UBWR|
-Use Bleach When Required-
Jū hachi: The Rain Begins
A true warrior would never beg someone for his life.
-Izuru Kira
256 years ago…
"No."
"Bu—but Sanae-chan."
"I said no!"
Sanae sat behind her desk in the Third Division Captains office. Her feet were resting up on her desk lazily. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and her face was angled away from the three people who occupied her room.
"You can't deny him this opportunity! It's ridiculous." Ukitake scolded her like a father.
Sanae rounded on the white haired man, her sapphire eyes narrowing at him. "I'm not denying him the chance as there is no opportunity because I. Said. No."
To Ukitake's left, Isshin sighed heavily in time with Kyoraku. The three men knew that it was hopeless to argue with the Captain. She had become stubborn and arrogant in her role, she was like a brick wall when it came to change, she didn't like it at all. She always liked things to stay exactly as they were. Which is why she was so against what her friends were proposing.
Ukitake took a step towards the azure haired girl as she absentmindedly picked at dirt from under her nails. "Sanae-chan. You have no right to withhold Isshin from this promotion."
"As his Captain. I can." She stated with her chin up. Ukitake sighed in exasperation. He was so frustrated with her right now. He turned to Kyoraku, silently pleading with his friend to try and talk some sense into her.
Kyoraku really didn't want to get in the middle of it all, it was bad enough that Ukitake had dragged him along in the first place…but now he had to make her mad? Kyoraku huffed and then approached her desk hesitantly. "Sanae-chan. We get it that you don't want to loose Isshin as your Lieutenant…but even you must see that his talents are a bit wasted as one. And, it's not every day that you get a hand written letter from Old man Yama himself asking for him to try out for the Captain of Tenth Division, right?"
Sanae's jaw locked in irritation as she stared down her friends. They were pissing her off. Why should she give up her Lieutenant? That meant she would have to find another one, and that sounded annoying and difficult. And besides, her and Isshin had been through a lot together—she wouldn't let him go so easily. Her vivid blue eyes shifted over to the man at the center of it all. He had grown over the years they had been Captain and Lieutenant together, they were both currently in the running for the longest pair to stay together within the Gotei Thirteen. They were second to Yamamoto and his Lieutenant Sasakibe.
Isshin was an impeccably tall man, towering over both Kyoraku and Ukitake. His black hair was cut short and neat, his eyes were a welcoming brown. Isshin in general was just an amazing person. He was strong, fierce and kind towards everyone in Division Three. He always had Sanae's back in all of her decisions. Together, their relationship was what all the other Divisions wished they could be like.
"Isshin, what do you have to say about this?" Sanae rose up from her chair slowly. Her arms remained crossed as she stared at her Lieutenant, waiting for his answer.
Isshin developed a goofy smile on his face as he rubbed at the back of his head. "Uh—well—you see…it's a honor yeah, but I'm happy here."
"See?" Sanae held out her hand towards Isshin and gave Ukitake a told-you-so look. Ukitake shook his head, his teeth grating together.
"He's only saying that because he knows you'll hate him if he leaves! How can you be so heartless as to not let your most loyal subordinate lead his own Division?"
"I'm not heartless!" Sanae retorted with a growl, she slammed her hands down on her desk. "I'm thinking about the wellbeing of my squad. Isshin is the best thing that happened to this Division, why is it so wrong that I don't want him to leave that?"
Ukitake scoffed at her. "You're not thinking about the wellbeing of your squad and you know it. Face it, Sanae—you've become lazy, arrogant and selfish."
"Screw you, Ukitake!" Sanae blurted out angrily.
Ukitake frowned down at her. "I'm just so disappointed in you. Isshin deserves better then this, and you know it. Let him go."
Sanae flicked her eyes from Ukitake and then to Isshin. "If he wants to go, then he can."
Ukitake faced the dark haired Lieutenant, his expression kind and warm. "Well, Isshin-kun. What do you choose?"
Isshin looked like he was about to start sweating under the intense stares of the two Captains. He looked over at his Captain, the Goddess of Lightning as she was dubbed among the Gotei Thirteen. He could see that she was serious about her statement. She was letting him choose. She had confidence in her sapphire eyes, but he could see fear far back, quivering in her orbs. She didn't want him to leave.
Isshin licked his lips nervously. His palms had begun to sweat as he looked from Ukitake, to Kyoraku and then back to Sanae. "I…I guess…" He rubbed at his neck, and bowed his head in defeat. "I wish to be the new Captain of Tenth Division."
