A/N: I'm truly sorry for the delay. I could say it's because of work. I could say it's because of Covid-19. I could say it's because my laptop is living its last days and thanks to this economy I can't invest in a new one. I could say that in the last two months I rewrote the chapter twice, to the point where I became frustrated with myself. I could say all of those things it still would not explain fully my sporadic publishing. What I can say, is that Amy, Soi Yo, and ZeroSquadSephiroth, you guys are the ones who brought me back to this story with your kind reviews and your words of encouragement. I hope you're still hanging in there because I'm still counting on you. Thanks.

-59-

Your wish is my command.


Kakira

Reihachi

Zero Squad member

Friend of Kirio

Warden of the Royal Jail

In this world, there was a difference between being made and being born. She was made before she was born, well-bred but not loved. She was thought, conceived, engineered, and assigned a role before she was desired. Trust her, it made a difference.


In Soul Society, Suki Ichinose was staring at the clouds, thinking back to all the promises she wished in a perfect world she could have kept. Unaware of the turmoil inside her Captain, Momo Hinamori was ushering the captains to protect themselves with a strange smelling decoction with mitigating success.

Sasakibe silently stood by Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, even if he did not understand every decision his Commander was taking. He trusted him. He made a vow ever since he had been a little kid with a head full of dreams. He had vowed to follow this man, the great savior of a whole generation, to the pit of Hell itself. He would never go back on his words.

Byakuya was scowling at them from a distance, rarely the noble had been so keen to show his disapproval, letting himself be open like a book the world to see. Ukitake and Unohana also stared at each other, but this time with a hint of longing. Maybe for a brief moment, they wanted to think back to the night they shared. Maybe it was longing for peace that made them pause. They will have a vastly different duty in this war, her nursing the wounded, him slaying evil. It didn't seem fair. She was about to return to the living world HQ with a twisted knot in her stomach. Some part of Unohana, the ugly side, was somewhat jealous of her friends.

Audiomachine - Guardians at the Gate (GRV Extended RMX)

Surveilling all the screens, Ego was working hard on his task, grumbling alone, that he always felt like he was the only one working in the universe. Nobody could blame him since you just had to watch a certain Suki-chan lying on her back on a patch of green grass, to be convinced.

Kirio stood in front of the Royal Chamber, surrounded by Servants of various sizes. She remembered Reiichi's warning. Be careful what you wish for. She grabbed her left hand to stop it from shaking each time the wall would waiver under the amount of spiritual power. If Kakira could do this, she could too.

But it didn't help at all, and she was unprepared as she heard the Royal Chamber's latch unlock itself from the inside.

Yomi, alias Mizuiro Kojima, landed nimbly after 'falling,' ripping the clouds apart in the sky, having traveled dimensions in a matter of seconds. He perched himself casually over the balcony of the Kojima tower. From there, he had an astonishing view of the burning Karakura. A plane and a helicopter had crashed midtown. Clouds of smoke soared in the already dampened grey sky with the hand of the Guardian retracting. Yomi frowned as he sniffed the air. It smelled like sulfur. Then the ground started shaking again, and he immediately set his eyes on the courtyard of Urahara's shop. The world turned critically red for a split second. He blinked. That scent. That familiar scent of ashes and sulfur. The sky fractured open, revealing a glimpse of Hueco Mundo. A black Dragon-like creature flew out of the hole before it dissipated into smokes. Yomi blinked. What was that? A vision? A vision of Mammongi. Impossible. It couldn't be. Not just any Vasto Lorde. The father of all dead things, The First Son, The Primo Lorde, Mammongi, is fucking awake? Alive? Fuck! What the Fuck! That was impossible. He was dead. Gone.

But that was only the beginning of his trouble. Oh no! Ichigo! Sweat dropping across his neck, Yomi raced across the balcony as he followed a black SUV as it raced through the chaotic streets in the direction of the epicenter of the fight. He was mainly focused not on Ichigo Kurosaki dashing out of the moving car, choosing to run instead of waiting, but on his father, behind the wheel. His father, the person who drove him back there, knowing he was about to have his heart crushed. The situation was getting way out of control. A Senkaimon opened slowly in lieu and place of the elevator. A beautiful woman approached slowly and joined him on the balcony, carrying a tablet, the perfect picture of a dutiful secretary.

- The Xcution Team has arrived. They are getting accustomed to their new accommodations. Do we have the list of ingredients yet?

He shook his head, grumbling.

- Nope, but I need you to secure the perimeter.

- You look pale, Boss.

It was probably a joke. Because, if anything, Yomi was pale as the dead under this fake skin.

-It's like you've seen a ghost?

Again another joke; he was practically a ghost—a very resilient Poltergeist from the Past.

