Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder

Author's Notes: I have a funny way of writing. I do not do it often, but this wouldn't leave me alone. If the naming seems off, I just went with what seemed to fit the character. Also, this has not been through a beta, so I apologize for any grammar and punctuation mistakes I missed. XD R&R would be greatly appreciated!


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He was bored. There was plenty going on, but he could see none of it. Gin stepped up to the flame barrier and pulsed his reiatsu in an attempt to clear some of the flame away so he could see the shinigami fight against the fracción. A tendril of flame shot out and wrapped itself around his wrist, then up his arm. Jerking back, he reversed his reiatsu to quash the flame.

Aizen chuckled as Gin returned to his place a few feet from his leader. Tousen glanced across to Gin. “You should know better than to fight against Yamamoto's power,” he scolded, “At least wait until the spell diminishes.” The blind man reached behind Aizen and channeled energy up Gin's arm. The reiki was mending the skin and numbing the burn, but Gin gently pulled his wrist away. “I jus' wanted a look-see,” he replied as he attempted his usual grin. It came across as a grimace. Burns always hurt more than any other injury.

Tousen's face remained impassive as he turned back to he fight. “Concentrate on how the reiatsu flows around a person. You can “see” the fight that way,” he responded. Gin sighed and inclined his head in gratitude.

He was still bored.

Then he felt it. Gin glanced over to the other ex-captains, but they were intently watching the battle. He couldn't describe the feeling, only that it felt like nothing at all; it was coming from behind him, inside the rip into Las Noches. Turning, he did as Tousen suggested.

The image was full of static caused most likely by Yamamoto's zanpakuto. There was more to that ominous vacuum. It was fueled by despair, but there was a niggling strand of hope too. He “saw” Ichigo yelling as Orihime ran toward Ulquiorra. In typical fashion, the espada responded to the perceived threat by shoving his hand through her chest. Then Orihime was embracing Ulquiorra almost tenderly, pity and sadness evident in her eyes. He felt that nothingness expand as Orihime pressed her lips to those of the arrancar. Then they imploded.

Or rather, they ceased to be.

Gin faltered and grabbed his head as the collapsing void caused a backlash. He felt an insistent pulling against his mind. Something was unraveling, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Then it was gone. The throne room was empty except for Ichigo, who had fallen to his knees.

He turned to his companions, “What jus'...” but he drifted into silence as he realized they had noticed none of what had just occurred.

Had the girl just denied her own existence to save the substitute shinigami from the espada?

Suddenly, the flames around them burst apart like a popped balloon, and Ichigo's reiatsu surrounded them, suffocating them. Gin glanced backwards in time to watch as the strangely emotionless visored plunged his thin, black blade through Aizen's stomach. Time seemed to crawl by as Gin watched.

There was silence, and Aizen looked down in shock. He grunted as the blade twisted in the opposite direction. Ichigo ripped the blade straight up and out through the wannabe god's head.

Pain laced his almost inaudible voice as as Ichigo stated, “Getsuga tensho.” Tousen and Ichimaru darted away from the impending blast, and the former captain of the fifth squad was no more.

With Aizen no longer leading them, he could feel the fracción edge closer to their respective espada. All the fight had drained out of them. Komamura and Soifon were busy taking out Bargan and Halibel with the help of Ikkaku and Yumichika. Stark had given up, preferring to nap in midair while things worked themselves out.

Gin smiled wanly as the shinigami moved into a wide circle around him and Tousen, unsure of what they would try to pull. He looked around to each: Yamamoto, Ukitake, Kyoraku, Hitsugaya. His smile grew wider when his eyes met those of his vice-captain. As he met Matsumoto's blue gaze, he winked at the busty woman and raised his hands in defeat. “All this fer little ol' me and a blind guy?” he mocked.

He drifted towards Ichigo, but stayed just out of reach of the dangerous black weapon. He waved. “Strawberry! Yer lookin' an awful lot like Captain Kuchiki with that blank face,” he chirped. The comment made the substitute shinigami scowl. Gin smirked at the response, but his smile faltered as he felt spirit energy gathering behind him.

Someone was about to do something stupid.

“Tousen,” he warned, “ye should play nice, or ye might jus' end up like....” His words were drowned out by a high-pitched buzzing. Gin winced at the release of the shikai and grabbed for Shinsou.

From behind, he was knocked into Ichigo. A lancing pain sprang from his left breast, and Gin could feel a searing heat, then a numbing cold radiate out from the source. Looking down, he saw Suzumushi sticking through his chest. The sword had pierced clean through Ichigo's right shoulder as well. The bastard had tried to kill them both with one attack!

Tousen deftly removed his zanpakuto. “You do nothing, but add to the chaos and insanity of this world, Ichimaru,” he said as he moved back out of range.

Already he was becoming so tired, and breathing was a chore. Looking down, he saw Ichigo watching him warily. Gin really had only one chance to finish this. He glanced around to check the location of the other shinigami. They had not moved; though, Matsumoto looked ready to fall apart. He chuckled at that.

“Yer all useless,” he sighed. Too heavy: his head was hard to hold up. He rested his temple against Ichigo's good shoulder, then wound his left arm around the man's neck. He smiled smugly as he played with the strands of hair at Ichigo's nape. “I guess I win this one,” he condemned and seized the hair he had been playing with.

The substitute shinigami struggled to free himself, but Gin held fast and whispered in his ear, “Ikorosu, Shinsou.”

Ichigo jerked as a silvery light momentarily engulfed him. Looking up, he found Tousen had been the one impaled by the expanding zanpakuto. He leveled his arm over Gin's shoulder. “Getsuga tensho!” he shouted with as much force as he could muster. The blast incinerated Tousen.

Gin coughed wetly, and tried to swallow around the blood that came up. With his energy leaving him, Gin felt Shinsou return to prior form. “Jus' like Aizen-sama,” he snickered. “Shoulda left the judgin' to the powers that be,” he gasped as he endeavored to rise. With no strength left, he lost his grip on the shinigami. Ichigo quickly wrapped his arm around Gin to keep him from falling.

Well, he was no longer bored.

“My hero,” the ex-captain murmured, “I always did like ye. I intentionally let ye go that time at the gates,” he joked and patted Ichigo on the cheek, “Shh, its a secret. Dun wanna ruin my reputation,”

The younger man's arms were so warm.

And the numbness seemed peaceful.

“Bye, bye,” he whispered.

Then there was darkness.