You could've heard a pin drop from the silence that echoed in the room. No one had actually expected Isshin to come right out and say it. Kyoraku's eyes were wide. Ukitake was pleased with himself. And Sanae…
"Captain?" Isshin called out to her. But she was gone. The Shiba man spun around in the room but she was already gone, far away from the three people who had just broken her heart.
The next day, Shiba Isshin was inaugurated as Captain of the Tenth Division. There was only one person missing that day…
Sanae marched down the hallways connecting her barracks and dorms together. The sky overhead was a murky grey; it looked like there was a storm brewing. Her bare feet padded against the wooden floorboards as she glanced over to her left at her miniature garden. Isshin was the one who had suggested that they 'pretty' the place up a bit. He had got to work and built a few ponds, planted some flowers and landscaped most of the gardens. She scowled at the pond and then continued on her walk towards her office.
Before she reached her doors she felt a reiatsu presence hurrying towards her. Sanae stopped and turned, seeing one of her underlings, a man who was unseated running up to her with a note in his hand.
"Igarashi-taicho!" He yelled.
"What is it?" Sanae asked, sorrow lacing her voice. The whole Division knew about the blow up between their Captain, Division Thirteen's Captain and their former Lieutenant. They had all been tiptoeing around her for a few days now. They all knew that Sanae was lost without Isshin. He was the glue that held everything together—and now he was gone.
"It's an order." He panted, handing the note over to her. Sanae took it and unfurled the paper, her sapphire eyes glossing over the words before they widened.
"What? A hollow nest, here?"
"We've been instructed to deal with it." The man explained to her.
Sanae nodded and folded the note back up. "And so we shall—I'll get Isshin to go and…" Sanae trailed off, completely forgetting for that moment that he was no longer her Lieutenant. Her eyes stared off at something over the Shinigami's shoulder, seeing but not really.
"Igarashi-taicho?" The man said hesitantly.
Sanae jerked herself out of it. Ukitake's previous words echoed in her head. 'Face it, Sanae—you've become lazy, arrogant and selfish…' Sanae's brows knitted together. Had she become those things? Maybe she had? She couldn't remember the last time she had done something for the squad for herself…she had always made Isshin do everything…he had never complained and Sanae would always show up when she needed to be there. Maybe it was time she started acting like a Captain again, she couldn't rely on Isshin anymore to do the dirty work, she needed to prove herself worthy to hold the title of Captain.
Sanae met the Shinigami's worried gaze. "Assemble teams three and four. We'll head out in ten minutes to Thirty-Fourth District."
"Yes, Igarashi-taicho!" He replied. He bowed respectfully and then ran off to do what she had asked. Sanae spun on her heel, her haori flicking out as she strode to her office to pick up her Zanpakuto and lace up her sandals.
'Humph. Lazy. I'll show you lazy, Ukitake.' Sanae grumbled in her head.
X
Her teams were assembled at the gates to their Division. Sanae counted twenty-four of them as they all faced her. "We're to dispatch a Hollow nest that has just been reported on the outskirts of Rukongai. We won't know what we're walking into until we get there so all of you be on guard and don't take unnecessary risks." They all nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, I'll be there to back you all up. We can do this in our sleep!"
"Yeah!" A bunch of them chorused together.
Sanae smirked at their comradery. She was proud of them. There was suddenly a gasp of excitement. "It's Shiba-fuku-taicho!"
"Idiot." Someone scolded harshly. "It's Shiba-taicho now!"
Sanae scowled as the group parted and none other than Isshin stood in the middle. A bright grin on his face and one hand held up in a wave to his old team. Sanae noticed how the haori on his back actually looked good on him. He suited being a Captain. She wasn't going to tell him that though, she'd rather chew on her own tongue.
"All of you head to the designated area. I'll meet you all there, don't engage the Hollows until we know how many there are."
"Yes, Captain!" The men and women yelled and moved out. Once their stampeding feet disappeared Sanae finally met Isshin's gaze. She was relieved to see that he held no hatred in his eyes. He was happy to see her. She suddenly felt guilty for not being at his inauguration.
"Shouldn't you have a Division to run now?" Sanae asked icily.
Isshin rubbed the back of his head bashfully. "I should…but I kind of missed this place. Heading out on a mission?"
"Well, you're the one that wanted to leave." Sanae stated matter-of-factly. "And yeah, Hollow nest popped up."
"Need a hand?" He asked, ignoring the shade that she had thrown.
