"You are not my zanpakuto," Rue said in complete shock, her mind twisting and turning with past events trying to find one flaw.

'I do not belong here,' said Gabriel, someone who she had long believed to be her zanpakuto spirit, only to reveal that that wasn't entirely true. Rue didn't know what they were anymore. Suddenly, she saw how horribly unnatural they were. They were too perfect to be anything but a monster. 'The world of Shinigami is neither I or my sibling's place to be. But there were whispers of a soul looking for godhood and as the first line of defense, we've come to stop this soul.'

"You and ... Michael," she said trying to understand. It was no secret that Rue and Agito shared sibling zanpakuto as impossible as that would seem. But now with this revelation, she felt fear with the truth that was to come.

'Yes. We do not belong here. The only way was to be accepted by two souls and remain hidden, acting as only witness until the time is right. We were accepted by both you and your sister. And now the time has come where you seek a bankai that I cannot give.'

"But Agito," she said trying to make sense of it all, "Agito has her bankai. She has a bankai."

'Michael,' Gabriel hissed the word in seething hatred, 'Knows only of war. When we arrived he didn't have to but he did. He murdered Agito's original zanpakuto.'

"Murdered? Agito's zanpakuto was murdered?" she asked in a daze. Oh, she could barely remember it was so long ago. Agito did say that she felt pain the first time they preformed jinzen. How she heard something screaming. Did she hear her real zanpakuto being murdered? It made her sick to her stomach at the thought.

'Without the original zanpakuto, Michael has given power to Agito unceasingly. Her so called bankai is only a partial merging of a soul and spirit. Michael becoming one with your sister, earning flesh and blood.'

She was near dizzy. Everything was tinged with fear. "Does she know? Does Agito know what Michael has done?"

'No.'

"Why not?! Why haven't you told me before this?! This is unnaturally cruel!" Rue shouted a little bit hysterical. Nothing before this could ever prepare her for this revelation.

'The only thing I care about in this dimension is you,' Gabriel said, their voice losing that human touch and returning to that of inhuman chimes and whistles like the sound of comets made of crystal and ice scraping across the stratosphere. 'You will survive past this war. Your sister agreed to her fate by accepting my sibling into herself. This was her destiny.'

"Screw destiny!" she shouted, "Michael gave her a choice she didn't even know she was making! That's not destiny, thats manipulation!"

'YOU CANNOT CHANGE WHAT IS ALREADY DONE,' Gabriel shouted, and their voice had the force of gale winds blowing out. Rue was thrown to the ground where she clung to the grassy knoll of her Inner Sanctum as the wind bellowed around her. 'WE LIVE TO NO STANDARD BY YOU. WE ARE NO BEINGS TRAPPED INSIDE YOUR GILDED CAGE. MANIPULATION YOU SAY? NO CHOICE YOU SAY? THERE IS NO JUDGE TO LISTEN TO YOUR COMPLAINTS. CEASE YOUR USELESS MORALITY, HUMAN.'

The winds died down. The air turned quiet. Rue laid sniffling in grief and terror on the ground. She was so scared. Gabriel had never done that before.

'Don't be afraid, child,' Gabriel said, their voice calm and soothing once again, 'I mean you no harm.'

"Harm? Didn't you already kill me?" Rue asked, hopeless, "Didn't you already murder my zanpakuto?"

'Look up, girl.'

Rue stiffened from where she laid. She knew that voice but she had never heard it. She knew that voice but it didn't come from anyone she had ever known before.

She knew that voice.

Rue looked up from the ground and her eyes widened in shock.

Gabriel smirked with glee.

'Rue Diabolos, I would like to introduce you to your zanpakuto."

...

"Hello," Rue Diabolos said, "Onee-chan."

As Agito studied her sister, so too did she. It hasn't been long since Rukia's execution when Rue had last taken a glimpse of her twin sister but that were before Agito finally filled the shoes she had grown into.

This was her true legend.

Dark blue hair cut in a rather modern, androgynous style, slicked back and beautiful. Her eyes were much colder than her past. Stone cold. Even if her reiatsu burned the very air around her, Agito didn't look like a very warm woman. She looked like someone who would effortlessly tear a man's throat out without a single thought of morality. Her white and pressed three piece suit was blood stained and ripped at her abdomen from Rue's initial attack but it did nothing about the reek of danger surrounding her.

In her hand with Michael, already called to shikai. Rue hated it.

"You don't have to do this anymore," Rue said.

"Oh? Are you here to try and make me change heart?" Agito said, a cruel smile tugging on her lip, her voice as sharp as her blade, "You're not enough."

