CHAPTER 9: HAD I EVER KNOWN YOUR HEART?

Gin and Tosen heaved their breaths. Their shikai is nowhere effective against the bankai of Akiho.

Her bankai, Akuma-shin no yoroi, grants her greater immunity than her shikai. As a result, she's immune to every bankai too — including pain, mental, and emotional restraint.

But in return, Ketsuei eats a portion of her soul.

And what happens if a zanpakuto spirit based on a demon eats a shinigami's soul? The demon will strengthen and take control of the shinigami.

"Gin, stay back. I will use my bankai," Tosen said.

"Aizen-taichou said that none of our bankai can fight her. She will only be immune to yours," Gin Ichimaru warned.

"How did Aizen know about my bankai?" Akiho thought, gritting her teeth.

"It's worth trying," Tosen said. Gin Ichimaru stepped back to watch the face off. "Bankai," Tosen began.

Akiho smiled. She did not let Tosen finish muttering the name of his bankai. Instead, with her increased speed, she charged towards the blind man, holding him by the neck and lifting him up.

Tosen's grip on his sword loosened, and his zanpakuto fell on the floor. Akiho laughed.

"You don't seem like the Akiho we know," Tosen struggled to say.

"You don't even know me, Tosen-taichou," Akiho said, tightening her grip on Tosen's neck.

Akiho heard a swoosh, and Gin Ichimaru's zanpakuto increased in size. Its speed cannot even be fathomed as it charged towards Akiho.

Akiho let go of Tosen as he fell to the ground. She jumped in the air to dodge Gin's attack. But to no avail, the blade is like a dangerous snake following her no matter where she goes.

Akiho was pushed on the defense. And in that moment, Gin's blade wounded her on her waist. But as a result, Akiho did not even mutter a single sound of pain, even if blood spluttered from her body.

"You might be immune from the pain, but you won't be immune from the loss of blood," Gin said, smiling.

"Why won't you use your bankai, Gin-taichou?" Akiho questioned. "Are you perhaps...reserving it for something?"

Gin did not answer her as his face darkened.

"Well, I think it's none of my business," Akiho said, surging forward to Gin. With a single swing of Akiho's sword, spiritual energy went out of her blade. They continued their face-off. Akiho's power negated everything.

Hours passed and their battle remained. Gin Ichimaru's zanpakuto lengthens to strike Akiho on the chest.

Akiho smiled, seeing the opportunity. "I was waiting for you to do that," she muttered.

Once again, spiritual energy blossomed, and there was a greyish rift created in the air. Gin and Tosen's eyes widened. They cursed under their breath and, in an attempt to defend themselves, they escaped from Akiho's sight.

When the smoke cleared, the figures of Gin and Tosen were nowhere to be found.

The next thing she knew, her feet brought her to high ceiling walls. A gigantic step of stairs was ahead of her as a throne stood on its top, proclaiming the presence of Aizen Sosuke.

Aizen's face rested on his hand as he regarded Akiho with nothing but a cold gaze. "I've built resilience in Hueco Mundo to search for worthy hollows for the ranks of the Espada. Do you know how much it took me to nurture them?"

Akiho didn't answer because two things are for sure. First, she doesn't care much about Aizen's evil efforts, and secondly, her bankai is still activated, depleting her spiritual energy constantly.

Five minutes. Akiho thought.

5 minutes till her body gives in, and after suc,h she might take a whole week to even recover half of her reiatsu. That is the weakness of her bankai, it surges power, but at the same time it requires a large amount of spiritual energy. And when deactivated, her reiatsu goes into hibernation to recover. The last time she used her bankai during training with Yamamoto Genryusai, it made her walk 3 days to Soul Society without spiritual pressure until she recovered it slowly.

Aizen was about to speak again, but Akiho immediately swung her sword in front of him. Aizen's eyes widened, the first bit of emotion he had shown her since he betrayed Soul Society.

But Akiho's zanpakuto didn't even reach the hair of Aizen. Before Akiho could make distance, Aizen's spiritual pressure heightened to its extent, making Akiho feel a heavy weight on her shoulders that crept onto her legs.

Her body trembled while she punctured Aizen with an intense stare. She used her zanpakuto like a cane to carry herself from the weight.

Aizen, still seated on his throne, stared at Akiho's figure struggling to stand.

"This is the appropriate way, Akiho. Inferior creatures are below me, kneeling"

Akiho tried to scream, but even her voice was muffled by Aizen's sinister reiatsu. This time it's not only weighing her shoulders but also as if gripping her chest.

She struggled to breathe. Aizen's reiatsu heightened some more when he stood from his throne. Akiho, now, could not even muster the strength to hold her zanpakuto. Her blade fell down the steps of stairs as she came face to face with Aizen's feet.

Suddenly, she felt his hand on her jaw. Aizen forced her to face him, his hold clenching around her chin.

Their eyes met. Akiho's eyes screamed, not with hatred but with pain and begging. But Aizen was the opposite, his eyes looked at her with indifference. Way far from how he used to gaze at her —the hints of fondness in his eyes that were as if always considering her every feeling, was all nothing but a sham.

Akiho wanted to hit herself for thinking of those things while she's being treated like an insect by Aizen right now.

"There are no chances left for you, Akiho. I brought you here to Hueco Mundo for an extension of my power. But, you serve no purpose right now." Aizen muttered, his blade glistening on his hand as he raised it.

At that moment, Aizen's spiritual pressure calmed, but Akiho could not find any energy to fight back.

"Will my death change anything?" Akiho said, struggling.

Aizen paused for a moment, battling her gaze. Then, he let go of her face, putting so much force that made Akiho fall two steps of the stairs from Aizen's throne.

Akiho thought for a second that Aizen would stop. But he didn't, he only let go of her to make distance and prepare to strike her with Kyoka Suigetsu.

I can't talk him out of it. Akiho thought. I'm sorry, grandfather...and soul society. I could not avenge you.

In an instant, Aizen's zanpakuto slashed her left shoulder down her chest.

Before losing her consciousness, Akiho tried to reach for Aizen, but the toll on her body was slowly eating any remaining energy from her.

The tips of her fingers vaguely touched a fraction of Aizen's clothes before her hand fell on the ground as her breathing stopped.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to see the loneliness inside you...Sosuke. But know that I-I'll always..."