"No thanks." Sanae marched passed him. "We've got it covered. Something like this is easy for Division Three to handle."
She heard Isshin chuckle quietly behind her. She refused to turn around and look at him. "Ok, well…be safe, Captain."
Sanae's brows furrowed slightly. "I'm not your Captain anymore, Isshin. You don't have to address me that way." She had meant for it to come out as snarky, but her tone betrayed her and conveyed her sadness at the whole situation.
"I know…" She could hear the smirk in his voice. "You'll always be my Captain though."
Sanae gnawed on her bottom lip to stop herself from whimpering. She hated Isshin right now. This would've been easier if they just hadn't been such good friends with one another. Why couldn't he have been some incompetent fool? Sanae composed herself as she tugged on the collar of her haori. She needed to rendezvous with her team. She sent Isshin a tender smile over her shoulder. "I'll see you later…"
Isshin returned her smile with that familiar goofy grin he normally always wore. "You're so serious, Captain! I'll still be here when you come back! Even if I'm in a different Division now, you can't get rid of me that easily!" Sanae chuckled and looked ahead. She didn't reply to him as she took off at a run, heading for her teams that would be waiting for her arrival. She was eager to get this mission done with, because maybe-it wouldn't be so bad if Isshin was a Captain.
Only, none of them ever made it back that night…
Sanae was excited about the prospect of fighting Hollows again. It had been a long time since she had done anything on the front lines. There was a constant peace in Soul Society, and there hadn't been any incidents in the human world that required a Captain's presence for a long time.
The only thing that was making her heart heavy was that Isshin wasn't at her side. It would take some getting used to, and there was the whole issue that she actually needed to pick another lieutenant, something that she was seriously dreading. Paperwork made her sweat. Hollows made her smile.
Sanae was nearing the destination. She had lived a long time so she knew Rukongai like the back of her hand. She headed out of the Thirty-Fourth district and into the nearby woods. There was an incline, a large hill that she quickly Shunpō'd up and came to a stop where she assumed her teams would be waiting for her.
Only they weren't.
Sanae's brows creased, her lips pulling down into a scowl. She rested her hand against the hilt of her Zanpakuto as she crept steadily further into the woods. She tried to sense her teams, but she couldn't feel them anywhere. Had they gone to the wrong place? Had she?
A very distinct Hollow roar sounded off to her left. It was maybe a hundred meters away. Sanae took off in that direction. Had her teams engaged with the Hollows already? Idiots! She told them to wait for her! As she neared where she had heard the Hollow, she tried to locate her teams' reiatsu again but failed. But as she got closer to her destination, she began to sense the presence of Hollows, lots of them. It seems the Intel on the Hollow nest had been correct.
It was in the next moment that she came bursting into a clearing, and then she skidded to a stop when she realized what she had just walked into. Hollows surrounded her. There was around two dozen, all towering over her in various shapes and forms. They immediately noticed her presence as Sanae unsheathed her Zanpakuto and held it out in front of her threateningly. She scanned the mob of Hollows, she turned slowly, looking at all of them and trying to come up with a plan on how she could take them all on without her teams.
Now she really wished Isshin was here with her.
A Hollow lunged for her, screeching it's head off as Sanae dodged out of the way, leapt up and sliced down the middle of its mask. Three more were suddenly onto her. Sanae found herself dodging, weaving and avoiding the charging Hollows. She was barely able to get a hit onto one, as another Hollow would be trying to swipe at her from behind.
They never really did play fair. But, then again, neither did Sanae. She didn't have time to fret about her missing teams, if they were stupid enough to get the co-ordinates mixed up then that's their fault. But Sanae couldn't afford to play games with the Hollows; she needed to get a little serious. Sanae leapt back a little further away from the mob of beasts. She held out her Zanpakuto horizontally in front of her. With her free hand she swiped it across the blade as she shouted. "Pierce the heavens, Ikazuchi!"
Her Zanpakuto shimmered and shrunk while also changing colour and shape. Clasped in her fist was a double-edged trident the size of Sanae's forearm. It was a rustic gold colour, with both ends having a three-pronged blade. Little blue tendrils of electricity began swirling around the prongs. Sanae twirled the trident around in her hand as she crouched defensively as she glared down at the Hollows that had started to advance towards her.
Sanae staggered slightly as she dropped down to the ground from the tree she had been in. The last Hollow had finally been killed, its body crashed against the ground as it let out one final screech as that too slowly died down.
