DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BLEACH

Hinamori Momo, vice-captain of the Fifth Division, hummed a cheery tune as she made her way to the Fifth Division barracks from her home. She had a feeling that today was going to be a good day. She was happy. Hinamori served under who she thought was the best captain in the Gotei 13, Aizen Sosuke. She was respected by her subordinates and friendly with many of the high-ranked officers of the Gotei. She broke out into a wide smile as she neared her barracks. Nothing could ruin her good mood.

As she walked up the road that led to the main barracks of her division, a morbid sight caught her eye. She sucked in a breath as she saw a bloody figure pinned by a zanpakutou to the outside wall of the barracks. Who is that? Who could possibly commit such a gruesome crime, and outside of the Fifth Division to boot?

Hinamori was no stranger to blood and death, and so without fear she approached the bloody figure on the wall to get a closer look. A strangled cry escaped her lips as she saw who the victim of the bloody murder was. "N-no. It c-can't be!" Despite her repeated denials and attempts to convince herself that what she saw before her was an illusion, she was unable to deny the fact that her beloved captain was the very man pinned to the wall, his lifeblood dripping down and painting the building a morbid red, with his own zanpakutou.

"AIZEN-TAICHO!" Her anguished screams tore through the Seireitei, attracting the attention of not only various other high-ranking shinigami but also piqued the interest of one orange-haired genius.

In a flurry of flash-steps, three vice-captains, two captains, various seated and unseated shinigami, and the aforementioned orange-haired genius appeared behind Hinamori. A collective gasp rose from the assembled crowd as they beheld the gruesome sight before them. Sobbing, Hinamori crumpled to her knees. Here was the man who had saved her from hollows when she had been in the Academy, the man who had accepted her into his squad and helped train her until she had risen to the strength of a vice-captain, a man whom she had believed was the strongest shinigami she had ever met, slain.

The assembled vice-captains whispered among themselves, trying to figure out who could possibly defeat Aizen-taicho, and who would want to. Aizen had been a kind man, with few enemies. He was known as the most kind-hearted captain in the Gotei 13. This tragedy was difficult for them to comprehend.

In the crowd of various unimportant shinigami, the orange-haired genius narrowed his eyes. He looked at the spot where all the assembled shinigami were looking, but all he saw was a single zanpakutou stabbed into the wall. It wasn't even a particularly peculiar zanpakutou; in fact, it looked utterly unimportant. Ichigo wondered what all the fuss was about.

These shinigami seem to think that there's a person, this 'Aizen' character, pinned to the wall on the zanpakutou. Aizen… he's the captain of the Fifth division, that's what Rukia told me. So that girl kneeling there crying would be Hinamori Momo, the vice-captain of the Fifth division. It's clear that these people are under an illusion of some sort. Ichigo thought for a bit, running the possibilities through his considerably large brain. The zanpakutou is key. I need to figure out what the zanpakutou's special ability is.

Pushing his way out of the crowd, he made his way to the small group of captains and vice-captains. Taking note of their haori and vice-captain's armbands, he quickly identified the high-ranking shinigami gathered there. Ichimaru Gin, captain of the Third division. He looks like a snake. Hitsugaya Toushiro, captain of the Tenth division, hailed as a prodigy. It'll be interesting meeting him, I think. Matsumoto Rangiku, vice-captain of the Tenth division. Rukia failed to mention that she was rather… well-endowed. Hisagi Shuuhei, vice-captain of the Ninth division. He has '69' tattooed on his cheek. Kinky. And Izuru Kira, vice-captain of the Third division. He looks emo.

Reaching the group, he inclined his head in respect as he passed them. Walking up to the crying Hinamori, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hinamori-fukutaicho, if I may inquire, what was Aizen-taicho's zanpakutou's shikai ability?"

Speaking through her sobs, Hinamori replied in a shaking voice, "Aizen-taicho's zanpakutou, Kyoka Suigetsu, had the ability to bend water droplets in the air to create reflections, causing his opponents to become disoriented."

