Chapter Seven
"Good morning… Let's see… You're Miss Dokugamine? The new fashion department head? Yukio said you were young, but I didn't think you would literally be a child."
"Hey! I-I mean… Is that unacceptable, sir?" Riruka asked, trying to keep her temper in check.
"Not at all. Yukio has excellent business sense. I trust him completely. He has led this business to expand by 200% in the last fiscal year alone. With a clothing line to boot, I look forward to how we will move even further. You are… Dressed rather oddly considering you are reporting for work…"
"I apologize. Is there something you would prefer I wear?" Riruka asked, never losing the glare that seemed permanently in her eyes that sent shivers down Mr. Mitsuhiro. The CEO sighed and nodded.
"Well… Perhaps this is just your first time in the world of work, and if you're as young as you look, then that isn't surprising. But generally, hats with bunny ears and goth Lolita style dresses aren't appropriate for work.
"Surely you saw how the other people here were dressed. Perhaps you should consider dressing more like them."
"Yes, sir." Riruka said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and bowing politely.
"Excellent. You're dismissed. Do you have any ideas yet for clothes you might make?"
"I do. I always have ideas. Whether they're good or not will be for you to decide. Now, pardon me." Riruka said succinctly, bowing once more, and taking her leave of the office. She then went down to her 'office' and began to draw pictures to her own specifications.
She knew that it didn't really matter what size the prototype was, as they would be later mass produced, and set for every size imaginable. She shuddered at the thought that everyone in Japan would eventually see her work.
It was slightly nerve wracking, but also extremely exciting. She would be well recognized all over Japan, if not all over the world for her designs. She turned up the light, and opened the blinds on the windows, looking around the office…
She wrinkled her nose in distaste. The office was so drab and boring. It needed flowers and plants to add some life to it, and some stuffed animals, and dollhouses, and photographs… Actually… She didn't have any photographs… She wouldn't want to remember her family. But some beauty and cuteness in her room wouldn't hurt… Actually… She didn't really have any money yet. She'd have to wait a few weeks for her first paycheck.
She held the piece of paper up to the light, and imagined what it would look like on her. It was certainly a gutsy piece of clothing she was planning. It defied anything that was currently on the market, and yet, it had a certain dark charm to it that definitely suited Riruka's tastes.
She would have to make accessories to go with it, like a hat, a belt, and at least, she could design some boots, even if she couldn't make them herself, though she felt that a pair of knee high Chuck Taylors would go pretty damn well with the dress… But what was she supposed to wear?
She saw what the other women in the building were wearing, and those skirts were hideous. They smacked of something a middle aged woman would wear to try to look smart and pretty at the same time, but would ultimately fail at both. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Welcome to Shin'o Academy, new students. You have made the noble choice to join the ranks of the Shinigami, and set aside your own lives for the sake of humanity. As you progress, and even after you graduate, always remember this commandment;
Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect…slice the enemy you must defeat from behind. That is all."
Karin was remembering her first day at the Shin'o Academy as she waited for Toshiro to pick her up. She really hoped he hadn't forgotten. She knew that he was a captain, and was probably pretty busy. But she was sure that a responsible guy like Toshiro would at least alert her ahead of time if he was going to be late, or if he wasn't able to come. Finally, she heard a male voice down the hall, speaking to several female students.
"Pardon me… Could you perhaps tell me where Kurosaki's room is?" Toshiro asked, for the voice was unmistakably his.
"Oh… Do you mean Karin-chan… She's right down the hall… Room 666. Did something happen, Captain Hitsugaya?" The girl asked with a giggle. Toshiro shook his head.
"No. I am merely showing her where everything is in Seireitei."
Secretly, he was thinking that if her sense of direction was as bad as he suspected Ichigo's was, she could walk right off Sokyoku Hill and not even realize she was falling until she hit the ground. Finally, though, he knocked on the door, and spoke.
"Kurosaki? May I enter?" Toshiro asked. Karin gasped, not having expected him to appear so quickly after he finished talking.
"Y-yeah!" Karin shouted, opening the door. She looked at Toshiro, who looked at her, and then looked away.
"Thank you for agreeing to this date with me, Kurosaki. Your brother instructed me to tell you that if I try anything funny with you, that he'll personally cleave me in half at the waist. I tried to tell him that your brother complex was so severe that there was no risk of that happening, but he wouldn't listen."