"You think killing me will solve your problem. This is their world. (sneer) You're just the herd. On the bottom of the pyramid, you guys should have stayed. You think you will prevail? You will never get a seat at the table. The King doesn't speak to nutrients like us. He doesn't speak to outsiders. He only listens to His children. And you don't stand a chance against Mammongi even with your little soldier boys and your magic tricks. Mammongi is gonna eat you alive, you and your men. But before he does, he and all the Children he sired will make sure you live long enough to beg for death. When he is gonna grant your wish, you will think this is mercy. If you're lucky, he won't exterminate all of you, children, lovers, elders at once and threw you back into the cycle. Do it all over again. Until he gets bored, that is. That's what happened to my people. And now I am the only one left… No, you will fail, trust me."

"Trust you? You work for them. You're the Commander of the Quincy army. Knight Protector of the realm, Grand Intendant of Las Noches."

"Fancy title for the help."

"You pillaged and enslaved entire villages…"

"Like I said, I'm a survivor… I've been doing this for a long time. And I know a way, so you get to save your people and be a hero… I can tell you how to kill Mammongi. When he is dead and out of the picture… Maybe you have a shot at hunting bigger games… I don't really care... But I will need immunity, safe passage, and a long chat with your Boss. I want him to grant me a wish or two."

"Why would you help us?"

"Maybe I want to change the world too. Or maybe I just wanna make sure I survive this closing era. See, I am all about living forever. You want my help or not, Yamamoto-Taicho? What? Isn't that what your men call you now? I never forget a face in my long life. That I can be proud of. I think it's cute. You guys think you're a noble militia. A bunch of freedom fighters…You think I didn't know you were coming?! Please! I led you right into my doorsteps. (sneer) I will take your silence as a yes. That we have a deal. We will be working together from now on. Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu."

"So…"

"The only way to kill The Primo Lorde is to maim his heart. His Hueco Centro, as we call it. Lucky for you! His heart has pretty legs! The name is Paz Schiffer. Charming brunette with soulful eyes. His mate. A glorious creature… But she is flawed. She cares too much about tiny people, tiny souls like you. She dreams of a world of peace between pluses and hollows. She made him weak. She did. Are you and your boys ready to go hunting?"

- Boss?

Yomi was staring in the distance, lost in his memory.

- Are you alright?

- I'm fine. I've never been better. Did you check the list of the departed like I ask you earlier?

- You know, Boss, it will be impossible to sort out who is who before a long time. It's a mess out there. A carnage, really. With traumatized souls crawling in the streets… Yeurk… There's a lot of cleaning up to do. Some souls melted and fused together… It's a headache. You know better than me how these spells worked.

He gave her a stern look. She bowed with a sweet smile.

- Of course, I will do my best with this cargo, Sir. I know it's precious to you. If we find him…

He turned immediately to face her since it was like she stabbed his pride with her words. She didn't blink. His face morphed, translucid skin rippling like water for a second. But when he looked up, he was back to looking at her with the deceivingly peaceful eyes of Mizuiro Kojima.

- Not if…When you find Chad… You get him back into the cycle asap. I want him reincarnated and happy somewhere by next week. If not, that boy is gonna know…"

- But…

- He is gonna know… Trust me… He will feel it… and he will come after us in whatever state he is in. We don't want that. We also don't want Vasto Lorde running around… You check that out too.

He finished calmly. She shrugged.

- First of all, I can't imagine that boy going anywhere in that crippled state. But whatever you say, he can come. We're ready for a welcome party. The boys have been itching for a decent fight for decades now. And Vasto Lorde, Boss? Is that a joke? They're extinct. They have been for a millennium. It's probably one of Aizen's little pet projects. An Espada. Smells similar. I know you wanted them all dead, but some of them are so clueless and harmless! It's a crime! It makes me feel dirty!

- Jackie?

- Yes, Boss?

- Just do as you're told for once.

He said tiredly. She frowned but bowed down low.

- You're the Boss, Boss.

Masakira landed in Jigoku just before the gates open. With its mountains of snow and river of lava, Hell was a beautiful place to look at. He didn't dislike taking strolls there, smelling the sulfur fumes, through the ground crevices, let himself be lulled by the helpless roar of the Kushanādas. [1] In the collective minds, Hell was the place where Togabito, that is to say, sinners, came to be punished for all their crimes committed while they were alive. But Hell was also a reservoir when Soul Society's full capacity was reached or severely amputated by a conflict, as was the case presently. Indeed, fewer people were aware that Jigoku could act as a gigantic pantry. It kept spirits from depleting or deteriorating while they awaited to join the cycle. It wasn't the friendliest place, per se. Most souls were traumatized by their stay here. But it wasn't the most horrible, Masakira reckoned, Kakira's jails having a much "better" reputation in his mind.

