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Never Let Me Fall	By : shadoesong Category: Bleach > General Views: 1394 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach and its characters, nor do I profit from this story.

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Chapter 25

"Oi, why the hell are you sending them off to fight?! I want to have fun, too!" Rin protested after Byakuya had given orders to Rukia, Renji, and Chad to take on the lesser hollows as well as Rudborrn.

"It is their duty to eliminate the trash," the noble Captain replied.

"Their duty as subordinates, you mean? Technically, me and Aika are officers, not Captains," Rin retorted.

"No, but you are Captain-class. Thus, you will reserve your strength for stronger enemies." He looked towards the five towers. "I sense Kurosaki Ichigo has already engaged in battle with an Espada, but another is coming this way."

The angry woman furrowed her brow, concentrating hard. She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Fucking Yammy. Too bad Zaraki wasn't here. Those two psychos would love to fight each other."

"He is here," Aika confirmed.

"Oh yay," came the unenthusiastic reply. "I'm thinking I should have gone with Abarai and the others. With Zaraki around all the strong ones are gonna be taken."

Rin parked her butt in the sand, and put her chin in her hand. They watched the three fight. Both Byakuya and Aika saw Rin tense when she saw Ulquiorra and Ichigo take their fight to the top of the dome, easily breaking through the fake sky.

"He's going to release," she murmured. "And Kurosaki's going to die."

"What makes you so sure?" Aika said in surprise.

"I know he's going to release because Espada Cuatro and up can't release in Las Noches. The reason I know he's going to die probably has something to do with the fact that I've been living with these fucking bastards for a fucking month now," she growled. "I've seen all of their releases. Bat boy's resurrecion is powerful enough to fuck up Kurosaki really good."

"Then you have seen Yammy's Resurrecion," Byakuya said. "What can you tell us?"

"That someone should get their ass over their when he finally shows up," she replied. "Because he's going to fuck shit up."

"Captain Hitsugaya reported that he was only the tenth Espada," Aika said. "Surely, if they work with one another, Lieutenant Abarai, Rukia-san, and Sado-kun will be able to defeat him?"

"Well Hitsugaya was wrong," the woman on the ground growled. "Yammy's the Cero Espada, not the Diez Espada."

The other two turned and stared at her.

"Wrong how?" Aika said.

"Exactly what I said. Okay, not entirely wrong. It's Yammy's special ability. He has the ability to gain enough power by gorging himself to go from Diez to Cero. The Espada don't actually go from one to ten, they go from zero to nine." Rin hauled herself to her feet, brushing the sand off her hakama. She smirked. "Well? You two gonna gawk or are you gonna let me have him all for myself?"

"That is just grotesque," Aika muttered when Yammy released his Resurrecion.

His lower body grew eight legs and a tail. His size was immense. His height rivalled the five towers they were fighting beside. Zaraki had shown up. He was running around like the mad man he was, cutting everything in his path. The small woman could hear Rin cursing at him to watch what he was doing. Followed by Kenpachi laughing maniacally.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri had shown up as well, same as Unohana, Isane, and Kurosaki Ichigo. The Squad 4 Captain and the shinigami daiko were sent back to the World of the Living through a garganta that the scientist had opened for them. Isane had set to work healing Renji, Rukia, and Chad, who had tried to take on Yammy.

Aika had been ordered to take out the tail. Why? Because she was the fastest, and the tail had proven to be both nimble and deadly. The others were focusing on the legs.

"Bankai! Arashi, Jinsoku Koshi!"

The dark skinned woman could feel Byakuya and Rin releasing their Bankai, as well. She dodged as her intended target lashed out at her.