At this, Karin laughed, and followed Toshiro out of the room, and down the stairs. She could sort of see Ichigo saying that. Despite how he put on airs of not caring, he was actually pretty overprotective of those he cared about. Had Karin known exactly where she was going to go on their date that day, though, perhaps she would have requested a different outing.
"So what's the deal with this Quimby guy?" Karin asked, getting right down to the point. Toshiro laughed lightly at this. There weren't many people who could claim ignorance on the Quincies anymore, and it was kind of cute.
"You mean the Quincies? Well, it's a long story, but since it will take a while to get where we're going, I might as well tell you what I know. The legacy that I know of started about a thousand years ago, when a man named Yhwach, and his clan, whom he named the Quincies, were the human defenders of earth from Hollows, and other malevolent spiritual beings.
"Quincies, while their job is much the same, are fundamentally different from Shinigami. Whereas Shinigami draw most of their spirit energy from their internal Reishi reservoir, or rather, from inside them, Quincies do have a fair amount of Spirit energy which allows them so see spirits, but draw most of their energy from their efficient manner of drawing spirit particles from the outside world.
"Now, you may be wondering how this would work in the Human world. There is spirit energy in the Human world. It just isn't as plentiful, and as such, Quincies must be more judicious with their powers on earth.
"But anyway, Quincies have a number of powers that they use to destroy Hollows. Most of them revolve around forming weapons, primarily bows, out of Reishi, and firing spirit arrows. However, they have other powers that have been developed from centuries, if not millennia of training.
"The main difference though, between Shinigami and Quincies is that while Shinigami put souls and Hollows to rest, or rather, send them to Soul Society, Quincies, once they have destroyed a Hollow, have destroyed the Soul inside it.
"They kill Hollows. They don't put them to rest. If you can imagine the Universe as a scale, do you see the problem with their method?" Toshiro asked. Karin thought for a moment, then nodded.
"If the Quincies continue to destroy, or rather kill, too many Hollows, the scale would tip, and the world would become imbalanced."
"Well… Yes, but that's only the catalyst of the real problem. Take it to its ultimate and worst case conclusion…"
"I don't get it."
"That's okay. What happens when a scale tips all the way? Whatever is on the scale spills. If you think of the Human World, Hueco Mundo, Hell, and Soul Society to be a four way scale, then you could logically see that if the scale were to be tipped, then the four compartments would break, and literally all hell would break loose.
"Hollows, Wholes, Shinigami, humans… We'd all be in a broken down world. Therefore, we talked to the Quincies and told them that they needed to cease their inherently destructive actions. However, being humans, they didn't see it that way.
"They saw only the immediate picture, which was that as humans, they could reach the Hollows much faster than any Shinigami could. They were right in that regard. But we knew that the price of a few human lives was a small price to pay for the integrity of the entire Universe.
"I know, it seems callous, but that's the way it is. We had to serve the greater good, and so, we went to war with the Quincies. They were powerful, and we were powerful, and the war depleted both our forces greatly.
"Eventually, the former Captain-Commander sealed away Yhwach, the undisputed leader of the Quincies, and we defeated the Quincies once and for all. That doesn't mean we killed all of them. It merely means that there weren't enough of them left to be a significant threat to the stability of the Universe…"
"But! Even one ounce could tip a scale in one direction over another… So could one soul tip the balance of the Cosmos!" Karin protested. Toshiro sighed, and shook his head.
"Wrong. If you consider the average Whole to weigh about 0.00001 micrograms, an average Hollow to weigh approximately 0.001 micrograms, the average human to weigh less than a Hollow, and the average Shinigami to weigh about 0.01 micrograms…
"In spiritual weight anyway, given the fact that there are likely quadrillions of spirits littered throughout the Cosmos, one could say that 1 or even one million Hollows would not make a difference. Thus, with the small number of Quincies that we believed had survived the war, we didn't see a threat.
"However, we didn't realize that there were many extraordinarily powerful Quincies, all members of the Vandenreich, hidden throughout the shadows of Soul Society, and in Hueco Mundo, or the Hollows' world, as well. They were waiting for Yhwach's return, and when he did return, he did us the 'favor' of purging the world of Quincies he deemed impure, and using their power to restore his own.
