Road to Ruin Chapter 1, a bleach fanfic

A/N: Hello everyone! Just dropping by to say a few things before we begin. To those who are new here and have not read Road to Redemption, I welcome you and hope you enjoy my fics. This fic, in particular, is meant to be a sort of origin story to Sosuke Aizen and many of the other Bleach villains. This story is mostly AU given that as 2018 Tite had shot down many of the headcanons I implement in this fic ( The first draft of it was written in 2012) so if that isn't your cup of tea I recommend you skip it. The fic's also OC heavy, some of them even paired with canon characters, so again, if you don't like these tropes feel free to skip the fic entirely.

Now for those of you who have read Road to Redemption, glad to see ya again and I'm sorry for the small cliffhanger back there, we'll take care of that soon, fear not. There'll be moments with the couples from redemption as they appear in the story. keep in mind that this fic will span almost 300 years in terms of events, but I will make sure to have our GinRan, HItsuhina and of course, our Ulquihime in there. As always I hope you enjoy and Thanks for reading!

Chapter 1: The Sun Rises

The storm outside seemed insignificant compared to what Hanabira was feeling at the moment. Another rush of pain went through her as she pushed. Kyoraku and Ukitake were both squeezing her hand. "Hang in there." The white-haired captain whispered.

"That's it Hana, just one more time!" Unohana's calm voice was almost inaudible through the buzzing in her ears. Hanabira felt as if the room was spinning, she wasn't sure if she could make it.

'Just one more' she tried to ease herself, pushing as hard as she could before her energy was drained. Lighting struck as she gave her final push, then the white room was filled with the sound of a baby's cries.

"That's our girl!" Kyoraku chuckled. "You did it Hana-Chan!"

"Congratulations! It's a beautiful baby boy!" Unohana had cleaned the baby and wrapped him in a white blanket, she passed the bundle onto Hanabira's arms.

He was beautiful, a patch of dark brown hair rested on his small head, his skin was a peach color and his eyes... they were his father's eyes.

"What shall you name him?" Ukitake's question brought her back to reality. Hanabira thought for a moment before smiling.

"His name shall be Sosuke. Sosuke Aizen."

Ukitake smiled back. "That sounds lovely! Little Sosuke Aizen, do you like that?" He talked to the newborn who let out a yawn. "I guess he does."

"He'll probably be a lady killer like uncle Shunsui." He teased. The rest of the group rolled their eyes. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm sure Sosuke will appreciate having you all here to help care for him." Hanabira smiled at her friends.

"We'll have all the paperwork in order soon so you can fill it. Get some rest, okay." Captain Unohana had to drag the other two captains out the door with her.

"I will. Thanks, everyone!"

They nodded in acknowledgment before leaving the room. Hanabira looked once again at her son, his small hand was stretched trying to grasp one of her curls.

She chuckled as she caressed his hair. "You're going to do amazing things my little prince." he cooed in response. "Yes. I'm sure if it. Now sleep, I love you."

It seemed as if the child understood. After a few minutes of being caressed, he fell asleep, moving his small body towards her warmth.

Hanabira was drifting away too. How was she going to deal with this? There were so many things she knew, and so much that could go wrong...

'No. Stop, Nobody even knew you were pregnant. They won't suspect a thing. You'll keep Sosuke safe and happy.' she mused her thoughts over and over, eventually falling into an uneasy slumber.

100 Years Later

The summer sun shone over the Rukon District of Junrinan, as the mother and son duo strolled through the street. Sosuke Aizen had grown into a fine child, very polite and intelligent if a bit shy.

"Where are we going, Mother?" Sosuke asked.

"We'll be visiting my friends today. It's been a while since I have last seen them."

"I see. May I ask about them?"

"They're from Latin America, a married couple, and they have a daughter that's about your age. I'm sure you'll get along."

Sosuke doubted that. In his short lifespan, he enough experiences in social matters to tell they weren't of his interest. Most children were fearful of his spiritual presence, and their topics of conversation did not endear him in the slightest.

The pair arrived at their destination, a small cream-colored house with a traditional grey roof. A woman was waiting for them, she had tanned skin and curly blonde hair. While she was very beautiful what drew Sosuke's attention most was her eyes, they were an icy blue color, and seem to sparkle in the sunlight.

"Hello Hanabira, It's nice to see you again." The woman set her sights on Sosuke and smiled brightly, she bent down to his level before speaking. "You must be Sosuke. It's nice to meet you, my name's Marianna De La Rosa." She extended her hand and he shook it.

"Nice to meet you too."

As Marianna rose he noticed someone was hiding behind her. It was a little girl with pale skin, long black hair and the same icy blue eyes as her mother.