Her sword looked like it was made of pure glass. Electricity crackled within and all around the weapon. When it extended, it looked like a whip made of pure lightning. Her shihakusho went from black to white. Two horns curled away from her forehead. Her hair changed to a mane of sparking white electricity. She now had a tail covered in iridescent blue scales. It was tipped with the same lightning fur as her hair. Not only that, but her speed was god like now. Dodging the whip like tail was child's play for her.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rin. On her left shoulder was a giant rocket launcher like weapon. Like her pistols, it had golden flames on it and appeared to be made of burnt black wood. Her left arm was sheathed in spiky armour. The angry woman had a translucent golden visor over her eyes for protection from the weapon's backwash. The blast from her Bankai, Futago Akuma Shikaeshi, slammed into Yammy, taking off one of his legs. It provided Aika with the distraction she needed.

"Kaminari Rezārasshu!" shouted the small woman.

Aika's wakizashi extended, wrapping around the base of Yammy's tail. She focused electricity down the length of the weapon. The power easily severed the tail from Yammy's body, causing him to scream in rage and pain.

With their combined might, Yammy fell. The four met beside Yammy's face.

"Hn. He's done for. I'll leave the rest to you guys," Zaraki scoffed.

"You're saying that I am to clean up your trash? Know your place," Byakuya retorted.

"Quit yer bitchin'," the violent Captain snapped. "Finishing off weaklings just ain't my style."

"Absolutely not," the noble refused. "Cleaning up trash is a task suitable for a barbarian such as yourself."

Rin and Aika watched from the side as the two men continued to argue. When Yammy's hand slammed into the sand between them, they stopped long enough to shoot the giant Espada looks of pure disdain. Yammy cursed profusely as he propped himself up. He opened his mouth and began charging a cero. The attack slammed into the ground where the four shinigami had been a second before.

"Let go of me!" Rin snapped at Aika, who had grabbed the slow woman in order to get her out of harm's way. "Fuck, I can run myself!" she snarled.

"You're welcome," came the small woman's dry response.

"Huh, that was a helluva cero," Zaraki commented. He was running alongside the two woman. "Seems the bastard still had some fight left."

"Indeed," Byakuya said from the other side of the man. "And yet, even with him in that state, you persisted to say that all that was left was the final blow. I pity your superficial powers of judgement."

Kenpachi glared at him, his lip curling in disdain.

"You're such a pussy," he growled. "For me, right about now is the death blow! I guess he's just too much for you, Kuchiki."

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"How amusing... Why don't I prove with your own flesh whether or not it is too much for me?"

He dropped his sword, calling forth his Bankai once more. Zaraki only laughed and the two lunged at each other. When Yammy lunged forward to attack them both, Aika grabbed Rin's arm once more and pulled her away. They reappeared on one of the pillars.

"I don't think we'll be rejoining that battle any time soon," she stated as she released Rin. The woman took back her arm with a scoff.

"Told ya no one would get to do anything once the psychopath showed up," she said a matter-of-factly.

"Huh. I guess Byakuya hasn't mastered his temper, yet," Aika said.

"Remind me to never get on Kuchiki's bad side," Rin muttered.

Daisuke reached the main battle in time to witness the massive explosion caused by his Captain's Bankai. The shock wave caused by the missile made anyone within range fly backwards. Even the jinboutan that Soi-Fon had wrapped around herself tore and sent her hurtling towards a nearby building. Where she expected hard rock, she was met by the warm bulk of her subordinate. He steadied her with two hands on her shoulders.

"Your Bankai is quite impressive," Daisuke commented. "I wouldn't want to be on its receiving end."

She was breathing heavily from the exertion. She close her eyes.

"Get off of me," she managed to growl. Daisuke only chuckled weakly before releasing her. She stepped away and turned to face him.

"You're a mess, Esaki," said the Captain bluntly.

"I can't say you're any better off," he murmured.

He spotted his Lieutenant dragging himself from a pile of rubble nearby, and raised his hand in a wave.

"Lieutenant!" he greeted. "You're still alive, I see."

"Huh?! Did you think I would die fighting a geezer like him?!" Omaeda exclaimed, outraged. "You did worse than I, Esaki! You're all banged up while I'm almost as good as new!"

