"This is unacceptable! If the members of the 11th division renounce their pledge to protect the soul society due to the arrest and confinement of Kenpachi Zaraki, then they too shall face judgment!" A deep baritone voice barked.
Shunsui Kyoraku let out a deep sigh as he allowed his eye to close—it wasn't like he had expected anything less from the central 46. Now not only was he being forced to confine an innocent man, that man's whole squad would be placed under arrest, leaving the soul society in chaos. Already Shunsui could hear the whispers going around as he walked by, it seemed not many of the other officers understood the reason behind captain Zaraki's imprisonment either.
"We hereby issue the capture and arrest of any man belonging to the 11th division, they are to be locked in chains upon capture and escorted to the maggots nest; this is the ruling of the central 46." The voice of a female rang out bitterly.
"Do you really think that's going to solve anything? Captain Zaraki was important to these men, it only makes sense that they would rebel." Shunsui countered, trying his best to make the panel of lawmakers see reason.
"This is more than just men showing contempt! This is treason! Did you not just say the lieutenant of squad 11 proclaimed they would deny aid to the soul society in a time of need!?" Another man bellowed from his left.
Shunsui lowered his head, once again feeling as if he were stuck between a rock and a hard place—it was too late to backpedal now; he'd already set fuel to the fire by allowing Zaraki to be sealed and confined and now he would have to face the music.
"The 11th division is no longer within the walls of the Seireitei." Shunsui admitted.
"You allowed their escape!? Why did you not place the 11th division lieutenant under arrest the minute his treasonous declaration was spoken!?" Another man questioned.
"Honestly, I didn't think they would go to such measures, I guess the squad 11 lieutenant is more cunning than he appears." Shunsui answered with a shake of his head.
Ikkaku Madarame had kept his promise and kept it well; every man of the 11th division had protested the arrest of their captain by abandoning the very area they had sworn to protect at all costs. When Ikkaku had made his statement, Shunsui had figured they would just try and block themselves off from the rest of the officers and simply refuse if any trouble appeared, but, his hunch had been wrong.
Just hours after his confrontation with Ikkaku; the 11th division had disappeared into the rukon district sending a wave of panic throughout the Seireitei. Now that the 11th division was gone; it was like their forces had lost their heavy hitters and apparently that notion made many of the other officers uncomfortable.
"Ikkaku Madarame is hereby stripped of his position of Lieutenant of the 11th division and will now be seen as nothing more than a deserter! Dispatch the punishment force, along with squad 9 in order to seize and capture every man under his command!" A curt voice demanded, sealing the fate of every man that belonged to the 11th division.
"Tell me, Zaraki, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Sosuke Aizen smiled as he finally asked the question that had been on the tip of his immortal tongue for hours now. It seemed like the squad 11 captain had been through quite the ordeal.
"Couldn't tell ya…" Kenpachi answered honestly.
Aizen paused, silently contemplating the situation for many minutes in the darkness. One would think the thought of being locked inside a dark void with a man such as Kenpachi Zaraki would send fear hurling down his spine, but not for Sosuke, no, when it came to fear it was an emotion he had tossed away many years before along with his mortality—what I feel is something of a completely different nature; I'm intrigued.
"One usually doesn't get treated this harshly for nothing. Is it perhaps due to the recent acquiring of your Bankai? It is my understanding that your power has become quite formidable." Sosuke stated, as he gazed upon the black abyss that surrounded them.
Kenpachi turned his head to the direction of the man's voice; the room was too dark to even make out his silhouette, but it appeared Aizen didn't have any problems running his mouth—weird, I thought they sealed him from being able to talk?
"What the hell would me achieving Bankai have to do with this?" Kenpachi countered; curious of Aizen's train of thought.
"Shouldn't it be obvious? The only man strong enough to keep one such as you in line has perished and you have been unsealed. For those in higher places facts such as these can create quite the uncomfortable sensation." Sosuke answered.
"The fuck you tryin' to say? That just because the old man died, now I'm seen as a threat for getting stronger?" Kenpachi countered.
