Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or any of the characters.
A/N: This is my first fanfic. Each chapter will be from the point of view of a captain or other main character (I will write their name in bold at the top of the chapter). This does not have the espada, or follow the Hueco Mundo arc. It is my own idea of how the battle between soul society and Aizen is fought.
Prologue:
Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni
They all fell. Ranked officer or former ryoka or exiled captain, quincy or human or shinigami, soldier or healer, they all fell. Each in their own way, and in their own time. The few that remain will fall. I, the commander, will be last. I, too, in the end will fall.
I stand before the gravestones of the deceased. Soon, I too will fall. Aizen is waiting. Now, as I gaze over the walls of Seireitei, I can see him. Standing outside the walls, where Rukongai once stood, biding his time until I, the last obstacle before he truly stands in heaven, go to face him. I will not succeed.
I look back once more at our once peaceful city. It is still beautiful, and the Shrine of Penitence still stands in its glory at the center. This was the place that we all fought to protect. This is the place that thousands have given their lives for.
After he takes over soul society, Aizen will travel to the human world. The arrancar and the menos will utterly destroy cities and people alike. The world will have ended. Nothing will remain.
The few shinigami left alive stand along the battlements, waiting. Everything is waiting. Everything is silent. The entire world seems to be holding its breath before what must be the end. The cause is hopeless. And yet we still are on the alert, looking for the enemy, and yet we still prepare to fight. We will all fight until the end. Then we will die.
That day still remains fresh in my mind. The day when Aizen acquired the Hougyoku. That was the day that we truly failed. In our inability to see through his deceit and trickery, we sealed our own fate, and the fate of all three dimensions, human, Hueco Mundo, and Soul Society. Even then, had we been faster, the Menos might not have been able to rescue him. Then was our last chance to defeat him.
We made one attempt for peace. Three were sent. None returned. They were 2nd Division Vice Captain Ohmaeda Marechiyo, 9th Division Vice Captain Hisagi Shuuhei and 4th Division Vice Captain Kotetsu Isane. Soon afterward, 12th Division Vice Captain Kurotsuchi Nemu disappeared. Nobody knew for sure what happened to any of them, but that was Aizen's declaration of war.