A Man's Worst Enemies Are in His Own Bosom

A man's worst enemies are in his own bosom. -- William Blake, Milton (1804-1810)

The Haineko's pupils contracted sharply the moment Rangiku reached out her hand.

"What... did you do?" Haineko's fingers trembled slightly as she gripped the knife hilt. For the first time, an emotion she didn't want to admit to herself surfaced in her heart—awe.

The Reiatsu Rangiku was exerting on her now felt extremely strange. Even before, when she lived in Rangiku's Inner World, she only regarded Rangiku as a friend and never felt any reverence for Rangiku. But now Rangiku was someone she instinctively wanted to bow down to.

"Even though she hasn't successfully mastered Bankai, why do I feel like obeying her... Damn it..."

The Haineko bit her lower lip, pressed her ears back, and her fluffy tail swayed uneasily behind her. She hated this feeling—the feeling of being suppressed, looked down upon, and treated like a child who needed to be disciplined.

"I was clearly the one with the upper hand! She can't even use her Shikai yet! I was chasing her around just now! Why is she doing this now—"

"What's wrong, Haineko? Still don't want to come back?" Rangiku tilted her head, her outstretched hand still hanging in mid-air.

The hand remained there casually, neither gathering Reiatsu nor gripping the blade; it simply waited there quietly and ordinarily.

A flicker of annoyance flashed in the Haineko cat's eyes. She swung her sword fiercely, and grayish-white smoke billowed from the blade, transforming into several sharp blades that simultaneously slashed towards Rangiku: "Annoying! Who would want to go back to a place like that!"

Those dusty blades, carrying the force of a whirlwind, hurtled towards Rangiku. This was a strike unleashed by the Haineko in a fit of rage, and the billowing dust even plowed through everything in its path.

Rangiku, however, simply drew her Zanpakuto at a leisurely pace.

"Meow, Haineko!"

The Zanpakuto in his hand instantly turned into smoke and dust, but the smoke and dust was completely different from that of the Haineko —its color was darker, thicker, and closer to the embers after a fire.

The gray and white color is interspersed with silver specks, like stardust scattered by the wind in the night sky.

Grayish-white smoke and silvery-gray smoke collided in mid-air.

The Haineko's pupils dilated suddenly; she saw her own dust being swallowed up the instant it came into contact with her.

Like a stream flowing into a great river, like a spark falling into the deep sea, her smoke lost control the moment it came into contact with Rangiku's smoke, and was swept along and irreversibly pulled into the other's control.

"How is this possible—this is my own smoke! It's my own power! Why—"

Silvery-gray dust rushed towards the Haineko, Haineko dodged using its Shunpo technique, its ears pressed tightly against its scalp, and its tail puffed up into a ball of fur.

"Haineko, I'll say it one last time." Rangiku stood in the center of the smoke and dust, surrounded by silver-gray mist-like blades that slowly rotated around her like countless swords suspended in mid-air, making her appear like a Valkyrie on the battlefield. "Come back, or be prepared to be dealt with."

The Haineko stopped a short distance away, hunched over and panting heavily. "Don't get too cocky, you mere old lady!"

Grayish-white smoke erupted from her body once more, more violently and densely than ever before, Haineko plunged into the smoke screen she had created like a grayish-white lightning bolt.

Rangiku also moved, and the silver-gray smoke around her exploded at the same time, enveloping her completely. The two plumes of smoke collided on the ruins, the gray and silver-gray tearing, intertwining, and devouring each other.

On the battlefield under the jurisdiction of the Sixth Division

Renji crawled out of the pile of broken stone slabs and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

The Monkey Woman stood before him, her Zabimaru hanging at her sides, her eyes revealing a scrutinizing look that bordered on disappointment. "You're too weak, Renji."

She swung the Zabimaru down fiercely, the segmented blades of the Serpent Belly Sword fully unfolding in the air, slashing towards Renji's chest with the force of a gust of wind.

Renji raised his sword to parry, but the Monkey Woman was clearly faster than before. The moment their blades collided, he was sent flying, his back slamming into a broken section of the wall. He then slid off the wall and crashed heavily into a pile of rubble, his figure swallowed by dust.

The Snake Man walked to the Monkey Woman's side, his long snake tail leaving a winding trail on the ground. He crossed his arms, his vertical pupils sweeping over the still-smoking ruins, and tilted his head. "Didn't we go a bit too far?"

