Tito Kubo owns Bleach, the characters and the copyright. I have respectfully borrowed them for this story. I do, however, own my own characters and ideas.

The Division 1 office was empty. Whoever was supposed to be covering in Yamamoto and Sasakibe's absence had decided to head home early. Akina banged on uselessly on the door. Images of Zaraki covered in blood haunted her.

"Aka-chan? What do we do? Can we go back and fight?" Yachiru asked her quietly. Akina stared at the child, thinking frantically. She squatted down in front of Yachiru, gripping her shoulders tightly.

"Yachiru, I need you to run to Division 4 and get help. You need to run as fast as you can. Don't stop for anything and don't come back without help. Do you understand?" she said urgently. Yachiru nodded. A sudden explosion rocked the meeting hall, blowing away a portion of the roof. The rush of reiatsu nearly knocked her off her feet. It was Zaraki. She had barely recovered when another blast of reiatsu took out a side wall. A wall of ice appeared, supporting the remaining roof. The spirit energy was fluctuating wildly around the building, making the air thick and hard to breath.

"What are you going to do?" she asked Akina softly, her eyes on the meeting hall.

"I'm going back to fight. You do exactly what I said Yachiru. Tell them to sound the general alarm." Akina replied, on her feet and moving back towards the meeting hall. Yachiru stood, watching her.

"Go! Now! Run as fast as you can, Yachiru." Akina snapped sharply. Her words seemed to reach her suddenly. Yachiru turned, running away so quickly that she left a cloud of dust in her wake. Akina ran back towards the meeting hall. Her side was aching badly. The medicine was wearing off quickly but she couldn't take the time to consider it. She yanked open the door. The battle was wearing down. Only a few arrancar remained. Akina picked up the discarded sword from the frog-like arrancar at the door. The creature wasn't dead but Yumichika's zanpakuto had left it too weak to even move.

Her eyes scanned the room quickly. Zaraki, Mayuri Kurotsuchi,Tetsuzaemon and Ikkaku were the only shinigami still fighting. All around them lay injured and dead. Captain Unohana and Isane were desperately attending to the most severely wounded. Nemu lay on the floor near where Ikkaku fought. Blood stained her face and neck. Akina ran to her side.

"Nemu..." she whispered, wiping the blood away from her neck with the edge of a table cloth.

"Ito-san, where is Ikkaku? Is he injured?" she gasped in a low, raspy voice. A large gapping wound ran from the base of her neck down between her breasts. Akina pressed the cloth tight against the bleeding wound, trying to stem the gushing blood.

"He's fighting. Please, stay still, Nemu." Akina said urgently. She felt dampness against her knees and looked down. Blood had pooled under Nemu. Akina hadn't noticed it before due to the dark carpet.

"Oh god..." she whispered, reaching down to touch the fabric of her kimono. It was wet with blood.

"My back..." Nemu struggled to say. "...it hurts..."

Akina looked up frantically. She saw Isane move from Kira's side.

"Isane! Over here." she called out. The silver-haired woman looked up. Her gaze fell to Nemu and she blanched. She rushed over to Akina's side.

"She's lost a lot of blood." Isane noted quietly.

"We need to roll her over. Her back's injured as well." Akina snapped, pushing Nemu gently over onto her side.

"Oh no." Isane whispered. Nemu's back looked as if a giant claw had raked over it violently leaving five large gashes. The gashes were cut so deep that Akina could see muscle and bone. Bile rose in her throat.

"Go and get Captain Unohana." Isane said quietly. Akina couldn't tear her eyes from the gruesome sight before her.

"Now!" Isane barked loudly causing her to jump. Akina leaped to her feet and ran across the room. Unohana was working on Shunsui Kyoraku. Nanao knelled beside, blood on her hands and face.

"Captain Unohana, Isane is asking for you." Akina said quietly. Kyoraku was unconscious and pale. Blood stained his pink flowered haori. Nanao looked up at her, anger in her dark eyes.

"She's busy, Akina." she snapped. Unohana stood. Quietly she said to Nanao,

"Captain Kyoraku is stable now, Lt. Ise. We will transport him to Division 4 as soon as more medics arrive. He will recover but we should look at your injuries."