"However, then he led the Quincies in war once again on Soul Society, this time, with weapons that could steal our greatest asset, our Bankai. We managed to defeat them once more, kill Yhwach for good this time, thanks to Kurosaki, and banish the Quincies once and for all.
"But not without loss. But here we are at the Maggots Nest. Make sure you stay close to me, Kurosaki. Weapons aren't allowed in here. You'll notice I haven't got mine. Therefore, one must be able to stop prisoners with their bare hands. After me, I think… For safety."
Toshiro led the way into the Maggots Nest, and down the stairs and into the detention cave.
"Huh? There are so many people here, but none of them are bound…" Karin said, confused. Toshiro sighed, and looked at her.
"Kurosaki, are you sure you're ready to hear the truth? Many seasoned Shinigami would be repulsed at the truth. I only learned fairly recently."
"Of course I'm ready to know the truth! And don't call me 'Kurosaki' damn it! You asked me on a date, act like it!"
"I apologize. I am used to being formal like that. The truth is, these men and women have done nothing to deserve imprisonment, or rather, they have taken no directly hostile actions toward our organization. Rather, the Central 46, the governing body of Soul Society, has deemed them to be a threat based on their beliefs, or suspicious behavior.
"Therefore, they are kept here, where they cannot pose any threat. You see, no Shinigami ever resigns the Gotei Thirteen… Never has it happened, and never will it happen. If a Shinigami cannot for whatever reason do their job, they are given what is known as a leave of absence. If that leave goes on too long, they are marked down as having resigned.
"However, the truth is that they come here. It may not be nice, but the Central 46 in their wisdom have seen it as necessary. Do not worry. They are unlikely to attack you. You should be on your toes, though. Follow me, down this hall."
"Where are we going? It's so cold down here!"
"Yes. We are nearly 500 meters under the Seireitei, under 500 meters of Seki Seki rock. We are protected from the worst of its effects because there is a layer of something that blocks it.
"However, if any prisoner were to attempt to escape, the film would break, and one hundred pounds of Seki Seki rock would fall directly on the prisoner, robbing them rather rapidly of their spirit energy. Even if they were to dodge it, it would remain in close enough vicinity to keep them from getting far. Here we are. Guards… I wish to see Sosuke Aizen."
"Very well, Captain Hitsugaya… Are you sure it's wise to bring an Academy student with you?"
"It is fine. She is Kurosaki's younger sister. She can handle herself."
"Very well. Be fast, though."
"Hello, Aizen… How are you enjoying your… Enforced vacation?" Toshiro asked with a nasty smirk. Karin had to admit that this was nothing like what she pictured Aizen as. He had the devious smirk on his face, but seeing him wrapped up in a skintight gimp suit wasn't quite what she had in mind.
"It is good to see you, Captain Hitsugaya. And who might this lovely young lady be?"
"Karin Kurosaki…" Karin said nervously.
"Do not be nervous, Miss Kurosaki. I do not bear you any ill will based on the actions of your brother. He was quite an amazing man, willing to give up everything for what he believed in. So, what did you come here for, today?
"As you may know, I do literally have all the time in the world. However, I find these days that I like to amuse myself with long naps and daydreams. So please hurry up."
"Very well. Is what Ichi-nii said about you true? Did you really try to kill eight captains and lieutenants?"
"Ten captains and lieutenants…" Aizen corrected with the merest hint of a smirk that seemed to piss Karin off even more than if he had been cackling madly.
"Right… You tried to kill them but failed, and so, you got all ten officers, and one other who was close to one of the captains framed for high treason, and had them expelled from Soul Society. Is that correct?"
"Yes. As I told Captain Hirako, though, it was his own fault. The betrayal that you can see is trifling. It is the betrayal that you cannot see that is so frightening.
"Let me see… If I recall correctly, I was able to get rid of Captain Hirako Shinji, Captain Aikawa Love, Captain Otoribashi Rose, Captain Muguruma Kensei, Captain Tsukabishi Tessai, Captain Urahara Kisuke, Captain Shihoin Yoruichi, Lieutenant Kuna Mashiro, Lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori, Lieutenant Yadomaru Lisa, and Lieutenant Ushoda Hachigen, so if I have counted correctly the second time, I removed eleven captains and lieutenants."