"That's because you spent the entire battle running away," Soi-Fon scoffed.

"But C-Captain! I had to, I was the decoy!" he protested. He pointed at his left arm. "And look, look! That bastard got my Lieutenant's badge! I could have died and you wouldn't have even cared, would you?!"

"Esaki does all your duties as a Lieutenant. If you'd died, then I would have promoted him to take your place," came the callous reply. Omaeda's mouth fell open, while Daisuke chuckled nervously.

"I'm grateful, Captain, but Omaeda-san is good a Lieutenant. Sometimes," he added when she gave him a look.

Suddenly, the sound of something tearing made all three look up. Behind the fortress of flames, a giant garganta was opening. From its depths came a blonde arrancar with a large sword on his back and a vacant look in his eyes. The arrancar turned and howled over his shoulder, urging another being from the black hole. A huge creature with a bulbous body, long tufts of hair on its back, and a large yellow eye in the middle of its 'face' emerged. It was so immense that it had the masks of Menos Grande for claws.

The arrancar disappeared, slamming his hand through Ukitake and felling him. When Shunsui went in to attack, the Primera Espada, Coyote Starrk, eliminated him. The arrancar then drew in a huge breath and let loose an ear splitting howl. The sound wave easily broke Halibel's ice prison and dispersed the smoke lingering from Soi-Fon's Bankai. Daisuke, Omaeda, and their Captain's eyes widened when they saw the Segunda Espada emerge.

"What's this? Another ant?" he growled. "And not just any ant, but the El Vencedor Lobos himself. It seems fate has come and taken your right eye, as well, since we last met."

"Such is the nature of fate," Daisuke murmured. "I didn't think you would ever stoop so low as to serve beneath Aizen, oh king of the valley."

"Ha!" Barragan scoffed. "King of the valley is such an old title... I was king of Hueco Mundo before that bastard came along! Once I finish up with you, however, Aizen has promised that I will rule there once more! Victory shall be mine! Respira!"

He swung his bony arm out, sending a wave of death towards them.

55 Years Ago

Daisuke watched Rin get ready. She was putting on her gloves. He felt a pain of guilt when he saw the claw like scars on her left wrist just before she pulled up the hem on her glove to conceal them. She stood from the bed and grabbed her swords, tucking them into her sash. He gave her a surprised look, wondering why she was taking her weapons.

"Get your zanpakuto. We're going to Hollow Tani," she said.

"What?!" he exclaimed.

He stared at her in shock. She only looked back impassively, as if she hadn't just suggested that they go to the most hollow infested location in all of Soul Society. Even the most talented of warriors stayed away from the valley unless they had a death wish. Why Rin wanted to go there, he couldn't even imagine.

"When did you go fucking deaf?" she snapped. "Tell Esaki that we'll be gone about a month or more and meet me outside, Daisuke."

The man reached out and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from leaving. She sighed and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Are you insane?" he said.

"Yes. Thanks for fucking noticing," she replied dryly. He shook his head.

"You could at least explain why!" She rolled her eyes.

"We've been talking about this for a couple of months now, Daisuke. This is the perfect opportunity to test your Bankai again and make sure you can control it," she told him. "Most of those hollows are weak. The greatest threat is if you accidentally draw out some sort of leader, but hollows don't work like that," she explained. "And if you're worried about losing control, then I'll just let you rampage and kill all the hollows there. We'd be doing the Gotei 13 a favour, in the least."

He knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but the comment struck him like a punch to the gut. She immediately saw the terror in his eyes as his mind went back to the first time he had used Bankai. Her hard gaze softened a little, and she turned to face him. She placed an awkward hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort.

"You've had over 15 years to master it. I'm confident that this won't be a repeat of last time," she told him. "You know it's unavoidable. If you joined the Gotei 13 and they found out that your Bankai had that much power and that you don't know your level of control over it, they would lock you up without a second thought."