"I'm fine." she snapped sharply, waving away her hands, "Just...just...please, take care of Shunsui."

"I've sent Yachiru to Division 4. They should be on their way." Akina offered, glancing over her shoulder to where Isane continued to work on Nemu. Nervously, her eyes sought out Zaraki. He continued to battle with a cat-like arrancar with long, flowing blue hair. His eye patch remained. It looked to Akina as if the arrancar had the upper hand. She heard Unohana softly say,

"I think it would be best if you remain with Captain Kyoraku, Lt. Ise. We will move him very soon. Akina, where is Isane?" she added, pulling Akina's attention away from Zaraki.

"Over there with Nemu." she said stiffly, losing sight of him in a sudden burst of reiatsu that rocked the building. Unohana flinched. Nanao threw herself over Shunsui to protect him from any falling debris.

"We need to get these people out of here." Unohana said softly as she walked away with a worried expression. Akina turned to follow her. She was knocked off her feet as a cero blast slammed into Mayuri Kurotsuchi's chest, sending him flying backwards past her. The arrancar he battled, a towering bull-like creature with tusks, rushed by her with his sword drawn. He swung up, aiming for Kurotsuchi's neck. Akina tried to pull herself up to block the blow but the pain in her chest and side slowed her. The blade came crashing down. With a loud clang it collided with Ikkaku's released zanpakuto. He lay practically on top of Kurotsuchi, his arms shaking with the effort of holding the blade back. Akina saw the shock on Kurotsuchi's face that even his mask could not hide. Ikkaku grinned then pushed back hard with a burst of reiatsu, sending the arrancar backwards. He took over the fight. Akina stepped forward, offering a hand to Kurotsuchi.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly. He stared at her, still shaken. He knocked her hand away roughly, standing on his own.

"I am perfectly fine. I need no help...from anyone." he snapped sharply, his eyes on Ikkaku and the arrancar. His indignation faded as the sky above the open section of roof suddenly split. A wide black gap widened, revealing an arrancar with black hair and large green eyes. He was on the ground next to the bull-like arrancar a moment later.

"Aizen-sama demands you return immediately." he said coldly, then he was gone. He appeared again next to the cat-like creature fighting Zaraki. Within seconds, all the arrancar were gone. The fight was over. The room grew quiet except for the occasional moan or cry of pain.

"Everyone who is able to walk, help move the wounded outside." Yamamoto's voice boomed out. He was kneeling beside a fallen shinigami. Akina realized that it was Momo Hinamori. A shuffling movement began as the walking wounded began moving the unconscious and those injured badly out of the unstable building. Akina saw Zaraki lean against one of the still standing walls then slowly slide to the floor. Climbing over debris from the shattered roof, she hurried to his side.

"Kenpachi." she whispered, dropping down to her knees next to him. He grinned at her. Blood ran down into his good eye from a gash on his forehead. She reached out, wiping it away.

"You hurt, sugar?" he asked in a low, hoarse voice.

"No, I'm fine." she whispered, taking in his burned and bloodied body. He was a mess. Unable to stop herself, she cupped his face gently as she kissed him. He returned the kiss weakly.

"You look awful." she whispered, staring into his eye. He shrugged. The movement caused him to shift slightly to the left.

"It was a good fight." he chuckled. Akina rolled her eyes, knowing that any further discussion was a waste of time. The man lived to fight. She moved over beside him, pulling him down into her lap easily. He sighed as his head settled in her lap.

"That's nice." he murmured, his eyes closing. She brushed his hair, wet with blood, back from his forehead as she softly reminded him,

"Remember, you promised not to die, Kenpachi."

He grinned again without opening his eyes.

"I ain't gonna die." he growled, still grinning. "Can't a man close his damn eyes without people thinkin' he's dead?"

"Besides, he's too stubborn to die." Unohana said with a smile as she stepped up beside them. Zaraki opened his lone eye, glancing at her.

"I'm fine, woman. Go help someone who needs it." he snapped, closing his eye again. She shook her head, ignoring him as she began healing the wounds on his chest.

"Akina would not forgive me if I left you unattended, Captain Zaraki. Now hold still and take it like a man." she said lightly. He opened his eye again, glaring at her after her comment. Akina grinned, leaning back against the wall. She was suddenly exhausted. Pain and exertion were taking it's toll on her.