"Come out Anna Maria." Marianna gently moved her forward. Anna clung to her mother's waist. She was blushing a little and remained quiet.

"I'm sorry, she's very shy." Marianna looked at her daughter. "These are Hanabira and Sosuke. They're the friends I mentioned."

"Hi." Her voice was uncertain, but she was making an effort.

"You know Sosuke is really into science. Maybe you two could chat."

Anna's shy demeanor seemed to melt under those words. "I like science too! Do you like physics Souske-San?"

He chuckled. "I do. It's an interesting topic." The reaction from the girl was unexpected but welcomed all the same.

"We'll be inside. You two may walk around the district if you like. Have fun!"

Hanabira and Marianna headed inside while their children walked away from the house.

"I know where we can go. Follow me, Sosuke-San!" Anna led Sosuke to a peaceful place in the middle of the district.

It was a hill, surrounded by lush greenery and exotic flowers. At the top, there was a gigantic cherry blossoms tree in bloom.

"This place is lovely. Did you plant all of this yourself?" He asked.

Anna nodded. "Most plants here are medicinal, it's hard to come by medicine here in Rukon, so I wanted to fix that."

"That's very wise of you. This solution might be good enough to implement on other districts."

"Thank you! Can I tell you a secret Sosuke-San?"

"Yes of course."

"I want to be a shinigami when I grow up. That way I can help the people of the districts!"

"A worthy goal of I may say, but it will be hard to achieve. Besides there are many who value status above all, these people might make things harder for you."

"I don't care about them, I will study hard and prove I'm worthy!"

The girl's determination was admirable. The so-called 'gifted' children of the Sereitei were not concerned with the wellbeing of the Rukon citizens.

"I can see you're determined, so I shall be your tutor."

"Really? Yay!"

"Since you're interested in science and research you might fit best on the 12th Squad. We shall start with science lessons."

They talked about equations for a while. He was surprised to learn that the little girl was in advance stage of studying the topic, just at about his level. He had drawn many equations on the sand with a branch, and she'd successfully identified them all. Along with their theories.

"What about this one?" He asked.

Anna stared at the symbols on the ground with confusion. "I have never seen this one before."

(∂ + m) ψ = 0

"This is the quantum entanglement or quantum connection. Two particles that, at some point were joined, are still related in some way. No matter the distance between the two, even if they are at opposite ends of the Universe. The connection between them is instantaneous." He explained without tearing his eyes from her curious gaze.

"That sounds weirdly romantic." She sighed.

A loud growl could be heard across the district. Aizen could tell it was a hollow and where it was located. He immediately took Anna's hand "We must return to your family's home. I shall lead the way."

Anna nodded, she held on tightly to him. They roamed the street evading the many panicked people. Just when they were about to reach Anna's family house another hollow dropped out of the sky.

The pair took a few steps back. Sosuke thought for a moment of what to do. Despite receiving history and science lessons from his mother he was too young to learn shinigami tactics, let alone execute them properly.

'Unless...' A reckless thought crossed his mind, yet in the face of danger he knew he had to act quickly.

"Anna, hide behind me, I shall subdue the hollow."

"But you'll get hurt!"

"No, I won't. Just trust me."

The little girl nodded, and hid behind him, never letting go of his hand. Sosuke concentrated his spiritual pressure on the hollow, his control wasn't very good, but the majority of the weight did pull the hollow down.

The hollow screamed and thrashed but was soon overpowered. 'Strange, I've never been able to fully subdue one before.'

Before he could process this change in his ability, he saw his mother slice the hollow in half. Anna's parents ran towards them and shielded them until the hollow vanished completely.

"It's okay. Let's go back to the house."

Sosuke didn't remember when he blacked out, his eyes were fixed in an unfamiliar ceiling. He was on a bed on the floor, and the room smelled like flowers. 'Where am I?'

"Sosuke-San?" A concerned voice made him turn to his side. Anna was on her own small bed, crying her eyes out. "I thought you got hurt. I'm glad you're okay."

He had to force a chuckle in order to soothe the young girl. The truth was he had a horrible headache, and his whole body felt heavy as if his spirit energy had all been used. "I feel fine Anna-San. Do you feel ok?"

She nodded. At that moment the door to the room creaked open. Hanabira came in with two steaming cups of tea. "Oh good, you two are awake. We were all so worried!" She placed the tray down and checked on the children. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, mother."

Hanabira kissed his forehead and turned to look at Anna. "What about you sweetie? Are you feeling well?"

Anna nodded. "I'm sorry. I was the one who suggested we went so far. I gave you all a scare."

