As promised: your finale

…

Hisagi had watched with baited breath, he had been rooting for Hana, but as he watched the woman being lifted into the air, blood dripping to the ground, he felt his own sinking sensation. He could only remain stoic though, it seemed an unspoken command, not to interfere. And despite his strong need to defend her, he forced himself to remain.

Even the arrancar seemed restrained from this battle.

A sickening feeling flooded his body and he remembered when he had nearly lost her to severe wounds inflicted in battle.

This was different, though. She needed to do this on her own. He didn't understand everything, but he knew this was a personal fight for her. Something that he could not do for her, even if he weren't injured.

He knew he was not alone in his want to help, he had heard Matsumoto's gasp only moments before and Abarai's hand had moved to his zanpakuto, though he did not act.

Even with this knowledge, that they felt the same as him, he felt alone. He could do nothing, he felt weak, and he was worried.

When the debris had settled and Hana and Namiko were way above the clouds, he closed his eyes and turned his head down. He was so afraid that Hana had been ended so quickly. He was afraid that he had lost her forever.

The pain was excruciating and she fought to stay conscious. Hana's blades were stained with Namiko's blood. A deep cut bled from the arrancar's thigh. Hana was having a hard time staying aloft, but a fall would meant certain death and she wanted to postpone that as long as possible.

Her chest screamed with every breath, the talons had torn holes into her side, one of which had stabbed into her ribs. Each breath was an effort and she felt drained from the struggle to free herself.

Namiko flew in quickly, grasping for Hana again. Hana sliced at her as she dodged, cutting her again, though not as deep.

The arrancar turned went up, out of sight for just a moment, then came rushing down at Hana, giving no warning.

Hana, eyes wide, tried to move out of the way, but there was no time. The talons pushed her downward. Pinning her in mid-air with pure force. The ground came rushing up at her with such ferocity that when she hit the ground, she couldn't stop the painful guffaw that escaped her throat.

Oxygen refused to fill her lungs to any capacity, again, and in the impact she had lost her grip on one of her blades. It now laid a few feet out of her reach, as she gasped desperately for air.

Namiko raised her other talon in satisfied victory, bringing it down to end Hana's existence.

Hana's stormy blue eyes fell on Hisagi for just a moment before they closed.

...

The rain poured down, the cool rainwater felt good on her torn flesh. She breathed in lung-fulls of air, the dampness teasing her nose with the fresh smell.

"You are failing me," Kaminari's voice rang through the sound of the raindrops. Regality sculpted the sounds of her words. The Queen of Heavenly Noise had called her back. Back to a place of inner-self, a place of power.

Hana opened her eyes. The rain was familiar, but it poured with a greater intensity than it had the last time she was here.

"Will you get us killed?" Kaminari demanded, her blade suddenly at Hana's throat. It was a familiar feeling, but still, the threat was real, "Or shall I kill you and take this battle for myself?"

Hana stood motionless, she thought about why she would be here, now. The only answer was an impossibility.

"Don't presume to that you are not there yet," Kaminari told her, the blade disappeared with her into the rain, "Do you really believe yourself so weak, that the answer could not be what you think?"

"I have not trained enough, I have not mastered my other skills," Hana said afraid, "I am not ready for Bankai."

"You are right to be afraid, Hana," Kaminari was behind her again, then in the distance, "Bankai can be terrifying."

"How can I learn Bankai if I am not ready yet?"

"You will be ready," Kaminari said standing in front of her now, "Or you will be dead."

She threw her hands out, taking a step forward. The rain rushed at Hana, now, no longer falling, but moving.

Hana dodged to her left, but the second she'd regained her footing, Kaminari moved her hand urgently in her direction, urging the water to rush at her again.

Hana copied her movement, as her hands moved she willed the rain to obey her. She could feel it bending to her will. The water moved and she used it to block Kaminari's next attack. Then she sliced her hand through the air, the rain obeying her movements.

The rain connected with Kaminari, cutting her sleeve. The Zanpakuto only smiled at her.

...

Namiko's talon had nearly reached Hana, threatening to tear her to shreds. One of Hana's blades lay just out of her reach, and she couldn't move her other arm.

"Bankai!" she said feeling the energy flow through her, "Kaminari Raiu!"

Namiko jumped back in surprise and fear, giving Hana plenty of room.

The sky grew dark and a heavy downpour had begun. Hana rose to her feet with swift agility. Her back straight, her head high. She made no motion that betrayed the pain she felt from the wounds on her body.

Namiko looked around at the rain that soaked her. Her eyes narrowed, if Hana had released Bankai, this could be no ordinary rain.

The rain felt good on her deep wounds, it felt cool on her skin as the rain had in her mind. The water poured down on everyone nearby. Hana was soaked completely through, her hair in careless placement, a strand hanging down her forehead, dripping, the rest nearly straight with the weight of the water.

Her clothes were even different. A sleeveless dark blue Chinese-style shirt, trimmed in silver and black leggings that stopped mid-calf. Her right hand held a simple katana, it was of average size, with no special features to its appearance.