Overhead, a lightning bolt lit up the sky and thunder roared not too far away. For some people, a storm was unsettling, for Sanae, it made her feel at ease. Sanae swiped a hand across her forehead just as a drop of rain splattered against her cheek. She glanced up into the night sky for a moment. She now had the task of going to find her missing teams and reprimanding them for getting themselves lost. Sanae spotted her Zanpakuto stuck into the ground a few meters away; it has reverted back to its sealed form already.
She took a step towards her Zanpakuto just as lightning lit up the night sky again. And then suddenly she was surrounded again. Sanae froze, her insides turning cold as her eyes widened and her breath was sucked right out of her.
"What?" She gasped out, sounding like someone was choking her. Thunder roared overhead, vibrating the very ground she stood on that was now drenched in dark red blood. All around her, bodies had appeared. They were littered around the clearing, all dead, sliced and maimed mostly beyond recognition. But Sanae recognized them…she knew exactly who they all were.
"No!" She yelled, her eyes flinging around the clearing, trying to detect any movement from any of her subordinates. How had they died? Why were they here? Why couldn't she see them before? Sanae whirled around, her eyes settling on her Zanpakuto that was imbedded into the torso of a fallen comrade.
She couldn't breathe. She clawed at her throat, was someone choking her? Was that why she couldn't breathe? Her heart felt like someone was plunging an ice-cold knife right through her chest. She couldn't focus properly, her vision started to swim. She fell onto her knees and promptly emptied the contents of her stomach on the ground underneath her.
"Why?" Sanae cried, the tears appearing. "Who would do this?" Thunder and lightning bellowed overhead as Sanae wept on the ground. She heard footsteps approaching. Sandals crunched the grass as Sanae lifted her head slowly. Her blurry eyes settled on a figure striding towards her. She wiped at her nose as the familiar man crouched down in front of her.
"Igarashi-taicho." He spoke gently. Behind his spectacles, his brown eyes looked down at her with a kindness. His brown tousled hair blew gently in the cold wind.
"Aizen-kun." She whispered, her voice quivering. "Did you see…who did this?" Sanae twisted her head around to stare around at all the bodies once more. "I don't know who could—"
"You did this, Igarashi-taicho."
For the second time that night, Sanae froze. Her body began to shake uncontrollably as she slowly moved her head back to stare at the fourth seat of Fifth Division. Aizen's eyes had changed. Before, when they had shown her kindness, now all she could see was malice.
Sanae shook her head violently. "No—I didn't!"
"You did." Aizen told her calmly, his voice as smooth as butter. "You took your Zanpakuto, and you slaughtered you subordinates."
Sanae shoved him away from her. "NO!" She screamed, falling onto her back and scrambling away from him. "There were Hollows here! I saw them, they were here!"
Aizen got to his feet and brushed down his black shihakusho. He rested his hand against the hilt of his own Zanpakuto. "You only saw what I wanted you to see."
"What?" Sanae gasped, perplexed.
Aizen chuckled darkly and strode up to her again. He hunched over and reached out to cup her chin with his hand, he tilted her head to stare up at him. "My Kyōka Suigetsu has the ability to influence all five senses…you believed what you saw in this clearing were Hollows, but in reality, they were you loyal subordinates that you so confidently cut down."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she listened to Aizen's words. She tried to shake her head as much as she could with his grip still on her chin. She didn't want to believe him; she wouldn't do something like that! "I didn't…I wouldn't…"
"But you did, Sanae…" Aizen drawled. Sanae wrenched her head out of his grip and then vomited once more at his feet. Aizen took a step back and then laughed. "How do you feel, Igarashi-taicho? Sorrow? Grief? Turmoil?"
Sanae gasped for air. Her arms and legs shook as she barely had the energy to hold herself up. Why? Why? Why? Why would Aizen do this? Why did he make her kill them? "Aizen…why?" Sanae cried, resting her head on her hands as she collapsed to the grass. She couldn't stop the sobs that wracked her body. She had killed her friends, her subordinates. She had ended their lives tonight.
Aizen stood above her as lightning streaked across the sky behind him. "You will be the first experiment, Igarashi Sanae."
"Experiment for what?" Sanae wept. She balled her fists up tightly. "If you're gonna kill me, just do it already!"
Aizen chuckled deeply and bent down to her. Her fisted her shihakusho in his hand and then pulled her up forcefully. Sanae sobbed once more but didn't fight the taller and stronger man. "Now why would I want to kill you? You will be my greatest achievement. Once this is over you will be thanking me, Igarashi-taicho."
