ICE HEART
xxvi. by
❝NEVER LET THEM STEP EVEN ONE FOOT INTO THE SOUL SOCIETY.❞

"Go and help Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto. They are outnumbered." Head Captain Yamamoto ordered the blonde-haired female, whom took a simple nod in response.

"Yes." Ayame replied before flash stepping towards the Captain and Lieutenant of Squad Ten.

"Here we go." Toshiro spoke, before glancing at his Lieutenant, "Is there something bothering you?"

"What are you asking me?" Rangiku questioned as Ayame's blue orbs narrowed with confusion, wondering what they were talking about.

Ayame had briefly heard of Rangiku's relations with one of the traitors, Gin Ichimaru, but she had been informed that it wasn't anything to be worried about and they weren't very close. They lived together in the Rukon District for a while until Gim had decided to join the academy, then they had separated.

"Nothing." Toshiro responded, though his eyes remained narrowed and full with concern.

"Stay focused, Rangiku, Captain Hitsugaya." Ayame instructed the two of them as she examined the four Arrancars that surrounded them.

"Right." Rangiku replied.

"Kill them all. Don't let even a single ant escape alive. There is no place for you to return to as losers. Don't you dare disappoint me. It is up to you. I want to walk a path that stains the blood of our enemies. DECLARE WHOSE WARRIORS YOU ARE TO THOSE WHO ARE PRESENT!" Barragan screeched at his Fracción.

"These three rejects just dropped in on us." One of the Arrancars yelled out. "You will never last!"

"This is unpleasant." Another one spoke.

"You three..." Harribel began, looking over at her fracción, "Regardless of how they may appear to you, those three are Captain class fighters, maybe even above. The blonde one definitely is. Don't let your guard down. Use your full strength to crush them from the start."

"Right." They responded as they locked eyes with us.

"No problem, Captains. I'll handle these three." Rangiku told Toshiro and Ayame, though her eyes never moved from the Arrancar, "You deal with the Espada behind them."

"I'll help you, Rangiku. I'm sure that Toshiro can handle the Espada." Ayame smiled at the busty Lieutenant, knowing that it would be a hard battle if it was three against one.

"Can you do it?" Toshiro questioned his Lieutenant.

"Yes." Rangiku answered, while Ayame nodded in agreement.

Rangiku was extremely capable of defeating one Arrancar, maybe even two, by herself. Therefore, with the additional help of another Captain, it should've been easy for them to destroy the three Arrancars with ease.

"Very well." Toshiro murmured, a smirk crossing his lips, "Destroy them, Rangiku, Ayame."

Toshiro flash stepped towards Harribel, leaving Rangiku and Ayame to deal with the three pests surrounding them.

"He won't get past us!" One of the Arrancars screeched.

"Wait." Mila Rose ordered, causing the Arrancar to come to a halt.

"I implore you, you must put all your spirit in to defeat them here, even if your flesh is torn from your body, use your bones to form an impenetrable wall. No matter what the cost, never let them step even one foot into the Soul Society! ATTACK NOW!" Yamamoto ordered as Mila Rose and Rangiku clashed blades, and the blonde clashed blades with one of the Arrancars.

"THAT BASTARD IS ATTACKING MASTER HARRIBEL." Another Arrancar spoke, gritting her teeth at the sight of Toshiro attacking Harribel.

"Apacci, wait." Mila Rose told her. "Deal with him later."

"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS MILA ROSE! YOU'RE OKAY WITH THE IDEA OF THAT KID COULD INJURE OUR MASTER? C'MON!" The Arrancar - now known as Apacci - growled.

"Idiot. Master drew her sword, didn't she?" Mila Rose spoke "Be serious. That boy with the white hair doesn't stand a chance. If you feel you must assist her, you must finish these women first then go, that's all I'm saying."

"Oh yeah. You said something earlier. Remember what this one had the guts to say? She said, 'I'll handle these three.' " Apacci reminded the other two.

"Well now, you hear surprisingly well. I would've thought that your ears would be just as pathetic as your face." Rangiku taunted them, and the blonde smirked at her comment.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" Apacci screeched as Mila Rose grabbed her collar to prevent her from jumping into a fight. "DON'T MESS WITH ME!"

"You're really letting her get to you that easy?" Mila Rose dead panned.

"You're hard to understand. You sound like a female gorilla." Rangiku smirked, aiming her insult to Mila Rose.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY? WHO ARE YOU CALLING A FEMALE GORILLA, YOU FAT COW!" Mila Rose squealed.

"Both of you need to calm down. It's shameful. Becoming agitated is exactly what the enemies want. I know with your low intelligence you two can't help it, but you're both creating trouble for me too." The other Arrancar commented.

"DAMN IT SUNG-SUN, WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?" They both screamed at the Arrancar, now known as Sung-Sun.

"HERE'S AN IDEA! LET'S GET RID OF YOU FIRST!" Apacci suggested.

"I SECOND THAT." Mila Rose agreed.

"I just had an insightful thought. It dawned on me that being around both of you is like being shackled to a lead ball and chain." Sung-Sun sighed.

"HUHHH! SAY THAT AGAIN! I DARE YOU!" Apacci growled.

"I'll say it as many times as you like. You two. Are like. A. Big. Lead. Ball. And. Chain. To me." Sung-Sun replied as irk marks appeared on both of their heads.

"You are dead..." Mila Rose snarled.

"But first we're gonna' kick you-." Apacci rambled on.

"Taunting these girls was a great strategy..." Rangiku whispered as Ayame attempted to hide her giggle while Apacci lunged towards Sung-Sun, who moved meaning that Apacci fell to the ground.

