You, who followed the rules to the letter, who embodied the philosophy of the Onimitsukido… you would fight me outright like this?"

"Central 46 were fools to make you a teacher at the Academy," Soifon spat.

"No, no, Soifon. Don't speak ill of the dead." Aizen's eyes practically glittered with amusement. "After all, you were fooled as well, as I recall."

"I was never fooled by you, Aizen. I was always watching you, I knew there was something not quite right but I could never put my finger on it, just like Unohana-taicho could not figure out what was wrong with your so-called corpse, just that there was."

"It's a good thing you could never put your finger on it," the traitor said. "If it were that middle finger of yours that was laid upon me, I'm sure that stinger of yours would have pierced me."

"And now it's time for Suzumebachi to take your life." Suddenly, Soifon blurred into fifteen copies, fifteen Shunpo clones.

"Impressive," Aizen commented.

The assassin smiled thinly. "Thank you for the compliment. We don't hear many in Onimitsukido." She, and all her other clones, leapt at Aizen, stinger extended.

Aizen moved to block, swinging Kyoka Suigetsu…

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

… only to be distracted as he was attacked from behind by a masked Kurosaki Ichigo, who swung at his neck with as much power as he could muster. Taken completely by surprise at the Vizard's sudden appearance right behind him, Aizen was visibly thrown off.

Soifon's stinger stabbed at Aizen heart, but the results were completely cloaked by the Getsuga Tenshou that covered a quarter of the fake Karakura Town in its intensity, all of it focused at a single point.

When the overwhelming darkness of Ichigo's attack faded, Soifon could not help but stare in shock, having leapt back after stabbing. The sheer power in that attack had almost suffocated her in its proximity, reminding her painfully of Ichigo's previous declaration.

"… I swear I will come at you with all my power!"

But on top of that, Aizen had come out of the conflict completely unscathed! There was no Homonka, hell she hadn't even managed to pierce him! Worse, his head was still attached quite firmly to his shoulders. She watched with disbelieving eyes as a barrier Kido shattered, having successfully blocked Ichigo's attack in its tracks a mere inch from his neck. A moment later, Aizen Shunpo-ed a slight distance away, leaving Soifon and Ichigo standing side by side.

"The back of the neck is a blind spot for everyone. Did you really think that I would leave it unprotected when confronting a military organization out for my life?" Aizen asked with a slightly smug tone, completely ignoring Soifon.

Ichigo tightened his grip on Tensa Zangetsu. "It's not over yet."

"Oh no," Aizen agreed, "it's barely begun."

"How… How did you block me?" Soifon demanded.

Aizen turned his head slightly to the side to address her while keeping both eyes firmly on the Vizard before him. "When two Shinigami fight, it's a battle of the strength of their reiatsu."

"It's like with Kenpachi," Ichigo explained, his dually-layered voice sending unpleasant chills down Soifon's spine. "Kenpachi naturally emits so much reiatsu from his skin that it works the same way as an Arrancar's Hierro. You need to strike with more reiatsu than he's protecting with to do any damage. It's one of the reasons he's always after me for a rematch, I'm one of the few people who can push him to take off his eyepatch and still manage. Aizen must be the same way… Your strike must not have had enough reiatsu to even push through his skin."

"Exactly," the traitor agreed. "So unless you've got another ace up your sleeve, Soifon-taicho, I suggest you give us some space." He smiled. "After all, you'd hardly want to get in the way."

Soifon's fists clenched. "I am not useless!" she growled.

"Are you or aren't you a Shinigami taicho?" Ichigo snarled. "If you can't even lay a hand on him in Shikai, take it to the next level!"

The taicho glared at him, though she could hardly keep from cringing at the sight of the masked Ichigo, looking and feeling more Hollow-like than she'd have dreamed a Shinigami could be. Ichigo's left eye, a Hollow amber within inky black depths, was firmly focused on her, demanding she bring out her ultimate weapon, her ultimate shame. But to destroy an enemy of Soul Society, Soifon could bear any shame.

"… Fine. Keep him busy for a few minutes, my Bankai is a long-distance type and it needs some preparation time," she murmured under her breath.