His hands joined behind his back, Masakira stared at the opening Gates with a neutral expression. He contemplated the souls piling up in front of his gates with a bored look. Unbeknownst to all, however, his senses were running in overdrive. He could sense some souls had unusually attractive reiatsu, and he was positively starving. Now and then, as he stood unnaturally still, his eyes would turn obsidian black, and his mouth would be fuming. He wasn't "born" with any attachment to all these lands and their inhabitants. Except he kept the intimate knowledge, he should be the one to rule this kingdom. He was convinced his brother had it all wrong from the beginning. The only way to help their sick father would be to abbreviate his suffering and take over for him, and the only way to do that was to get stronger. To get stronger, they had to feed, braving their father's interdiction. Yet, even if they wanted. Right now, like him, they needed a cook, so as not to lose their sanity. It was a pity he could only watch the nutrients come and go on their two legs and bland yukata without touching. What a pity! His eyes settled like a hawk, a hollow hybrid helping another soul through the portal. A little snack won't hurt?

Furuichi landed directly in his old bedroom. The golden walls of the Shihouin palace shimmered on impact. He turned slowly, remembering the last time he had been here. At an odd time like this, he remembered fondly his little girl growing up, racing through the hallway, her laughter ringing in the air. He was not surprised, though, when he found the place empty and quiet. He wondered what mayhem his beloved daughter and her friends will cause this time. Even if he rationalized at the same time that he was her father, in this life at least, and he would gladly clean up after her like always. He approached the balcony. He was totally not surprised when he saw Persephone's head and three tails towering the walls of the quiet spirit court. It smelled like fire and bones with a whiff of sulfur. It smells like death.

Meanwhile, in Muken…

Reiichi said to secure the Prisoner. He said by whatever means necessary. It did not take Kakira too long to come back after the Red Chamber meeting. The little girl quickly crossed the corridors of the Eighth level of the Royal Dimension. The scent of sulfur and frankincense was heavy in the air. No sound filtered through the dark walls. Floating in the air, her feet not touching the ground, Kakira progressed quickly with her eyes riveted on her portable tablet.

"Kaikoroku? I need a quick report."

There was a sudden earthquake as if they were on a ship that was about to tank. She slammed the wall full-force and grunted as she got back on her feet.

"Anomalies detected—texture Shift in all Interdimensional Strata. Instabilities detected. An Access Key request is being authenticated as we speak. Authentication Process may take up to ten hours."

"Ten hours? That's plenty." She said.

"Rectification. The process may start any time now."

"But you just said?"

"Muken is moving to accommodate the Key to the Abyssal Vaults, Kiboruto."

"You just said we had ten hours?"

"Negative. We have reset our calculations with the new parameters. The transfer has just been authorized manually by His Majesty from a distance. The process will take significantly less."

"What?"

"Completing transfer 14558XF879O. Order in accordance with the wishes of his Majesty, The King of all Spirits, Unique holder of the Seishin-shin [2], Guardian of the Mother, Bearer of the Spirit God, Illustrious descendant of Kami-Sama, Master of the House Kurosaki, Emperor of the Kingdom of the Rising Sun, Divine as God among the Transient Gods…"

"I know what it means! Why did he do that? What is happening?"

"The situation is akin to the Majesty unlocking the door himself."

"He can do that?"

"Its Majesty, the King of all Spirits, can do anything and beyond."

"Please, I know that."

"Why did you ask then?"

"Kaikoroku?"

"Transfer will start shortly."

Kakira faded using shunpo. She reappeared behind the control command in the security room.

"Any ideas to avoid incoming disaster?"

"Destruction Protocol. While Evacuation has a 35% success rate, Destruction has an estimated higher success rate at 78%. However, the Destruction protocol is manual. It could only be triggered from the inside."

"I knew there was something I didn't like about it." She grunted.

"It means one member has to stay behind to trigger the protocol." Kaikoroku went on.

Kakira started to laugh at the incongruity of it all. Like she needed the explanation.

"So, you're telling me I have to sacrifice myself for the greater good. Can I barf now? Why must Reiichi always be right?! Nevermind! What should we do now? Let's go back to the nice cozy evacuation plan. What if we open an emergency portal on a lower-level dimension like he asked us? Dokutsu… is closer… For example, it's the closest on the map. Travel time will be shorter than other carceral dimensions, right? We will evacuate all the prisoners as soon as possible."

"Estimated evacuation time with the current parameters: 8 hours minimum."

"8 hours? Are you kidding me? Hello, we don't have 8 hours. Your words? Not mine! How long do you think it will take them to breach with their new toy?!"

"85 minutes, 36 seconds to be exact. Give or take some Temporality interferences."

"Give or take. Gee, Thanks!?"

"I do not understand your request. Eight hours is the minimum time required to prepare the prisoners for transport. You will have to deactivate the kido seals and safety straps on all the subjects and reactivate them one by one in the transport module. Without that, I cannot confirm the success of the whole operation."

"Well, we have to do it in less…"

"You are an artificially mixed breed, engineered so that your Raw Power capacity will reach at best 1.5 Gamma Gosei. [1]."

"Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. I can die happy now."