He nodded, trying to draw strength from her words.

"Hollow Tani... What made you think of that place?" He changed the subject. She used the opportunity to break the contact.

"A little bird told me that Gotei 13 sent out a patrol to try and eliminate the hollows in the valley," she told him. "I figured that we'd kill two birds with one stone and go see whether or not they survived. You have five minutes to get ready. If you're not out there by then, I'm going to leave without you."

And with that, she turned and left the shop.

Hollow Tani wasn't the wasteland one would expect. A river at the bottom of the valley supplied water to the surrounding plant life, which was becoming lush as spring took hold in Soul Society. Caves dotted the cliffs, hiding places for the hollows that had come to reside there. The place reeked of the creatures' dark reiatsu.

"We'll watch out of sight from above," Rin told Daisuke. Gilepsi meowed and rubbed against his leg. "If something bad happens, I'll blow stuff up with Kido. My reiatsu will be sealed, though, just in case."

He nodded in agreement and they went their separate ways. As soon as his friend was out of sight, Daisuke released his Bankai and went into the forest. The reiatsu he was releasing would soon bring him plenty of hollows to kill. At the moment, though, the forest was completely silent. He wondered who the cause of this was. Himself, or the monsters that roamed the valley.

It wasn't until he reached the rocky shore bordering the river that he was attacked. Much to his surprise, they all came at him at once. As if it was some sort of ambush. He leapt at the nearest one, a massive, grotesque hollow that stood on two legs. With one swipe of his dagger, he ripped open its stomach. When it stumbled back, he jumped up, grabbed its masked face, and slammed it into the ground. He had cut the mask of the one behind it before his first victim had even faded.

They came in from behind, so he spun. He kicked out his leg, smashing the mask of one of the hollows, then slammed both his daggers into another. All of the monsters were pathetically weak, and didn't provide him with much reiatsu to absorb. By the time he had killed them all, he had expended more reiatsu than he had absorbed.

He leapt the bank of the river and re-entered the forest. His pace was quick. He didn't want to have to seal his Bankai before the training exercise was over. As he progressed, the hollows he fought became stronger and stronger. The uniform growth in power of each victim he cut down was ominous. He couldn't help but think that there was something behind it all.

Suddenly, his foot caught on something and he fell to the ground. He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts and distracted with maintaining control that he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings. Only now did he realize the change in elevation. As the ground beneath his sloped downwards, the trees had become less and less.

He stood and looked down to see what he had tripped over. A chill ran down his spine at what he saw. He had found one of the members of the shinigami patrol. The body was so badly torn, however, that he couldn't even tell the gender, much less the identity of the fallen soldier. He stifled a shudder of apprehension, and forced himself forward.

The man was somewhat proud that he had been able to maintain control. He was beyond the point where he had lost control before, and he was confident now that he would be able fully master his Bankai. His muscles were growing weary, however, as the effort of staying in Bankai was starting to drain reiatsu faster than he could absorb it.

Suddenly, a voice spoke from above. What came with it was dark and heavy reiatsu pressing on Daisuke's shoulders.

"My subjects have started calling you El Vencedor Lobos, the Victory Wolf. They have come to me, saying that you are a worthy opponent." It was male, definitely hollow. But few hollows spoke with such intelligence unless they were truly powerful. "It is fortunate that you have come. I was worried that I would be stuck with low level shinigami like the group that was sent not a week ago."

The presence of such power so close was so tantalizing. All remnants of control melted away as Daisuke turned with a snarl and flung himself at the hollow, who stood on one of the ledges on the cliff. No, it wasn't just a hollow, but a Vasto Lordes. A prideful one, at that, who had left his home in Hueco Mundo in search of a place he could call his own. Had Daisuke been aware of his actions, he would be able to sense that this Vasto Lordes was newly evolved and still learning its powers.