"What are you gonna do?" Sanae asked him.
Aizen suddenly dropped her. Sanae landed on her knees as she gazed up at the Shinigami. From inside his robes, Aizen pulled out a small shining orb. It looked like a glass ball, with dozens of edges. Around the outside it was dark purple, and deeper within there was a smaller orb, filled with a rainbow of colours as it swirled. "This is the Hōgyoku. Something that I have created to blur the boundaries between Shinigami and Hollow." Sanae listened fearfully. "I have been spending years creating and adding to it, and now I am ready to try it. But first I needed a test subject." His eyes shifted over to her quivering body. Her sapphire eyes were wide and watery; tears were dripping down her cheeks. "I needed someone strong…but not too strong. And the second requirement was that their soul had to be in complete and utter turmoil." Sanae shuddered, bowing her head. She had played right into Aizen's plan.
"You see," Aizen continued. "The soul cannot be morphed or changed unless one is in distress…and neither can it be added too." Sanae met his gaze; she then moved it over the small Hōgyoku as Aizen held it between his two fingers. From behind him, there was a ripple in the air. He smirked and turned slightly. "Ah, just in time."
Sanae looked beyond Aizen, and watched in terror as through the twisting ripple a Hollow started to climb its way into the clearing. It was a grotesque Hollow, with four thick legs, insect like eyes and spikes all along its spine. A swooshing tail with a sharp end crashed against the ground as it opened its jaws and howled.
Sanae suddenly had a sneaking suspicion about what Aizen was about to do to her. Aizen held up the Hōgyoku and looked like he was concentrating hard. The Hollow howled again and then began to disappear in a burst of black energy. The energy hovered around Aizen as he twisted to face the sorrowful girl.
Sanae didn't have the will to fight. She bowed her head. She deserved whatever Aizen was about to inflict on her. She had killed her squad, her teammates. Shinigami who looked up at her as their leader had probably screamed in terror as she cut them down effortlessly. Sanae let out a horrendous sob and tilted her head back to stare up at the sky just as the rain started. It poured down around them as lightning lit up the sky, followed by the rolling thunder. Her head remained bowed as Aizen forced the Hollow energy towards her. Sanae didn't fight it as the energy pierced her chest as she began to absorb it. The only thing that Sanae managed to do was scream in pain as the Hollow was forced into her broken soul.
Aizen watched with smug satisfaction as Sanae threw her head back and screamed. Her voice suddenly echoed a Hollow's cry as the girl clawed at her chest, trying to rip something out that wasn't visible. Sanae fell forwards as Aizen moved back, letting her smack onto the ground as her body began to convulse horribly. Sanae's body rolled over a few times, her hands flailing around her and her legs kicking out. All the while her scream echoed around the clearing. Aizen's smirk grew when he watched a hole suddenly appear in her chest where her heart would've been.
"It's working." He said gleefully.
'Sanae…Sanae you need to fight this!'
The Hollow roared as the tall black haired Zanpakuto Spirit shielded her master from harm. Ikazuchi was taller then most people, with black hair that reached the backs of her knees. The ends of her hair were cut into jagged edges. Her outfit consisted of dense blue electricity that swirled around her private areas. She wore no shoes. On the skin of her arms were golden markings in the shape of lightning bolts that trailed all the way up to her shoulders. The same markings were on her legs.
Ikazuchi twisted her head to stare at her master curled up on the cloud behind her, her legs drawn up to her chest as she muttered quietly to herself and rocked back and forwards. 'Sanae!' Ikazuchi screamed at her.
The Hollow started to advance once again as Ikazuchi whirled around. Her azure eyes narrowed as she raised her hand to the watery sky and then slammed it down to the ground. From above, lightning bolts rained down and pinned the Hollow to the clouds. It screeched in anger but was held in place as Ikazuchi finally had a moment to talk with her master.
She hurried back to Sanae, who was still rocking herself and weeping. Ikazuchi knelt down in front of her and placed her hands on her shoulders tenderly.
'Sanae, you need to snap out of this…'
"They're dead, Ikazuchi…they're dead. I killed them!" Sanae cried as she buried her face into her knees.
'And you will be too if you don't fight this Hollow! Do you want to be turned into a monster?' Ikazuchi gripped her shoulders painfully tight.
Sanae lifted her head hesitantly. "I'm already a monster! I don't care anymore, there's nothing I can do that can make it better!"
