A Shinigami Valentine

Akina's head snapped left then right. Everyone seemed to be having fun, happy and light-hearted. It appeared that no one else noticed the momentary black out. Akina's heart sped as a cold panic gripped her. Her instincts told her something was amiss but her eyes kept relaying to her brain that all was fine. She shifted her vision, focusing on spirit energy. She could see the pale glow of reiatsu surrounding Byakuya. It wavered and faded, becoming thin in places. She turned her gaze on Yumichika. There were occasional flickers of weakness in his reiatsu but it remained fairly steady. She looked across the room. She could hear Zaraki's laughter. His golden reiatsu was unchanged, flaming wildly around him. Figures outlined by spirit energy passed in front of her, invisible to her naked eye. She jerked, focusing then refocusing her eyes in a mad effort to make sense of what she was seeing. There were people moving around that she couldn't perceive with her normal vision. Figures encased in black reiatsu.

"Arrancar." she whispered, jumping to her feet. She shook Byakuya. He was oblivious to her. He spoke to someone who wasn't there,

"No, Hisana. I don't think it's too early to be thinking about such things. We should make plans for our future."

"Byakuya, snap out of it." she growled, shaking him. It was no good. She tried to walk around him and collided with something that she couldn't see. Whatever it was, it struck her hard in the left side of her chest. A bolt of searing pain shot through her, nearly driving her to her knees. Gritting her teeth, she focused on Zaraki. She had to get to him. If not him, then Yamamoto. There had to be someone she could reach.

"Akina, where are you going?" a familiar voice pierced through the confusion of her mind. Isamu Takeshita. It was a voice she would never forget. Akina spun to the right. Standing beside her, tall and handsome, was her former instructor. He smiled down at her, his dark eyes warm and loving.

"Isamu?" she whispered, staring at him in disbelief. Where had he come from, she wondered. Why was he here? He took her hand, gently leading her forward.

"Akina, I've missed you." he said softly. Akina shifted her focus. Roaring red reiatsu flowed steadily around the man. She could smell the sharp, coppery tang of blood emanating from the energy. It was wrong. Takeshita's reiatsu was a pale blue and nowhere near as strong as this. Instinctively, she slapped his hand away as she staggered back away from him. She collided again with the unseen object again and fell to the floor. Takeshita bent down over her, softly asking,

"What's wrong, my sweet? Have you forgotten me after all this time?"

Akina fumbled blindly around her. She kept coming into contact with objects that her eyes couldn't see. She slide her hand along the floor, desperately searching for something to defend herself with. Sharp pain cut across the palm of her hand. She jerked her hand back, staring at it. She could see no wound, no blood. But she could feel it. Something had cut her hand. She reached back, folding her fingers over what felt like a knife. Takeshita leaned closer, stroking her cheek.

"You're looking at me strangely, Akina? Can you see something the others can't, I wonder?" he said in a teasing voice. Akina raised her arm then swung it forward with all her might, driving the knife into Takeshita's foot. The blade sliced through his instep, continuing into the wood of the floor. He screamed in pain and tried to jump away but couldn't move his foot. His struggling only seemed to make it worse.

Instantly, reality changed. As if someone had thrown water on ink, the illusion melted away. Suddenly, Akina could see arrancar moving among them, attacking the unsuspecting shinigami. They were startled when many of them turned and began to fight back. The sound of angry shouts and clashing blades filled the once quiet room. Akina looked up. The familiar face of Takeshita was gone. In it's place was another less familiar face. That of Sosuke Aizen. He grimaced, backhanding her hard across the face. The blow sent her reeling.

"You stupid little bitch. Look what you've done." he growled, pulling at the steak knife that held his foot painfully to the floor.

"Aizen-sama!" the lilting voice of Ichimaru rang out as he rushed forward. He paused for the briefest moment to take in the sight of Aizen trapped on his knees with Akina struggling to back away. Then he jerked the knife from his foot, freeing him. Aizen glared down at her, leaning on Ichimaru for a moment.

"You've shattered the illusion. You think this will make a difference? It's barely troublesome. I planned for this possibility. The champagne was drugged. It's a potent little compound prepared by one of my arrancar. It has the dual ability of strengthening the illusion to the point of being impenetrable as well as weakening the person's reiatsu. Eventually, they'll die...lost to an illusion they alone can see." he said coldly, his face contorted in pain. Chizu rushed forward.

"Aizen-sama, you're injured." she cried out. He glared at her, his calm composure slowly returning. Akina stared at the infamous former captain. He looked different than she remembered. More handsome, more sinister, far more dangerous.

"Let me kill her for you, Aizen-sama." Chizu pleaded as he limped away several steps. "You promised I could when this was all over."

"No, she's still useful. She will bear the blame for this attack. You'll use your zanpakuto and convince them of her guilt. Then we'll let the Gotei 13 kill her for us." he said, a faint grin on his face.