"Aren't we here?!" Rue demanded, "This is it! The last battle! Everyone is watching! You don't have to be who you were made to be!"

"Everyone is watching," her sister agreed, "That just means I'll have to end this quickly!"

Rue's heart dropped when Agito disappeared in a flash of shunpo. Instinct dropped her to her knees before a single swipe from a blade could take her head. Rue's harpoon was built for long distance fighting but it wasn't without any short distance tricks.

She swung around the harpoon gun, to crack against her sister's knees but Agito had already moved.

Rue was ready.

Her harpoon didn't just shot from one way. It shot from both.

The hook popped out, aimed to latch onto Agito's thigh but in a stunning move of improvisation, Agito flipped away in a cartwheel.

"New tricks?" Agito mused.

"You have no idea," Rue said, letting the chain to her harpoon shot stretch out further.

"Don't worry," said Agito, "This old dog's got new tricks as well."

"Good," Rue said, "Then you can handle this! Tail Thrash, Yao!"

She grabbed onto the chain and yanked. What Agito didn't see behind her the harpoon barb suddenly twist itself around to become sentient, aiming for Rue's opponent.

Agito dodged on time, with only a slice to her bicep.

"You've grown more treacherous," Agito remarked, no longer amused by her sister's literal back stabbing fighting style. Agito's cold golden eyes studied the harpoon in Rue's hands, studying the harpoon style that loaded itself back up after a rather unusual move of sentience through the air. "Where did you get that from."

"This," Rue said, "Is my true zanpakuto, Yao Bikuni!"

"'True Zanpakuto'," Agito quoted but before she could ponder anymore, something rose up within her heart. A gentle reminder from her own blade to get a move on with the battle. "No matter, it won't be enough to defeat me."

Agito raised Michael into the air and poured her reiatsu forth. Rue's eyes widened in horror, she was certain that her sister wouldn't pull out the more fiercer attacks so soon but she was wrong.

"Dageki, Michael."

Years ago, such an attack would call for gale force winds, the falling sun, and the voices of a thousand victims to scream in unison as holy light came from the sky to completely eradicate everything in the vicinity.

But Agito was stronger now.

Agito had control.

Her katana changed itself into into a white-gold, double-edged sword with a ruby hilt. But it didn't stop there as it was in the past. A golden gauntlet stretch over her forearm and merged with a golden shoulder armor that moved over to both sides and down her other arm. A long blood red cape poured down her back and whipped around in the wind.

But Dageki wasn't an overly defensive ability as her armor would claim. Her sword was nearly shimmering with the contained power of a fallen star. It was literally screaming with power.

This was Agito Diabolos' mastered shikai.

It was terrifying.

"Here I come."

It was barely any warning because Rue had to immediately dodged the impending attack.

'Beloved!' Rue felt a shout from within, 'Do not take a hit!'

Easier said than done! Because Agito followed to closely after her sister's movements, aiming for the kill. Rue couldn't make a single misstep for fear of her life!

Suddenly, Agito changed her movements, using her sword more like a deadly dagger than just a blade and instinctively, Rue moved to block.

It was too late before she realized her mistake.