'You can fight'
"I don't want to, Ikazuchi…I want to die…" Sanae whispered tearfully. "I deserve to die—after what I have done."
'It's not your fault—Aizen is behind this! You must see that!' Ikazuchi glanced over her shoulder just as the Hollow broke through one of her lightning bolts. Soon it would break through them all and would be upon them again. Ikazuchi wasn't strong enough to take it on, on her own. She needed her master to fight with her.
'This is what he wants, Sanae. You must fight it with me!'
"I can't, not anymore…" Sanae uttered in defeat.
It was no use. Ikazuchi wouldn't be able to convince her to fight, not in this state. Sanae was a broken girl. Aizen had shattered her very soul. It would take a miracle to even get her to stand. At this rate, they would both be consumed by the Hollow and transformed into the very thing that Aizen desired.
Ikazuchi wouldn't let that happen. Sanae had been her master for almost eight hundred years…they had fought thousands of Hollows together, she wasn't about to loose her master to this one. If Sanae couldn't fight the Hollow now, she would wait until she was ready. She could do that much for her at least.
The Hollow broke through the last of her lightning bolts as it charged at them. Ikazuchi turned and faced the beast. She stamped her foot, sending a shockwave over the clouds. Suddenly, a cage formed around the Hollow, effectively trapping it inside as it lashed against the lightning bars. Ikazuchi turned back to her master and sunk down on her knees in front of her again. Sanae was mumbling to herself once more.
'For now, I can keep it at bay. I'll be using your energy to do this so don't expect to be at full power until we've defeated the Hollow.' Sanae remained unresponsive to Ikazuchi talking to her but her Zanpakuto spirit still did anyway. 'It also means that you'll have to forget until you're ready…you are stronger than this, Master. You can overcome this. I know you will. It'll be hard, I won't lie to you, but I believe you can do this.' Ikazuchi rested the palm of her hand against Sanae's cheek.
'We're in this together. Never forget that.' Ikazuchi leant forwards and pressed a kiss to Sanae's forehead. The azure haired girl suddenly went limp and fell back as her body slowly fell through the grey, puffy clouds.
'I'll see you soon, Sanae…'
Aizen's triumphant smirk dropped when the hole in Sanae's chest miraculously closed up. Her body stopped convulsing and she seemed to give an almighty sigh of relief. "It seems she was stronger then I thought." Aizen mused to himself as he shuffled back into the trees. He would wait until she woke up to see what her condition would be like. Maybe the transformation would be different?
It wasn't long before he saw her stirring on the ground. By now the storm was in full force. Rain pelted down against them. Lighting streaked across the sky with thunder following close behind it. Aizen watched as Sanae roused herself from her sleep. She sat up hesitantly, rubbing at her face and hair and seeing the confusion on her face. He watched as Sanae saw her Zanpakuto sticking out of the body of her comrade as she started to scream. There was no Hollow cry but he could tell that her memory was gone.
Aizen watched as the fallen Captain picked herself up shakily and ran to her Zanpakuto, drawing it out and then dropping to her knees once again, sobs wracking her entire body. He wouldn't kill her…no…he would try again, but not with her. If she had the nerve to defy him then it was only fitting that he let the Gotei Thirteen deal with her. They would execute her, and she would die knowing that she had killed all of her subordinates by her own hand.
Sanae's eyes shifted up from her feet and to her Zanpakuto Spirit that stood a little further away from her. Ikazuchi had drawn her into her inner world. A place she hadn't been in, in two hundred and fifty six years. Beneath her feet were grey storm clouds. Lightning flashed within the clouds periodically but no thunder accompanied it. There never was here. Above her, hundreds of feet above was a watery sky. Sanae had an inverted world. An ocean was above her head, with crashing waves. They certainly hadn't been there before. And neither had the torrential rain that fell upwards. A strange experience it was, seeing rain rise from the ground and fall upwards towards the water.
Now you know. Ikazuchi spoke softly to her.
Sanae couldn't face her. She angled her head away, too ashamed to meet Ikazuchi's azure gaze. All this time, she had been preaching to everyone that she had been innocent. That it hadn't been her that had killed her friends, her subordinates.
When in reality she had.
It's not your fault, you know. Ikazuchi told her. It was Aizen. It was him all along.
"It doesn't change anything." Sanae muttered. "I still…" she paused and tried to collect herself. She didn't want to become the girl that Ikazuchi had shown her. She was never going to be that girl who curled up in a ball and refused to fight. "I still killed them. Even if it was Aizen's influence…I still did it." Ikazuchi approached her carefully. The taller woman embraced her master tenderly, placing her chin on top of her head. "I should've been stronger. Instead of becoming a lazy and arrogant Captain I should've been more careful."
