FicWad

"What the hell was that? I felt some big spike of Reiastu, and then... nothing."

"There was a massive flash of red light in the direction of that spike as well, just before it happened. And then another one just after. What could be going on over there?"

"That's also the direction that Abarai and Rukia went. It would seem that while we were busy recovering, the battles over there deteriorated."

The three captain's walked along the dunes that made up the floor of Las Noches, not yet rushing, as they trusted their subordinates to be alright, but also because they were being cautious. Captain Zaraki spat into the sand as he walked, "Fuck. Whatever that reiatsu spike was... I really thought that I'd find a genuinely fun fight there. Whatever happened to that little bastard, it'd better have been really dramatic. Otherwise I'm gonna fucking kill the next person I see."

"Shut up you worthless animal." Kuchiki Byakuya warned, turning to face the battle-mad captain. "We came here to secure this facility and cut off Aizen's support. Not to find you your petty entertainment."

"Eh?" Zaraki stopped walking, turning instead to face down the nobleman. "The fuck you say to me Kuchiki? How about I just carve you up instead? I may actually enjoy that." He drew his jagged edged Zanpakutō as he spoke, gesturing for the other captain to attack him.

Kuchiki did not rise to the bait however. "I could care less about what you like." He said, turning his back on Kenpachi with a contemptuous flick of his head. "And I really have no interest in fighting you. It would serve no purpose beyond wasting my time further than you already do." Kenpachi bristled as Byakuya began walking away, and seemed about to lunge at him for a stab.

"Both of you, please. Stop this arguing at once." The third captain stopped a few meters ahead of where the two had been arguing. "We don't have time for this today, and it only serves to aid any enemies that we may encounter."

"Of course Unohana-dono." Byakuya said, continuing on and once again ignoring the fuming Kenpachi. "I suggest that we hurry. I am beginning to worry about my sister, her reiatsu has felt unstable for a while now."

"Tch." Kenpachi spat once again, "Fine. I'll go on ahead, if there's anything there to kill, I may finally be able to vent some of this frustration." With that, he lunged forward into a blurring series of shunpos, darting off in the direction of the reiatsu of Kuchiki Rukia and Abarai Rneji.

Unohana stroked her chin in thought as the battle hungry captain vanished from sight. Something is wrong. She thought, old instincts rising from the dredges of her long memories. Something is very, very wrong. Looking over to Byakuya, she nodded. "Let us go as well. I have... a bad feeling about what awaits us."
*
Ulquiorra stared wide eyed in shock at the remains before him. One moment Yammy had stood there, in pain and dying. Then in a flash of violent red, the strongest Espada had simply ceased to exist as anything more than a memory and a stain of blood on the sand. He felt his shoulders slump slightly as he willed his power to seal itself away once more.

There was nothing else he could do. He had already been soundly defeated on his own, and he had held absolutely no illusions about the magnitude of Yammy's power when fully released. And Shiro had vaporized the loud, arrogant fool.

He felt his form continue to shift, his wings shriveled and vanished, his horns shrank, one of them vanishing completely while the other swept gracefully back as the white helmet-like remains of his hollow mask reformed. His Arrancar uniform also reformed itself, the long white coat appearing over his chest. It was still torn and battered from his earlier battle with Ichigo, however that seemed so inconsequential in the face of all that had happened since.

Shiro slowly descended through the air, his eyes still locked on Ulquiorra, waiting for him to say something. As he touched down, Ulquiorra locked eyes with him. "What do you mean 'I serve you'?"

Shiro gestured about to Las Noches, "A king needs subjects, just as much as he needs a palace." His eyes once again returned to the Espada, "And I intend to be King."

The statement caught Ulquiorra by surprise. He hadn't known what to expect as he faced down the being before him, but he had at least assumed that it would have been something that Kurosaki Ichigo would have said. "You really aren't him anymore, are you?" He asked quietly, the reality finally hitting home. Kurosaki Ichigo, the boy that he had studied and watched and judged at the order of Aizen-sama, the boy who had rushed headlong to his own doom in order to protect one he cared about, was really dead.

"I suspect that some of his personality and ideology survived, somewhere in the depths of my soul. But as a person, no. Kurosaki Ichigo died atop the dome of Las Noches." Shiro examined the Zanpakutō in his hand, it hadn't changed at all physically from the bankai of the young Shinigami, he knew that as the faded memories of his former self filtered through his mind. But something about it felt different, there was a sense of oneness that he had never once experienced before. "What I am now... is the remnants of his soul. All of his soul."