"That is the equivalent of the energy emitted by a Protostar. That is quite reasonable. Yet, we would need a Supernova in this instance. We can hope that you will be able to subdue Aizen Sousuke. But even that fight will have an uncertain outcome. But not the second guest. Definitely not the third. You will need an additional 1.2 Megatons of Gamma Gosei to hope to subdue the sleeping Monarch, the one without a name. Note this is an approximation. If he wakes up, the data could change at any minute. No data have ever been registered about his strength."

"Kaikoroku, girl, you're not helping!"

"Opening the Sarcophagus of the Sleeping Monarch alone and risking waking him up is akin to condemning all living beings in all dimensions to eternal doom. That is all the data we have. We must consider Self-destruction as the only viable option. This proposition is the most adequate, with an estimated 78% success rate. Should I start the countdown and evacuate all internal staff?

Reihachi frowned.

"78%? Are you kidding me? You, the most advanced computer, can only come up with this lame plan, and you want me to sacrifice my sweet artificial life on a whim. You just said if we wake up that beast, we're dead anyway. What do you think will happen if we miss… and that actually wake that beast up."

"An explosion cannot wake a Kaiju caught in the Deep Slumber. This is 85% true."

"That is not 100% fail-proofed. You, daft computer. My father and my uncles wake up every century…"

"I am offended by your insinuations. My calculations are always the most correct. Your father and your uncle went to sleep on their own. On their own volition, which is a metabolism mechanism known to Kaiju as..."

"Hibernation."

"Exactly, so that they awoke on their own time is a given. This is not the same as entering the Deep Eternal Slumber, which is an unintended side effect from food poisoning or heavy body trauma. The outcome is quite uncertain. That is why Destruction remains the most adequate protocol at 78%."

"Will I die?"

"Most definitely yes."

Kakira frowned.

"Will I join the cycle?"

"Only mortals souls can join the cycle."

"So for me…"

"We do not have enough data at the moment to answer your query. For short, it is not impossible."

"That's not a reassuring answer. Okay, you know… I don't care that much for this world. But care about survival! Sacrificing for no reason doesn't make sense to me. What are the odds that these guys don't disappear in the blast and we're stuck with an even bigger problem? What if they escape?"

"The odds are also high, Reihachi. You are correct."

"Progress…"

"Yet, this is the most adequate solution at 78%."

"You're like a broken record. Log me with my Father, Kaikoroku."

"You're already logged. The request was made earlier by Reiichi. He's been listening all along."

Kakira, turn to the camera on the corner of the wall. Great! She smiled.

"You heard that?"

Reiichi's face appeared on the screen.

"Is that what you were referring to when you told us about Reiroku's choice?"

"You don't have much time left. Don't waste time asking pointless questions."

"This is my last day, isn't it? I'm going to die today. And you knew that… How long have you known?"

Reiichi avoided her gaze, staring at another screen.

"You owe me this much. I think."

His reply was curt and savage.

"I don't owe you anything. However, you were made to counter such a basic threat. You are to make sure somebody like Aizen doesn't reach the King. That's your only purpose."

"Father…"

"You are strong like us, but you are not a kaiju. You don't have to feed. You don't starve. You don't get distracted by the sight of food. You don't have our weaknesses. Getting close to an hōgyoku won't send you into an eternal slumber. This is your day to shine."

Kakira stared at the screen.

"But I can die… Like it could be the end… The real end… No start over… No peaceful rest for a century or two… Really die… No waking up in a new body. No going back into the cycle. The end. I would disappear."

"And?" He said, looking unbothered.

"And? Will that be your last words to me? Don't I deserve a little more?"

She was met with silence. Reiichi shook his head without hesitation.

"I have no more valuable words for you."

Reiichi stared emotionless at the camera and said nothing.

"He made me so I could look like her, and I failed even that." The little girl cried.

"You look nothing like her. The truth is he must no longer remember what my sister actually looked like. So that's not on you… My father is sick. He's been sick a long time now. To think he could recreate my sister out of nowhere and replace her with a mere mannequin. Not even the Spirit God can do that. He has been searching for ways to create life out of nothing. But he could only make things like you… or Like me… or recycle all these other souls... That's the only thing he is good at…"

"You always knew he was going to do that."

"That was a possibility. That was a possible outcome. Multiple factors had to play out."

"Then why didn't you do something about it? Why don't you go there and hold that thing? Why don't you take his place! Why are you so complacent?"

"There is an order to everything. She was the one who was supposed to take his place. Eventually, she would have needed us, and we would have obeyed her wishes gladly. She was much stronger in will… You don't want me to hold that thing. Your life expectancy wouldn't have improved one bit if I did."

"But she is gone, and you… you're the only one strong enough to hold that thing. You assigned us all these tasks to please him when you could stop it all by taking the throne. You're the only one who can change things."

"Kakira, stop saying nonsense and obey your duty… That is the only thing I will request of you… Start the destruction protocol now."

"No."