He had the appearance of a skeleton clothed in a ragged purple cloak with a black fur collar. He wore golden armbands around his wrists and white boots with pointed toes. He wore a golden crown, as well, with four ornately decorated points.

Daisuke's attack caught the hollow completely off-guard. He pulled his head away, narrowly avoiding having his skull cut in half. Instead, the dagger on the gauntlet dug deep into the bone above his right eye, leaving a nasty scar. The Vasto Lordes howled in pain. He lashed out at Daisuke, forcing him back.

"You dare attack me, you beast?!" he screeched. "I am Barragan Luisenbarn, the king of this valley! I shall kill you for your insolence, ant!"

"Kill us? The Boastful One speaks far too highly of himself. Your powers are immature. You will stand no chance against us!" Dokuga spoke for Daisuke, now. "Give us your reiatsu, and perhaps we shall provide a painless death for you hollow scum!"

"Insignificant ant! Die!" Barragan roared.

Daisuke disappeared when the cero was fired at him. He appeared above his opponent, bringing down his foot on him. His eyes widened when he leg slowed ever so slightly. Just enough that Barragan was able to react and grab his ankle. He felt bones breaking, even though the grip wasn't powerful, just before he was slammed into the cliff face.

While the Vasto Lordes leapt into thin air to gain distance, Daisuke pulled himself from the rubble. He favoured his broken ankle, but the pain was distant. All he truly felt was the need to feed as he pressed his attack on the hollow. Using the reiatsu he had obtained through the cut over Barragan's eye, he increased his speed and was able to land another attack. This time, it was his claws that caught his opponent's chin.

Before the fight could progress further, however, something collided with the Vasto Lordes, sending him into the forest below. Daisuke was about to leap after him, but he turned when someone spoke.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel." Rin spoke the incantation quickly, especially when she saw that Daisuke was going after her now. "With light, divide this into six!" He was almost upon her. He drew back his claws to rip her open. "Bakudo #61: Rikujokoro!"

The light slammed into her friend, stopping him cold. He continuously hurled insults at her, struggling against the Kido. Rin wasn't done, though.

"Bakudo #63: Sajo Sabaku!"

A golden, glowing chain wrapped around Daisuke, further immobilizing him. Rin then put her hand in front of his face.

"Tanma Otoshi."

Next, everything went black.

Present

A man appeared in front of the three Squad 2 members. He was a large man, with pink hair and a green suit. He clapped his hands together, forming a barrier around Barragan and his Respira. Both Daisuke and Omaeda prepared for a fight in case the newcomer was a threat, but he held out his hand.

"Do not fear. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. We are not allies, but we are not enemies, either," he said. Soi-Fon curled her lip at the sight of the man and looked away. He seemed to notice this, but instead of calling her out on it, he said, "It's been a long time, Soi-Fon-san."

"H-hey, y-you know this guy?!" Omaeda exclaimed. "Who is he?! Tell me-"

He cried out in pain and grabbed his face when Soi-Fon slammed her fist into it.

"I've never seen him before," she said callously. The large man closed his eyes and sighed.

"I knew you would say that. It's only natural that you don't think too highly of us..."

"Who... Who are you?" Daisuke asked.

"I am Ushoda Hachigen," he introduced himself.

Everyone looked up when they heard laughing from the Espada.

"Foolish ant..." he chuckled. "Did you think that Kido doesn't age?" Even as he spoke, the barrier was melting away. "How comical. How comical, that all of you continue to struggle to defeat me, even though all that awaits you is death."

He raised one bony finger and pointed it at Daisuke.

"You will be the first, El Vencedor Lobos," he said. "How fortunate I am to be able to settle this decades long grudge I have held against you."

When he released Respira once more, Hachi was quick to act. Using a Kido spell, he created another, stronger barrier. Barragan laughed and proclaimed how the spell was futile. Hachi clapped his hands together and began chanting.

"Both armies are unable to withdraw 8 sun. And the blue latch, the white latch, the black latch, and the red latch all atone and sink to the bottom of the sea." He held out both his hands towards the barrier. "Ryuubi no Joumon!"

