Lords of Doom

Chapter 1

While this IS technically a crossover, I have not published it as such for several reasons. 1) The main Universe, while alternate, is the Bleach Universe. 2)I have found that readers to not go to the cross-over section, and as such, people would be less likely to read this story. 3)I believe I can do whatever the FUCK I Want, not like it hurts anything.

Anyway, please read and review. I am always accepting of any ideas and I will accept any possible plots twists in this story. If I find that it would not work well, I may write a separate short-story using your idea. I will also respond to anyone who may need help if they are personally experiencing writers' block. So please read and review.

Eight figures, all clad in black cloaks adorned with crimson clouds were overlooking the Village of Konoha. Or, what remained of it. The once Great Hidden Leaf Village lay in ruins beneath them. The figure in the center right looked on with a look that spoke that justice had been achieved.

Nagato. His orange hair, short and spiked, waved as a billow of wind passed by. Light reflected off of his head band, which had four marks representing rain slashed in a horizontal line. Both of his ears had numerous piercings through them. There were five black studs on each outer ear, with a longer black bar skewering the center of each ear vertically. His eyes were a light purple, with several circles surrounding the pupils, giving it an almost ripple effect. This look was caused by his Kekkai Genkai, the Rinnegan, which allowed him access to certain Jutsu no one else could use. He also had three more piercings going through the bridge of his nose. Finally, his lower lip had two additional fang-like piercings.

He had always imagined looking down a destroyed Konoha, but not in his current position. He had imagined his fellow Akatsuki members and himself standing above it in triumph, the power of the tailed-beasts under their control. Instead, he found himself seeing the large crater, all which remained of the once-mighty village, imprisoned and on his knees.

There were many things that he had not predicted that had occurred. He had not expected his organization to lose Sasori, the Puppet Master of the Red Sand, defeated and killed at the hands of the Sunagakure's elder Chiyo and Konaha's Kunoichi Sakura Haruno. While his death had been unfortunate, it was hardly crippling.

Also, the death of Kakuzu at the hands of Naruto Uzumaki had also been unexpected. But again, not very devastating, though it was a terrible loss of strength.

But one unexpected and fortunate event had been Sasuke Uchiha, the younger brother of Itachi Uchiha, joining the Akatsuki. This had boosted their weakened power considerably. This boost was practically negated when Kisame Hoshigaki, the 'tailless tailed-beast', had been killed when fighting against Might Guy, who had sacrificed himself to use the Eight Inner Gates to allow him to kill Kisame and prevent the capture of Naruto Uzumaki, the Kyubii's jinchuriki.

But the most unexpected occurrence, and perhaps most devastating, was what occurred involving Zetsu. Zetsu, the large humanoid-plant shinobi, had been sent to capture Killer Bee, the jinchuriki of the Eight-Tails, Gyuki. It had been a fairly straight-forward mission: locate and capture the jinchuriki to then extract the tailed-beast. But the interference of the Raikage, Killer Bee's brother, had led to devastating consequences. Zetsu had been quickly overwhelmed by the two shinobi's combined might. He had been killed, but not before releasing a spore into the air that was meant to paralyze both opponents until reinforcements could arrive to complete the mission.

But the two had had a never before seen reaction to the paralyzing spore. Apparently, their lineage had caused their genetic material to react adversely to the agent. Their cells began absorbing the spores, then attacking and killing each other as invaders to the body. This had led to the death of the Raikage and the jinchuriki target. Normally, when the host dies, the tailed-beast is freed. But in this case, having been attached to the host for several decades, the Eight-tails had actually incorporated Killer Bee's cells into its own body. So when the spores where introduced, Gyuki had also been killed.

The death of Zetsu, who had been intended to be the Akatsuki's main battle force after cloning, was indeed crippling. However, with the Gyuki's own death, the entire Akatsuki plan to harness the combined power of the nine tailed beasts and release the Ten-Tails from its imprisonment, had been taken from their grasp in one single moment.

Without the Eight-Tails, the Gedo Statue, which was meant to contain the tailed beasts, became unbalance with the energy, and the result was the death of the already captured beasts.

With their main weapons gone, the Akatsuki had been reduced to a mere terrorist group. The remaining members were quickly located by the combined might of the Shinobi Allied Forces. Nagato had even resorted to transferring his mind from his withered body to the body of his Deva Path Pain, which granted him increased mobility and the use of attractive and repulsive telekinetic forces, just to survive their pursuers.