"Does it not fit with their previous behaviors? Come on, Zaraki, you know as well as I do; if you show them undeniable power they will go to any means to keep you under control, even if that means locking you up and throwing away the key. They've done this for many years…" Sosuke answered.
"Tch. Don't sit there and act like we're on the same terms, we both know that's bullshit…" Kenpachi retorted.
Aizen allowed himself to chuckle at the other man's observations—true as it may be, it did not change the fact they both sat locked together inside an abysmal void; if it hadn't been for the gift of Aizen's immortality, he feared his own mind would have broken years before, simply due to his isolation—Zaraki may be strong, but he is no immortal.
"One more thing; how is it that a man with such power as yours was able to be confined? I've been trying to come up with an answer on my own; but I'm afraid I am at a loss." Sosuke continued; deciding not to comment on Zaraki's last statement regarding "terms."
Kenpachi turned his head forward, even in the darkness he couldn't look in the man's direction as the same foreign feeling from before washed over him, leaning his head back against the stone wall behind him, Kenpachi allowed himself to sigh heavily.
"Kurotsuchi…" Kenpachi answered, knowing he wouldn't need to go into any more details.
"Ah, I see. Of course, they would use someone of his expertise to subdue the "Kenpachi." Aizen smiled.
Kenpachi allowed his eyes to close against the pitch black space and for the first time, he didn't feel the pride blooming in his chest when being referred to by his title; true, he was still alive and even though what happened between him and Mayuri Kurotsuchi couldn't really be classified as a fight; it didn't change anything—I was taken down by one of that bastards tricks...
Sosuke Aizen allowed his left eye to close, once more allowing his immortal mind to wonder into the meditative state that had been able to keep him sane over the years. One thing the immortal man knew better than most was that the mind knew how to play some rather dirty tricks—yes, I'm afraid I can already feel the sickening weight of despair lingering in the darkness.
Isane Kotetsu let out a gasp as she felt a sharp pressure hit her square in the chest—Captain Zaraki!?
"H…how could you have let this happen?" Isane whispered as she lifted her grey eyes to the man that stood in front of her.
"Isane, I'm sorry…there was nothing I could do." Shunsui replied, feeling more than helpless as he watched the young captain walk over to the chair that sat behind her desk to take a seat. Shunsui sighed heavily as he watched the woman shake her head as if in disbelief.
"This…this makes no sense! Captain Zaraki inherited the legacy from Captain Unohana! Do they not see that they make light of her memory!? With Captain Zaraki confined they undermine her decisions, they mock the title of "Kenpachi!" Isane rambled angrily as tears of frustration and sadness filled her eyes.
"It gets worse…" Shunsui continued.
Isane raised her head, giving the head captain her attention just as fresh tears fell down her cheeks.
"Squad 11 has been disbanded; the remaining members have been labeled as deserters for protesting Captain Zaraki's imprisonment." Shunsui explained.
Isane gaped at him as his explanation hit her; her breath coming shallow as her chest fought to take in a decent amount of breath—Lady Unohana!
"Disbanded!? My captain's squad, my captain's legacy, everything she stood for, all of her pride, you're telling me it was for nothing!?" Isane yelled across her desk.
"I know you're upset, Isane, but please, try and calm down…" Shunsui replied as he closed the distance between them and stood in front of her desk; he held his straw hat in his hands absent mindedly spinning the brim between his fingers.
"Calm down? You come here and tell me that the central 46 has completely disregarded the memory of my captain and you tell me to calm down?" Isane retorted with a scowl.
Shunsui averted his gaze not liking the fact the woman had been brought to tears over his news; it had been hard enough knowing he would eventually have to be the one to tell her face to face what had come of Kenpachi Zaraki—the man who had surpassed her captain in a fight to the death.
"I'm not gonna lie, I don't know much of what happened between Captain Unohana and Captain Zaraki, only what I've been told by others. I'm sure you know a lot more about it then I do with you being Unohana's subordinate for all those years." Shunsui rambled as his own comfort was tested even farther; he didn't want to overstep his boundaries when it came to the former captain of squad 4; the first Kenpachi and founder of the 11th Division; Yachiru Unohana.