"I'll see what I can do."

Without a word, Soifon vanished, leaving the two archenemies facing each other. "How are you, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Aizen asked almost cordially, as if they weren't about to fight for their lives. "I imagine it's been a very trying few days for you. Turned into an Arrancar and back to Vizard, chafing under Yamamoto…"

He's stalling. For what? But Ichigo didn't dare remove his mask; Aizen was too strong to power down for even a minute. Even so, Ichigo needed to stall Aizen for Soifon's Bankai, whatever it was. "I'm fine. Managed to get some rest while my Inner Hollow was in control. Yamamoto can be very frustrating, though. I'm sure you must know what I'm talking about."

"Oh, I know very well," the treasonous taicho agreed with what sounded like real sympathies. "Making orders you don't really agree with but have to follow because he's liable to try to kill you otherwise? Let me guess, he's ordered you to kill any Arrancar that you've managed to get on your side if they don't immediately go back to Hueco Mundo after I die… assuming you all manage to kill me," he added almost as an afterthought.

Ichigo shook his head. He couldn't believe he was actually having a decent conversation with the man. "Yeah… I mean, they may be Hollows, but they're powerful allies, and most of them are no worse than some of the Shinigami the Gotei 13 employs. It's hard for anyone to top Kenpachi in bloodthirstiness, and they let him become a taicho."

Aizen's smile broadened minutely. "Quite true. Then again, I suppose the two of us, as superior beings, are more capable of understanding."

Ichigo frowned behind the mask. "What do you mean, superior beings?"

"Well, look at yourself for instance. You're no longer just a Shinigami, or just a Hollow. You can't even be defined as just a Vizard or an Arrancar anymore," the master of the Espada commented, gesturing lightly at him. "You've evolved as both a Shinigami and as a Hollow in such a short span of time. That, I suspect, is due to your human nature."

"Eh?"

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you alone among all the Shinigami, Vizard, Arrancar and Hollow here, remain a living, breathing human being. Your being outside your body is irrelevant. What is relevant, however, is that humans have an incredible capacity for growth and evolution. Just look at the Quincy, for instance. Being attacked and killed by Hollows, triggering high levels of spiritual awareness, and then a method of attack? Within a few generations, being strong enough to wage a serious war against the Shinigami, which had been around for centuries?

"Your other friends are another example. Evolving from having no spiritual awareness at all, to where they are now is truly remarkable. You see, Kurosaki Ichigo, I believe that your being human has allowed you to evolve further, faster than any Shinigami ever could. And that is the reason that transferring Shinigami powers to a human being is as forbidden as gaining Hollow powers," Aizen finished.

Ichigo had to admit that what Aizen said made a degree of sense. "You must admit, though, that a lot of my growth is because I had Urahara and Yoruichi. I wouldn't have Bankai or Shunpo if not for them."

"Perhaps," Aizen allowed with a small secretive smile. "But perhaps more of it is due directly to my interference."

"Like what? Aside from my determination not to let you kill any of my friends, I mean."

The traitor laughed outright. "Surely you don't think that was the extent of my involvement? You are a unique creature, Kurosaki Ichigo. Human, Shinigami, and Hollow at once. Allied with the grandson of the man who tried to bridge the Quincy and Shinigami, and two spiritually gifted humans with powers unlike anything the Gotei 13 has ever recorded! I could not help but see how far you all could evolve, I was too curious to just destroy the experiment! No, instead I attempted to further your growth by pitting you against foes that would force you to become stronger!"

Horror blossomed in Ichigo's mind. No… he couldn't…! "You can't mean..."

"Oh yes," Aizen affirmed. "Who do you think sent the Grand Fisher to that same place where your mother was killed to fight you? That fight served its purpose, to force you to acknowledge your need for strength. And do you really think that Abarai Renji and Kuchiki Byakuya would be sent to retrieve their love interest and little sister respectively? No! Yamamoto would usually never be that cruel. I was the one who arranged for them to receive the orders, knowing that you would attack to protect Kuchiki Rukia! And it was then that you found out that there was more to being a Shinigami than simply slaying Hollows, you learned about Shikai."

