Intro: Last chapter for this lil story of mine... hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. A thing or two... I originally was going to actually include Gin's Bankai.. but since I really have no idea what it's like.. and don't want it to feature later in the manga as something totally different, I sorta left a nice 'Ichimaru's bankai' sized hole in the story. A GinxRan moment... but of course it's nothing serious since she's already with Kumatsurou... and I'm not letting her leave him for Gin... :D
Oh yeah… Seijou Touyorin is that sacred place thingy where Aizen beat Hitsugaya
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
Darkness. That was all he could see. Silence. That was all he could hear. Smell? There was none. What the hell just happened? Kumatsurou thought to himself. All he could remember was his fight with Tousen. Am I dead...? Did I lose the fight? He had no idea. All he remembered was…
-
"It is time to bring this to an end, young captain. I bear no grudge against you, but for the sake of my justice and the success of Aizen-sama's plans, you must be eliminated." It was hard to tell, but Kumatsurou thought he saw a glimmer of sadness in the blind eyes of the man before him as he spoke. "Ban Kai." Rings had formed, many of them, and then surrounded the pair of fighters. "Suzumushi, Final Form. Enma Koorogi." Then it had all gone black.
What happened…? Was that some sort of a finishing move, and he just killed me with it? It was near impossible to tell. Kumatsurou didn't dare move, he had no idea what was happening. A gash appeared on his left shoulder and blood spurted out. Within the dark depths of Enma Koorogi, Tousen reappeared on the other side of the blue haired captain, his sword had been splashed with blood.
"Within this sightless, senseless dome, you cannot do anything but get hit again and again by my Suzumushi. You cannot escape it. No one can." It was with a shudder that Tousen's mind leapt back to Zaraki Kenpachi, the fearful demon he had fought with shortly before he had left Soul Society. The blood-frenzied menace had allowed himself to be struck so that he could learn the position of his opponent. And due to his powerful body, even a thrust through his chest hadn't weakened him at all. However, Tousen was confident he had this one in the bag. This young child was not a demon, he was a normal human, and the darkness of his Enma Koorogi would have sparked the necessary fear in his heart to render him paralysed within the dark dome.
Crap…that hurt. Kumatsurou felt the sword slash at his shoulder, and he could feel blood hit his face. Well, guess that means I'm not dead, I just can't see, hear, smell or sense, all I can do is touch. This was still a predicament, there was no way he could fight Tousen with only his sense of touch. He couldn't see anything, but perhaps…
Tousen turned to attack again, when he felt a sudden rise in his opponents spirit force. What is he doing? Is he planning on attacking me? "Ban kai." Lightning fell from the heavens and struck the sword in Kumatsurou's hand, sending off a brilliant lightshow, even bringing some light into the lightless depths of the Enma Koorogi dome. "Seigyokuden Raibikaritatsu." A blue dragon of lightning had been summoned. Its large wings flapped slowly as its twisting coils wrapped themselves around Kumatsurou, his left shoulder now blazing with the electrical energy that formed the dragon.
-
"Hey there, Raibikaritatsu." Kumatsurou had transported himself to the realm of his Zanpakutou.
"What is it?" Even though its mouth didn't move at all, the thunderous voice of his sword could be heard from all directions.
"I'm really going to need your help on this one. Tousen's Bankai robs you of all your senses except for touch. However, I don't think it will affect you, at least not as much, since you aren't exactly a body with senses inside of it."
"That's what you came in here for?" If it had been possible, the dragon in front of him surely would have rolled its eyes.
Kumatsurou grinned. "Yeah… that's about it, just letting you know and stuff."
-
He returned to the dark world of Enma Koorogi. This time, rather than guiding his sword, he let the dragon guide him. The beast lunged for Tousen. No. It is not possible. How can Suzumushi not affect his sword? It should, yet that dragon knows exactly where to find me. Tousen jumped back to avoid yet another lunge from the dragon. It's fast, but Enma Koorogi seems to have partially affected it, and as a result it has slowed down, and I can still dodge it, luckily.