Aizen fooled the entire Gotei Thirteen into believing that he was a good person. You couldn't have known what he was up to. They will forgive you, Sanae…
"I can't forgive myself." Sanae growled. "I've spent this entire time, telling everyone that it wasn't me, that I couldn't have possibly killed all of those people…when I did. I am a monster, just like Aizen."
You are nothing like Aizen. Ikazuchi cradled her face in her hands and crouched down so that she was eye level with her master. Ikazuchi sighed after a brief moment and then held her once more. It seems you're still not ready to fight the Hollow just yet.
Sanae jerked away from her. "I want to see it."
Ikazuchi nodded and then stepped back a little more and waved her hand across the clouds. From underneath them, the clouds parted and Sanae was suddenly standing on lightning bars. Beneath her, the Hollow roared. It dashed at the bars, smacking into it. It tried to claw at her as Sanae gasped and stumbled back.
It was true. She had a Hollow inside of her. A Hollow. And Aizen had put it there. Sanae felt her lip tremble but she inhaled deeply and pushed her fears away. She raised her gaze to meet Ikazuchi's concerned gaze.
"Thank you." Sanae said sincerely. "Without you…I don't know…"
I know…Ikazuchi smiled sadly at her. The Zanpakuto spirit waved her hand once more and the clouds closed over the Hollow prison.
"What happens now?" Sanae asked her, her sapphire eyes lingering on the clouds beneath her feet. Sanae jerked her gaze up when she realized Ikazuchi had moved closer to her, she hadn't even heard her.
Ikazuchi crouched down, with a tender smile. You get to live again.
"Sanae-chan!"
Sanae could hear her voice being called, but she didn't know by whom.
"Sanae-chan, wake up!"
Was that…Ukitake? It sounded like him. Sanae suddenly remembered as her eyes shot open. She was standing in the same spot where Ikazuchi had spoken to her. Ukitake was at her side shaking her shoulder. Only a few seconds seemed to have passed since Aizen's departure but to Sanae if felt like she had been in her inner world for months. Sadness suddenly washed over her as she remembered everything that Ikazuchi had told her. Her heart ached as she sniffed and tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes discreetly.
"Are you hurt? Did Aizen hurt you?" Ukitake asked her with concern, gripping onto her shoulder and turning her towards him. His kind olive eyes scanned over her body.
"No," Sanae shook her head. "No…I'm alright. I—um…I remember everything."
"Everything?" Ukitake questioned her, a frown on his face. His expression suddenly changed as he realized what she meant.
Sanae turned away from him and gazed out across the battlefield. Ikazuchi was still clasped in her hand as Sanae sheathed her Zanpakuto. The Captains and Lieutenants around her were reeling with the realization that Aizen had betrayed them all. It was a betrayal like no other. Her gaze continued around, and then she caught the eye of none other then Kurosaki Ichigo. He was being held up by Chad, with Orihime fluttering around telling him that he needed to lie down so that she could heal him. Ichigo was politely declining her offer. Sanae heard him say to his friends that there was 'someone he needed to talk to.'
Sanae knew it was her.
She remembered that she was no longer in her Gigai as blue hair danced around her face and shoulders. It felt good to be in her own body again—but she was also terrified. What were they all going to say to her? Sanae watched as Ichigo shooed off Chad, saying that he was ok to walk on his own for a bit as he started to stagger over in her direction. Sanae held his gaze as she heard Ukitake mutter something like 'go' and moved off so that she too could approach the injured carrot top.
Sanae had never felt more nervous in her entire life as she took those first tentative steps towards Ichigo. His gaze never left hers as he limped towards her. Sanae had only moved two feet before someone appeared between them. Sanae halted, her eyes darting up to meet intense burgundy as Yamamoto stared down at her. She could see that he was no longer harboring unparalleled rage towards her, but she could still see disappointment and anger in his eyes.
"I am willing to listen now."
Sanae wanted to curse the old man out. He always had such shit timing. She couldn't refuse him though; otherwise he probably would execute her. Sanae bowed her head just as three members of the Onmitsukidō surrounded her. Two grabbed her arms and held them at her sides firmly. She wouldn't be able to move her arms even if she wanted too. The other held their Zanpakuto to her neck, daring her to try and fight her way out of their grasp.
