I heard it. It was faint, and vague, sounding barely of a whisper, but I heard it. I shot upright from my position on the wall, trying to figure out of who it was.

“Abaron, what’s wrong?” Ichigo was looking up at me, his eyes full of worry.

“Didn’t you hear that?” I asked, my voice beginning to tremble. Who was it? Who screamed? It was definitely a girl’s. Was it Rukia? Was it Shōri? Was it Orihime? No, this voice was unlike theirs. It was smaller and as gentle like Orihime’s; it was forceful, like Rukia’s; and it was full of pain, like Shōri’s. That’s when I heard it again. I knew full well of whom it belonged to.

“Abaron, what’s wrong?” I glanced back down at him before picking up my zanpakutō and heading for the passage to the above ground.

“Get to Rukia as soon as you can,” I told him. “Watch out for the other Captains. Steer clear of going out in daylight.” Hanataro and Ganju came around the corner, looking confused.

“What’s going on?” they asked. Ignoring their question, I strapped on my zanpakutō and climbed up the ladder. I propped the tile up and peered through. Seeing that it was safe, I climbed out and broke into a run at the steps that led to Squad 1. Her spiritual pressure was highly unstable. It wavered every moment, sending chills through my entire body. As I got to the middle point of the steps, I shifted through the short cut, running uphill. When I reached the top, I jumped up onto the roofs and followed her spiritual pressure. Turning around the corner, I stopped dead.

“No way…” I hated this bastard. I hated this bastard so much that I felt sorry for him. I felt sorry for him because I wasn’t the one to kill him, like I had planned. He had died by another’s hand, but with his own zanpakutō. Prying my eyes away from his bloodied corpse, I looked over to see Izuru standing with Shūhei, Rangiku and Tetsuzaemon, and Momo, whose spiritual pressure I had been tracking. She stumbled forward, her eyes tying her to her pain.

“C-Captain Aizen,” she said weakly, her voice shaking in the same way that mine was. “No… no… you can’t be dead… you can’t…” She reached for him before falling to her knees, screaming, “Captain Aizen!” over and over and over again. The others were as still as statues, either staring up at Aizen or down at Momo. Unable to see her in this state, I rushed to her side, falling to my own knees as I came up in front of her.

“Momo, look at me.” I forced her hands from the ground and pulled her upwards. My heart ached as her face was covered in her tears and her eyes were bloodshot. Her lips quivered uncontrollably. I knew of how loyal she was toward him, even when he was just a Lieutenant, himself. She looked up to him in more ways than I did, as I had my loyalty solely for Shinji and no one else. I guess I still do, now that I think about it. “Momo, please, look at me.” She stopped sniffling long enough to stammer my name.

“A-Abaron…” Before I could say anything more, she threw her arms around my neck and resumed sobbing, this time, into my shihakushō. I looked up at the others, who looked completely out of it. Rangiku, who couldn’t pry her eyes away from Aizen, wouldn’t stop blinking. Tetsuzaemon, well, I couldn’t really tell of what he was looking at, as he was wearing a pair of black tinted sunglasses. Izuru gazed down at us, his entire body shaking like a wet dog’s. Shūhei wasn’t looking at anything but his own two feet.  It was a while until I was finally able to calm her down, seeing as the others were of no help. She curled herself up into a ball and stared into her lap. Oh, Momo…

“What’s with all this racket so early in the morning?” I peered over Momo to see Gin standing a little ways behind us. Momo gasped. “Oh, yes, this certainly is a tragedy,” he added, staring up at Aizen. Despite the change of tone in his voice, he didn’t sound all that upset about it. They were colleagues; partners, I guess. Why wasn’t he doing something, or helping console Momo? But I wondered… was if it was he who killed Sosuke? Momo stared back at him, and this time, with anger and fury lingered in her eyes. I wondered why her emotions changed so suddenly… Her remaining tears were thrown away as her face scrunched up into a wrinkled glare.