Ulquiorra nodded slightly, "That explain's your apparent Arrancar nature then. The hollowfication that Kurosaki used in combat would make up a solid foundation to rebuild a soul. Even I have to admit that the hollow within his soul was..." His mind flashed back to the primal creature that he had fought atop the dome. "Extremely powerful."

Shiro nodded as well. "I am still figuring out exactly what I am... Who I am... But I know this for certain." His gaze hardened into something dangerous, "Kurosaki Ichigo was a reactionary fool. He did nothing to prevent fate until after it had happened, and then fought stupid, uphill battles in attempt to 'defy' what his inaction had allowed. I am not so passive. I will take my place on the throne of my own fate, and any who try to stop me will die."

"And you wish to use Las Noches as your seat of power?" The Espada was slowly building an understanding of the man before him. Now I see... He realized quietly as he once again glanced at the colossal remains of Yammy. Now I understand why he seems to not have any reiatsu. His eyes widened as another realization struck him. "If that is indeed the case, Shiro...sama," The term felt strange as he spoke it, "Then you will need to defeat Aizen-sama. While he still lives, no Arrancar will acknowledge your rule."

Shiro's grin reminded Ulquiorra of some enormous predator just before it was going to deliver the killing blow to it's pray. "That's the plan." Ulquiorra felt a shock flow through him as he realized that he was actually looking forward to seeing the battle to come. "But first..." Shiro turned and considered the three figures standing several meters away for the first time since he'd arrived.

All three of them stared at him with a strange mixture of shock, horror and pure terror, but none of them fled. Instead, they all droped into combat stances, clearly expecting him to attack. Or perhaps it's just reflex. He thought as he watched them, It's clear that they're afraid. But they also know that they couldn't outrun me if they tried. His eyes finally locked with the tall human in the group. "Chad..." His voice was quiet as more of Ichigo's memories flooded through him. He examined them all passively as he realized that they were little more than copies. There was knowledge, and information in all of the memories he held, but no emotion. No feeling. Nothing to connect him back to the man he had been.

Shiro opened his mouth to speak, when a sudden, massive wave of reiatsu erupted from the desert behind him. Turning, he saw a large figure leap at him from almost six hundred paces, crossing the distance in a matter of moments in a swirling, laughing frenzy. Then a long, jagged sword blade scythed down at his neck as Zaraki Kenpachi finally came within range.

The clash caused a massive shock-wave, forcing Ulquiorra to leap backwards and Renji, Rukia and Chad to brace themselves against the wind. When their vision cleared and the dust began to settle, they saw that Shiro had somehow managed to bring his Zanpakutō up in time to block the Shinigami captain's strike. The two were locked blade to blade, Kenpachi laughing insanely while Shiro's expression seemed unchanged.

"Holy shit!" Kenpachi laughed while trying to force Shiro's blade aside, "You got really damn ugly Ichigo. But you got really damn strong too! FINALLY! I can really let loose!" He reached up, ripping away the eyepatch that covered his left eye. The density of reiatsu surrounding him skyrocketed as the self-imposed seal on his might was removed.

"Kenpachi..." Shiro sighed, his feet sinking into the sand as the large Shinigami redoubled his effort to force his way through the black blade of Tensa Zangentsu. "I should have expected this."

As they stood there, blades locked together, the other two Shinigami Captains arrived. Unohana's eyes widened in shock as she took in the view before her, and then even more as she noticed the grisly remains of Yammy in the background. "Captain Zaraki, what do you think you are doing?" She demanded.

"I will answer." The voice took Unohana by surprise as Ulquiorra appeared beside her. Byakuya immediately dropped into a fighter's stance, his hand falling quickly to the hilt of his Zanpakutō, Unohana simply backed away from him. Ulquiorra eyed Byakuya with an exhausted expression, "There is no need for that Kuchiki Byakuya." He said, turning his gaze back to Shiro and Kenpachi. "I am in no condition to fight at the moment. Your compatriot Zaraki Kenpachi attacked the man you knew as Kurosaki Ichigo. I suspect he did so because of the Hollow hole that has formed on his chest. Why he attacked Shiro-sama instead of me... perhaps he could instinctively feel Shiro-sama's strength, or perhaps he could somehow sense my current weakness. I cannot honestly say for sure."

Byakuya's gaze snapped back to Shiro, shock in his eyes as he finally registered the massive hole in the other man's chest. "Kurosaki Ichigo... became a hollow?" His voice was weak with disbelief. "We knew that he had a hollow within his soul, but all reports were that he had subdued it."

