A brutal moon hung above the sands of Hueco Mundo, silent and unmoving. An endless sea of bleached white, interrupted by the cold bulk of a fortress. In the sand moved two figures clad in white, racing towards the entrance, unfazed by their surroundings. One, a hulking figure, bald except for the beard that hid behind the exposed mandible on his chin, whispered ragged, frustrated grumbles under his breath about their recent battle.

"Damned Shinigami scum," he muttered, hands balled into fists. He looked slightly to his left at his companion, a smaller and slimmer man, silent as the dead air of Hueco Mundo. His black hair rustled beneath his horned mask fragment, and his dead green eyes never wavering from their destination. The larger's face scowled in disgust, recalling how the latter had pulled him from his battle with the Shinigami, how he had been this close to shattering his skull beneath his bare hands.

But he dare not say a word against the man, unless he wanted a reprimand from…

As they entered the uninviting walls of Las Noches, passing through each treacherous part of the fortress with only the sound of footsteps in their wake, they remained silent. Their message to their Lord (disdainfully called simply by name by the larger) was their sole focus. Or at least it was for the smaller man.

Progressing to the throne room of Las Noches always seemed to put most Arrancar in discomfort, despite their occupancy of the fortress before Lord Aizen had seized control centuries prior. It was the spiritual pressure, the very presence of their new Lord that was disturbing in nearly every way. And the throne room merely highlighted this fact every time they entered. Darker and darker the environment became, until the throne stood before them. Unfazed by the long run, both Arrancar looked up to the throne, beholding the man who sat there. Cold brown eyes locked onto the pair with their usual condescendence. "Welcome back, Ulquiorra and Yammy," Lord Aizen said, his soft voice carrying across the unseen walls. "I presume you bring me news from the World of the Living." He sat leisurely, the cold dim light of the room catching his dark brown hair and bare, angled smile. "And I do hope this is good news."

The words weighed coldly on the room's occupants. Yammy, the larger of the two, felt a chill run up his spine. He hated himself for it, but Aizen was a man that inspired fear in most. It was Ulquiorra who spoke up, his quiet, lifeless voice reaching out. "We encountered the substitute Shinigami, Lord Aizen." His green eyes held no emotion as he gave his report.

A resounding silence lasted for many moments before Aizen lifted his head from his hand casually. "And? Were you successful in disposing of him?" His tone never changed, but the intent behind his words was very clear.

With that, Ulquiorra raised his hand to his face, fingers spread, swiftly pulling his left eye from its socket. He held it out before Aizen and the hidden council of figures lurking in the dark, deftly crushing it. His Solita Vista slowly came into being, revealing the short battle that had occurred hours before. Aizen watched silently as the young, orange-haired Shinigami struggled with Yammy. His jaw clenched when witnessing the others joining in, particularly when a certain blond shopkeeper came into view. As the vision dissipated into nothingness once more, Aizen closed his eyes after watching, seeing as the boy was left alive in the World of Living, swiftly cut off by the darkness that followed. "As you can see, my Lord, the substitute was left alive," Ulquiorra said, ending the silence. "He currently poses no threat to us. I left him alive merely to –"

"Ya left that little brat alive?!"

From the dark came a loud, enraged voice. Into the light came a blue-haired Arrancar, his sky-blue eyes razor sharp. His disdain for Ulquiorra came in full force, edging his words with malice at his peer's decision - if he stooped so low to call him such a thing. "Ya let the Shinigami live, knowin' full well ya could've taken 'im? Have ya gone soft, Ulquiorra?" Yammy sneered at this voice of dissent, feeling attacked indirectly. The blue-haired assailant turned his gaze to Yammy, a predatory smile taking over his gaunt face, spreading behind the jawbone fragment dangerously. "Even Yammy couldn't kill off the brat," he spat into the hulking Arrancar's direction. "Maybe ya just got scared, seein' Yammy fail so miserably! I'm right, ain't I?"

Yammy growled. "Shut the hell up, Grimmjow! I doubt your blue raspberry lookin' ass could have done much better!"

Grimmjow's head lowered like a predatory cat's, his eyes locked in concentration. "What'd ya call me, lard ass?" he chastised. "I couldn't hear ya over your 10 marking!" In an instant, the spiritual concentration of the room had heightened.

Yammy's hand reached for his zanpakuto, ready to take on anyone who dared call him out for his poor performance on the mission. "God, I hate cats like you-"

A smaller, pale hand was placed on Yammy's sword hand, halting the oncoming battle. "If you two infants could silence yourselves, I will explain why I left the Shinigami alive." With a grunt, Yammy lets go of his sword, never taking his eyes off Grimmjow. Foiled yet again by his superior. It was getting annoying.

As the spiritual pressure of the room returned more or less to normal, Ulquiorra began to explain himself. "The boy, Ichigo Kurosaki, has the potential to be as powerful as Lord Aizen has said. However, his current status is very weak and unstable, and, unless he receives proper training and guidance, he will simply self-destruct if left alone. He currently poses no threat to our plans, and, if need be, he could simply become a pawn."