Meanwhile, Kumatsurou could tell that nothing was really happening. Raibikaritatsu's movements are really sluggish, it's moving quite slowly, so Tousen isn't getting hit. Guess that means we'll have to slow him down. As he spoke, the metal orbs that surrounded the dragon began to buzz and hum. Previously, they hadn't been used at all, but had simply been floating around randomly, to the extent that Tousen figured they were some sort of a shield for Kumatsurou should one be necessary. However, as they began shooting bolts of lightning at him, he had second thoughts.
As he ran around the dome, the orbs gained on him, shooting more and more accurately. Dammit, they're going to hit me- His thoughts were cut short as one bolt finally hit him. To his surprise it seemed to do nothing. What on earth is happening here? As he stopped in surprise, another barrage of lightning bolts hit him. On the other side of the dome, Kumatsurou grinned. The orbs attack was flawless. Eventually they'd hit the enemy, and in the confusion of the lightning not doing any visible damage, they'd stop or at least slow down, which meant they could get hit all the more.
As he was hit by more and more bolts of lightning, Tousen stared at the orbs following him, they seemed to be moving much faster now, he could barely keep up with them. Could it be that- No… of course! Those orbs, they have been slowing me down this whole time, and I was foolish enough to get hit so many times since I was careless. Stopping, he whirled around and slashed at the nearest orb, he had to get rid of them before he became as slow as a snail. Bang! One down, nine to go. But as Tousen took the valuable time it needed to destroy one, he was hit by nine more. By the time he had destroyed 5 of them, he could no longer hit the others, they sailed out of his grasp each time with ease.
It's time. Kumatsurou could tell that Tousen was no longer able to avoid his attacks, after those many minutes, he would have to be more than half as slow as before. "Go, Raibikaritatsu!" The dragon reared up and roared, Tousen looked up in fear as he heard the cry. The fast movements of the lightning dragon were impossible to avoid with his current state. As the dark body of the blind man took the full charge of Seigyokuden Raibikaritatsu, Kumatsurou also thrust his sword into his body. Enma Koorogi burst like a giant bubble, the darkness faded, and Kumatsurou looked around, glad to see the light of day again, even if there was a major storm happening.
Tousen knelt on the ground, a large wound in his chest, blood gushing out. "It's over Tousen. The battle, and your life." Uncharacteristically harsh for the 5th Squad captain, Kumatsurou glared at the man in front of him with a fierce hatred in his eyes. This was the scum who had betrayed Soul Society. This was the scum who had sided with the Menos. But most of all, this was the scum who had nearly killed Matsumoto. Nothing would help him survive. Kumatsurou raised his sword, preparing to bring it down, and with a single movement, destroy him.
"STOP! Hitsugaya-taichou! You can't do it!" Kumatsurou turned to glare at the one who had interrupted him. Hisagi Shuuhei, Captain of the 9th Division, accompanied by Komamura Sajin, Captain of the 7th Division.
"What is it?" If the two of them were going to beg for mercy on behalf of Tousen, Kumatsurou grimly made up his mind not to listen to a word. They might actually convince him not to slaughter the traitor right here and now.
"Tousen-taichou…"
"Hisagi… Komamura… I…I'm…"
-
Hitsugaya Toushirou looked down. The wily ever-smiling captain looked exactly the same as always, his creepy grin glued on his face, his eyes no more than a crack. He appeared so motionless, so lifeless all of a sudden, yet, just a few moments before…
"Shoot him dead, Shinsou." The sword he held in front of him suddenly lengthened, stretching into an immensely long blade, slowly cutting through the ice, heading straight for the airborne captain. Toushirou's eyes widened, Ichimaru's sword was making progress through the ice. Bringing his sword up, he blocked the oncoming bullet-like blade. Ichimaru grinned. "Ah can't be havin' that now can we 10th Captain-san…" Toushirou had never seen Ichimaru do more than a single thrust with his Shinsou, so it came as a surprise when the former captain brought his elongated blade down with a flick of his wrist. At the far end of the blade, Toushirou felt himself being forced down by the blade. Shit… It was with pure luck that he managed to avoid being smashed into the ground. Ichimaru was a tough opponent, when he fought for real. There was no other way to do this.