He simply tilted his head in confusion.

"What did you say?"

"I said no. Bye Father! Suspend all external communication now. Kaikoroku, show me the prisoners."

Three sarcophagi appeared on three different screens.

"He is right, Reihachi. It has the most elevated success rate."

"It sucked. It sucked a lot. It's a dumb plan. Let me tell you… Let me think…"

"Per request, Muken Transfer started... Arrival in Soul Society imminent."

Kakira paced. She could never hope to solve this conundrum in time.

"I'm trying to think here. Give me the list again. Nope… Wait… That's not it… Can you access Reigo's studies on the hōgyoku? Especially everything related to a method of removal?"

Kaikoroku put all Reigo's data onscreen.

"Ego Urahara has spent a couple of months studying a way to pull the hōgyoku out of Aizen, but no simulations gave him satisfaction…"

"It is said here that the hogyouku has completely fused with its bearer. It demonstrates loyalty, as proven when it changed hands during the war and the gem fought back to go back with Aizen. Why?"

"The hōgyoku is an orb composed of a unique substance made out of various melted spirit-matter. Its true power lies in its ability to sense the hearts of those around it and materialize their deepest desire. Not unlike the Spirit God. Except Kaijus are strongly allergic to it somehow… It could mean the eternal slumber even for the most powerful ones."

"Is it possible to contain it?"

"Yes, a recipient can be forged in the spirit-matter printer with the same material sarcophagus are made off. It will be ready in minutes. But a fused hogyouku won't ever let go of an owner he deemed fit."

"Well, there are ways to confuse an hōgyoku. That's the method they used downstairs to catch Aizen, if I remembered correctly."

"That Is correct."

She smirked.

"Why didn't I think about that first? What about rehabilitation?"

"I do not understand your query."

"What other purposes building a jail have? Except to rehabilitate its prisoners."

"You want to exorcise the Sleeping monarch?"

"Not really… But I won't even have to if I bring peace to Aizen? He's the one who started all this. They're coming to get him. What if he could move on instead? What if I do what all of them are scared to do? Give him a clean slate—basic level 1 Shinigami duty. Send him back into the cycle… Give him a second chance and let him live his little life… Don't tell me this is not the best idea you've ever heard? I'm a genius."

"Konsō…or Soul Funeral is a basic technique used by Shinigami as a fundamental part of their roles in maintaining the cycle of souls between the Human World and the Spirit World. Basically, it will inject back any souls into the cycle. However, to exorcise somebody like Aizen, you will have to subdue him and find a way to extract the Hōgyoku. All that in less than 65 minutes."

"Sounds like fun! Start printing!"

She heard a sudden growl behind her and jumped, startled.

"You silly girl? How dare you disobey me?"

She turned to see Reiichi's shadow growing against the walls. He paused as he entered the control room

"Reiichi… What? How?"

"I asked first…"

There was a round of applause in the dark from the other side of the room. Izayoi emerged from the darkness.

"Actually, I like her plan, Reiichi. That's our girl. Always thinking outside the box. I knew someone like that once. Seems like we are all reunited, finally. How quaint! Let's make a beautiful memory together?"

Reini said, coming out of her own shadow.

"What are you doing here?" Reiichi growled, visibly surprised.

Izayoi shrugged and pointed at Kakira.

"I recalled she asked first. But I'm just here to help… just like you, right Reiichi? We're going to do some good deeds today, are we not?"

"You two are insane!"

"Were you worried about me? Is that why you came?" Kakira asked, unable to hide her glee.

"Of course he is… That's what parents do. Right? They worry… For their… offsprings."

"Go back to the factory, Izayoi."

"Nope. I refuse. What mother can possibly let her daughter face this kind of trial all alone?

"I'm glad you're here, mother."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

"How would you know what a mother does or doesn't do?"

"I had one… and brother too… if you recall… My family was so unlike yours." She said testily.

Kakira turned excitedly.

"Really? I have another uncle?"

"Yes, you do. He was but an infant last time I saw him. But he should have been all grown up by now… Right Reiichi?"

"If he lived, that is…Izayoi…"

Izayoi ignored him. She leaned over Kakira pleasantly, stroking her hair gently.

"We were so close. I would take him on strolls. Teach him things. Nurse him. He was so cute and so curious… just like you… Putting his little paws everywhere… So innocent… With a heart so pure… It had yet to be tainted by greed."

"I really thought all these centuries that you were an only child, mother."

"Well, I was not. Actually, my father had many "Children," something that stirs a lot of envy. He had a prosperous line coming after him, ready to take over… I had a big brother, for instance, that had himself thousands of children.

"Really?"

"Yes, he was a glorious creature with a big heart. His wings would cover the moonlight. He could recreate the Original Darkness."

"Original Darkness?"

"Cero Doble Obscura. It was the most beautiful sight. Truly Magnificent. My father cherished us all. But of course, we were his favorite, my baby brother and I… We were the youngest… His…"

"Izayoi…"

"Little miracles…born and bred..."