Still, they were all captured and were now awaiting their sentencing. On the far left, was Sasuke Uchiha. He had come to join the Akatsuki after learning that his clan's murder was an order from Konoha's Village Elders. He was closely watched at first, until he proved his loyalty by killing his former squad-mate, Sakura Haruno when he was given the mission. His face was emotionless, his eyes closed as he waited.

His brother, Itachi Uchiha, was on his right. He too had the same emotionless look, eyes closed as well. When Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki, Itachi had not expected his brother to forgive him for killing their entire clan. Sasuke had said that he was just 'following orders' and the two had since spent whatever time they could training their own Sharingan, another form of Kekkai Genkai.

Next to Itachi was Orochimaru, the last of the 'Three Legendary Sannin'. The others, Jiraiya and Tsunade, had been killed by Nagato and his Pain Body's. Unlike the two on his left, Orochimaru had a slight grin on his rather pale face. His eyes, which were highlighted by purple markings beneath them, seemed to be starring down at where the Hokage's main office used to be. When Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki, Orochimaru had lost his opportunity as using him to gain the Sharingan and a new body. Even so, he quickly found a new method to obtain what he wanted.

He had killed Danzo,the Sixth Hokage, and taken four of the Sharingan that were attached to his arm, those having been collected from slain Uchiha members. This had allowed him to achieve Sharingan and obtain the ability of Mangekyo Sharingan, with the added bonus of never losing his eyesight by taking the 'light' from the other two eyes. Still, Danzo had twenty sharingan on his arm and Orochimaru, not wanting to waste such a precious technique, collected the remaining Sharingan, even going so far as to give Sasuke and Itachi two additional Sharingans so they, too, could preserve their own eyesight. Orochimaru had even gained a new body that allowed him access to the Kekkai Genkai of the Byakugan, in the form of Neji Hyuga. The young Hyuga had been part of a team sent to capture or kill Sasuke. Needless to say, he wasn't prepared for Orochimaru's newly acquired Sharingan.

On Orochimaru's right and Nagato's left was Konan, Nagato's second-in-command. The woman had rather wonderful figure that was discernable even from beneath her black cloak. Her blue hair was in a bun, which was topped by a pure white origami rose. Her eyes were half-lidded, allowing you too see that her eyelids were painted a deep, midnight-blue. Her lower lip had a pearl-like piercing, that was placed in the center of her lip. Her face, as always, was rather stoic, despite the rather dire circumstances.

On Nagato's right was Tobi. The newest member of the Akatsuki, Tobi was by far the most nervous one present. His face was covered by an orange mask that had a spiral pattern adorning it. The only distinguishable characteristic in the mask is a hole where his right eye is. Tobi's hair, which is short, black and spiked, waved as second gust of wind passes by. "Uh, I'm scared, Deidara-sempai." Tobi whined to the man on his left.

Said man released a sigh of irritation. Deidara's own long, blonde air also billowed as the wind rushed by. He kept the back half of his hair in a tall pony-tail. The rest in the front fell freely, obscuring the left side of his face, with that which remained in the back hanging down to his shoulder-blades. As the wind passed by, you could see that his left eye has been replaced by a metallic device that allows him to see greater distances and see through genjutsu that would trap others in its senses-distorting abilities. "Oh, shut-up Tobi!" He scolded, his face scrunched into a scowl. Ever since his previous partner, Sasori, had died, Deidara had been partnered with Tobi, who continually found new ways to annoy him. He absolutely hated Tobi's antics, though he had to agree with his partner on this one. He was terrified of what their fates would be. He knew it would be severe, more than likely it would be torture and death. After all, the Akatsuki had started a World War and led to the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands, of Shinobi and civilians with their attacks on the separate villages, leaving many in an even worse state than Konoha was in.

Finally, to Deidara's right, was Hidan, the immortal Akatsuki member. The man had medium-length, white hair that he kept slicked back. Around his neck he wore a special pendent. The pendent, which was a silver circle surrounding an inverted triangle, was a sign of Hidan's religion: Jashinism. Hidan had joined Akatsuki as he saw it as a perfect chance to inform and convert people to Jashinism. Those that failed to convert, he had killed for their 'sinning ways'. Those that did convert however, were also killed because it was what Lord Jashin wanted from his followers, so they could join him in the next life. "Fuck, Deidara! Leave 'em alone the fuck alone. The pour bastard should be scared. Hell, we should all be terrified! Jashin knows what these fuckers are going to do to us."