“It was you!” she shouted. She pushed herself from the ground in front of me and ran at him, pulling out her zanpakutō in the process. What was going on?!  I watched as Izuru ran up ahead of her and block her from stabbing Gin. I heard him chuckle.

“Izuru, stand aside,” she demanded, her arm still outstretched to attack.

“I can’t do that,” he said. “I’m the Lieutenant of Squad 3. No matter what reason, I can’t allow anyone to raise their sword to my Captain.” Gin began walking away, sending Momo into another frenzy. She stepped around Izuru, who pushed back, preventing her from going any further. I could feel her spiritual pressure rising rapidly. I put my hands on my knees and stood up. I began walking to her when Shūhei stuck his arm out to stop me.

“He’s a murderer, Izuru,” Momo said in desperation. “Let me go!”

“You know that I can’t.”

“Stand aside! I’ll kill him!”

“Let it go!”

“Can’t you hear me? I’m telling you to step aside!”

“Can’t you hear me? I’m telling you to remember your place!” Without any warning, Momo released her Shikai.

“Snap, Tobiume!” She raised her zanpakutō high above her head and pointed it at Izuru. “Light!” Her sword began to glow. Something exploded, which blinded me from seeing what was happening. The ground shook, causing me to stumble into Shūhei’s chest and then to the ground. Gin continued to walk, not even glancing back at the scene. Izuru and Momo slid out of the dust cloud.

“You dare release your zanpakutō here?” he asked. “How reckless.” The rest of the dust cleared, revealing a large hole in the platform. “Have you lost your mind, Momo? You must never confuse public and private matters, Lieutenant!” She ignored him, and her zanpakutō started glowing again. She swung it down, and a small burst of fire protruded from the end. I wasn’t sure of if she meant to hit him or Gin, but considering the equality of their range, I’d say that it could be either or. It struck the wall, exploding on impact.

“Very well, then,” Izuru said, sounding grave. “Since you are now a threat, I must eliminate you.”

“Izuru, stop this!” I shouted, shocked by his words. But he ignored me. He was usually such a pacifist! Has our arrival really changed him this much? He jumped in the air above Momo.

“Raise your head, Wabisuke.” His zanpakutō began to shift, into a form where the top curved downwards like a square horse hoof. “Now, die!” Momo took a stance as a red light formed around her. I turned away, fearing the worst. But when I realized that their blades connected with each other’s, I knew that neither of them was hurt. I looked back, and what I saw surprised me. Toshiro had appeared between them, fending off Izuru while holding Momo’s zanpakutō against the ground.

“Back away now, both of you--”“Toshiro—“”Place these two under arrest.” Rangiku came forward and wrapped her arms around Momo, who trashed and protested. Tetsuzaemon forced her zanpakutō from her hands, as Shūhei came around and grabbed Izuru from behind. I stood there, not able to move. What… just happened?

“Momo; at a time like this you take up arms against your own? Especially when your first priority should’ve been to take Captain Aizen’s body down from up there,” Momo gasped. “I will report this incident to the Head Captain,” he continued. “Get these two out of my sight; lock them both up.” As they took them away, I saw Momo glance back at me. She turned back, biting back a tear.

“Thank you, Squad 10 Captain,” Gin said, still grinning. “Sorry that you had to waste your time on one of mine.” Toshiro locked eyes with me. I froze under his stare.

“You know, Gin,” he said, still staring at me. “I believe that, just now, you were about to kill Momo.” A cold breeze sent our shihakushōs billowing. It came from Toshiro, not the weather. He was angry; I could tell that much. He just didn’t show it.

“Whatever are you talking about?”

“Play innocent if you like,” he continued. “But I’ll tell you this: if you allow Momo’s blood to be spilled, I promise you I’ll kill you.”

“Oh, how scary, but I suggest that you keep an eye on her. You don’t want any misfortune to befall her.” I sent Gin a cold stare of my own, hoping that it would match my tone.