Ichigo smiled grimly. I thought it would be something like that. This Aizen is obviously lying, the nature of the illusion isn't with water droplets, but rather with the senses. If its illusions were made with water droplets, I would be subject to the illusions also. Rather, it probably has to do with manipulating people's senses, causing them to see whatever Aizen wants them to see. This Aizen is up to something fishy. I don't like it.

Quickly deciding on his next course of action, Ichigo flashed next to the white-haired captain of the Tenth division. He whispered in the prodigy's ears so that none of the others could hear, "Hitsugaya-taicho, Kurotsuchi-taicho has a private message for you, regarding the intruders in the Seireitei." Ichigo had felt the malevolent reiatsu of the creepy Twelfth division captain disappear a few hours ago, so he figured that Uryu had already defeated him, so it would be safe to use him as an excuse to talk with Hitsugaya.

Nodding tersely, Hitsugaya acknowledged Ichigo's words. Approaching Hinamori, he laid a hand on her shoulder. "Hinamori, we should get Aizen's body down from the wall." Leaning in close to her, he whispered into her ear, "Don't worry, bed-wetter Momo. It's going to be okay."

He looked to Ichigo, who nodded and flashed away. Hitsugaya flashed after him, following the messenger (or so he thought) to a private location. Dropping out of the flash-step in a deserted lot. Ichigo turned to the white-haired prodigy and bowed slightly.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, I've heard quite a lot about you. Allow me to say that it's an honor to finally meet you."

Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed as he looked at the orange-haired shinigami before him. "Who are you? Didn't you have a message from Kurotsuchi for me?"

Ichigo smirked slightly. "Kurotsuchi Mayuri is dead. He was killed a few hours ago by one of the intruders."

Hitsugaya's eyes widened this time. "Killed? Impossible. No intruder could possibly be powerful enough to defeat a captain of the Gotei 13!"

Ichigo's smirk widened. "Ah, Hitsugaya-taicho. That's where you are wrong. We have more than enough power to defeat a captain-level fighter in a one-on-one fight."

Hitsugaya's hand reached for the zanpakutou on his back. He noticed that the man standing before him also wore his zanpakutou in a similar manner. He drew it slowly, holding it in a fighting stance. "You're one of the intruders. Are you here to fight me, to defeat me like your comrade did Kurotsuchi? To throw the Seireitei into disarray? Was it also one of you who killed Aizen?"

Ichigo dropped the smirk from his face. It would probably only infuriate the short captain before him, causing him to make rash decisions. Ichigo wanted to gain Hitsugaya's favor without any fighting or potential bloodshed. Raising his hands to show that he had no intention of drawing his zanpakutou, he said in a placating tone, "No, no. You misunderstood me, Hitsugaya-taicho. My comrade, Ishida Uryu, is a Quincy. As a result, since the late Kurotsuchi-taicho had experimented on his countrymen and contributed to the death of his grandfather, Uryu had a score to settle with him. As for the so-called 'death' of Aizen-taicho, I take the greatest pleasure in informing you that Aizen is not, as you believe, dead."

Hitsugaya scoffed. "Impossible. I saw his body with my own eyes only a few minutes ago."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that the scene which you just witnessed was all an illusion?"

"Impossible. If it were an illusionary kidou, I would have been able to see through it immediately."

"What if the illusionary effects weren't from kidou, but rather from the zanpakutou in the wall?

Hitsugaya scoffed again. "Illusions from Kyoka Suigetsu? You heard what Hinamori said about Aizen's zanpakutou. Its ability is to create reflections from water droplets."