Unohana didn't speak. She simply gazed at the two men struggling before her, as her instincts howled at her to run for her life. There was some kind of primal terror that emanated from the man the Espada beside her referred to as 'Shiro-sama', one that evoked a feeling within her that she hadn't felt in centuries. She realized with a shock that she desperately wanted to fight this man... "This is very bad..." She finally said, drawing Byakuya's attention. "Captain Zaraki cannot defeat him."

As she said this, the two combatants finally broke away from each other. Kenpachi leaped back, while Shiro simply stayed in place, pulling his feet from beneath the sand with a terrifying casualness. "Tell me Kenpachi," He said, his expression never changing from the look of mild boredom that had dominated his features since the captain had arrived, "Are you really going to force me to kill you here?"

"Eh?" Kenpachi seemed confused by the question, "The fuck is that supposed to mean? I can tell Ichigo. You're stronger than you've ever been, and now it looks like you've gone and become an Arrancar somehow as well. So why the hell wouldn't I fight you?" He looked down at his Zanpakutō, "My blade's shivering in anticipation for this Ichigo!"

"I'm starting to get really tired of correcting everyone every few minutes." Shiro sighed angrily. "Kurosaki Ichigo is dead. I am Shiro, and if you insist on fighting me Zaraki Kenpachi, you will die."

Kenpachi was silent for a few moments, then he started to laugh his laughter growing more and more glee filled as it echoed across the sand. Finally, he recovered enough composure to talk again, "You're saying that you are going to kill me? Heh, how interesting..." He took his Zanpakutō in both hands, settling into a stance to strike from.

Again the emotionless memories of Ichigo floated through Shiro's mind, as he recalled seeing Kenpachi take a very similar stance barely an hour before. He recalled the incredible destructive force that a single strike from such a stance had produced. He sighed as he realized that he no longer cared how strong the Shinigami captain was. "Very well. I had intended to let you live out of respect for your friendship with Kurosaki Ichigo," He settled into a wide based combat stance, raising Tensa Zangetsu to the ready with both hands. "But if you insist on this, I will give you a quick death." His blade was above his head, ready to be brought down in a single powerful strike.

Kenpachi's grin only grew wider. He raised his own blade up to mirror Shiro's stance, indicating that the battle would be decided by power alone. Everyone watching gasped in horror as the former friends prepared to kill each other. The moments seemed to stretch into eternity as they faced each other, both seeming to wait for some invisible signal, the tension in the air growing so sharp that it actually hurt the onlookers to breathe.

Just as the tension seemed ready to snap, a figure suddenly stepped between them. "No." Unohana said with a force and severity that shocked all present even more than her movement.

"What the fuck are you doing Unohana!?" Kenpachi roared, "Move the fuck out of my way!"

"I will not." She said, turning to face him, "You cannot beat him Zaraki. And I refuse to allow you to throw away your life here."

The finality in her tone actually seemed to physically strike the large man. He rocked back on the balls of his feet, his eyes widening, and his grip faltering. Seeing this, Shiro lowered his blade as well, another sigh escaping his lips.

Unohana turned back to face the Arrancar, pausing for a moment to consider the hole that yawned across his chest. "You said your name is... Shiro, yes?" He nodded, "What happened to you? How did Kurosaki Ichigo die?"

Shiro considered the woman before him for a moment. The memories he had of her from Ichigo painted her as a gentle, kind, motherly woman, and yet here, now, he could sense something... genuinely dangerous about her. Something that actually made him wary of her. He had to admit, he was genuinely impressed. Smiling, he finally answered her. "Kurosaki Ichigo died twenty five minutes ago, atop the dome of Las Noches, when the Cuarto Espada Ulquiorra Cifer unleashed a massively powerful Cero at point blank range to his chest." He gestured to the hole in his chest, "This is the physical result of that attack." He paused, hearing a sobbing gasp from behind him. Turning, he saw Rukia, her hands covering her mouth, and a look of anguished horror etched across her eyes. "As he died, Inoue Orihime and Ishida Uryuu arrived. Inoue tried to revive him using her power, but the damage was too extensive. While she did this, Ishida attempted to battle with Ulquiorra. That was when Ichigo's consciousness fully died. The rest of the details of what happened are... unclear to me. But I suspect that the hollow within his soul fully manifested itself. Given what I awoke too once my consciousness manifested... I believe that the resulting battle was... interesting."