"Like father?"

Izayoi held on Kakira's arms firmly, her nails clawing lightly on the girl's skin.

"No, your father was more like you than you could imagine. He was not desired." She said coldly.

Kakira frowned. Izayoi smiled and gave an amused glance behind.

"His brother, his sister, and he were just artificial pieces of meat, chimeras extracted from the ribs of its Majesty. If you prefer, things he dropped while he shed… Because he was so sick, he was simply desperate to survive in any form. In fact, your father is exactly a carbon copy of his Majesty. Me, I had a mother once. A lady most cherished by her people. The Quincies."

"Quincies?"

"They are extinct now."

"But you are pureblooded…"

"My Father was a great visionary… He had the power to see the future. He believed it would be glorious to see his children walking the earth."

"And your mother?"

"Ah! Thinking about it, she wasn't the greatest mother, unlike me. But she was my mother nevertheless. And well, I am her, and I am my father… That made all the difference, right?"

Kakira nodded hesitantly.

"Where is she now?"

"Izayoi killed her. End of story." Masahiro said.

Kakira frowned.

"You killed your own mother?"

Izayoi shrugged.

"I did. Isn't that what children do when they are of age? Cut all ties in the most merciful fashion, of course? One day it's gonna be your turn."

"I don't think it is quite as common as you imagine it is." Reiichi sneered.

"How would you know? It's not like you ever got to experience the world outside these walls, your Grace!"

Kakira stared at her parents questioningly.

"But why did you have to kill her?"

Izayoi turned slowly with a bright smile.

"Well, darling, she threatened what I hold dearest. At that time, I'd kill anyone who'd touch a hair on his head—my baby brother. We, Kaiju, can love and cherish deeply mainly because there are so few of us. Ask your father how he treated the one who defiled his beloved sister."

But Kakira was so invested in this storyline, she didn't find a need to look into her father's history right now.

"Why did she do that? Threaten your baby brother, I mean?"

"How should I know? Why do humans do what they do? She was only human. Pluses are like cattle… They are weak with feelings… Plenty of them… Contradictory… Powerful feelings… You have to trust they have the greatest intentions at heart. Even if they are misguided at best… I think she loved us as much she envied us. Some might say she was also a bit… mad toward the end. I hope she is in a better place now."

She shrugged. They stopped in front of Aizen's cell.

"You ate her. I can confirm she is nowhere." Reiichi noted.

She faced them with a smirk unapologetic.

"Oups... That is correct."

Jealousy? Kakira frowned, trying to wrap her head over the concept. Izayoi grabbed Kakira firmly.

"Kakira Darling, you will know people often do things, outrageous things, desperate things, driven by their feelings of jealousy or grief. It's like what you just did…disobeying your father because of survival instinct? Or Reiichi coming so close to danger at the risk of his own life? Or me riding clouds just to spend more time with my beloved daughter?"

He didn't say anything, just stared at her and then at Kakira.

"I'm going back. Do as you please. I don't care. I'm disappointed, Kakira."

"Father…"

"Oh no, he cares very much. He only wants you to feel guilty, Sweetie. But don't let it bother you… Do as you please. We, your family, support you."

"This is the perfect solution, Mother."

"Nonsense, not only you're gonna get yourself killed, but you will get all lives extinct with you."

"Your Grace, you're not exaggerating one bit, are you? Scaring a poor child? Don't listen to him. I trust you, Sweetie."

"You trust her? Izayoi, what are you doing here?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you. I am where I want to be."

"You two have no idea what it takes to get this hōgyoku out. First of all, you cannot just drop your zanpakutō on his forehead and hope he will obediently follow the light. That is ridiculous. You have to be able to enter his consciousness, and to do that, you have to use a transgression spell…"

"A Transgression spell."

"That will kill you. I am only here to spare you the pointless effort. With an individual as deviant as Aizen, you need to be able to access his psyché during Konso, on the deepest level… This is not just a level 1 basic shinigami duty."

"That is again quite correct. But what your father didn't mention is that in his Henzai state, he can actually guide you in there, spare you the headache."

"Really?"

Reiichi turned toward her.

"That's your plan?"

"I don't know what you're talking about?"

"In my Henzai state, I won't be able to do anything else. You will be free to do whatever it is you came to do."

"I still can't see where all that suspicion comes from," Izayoi said sweetly.

"Your father is lying dead in the next room."

"The Eternal Monarch? Are we speaking of the one with no name ?"

"He has a name, Sweetie. I used to call him Daddy. That is true." She said defiantly.

Another alarm sounded. One by one, red neon lights plunged the corridors into a scarlet halo. Kaikoroku's automated voice was heard through the speakers.