"I can see how you would predict that Urahara would come to my rescue, and maybe even foresee his method of restoring my powers, but there's no way you could have predicted where I would end up in Soul Society when I inevitably came to rescue her! How could you possibly have been able to arrange for me to fight Ikkaku, Renji and Kenpachi?" Ichigo argued. "It could just as easily have been anyone else!"

"True," Aizen agreed. "But it didn't matter too much where you landed. I knew that Urahara would have trained you to the point of being able to defeat most fukutaicho. By the time you arrived you would be facing canon fodder until you fought a fukutaicho or someone else comparably strong, because the taicho would naturally be given orders not to engage unless necessary. Their powers are too strong, they'd damage the Seireitei. Kenpachi would be the only one who would willfully disregard those orders; it was only natural you'd fight him eventually."

"But how would you have known that I'd win against him? It was a very near thing, and I only won because my Zanpakuto lent me his power and restored himself at the last second!"

"Even if you didn't win, I knew that Yoruichi would be among your team. After all, Urahara Kisuke would never let someone as fresh and naïve as you were go without an escort. Otherwise it was just asking for someone to kill you all. Also, by that time you'd encountered a friendly member of the 4th Division, who was traveling with you. Win or lose against Kenpachi, I knew you would be healed and that much stronger for it. And if you did somehow die, then it meant the end of the experiment of how far you could evolve."

Ichigo was grasping for straws now. "But you couldn't have predicted how my Bankai would turn out! If you arranged for me to fight Byakuya again at Soukyouku Hill, then…"

"A Bankai can be countered by most any other Bankai. Gin's Bankai, as you have encountered, could be blocked by yours through comparison of speed. Alternatively, Hitsugaya-kun's Bankai could have countered Gin's by freezing the metal, rendering it far more brittle and incapable of the piercing power. Or Gin could have countered Hitsugaya-kun's Bankai by punching through his ice wings and killing him in one hit. No matter what Bankai you had, you had an opportunity to counter Kuchiki Byakuya. Given your abnormally high reiatsu, and your Inner Hollow, I found it increasingly unlikely that you would die." Aizen's smile grew. "Especially since you had someone to protect, and the resolve to ensure that no one died because you weren't strong enough like that day your mother died."

Ichigo felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "What… do you know about my mother?" he finished with a snarl, hackles raised and bloodlust rising at the forbidden topic. "How do you know so much about me?"

Aizen shook his head. "I've known about you since the day you were born. The unique circumstances of your birth prompted me to watch you. And when you started to grow weak, I acted."

The shock caused Ichigo to lose his grip on Hollowification, and his mask shattered. Ichigo's heartbeat was slowly overwhelming his own hearing even as he felt his body grow more and more numb. As if from far away, he heard himself ask incredulously "… You've known about me since I was born?" A memory flashed, and Ichigo's heartbeat ceased. He couldn't breathe, he was drowning…

Suddenly he was back, back on that fateful day. Back on the day that everything changed. Back on the day that he changed. Back on the day that set him firmly on the path that defined not what, but who he was. The rain of memory engulfed him.

Zangetsu and Cazador de la Luna both looked up in Ichigo's Inner World as the sky darkened with thunderclouds before promptly letting loose a drenching, freezing rain. "Well, shit. Oi, Zangetsu, what's going on?"

The spirit form of the mighty Zanpakuto bowed his head. "… An old wound that has never been healed, that I fear never may truly mend, has been reopened. Watch carefully, Cazador de la Luna, and witness your true origins."

The unending rain provided a curtain upon the many sideways skyscrapers that littered the mindscape. With it raining so hard he could hardly see a dozen feet in front of him, coupled with cacophony of raindrops hitting the buildings around him, the Arrancar couldn't see how he would be able to witness anything before a surprisingly clear shout startled him. "Hey!"