She lifted her left hand, elbow-out, palm-down. With speedy precision she moved her hand forward, slicing at the air in front of her, between her and Namiko.

The rain obeyed. The water moved with such speed that it cut the air and sliced away several feathers as she escaped to the sky.

"No running," Hana stated rushing both her hands at the arrancar, again the rain obeyed knocking Namiko from the sky in a rush of wind and water.

Namiko rose to her feet, crouched low to the ground, protecting her body with her wings. "You're still nothing," she laughed as she charged Hana.

Hana held her arms out and the rain stopped falling. Namiko paused for only a moment, but it was enough.

"Arashigan," Hana said, feeling the words rise up from inside her. As she finished the winds howled and swirled about, making flight impossible. The growing storm seemed to move around Hana as an extension of herself. Her hands moved in quick motion, guiding the stormy winds and water where she wanted them.

...

Hisagi could see nothing past the first few feet of the edge of the storm. He had been surprised by Hana's Bankai, but he quickly came to terms with the idea, knowing how incredibly her powers grew. It was almost amazing to watch as the storm raged so close, and yet didn't touch them.

Matsumoto and Abarai seemed as concerned as he felt, though he hid it better. Neither of his friends were very good at hiding how they felt, and in this moment, he was thankful for that.

He wished he could rush to Hana's aid, but there were many details involved in this situation, and none of them brought answers until it was finished. Silently he urged her to win, to live.

The thought suddenly occurred to him that she might die. That even with all this power, she would fail and be killed and be gone forever. She wouldn't be alive and he couldn't be mad at her if she were dead. The pain in his chest tightened more as he watched at the edges of the storm. Waiting.

...

Namiko couldn't see very far ahead of her, and she had a hard time keeping track of Hana. But she couldn't let the human win. It would be not only shameful, but an end to Namiko's being.

This was a fight for her life. And she knew Hana would make a mistake. If she didn't do it on her own, Namiko would help.

"Hana!" she yelled through the storm, she knew the human would hear her, and once the human came to take pity on her mother, she would strike. She sealed her sword, returning herself to a more humanoid form, "Hana please!"

Hana appeared as the storm parted between them. She looked determined, unmovable.

"Hana, my child!" Namiko cried as she fell to her knees, trying to be as convincing as possible.

"My mother died," Hana said, her voice calm as she approached slowly, "She did not become a hollow, or an arrancar."

"Hana, please," she tried desperately to force tears from her eyes, "it's me, your mother."

Hana stopped only a few steps away, "You only have her face, because that man gave it to you."

Namiko had her hands in front of her face, trying to sob, but as Hana gave her final verdict, she smiled into her palms. She moved her hand across herself as if to hold in some imaginary pain. Instead she grabbed her zanpakuto and rose faster that she'd ever moved before, drawing her blade, urging it to taste Hana's blood, to drain her body of its life.

Hana felt every movement in the rain that dripped down Namiko's body, her pleading, her smile, and her movement to her blade.

"Hyoushyou!" She moved both hands towards Namiko. Every drop or water that had fallen rushed at the arrancar, leaving the ground and all bystanders as dry as they were before the storm. As it hit her, it froze and in less than a second she was frozen in a tomb of ice. Hana didn't hesitate she gripped both hands on her sword and used shunpo to add force behind her strike, being sure that it was done right, she wasn't sure she'd be able to cut the woman again, the resemblance to her mother might become too much. Her blade slid through the ice like it were on fire, or the ice were nothing more than a little liquid water, it connected with Namiko and cut straight through the arrancar.

Namiko struggled for a final gasp and slowly dissolved into the air. Hana watched, silent, somber, without attachment as the form of her mother dissipated into nothing.

Then she remembered Ulquiorra's threat. Quickly, she tried to bridge the gap between herself and the shinigami, her eyes intent on Hisagi. Praying she'd make it in time to be safe.

She had made a movement of two steps when she was floored with the reiatsu of Lord Aizen. She was frozen, trying to move, reminded suddenly of every gash and fracture her body had withstood until now. The need to breathe was dire, and the most difficult thing, barely managing a staggered breath.

...

Hisagi watched in horror, he stood at bay no longer. Rushing to her, knowing he wouldn't make it in time. A look of pain exploded on Hana's face as Aizen's hand moved into her back. Hana's eyes were wide and she gasped in pain, a sound escaped her mouth, horrid and final, the sound of someone about to die.

"Thank you Hana Chiba," he'd said as he withdrew his hand from her, "You've grown it's power to a level I could have only hoped."

Hana slumped to her knees without a word. Kaminari fell from her limp hand and clattered to the ground. Her bankai robes transformed back into her shihakushu, and she slumped forward.

Aizen's face held extreme satisfaction as he held a glowing orb he had taken from Hana's body. Suddenly a strong wave of reiatsu flowed out. It was familiar, it almost felt like Hana's reiatsu, but it was just a bit off. Hisagi knew that whatever the little orb was, had to have been the source of Hana's power.