By this time, Byakuya had made his way forward to stand beside Unohana, "But what are you? If Kurosaki Ichigo is indeed dead, then why does his body stand before us now?"

"I am Shiro." He said again simply, as though that would answer everything. "As near as I can tell... I was born from the shattered fragments of Ichigo's soul in the last moments of it's existence. I hold his memories, but they are cold, faded, as though I were looking at a picture album rather than reliving a life. I wear his face, but I am not him." Shiro's expression became oddly contemplative as he spoke. "I am still learning what I am. But I know this much. I am an Arrancar. And I intend to take what will be mine."

He suddenly seemed to blink out of existence, reappearing beside Ulquiorra behind the captains. Everyone's expression changed to pure shock, none of them had even sensed him move. Even Kenpachi felt a shiver of paralytic fear crawl down his spine at the display of speed. Ulquiorra simply shifted his gaze to Shiro's new position, having seen the speed of the newborn Arrancar several times already.

"Ulquiorra, open a Garganta to Karakura town." Shiro ordered, once again drawing shocked expressions from the gathered Shinigami. "I think it is time I announced my existence to the rest of my future subjects. I also have someone I need to kill."

Ulquiorra simply nodded quietly, turning and flicking the air, causing what looked like a tear in the very fabric of reality to open until the hole was almost seven feet wide. Shiro stepped into the gaping darkness, followed by Ulquiorra, before pausing and turning back to the gathered Shinigami. "I suggest that you all leave Las Noches before I return." He said simply, "Out of respect for the memories I have of you all, I will allow you to live today. But if I find any of you here when I come back from Karakura," His eyes narrowed darkly, "You will beg me to kill you."

The Garganta snapped shut, leaving the gathered Shinigami in stunned, horrified silence.
*
The battle above the false Karakura town had raged for what felt like an eternity. The gathered Shinigami lieutenants had, with difficulty, managed to repel the initial attack made by Aizen's Arrancar army. They had suffered a few losses, but the casualty rate of the Arrancars was almost complete.

The Fracion army of the Segunda Espada Barragan had been completely annihilated, while the three Fracion of the Tres Espada Tia Hallibel had faced the onslaught of Captain Commander Yamamoto himself.

The remaining Espada themselves were now engaged in combat with the Captain Shinigami who were present. Hallibel faced down the young prodigy Hitsugaya Toushiro, Barragan fought against Captain Soi Fong, and The Primera Espada Coyote Starrk and his partner Lillinette Gingerback had squared off against Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro.

All in all, Thought Aizen as he stood surrounded by a massive wall of flame, Things are proceeding right on schedule.

Hallibel had been the first of the Espada to release her Zanpakutō, and the battle between her mastery over water, against Hitsugaya's ice powers had been truly fierce.

Histugaya lay where he had collapsed, the pain lancing through his body making it difficult to even think clearly, let alone move. He had managed to destroy Hallibel's last attack, protecting the injured Lieutenants below him at the cost of suffering an immense amount of damage. Finally stirring, he regained his grip on Hyourinmaru, and forced himself to stand.

Hallibel gazed down at him as he rose, "You won't be able to fight at full power like that." She observed.

"That's... exactly why..." Hitsugaya said between pained breaths, "I'm gonna have to use it."

Hallibel sighed, the boy seemed like he could barely stand, let alone fight. "How futile..." She sounded almost sad.

Hitsugaya said nothing, instead he closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. The air seemed to darken and suddenly grow cold around the young captain as he began to glow with reiatsu, the wings of ice across his back, formed by his released bankai began to regrow, the damage that they had suffered seeming to vanish. As this happened, the sky above him darkened with thick rolling storm clouds that reached out across what seemed like kilometers.

"Wh-What the...?" Hallibel looked around her, watching the clouds continue to spread. "What is this?"

"Tensou Juurin." Said Hitsugaya as he rose back into the air. "It is one of Hyourinmaru's most basic abilities. It also happens to be his strongest." Hallibel looked back to the youth as he spoke, "My powers are still developing," He said, "I know that better than anyone. That's why I didn't want to use this ability in bankai... I wasn't sure if I could properly control the aim of this attack. But... given how this battle has gone so far... I guess I don't have much choice." His gaze sharpened once more as he prepared to strike. "Tell me your name, Espada."

The Arrancar regarded him for a few moments, her expression unreadable. "Tres Espada," She said finally, "Tia Hallibel."