What the? Cazador spun around in shock, hand already on his blade's hilt before he got a grip. The rain lightened just enough for him to see a solitary skyscraper a scant twenty feet away. Taking advantage of being able to see, Cazador saw a kid in a yellow raincoat on one of the skyscrapers, rushing towards a girl on the edge who appeared ready to jump. I wonder who that is…? Peering closely, Cazador watched as the constant rain seemed to paint a picture, an illusion of a river just beyond the girl, and wet grass and mud underneath the boots of the child who was running towards her. It was only after the Inner Hollow had seen a flash of the orange hair that he realized it was Ichigo who was running.

Keh, of course. He wanted to save the girl.

Then Cazador saw a tall, beautiful woman under an umbrella rushing after Ichigo, and heard her vaguely calling out. "Mom…?" he breathed. It was his first time he'd had a chance to really see her alive. While Cazador shared many of Ichigo's memories, they were mostly after he'd awakened for the first time as Ichigo regained his Shinigami powers.

Just then, lightning struck, and in the brief flash of light, Cazador saw that the girl had been replaced by a strangely familiar Hollow. When the flash faded, he saw that Ichigo was just waking up, apparently having been knocked unconscious. Atop the young boy was the bloodied corpse of his mother.

Ichigo's feelings of shock and the swift rise of horror and denial were so strong that even merely watching, Cazador suddenly found it hard to breathe as he relived his partner's memory. It was then that Cazador recognized the next feeling… It was the emotional sensation of having one's heart ripped out forcefully, the psychic torment of unbearable guilt…

The utter bleakness of despair from which a soul transforms into a Hollow.

Realizations ripped through the Arrancar faster than he thought he could process he could put voice to them, however, Zangetsu beat him to the punch, his voice low but still clearly audible from beside Cazador de la Luna.

"Yes, that moment is where you were born." The manifestation of Ichigo's Zanpakuto shook his head. "That tragedy planted the seeds of Hollow power within him, and is also the cause of Ichigo's history of fighting. He refused to be weak enough to let the same thing happen to the rest of his family, but even so guilt plagued him for many years, thinking that somehow HE had killed his mother… until he came face to face with the Hollow that killed her."

"And?" Cazador asked eagerly.

"Despite our best efforts, the Hollow known as Grand Fisher escaped."

Something in Zangetsu's tone made Cazador bite back the immediate disparaging remark about Ichigo's fighting skills. "There's something you're not telling me."

Zangetsu turned to face his Hollow wielder and looked him dead in the eye. "The Grand Fisher is known for having killed and evaded several skilled Shinigami for over 50 years. Ichigo, with almost no experience, no control over his reiatsu, and very minimal skills with the blade, nearly slew him out of sheer might, determination, and lust for vengeance."

The implications were not lost on Cazador. "Wait, if he was able to do that before gaining Shikai, what will he be like with Bankai? And with me?"

Zangetsu was silent now, looking up at the dark clouds as he waited to be used. He noted with ill-concealed worry about the still-growing cumulonimbus that was forming from Ichigo's stormy state of mind. Lightning flashed within the storm cloud again before shooting out across the heavens, illuminating a disturbingly human expression of worry on Cazador de la Luna. While Zangetsu could still contact his wielder, what could he possibly say? Ichigo's mother died because of Aizen, and now the traitor stood before Ichigo, challenging his power. If the Vizard had ever needed motivation to kill with prejudice instead of simply defeat, that was it. All Zangetsu could do was offer his support in slaying Ichigo's enemies, and hope the rain would end soon.

Meanwhile, outside of his Inner World, the Shinigami Substitute breathed very shallowly, his eyes wide in renewed emotional pain as he pulled himself away from the unforgettable memory that defined his life from such a young age. "You… you set the Grand Fisher on my mother that day." The pain in his heart slowly changed into something more useful. "Because I was soft, and weak, and completely reliant on her." It was something more than anger, and Ichigo could feel it rising within him. "You knew that killing her would force me to harden and grow stronger." It was something more than fury, and Ichigo could feel it beginning to twist his perception and warp his mentality. "You knew it would give me resolve to never let it happen again." Ichigo now knew the word for what he felt. Madness.

Aizen watched in fascination as black flames crept swiftly across Ichigo's eyes, from left to right, replacing the whites of his eyes with an inky blackness, and the brown became a Hollow amber. He noted with satisfaction that Ichigo's reiatsu was flaring out quite magnificently. "Indeed, and you have grown quite strong, Kurosaki Ichigo. I find myself interested in seeing your next step in evolution."