The group of prisoners then heard several approaching foot-steps. They looked up to see nearly two dozen shinobi, Jonin and Kage alike, approaching them. The group was led by the Gokage, the leaders of the five shinobi villages. From left to right was: the Mizukage, Mei Temuri; the newly appointed Raikage, Darui; the Tsuchikage, Onoki; the new Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki; and the Kazekage, Garra of the Sand.

Behind the Kage were: Kakashi Hatake, son of The White-Fang, the 'Copy-Cat' Shinobi; Hinata Hyuga, the heir of the Hyuga clan; Temari and Kankuro, the Kazekage's sister and brother, respectively; Shikimaru, Konaha's brilliant strategist; Mifune, the leader of the samurai that had also joined the war; the remainder of the group included several other Jonin from the five shinobi villages.

Once they were before the captured Akatsuki, the Kazekage stepped forward from the group. "Nagato, Konan, Orochimaru, Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha, Deidara, Hidan, and 'Tobi'" he spoke as he looked at each individual, his voice monotone, but demanding that attention be brought only to him, "for your crimes of murder, terrorism, attempted murder, and other acts against humanity, we, the Gokage, have decided your fate. But, before you are inform of your punishments, we offer you this opportunity to speak to any individual that you may wish, so long as we are present for the encounter. Is there anyone that you wish to see or speak to?" Garra asked, looking at each person before him.

"No." was Sasuke and Itachi's simultaneous reply.

"Tch." was all Orochimaru said before looking to his side.

"There is no one I wish to speak to." from Konan, her expression remaining stoic.

"Nor I." answered Nagato, closing his eyes.

"No one for me, thanks anyways." Tobi answered, his voice rather happy given the condition that they found themselves in.

"Fuck No!" from Hidan, before Deidara could answer. This resulted in a glare from several of the assemble jonin and a few of the Kage.

"Yeah, there is." Deidara answered. The Kazekage raised a brow, but continued none the less.

"Who do you wish to speak to?"

"To Kurotsuchi, if you don't mind." the Kage all nodded and a messenger was sent to retrieve the requested person. A few minutes later, a young woman appeared before the Kage.

"You requested my presence, Kazekage-sama?" she asked with a bow.

"Yes, the prisoner Deidara has asked to speak with you. You may have as long as you need."

Turning around, the woman approached Deidara. "What is it Deidara-nii?" She asked, her voice and tone somewhat cold.

"Kurotsuchi, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. Sorry for everything I've did that hurt you." Deidara answered her, his eyes closed as her hung his head toward the ground. His tone, while normally condescending, was sincere and honest. Of all the things that he had done, he always regretted hurting Kurotsuchi for abandoning her and attacking their village.

The woman's eyes widened by a fraction as her pink irises starred at the man before her. After a moment, she closed her eyes. "I'm sorry too, Deidara-nii."

"Kurotsuchi, I have one request."

Kurotsuchi sighed, turning on her feet before she could leave. "What is it?"

"I just want to ask you to be nowhere near here for the next little while. I just don't want you to see anything that might happen. Is that alright?" he asked as he looked into her eyes.

She returned the look, and after a moment smiled. "Of course, Deidara-nii. Goodbye." Kurotsuchi then pivoted on her heel, turning to leave.

"Goodbye, Kurotsuchi-chan." Deidara really was going to miss her.

"Is that all?" After receiving a nod, the Kazekage continued. "Very well. After much deliberation, we have decided that your sentence will not be death." This resulted in several released breathes that the members of the Akatsuki had not realized they had been holding.

Nagato, however, was now staring intently at the kage before him. What could they be planning as their punishment? They had started a war and killed hundreds. Why not kill them? Before he could try and come to a conclusion, Naruto walked forward, continuing where Garra had left off. "We decided that death was too good for you all. We decided that what better punishment than an eternity of suffering. Kakashi-sensei, if you would."

Kakashi stepped forward, his face covered and his white hair whipping with the wind. "Of course, Hokage-sama." Kakashi lifted his headband that he kept over his left eye, revealing his own Sharingan that he gained from his former squad-mate, Obito Uchiha. "Mangekyo Sharingan!" His eye, which was once crimson with a circle surrounded by three tomoe changed into crimson with a shuriken pattern in the center.