"Tenth Squad Captain, Hitsugaya Toushiro." He replied, there was a certain level of respect in his tone Hallibel noted. "Let's go."

At that moment, reality tore apart in the space between them. A Garganta ripped it's way open as an Arrancar wearing a rather battle-worn white coat stepped out. Hitsugaya recognized him from the description given to the Gotei 13 by Urahara Kisukue as one of the first two Arrancar that had appeared at the beginning of this war.

"Ulquiorra?!" Hallibel exclaimed in shock, clearly this was not a planned appearance. "What are you..." The question died in her throat as the second figure emerged from the Garganta. He stood about the same height as Ulquiorra, with long orange hair that seemed to reach down to his waist. In the middle of his chest, was a hollow hole, and atop the left side of his head sat what could only be the remains of a broken hollow mask, one that featured a long, sharp looking horn. Whatever clothes he had worn in the past seemed to have been destroyed, leaving a ragged, tatterd pair of hakama pants, and the remains of a sleeve on his right arm as his only garb. Tufts of red fur ringed his wrists and ankles, and also rose up along his collar-bones, and in his hand was a pure black katana shaped Zanpakutō. Hallibel took in all of this detail within moments, before the fear registered in her mind.

She felt the color drain from her face. Whoever this stranger was, he terrified her in a way she had never thought possible. A very swift glance down towards her former opponent, Hitsugaya Toushiro, confirmed that the feeling of fear was not only hers. This newcomer seemed to radiate fear, as a flame produced heat. Hallibel also realized dully, that she could not sense any reiatsu from him, this fact only served to terrify her more. As her gaze once more tracked up his figure, she realized that she knew his face from somewhere.

Who is this man? She asked herself, desperately trying to remember.

"Kuro...saki... Ichigo...?" Hitsugaya's voice trembled dangerously.

That's it! Hallibel realized, her memory drawing back to the meeting between the ten Espada several days ago. Aizen-sama warned us not to underestimate him. But he was a Shinigami wasn't he? Or at the very least, he was a human who wielded Shinigami powers. What happened to him?

Ichigo's gaze shifted slightly, looking down towards the young captain, "Hitsugaya Toushiro..." His voice reminded Hallibel of a volcano, or some other form of destructive force of nature. It was deep, and seemed to have an almost bestial edge to it, but at the same time, it seemed to be as smooth as Aizen-sama's. It was a very strange distinction, Hallibel decided, but the only way that she could describe it.

Ichigo turned his gaze away from the young Shinigami, almost as if he were beneath notice. Instead, those terrible yellow-black eyes fell on Hallibel, and she felt her fear return even stronger than before. "You..." He said quietly, suddenly mere inches from her face, "You are an Espada correct?"

Hallibel's eyes widened in shock as she registered how close he suddenly was. How...? She tried to back away, but found herself seemingly paralyzed by fear. When the hell did he move? It was then that she realized that he had asked her a question. Weakly, she nodded, gulping in fear and screaming silently for her body to move.

"Where is Aizen Sosuke?" The question felt like some form of ultimatum, one that if she didn't answer, would have truly dire consequences.

Her whole body shaking, Hallibel forced herself to move, pointing towards the massive ball of flames burning in the sky. "H-he... is... u-up th-there..." She managed to choke out, silently amazed that she'd been able to speak at all.

Then he was gone. He simply vanished, leaving Hallibel visibly trembling, sweat dripping down her cheek and neck. Ulquiorra approached her, his steps causing small displacements in the air as he drew closer. "Rather incredible, isn't he? Hallibel-san?" His voice was somehow as calm and seemingly emotionless as ever.

"What... the hell... was that?" She slowly felt herself regaining her composure, At least my breathing is starting to steady itself. She thought quietly, "Was that... the Kurosaki boy that Aizen-sama warned us about?"

"No." Ulquiorra stood before her, his hands buried in his pockets almost as though he were just out for a simple walk. "That was Shiro-sama. And unless my assumption of him is very, very wrong... in a few minutes, that will be the new king of Hueco Mundo."

Hallibel felt her eyes widen in shock. Ulquiorra seemed so sure of his statement. And his analytical abilities had rarely been wrong in the past. But that meant that this 'Shiro' was planning on killing Aizen-sama. Is that...really possible?
*
Shiro's appearance did not go unnoticed as he entered the battlegrounds above the fake Karakura town. The sudden appearance of the Garganta, followed by the spiritual pressure of the Cuarto Espada had been enough to draw the attention of everyone still conscious and alive. When Shiro had stepped from the Garganta, the same thought shot through every single mind present. Even those not close enough to be effected by the near palpable aura of fear around him. A single crystalline, terrifying thought: He is dangerous.