It started low. A small chuckle, barely audible as Ichigo's body shook, before it grew louder and stronger, until he raised his head again, tears streaming down his face from his Hollow eyes as he laughed, his sanity slipping away. His Adjuchas mask slowly materialized and fastened itself to his face as Ichigo continued to laugh and cry simultaneously. The laughter ended abruptly, though, as soon the mask finished appearing. "Strength…" Ichigo breathed harshly. "You killed my mother… to make me strong? To make me evolve?" Without any warning, he was suddenly in front of Aizen, black Tensa Zangetsu smothered in the dark power of Getsuga Tenshou as Ichigo swung with all his might.

Aizen blocked with some effort. "Is this all you have? Pity, I would have thought knowing the truth behind your mother's demise to be a much more powerful motivator."

Ichigo fixed a piercing gaze upon his foe. "Motivation? You planted the seeds of power in me; now reap what you have sowed!" A white Tensa Zangetsu materialized in his hand, thrumming with power and bloodlust as a Getsuga Tenshou ran down this sword as well.

Aizen's eyes widened. What? A second Zanpakuto? In Bankai no less! For perhaps the first time in a long while, the perpetually calm traitor felt the stirrings of fear creeping up his spine. He leapt back using the speed he'd worked so hard to acquire, narrowly avoiding the swipe of the white weapon. "Impressive, Ichigo-kun."

Only instinct allowed Aizen to whirl around and block another strike from the Hollowified Ichigo. "It's sad, Aizen, is that you can't tell the difference between me and a speed clone when I copied the move from your own subordinate," the Vizard cackled before using Shunpo again to vanish. He began circling around his enemy at his highest speed, creating several images of himself as he blurred in and out of sight between them, attacking from every angle, every opening he could find.

Aizen blocked or evaded every single strike, though it was admittedly quite difficult when he had to block more than one sword coming at him. He was highly impressed at how much of a challenge the boy had become, but there was a reason he felt he was capable to go against Soul Society – he had pushed his skills in every aspect of Shinigami warfare as high as he could. However, when Ichigo suddenly stopped, he was confused. "Why didn't you continue your attack?" he asked calmly.

To everyone's surprise, Ichigo threw his head back and laughed. With the powerful Adjuchas mask on his face changing his voice, it came out as a horrible, soul-chilling laugh, and his unseen allies in the area all shivered violently. After a few seconds, he looked Aizen straight in the eyes. "You're so strong, Aizen! Look at us! I'm at my strongest form yet, yet you are keeping up with me! You haven't even used your Shikai's effect on me!"

"Are you scared, then?"

This only made Ichigo laugh again. "Are you kidding? Why on earth would I be scared? I just couldn't help laughing at how hopeless it all seems right now! But I got something that you don't!"

Aizen was intrigued at the last comment. "What's that?"

"The will to do whatever it takes to kill you, even if it means sacrificing EVERYTHING!" Ichigo launched himself at Aizen once more, black Tensa Zangetsu held in a position for a sweeping strike across his body. "My body, my mind, my very soul I will condemn to oblivion as long as you just fucking die!"

However, Aizen was not the master of Kyoka Suigetsu, the most powerful illusionary Zanpakuto in existence, for nothing. His skill in observing even the tiniest of details was unmatched. Even as he blocked Ichigo's strike, he leapt upwards, narrowly evading the bleached white Tensa Zangetsu coming at him from the side.

Undeterred, Ichigo proceeded to change the arc of the swing by pulling sharply up on the chain and sending a burst of reiatsu down it, forcing Aizen to bring his sword down to block the sudden Getsuga-covered Zanpakuto. The leader of the Arrancar was unable to completely block the next strike, though, as Ichigo Shunpo-ed right behind him with the god-like speed of a Hollowified double-Bankai. "GETSUGA…"

Aizen's eyes widened, but he didn't have time to say anything else as Ichigo brought his blade, wrought in so much power that it appeared more moon-fang than sword, down upon him.

"…TENSHOU!"