"Full transfer ... Infiltration of command line not authorized ... Interlocking Braking System ... Lashing in progress ... Lashing planned in ... 85 seconds ... Alert ... Dysfunctional Propulsion Reactor ... Defective braking system ... Incorrect speed settings ... Wrong coordinates ... Impact in ... 30 seconds ... Faulting Autopilot ... Alert ... Impact ... Inevitable collision ... Incorrect speed settings ... impact in 9 ... 8 ... 7 ... 6 ..."

Like a train returning to the station at full speed, Muken docked with Soul Society in an atomic explosion that threatened to fracture the interdimensional layers. Kakira was thrown back. By reflex, Masahiro grabbed her hand, and for a millisecond, they floated in the air. The sarcophagus of Aizen soared in the air and struck the walls with a rare violence fracturing over its entire length. Wrapped in her father's arms, Kakira opened her eyes slowly. An eye incandescent, the other dark like a wormhole, he stared at her, expressionless. She finally moved, dusting herself up.

"Thanks."

He said nothing, staring at Aizen's cell with that same look. Kakira followed his gaze and gasped. The door of the cell was ajar, and the sarcophagus lying on its side fractured.

She entered the cell, trying to see in the darkness.

"No need. He is gone. Izayoi is also gone." He said with finality. As he pronounced these words, he started creeping back far away from the entrance. Ink dilated his pupils wildly while his left eye was blinking red in the dark.

"We don't have much time. Find your mother. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

"But Aizen…"

She had barely finished her sentence that something brushed her shoulders, and her hair was swept by a sudden strong wind. The sudden noise was not enough. It was the brutality of it, Aizen bumping into Reiichi and crashing the walls behind them as they collapsed on impact. It opened a new path toward between the cells and the machine room. She felt suddenly cold.

"Run," Reiichi said as he grabbed Aizen by the throat. His palms and claws literally burning from the contact of his skin with the hōgyoku bearer. H

Aizen looked up, completely unbothered, not even a bit frightened by their size difference. He sneered, his tongue bloody.

"That must hurt. You are different from what I imagined. It's my first time in ages seeing one of you pureblooded wonder. Yet, I can't help be underwhelmed. I expected more…"

He never finished that sentence as Reiichi send him crashing against walls, the beast in him almost delirious for violence. He furiously tore at Aizen's flesh with his claws. But each time a wound was open, the hogyouku would close it immediately. Blindly, he kept at it without a strategy. When finally he managed to tear Aizen apart, leaving his charred body bleeding on the floor, he stumbled back, leaning heavily against the wall.

Masahiro silently stared at his burnt hands. He blinked twice as a labyrinth of purple veins showed beneath his armors, the testament of how quickly the poison was infiltrating his body. He stumbled forward. Was this pain? It barely registered in his mind. Why couldn't he connect with? Where was he? He could no longer feel… the cycle… He seemed here and not there. He felt lonely. He felt lost.

He looked up as Aizen rose again like a zombie.

"What a welcome committee! My sentence is being commuted to parole. Who should I thank for this new lease of life?! Is it you? Or is it the imposter upstairs? Maybe he does want me to pay him a visit after all? Maybe he wants to be relieved of his duty."

"You're still under arrest. Don't move." Kakira screamed.

Aizen started toward Masahiro before he was again slammed back, punched, kicked, and crushed on the ground by a girl three sizes shorter than him. She did it over and over until it seemed like he would give in and fell unconscious. But he was resisting, and they started chasing each other full speed in the corridor, getting dangerously close to Muken's gates. Aizen evaded her small but deadly fist. He swept her off her feet, and she hit the ground on her back, struggling to get up. He was so damn strong, though. She grabbed her Teddy bear backpack and launched it forward. Before it touched the ground, it sprung into life-transforming into a giant bear with three heads. It surprised Aizen with a roar, and she took advantage to get up and run to Reiichi. She watched helplessly as he slid against the wall. When she touched the armor, it was no longer boiling with reiatsu. The metal was cold to the touch. She took off his helmet, discarding it quickly.

His face, ashen gray, Reiichi opened his mouth to feed, dragging back all the reishi he could. Wall collapsed to provide for his need, but it amounted to nothing as he immediately rolled aside and heaved liters of putrid black blood on the floor. Reiishi stared at the puddle of blood with wide eyes. He wiped his mouth with unusually shivering hands.

"Father? Please?! Tell me what to do to help you?" Kakira cried out.

"Why are you crying?" He almost growled.

The little girl only sobbed harder.

"It's my fault. The gates are open. If I wasn't so stubborn..."

Tilting his head, Masahiro concentrated as he crawled back into a seated position. His face relaxed as if he just integrated the finality of the situation. He was on the verge of falling into an eternal slumber. If he ever closed his eyes, it may be the last time. He smirked at the incongruity of it all.

"That was an interesting plan… True, my sister would have thought of that. She would have tried to save everybody. Even Aizen's life… "He said, his words slurred. He was no longer breathing regularly, his chest taking prolonged pauses. Yet, he was no longer resisting the inevitable.