The barrier became thicker and stronger. Hachi swung his arm forward, slamming the last piece into place. It appeared to be a huge castle wall. Before Barragan could tear down the barrier, Hachi turned to the Squad 2 Captain.

"Soi-Fon-san, please lend me your strength! I need the power of your Bankai!" he said.

Soi-Fon glared at him stubbornly, immediately refusing. Daisuke and Omaeda watched their negotiations. The Lieutenant seemed lost the moment the name Urahara Kisuke was mentioned, but the other man recognized the animosity his Captain held over the ex-shinigami. He glanced nervously at the barrier.

He hadn't even considered the fact that Barragan may have become an arrancar. He had almost completely forgotten about him in fact, but the Espada clearly remembered him. He wondered if he had recognized Rin, as well. He prayed that he hadn't, for this Espada's powers would have made quick work of the woman.

Hachi erected a full barrier that completely surrounded Barragan. Daisuke was blown away by the power of the Kido spells. He thought that he'd seen them all, since Rin was also a powerful practitioner, but he hadn't even heard of the spells Hachi was using now. They were most likely self made or forbidden, if they hadn't learned about them in the academy.

Through the door in the side of the barrier, Soi-Fon pointed her Bankai at the Espada. At this close range and within the barrier, Barragan would be unable to dodge. She made Hachi swear that Kisuke would be contained within a barrier for a month once more before shooting. The power was enough to crack the barrier.

Shooting her Bankai a second time used up the rest of the Captain's strength. Her knees buckled and she began to fall. Both Omaeda and Daisuke lunged for her. The latter, who was faster, grabbed her first and landed on the building with her. She smirked in triumph.

"Are you all right?" Hachi called down.

"Fat ass, does it look like she's all right?!" Omaeda snapped. He had landed beside the two.

Soi-Fon pushed Daisuke away and turned to Hachi.

"I'm going to make damn sure that you uphold your end of the deal...!" she promised.

"Yes... Of course," the large man agreed.

Suddenly, a wave of Respira fell on the building right beside them, causing it to rot away. When a tendril brushed against Soi-Fon's shoe, she quickly kicked it away.

"Unforgivable!" Barragan's voice came from the lingering smoke from the attack. "It is unthinkable that you could inflict such severe injuries on me... Damn ants... You are beyond redemption! You will regret your insolence towards your king! I will turn you into dust!"

Most of his skull was gone, and the right side of his body was badly damaged. He sent another wave of Respira at them, which Hachi blocked with a barrier. He had summoned his mask in order to strengthen himself.

"Damn it...!" Soi-Fon cursed as she leapt away from the destruction along with her subordinates. "He took it head on and still continues to live! Is he immortal?!"

"No one's immortal!" Daisuke said. "There must be some way to defeat him!"

They watched in horror as the barrier Hachi had created began to crumble. There was nothing they could do without getting themselves killed as well. Barragan laughed and cursed Hachi's efforts. When death brushed the Vaizard's hand, his laughing grew louder. Suddenly, his laughing stopped abruptly.

"What did you do...with your right arm?" he said in disbelief.

Sure enough, the hand that had been touched by death was now gone. Hachi had place a barrier over the cut to prevent bleeding. The large man pointed at Barragan.

"I have humbly given it to you, oh king of Hueco Mundo" he replied.

As he spoke, the arm, surrounded by a deteriorating barrier, appeared within the Espada. Respira ate away the barrier, and next the arrancar itself. Barragan perished as he was cursing the Vaizard. But, in his death throes, he flung his axe at Aizen, not at Hachi. Aizen barely spared it a glance. It shattered before it even got close to the man.

The king of Hueco Mundo was no more.

A/N: Sorry for mixing these chapters up. Just two more chapters after this. I would love to see more reviews! Thanks for reading.
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Never Let Me Fall