“If you touch her,” I said, walking up beside Toshiro. “I’ll kill you, myself.” I sure hope that he got the message of that I didn’t forgive him. Before either one of them could reply, three Soul Reapers came running up behind Gin.

“Captain Hitsugaya, Captain Ichimaru, what’s happening?” They froze and stared up at the wall behind Toshiro and me. “Captain Aizen’s dead…?” “How could this have happened?”

“Get the Captain’s body down immediately,” Toshiro ordered.

“Yes sir.” They rushed past me, as Toshiro began to walk away.

“Toshiro, wait!” I called, running after him. It was vague, but I heard Gin chuckle under his breath as I passed.

Ichigo’s POV~

“Hanataro, you disgusting little toad, what the hell are you doing, sleeping on me? I’m not a pillow!” Ganju screamed again, making me fully conscious. “What’s worse is that my only pair of pants is covered with your slimy drool!” I walked into the next room, rubbing my head. “I got half a mind to tear your head off!”

“Give him a break, he’s exhausted,” I said, rolling my eyes. “A little bit of drool is no big deal.”

“Uh, Ichigo, are you feeling as good as you look?”

“As a matter of fact, I am, thanks to Hanataro.” I looked down at the kid, who continued to sleep, despite how loud we were talking. “He really is pretty amazing.” He stayed up half the night healing all of my wounds. Looking closer at Ganju, I realized that he was in the same great shape that I was. “It looks like your aches and pains are gone now, too, aren’t they?”

“Well, now that you mention it—“”I saw him early this morning treating your wounds while you were still sleeping, even though I know that he had to be dead tired.” That kid sure is something. I remember how Abaron could heal, too. I wonder how good she is. I’ll have to make sure that she’s here next time, so that Hanataro can get some more rest.

“So he’s been helping me without me even knowing it.” He glanced back at me and gave me a look.

“Huh? What is it?”

“This mission is only gonna keep on getting harder, you know. You can bet that the enemy is pretty angry that they haven’t caught us yet. Is this something that you’re serious about?” I thought back to what Abaron said before we came here.

“She’s my friend. I owe her as much so as to protect her with my life. Everything that she did for me and my sister, it still wouldn’t add up to me saving her. But it’s a start. I’ll save her, and give her life back to her! I won’t let her down. I’ll take down anyone who gets in my way. No one will hurt her, not while I’m still alive.” She’d protect Rukia with her life. She’d take down anyone who gets in her way. She save her and give her life back to her, because she’s her friend. Hanataro was right. She was where I got my determination from.

“I hope that you’re committed to it, heart and soul.” I am. I’ll protect Rukia with my life. I’ll take down anyone who gets in my way. I’ll save her and give her life back to her, because she’s my friend.

“She’s waiting,” I said out loud, taking the words right from my thoughts. “And I didn’t come here to tour the sewer system.” I heard Ganju chuckle as I closed my eyes. That’s when I heard someone shout. I looked down at Hanataro, who had finally woken up.

“No, stop, get away from me! I don’t know what you’re doing, but you have no right to come on to me like that; I’m not that kind of squad Member, so stop it! I--” Hanataro froze in mid-shout and glanced up at us. “Oh, good morning, sirs—““Hanataro, what the hell were you just dreaming about?” Hanataro rubbed the back of his head, laughing.

“Oh, you don’t want to know.”

Abaron’s POV~

Everyone had gone. Aizen’s body was removed and taken to Squad 4; Toshiro went to Squad 1 to report the incidents to the Head Captain; Gin left for his Squad (I think), which left me all alone. I was still standing there, in the same place as I was before, staring down at the spot where the rest of Aizen’s blood slipped through the cracks in the boards of the floor. It was very displeasing to the eye. I turned away, as a sick, empty feeling passed through my stomach. Why was I feeling this way? It wasn’t remorse; like hell it was. It was the anger of me not being able to kill that bastard myself. And after all this time, I thought I’d be the one to end his life… heh, I guess not.

