Road to Ruin

Chapter 32: The Beginning of the End

A/N: Hello everyone! We are almost done with this story, and I'm both happy and sad. It's been loads of fun to write this story, as these characters are some of my favorites and to lay out my headcanons on them and their stories is something I've been wanting to do since 2010. Guess middle school Shi was as much of a fangirl as present Shi. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and Thanks for reading! 😋🤗

© Bleach and its characters don't belong to me. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shounen Jump. Only Anna, Jeanne and Hanabira belong to me.

Chapter 32: The Beginning of the End

The last time she ran this fast was towards the execution grounds on the morning Hanabira died. The moment Anna arrived at Las Noches she heard an alarm sound coming from the lab. The doors were sealed shut and nobody answered when she called.

In case of emergency, the lab had a tunnel that led to Halibel's chambers, she wasted no time in rushing there.

"Tercera! It's Anna! Are you there?!" Anna frantically knocked on the door.

Halibel's darkened gaze was the first thing she saw. Inside the room, she could see Jeanne being hugged by Apacci. Her nurse friend had been crying.

"Jea?" Anna used her nickname, knowing that usually calmed her down.

Jeanne raised her head, tears stains were visible on her face and her lips were trembling as she tried to speak.

The woman couldn't say a word and instead jumped into Anna's arms.

"Shhh, it's okay. I'm here and I won't let go until you tell me to. Let it out."

Jeanne cried loudly and didn't let go of her for almost half an hour, then she fell asleep from exhaustion.

Anna lifted Jeanne up and placed her on the bed. She turned to Halibel and her fraccion who had remained silent the whole time.

"How many?" She asked Halibel would not need clarification.

"Two privaron, Gantenbainne came back alive and healed. Aaroniero and Zommari already fell in battle and..." Halibel adverted her gaze from her, almost fearful of the response. "Szayel."

Anna's vision went blurry for a moment. She almost fell back, but Mila Rose caught her before that happened.

"When?" She couldn't form a full sentence, even if she tried.

"A few hours ago. Jeanne told me that once Szayel identified the shinigami that killed his brother he was preparing to engage in battle. She tried to talk him out of it but he didn't listen. Szayel told her to come here and that he would come get her when the battle was over. He did not return. Lord Aizen delivered the news before you arrived."

Anna tried to collect her thoughts, slowly assimilating what Halibel just told her.

Her friend was gone. Szayel, who had been with her from the beginning, who was the mastermind behind some of their more ambitious projects, who she could share anything with and tease in perpetuity, who she loved like a brother.

'I'm never going to see him again.' It was paralyzing as if a piece of her heart had been torn away. No longer would he be pacing around his lab frantically, or pushing up his glasses delicately. His voice wouldn't echo in the halls ever again, the man was gone forever.

Too many. Too many people had been lost already. ' I don't know if I can take it any more deaths.'

She turned to look at her sleeping friend. Jeanne seemed to be peaceful in her slumber, no doubt the sudden outburst had drained her.