Chapter 36

Toshiro followed the four Jedi Masters up the elevator (or "lift" as they called it) that led to the High Council Chamber. When the doors opened, Toshiro was surprised to see something other than the High Council Chamber. "Wh-"

"The Operations Planning Center this is," Yoda said quietly as he slid off his hover chair. He placed a hand on Toshiro's leg. "Wait here," he said, again acting as if by instinct.

Toshiro nodded, then stepped to the side of the doorway so the other Council members could enter. He wasn't certain, but he could make a pretty good guess that Yoda was receiving and following warnings from "the Force".

The Council gathered around the large blue hanging globe-like structure in the center of the room. The elevator door closed. This room was surprisingly… black, especially compared to the open, lighted, soothing tones that appeared throughout the rest of the Temple. "I'm calling the Chancellor now," Master Windu said as he tapped a few spots on what was apparently a control board of some sort. The two-story-tall globe flickered a bit.

Aizen's face appeared.

Toshiro's heart stopped. His eyes were as big around as dinner plates. Wh…w-what the-!

Aizen…

He blinked. Aizen's face vanished. In its place was the face of an older man, who, in all honesty, looked absolutely nothing like Aizen.

Aizen…

Toshiro blinked again. The Jedi Council turned into his fellow Captains.

Aizen…

He blinked again. They went back to normal.

Aizen… Aizen…

His heart started pounding as a cold sweat broke out on his skin. Flashes of death, pain, destruction, and despair bombarded his mind. Some scenes were of Soul Society, of the horrors that Aizen had caused. Others were of this dimension, showing droids battling Jedi, intermingled with scenes of bloodshed and carnage on a massive scale.

And, like a sledgehammer beating on the inside of his skull, that same name repeated, over and over and over again: Aizen… Aizen… Aizen…

This cycle repeated for the duration of the conversation. Toshiro hadn't the foggiest idea what was actually being said or discussed. All he knew was that some way, somehow, the man that the Council was talking to was the same as the one person Toshiro hated above everyone else, the one person who had managed to deceive all of Soul Society for over a hundred years, only to reveal his true power too late to be stopped.

This man was going to do the exact same thing.

And the Jedi could not see it.

Finally, the man's image vanished. The flashes stopped, and the throbbing name fell to a whisper.

"Are you alright?"

Toshiro nodded unconvincingly at the weird-hat lady. For the first time, he noticed that he had pinned himself to the wall. He took a small step forward.

"Tens of thousands of times have I seen that face," Yoda said tersely as he hobbled over to Toshiro. He looked the Shinigami directly in the eyes. "What see, did you?"

Toshiro glanced back at the globe, unsure of what to say.

"If it's about the Chancellor, then we need to know as soon as possible," Master Windu said.

Toshiro's fingertips curled. "That man… is the Chancellor?"

"Yes."

"The one who's leading the Republic?"

"Yes."

Toshiro took a deep breath and swallowed. He hesitated, still unsure of how exactly to say it-

"Toshiro."

Yoda's voice yanked his mind back to the present. "Hn?"

The little gnome's eyes pierced his, and Toshiro could almost see a kind of fire burning in them. "What see, did you?"

Toshiro looked back at the globe. He swallowed again, then took another deep breath.

"…Aizen."

He didn't have to see Yoda, Yarael, and Yaddle's faces to know that they had donned expressions of pure shock.

"When that man's face first appeared, I didn't see him. I saw Aizen. I blinked, and his face turned to normal. Then I saw you guys turn into the Captains of the Gotei 13, then back to yourselves. Then… I saw… a vision, I think… there were flashes of what was happening in Soul Society, and flashes of what that man is going to cause here; wars, bloodshed, innocent people killed… and, I kept hearing Aizen's name over and over in my head, just this, pounding sensation; 'Aizen, Aizen, Aizen' over and over again…"

If it wasn't for the low electronic hum in the room, you could've heard a feather drop.

"…Who's Aizen?" the weird-hat lady asked.

Yoda hobbled away, deep in thought.

"Aizen was a well-loved, highly respected Captain of the Gotei 13," Toshiro replied. "He betrayed Soul Society a few months ago, and has been creating an army to fight against the Gotei 13 ever since. As far as we know, he plans to create a King's Key so he can assassinate Soul Society's king, and he has to destroy an entire city in the Living World in order to do so."

"Are you saying that the Chancellor is going to betray the Republic?" Master Windu asked.

Toshiro stared at the globe, the flashes of violence replaying themselves in his mind. "…Yes." He was about to say something else, when he felt Yoda's reiatsu brush up against him. He turned. Yoda was sitting cross-legged on the floor apart from the rest of the group, apparently meditating.

"Unusual, it is not, for a Jedi to see glimpses of the future, while meditating, he or she is."

That must be what he's doing, Toshiro thought. He must be trying to look into the future, to verify what I saw…

The rest of the Council, who had all noticed the Grand Master's behavior by now, waited patiently for the old being to complete his meditation. They hid their emotions well, but Toshiro could definitely see more concern in Yaddle, Yarael, and Tiin's faces.

After a few moments, Yoda opened his eyes. "…Blind, we all have been."