"Don't say that sweetie. This wasn't your fault, Junrinan is the safest district this was just one of the off days where something went wrong. Everyone's safe and I'm sure you two had fun. So dry those tears, ok?"

With a sad smile, Anna wiped away her tears. Hanabira left the room after the kids had drank their tea and calmed down. Sosuke scooted closer to Anna, and she seemed to instinctively lean on his shoulder. "Are you sure you're not mad?"

"I am not. I had fun with you. Back home I don't have any friends but have been very nice to me, Anna. I was hoping you'd like to be friends."

"I'm happy to hear that. Because I really want to be your friend too." Anna hugged him, taking away the discomfort of his injuries.

Sosuke smiled. "Good."

"Anna is okay, she just woke up."

"That's good to know. Is Aizen uninjured as well?"

"Yes. I'm impressed with my little boy, he's getting so strong." Pride was palpable in Hanabira's voice. "I'm sure he'll do well in the Academy!"

Marianna and Armando were quiet for a moment. "Hana, what kind of place is the Soul Reaper academy?"

She was surprised as to why her friend would ask her that. "It's nice, for me it was though at first but eventually you get used to it, and they don't let you graduate until you're ready to truly fight. I find it efficient. Why'd you ask?"

Armando sighed. "Well, for the past few weeks Anna's been eating more than usual, she also seems to be a little on edge. We asked her about it and she tells us that it's likely she's awakening spiritual power."

"Anna's theory is correct. A big appetite and slight paranoia are symptoms of increasing spiritual power. It's not surprising, even as a newborn she radiated potential for shinigami powers."

"I suppose we should have seen it coming. A child that was conceived in the human world but born as a soul here, it does sound special."

Hanabira noticed her friends seemed concerned about this development. She understood the life of a shinigami was not an easy one. She also knew Anna was a smart child who would jump at the opportunity to learn and protect others, despite her shy personality.

"Hey, it'll be alright. I will personally train Anna if I have to, your baby will be in safe hands once she joins the academy. I promise."

"That's very reassuring. I'm sure Anna would be glad to have a teacher as great as you," said Marianna. "Speaking of teaching, are you still planning on writing that book you mentioned before?"

"I am not sure. It's not as if I don't have enough material to work with, but perhaps I should wait just for a while longer. A change could take place at any moment."

"Regardless of what you chose to do, we have something for you." Armando raised one of the floorboards and pulled out a stack of papers. "These are from various Rungokai residents. We tried to get at least one of every district, and also threw in some from retired shinigami."

"That's amazing, I'm flattered you went through so much trouble for me! Thank you."

"It's no problem dear. Now if you'll excuse me I just smelled my dumplings burning." Armando dashed onto the house and headed straight for the kitchen.

Marianna laughed. "Sometimes I can't believe I married that cutie. Let's go eat."

With the papers in hand, Hanabira walked into the house a renewed desire for writing. Whether or not she published it would not matter so as long as she got it done. 'This work cannot go to waste.'

"Papa, did you almost burn the dumplings again?" Anna and Sosuke walked downstairs presumably after smelling the smoky dumplings.

Armando chuckled. "I wouldn't say burn, more like turned crispy. Here you go." He handed everyone a bowl with teriyaki dumplings before taking one for himself. "If you like you and Sosuke-San can go eat at the roof."

"Yay! C'mon Sosuke I know you'll love this!"

Aizen blushed as Anna took his hand and guided him back upstairs. The adults all shared a laugh.

"Seems like your little plan work Hana-san. Those two look awfully similar to me and Armando when we were kids."

Hanabira smiled. "I'm sure they'll do great things together."

She was right. The view from the roof of the house was amazing, the whole district was visible. He could see the people as they walked by, or the numerous animals that ran through the streets.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yes, it's quite lovely. A shame that people can't appreciate this."

"Huh? What do you mean, Sosuke-San?"

"When one's mind is troubled it's hard to see beauty. An aching stomach takes precedent over admiring the scenery...I guess I just find it shameful that for all the great achievements of the Soul Society we haven't fixed the issues here in Rungokai."

"I can see that. Jurinan is a nice place, but the lower the number of a district the worst they get, sometimes I'm scared that we could have ended up in a worst district."

The fear was palpable in her voice, Sosuke didn't blame her. As a young shinigami he was not allowed to visit the high numbered districts, he had seen pictures of them in books, the desolate images were engraved in his mind. 'It isn't fair. I can only imagine what it would be like if we were in that position.'

Imagining his mother's lovely face stained by sorrow and hunger was not a pretty picture. He knew she'd do anything to keep him safe, even if it meant subjecting herself to the worst.

"Sosuke-San, are you ok? You look a little pale." He felt Anna place her hand on his forehead and calmed down.