Ichigo wiggled his finger at these words. "Ah, but you see. When I arrived at the scene, instead of seeing what I'm sure was a rather grotesque scene in which Aizen's body was pinned to the wall with his own blade, I merely saw the zanpakutou, stuck into the wall. If Aizen's ability is to manipulate the water particles, would I not also be caught in the illusion? The logical conclusion therefore is that Aizen's zanpakutou's ability is not to manipulate water, as he led you to believe, but rather to take complete control over one's senses. Since I have not witnessed Aizen release his shikai, I would not be affected by the illusions."

Hitsugaya tried to take in all the information that this orange-haired intruder had just spewed from his mouth. Realization struck then. "So Aizen's been deceiving us this entire time!"

Ichigo nodded grimly. "You heard how Kuchiki Rukia's execution was moved up until tomorrow? I fear that Aizen is behind this whole affair. You see, I was the human to whom she gave her shinigami powers. When in the living world, we obtained a gigai for her from one Urahara Kisuke. I sensed something was off about the gigai, but I didn't realize until later exactly what was off. The gigai was sucking her reiatsu, and if she had stayed in it for too long, she would have completely lost her shinigami powers, becoming a human. Urahara had put something into the gigai, probably a powerful object, and I suspect Aizen's goal is to obtain this object. I'm not sure what it does, but knowing Urahara, it can't be anything good."

Hitsugaya nodded. "So, what are you planning to do? If Aizen betrays Soul Society, we may be led into a full-scale war."

Ichigo said, "I want you to help me stop the execution of Kuchiki Rukia."

#

Ishida Uryu had a massive headache. He groaned and opened his eyes, blinking at the harsh glare of the white light shining down on him from an unfamiliar ceiling. He saw a blurry figure out of the corner of his eye and tried to speak. "Whaaa…"

The figure jumped. It spoke in a high-pitched voice, "Oh! You're awake!" The figure moved into view, and Uryu saw a young nervous-looking shinigami standing before him.

"I'm Seventh Seat Yamada Hanatarou of the Fourth division. I'm your assigned healer."

Uryu winced as pain lanced through his head. Trying to move his hand to comfort his aching head, he found himself restrained, manacles chaining his arms and legs to the bed.

"I'm very sorry, but since you are an intruder in the Seireitei, Yamamoto-soutaicho ordered you to be restrained until the third member of your party is caught. We have your other companion, the tall one, in custody already."

"How long have I been out?"

"You've been unconscious for about four hours. When we found you, you were on the brink of death after expending almost all your reiatsu fighting Kurotsuchi-taicho."

At the mention of the name of the sadistic captain, Uryu tensed. "What happened to him? Is he dead?"

Nodding, the healer replied, "Yes, Kurotsuchi Mayuri has been confirmed dead."

Uryu relaxed. He could finally have peace of mind knowing that his grandfather had been avenged. "And how is Chad? The tall one, as you say?"

"The other intruder faced off against Kyoraku-taicho of the Eighth division and was defeated. He suffered grievous injuries and was in intensive care with Unohana-taicho for three hours. I believe that at the moment he is unconscious, but he is in no immediate danger."

Uryu breathed a sigh of relief. He himself was safe, Chad was safe, and Ichigo had not been caught yet. So far, they weren't going to be executed yet until Ichigo was caught. Ichigo, we trust you. It's up to you to rescue Kuchiki-san and get us out of this situation now.

#

"Kyoraku-taicho, Ukitake-taicho, may I have a word with you please?" Ukitake Jushiro and Kyoraku Shunsui, senior captains of the Gotei 13, looked up from their afternoon tea to see the white-haired prodigy captain of the Tenth division standing at the door to the tea house.

Ukitake set down his tea cup and gestured for Hitsugaya to enter. "Come in, Toushiro-kun, come in." Hitsugaya accepted the invitation, closing the sliding door behind him.

"Now, Toushiro-kun, what did you want to speak with us about?" Ukitake enquired, curiosity aroused.

"We need to speak about Kuchiki Rukia's impending execution."

Kyoraku's head finally raised from his cup of sake. "Oh, what's this? Could it be that you're concerned with her fate, Hitsugaya-taicho?"