"We have decided that you shall spend the rest of your days in another dimension, where you can harm no one else." Naruto finished, leaving all the Akatsuki with eye's wide. Their foreheads were all gaining a shimmer of sweat, brought on by fear. Even Itachi, who rarely showed emotion, was visibly frightened, his eyes wide and his breathing labored.

Deidara's jaw clenched, the muscles tightening. He remembered all too well this technique. He had nearly died when Kakashi used against him, only escaping with a lost arm that had been reattached by Kakuzu before he was killed.

"All of you, rise." The Kazekage ordered. The Akatsuki all rose from their positions on their knees to stand on two feet, some more shakily than others. "Kakashi-san, you may begin."

"Hai, Kazekage-sama." Kakashi then turned to stare at a position about 5 meters from where everyone stood. "Mangekyo Sharingan, Kamui!" For a moment, it appeared as if nothing were going to happen. Then, there was a tearing sound and a large vortex opened where Kakashi had been starring. "Alright, it's ready, Kage-samas." Kakashi informed, his attention kept on maintain the vortex. If he lost control, they could all be swallowed whole.

"You are all to proceed into the warp. If you attempt to flee, you will be detained, tortured, and then cast into it against your will. Is that understood?" The Tsuchikage commanded, more than questioned. He only received a solemn nod from all those present as they all approached their fate.

The first to enter was Itachi, followed closely by Sasuke and Orochimaru. They entered without word, their eyes closed. Tobi was next. "Oh, man, it looks scary. Well, here goes. Cowabunga!" Tobi then leapt into the vortex in an almost 'cannon-ball' fashion.

Konan released a sigh, chuckling slightly at her comrades antics. No matter the situation, they could always look to Tobi to make things somewhat humorous. She stepped into the portal next, her figure being distorted by the swirling mass.

"Lord Jashin, be with me." Hidan said to himself. He then turned and glared and the assemble shinobi. "Later Bitches! Do me a favor and go fuck yourselves!" Hidan then dove into the swirling mass.

Nagato and Deidara stopped just before their demise. Turning to face the other, Nagato asked in a low voice, "Are you ready?" When he received a confirmation, he nodded. "Then do it." With that, Nagato quietly entered the vortex, leaving Deidara alone before it. He turned just two feet from it, and glared at the shinobi before him. He raised his hands to his chest, a large grin plastered on his face. He was definitely going to enjoy this. He quickly began to weave several hand signs; tiger, snake, bird and snake.

The Kage and Jonin all moved forward to attack him, hoping to prevent whatever jutsu he planned on using from finishing. They were just too slow. "Shi Suri Jutsu! Un!" There were several large explosions from the ground beneath their feet. Leaping backwards, Deidara was pulled into Kakashi's Jutsu just as it began to close, preventing the blast from killing him as well.

Deidara had to admit, Nagato had been very wise to bury Deidara's explosive clay in various locations along the cliff and in several locations in the Five Shinobi Villages. He erupted into a roar of laughter at the looks of fear on the Kages' faces. After all, over a thousand kilo-grams of explosive clay detonating and releasing his glorious art on them had certainly caught everyone present off guard. Deidara made a mental note to thank Nagato, if he ever saw anyone else again.

Deidara was pulled out of his musings when he took in his surroundings. To say he was surprised would be an understatement. He was falling downwards, in what appeared to be a funnel of sorts. The tunnel was multicolored, the walls and floor being a combination of swirling blues, red, violets, and oranges. He looked forward, and could make out the other members of the Akatsuki falling as well. Angling his body vertically, Deidara increased his velocity until he was between Hidan and Nagato, the remaining members being spread out for the next few feet in a rough circle.

Turning to Deidara, Nagato simply asked, "Did you complete your task?" After receiving a nod of confirmation, which he returned, they were interrupted by Tobi.

"Uh, Deidara-sempai? What are we going to do now?" The others had to agree with Tobi, they hadn't the slightest idea what their next step was. They were falling in what appeared to be an endless tunnel, no way to escape, and found that they were unable to use any jutsu to negate the one that their captors had used to put them in this predicament.

Still, they needed to come up with something. Orochimaru then brought everyone's attention to himself. "I say we wait until we finally stop our descent. Then, if we survive the impact, plan from there on." It wasn't the most sophisticated or intricate plan, but it was the only one that they had. Actually, that basically all they could hope to do. So they contented themselves with the fact that they had not been killed on the spot. That, and the fact that Deidara and Nagato had left the Allied Shinobi Forces with one final parting gift. Still, each of them was nervous at what would come next for them once they landed, if they ever did.