"Riiight… Anyway, then you proceeded to take in two captains and lead them in a betrayal of Soul Society before escaping to Hueco Mundo, and building an army of Arrancar in order to start a war on Soul Society…"
"You are very well informed for an Academy student. I am also impressed that Kurosaki knows all this."
"Right… But why? Why would you want to betray such a noble organization? What was your point in doing so?"
"You see… Since the beginning, nobody has stood atop the heavens… Not Shinigami, not even God. But that vacancy is an unbearable absence. I planned to defeat Soul Society, and use the souls of Karakura Town to make the King's Key in order to destroy God and take his place…
"That was my goal…"
"Really?" Karin asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Is something wrong, Miss Kurosaki?"
"Well… For a man who was apparently so intelligent, I thought that you would at least have a more interesting goal in mind. I mean… Really? World domination? You do realize that that has been every major villain's goal for the past thousand years, right?
"What did King Galbatorix from Eragon want? World domination. What did Voldemort want? World domination. What did every James Bond villain you can mention want? World domination! It's so clichéd! How can you even call yourself a decent villain if you can't come up with a more interesting goal than that!?
"I mean, at least Dracula from Bram Stoker's novel was looking for something minimally more interesting! He wanted the love of Mina Harker! Hannibal Lecter committed crimes out of a sense of excitement, and often because he felt the person had been unacceptably disrespectful toward him! That's it! I'm done here, Toshiro! Now I can see why Ichi-nii really hated him! It's because he was so damn boring!"
For a moment, Toshiro stood there, his mouth agape. Then, he started laughing. Nobody had ever lectured Aizen like that before. Nobody had ever thought to 'go there'. But now, this formerly human Academy student was standing there, shaking her finger in Aizen's face, chastising him for being boring. It seemed that Aizen was amused as well.
"I can admire your spirit, Karin Kurosaki. I pray that we can meet again. Perhaps you can bring me some of those books. I've never actually heard of Eragon, or James Bond, or Hannibal Lecter. They sound like fascinating books." Aizen said with a smirk. Karin merely sneered at Aizen, though, and stormed out with Toshiro hurrying after her.
"Kurosaki… I-it probably wasn't the best idea to antagonize Sosuke Aizen… Back when he was in the midst of defecting Seireitei, he cut Kurosaki in half at the waist… though he miscalculated, and Kurosaki's spine was left intact."
"H-he beat someone as strong as Ichi-nii? H-how is that possible?"
"I think you have a slightly distorted perception of your older brother. There are many who are stronger than Kurosaki, and because their education is more balanced, they could easily defeat him in battle.
"Besides, Kurosaki had to gain access to a move that would temporarily increase his power astronomically, but then strip him of his Shinigami powers in order to defeat Aizen in the end. That's how powerful Aizen is."
"Yeah… But if he was really so strong, and his character was so unassailable for… What!?"
"I… Didn't realize you knew a word like 'unassailable…"
"Bite me!" Karin snapped angrily. "Can I finish?"
"Of course. My apologies, Kurosaki." Toshiro said, blushing slightly. He was slightly disappointed to see that she wasn't really warming up to him as much as he had hoped. Ever since he met her two years back, he had been somewhat taken with her, and now he was on a date with her, but she seemed colder toward him than usual.
"If his character was so unassailable, why did he have to set up all those captains and lieutenants? Couldn't he have just continued on as a captain and let it go?" Karin asked, infuriated, now.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something, Kurosaki…"
"Call me Karin, damnit! We've been friends for two years, now!"
"I-I can't…" Hitsugaya said, blushing even deeper. "I-it would be inappropriate for me to address you so informally. I'm a captain, and should show the proper detachment from Academy students. I'll probably get in trouble just for taking you on this date."
"O-oh… I-I'm sorry… I didn't know you'd get in trouble for doing this for me."
"No. It was my invitation. I'm glad to take you out, Karin…"
"My… You're so polite… But what am I misunderstanding? He set up eleven captain level Shinigami for his crimes."
"You are misunderstanding his reasons for 'setting them up' as you say. Only Urahara Kisuke, and Tsukabishi Tessai were charged with the crimes of forbidden research… I see your confusion. I spoke to Urahara-san, myself, and even I'm slightly confused. He created something called the Hogyoku, Urahara did, which, when used, could break the barrier between Shinigami and Hollow. In other words, Shinigami who are touched with the Hogyoku are given Hollow powers."