Hitsugaya snorted. "Of course not. However, you are both aware of Aizen's death earlier today?"

Ukitake nodded, looking pensive. "We've heard rumors. It's quite a tragedy, the loss of so great a captain."

Hitsugaya frowned at Ukitake's praise of the man, but continued nonetheless. "I have crucial information regarding Aizen's activities. However, I am uncertain who among the upper echelon of the Gotei 13 can be trusted with this information. As two of the senior and most experienced captains of the Gotei, I have decided to come to you first."

Even the easy-going Kyoraku was serious now. "Tell us what's on your mind, Hitsugaya-taicho. We're listening."

Hitsugaya huffed a sigh. "There are a lot of technicalities involved, actually. I'm not sure if I'm the best person to speak to you of these matters." Turning his head, he gestured to the window. "Come on in, Kurosaki-san."

In a whoosh of flash-step, Ichigo entered the building. Ukitake and Kyoraku tensed, Kyoraku's hand going to his sheathed zanpakutou, recognizing Ichigo from their initial encounter.

They were stopped by Hitsugaya, who raised a placating hand. "Relax, captains. He's with me."

Eying the young captain with concern, Ukitake said, "Toushiro-kun, he's one of the intruders. You very well know that harboring an intruder is a capital offense against the Seireitei!"

"I'm well aware of the severity of my actions, Ukitake-taicho. However, given the current circumstances I believe my actions to be necessary for the safety of Soul Society. Please, hear out what we have to say."

Deciding to believe Hitsugaya's words, the two senior captains relaxed and dropped their hands from the hilts of their zanpakutou. Seeing this, Hitsugaya breathed an inward sigh of relief. The crucial first phase, gaining the trust of these two potential allies, was successful. Gesturing to the orange-haired intruder, he said, "This is Kurosaki Ichigo. As you have successfully deduced, he is one of the three intruders who infiltrated the Seireitei a few days ago. His goal is to rescue Kuchiki Rukia from execution by the Sogyoku."

"A few hours ago, Hinamori-fukutaicho discovered what appeared to be the mutilated body of Aizen pinned to the wall of the Fifth division with his own zanpakutou. I arrived on the scene upon hearing her scream, along with Ichimaru Gin, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hisagi Shuuhei, and Izuru Kira, as well as numerous lower-ranked shinigami. We all saw what seemed to be Aizen's dead body. However, before any of us could take any action, Kurosaki Ichigo came to me from the crowd, pretending to be a messenger of the late Kurotsuchi Mayuri, who was killed earlier by one of the intruders. I followed him to a private location, where he revealed to me the crucial information which he will now relate to you."

Nodding to the orange-haired genius, the white-haired prodigy stepped back, allowing the senior captains to turn their attention to Ichigo. Ichigo straightened and began to speak. "Let me begin when I first met Kuchiki Rukia…"

#

Hinamori Momo sat, staring at her folded hands in her lap, in a jail cell. She had been detained after attacking Ichimaru Gin, suspecting him to be behind the death of her beloved captain. She looked up when the sound of footsteps echoing against the tile floor reached her ears. Matsumoto Rangiku appeared before the bars of the cell door.

"Matsumoto-san, what are you doing here?" Her voice sounded dead and emotionless. The truth was, she didn't know what to feel after the death of her captain. He had been the closest thing she had to a father, and he had been her mentor for decades. He was her friend, her confidant. She had admired him more than anything, and now he was gone.

"They found this in Aizen-taicho's office. Officially it's supposed to be turned into the ones in charge of the investigation of his murder. But these are his last words to you, and I thought you should have it." Matsumoto handed a folded piece of paper through the bars.

A-Aizen-taicho's…last words…were to me? She took the paper with a trembling hand, clutching it tightly to her chest. "Thank you, Matsumoto-san," she said in a whisper, not trusting herself not to burst into tears if she spoke any louder. Withdrawing again into her emotionless shell, she sat back down, not saying anything, not wanting to read the paper while people looked on.