"It doesn't matter if he goes too far." The Monkey Woman turned around. "If he can't handle it, then it just proves he's not worthy of being our partner, nothing more."

She took a step, the chains around her waist rattling, the Snake Man following behind her, the two walking deeper into the ruins, as if they had already made their decision.

"Stop!" From the pile of rubble, a hand suddenly pushed aside the stone slab pressing down on it. Renji stood up, supporting himself with his Zanpakuto. His Shihakusho were cut in several places by the rubble, and there was a bloody abrasion on his forehead. Blood flowed down his brow bone, blurring the vision in his right eye.

He stared at the two figures with his only remaining left eye, his legs still trembling, every muscle fiber screaming, "Where are you planning to go!"

The Snake Man stopped and turned around, his vertical pupils reflecting Renji's disheveled figure. "Monkey Woman, it seems he still wants to continue fighting."

The Monkey Woman stopped, her shoulders twitching slightly, as if she were sighing or enduring something, "Give up, Renji. Like I said—you're still too weak."

Renji, leaning on his Zanpakuto, stumbled out of the ruins, his steps aggravating his wounds, blood dripping onto the ground. "Weak? Where am I weak!"

The Monkey Woman turned around, her eyes locking onto Renji. Her gaze was calm, almost cruel. "In the previous battle, in the very end, you still placed your hopes of rescuing Rukia on Ichigo and Amber, didn't you?"

Renji's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Don't even think about denying it." The Monkey Woman took a step forward, the chains around her waist swaying slightly, standing out clearly in the silent night. "We are your Zanpakuto. We know your thoughts better than anyone."

She continued walking forward, each step seeming to question Renji: "Just because they were both stronger than you back then, you entrusted the final battlefield to them—in the moment you were defeated by Aizen, what you craved wasn't your own power, but rather the hope that Kou could quickly break Tōsen's Bankai!"

Renji opened his mouth, wanting to retort, but his throat felt like it was blocked by something.

"Renji!" The Monkey Woman's voice suddenly rose, the tip of Zabimaru's sword pointing at him, "Why didn't you seek power within yourself then! Why did you choose to rely on others rather than seek power from us at that time!"

Renji Zanpakuto tightly: "I—"

"This kind of inferiority complex, relying on others at the last moment, what is it if not weakness!" The Monkey Woman was furious and did not give Renji a chance to explain. She swung the Serpent Zabimaru again, and the segmented blades of the Serpent Belly Sword were fully unfurled in the night sky!

While Renji was locked in a fierce battle, Rangiku's fight was nearing its end.

Amidst the smoke and dust, the Haineko was quickly overwhelmed by Rangiku.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! What's wrong with that old woman? How can she suppress me like this just because she's only just recovered from her Shikai? She's clearly..."

The Haineko dodged and weaved through the smoke and dust, gritting her teeth, her cat ears trembling slightly in the smoke and dust, her heart filled with confusion and resentment.

However, being distracted in battle is a major taboo. Just as Haineko was thinking about this and that, Rangiku had already silently appeared beside her.

As if she could read Haineko's mind, Rangiku bent down and whispered in her ear, "Are you wondering why, even though you're the Zanpakuto, I can use it more skillfully and more powerfully than you?"

The Haineko suddenly turned around, its eyes reflecting Rangiku's raised hand. Behind her, silver-gray dust was rapidly gathering, transforming into a huge, five-fingered hand.

The hand was raised high, its five fingers spread wide, each finger woven from countless extremely fine dust particles, gleaming with a faint silver luster in the night sky.

That's because I'm never the only one who's incomplete!

A massive, dusty hand slammed down.

The Haineko had no time to dodge and was pinned to the ground by that hand.

The silvery-gray smoke seemed to come alive, wrapping around her limbs and pinning her firmly to the ground, rendering her unable to move.

Rangiku walked over to the Haineko was lying on the ground with its face turned to the side, its eyes filled with resentment and confusion.

"Haineko," Rangiku crouched down, "You are Zanpakuto born from the souls of Gin and me."

The Haineko's ears twitched slightly.

"But you've only ever been used by me; you've never developed those qualities that belong to silver."

Rangiku looked at her hand, feeling the Soul Pulse within Gin's fragment of soul. "Now that my soul fragment and Gin's have been Integration —though only a little—I can use some of Gin's power."