"Urahara-san created the sphere, but became frightened by its powers, and sealed it away. But Aizen became fascinated by the possibilities it presented, and in his greed, he used its power to hollowfy the Shinigami he mentioned, save Tessai, Urahara, and Yoruichi Shihoin.
"Urahara discovered what was happening and sought to stop Aizen. He caught him in the act, and a battle ensued. However, Aizen had been using his Zanpakuto's power for a long while to mask the fact that he had not been in Seireitei for months…"
"The specifics are a story for a different conversation. But since dozens of people saw who they thought was Aizen on the night that the battle went on, Aizen was cleared of suspicion, and Urahara looked guilty. He was sentenced to be stripped of his powers and be banished to the Human world, and the ones who were cursed with hollowfication were to be executed as hollows. However, Yoruichi Shihoin broke them out and brought the group to the Human world."
"Okay… That's that story… What invincible power could Aizen's sword possibly have that could give him such an airtight alibi?"
"He called it Kanzen Saimin, or Absolute Hypnosis. It controlled all five senses, and could make anything appear to be anything else. All it required to work was for someone to see his Shikai once. After that, they were under permanent hypnosis.
"To make the perfect disguise for himself, he did a ceremonial release of his sword in front of all of Seireitei. That meant that everyone in Soul Society saw what he wanted them to see."
"That's obscene! How could all of Soul Society let the wool be pulled over their eyes like that!?"
"Well… Aizen was well liked and well respected. He was friendly and he followed the rules. He was a lieutenant, and that made it harder to accuse him of anything. By the time Kisuke discovered what Aizen had done, Aizen had already put his plan into full swing. Oh, come on, Kuro…"
"Karin! Call me Karin!" Karin shouted, drawing slightly unwelcome attention to them in the middle of Seireitei. I-Ichi-nii!? W-what the hell are you doing here!?" Karin snapped, staring at Ichigo. It was strange to see him in a captain's uniform. He had gotten it only three days before, and she had gotten permission to go to the ceremony. Ichigo looked over at Karin and gave her a rather weak looking smile.
"Hey, Karin, Hey Toshiro…"
"It's Captain Hitsugaya…"
"Hey! Ichi-nii is a captain, too now! He shouldn't have to call you captain. Stop being so vain!" Karin snapped.
"No. It's fine, Captain Hitsugaya… I didn't know you and Karin were going on a date, today."
"Yeah…" Came a voice from behind them, and Lisa walked up with a bland smirk.
"Yes. I had heard through the grapevine that you were in love with…" Lisa began, starting to tease Karin, but having a hand put over her mouth.
"Anyway, sorry, Kurosaki. I didn't mean to bother you on your day off…" Toshiro said with a bow of apology. Ichigo had chosen Ikkaku as his lieutenant, as he knew that Ikkaku was an excellent fighter, having fought him first when he first broke into Soul Society.
Ikkaku had taken some convincing, but after a pep talk from Zaraki, who seemed to think a lot more of Ichigo than Ichigo had expected, Ikkaku consented, and now, the chrome dome was Ichigo's lieutenant. By all rights, Ikkaku could be a captain, given his power, and the fact that he had achieved Bankai, both of which were prerequisites.
However, Ikkaku never wanted to be in the limelight like that, and so, he remained third seat for a long time.
"Lisa, let's go. I agree that it's kind of fun to tease Karin, but we have work to do… Unfortunately, and you're the one who knows what work we have to do."
"Yeah… I know, you still aren't completely caught up with what's required of you as a captain. I did most of the paperwork back when I was Captain Kyoraku's lieutenant. It seems ironic that I would come back to the same division under a different captain.
Besides, what is wrong with continuing with the way you are?"
"No. I need to become more balanced. Would you help me with the paperwork this time as well, Lisa? Commander General Kyoraku says I need to meditate at least one hour a day…"
At this, Lisa let out a low snicker.
"What? What's so damn funny?" Ichigo asked threateningly.
"I simply cannot imagine you sitting still for six minutes, let alone sixty. Perhaps you would rather 'meditate' with one of my erotic magazines? It seems much more like you, Captain Kurosaki."
"Bite me…"