So, what now? It wouldn’t be a good idea if I went back to the sewers; considering what just happened, I bet that there’ll be a lot of commotion around here in the next little while. I wonder… what about Orihime and Uryū? They’ve been able to stay out of things for the most part, but their luck will run out sooner or later. Chad’s near Yoruichi, so he’ll be the safest out of all of us. Shōri was hiding her spiritual pressure, but what for what reason, I’m unsure. I get the feeling that she doesn’t want me to find her. Whatever the hell she’s doing, she better not be stupid and screw up—heck, I should be taking my own advice. I’m still standing out in the open, when I should be hiding. But where should I hide?

 I looked up at the Repentance Cell, which was visible near Squad 1. When I was imprisoned, I’d often stare out the windows to try and see what was going on in the outside world. Knowing Rukia, she’d probably be doing the same thing, trying to see if Ichigo’s alright or not. I wish I could just talk to her; that’d be great. She’d be able to tell me my next step, as she always had. That’s why I’m still here today, because of her guidance. She was a lot like her sister. It made me smile, just thinking about it.

“I have no time to smile,” I told myself, tearing my eyes away from the white tower. “I have to get going if I want to save Rukia. There’s no time to waste!” Jumping up on the roof above the place of Aizen’s death, I took off in the direction of the Repentance Cell, leaping high over the buildings that were ahead of me.

No matter how much time I spent running, I just never seemed to get any closer. Was it because my mind was full of unattainable thoughts? Mayuri left me with the truth of how the spirit of my zanpakutō was lost in the Hollow World, Hueco Mundo. From the moment that Bōkyaku was returned to me that day three weeks ago, she was forced into Hueco Mundo by the inner workings of both her inner Hollow, and mine. Sooner or later, my inner Hollow would take over, which meant that, a) I’d have to get the help of Shinji, and b) I’d have to go to Hueco Mundo to get her back. So many things to do, only to take them one step at a time… As long as this ends on a good note, meaning that Rukia’s saved, the others don’t get killed, and I don’t get sent back to prison, then everything is doable.

However, that information came with a price. I feel so terrible, giving up details on the others. I tried to make it as brief as I could, but as Mayuri already knew my relation to Ichigo, it was highly difficult. When I tried lying to him about him, he called me out for it. Mostly, I just told him that our rescue unit was comprised of three soul reapers, four humans, and a cat. At this, he laughed in my face.

So I’ll just have to save Rukia myself if I want that information to remain unused.

Ichigo’s POV~

“It’s weird…” My eyes scanned the area, only to see that it was all clear to start moving again. “I only just fought here yesterday; wouldn’t you think they’d put some security around the place?” Not even one person was lingering around, or even just passing by. There were traces of several spiritual energies, but none that stood out so wildly to be considered as a threat.

“They probably thought that we wouldn’t be hanging around here a day later.”

“I guess so.”

“Boy, I’m full of energy now!” I looked over my shoulder to see Hanataro grinning—well, at least trying to. That pill he ate did nothing. He was ripped off by thinking it’d actually give him more energy. If anything, he seemed worse now than before he ate it.

“So, anyway, do you think that the others are okay?” Ganju asked me. “Like with the guy with glasses and the cape, and the cutie-pie with the big eyes?”

“ A 'cutie-pie', huh? That word's not exactly hip."

 "Saying that something's not hip isn't hip, either." I glared at Hanataro, who covered his mouth with his hands. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"

"Uryū and Orihime have proven that they're a lot smarter than I am,” I said.

“Oh, is that right? So does that mean that you're willing to admit that you're dummer than they are?"

“That’s exactly what it sounded like to me, too! I'm sorry, I didn't mean that, either!" 

“Those two wouldn’t take on enemies they know they can’t beat. I’m sure they’re okay.”

“And what about the other one; Chad?”

“There’s no need to worry about him, either,” I assured him, beginning to walk.

“And why is that?”

“It’s because I can sense it. I can sense his spiritual pressure. Ever since we landed here… besides, I can’t imagine Chad ever losing.”