"It won't work." Akina declared loudly as Ichimaru dragged her to her feet. "They know you're a traitor, Chizu. Your precious Captain Kuchiki is planning on arresting you tonight. Nothing you could say or do would be enough to convince him or Commander Yamamoto of your innocence."

"You're lying." Chizu shouted, drawing her sword. Aizen stilled her hand, watching Akina closely. He looked calm and composed with no evidence of the pain he'd been feeling.

"You are a remarkable woman, Akina Ito. You can can see my arrancar, even when I mask them in an illusion. You manage not only to see through my own illusion but to injure me. A feat few here could claim. Now, you render Chizu completely useless to me. How did I miss you and your amazing ability before?" he said softly.

"I remember her. She was Komamura's favorite. A pretty thing, ain't she?" Ichimaru purred, leaning close to her.

"That she is. Did you want to play with her awhile, Gin?" Aizen asked his friend patiently. Ichimaru's constantly grinning face turned back to Akina.

"Nah, she's nothing compared to Ran." he said easily, throwing her to the floor. "But then again...Ran's not exactly obliging these days." he added slyly. Akina twisted around, looking desperately for a weapon. Byakuya sat with his back to her. Akina reached for his sword, disguised as a walking cane. A sharp, sudden pain in her forearm stopped her. Ichimaru stomped his foot down on her arm before she could touch the weapon.

"Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!" he scolded her, bending down over her. "That's not allowed, honey."

He grabbed hold of her hair, pulling her roughly up onto her feet.

"Just let me kill her." Chizu shouted, stomping her foot.

"You were always so impatient, Chizu." Aizen sighed, reaching out to caress her cheek affectionately. Ichimaru grinned down at Akina as she tried to twist away from him.

"You ain't going nowhere. Not just yet." he said in his teasing voice.

"You promised, Aizen-sa..." Chizu started loudly. Her words choked off into a short cry of pain then silence. Akina jerked her head to the side, looking past Ichimaru. The blade of Aizen's zanpakuto was jutting from Chizu's chest. Blood seeped around it.

"I thought she was with us?" Ichimaru asked curiously. Aizen pulled his sword free of Chizu's body. She fell to her knees, her eyes wide with shock and pain.

"She outlived her usefulness. It is unfortunate. Her zanpakuto ability held such promise. Do finish with the other one. And get rid of her when you're done. I don't want her interfering again." Aizen said, limping away. Ichimaru turned back to Akina, grinning broadly. Chizu gasped,

"Akina..." then fell to the floor, silent. Akina stared at her bloodied body in numb shock. She was dead.

"I think we'll have a little fun before I kill ya, sweetie. You're not really my type but I'm willing to overlook it this time." Ichimaru said playfully as he tried to pull open her yukata. His rough, purposeful touch snapped her out of her fear-filled, shocked state. She twisted and pushed against him, falling back against the table in front of Byakuya.

“Stay away from me." Akina growled, fighting him. She raised her legs, kicking Ichimaru squarely in the chest and sending him flying backwards. She scrambled to her feet, looking around desperately. The arrancar were fighting with a handful of the shinigami. Zaraki was locked in battle with a tall, muscular arrancar with a pointed mustache and horns that gave him the look of a devil. Ikkaku was fighting with a tall blond female arrancar. She was trying to locate Yachiru when Ichimaru grabbed her around the waist and slammed her back down on the table hard.

"You've gone and got my robes dirty, bitch." he said softly, holding her against the tabletop.

"Get off me, you bastard." she growled, struggling against him. He grabbed her hands, holding them tightly above her head with just one hand. The tip of his sword pressed against her throat as he warned,

"Stay still or I'll just kill you and be done with it, sweetie. Aizen's given you a reprieve. If you're nice to me, I might even take you back to Las Noches with me. It's been awhile since I had a real woman. Those arrancar just ain't the same, ya know?"

"Ichimaru, Aizen-sama is preparing to depart. The tide of battle has turned." Kaname Tousen said coldly as he stepped up. Ichimaru twisted his head around to look at the other man.

"Help me hold her, Kaname. This won't take long." he said, pawing at her clothes. The dark-skinned man looked down at her disdainfully.

"I will not soil my hands on such filth. She is Kenpachi Zaraki's woman. She is nothing but trash." he said coldly, walking away from them.

“Please Ichimaru, don't..." Akina begged softly, trying a different tactic as he slipped the blade of his sword under the sash holding her yukata closed.

"Please?" he teased, "That didn't take long."

Akina's leg slipped between his as he cut the sash free, her yukata falling open. He frowned at the sight of the bandages covering her chest.

"Oh, that's no fun." he complained. With a grunt, Akina brought her leg up hard, slamming in between his legs with all her might. He groaned in pain, his grip slipping as he doubled over. Akina swung up, hitting him hard in the face with her fist. He staggered back as she kicked her legs up, pushing him backwards. He stumbled slightly then a low gasp of surprise slipped through his lips. Bright red stained his white kimono.