She lowered her head, looking into the Haineko's still slightly trembling eyes. "Maybe you can beat me, but you can never beat us."

The Haineko didn't speak; she just lay on the ground, her cheek pressed against the cold stone slab, the silvery-gray dust still slowly swirling around her.

Rangiku raised her hand high.

The Haineko instinctively closed its eyes, its two ears instantly transforming into airplane ears, and its fluffy tail curled up and tucked between its legs.

But the pain never came.

It was just a very light and gentle caress; Rangiku's hand landed on her head, her fingers running through her short, deep red hair, and gently rubbing the base of her cat ears.

"So, just give up and come back obediently, Haineko."

The Haineko froze. She could feel that hand—it was warm. It didn't feel like the contact between Soul Reaper and Zanpakuto; it felt more like—more like family.

Tears welled in the Haineko's eyes. She buried her face in the stone slab, her voice muffled and nasal. "No... I don't want to stay in that desolate place anymore."

Rangiku paused for a moment.

"There's nothing left there." The Haineko's voice grew lower and hoarseer. "No trees, no water, no wind. I tried so hard to make it work—I planted trees, dug a river, and even tried to make the clouds float..."

But the withering and desolation just keep spreading, they just won't stop. No matter what I do, they will wither, they will dry up, they will disappear...

Her shoulders began to tremble.

"I hate that place, I never want to go back."

Rangiku looked at the Haineko, pulled the aggrieved Catgirl up from the ground, and hugged her. She held the Haineko, rested her chin on the top of her head, and gently stroked her frizzy hair.

"I'm sorry, Haineko. I've made you suffer because of my own actions."

The Haineko buried its face in Rangiku's shoulder and didn't answer.

Rangiku loosened her embrace, grasped Haineko's shoulders with both hands, and gently pulled her away from her arms a little. Then, looking into Grey Cat's eyes, which were still glistening with tears, she said, "Haineko, thank you for everything you've done for me. The desolation and withering are over."

"Although I'm prone to running away, irresponsible, and always lazy—but now, at least when it comes to Gin, I don't want to run away anymore." Rangiku stretched out her hand and offered it to Haineko again.

"Could you help me bring the silver back?"

The Haineko lowered her head, looking at the hand; her cat ears twitched slightly, then twitched again.

Then she raised her hand and placed it in Rangiku's palm.

"There's really no other way." She turned her face away. "Since you're begging me like this, I'll step in and help this old lady's twilight romance."

Rangiku's smile was still on her face when veins bulged on her forehead. She grabbed the Haineko's cheeks and pulled them apart forcefully. "Who are you calling an old lady? I'm still young! What do you mean by 'twilight love'!"

The Haineko's cheeks were being pulled, and tears still clung to the corners of its eyes, yet it was already making muffled pleas for mercy. "It hurts! It hurts! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Ichigo stood not far away, watching Rangiku and Haineko playfully fighting, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Looks like we're no longer needed here."

Rain perched on Sylvan's shoulder, preening the sparse feathers at the base of his wings with his beak. "Yeah, at least this is a good start."

Sylvan, leaning on his cane, gazed into the distance at the other battlefields shrouded in smoke, where firelight and dust flickered in the night, and the clash of Reiatsu created an eerie atmosphere. "I wonder how things are elsewhere."

For Renji, however, the situation was extremely dangerous.

This time, the Snake Man moved along with the Monkey Woman. The chains rattled between them, and the Snake Man's body was flung away by the Monkey Woman. He adjusted his posture in mid-air, gripping the Zabimaru in his right hand, the blade tracing a silver trajectory.

The Monkey Woman followed closely behind, the chains tightened, and the two attacked Renji simultaneously from two different directions.

Renji raised his sword to parry, but the attacks from both sides arrived almost simultaneously—he blocked the Snake Man's sword, but the Monkey Woman's fist had already slammed into his abdomen, causing him to bend over, with acid churning in his stomach rising to his throat.

The Snake Man's tail coiled around his ankle, lifting him upside down before slamming him to the ground, shattering the stone slab and sending shards of stone flying.

"Pain!"

The Monkey Woman released the chains, and the Zabimaru returned to her hand. She looked down at the red-haired man lying in the rubble, covered in wounds but still struggling to get up.

"It hurts!"

Renji lay sprawled among the rubble, looking at the indifferent Monkey Woman before him. "Was I too weak? Even my Zanpakuto has left me, what am I going to do...?"