Now, as he landed behind Ichimaru, Toushirou knew there was no other choice. Not that it really bothered him anyway. He still felt a deep loathing for Ichimaru ever since he had been there when Hinamori turned on him. It was the same feeling he had for Aizen, when he had found Hinamori's shattered body lying on the floor inside the Seijou Touyorin, nothing within the realm of logic and reasoning mattered to him anymore, all that mattered was that the one who caused Hinamori so much pain was killed.
"Hitsugaya Toushirou… the youngest captain ever to appear in Seireitei. Ya must hold that there title with pride eh?"
"Quiet… forget your mind games Ichimaru. Remember what I told you? The day we found Aizen 'dead'?"
"Vaguely… ya care to remind the ol' noodle?"
Toushirou seethed with rage. "Don't pretend you don't know… I told you, that if you made Hinamori spill one drop of blood, that I would kill you, and through your actions, she almost died. You led her back to Aizen… You made her believe that all was well again… You made her spill blood!" A powerful aura was now surrounding the pint-sized captain, his eyes had turned into glowing crystals. He muttered but one word.
"Ban. Kai."
In the flash explosion that followed, a large dragon made of ice emerged, its crystal wings unfurling as several large ice crystals floated behind it. "Daiguren Hyourinmaru."
"Oh… scary Bankai 10th Captain-san… Whatever should I do now…?" The feigned look of concern disappeared as his mouth once again set itself into an evil grin. "Ban Kai." The sword he held in his hand glowed for a moment, as Ichimaru Gin's sword revealed its final form. "Shoot him dead." Toushirou swore. This was going to be even harder now.
Matsumoto Rangiku and Hinamori Momo had been following the spirit forces they had felt from the other side of Seireitei. Instinctively Rangiku recognised both of them. It was her captain and Ichimaru, and they were fighting. "Come on Hinamori, we have to hurry…"
Toushirou felt a small jolt inside of him as he felt two spirit pressures approaching. No... Matsumoto, you idiot, don't come any closer! Hinamori... no! Ichimaru appeared not to have noticed, or he was so far steeped in evil that he didn't care anymore. He was in an offensive stance, holding his sword back, as if getting ready to fire his Bankai once more. This is going to be the final attack for both of us. Toushirou felt exhausted, and he was certain Ichimaru was feeling the fatigue as well. Furthermore, both Hyourinmaru and Shinsou had taken such a beating that to continue would be total foolishness. It was now or never. One final face-off between the icy dragon and the godly spear.
Matsumoto and Hinamori gasped. As they had approached the fighting, they had seen a large dome of light form as if two great powers had just collided and were now fighting to extinguish the other. The light had now faded, and both the vice-captains knew that a victor had been decided, but who…?
"Shirou-chan!" Hinamori screamed as she ran towards the teetering figure soaked in blood. He was breathing heavily as he collapsed into her arms. His face and arms were splattered with blood. Hinamori held him close to her, running her hands through his hard hair, muttering softly to him. "I'll always love you… Shirou-chan."
"I'm sorry… Hinamori…" Toushirou looked up at his Bedwetter Momo, her tears fell onto his face. He smiled weakly. He was sorry, sorry that he hadn't been able to take better care of himself, that he had relied on her for so long as they grew up, but he also knew that he really loved this girl, who had been the subject of his teasing and jokes for the past few millennia, and he was happy enough as he sat in her embrace, it didn't matter to him anymore if he died or not.
"Gin…?" Matsumoto approached him warily, after all, he was still a traitorous bastard who also happened to be extremely creepy. As he heard her voice calling to him gently, a smile appeared on his face, a genuine smile, different from the one that had become his trademark ever since he joined the Gotei 13.
"Rangiku… I'm sorry…" And he was. She had been his only childhood friend. He had been her only childhood friend. It was a rare and beautiful relationship they had shared in the past. And it had all been shattered by the greed and influence of one Aizen Sousuke. "I never told you where I was going…" He coughed up more blood, adding to the pool he was now lying in. Matsumoto cradled his head in her arms, smiling at him.
"Forget it now Gin… it doesn't matter anymore…"
"It does Rangiku… you were the only one I ever trusted, the one I had trusted beyond all others. And I left you. Left you to go find a better place." As he coughed again, Ichimaru opened his eyes, and Matsumoto gazed into them. How long had it been since she had seen those deep, gentle, tender orbs flashing back at her? Too long… way too long. A single tear fell from her face.