"Forgive me, I just... These themes can be heavy to handle. Perhaps I shouldn't have brought it up."

"I'm glad you did! There aren't many shinigami who care about the districts. It's nice to know there are some that do."

He smiled. "When you graduate the Soul Reaper Academy, they make you promise that you'll honor the shinigami's duty to protect all souls. That promise seems to ring hollow when I see how little they do for the souls in Rukon. I want to change that."

"Then do so, you have the intelligence and you have power. I'm certain you can accomplish that."

"One person alone is not enough to change an entire system."

"Perhaps not, but one is enough to start the change, then one turns to two, then ten, then fifty, and the numbers keep growing if the cause is right. I promise to support you if this is what you chose to do."

Was she being serious? What begun as idle chatter became a promise. Anna had just met him, they were just children, this wouldn't work...Would it?

Maybe it was too early to decide, a lot could happen before they were ready to try. He would wait, even if the very thought was tempting enough to make his heart race.

Anna had felt somewhat lonely when Sosuke and Hanabira left. She caught herself thinking of them as she washed the dishes.

"Did you have fun today darling?" Her dad asked her as he helped put away the clean cutlery.

"Yes, I did papa. Sosuke was really nice and he's good company."

"I'm glad you think so because your mother and I were thinking about preparing your application for the shinigami academy."

She dropped a plate when she heard that. "T-this soon? I k-know what's been happening lat- lately, but I don't know if I'm ready..."

"Shhhh, hey it's okay. No one's saying you're leaving right now. We were just talking to Hanabira about it. You have potential and we know that you do amazing things. Just think about the possibilities, a pretty house and all the yummy food you may want."

"That sounds lovely...but I don't want to leave you." Anna's voice had cracked before the last words and tears were forming on her eyes

Armando's face softened as he brought her close for a hug. "Aw, darling I'm happy you love us that much, but baby birds must always leave the nest when they grow. You can still visit us. Our door will always be open to you."

'I know.' She wanted to say but kept quietly hugging her dad instead. Her mind went back to the conversation she'd had with Sosuke in the afternoon. 'One is not enough, but two increases the odds.'

"Papa, I'll do it. I'll be an amazing shinigami! You and mama will be very proud!"

"We already are," Marianna told her as she entered the room. Both of her parents hugged Anna, wrapping her in that familiar warmth she adored.

'I'll do it for you.'

A chime from the clock awoke Sosuke, he was so exhausted from his encounter with the hollow that he immediately went to sleep upon arriving at the house.

'Its midnight.' He was about to turn the other way and resume his slumber, but then he heard faint voices from the other side of the door.

Very carefully he walked towards it and cracked it open slightly. Sosuke kneeled on the floor and directed all his attention towards the conversation.

"Are you certain about that, Captain Ukitake?" His mother spoke, her tone anxious and a little disappointed.

"I am afraid so, Hanabira-San. The Captain Commander has officially declared us at war with the quincy."

He fell backward upon hearing that. 'No. It can't be. Mom has been trying to keep this from happening...'

"We can't disobey an order from the Head Captain, but I really wish it didn't have to be this way." He could hear the disappointment in her voice, it made him hurt too.

"I know. I am sorry, truly I am. Things shouldn't have come to this. If it helps you, I will make sure you're not sent to the front lines."

"Thanks, Jyuushiro."

Sosuke closed the door. He let his mother have her moment with the Captain in private. As a studious prodigy, Sosuke was well aware of the quinces, and their seemingly one-sided rivalry with the shinigami.

The quincy were humans with the power to use and to produce spirit weapons, unlike zanpakutos that were used to purify hollows and send them to Rukon or to hell, quincy weapons completely erased a hollow. This altered the balance between living and dead souls, and it also broke the cycle of reincarnation.

He understood that perhaps it was for the best for quincies to not interfere in these matters, but that did not mean that war was necessary. Sosuke was almost certain that no negotiations had taken place. The quincies did not have anything to gain from war, they were normal humans and seemingly comfortable on the human world.

'Killing humans...that goes against the shinigami's duty.' and yet, it seemed like nobody cared.

Sosuke walked over to his small desk near the window, he grabbed a brush, ink, and paper, then proceeded to write. His mind went over everything possible plan that he could muster, every variable meticulously calculated to perfection, in the end, he had found a solution. One which would not cause bloodshed, but would most likely have to be implemented in secret.

Rays of gold distracted him. He gazed at the window, it had dawned by the time he had dotted the last sentence. His room was full of scattered papers and books, but he didn't mind. Sosuke just looked out the window and smiled.

'What a beautiful sunrise.'