Matsumoto, sensing that Hinamori wanted to be left alone, said softly, "It's going to be okay, Momo-chan." She turned and walked back down the corridor, leaving Hinamori Momo alone in the dark cell.

Assured that she was finally alone, Hinamori unfolded the letter, the final words from her captain to her, and began to read. "Dear Hinamori…"

#

"And that's how it is."

Ichigo finished his tale and bowed respectfully to the two senior captains. Kyoraku was silent, hiding his face beneath his straw hat. Ukitake stood and began to pace, a troubled look on his face. "If Aizen-taicho is planning to betray the Soul Society, and all the orders behind Kuchiki's execution were from him, what happened to the Central 46, who were supposed to give all the orders?"

"My guess is that Aizen and his allies within the Gotei 13 have infiltrated and slaughtered the Central 46, and using his zanpakutou's abilities have created the illusion that the Central 46 are meeting and issuing orders. Most likely he planned once Rukia was executed by the Sogyoku to take possession of whatever it was he wants that's hidden in Rukia's soul, and openly declare his intentions to the Gotei 13. He probably has some sort of escape method planned, something that will prevent the Gotei 13 from interfering as he and his allies make their escape from the Seireitei."

Ukitake looked at the young intruder who had spoken in surprise. "You have a surprisingly sharp mind, young man," he said. "You seem to have given this whole situation a great amount of thought."

Ichigo ran his fingers through his hair, slightly embarrassed by the praise. "Ah, well…" If these guys are to be my allies, I suppose there's no point keeping my abilities secret from them. "I suppose there are a few things you should know about me. Firstly, I have achieved shikai."

Ukitake had a surprised look on his face, and Kyoraku tipped up his hat and regarded Ichigo. "My goodness, that's quite impressive of you. You've only had your own shinigami powers and you've already achieved shikai?"

Even Hitsugaya looked surprised. They called me a prodigy in the Academy, and I was the youngest shinigami ever to become captain. Could this kid standing here before me be even stronger than me?

"Secondly, I am a genius."

Kyoraku burst out laughing at this. A tick appeared on Ichigo's forehead. "What's so funny, Kyoraku-taicho?"

"Ah, nothing, nothing. It's funny though, don't you think? The two of you, Kurosaki-kun and Toushiro-kun, make a great pair! The orange-haired genius and the white-haired prodigy! You should make a motto or catchphrase or something!"

Both Ichigo and Hitsugaya sweat-dropped at the antics of the Eighth division captain. Ukitake only sighed. "Was there something else you wanted to say about yourself, Ichigo-kun?"

"Oh, yeah. Lastly, I have bankai."

A stunned silence permeated the room. It was Hitsugaya who first spoke. "Bankai… that's impossible… How could you possibly train hard enough to achieve bankai with your zanpakutou spirit so quickly? How long have you had your powers anyways?"

"Uh, I've had powers for about a week now. As for bankai, ossan, that is, my zanpakutou spirit, was pretty insistent that I get it."

All three captains in the room were thinking the same thing. Could it be possible that this boy could be as strong as Yamamoto-soutaicho?

"Anyways, enough about me. I fear that the Central 46 have been killed. We need somebody to check on the meeting place to confirm this." Ichigo turned to Hitsugaya. "Hitsugaya-taicho, can you handle that?" Hitsugaya nodded tersely in return.

"Okay, so if that's taken care of, in the event that we don't manage to rescue Rukia before the execution, we need a way to suppress or negate, or even destroy, the Sogyoku. Yoruichi-san told me of a device that the Shihoin family had that was designed to destroy the Sogyoku in the event that someone wanted to abuse its power. Can you and Kyoraku-taicho secure that device and have it ready if we need it, Ukitake-taicho?"

"Leave it to us, Ichigo-kun. But what are you going to do?" Ukitake asked.