"Forget it Gin…" she repeated it a second time. "I'm just glad I got to see you once more…"
-
"Goodbye… Komamura, Hisagi… my dear friends. Thank you for cleansing my murky eyes from the darkness they were covered by. I am ready now…" And it was with one accord that Komamura Sajin, 7th Division Captain, and Hisagi Shuuhei, 9th Division Captain ended the former captain's life and laid him to rest. Kumatsurou had been watching in silence. Suddenly, exhaustion took over him and he collapsed.
"Hitsugaya-taichou… easy now…" When he opened his eyes again, he saw the fuzzy outline of Captain Unohana and her vice-captain loading him onto a small stretcher.
"What… happened?"
"After your fight, you collapsed, we'll just load you up into Minazuki now, then go collect the rest of the casualties from all the fighting." He finally noticed it, but the dark storm clouds had gone, and Seireitei was once again bathed in the warm sunlight. Aizen had gone. It was also about this time that he realised that he was about to be fed feet first to a gigantic stingray type creature.
"WHAT THE HELL? WHAT IS THAT THING!" Frantic 4th Division members tried to pacify the struggling captain as they led the stretcher towards Minazuki, who was looking somewhat puzzled at its next patient's reactions.
After multiple tries to talk some sense into the boy, Unohana sighed and shook her head. "Isane… the emergency anaesthetic if you please." The vice-captain of the 4th looked at her unsurely, but handed Unohana a gigantic wooden mallet. Unohana swung the mighty weapon back, and let it loose straight onto Kumatsurou's head. The now pacified captain was loaded into Minazuki with ease.
-
When Unohana's rescue squad reached the site of Ichimaru and Toushirou's battle, it was already too late for one of them. Unohana and Isane alighted from Minazuki's broad back and made their way towards Matsumoto and the one she was holding, Ichimaru. "Now Ichimaru Gin, time to get up, we've got a stretcher all ready for you, if you'll just get up on it, we'll help you, don't worry." When he didn't respond, she grew impatient, highly uncharacteristic of the placid 4th Division Captain, but after seeing to hundreds of casualties, her patience was being stretched to its limits. "Ichimaru! Will you co-operate or not? If not… I'm afraid we can't help you at all and you'll just die here." Isane was watching Matsumoto and Hinamori, who was standing some distance away supporting a bleeding Toushirou. Both the girls looks of pure disbelief. Isane was starting to feel uncomfortable... something was not right here…
"Um… excuse me? Unohana-taichou?" Hinamori timidly interrupted Unohana's rant. She wilted as Unohana tried to glare at her. "Um… Ichimaru-san already passed away, Hitsugaya-kun's the one who needs treatment right now…"
Several people coughed quietly as Unohana smoothed her hair down and walked calmly over to Toushirou. "I knew that."
Within several months, Soul Society had been almost completely rebuilt, nothing could be seen of the huge battle that took place there. 'The War Against the Treacherous Reprobate Aizen Sousuke' as it was known, or 'WATRAS' for short, left no mark in Seireitei, save for the large shrine they erected, and the new stories people were telling their children. "If you are naughty, the ghost of Aizen Sousuke will come out from within the Shrine of WATRAS to eat you alive and make one of your arms longer than the other."
On a high rooftop overlooking Seireitei, 4 figures could be seen against the setting sun. "It sure is nice to be living in peace like this again…"
"Kumatsu-kun! You've got no taste for adventure!"
"Whatever Matsumoto, you've got no taste for paperwork, which reminds me… Yamamoto gave me a new stack this morning, as of now it's officially your duty to take care of it all."
"That's unfair Taichou! The bundle was at least 10 stories high!"
"Really Rangiku-san! That's incredible! You should help her out then Shirou-chan…"
"She's just exaggerating... geez... it can't be more than 9 and a half stories anyway…"
And as the sun set over Soul Society, their quarrelling voices faded with the light…
Stuff: Well.. that's it... unless of course I decide to add a little coda-ish fluff-filled chapter after this.. but I'll let the reviewers decide that...
Thanks to all who've reviewed this story, especially anGeL Hinaningyou, who reviewed faithfully each time I put a chapter up, it was really encouraging to get so many reviews for this, especially since it was my first fanfic ever...