Captain Commander Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryusai stared wide eyed as the creature vanished away from where he had stood. I can barely track it's movement... He thought, It's that fast?! Who could be that fast without reiatsu?

Coyote Starrk felt cold sweat roll down the back of his neck as the figure vanished from in front of Hallibel. Even at this distance, he could tell how the encounter had effected the usually stoic female Espada, and her reaction after it had ended spoke endlessly more volumes about the mysterious newcomer. He spared a brief glance towards his opponent, Kyoraku Shunsui, but found only that the Shinigami captain was also trying desperately to make sense of the situation.

Barragan watched as the figure reappeared in the air, standing before the wall of flames that had sealed off Aizen from the battle. He couldn't place it, but he felt as though the figure radiated something even more than just the fear, which he could even feel lightly several hundred meters away. No... He thought, There's something else there. He reminds me of... His one good eye widened as his memory flashed to an event so long ago in the past that he had been a lowly Adjuchas at the time. He reminds me of Arturo-sama...

On the street, Komamura Sajin felt the fur on the back of his neck bristle, as every single one of his instincts told him to avoid the figure in the sky at all costs. I've never felt such potent fear... He realized in shock. "Kira..." He said to the lieutenant sealed within a barrier behind him, "No matter what happens... do not leave that barrier. And do not stop treating the injured."

Kira Izuru could hardly breathe, but the fox-like captain's words somehow managed to pierce the fog of terror in his mind, snapping him back to reality. "O-of course... Captain Komamura..." He said, turning back to the injured lieutenants in his care. Don't think about it... He told himself, Don't think about that fear... don't let it take hold again... Don't think about it...
*
Aizen stirred from his thoughts as he felt Ulquiorra's reiatsu appear in the skies above Karakura, Ulquiorra? I ordered him to defend Las Noches...

"Well this sure is interesting... ain't it Captain Aizen?" Ichimaru Gin smiled over at him with his customary serpent like grin, "Seems like something must have happened back home for him to be showin' up here now."

"Indeed." Aizen replied frowning slightly, "The only question is, what could possibly have happened to cause Ulquiorra to ignore my order?"

"There is something on the other side of these flames." Kaname Tousen suddenly spoke. "I cannot feel any reiatsu, but all of my senses tell me that someone is there."

Aizen knew better than to question Kaname's judgement in such matters. Instead, he extended his own senses forth, trying to discern what was there. "Hmm... I sense..." His brow furrowed in concentration, until... there. "Yes... there is indeed a presence just outside this little prison. How odd... it feels like there should be some form of reiatsu, but I cannot sense it either."

"Ya' think maybe whoever it is, they'll let us out of here?" Gin asked jokingly, "I'm startin' to get a bit tired of watching the firelight. Make's for a really boring conversation piece you see."

Shiro stood in front of the massive flames of Ryuujinjaka, the heat buffeting against his bare chest. He had to admit, the prison of fire was indeed impressive. "Seems a shame..." He lamented quietly to himself, "But sorry, old man, I've got someone to kill."

Taking Tensa Zangetsu in both hands, he raised the Zanpakutō above his head. "Getsuga... Tenshou!" Bringing the blade scything down, he unleashed the attack, and for those watching, the world seemed to shatter.

Yamamoto Genryusai felt his grip on his staff tighten to the point that the wood actually snapped. This is bad. He thought as the massive wave of black tinged with red completely consumed the flames and continued on, smashing into and then through the protective barrier the Gotei 13 had set up around the battle ground. I may need to use it...

Shiro watched the smoke clear from his attack, idly wondering if he should have actually just killed Aizen from within the flames. "Come out, Aizen." He said sternly, "I know you aren't dead. Not yet anyways."

"My, that certainly surprised me." Aizen stepped from the smoke, his eyes closed. "But I'm afraid that if you wished to kill me, you'll need to do..." He stopped talking as his eyes opened and he finally saw the man before him, "Kurosaki Ichigo?" He seemed genuinely shocked. What's going on here? He should be battling and growing stronger in Las Noches... not here, and with no reiatsu at all instead.

"Wrong." Shiro smirked, flicking Tensa Zangetsu slightly. "But it's a common mistake. One that I'll correct for the last time after I finish this. I am Shiro. And I am going to kill you, Aizen Sosuke."