Agito's sword made contact with her harpoon-

Ȁ̴̧̭̝̫̪͎̔̉̈̃̓͛̚̕o̸͎̙̍͂̊̽͐̑̋͆À̷̳͓̬̗̝̯̙͌̏͊̿̆̀̚͠O̸̧̢̮̘̘͕̣̥̞͗̂͛Å̷̱̭̹̇̐̉̋͝o̴̝͐̽́͐͒̏́A̴̙̮͈͕̰͓̬̔̓̈́̂͜͝͝Ǫ̶̨̤̠̠̯͎̯̓̐A̵̛̯͍͕͖͓͉̥̰͉̓o̷̡̬̝͂̃̍̊͐͋̇̌A̶̡̜̯͖̓̋͋̓O̴͈͎̹̥̣͛̈́̒̐̋̈́̂ͅĄ̴̜̱̦͎̰̦̣͙̯̀̃̈̔̍̽̓̕̚o̶̡͓̙̝̖̭̜͔̭̎̒̃͊̎̎̽̋A̸̖̽O̸̯̣̖̟̥̠̩̿͌̈́͐͘̕ͅA̵̼̣͓̬͍̮͇͍͊̍ͅo̵̲̥̞̤̝̼̊͆̊̄͐̒̉̂̀̈́Á̶̝͓̗͛̋͘O̶̻̬͑̂̾͝A̸̡̝̘͓̼̩̥̮̞͓̾o̵̧͔̥̟͕͍͊̆̌̂͐͊̀̿͝A̷̤̭̯͖̬̒̅̈́̔̾͝O̴̗̝͓̙̱̲̝̘̘̫̿͐̄̈́̓͌́Ả̴̘̃̏̓̃̎̄̕ò̷̰̤͓͆͆A̴̢̳͎̟̅̂͊̀̓̀̎̑̕͘Ȁ̴̧̭̝̫̪͎̔̉̈̃̓͛̚̕o̸͎̙̍͂̊̽͐̑̋͆À̷̳͓̬̗̝̯̙͌̏͊̿̆̀̚͠O̸̧̢̮̘̘͕̣̥̞͗̂͛Å̷̱̭̹̇̐̉̋͝o̴̝͐̽́͐͒̏́A̴̙̮͈͕̰͓̬̔̓̈́̂͜͝͝Ǫ̶̨̤̠̠̯͎̯̓̐A̵̛̯͍͕͖͓͉̥̰͉̓o̷̡̬̝͂̃̍̊͐͋̇̌A̶̡̜̯͖̓̋͋̓O̴͈͎̹̥̣͛̈́̒̐̋̈́̂ͅĄ̴̜̱̦͎̰̦̣͙̯̀̃̈̔̍̽̓̕̚o̶̡͓̙̝̖̭̜͔̭̎̒̃͊̎̎̽̋A̸̖̽O̸̯̣̖̟̥̠̩̿͌̈́͐͘̕ͅA̵̼̣͓̬͍̮͇͍͊̍ͅo̵̲̥̞̤̝̼̊͆̊̄͐̒̉̂̀̈́Á̶̝͓̗͛̋͘O̶̻̬͑̂̾͝A̸̡̝̘͓̼̩̥̮̞͓̾o̵̧͔̥̟͕͍͊̆̌̂͐͊̀̿͝A̷̤̭̯͖̬̒̅̈́̔̾͝O̴̗̝͓̙̱̲̝̘̘̫̿͐̄̈́̓͌́Ả̴̘̃̏̓̃̎̄̕ò̷̰̤͓͆͆A̴̢̳͎̟̅̂͊̀̓̀̎̑̕͘

Rue was blasted back, gale force winds concentrated into a single point and the sonic sounds of a thousand wailing voices ripping through Rue and forcing her to crash into a least three buildings before she shot her harpoon out to catch her fall.

She coughed up blood.

Damn it! That was way too strong! Just by a single hit, Rue's back was beaten, ribs were bruised and maybe a little cracked. The skin on her arms were shredded by glass, and her ankle was feeling wonky. But the battle wasn't over yet. She looked down at her harpoon to see that it was half broken.

"Damn it!"

"Did you really think you can go against me?" Rue's eyes widened in shock as she looked up to see Agito standing up in the air before her with boredom in her eyes. "I was at the level of taichou when I left. You can't even dream to match up to me in your state. Did the Shinigami really believe that I would be merciful to you?

"We both know the truth."

Rue knew the truth and ice filled her heart that Agito would look at her twin sister with such resentment in her eyes.

"I don't have enough heart to be merciful."

Agito's arm twitch to strike at her sister once again and Rue cried out, "Rumor! Gabriel!"

Agito had to stop. Her eyes widened at the impossibility before her.

"No ... way."

In one hand Rue had her broken harpoon. In the other was her golden khanjar, the zanpakuto shikai Agito was used to seeing.

Rue had two entirely different zanpakuto.

"Impossible," she murmured because it was. It was impossible for any shinigami to have two entirely different zanpakuto with no physical or spiritual relation to each other. Gabriel was the Archangel of secret intelligence. Yao Bikuni was a japanese mythological mermaid. There was no possible way for Rue to have two different shikai.

"You're right, it is impossible," Rue said before moving to attack. Agito instinctively raised Michael to block her attack, the power behind Dageki screaming out once again.

But Rue struck with Gabriel's khanjar. She didn't even budge from the force of her sister's attack.

"An Archangel can't defeat another Archangel!" Rue cried out before swinging her other arm, aiming the harpoon tip to harm the soul underneath the armor. But Agito blocked the hit and put them both into a stalemate.

"How?" her sister demanded, "How did you get two zanpakuto?!"

She was enraged over the possibilities. Did Aizen experiment on her sister? Did Urahara-?

"Agito," Rue said, "End this fight."

Agito snapped out of her thoughts of Aizen and Urahara to push Rue back. She viciously snarled, "You think you can speak to my morality? Well think again!"

"No!" Rue said, "You don't have to fight anymore! We can end this together!"

"You're even more of a fool than I thought."

