Chapter 48:

The Key

It took several hours to hook the giant television up in Orihime Inoue's apartment. Surprisingly, Heather knew more about setting up technology from the Soul Society than Captain Hitsugaya did. "You should dumb yourself down in front of Captain Kurotsuchi, Heather." Lieutenant Matsumoto stated as she watched her friend and captain work together, "He'll probably want you to join the Twelfth Division." "Oh, Hell, no!" Heather laughed. Suddenly, Orihime poked her head into the room, "Woah…that's awesome!" Hitsugaya backed away from it while Heather continued to work. The woman with the multi-colored hair asked, "Is it still snowy, or what?" "There's still snow in the Seireitei." Rangiku answered with a chuckle.

"This is Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya of the Tenth Division." Hitsugaya announced randomly. The giant screen replied, "Yes, sir. One moment, please." Heather was still messing with the wires, trying to get the best picture. "And another thing, why would I want to work for that clown?" she asked Rangiku as a visible Head-Captain appeared on the screen. "Um, Heather…" Rangiku chuckled gravely to her friend. Heather went on, "Have you heard any of Emily's horror stories about that lunatic?" "Heather!" Orihime squeaked nervously. "Hold on, Orihime, I'm getting there." the woman was on a roll, "I mean who's the moron that allowed him to be captain? I mean that's like telling a pedophile to run a daycare!" On the screen Yamamoto's eyes cracked open slightly in surprise but closed again as he cleared his throat loud enough for Heather to hear. "That wasn't…" she trailed off and then questioned, "Yamamoto's heard all that, didn't he?" "Indeed." Yamamoto responded loudly which startled Heather, causing hit her head on the bottom of the screen. "Crap!" she hissed and rubbed her head, standing to her full height.

"Hey, there…Head-Captain…" Heather greeted the man with a smile, still rubbing her head. "You've said enough." Yamamoto stated and went on, "I asked you to set up this emergency link for an important reason. We've discovered Sōsuke Aizen's true objective." "Oh! You mean with the—!" Heather started but was cut short by Hitsugaya. "Heather, that's enough!" the young captain exclaimed with annoyance. "Oh…this sounds pretty serious, so I'll just be going." Orihime added as she was about to leave. Yamamoto stopped her, "Wait. This concerns you humans as well. Stay and listen." "Okay." Orihime smiled and stayed.

"It's been one month since Aizen escaped. The Fifth Division's Captain's room, the underground chamber of the Council of Forty Six, the Seijoto Kyorin, and the Daireishokiro Great Archive are still being examined." Yamamoto explained and then went on, "It's been hard going. Those locations are generally off limits. Few captains have any idea what's inside them." "What going on, Head-Captain?" Hitsugaya inquired somberly, "What is it you want to tell us?" Yamamoto replied, "Very well. Ukitake, while investigating the Great Archive, made an unusual discovery the other day. He found records that certain documents related to the Hōgyoku had been accessed. Then he found that two days before Aizen's disappearance, a body of literature completely unrelated to the Hōgyoku had also been accessed." "Literature about what?" Hitsugaya asked respectfully. "The Ōken." Yamamoto answered simply causing the two Soul Reapers in the room to react strangely and stiffen. "Ōken…what's that?" Orihime questioned curiously. "The Royal Key." Rangiku responded, "You see the Soul Society has its own Royal Family but they let the Council of Forty Six run the Soul Society and never interfere with our operations. None of us has actually ever seen them." Yamamoto added, "Indeed. The King's name is Reio. He's a symbolic yet revered figure in the Soul Society. The Royal's palace exists in a different dimension from the Soul Society. The Royal Security Corps guards it. The Ōken opens the gate to that dimension." Orihime concluded, "Then…Aizen wants to—" "Murder the King." Yamamoto replied, "That, I believe, is his true purpose. However, it is not the immediate threat."

"Does the book Aizen was looking at show the location of the Ōken?" Hitsugaya inquired. "No." Yamamoto answered, "That secret has been passed down orally by the Head-Captains of the Court Guard for generations. You won't find it in any book. What he accessed was literature documenting the creation of the Ōken. He knows…how it was made." Rangiku asked, "Then he could already have made his own Ōken." "It's…not that easy." Heather interjected looking at the head captain uneasily; she knew she was trending on thin ice. Yamamoto explained, "The immediate problem is the raw material he needs. To create an Ōken a hundred thousand souls and a jūreichi—a concentrated spirit zone—two Reiri in diameter are required." Orihime inquired, "A hundred thousand…souls?" "Yes. But the souls are not our only concern. A jūreichi is an unusual phenomenon in the World of the Living. Its location changes over time. It is a spiritually charged area to which spirits are drawn. Now do you see? The jūreichi that Aizen is after is…Karakura Town. Perhaps a hundred thousand souls and a jūreichi are a bit too abstract. To put it simply if Aizen completes the Ōken as indicated in the literature, Karakura and its people, all of them, will be carved out of this world an erased from existence." Yamamoto established gravely.

Orihime clenched her fists tightly in order to hold back from shaking but was reduced to a shiver as she spoke, "N—no. Isn't there…some way to stop him?" The head captain looked her over and spoke, "We will find a way. That is why the Thirteen Court Guard Squads exist." Rangiku and Heather looked over to Orihime with an assuring smile. As Yamamoto continued, "Thankfully, we have a little time. According to Kurotsuchi, the Hōgyoku remains in a dormant state for a time after it's removed from a soul. We believe it requires four full months to completely awaken. And until then, Aizen cannot assemble his army. But then he will make his move. The battle will come in winter! Until then, sharpen your skills and prepare yourselves for battle." "Yes sir!" Hitsugaya and Rangiku said simultaneously. "As for you, Heather…" Yamamoto started with a tone. Heather muttered under her breath, "Oh, crap." "I expect you on your best behavior. Just because Captain Kyōraku isn't breathing down your neck doesn't mean you are allowed to go hog wild!" the Head-Captain exclaimed with frustration. "Since when have I been on anything but my best behavior?" Heather asked suavely. "Try harder." The old man ordered and turned to the youngest occupant. "And, Orihime Inoue." Yamamoto spoke kindly to the young woman, "What Aizen wants is in your world. That is too large an area for us to handle by ourselves. You humans will have to help us. So please inform Ichigo Kurosaki." Orihime replied, "Yes, sir!" "Then I'll go and notify Ikkaku and the others." Rangiku stated and addressed her superior before leaving, "Head-Captain!" "Right. I'll go with you." Hitsugaya added. "Oh." Yamamoto stopped him, "Wait a moment, Captain Hitsugaya. There's someone here who's been waiting to speak with you. Won't you stay and listen?" The white-haired captain paused and looked at the new face on the screen, "You." The young man gasped. "This is where I take my leave." Heather stated before exiting the room, "Nice talking to you again, Yama'!"