In Hueco Mundo, the sand was the only feature to the landscape. Occasionally dotted by rocky outcrops and occasionally petrified trees, it would seem that this world held no life. However, if one were to look beneath the sands, they would find a large cavern filled with large beasts, known only as hollows.

Hollows were once the souls of humans who remained attached to the physical realm for too long a period of time. After so much time had passed, the soul's chain of fate, the object that bound that individual soul to a certain area of place in the human world, would began to eat away at itself. Once there was nothing left to the chain, the soul became a monster. They lost all human features. Their skin becomes black as the night, the only exception being their face. No, their face instead was adorned by large, white masks with each mask being different for each Hollow.

The changes were not just physical however. The soul would also lose all memory of their past life. Who they used to be, who their loved ones were; all of it was forgotten as was every aspect of their humanity. The only human thing that these monsters felt at all was hunger. Hunger for souls, be they human, animal, or those of other Hollows.

Truly, this world was Hell. Beneath the sands is a world where every minute is a fight for survival. Above the sands is an endless desert and the sky was in perpetual darkness, the only light being emitted from the pale crescent moon that held a constant position in the night sky.

Aside from the rocks and occasional tree, however was one other feature to this otherwise barren landscape. Las Noches, the palace of the Espadas.

Within the walls of Las Noches, in a large chamber that held only a large meeting table and eleven chairs arranged around it, with one being at the head of the table.

In this chair, one that was larger and slightly more decorated than the rest, a man sat with his hands clasps before him, his chin resting on his fingers. He wore a plain, white, loose long-sleeved shirt that zipped closed in the front. He also wore a pair of loose white pants that were held up by a white sash.

He had dark brown hair that was swept back with a single lock dangling in his face. His eyes held a calm look to them. In all, he seemed rather calm. However, if one were to focus closely on his face, then they could see the clenching of jam muscles, his hands shaking slightly in anger. This man was obviously livid.

Sosuke Aizen had called for a meeting with his Espada a few minutes ago and they had all just arrived. He looked over the members of his Espada and couldn't repress the scowl on his face. To say the least, Aizen was pissed.

He had called this meeting to discuss the failed assault on Karakura Town and make revised plans for future missions. He gazed over the assembled members of his Espada, at least, what remained of them. Of his ten Espada, only half remained. Gazing at each assembled figure, Aizen's anger increased greatly. There were just so many things that he hadn't accounted for when he began his war against Soul Society's Shinigami forces.

Everything had gone so smoothly at first, from his and his followers, Kaname Tousen and Ichimaru Gin, defection from the Gotei 13 to his abduction of Orihime Inoue, the human who had the ability to literally reject reality. From there however, he had faced one disappointment after another.

He had originally expected Inoue to fully submit to his power and will. He had believed it so much so that he had allowed her to freely roam the white-wash walls of Las Noches at her leisure, though he hadn't thought she would for fear for her own life. This is where his setbacks had begun.

Instead of staying locked in her room, she had explored the palace. She had even discovered the room where Aizen had kept the Hogyoku, the small sphere of pure energy that had the ability to erase the lines between Shingami and Hollow, creating beings with great power.

Using her rejection powers, Inoue had destroyed the Hogyoku, leaving it irreparable. This was perhaps the single most devastating act that Aizen had not predicted. But it was far from his last.

Still believing he had the upper hand against his enemies, Aizen continued onward with his plans. He had not counted on Substitute Shinigami Ichigo Kurosaki, along with his friends Sado 'Chad' Yasuturo, Quincy Uryu Ishida, Rukia Kuchiki, or Renji Abarai, to invade Las Noches to rescue their friend. While surprising, they were hardly a threat to his Espada, let alone himself.

This invasion had become a threat when four Captains from the Gotei 13 and several other high-ranking units had also invaded hours later. This had resulted in the deaths of several of his own high-ranking Arrancar, Hollows with Shinigami powers, and some of the lower-level Espada.

Ichigo Kurosaki had defeated Dordonni Alessandro; Uryu had killed Cirucci Sanderwicci; and Chad had beaten Gantenbainne Mosqueda. While the loss of his Privaron Espada was unfortunate, it was far from crippling.

What was a considerable loss was Rukia Kuchiki killing Aaroniero Arruruerie, the 9th Espada. Another substantial loss was Zommari Rureaux's death at the hands of Squad 6 Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Rukia's older brother.