"Out of the twelve living captains of the Gotei 13, assuming Aizen has some support in the upper echelon of the Gotei, at the moment we only have the three of you in this plan. To have a chance against Aizen and his allies, we need more support from the captains. I am going to convince Kuchiki Byakuya to join our cause."

Before any of the captains could protest, Ichigo cut them off. "I realize that you may object to this, since Kuchiki Byakuya is supporting the execution of his sister. However, please hear me out about my logic. Kuchiki-taicho is known to be very law abiding, and so it is doubtful that he would even consider siding with Aizen against the Gotei 13. It is likely that even if he is not willing to save his sister, he would be willing to help us against the traitor Aizen and his allies."

Hitsugaya nodded slowly. "I can see your logic in this decision, Kurosaki. You certainly are living up to your reputation as a genius."

"Apart from that, I need to know something else. Who among the other captains would be most sympathetic to our cause against Aizen?"

Ukitake pursed his lips, thinking. "I don't think we can count on Yamamoto-soutaicho to even consider listening to an intruder, no offense, Ichigo-kun. There's Soi Fon-taicho of the Second division and the head of the Onmitsukidou, she's known to be very strict against traitors and criminals. But I don't know if she will be willing to listen to the word of an intruder as well. Third division captain Ichimaru Gin has always creeped me out, and he was Aizen's vice-captain before he was promoted, so I wouldn't approach him. Fourth division captain Unohana Retsu is one of the oldest captains of the Gotei 13, but I'm not sure where her loyalties lie. Her patients are always her number one priority. Aizen is the Fifth division's captain, and Byakuya is the Sixth's. Komamura Saijin of the Seventh division has always been big on honor, so you might find support from him. Kyoraku is the Eighth division captain. Kaname Tousen, captain of the Ninth division, is always talking about 'justice' but I'm not sure where his loyalties are either. He's always seemed close to Aizen, so I don't want chance him telling Aizen our plans. Toushiro-kun here is the captain of the Tenth. That leaves Zaraki Kenpachi, captain of the Eleventh. He will probably join us if we promise him a good fight."

Ichigo nodded. "So that leaves us with six captains out of twelve, with three captains, including the soutaicho, who are likely to join us against Aizen once he declares his betrayal. That means Aizen's allies among the captains are likely to be Ichimaru Gin and Kaname Tousen. I shall go and extend our alliance to Kuchiki-taicho, Komamura-taicho, and Kenpachi-taicho."

Kyoraku nodded in approval. "You are quite the strategist, Kurosaki-kun. However, a word of advice when speaking with Komamura-taicho. He and Tousen share an extremely close bond, so if possible don't mention the possibility of Tousen being a traitor. Komamura-taicho would probably not take that very well."

Ichigo nodded. "Thank you for that advice, Kyoraku-taicho. Now, we all have our own roles. Let's carry them out. Thank you for your time and consideration, captains." With a bow, he flashed away.

Kyoraku tilted his hat over his eyes. "Well, well. Kurosaki-kun is quite the interesting character. The Gotei 13 is going to have quite the adventure." In unison, the three gathered captains flashed off to carry out their various roles.

#

Hello everyone! Here's another chapter for you all! I've actually been pretty busy this past week, and this chapter was written in one single sitting. It took quite a long time. In other news, I only have one week of school left! Woo hoo! However, my summer schedule is quite busy, so I may not be able to keep up with my update schedule. I have a science research internship, a fencing camp, a music camp, and I'm going to California for my cousin's wedding. So if I miss a few scheduled updates, I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about it.

A quick shoutout to Captain Hair. Go check out his profile, he writes really good stories, but unfortunately they don't get the attention that I feel they deserve. Go check him out!

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, if you have the time and are willing, drop a quick review, or a long review! I really appreciate the reviews, especially the longer ones in which you offer criticism or support. They make me feel all happy inside. But no flames, as usual! So thanks for reading, and I'll see you all next time!

~fokker333