"You see." Sung-Sun smirked.

"So just what are you looking at, you whack job?" Apacci asked Rangiku and Ayame.

"Nothing." Rangiku grinned as she placed her zanpakutō out in front of her with both her hands on the hilt.

"It's too late for you three to get serious. If you'd seen this as many against two, surrounding us would've worked. But the fact that you three have gathered in one location means you've already lost the advantage of three against two." Ayame informed them, noting how they were all bundled together in one location.

"Now Growl, Haineko." Rangiku spoke as ash covered the three Arrancars.

"What the hell? Is this your attack? How are you gonna' get us with this sand-like stuff anyway?" Apacci asked as she touched the ash.

Sung-Sun managed to trip up Apacci, making her fall and hit her head on some bars.

"THAT HURT~!" Apacci cried out. "WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR, YOU STUPID WENCH?!"

Sung-Sun chuckled. "One should never touch unfamiliar things. I tripped you because of your faltering discretion."

"What?" Apacci hissed.

Rangiku's eyes narrowed and she moved the hilt of her zanpakutō, causing Apacci's skin to rip and blood to pour out of her injuries.

"Apacci!" Mila Rose yelled out.

"That's the unique power of Haineko. The blade turns to ashes and swinging the sword's handle cuts whatever that ash is covering. So now all of that ash that is surrounding you three can act as an extension of my sword. There's nowhere to hide." Rangiku explained as she moved her hand out to the side, causing Haineko to form some sort of ash tornado. "I'd be careful. Whoever of you is first to touch that cyclone of ash will find themselves torn to tiny bits."

"This is so weak." They all spoke.

"You don't seem to expect much of a fight from us." Sung-Sun continued as Ayame noticed a bright light forming.

"RANGIKU, STAND BACK!" Ayame screeched as she unsheathed her zanpakutō, placing it out in front of her.

A large cero blasted towards the blonde. Ayame's blue orbs narrowed as she stood her ground, her zanpakutō still in front of her. The cero hit her zanpakutō with full force, making the blonde skid back slightly. The petite woman gritted her teeth as she put more power into her sword, pushing the cero back until it disappeared.

"You really thought you could beat the three of us with that pathetic technique?" Mila Rose snarled.

"You really thought that you could beat us with those weak ceros?" Ayame questioned her as she flash stepped next to Rangiku.

"HAINEKO!"

Ash surrounded them, but they easily blocked it using a cero. Rangiku was becoming more fatigued and began to pant as the fight progressed. The blonde desperately wanted to help, but she soon remembered what the Head Captain told her before they had left.

-flashback-

"If you are to enter a fight during this war, do not show your true abilities unless in a life-threatening situation. Remember that you are not under Aizen's hypnosis, and if Ichigo Kurosaki does not make it in time then you are the only other person that can kill him."

-end of flashback-

"Rangiku, are you okay?" Ayame asked her as she flash stepped next to the chirpy Lieutenant.

"I'll be fine." Rangiku answered; her eyes narrowed and filled with annoyance and agitation.

"Let's go again then, shall we?" Mila Rose grinned as she rushed to flash blades with the two Shinigami. Rangiku used Haineko to form a defensive wall, but this was easily cut down by Mila Rose. "I TOLD YOU IT'S NO USE, HONEY!"

Mila Rose was about to cleave Rangiku in half, but the blonde-haired Captain hastily flash stepped in front of her and clashed blades with Mila Rose and pushed her back.

"Excuse me." Sung-Sun spoke from behind Rangiku as Ayame's blue eyes widened.

The Sqaud Five Captain quickly flash stepped behind Rangiku and blocked Sung-Sun's blade, protecting Rangiku once more. It was the least that she could do, seeing as she couldn't show any of her true power.

"YOU'RE WIDE OPEN!" Apacci screeched, flash stepping towards Rangiku and kicking the Lieutenant in the stomach.

"RANGIKU!" Ayame cried out, before kicking Appaci in the side then flash stepping towards Rangiku.

"Hey, you two mind if I sit this one out for a while?" Apacci asked the two others.

"Excuse me?" Mila Rose replied.

"What sort of nonsense is that?" Sung-Sun questioned.

"C'MON! That orange-haired chick is an absolute loser, and that blonde girl isn't doing anything either. They can't win this unless that blonde pulls some sort of wild trick out of her sleeve, anyways, it's three on two. They don't stand a chance. This isn't even a contest!" Apache argued, before turning her glance over to face Ayame and Rangiku, "Hey, you girlies! I'm not gonna' hold it against you if you need to run and get your friend. If this were three against three you would at least have a shot, you know what I'm saying?"

The blonde's blue orbs narrowed with annoyance before she flash stepped behind Apacci with speed that nobody could comprehend, shocking all of them entirely as Ayame held the blade up to her neck.

"I don't stand a chance, you say? Funny thing is, I don't remember showing you even a quarter of my true power." Ayame murmured, a hint of smugness and annoyance in her tone.

Apacci attempted to punch the blonde-haired Captain, but Ayame easily gripped her hand and threw her across the battle field before the blonde-haired beauty flash stepped in front of Mila Rose and Sung-Sun, kicking them in the stomach.

Ayame quickly flash stepped next to Rangiku and asked her, "Are you oka-."

"YOU DON'T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO HANDLE ME, LET ALONE THE THREE OF US!" Apacci screamed as she charged towards the two Shinigami.

Ayame's eyes widened as she sensed a familiar spiritual pressure close by and saw a fireball approach Apacci and blow her up.

"L-Lieutenant Hina-Hinamori?"