"My captain made her own choices based on her own judgment, nobody can speak for her or Captain Zaraki; the central 46 has no right to pass judgment on Captain Zaraki in this way, they were not present during that battle!" Isane countered as she lifted her hands to wipe at her tears.
"Neither were you." Shunsui retorted.
Isane's lips parted as if in disbelief of the man's audacity to make such a comment.
"I didn't have to be, Captain Unohana made her intentions very clear! Don't pretend that you didn't know the outcome! It was you who brought the issue of Captain Zaraki's power up in the first place!" Isane rebuked angrily.
Shunsui allowed his head to fall forward at the woman's retort, knowing that she was right and even though her anger and frustration had merit, he couldn't help but feel the need to warn her.
"Speaking out of tune will only get you into trouble right now, Isane."
"Is that a threat or a warning, Head Captain?" Isane snapped.
Shunsui lifted his gaze giving the woman the courtesy of that much before he answered her.
"A warning, we've already taken a huge blow by losing squad 11, I would hate to lose squad 4 on top of that."
"Are you saying if I spoke on Zaraki's behalf to the central 46 they would label me a traitor?" Isane asked; her voice filled with indignation.
"I wouldn't recommend finding out." Shunsui answered.
Isane turned her head giving the man her profile as her anger rose to another degree—not only were the central 46 dishonoring the memory of her captain, they were holding an innocent man in confinement; the very man that had gone out of his way to protect the soul society from their enemies on multiple accounts.
Shunsui turned on his heel figuring it would be best to leave the woman in peace as she dealt with her emotions but was halted by her next question.
"How did you do it? How did you manage to confine my captain's successor?" Isane asked, not even bothering to turn her head to face him.
"Captain Kurotsuchi implanted him with a device; it's sealed his spiritual pressure making him more along the lines of human." Shunsui answered.
"Where is Captain Zaraki?" Isane snapped.
"The Muken." Shunsui replied as he gave the woman his back and with a heavy heart and a guilty mind, the head captain left her with her racing thoughts.
Kenpachi Zaraki lay on the cold concrete floor of the Muken with his eyes open. It had been at least two hours since his immortal cell mate had made so much as a sound. The eerie feeling of being locked in a room with another, yet, the stagnant sound of silence was beginning to take its toll—I never realized how loud silence could be.
Kenpachi turned his head to the left, feeling the cold from the ground underneath him against his cheek and as he moved. Kenpachi felt the uncomfortable pull at the incision in his chest, he could feel it stinging and pulsing across his flesh with every beat of his heart—something's inside me!
Kenpachi lifted his hand to the wound, the wound inflicted by Mayuri Kurotsuchi—what did he do to me? Kenpachi pulled at the bloodstained Kimono that covered his muscled chest and gritted his teeth as the fabric peeled back pulling against the incision that had been busted open during his fight within the maggots nest—guess the blood dried and now I've opened it up again…
Kenpachi allowed his fingertips to press along the line right above his heart, using them to try and figure out the placement of whatever it was that had been placed inside him, whatever it was that was sealing his power. A deep searing pain spread across his chest as he felt for something, anything that could lead him to the seal—Tch. What the fuck am I feeling around for, he said it himself; whatever it is, it's inside me, it's not like Kurotsuchi to leave it close to the surface in order for me to rip it out.
Kenpachi pulled his hand back from the wound, the sweet metallic scent of blood once again filling his senses as the four inch incision continued to ooze the sticky substance—is this it then? Is this really all I have left to look forward to? Fucking cowards couldn't even give me one final fight?
Kenpachi allowed his eyes to drift closed as an overwhelming wave of fatigue washed over his large frame; his body began to tremble due to his lack of bedding, the chill from the concrete seeping into his weakened bones and for the first time, the battle-scarred warrior found himself craving something he'd never sought before…escape.
"How pathetic." Kenpachi whispered to the darkness that surrounded him right before sleep overtook him.
Ikkaku Madarame stood from the fallen tree he had been using at a bench to sit at next to one of the many fires that had been lit for warmth the previous night. Ikkaku had chosen to enter into the 80th district and do his best at making himself as well as around thirty other men disappear.