"Ken-chan!" Yachiru squealed, exploding into the room. Zaraki grunted,

"I wondered where she was."

"Ken-chan! I saw you fighting. You looked so happy." Yachiru squealed, flopping down on the floor next to him. He grinned.

"I was happy. Did ya see that big cat I was fighting there at the end? I got the son of a bitch back for cutting my hair." he chuckled, raising his hand in the air to reveal a thick shank of blue hair grasped tightly in his fist. "Bet he'll think twice before messin' with my hair again."

"Akina, how are you feeling? You look pale." Unohana said quietly, standing. Akina smiled up at her.

"I'm fine." she lied smoothly. Zaraki frowned.

"She's fuckin' lying." he growled. He reached out to Yachiru.

"Here, brat. Help me up." he ordered the small child. With amazing strength, she pulled the big man upright. He wavered for a minute then stood up straight. He looked down at Akina, offering her his hand.

"Come on. You need to get back to the hospital." he snapped when she didn't take his hand immediately.

"Kenpachi, you're the one that should be in hospital." Akina insisted as she took his hand and stood stiffly. She tried not to wince from the pain triggered by the movement.

"She's right, Captain Zaraki. You both need to report to Division 4. I have to go and see to my other patients. Please, try to take of each other." Unohana said with a sigh as she looked back at the remaining injured

"Yo, Retsu," Zaraki said quietly, catching her by the arm. "Are there any causalities?"

"No, not yet. Only arrancar have died so far. Some are worse than others. Lt. Kurotsuchi has been badly injured but due to her healing abilities, I expect her to recover quickly. Captain Kyoraku, Lt. Hinamori, Captain Komamura, Lt. Sasakibe and Captain Kuchiki were all wounded gravely. Everyone was injured, Captain Zaraki. It's so hard to say." she said wearily. "These battles are taking there toll on us all."

"Chizu." Akina whispered, remembering what had happened. Zaraki glanced over at her.

"Is she dead?" he asked. Akina nodded.

"Aizen killed her...he said that she was useless to him now." she explained in a low, soft voice.

"Well shit, he beat me to it." Zaraki complained. Unohana closed her eyes a moment.

"Then yes, Captain Zaraki, we've had one causality so far." she said quietly.

"Thanks." he muttered, releasing her and allowing her to walk away. He slipped his arm around Akina, pulling her close. Then he ruffled Yachiru's hair as she clung to his leg.

"Whaddya say to us going home?" he asked them with a grin.

"Home?" Akina asked, looking up at him, surprised. He smiled down at her as he replied,

"Yeah, home. There'll be time for the hospital tomorrow. I wanna sleep next to you tonight, sugar. Whaddya say?"

"Can I sleep with Aka-chan, too?" Yachiru cried out hopefully.

"Yeah, you can brat. The bed's big enough for all of us." he chuckled. She jumped up happily as Zaraki leaned down, kissing Akina lightly.

"Our dance is gonna have to wait awhile, sugar." he whispered, his lips close to hers. Akina smiled.

"There's always next year. Who knows what the Women's Association will come up with next ." she said easily. He grimaced as the three of them walked to the door.

"That's a scary thought." he said with a shudder.

The three walked slowly back to Division 11. Yachiru danced ahead of them, announcing to the Sereitei,

"Next year, I'm gonna have a boyfriend for Valentine's Day. Maybe Bya-kun!"

"I told you hush about that shit." Zaraki growled. "You're too young to worry about boys."

"Kenpachi," Akina said softly, catching his attention. He looked over at her, smiling.

"I know." he said before she could complete what she was going to say. "I love you too, sugar. I reckon I always have."

Akina smiled, snuggling close to him. He kissed the top of her head as Yachiru skipped ahead of them happily. They made their way home together...a family.

The End

That's it. I truly hope that you have enjoyed the story...well, it's really a novel now! lol Thank you all for the wonderful support and feedback that you've given me. All your reviews have made me want to do this again. I think I'll try my hand at another Bleach fanfic. Any ideas on what write about next? Thanks again...and enjoy. :)