Their deaths were added to with the demise of Nnoitora Gilga by the maniacal Squad 11 Captain Zaraki Kenpachi. While the 5th, 7th, and 9th Espada were not the most powerful, Aizen had to compliment the Shinigami on their victories.

The most surprising, however, was when his Cero Espada, Yammy Llargo, was killed by Captains Kuchiki, Zaraki, Squad 4 Captain Retsu Unohana, and Squad 12 Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Yammy's defeat was very unfortunate, having been the strongest of the Espada Aizen left to defend Las Noches while he attacked Karakura Town to form the King's Key.

In Karakura, he was met with even more compromising developments. While he had anticipated the remaining Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 to meet his forces in Karakura Town, Aizen had not expected the Captain-Commander to appear himself.

This resulted in Aizen, Kaname, and Gin being trapped by Yamamoto's Zanpakuto. This left his three Espada and their Fraccion to deal with the Shinigami until the others could escape.

It was unsurprising that several of the Fraccion were killed at the very beginning of the battle. Still, the three top-Espada managed quite-well to handle the Captains until Aizen had managed to escape the Captain-Commander's barrier. This resulted in an even larger battle to occur.

Another unexpected occurrence was the interference of the Vizords. This caused the subsequent death of the 2nd Espada, Barragan Louisenbairn. Something far more unfortunate was Kaname's defeat and death by Captain of Squad 7, Sajin Komamura, and Lieutenant of Squad 9, Shuhei Hisagi. It was at that moment that Aizen realized he had begun to lose control of the situation.

The death of Wonderweiss Margela was devastating because he was the only countermeasure to Genryusai's Yamamoto's Zanpakuto. Ordering a full-retreat, he was met with one final surprise from his subordinate-turned-traitor Gin Ichimaru who attacked Aizen mid-retreat, leaving a jagged scar over his left eye.

Upon their return to Hueco Mundo, the survivor's of the failed assault were met by the remains of the Arrancar. The only arrancar that had actually escaped death that were not Espada or Fraccion themselves were Rudobone Chelute, Captain of the Exequias, and Menoly Mallia, and a handful of medical Arrancar, the rest having been killed.

Turning his attention back to the present, Aizen gazed upon his remaining Espada. The 8th Espada, Szayelaporro Granz, is sitting in his usual chair. He had his hands placed in his pockets, his pink hair hanging down freely. He is wearing his usual uniform that consists of a pair of white pants and a long-sleeved shirt that covers his entire torso up to his neck.

Opposite him, Tier Halibel, the 3rd Espada sit with her arms crossed under her breasts. Her eyes closed in contemplation; she is silently thanking whatever God there is that off all the Arrancar killed, none of here Fraccion were among them. Unlike most Espada, Halibel deeply cares for her Fraccion, feeling almost like a mother to them.

Two seats down from her, a man with shoulder length brown hair and a goatee sit with his head resting on is arms. Coyote Starrk, the Primera Espada, is known by all to be the laziest of his allies, preferring to sleep his days away than fight.

To Starrk's right, Ulquiorra Cifer sits patiently. The Cuarto Espada black hair reaches to his shoulders with two green lines traveling down from beneath his eyes to his lower jaw line. His pale skin giving a stark contrast to his hair and tear-line markings, he sits waiting for Aizen to begin the meeting.

Finally, opposite Ulquiorra, Grimmjow Jaggerjaques has his left elbow on the table supporting his head, his right hand lightly rubbing his head which is topped by marine blue hair.. The Sexta's face holds a deep scowl, his eyes showing his lust for battle and revenge against Kurosaki.

Clearing his throat, Aizen brings everyone's undivided attention to him. However, unlike past meeting where they looked towards him as a capable and powerful leader, their eyes now seem to judge him, to determine if they should follow this man who began a war half-cocked.

Aizen was well-aware that he needed to prove himself worthy to be their ruler once again, before the left completely. The only way to do this was to quickly strengthen their forces and launch another assault against their enemies, one that would be more successful.

"My dear Espada. Please, let us begin this meeting. I understand that the attack on Karakura Town recently was a failure. But we must not allow it to deter us from our goals. Now, are there any of you who have any questions?"

Raising his hand, Ulquiorra waited to be acknowledged. Receiving a nod, he stood and quickly bowed to Aizen. "I must ask, Aizen-sama. What shall our next coarse of action be?" This elicited several agreeing comments from the others.