“And what about her,” Her…? “Are you worried about Abaron?”

“What a stupid thing to ask,” I said, grinning back at him. “Abaron is me. Why should I worry about her when I’m not even worried about myself?”

“Alright, then. Now…” He glanced up at the white tower that towered over all the other buildings.

“Let’s go save Rukia.”

Abaron’s POV~ Ten Minutes Later~~

Damn… what the hell is that?! I found myself kneeling against the roof of Squad 1. It was a dangerous place to be, given that the Head Captain was right beneath my feet… I wouldn’t live any longer than a second if I didn’t hold in my spirit energy. I could feel some of the other’s spirit energy—and it was close. I could feel Ichigo’s, and Ganju’s, and Hanataro’s, and—

“Oh, no, damn!” I knew it! I knew I should’ve gone back to them. If they caught up to me so quickly, then there must’ve not been any security down below. And now, Ichigo was in danger. Ganju was in danger. Hanataro was in danger. They were all in danger. They were in danger of being killed by the Captain of Squad 11, Kenpachi Zaraki.

I forced myself back up to my feet, ignoring the strength of Captain Zaraki’s spiritual pressure. It was as if my heart was being forced into my lungs, and trapped in between them. When did he get so strong?! I’m not saying that he wasn’t strong over two hundred years ago, or even a hundred years ago—heck, I don’t even mean a hundred seconds ago! But there was something different about his energy, something that made it feel cold and bitter and even… bloodthirsty.

“Damn, Ichigo! Run away!” I don’t care if anyone heard me. Let them try and stop me from helping them. Even if it meant going up against the Head Captain and dying by his sword, at least I knew that the effort was there. I took off toward the steps, which was where the other’s spiritual pressures were forced back by the magnitude of Captain Zaraki’s. I broke into a flash step, but somehow I knew that I wasn’t going to get there in time.

“Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on!” I willed myself to run faster. There was no time to slack; I had to get there before Captain Zaraki could engage with them in battle. I had to distract him long enough for them to get past and get to Rukia.

I’m almost there.

I know I can do better.

Come on, run faster!

I can’t… let them get hurt! I won’t let them!

I was so unbelievably close, but the strength I had to keep moving left me so that I was brought to my knees again. I had to resort to crawling and falling. I reached the end of the building and swung my legs over the edge of the roof. Letting myself fall, I collected a platform of Reishi under my feet, which were blistered from all of the running, and landed gently on the ground. Using the wall beside me for balance, I pushed myself forward. Captain Zaraki’s spiritual pressure was so overwhelming; it made me want to crawl in a hole and die. My vision blurred, as I was close to collapsing. Is this how weak I really am? No, even when I was around the Head Captain and Kisuke, both bearing high spirit energy, I never felt this way. It must be the effect of what Ichigo’s feeling, making it double for me.

Damn, I’m so close. But I was almost at my limit. If he doesn’t let up, or if Ichigo doesn’t repel back with his own spiritual pressure, then I’d go unconscious. I had to… I have to… keep moving!

“W-what’s with this power spiritual pressure?!” a voice shouted nearby. It sounded like Ganju. I heard three screams, followed by loud groans and moans.

“Wha…what’s doing this?” Ichigo… ‘Ichigo, g-get away…’ His mind was too weak to reply back to me. It was overwhelming him, too. I turned the corner, clutching my stitched chest, and they came into view. Ganju and Hanataro were on the ground, holding themselves up with their hands. Ichigo was doing all he could to stay on his feet, digging his hands into the wall next to him. My attention was suddenly brought up to something above me. Staring up into the sky, I could a tall figure standing on a thick metal beam, about thirty feet in the air from where I stood. I squinted, hoping to get a better look. But my eyes were spread wide when I saw his straight expression twist into a devilish grin. And that’s when I knew that our mission was over.

(A/N:  Vote, Add, Comment-- the whole Sha-Bang. I'd love you forever!! <3 )