Yamamoto moved out of the way and Ichigo saw her restrained. His face morphed into anger. "Oi! What do you think you're doing?" He yelled angrily. He attempted to run but winced and held his side. Suddenly, Ukitake was at his side, a hand clamped onto his shoulder.
"Don't. If you try to free her, the more trouble she will be in."
Ichigo rounded on the unfamiliar Captain. "But-!"
"Please." Ukitake begged. "You'll help her by staying quiet." Ichigo glowered at the white haired man but swiveled back around as he watched Sanae be marched off. He grit his teeth as he saw her defeated expression. It was the same one he had seen on Rukia's face. Ichigo then wondered if he would ever see Sanae again…
Oof I am a horrible person for cutting it off there, aren't I? xD That chat will just have to wait, won't it? I know I said that this whole chapter was gonna be a flashback but I couldn't not write this little teaser between Ichigo and Sanae.
But enough of that, you all now know her past! Yes, Sanae is the first experiment that Aizen ever did. This is also way before he meets Gin as Gin only comes into the picture I think roughly around the time Aizen creates the Vizard and this takes place like almost two hundred years before that. But alas, she is not like the Vizards we see in the series...and that shall be explained later on in the story-I still have to keep some secrets ;)
Oh and also, her relationship with Isshin has always been and will always be strictly friendly. Because that's just weird. xD Just wanted to clarify before people maybe got the wrong idea (shudders). But how about that huh, Isshin was her Lieutenant! I wonder if they'll have a reunion, hmmmmm? (its a hint)
I just want to say that holy sheet all of your reactions to Sanae being a Captain had me on the floor. XD I honestly thought that all of you were gonna be like 'pshhh yeah we knew' but literally none of you guessed it! I have been trying so hard from day one to keep that a secret but also giving little snippets and it looks like it payed off!
Anyway I've rambled enough, thank you all so much for your kind words, I loved reading your reviews so thank you thank you!
REPLIES
Maryam Clarus - I'm so happy I caught everyone off guard with the Captain thing xD Little fact, I did a flashback in one of the chapters where Sanae and Isshin are fighting Hollows together. She was a Captain in that scene :D yesss lightning is a fave of mine, and I'll be excited to go into more detail about her abilities soon enough! I really hope you enjoyed her past! I wish I could write more but I didn't want to drag it out for very long! But thank you so much x
FriendlyNeighbourhoodHufflepuff - Please for the love of god do it. Honestly I crack up each time and now I really wanna see a tiktok with that and Aizen scenes. xD
Wanderstar - There you go! You now know how she became the first experiment! I hope I didn't disappoint! Thank you so much for reading and thank you for loving Sanae! x
Guest - aw thank you! Last chapter was definitely my favourite too. This one is up there too just because I love writing flashbacks so much. I may sneak a few more in just because but they'll never be this long again I don't think! And don't worry about not reviewing! It's not a requirement at all but I appreciate it so so so much! I'm still giddy that no one ever suspected that she could've been captain. I was waiting for someone to call me out on it but it never came haha! That talk will happen next chapter! Promise! x
Ukitakeitalialover041757 - Thank you! :D
Nixxion Mysterio - hahahahaha I was waiting for your review xD I actually had to look up Yoruichi's special name as I knew she had one and hers is the Flash Goddess but I knew that some people might have thought it was her but I crossed my fingers and prayed (cue Kesha's song) anyway dear lord you had me in stitches. I am so happy that you didnt guess she was a captain xD I still have a few more secrets up my sleeve and as for the rest of the story, Sanae does play a part in it so im excited for that! I hope you enjoy her flashback, now you finally know everything about her xD took me long enough hahaha
xXThatRandomKidXx - yes our girl Sanae is a CAPTAIN xD Thank you so much! I've given you a few answers about the Hollowfication and stuff but there will be more details a little further on in the story! :D
nyuctophilia57 - hahahaha don't worry apparently you weren't the only one! xD Im still so surprised that I caught all of you off guard with it, I totally expected people to have known! Thank you so much! x
Kaizuka-Michiko - Yep! Captain alright!
Hi again - hi again hi again (that made my brain hurt) I'm doing great I hope you are too! Thank you for sticking around hope you enjoyed!
Thank you everyone for reviewing! Also next chapter is the last one in the Soul Society Arc. FINALLY we can move onto the Arrancar arc yesssssssss be prepared! And yes Ichigo and Sanae will finally have the talk dun dun duuuuuuuuun