"MICHAEL IS LYING TO YOU!" Rue screamed and it was so much out of character, Agito's entire mask broke.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. Michael had nothing to do with anything. This was a war against Aizen, Shinigami, Vizards, Hollows, Humans, and the Gods. What had her zanpakuto to do with anything-

"Michael isn't your zanpakuto!" Rue desperately shouted, "Gabriel isn't my zanpakuto! They lied to us from the very beginning! We're only pawns for the greater powers out there! Ask Michael! He had to kill your real zanpakuto!"

"Wha-" Suddenly, Agito stumbled because a big pulsing headache throbbed over her eyes. She couldn't see it but Rue did. Rue saw her sister's sclera turn blood red, her golden iris's shining with holy light.

"What are you talking about?" Agito said through clenched teeth.

"We're only pawns," Rue said, tears welling up in her eyes as desperation gripped her heart. This was her only chance to save her sister! "Michael is only using you as a piggyback to kill Aizen. The powers that be are using the both of us to fight their battles Don't let them! You'll only die in the end!"

"Do you think I'm a fool?"

Agito's voice suddenly turned harsher, deep with fury and unrestrained with annoyance. Her reiatsu poured forth and coated everything around her. Rue gulped down a breath, her heart quickening as pressure forced her down on her knees.

Incredible! She didn't know -could never have guessed- that her sister was this strong!

Her reiatsu felt like a mountain crashing with a tsunami. It tasted like magma rolling over diamonds. It coated everything like lava and slid heavy and painful down her throat. Her power would kill any lesser being.

Rue was not a lesser being.

"Bankai: Baptise Ningyo Yao Bikuni."

Rue's own reiatsu rushed out at the call of her bankai. Agito didn't move, allowed her sister to complete her transformation.

"Ho? You should have called for Gabriel. You might have survived for longer."

Rue didn't look too well. She was still aching and could barely stand under her sister's still heavy reiatsu that pressed everywhere but at least she could breath with her new skin on.

Rue's long hair was down and twine into rope-like strands but at the end of each was a small hook that moved like a nest of snakes on her head. A barbed medusa. She wore a dress of fish scales that glittered in the sunlight most likely an armor as protective as dragon scales, her hands clawed and webbed like a poisonous predator of the ocean. Her original harpoon had turned into a heavy net, barbs and dangerous thorns and shark teeth intertwined with the rope.

Her bankai had turned everything beautiful about Rue's femininity into a very literal weapon.

Despite the beauty and ferocity of her bankai, she still suffered under Agito's presence and previous attack.

"I don't need to survive my own sister," Rue said, "You won't kill me."

The sudden coldness in Agito's reiatsu sad otherwise. A chill scrapped up Rue's spine like an accusation.

She said, "My death won't help you with your goal. And as long as I'm not dead yet, I'm surviving, right? And as long as I am alive, I'll stop you.

"I'll stop you from killing Aizen!"

"What." Not a question. A simple, wrathful statement full of venom. Did her own twin sister really believe she can stop Agito from murder? The murder she's been planning for a century?

"If you go after Aizen with Michael, you'll be lost! You'll die! He's been lying to you this entire time! There is no good ending to this! You have to stop now! If you don't you'll never come back!"

Rue pleaded desperately to her sister because this was the only chance she had. Aizen and everyone else was too busy fighting to hear them, to notice them. And though Agito could go through the motions of being loyal to Aizen, Rue knew the real truth.

Agito would kill Aizen in a heartbeat.

With her hands and teeth if she had to.

But if Agito went into battle with only Michael, if she truly called for his bastardized "bankai", Agito's soul would be lost. There is no happy ending after that.

No chance of a return.

"Do you think," Agito said, "I don't know that?"

Rue couldn't breathe.

Couldn't believe her ears.

What did Agito just-

"I've known," she said, "About the plan of the gods longer than you have, so it would seem."

Rue couldn't understand.

Agito knew? And she still-

"Michael murdering my true zanpakuto is new though. Good job finding that out. But I don't care."

Agito's flawless facade didn't look so much like a facade anymore. The coldness in her eyes. The ruthlessness of her heart. The cruelty in her words. It sounded too much like Agito to be anyone else but herself.

"You don't know anything," she said, "You can barely breathe and you dare tell me what to do? Pathetic."

Rue didn't even see Agito move. She was too heavy from the pressure to resist. One second her sister was standing above her like a conquistador and the next, Rue's entire body split open in a gash that sprang blood like a geyser.

"Gomen nasai, Rue-chan," Agito said to deaf ears, "But you have no place in this war."

~~~