Agitated by the calm explanation of his superior, Grimmjow snarled, "But what if yer wrong, Ulquiorra?" His face contorted into dissenting rage once more. "What if the Kurosaki brat becomes powerful enough to get in our way? What'll ya do then?"

Without flinching at the accusations hurled his way, the now one-eyed Espada looked towards Grimmjow disdainfully and calmly stated, "If that is the case, then I will take care of the boy. Trash isn't hard to dispose of, after all." With that, he returned his focus once more on Lord Aizen, who sat in his throne, mildly amused by the skirmishes of his pawns.

"Well done, Ulquiorra," he said, his voice echoing smoothly across the room. "Your actions are commendable and calculating, worthy of your standing." Stepping back into the darkness, the blue-haired Espada fumed at the praised bestowed on Ulquiorra, biting his tongue... for now.

Sitting straight up now, the dimly lit lord beheld the gathering of his army, as well as the men to his peripheral – Kaname Tosen and Gin Ichimaru. Things were falling into place, even if a little haphazardly. But what is a ruler without a well thought out plan? "We will convene at a later date," he concluded. "Continue on with your tasks until then."

As silently as they came, the Espada left, disappearing into their dark corners and fortresses within Las Noches' confines. Not long after they left, Gin's slippery voice piped up. "Ya sure ya wanna leave the substitute Shinigami alive?" Though his eyes were shut, anyone could have felt the judgmental eyes he directed towards Aizen. "Grimmjow may be just a hot head, but I foresee lots of complications with just leavin' Kurosaki be."

Across from him, Tosen spoke, his words firm. "Lord Aizen has seen all possible scenarios here, Gin. Do you dare to question him after all the progress we've made?"

Gin scoffed, his paper thin-grin tightening. "No questionin' here," he deflected. "Jus' merely curious to know why we'd wanna leave a glarin' lose end like that. I'm sure Lord Aizen has a perfectly good reason." The sarcasm was not lost on either of the men.

Aizen appeared unmoved, his eyes still looking forward into the darkness. "Ah, Gin," he said softly. His voice was melodic, yet still cold in tone. "We've come this far, why question me now? Are you having doubts, perhaps?" Upon the question, only Aizen's eyes moved, looking at Gin. "I certainly hope not."

Grin widening even further, the silver-haired man replied, "Ya know where my loyalties lie, Lord Aizen." He looked like a snake stretching his jaw, waiting to swallow his prey whole. Tosen said nothing, watching the mild standoff with shoulders tensed and zanpakuto at the ready.

Aizen smiled. "Oh, I do," he said, leaning forward, hoisting himself off the throne. "I certainly do." Looking to his left, he called out to a hidden servant. "Bring us some tea." The sound of footsteps in the darkness started close and then receded to a place farther into the distance.

"Come," he said to the two men. "We have much to discuss."

The three men convened in a small, dark room with an overhead light revealing a white stone table surrounded by several chairs. At the head of the table, Aizen sipped his tea silently, eyes lilting closed. The other two left their tea untouched, watching him silently. Gin's smile rested on his face as he lay his chin on his knitted hands. Tosen remained as silent and stoic as ever, his blind eyes aimed towards Aizen. With a clink, the tea cup was placed on the table. As he spoke, Aizen's fingers ran along the rim, calculating.

"A recent development in the world of the living has come to my attention," he began, his words slow and deliberate. "We have a new piece on the game board."

This resulted in a slight reaction from Gin, who raised his head slightly and his smirk lessened. "Oh?" he inquired. "Who would this new plaything be, I wonder?"

Looking upward, Aizen savored his words. It was always interesting to see how this little adventure would divert and provide new opportunities. And this one was, at the very least, tantalizing. "We have a possible individual in the world of the living who just might find themselves here very soon, replacing a certain loose end here."

It was Tosen's turn to inquire. "Why exactly are you informing us of this?" His head was tilted to the side, his purple visor catching the light. "It's unlike you to divulge a backup plan like this to us unless something were to occur in the next few days. Are you expecting a loose end to arise?"

This time, a small smirk formed on Aizen's face. "Perhaps," he said, raising the tea cup to his lips once more. He took a small pause, loving the tension in the room. It was always a pleasure to distress his underlings. A small sip of the bitter tea coated his tongue and he continued. "It seems we will be replacing a certain… Espada."

This seemed to slightly shock both of the men, who shifted in their seats. "Which of the Espada, exactly?" Gin asked, genuinely confused now. "And for what reason?" Tosen said nothing still, but seemed to share the same curiosity.

"All will be revealed in due time," was all Aizen could say. The tink tink of the cup lifting and falling on the table as he twirled it what all that filled the room after that. The two men seemed stumped, but didn't dare to press the subject anymore. They rose and silently and exited the room, heading off to their private wings within the fortress.

Of course, anyone who lived between the walls of Las Noches would be foolish to believe that there are not eyes and ears at every corner. Even Sosuke Aizen was aware of the creatures lurking in the dark, ravenous for the gossip they could spread in his dead kingdom. So he wasn't surprised to hear the soft pitter patter of feet and limbs travelling off, racing to spread the news…