Ikkaku knew that the villagers and nomads that lived within the less than pleasant district wouldn't exactly be rolling out the welcome mat for soul reapers, so, in an effort to keep their whereabouts hidden, Ikkaku had led his men into the thick forest that outlined the district, there, they would be able to keep watch and use their skills in order to survive.
Ikkaku turned his head to the camp as Yumichika returned, holding a large metal pail of water he had just collected from a nearby stream. Yumichika's violet gaze met Ikkaku's just as the sound of crunching leaves and twigs alerted the two that someone was approaching.
One by one the members of the Zaraki squad all came to attention as they looked to their second in command for leadership. Ikkaku held his fingers to his lips indicating he wanted everyone to remain silent, hoping that the smoke from their dying fires hadn't been giving away their location to those who would be perusing them—If I had to guess they'll send the punishment force and possibly another for backup.
Ikkaku crouched down on his haunches as the sounds of snapping foliage came even closer, reaching his right hand down, Ikkaku gripped the hilt of his blade in preparation. It wasn't a normal day at the office for the squad 11 members to be in hiding; the men looked to be growing impatient with Ikkaku's decision to stay secluded; Ikkaku knew what the men wanted deep down.
It was the same as he; but the likelihood of being able to break the captain out of which ever prison he had been taken was slim to none. Ikkaku knew the other squads wouldn't hesitate to follow their orders; even now, he was sure the squad 11 men had already been labeled as traitors.
Ikkaku used his hunched position to keep cover among the trees as he caught a glimpse of white fabric out of the corner of his eye. Swiftly, he pulled his Zanpakuto free from its sheath, careful not to make too much noise. Yumichika watched as his best friend sprang forward reminding him of a cat seeking out its prey as the shocked cry of a female echoed throughout the forest.
"Lieutenant Madarame! Please, lower your Zanpakuto!" Isane Kotetsu pleaded as she raised her hands trying to indicate she meant the man no ill will.
Ikkaku scowled as recognition filled him—what the hell is she doing out here? Ikkaku pulled his blade back from the woman's throat before he spoke.
"Didn't expect to see you, what the hell are you doing out here? Did they drag you along on the search?" Ikkaku growled, not sure as to whether the captain of squad 4 could be fully trusted.
"No! I came on my own. I figured the best place to search for you would be in the lower districts, I started in Kusajishi." Isane explained as she turned her head and met the man's scowl.
"Why the hell would you risk tryin' to find us? You know these districts are dangerous." Ikkaku countered just as Yumichika appeared behind him, his violet gaze narrowing before he began to search the area around them.
"She didn't come alone." A rough baritone voice barked from the left.
Ikkaku cursed as he heard the man's voice before he appeared from behind a large tree.
"What the hell is this? You two think you could come out here and reason with us? We won't go back, not until our captain is freed!" Yumichika snapped as Tetsuzaemon Iba walked forward and stood by Isane's side.
"It would be wise to keep your voices down; we're not the ones you should be worried about." Iba countered.
"Who did they dispatch then?" Ikkaku asked.
"The punishment force is being led by captain Soifon. Captain Muguruma is also coming up from the opposite side; it looks like they're planning an ambush once they catch up to you, last I saw they were coming this way from Kusajishi." Iba answered.
"Thanks for the warning; now we'll know what to expect." Ikkaku replied.
"Captain Zaraki is being held in The Muken. I tried to go and see him, thinking they would allow me to issue healing if he required it, but, I was refused entrance. I decided to ask Captain Iba to help me find you, not only to warn you, but to let you know I don't plan on turning a blind eye to this." Isane explained.
"What's it to you? Why would you go out of your way to help our captain?" Ikkaku countered.
Isane allowed her head to lower as she attempted to regain control of her emotions; it seemed she was wearing them on her sleeve and that had been the reason she was denied entrance into the Muken. Anyone who could be seen as a potential ally to Captain Zaraki was not allowed within the prisons vicinity.
Ikkaku's brow furrowed as he watched the woman lift her head and square her shoulders before she answered him.
"Because it's what my captain would have expected of me."