"It is quite obvious what we do now, Ulquiorra. We must begin to restore our strength and replenish our energy in order to strike again as soon as possible."

"Aizen-sama, if you don't mind my asking, how are we going to do that? I mean, without the Hogyoku…" Szayel trailed of, leaving the rest to gaze at Aizen as the awaited an answer.

"Yes, with the loss of the Hogyoku, we will not be able to create more Arrancar. For that reason, we will just have to extend our search for other powerful Hollows, be they Adjuchas or Vasto Lordes, even the weaker Menos would be beneficial to our cause.

"Just remember, though we may have lost the recent battles, we will not lose this war."

Rising from his seat, Grimmjow did not await to be called upon. "And why should we listen to you exactly? You were the one that sent us all into battles, battles that we lost. You yourself were even forced back and wounded. So, why should we listen to what you have to say now?"

The others stared at Grimmjow in shock. He had never held the greatest amount of respect for Aizen before, but he had never spoken so rudely and harshly to the man before. Though he raise a good point.

Releasing a sigh as he new this question would arise eventually, Aizen answered with the most sincere smile he could. "I understand your anger Grimmjow. And you are correct; it was my own fault for I did not fully prepare us. I had rushed our plans, believing that, simply because you have both the abilities Hollow and Shinigami, you were superior by default.

"It has become painfully clear that I was mistaken, and that I should have strategized more effectively. And you are correct that I was also forced to retreat, but the interference of Hirako Shinji and his fellow Vizords and the betrayal of Gin were beyond anyone's foresight. Still, I assure you that from this point forward, we will not be defeated in any of our future confrontations with the Shinigami. Now, are there any other questions or comments?"

This time it was Halibel who stood. Receiving a nod to continue, she asked, "Aizen-sama, when do you propose we begin replenishing our ranks?"

"Immediately, my dear. I have already sensed what appears to be two Vasto Lordes in the deserts of Hueco Mundo. Ulquiorra, I would like you to go and locate them and offer them to come join the Espada. Then return with their answer. We will go from there. Understood?"

"Hai, Aizen-sama." Was the only reply from the ever stoic Arrancar.

"Excellent. I suggest the rest of you to go and rest. That is all. Dismissed." With that, Ulquirro went in search of the Vasto Lordes whilst the others went to their own sections of Las Noches.

For what seemed like days, the Akatsuki members had continued their endless descent. Some were beginning to think that they would never escape, and their demise would never come as they slowly slipped into madness in their perpetual drop.

Breaking the silence, Hidan brought a glimmer of hope to everyone. "Oi, I think I see the bottom!" Tuning to look downwards, they could make out what appeared to be a bright light. "Light? The Hell is that."

It was Orochimaru's turn to reply. "No, it's not light. No, it appears to be… sand?"

"Well, at least the landing will be softer then stone." Deidara tried to ease the others' minds.

Nagato cleared his throat, causing the others to turn towards him. "Alright, here's the plan. Partner up and prepare for a rough impact. We have no idea how deep the sand is, or what it covers. Once we land, everyone regroup at my position. We will run a check on everyone present then see if we are capable of using our jutsu. Then we'll see where we are. Understood?" Receiving nods from everyone, Nagato ordered them to partner up.

Nagato and Konan linked arms. Sasuke ad Itachi each grabbed the other's forearm, neither of them showing any indication of fear on their faces. Orochimaru being the closest to him, Hidan grabbed the pale man shoulder, having his own shoulder gripped in return. That left Deidara to group with Tobi. "Yay! Just like old times. Right, Deidara-sempai?"

"Hmm, I wonder? If I aim for my head, will it kill me?" Deiara mused to himself, resulting in several slight chuckles from some of those present.

"Alright, we're almost there. Everyone remember the plan." Nagato ordered, preparing himself for a rough landing. "Alright, twenty meters. Brace for impact!" He shouted loud enough for al to here him.

There were four large clouds of sand thrown into the air, their pale whiteness contrasting greatly against the black night sky. The members of the Akatsuki had to one thing to be thankful for; at least the sand was somewhat soft.

Well? What did you think? I will accept all reviews, flamers or not. I hold nothing against you if you flame. It is your Constitutional right under the First Amendment to the Constitution. We all have our opinions and I respect yours so long as you respect mine. PM me if you want to submit any ideas. If you do not have an account, just write your idea in your review. I will read all that come my way.

DarthMasterBane, signing out.