"Keep your fuckin' hands off her." Zaraki said coldly, pulling his sword back from Ichimaru's belly. He stood unsteadily behind Ichimaru. His gaze fell to Akina.

"You okay, sugar?" he asked softly. Akina's eyes widened in horror. He was a bloody mess. His white captain's coat was shredded and bloodied. He grinned at her as she rushed to his side.

"I killed three of 'em. Weak sons of bitches." he laughed, leaning on her slightly. Akina could feel the blood soaking her robe from his wounds.

"Oh, Kenpachi..." she whispered, trying to staunch the blood from a wide gash across his chest.

Kaname Tousen appeared suddenly, taking hold of Ichimaru.

He eyed Zaraki with his unseeing stare.

"Captain Zaraki. You live still?" he noted quietly. Ichimaru pulled himself upright, grimacing in pain.

"Kill them both. Aizen wants the girl dead. And he promised Zaraki to you." he growled, the soft, playful lilt gone from his voice.

"Maybe if you both come at me, you'll have a chance." Zaraki laughed, rushing him. The clang of blades striking was deafening. Akina staggered backwards, pushed by the shockwave of reiatsu slamming against her.

"Are you hurt?" Yumichika asked her urgently as he caught her in his arms from behind. His eyes darted warily around the room. Akina noticed Yachiru was standing next to him, her sword drawn.

"Come with me. You and Yachiru are still too weak to fight. Have you seen Mai? She's still pretty weak as well." he insisted, taking her hand and pulling her forward.

"I can take care of myself." Akina snapped, pulling back. Yumichika gave her a sad look.

"Please, Akina. The captain ordered me to take care of you two. Don't make this difficult for me. I can't disobey him." he explained, moving forward with his zanpakuto in one hand and holding hers with the other. Fights were raging everywhere. The air was thick with reiatsu and the smell of blood. Akina watched as shinigami and arrancar battled to the death. She didn't know where Aizen had gone but the illusions seemed to have fallen for all the shinigami. Some were weaker, struggling against the effects of the drug but all fought.

"You drank the champagne. I saw you." she argued. Yumichika shrugged.

"Only a bit. Perhaps my tolerance is higher. I don't know. Yachiru, this way." he snapped when she started to move away from him, looking for a fight.

"It's Shiro-chan. He needs help." she cried out.

"Captain Hitsugaya can take care of himself. Come along." Yumichika said firmly as they neared the door.

"I can't let you leave." a short, squat arrancar announced, stepping in front of the door and blocking their exit. He was only slightly taller than Yachiru with orange hair that stood straight out on his head in tiny spikes. The remains of his hollow mask clung to his eyebrows and cheeks, ringing his large red eyes. When he grinned, his teeth were sharp and pointed.

"Bloom, Fuji Kujaku." Yumichika intoned, his eyes closed. His sword became a sickle-like weapon as pale green reiatsu rushed around him. He opened his eyes and said,

"Sakikurue!"

Akina stared in surprise as his zanpakuto shimmered brightly, the blades separating and taking on the appearance of peacock feathers. The arrancar cried out in surprise. Akina could see the reiatsu leaving the creature. It was as if Yumichika's zanpakuto was draining him of all his spirit energy. The arrancar fell to his knees, weakened, without ever striking him. Yumichika glanced at Akina. He looked brighter, stronger and healthier than he had just seconds before. He had absorbed the arrancar's spirit energy, Akina realized.

"Is it true that you can see reiatsu?" he snapped. She nodded, watching the last bit of spiritual pressure leave the arrancar. He collapsed on the ground.

"Then you know my zanpakuto's true ability?" he asked, stepping over the arrancar and pushing open the door. The cold night air rushed in on them.

"Yes, I could see what you were doing." she admitted. Yumichika pushed Yachiru then Akina out the door. He paused just outside, sheathing his sword.

"I would appreciate if you wouldn't mention it to Ikkaku or Captain Zaraki. They wouldn't consider it a worthy weapon for combat." he said quietly to her. Yachiru tried to sneak back inside. Yumichika grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back as Akina said,

"I won't say anything. Let me take her. We need to get help."

"Who will you get to help?" he asked quietly. "All the captains and lieutenants are inside already. Aizen's attack was strategic. He waited until we were all gathered together." Yumichika said with a sigh.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel." Akina whispered, unsure what to do next. Yumichika glanced from her to the door then back again.

"I have to get back in there. Go to Division 1 Administrative office. Sound a general alarm. Maybe they can get some of the Special Forces shinigami here." he said, looking hesitant to leave her.

"I'll find someone. Just be careful." she called out to him as she grabbed Yachiru's hand and ran towards the Division 1 offices.


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I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews are always welcome. And a huge, huge THANK YOU to everyone who's taken the time to review the story so far. You all inspire me!