Then the door to Huecko Mundo closed and the shinigami were left alone, the dying human still on her knees.

"Hana!" Hisagi was with her, he held her close to him, his hands pleading her to stay with them. Her head fell back against his arm and she stared up at him in shock.

"Shuuhei," tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at him.

"Shhh," he urged her, "Shhh. It's okay, it's okay."

"Shuuhei," Hana said weakly as the tears fell freely, "I'm so sorry. Please-" but she grimaced at her pain, "Please, forgive me."

His eyes were wild as he watched her face grow ashen, he nodded quickly and moved his hand to her face, then through her hair.

"I'm sorry," she said again, her eyes rolling a little.

"No!" Hisagi yelled at her, his own tears falling, "No, you can't go."

She blink up at him, trying to focus.

His hand supported her head, holding her in place. "You can't go."

Her breathing was quick and shallow, whatever Aizen had done to her, was working fast.

Hisagi kissed her, "Please," he begged, "I need you." He kissed her again with a need that begged for her to stay.

"Shuuhei," she smiled a little, tears sliding from the corners of her eyes, "Shuu- I- I-"

But he would never hear what she was going to tell him. Her deep blue eyes fluttered and then stared at the distance. Her mouth opened slightly as she had uttered her last words. She was lifeless. Hisagi felt the coldness of her death fill him. He held her close, hugging her lifeless body, mourning her, willing her to life again.

It was the wind, or so he thought. He felt a strange wave of energy come over him.

As the wave of energy passed, Hana's body began to glow. It was like the glow of a konso, but the light was blinding.

His arms suddenly felt light, he reached out for her into the light, but he felt nothing but the cool breeze. And then the light was gone. And she was gone.

No one broke the silence. No one understood, entirely, what had just happened.

Hisagi fought for the need to breathe, he stared in horror at the emptiness before him. And emptiness he felt inside. A horrid pain that knotted him, making him need to double over in pain, but he fought it, forcing his muscles to obey.

After a few moment's he stood and surveyed the area. The others that had come with Hana from Huecko Mundo had long since left. They had probably disappeared behind the gate with Aizen.

His tears had stopped falling, but only for the numbness that cascaded his body. The damp lines dried quickly as he passed through the severed world.

...

A knock at the door sounded his attention. He watched it from his desk with disdain. The morning had just begun and Hisagi had spent the night before working on his bottle of sake. He wasn't ready for disturbances. He didn't answer.

"Sir?" came the voice of one of his squad members, "Sir, are you in there?"

He sighed heavily, grumbling to himself before deciding, "Yes. Enter."

"Sir," a breathless young man stood in the doorway, he wasn't a member of his squad, but a student from the academy.

He inspected the young man quickly. He was very young, really only a boy. He was out of breath, he must have run all the way here. "What is it?" Hisagi demanded with sudden urgency, "What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened, sir," the boy answered, "They sent me to fetch you. They wouldn't say why."

Hisagi moved past the boy and rushed towards the academy. He couldn't possibly imagine what had happened that was so urgent it couldn't have waited until he was there in just over an hour. As he arrived he noticed glances of some of the staff as he passed, but he paid them no heed.

Hisagi opened the door to the main office, and silence fell on the room.

"What!" he finally burst, he'd had enough, there seemed to be no emergency and he seemed the only person who didn't know what was going on.

The secretary sat frozen, scared to move, his tone had been pretty harsh, and she was just a timid girl, compared to the lieutenant of the Ninth Squad.

Unohana entered from a room in the back of the office, "Lieutenant Hisagi."

"What is going on?" he asked trying to remain respectful, but he had been irritated from the moment the student had knocked on his door.

"Before you go in there," Unohana said with a quiet, reserved voice, "calm yourself."

Hisagi thought about what he might meet behind that door. If Unohana was here, someone had to be hurt. It was likely one of his kendo students, and it probably involved said student being stupid and getting themselves hurt.

He breathed out slowly and pushed the door open. To his surprise the young woman was not one of his students. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. She was a beautiful woman. But it wasn't until he looked into her deep blue eyes, eyes that reminded him of the rain, that he made the connection.

Those same deep blue eyes that he had pleaded to stay with him, so long ago. They stared back at him now. In that instant, he felt like he had relived all that time that they had been together. Every touch, every kiss, everything.

Time had aged her, she wasn't the nineteen year old she was the last time he'd seen her. Now she was a woman. A beautiful woman. Her hair was longer, dark brown and wavy. Her skin pale. But her eyes were the same.

...

...

...

As a final note, I just want to say thank you all for reading through. I really hope you enjoyed reading. I don't know that I can thank you guys enough. I do feel really bad about leaving it hanging for so long. But I knew I owed it to you guys: the readers, to the characters, and to myself for completing something, finally.

Also, I have written a short sequel. Two parts and the first will go up shortly after this chapter, and the last should go up in a day or two. Just a little of the story after the story.