"Father…"

His eyes started bleeding, as well as his nostrils, ears, and mouth. Black fumes coming out of his mouth, each unhurried breath.

"I will help you… I will enter my Henzai State… one… last… time… But I don't know how long I can hold on before… before…"

He didn't finish his sentence, a whistle coming out of his mouth instead of words.

"No… please… No…"

When he could speak again, his words were slurred.

"You won't have much time… But I am not worried… You will succeed. You were not unneeded. You were made, Kakira, for this. When you're done, find your mother. Stop her. By any means necessary."

His hand covering his eyes to accommodate to the light, Aizen got a glimpse of Soul Society's sky through the interstice of the opening gates. He'd never thought he will get to see this sky again in this lifetime. He slowly limped toward the door, the hōgyoku shining brightly on his chest. Kakira started to run before launching herself on him. They went crashing against the ground. He started up again. The little girl latched onto his ankle. Losing balance, he crawled on his knees, striking her twice to let go.

Unable to control the sudden spasms in his body, the earth trembling beneath him, Reiichi sat still, his eyes unblinking. One eye was red, and the other swimming in darkness. Both pupils jumped frenetically, his iris dilating. He remembered her flamboyant mane and the way her laughter would travel the walls, echoing in the whole palace. He remembered the soft touch of her neck. He remembered pushing her to her death. He witnessed her fall, watched the puffy white clouds swallow her, recalled his heart being shattered like glass in his own chest. He recalled the ache he lived with ever since, not even alleviated as he leaned over Kakira's crib. He remembered being surprised though the first time she openly laughed and how it resonated brightly through the palace. She was a thing. Built to fulfill a purpose. Yet, she crawled, gargled, and giggled like something new. Masahiro could see further than the floating castle of clouds. He could see behind the curtain of lights. He spread his mind to race the stars. The stars were flickering like jewels in his consciousness. He jumped in the river of time.

Muken was shaking whole. The doors opened slowly. It caused a call for air, which sucked chimera, giant caterpillars, and Kakira's bear in the Seireitei. The central doors opened with a metallic squeak, flooding the inter-dimensional portal with light. Aizen straightened up. Kakira was still recovering, her head bleeding, her eyes obsidian black, her fangs out. The Hogyoku was so damn strong. Its power had almost managed to leave her pinned down.

Before Sousuke made it closer to the threshold, a jolt of electricity went up his spine, and the world went black. He fell back and crashed on the ground.

Breathing hard, holding her stomach, Kakira looked up in the direction of her father. Dust was floating around him even as he sat in the same awkward position. She crawled quickly next to Aizen and pressed her palms on either side of his face. She closed her eyes in concentration. Her nostrils bleeding, she opened her eyes to find herself standing next to Reiichi facing a door.

Reiichi was the first to move, slowly pushing the door open. Aizen's Past, his present, his future, his dreams, she could see it all.


Gin Ichimaru

Captain of the third division

Former Commander of Aizen's army of Arrancars

Lover of Matsumoto Rangiku

The haori suited him like a glove. For once, his intentions were pure and his regrets sincere. You would have thought that the situation was under control. Hell was once a path made of good intentions. Now it was just the path of retribution.


He yanked the coat out in the air and finally put it on. It still suited him like a glove. Was he surprised? No, he knew it would fit him perfectly since he was born with something called swag. But to answer Nanao-chan's earlier question, it's not like he knew anything about what they were fighting for. Yet, Enzo was unlucky enough, having pissed on his prize and calling that vengeance. How dare this guy try to breathe in the same air as his Rangiku? How dare he try to touch what was his again? How dare he pretend that Gin had ever made him suffer to the level of what he inflicted on his girl? How dare he pretend to be a victim? Who was he to think his meager existence matter to Gin or the Fucking universe? Who was he to believe they were ever on equal footing here? That type of hate alone deserved his undivided attention.

And somebody should let that door open… Let Aizen walk out of there free. You will see which side Gin Ichimaru would be on. Gin Ichimaru was always on Gin Ichimaru's side. Nanao-chan and everybody else should know by now.

Audiomachine - Sun and Steel Extended

Gin faced Enzo directly. No more Game. No more Delay. They needed to end this nonsense. Enzo needed to die. Would he get the message? Jikanakuma brushed his face, tearing off a few strands of gray hair in the process. He dodged. The spear struck the ground violently, leaving its mark on the rocky, unstable environment. Well, what a boy wonder! He did get the message.

"Well, Captain Ichimaru, looks like we will leave this in your hands," Shunsui said as he and Jūshirō an unconscious Dengeki up, Nanao in tow.

"Shunsui?"

While dodging one of Jikanakuma's attack, Gin threw the Reiasekki stone at his old ally. Shunsui caught it and disappeared.

Shinso and Jikanakuma met at last. At the same time as Muken gradually anchors itself to Soul Society in a sickening mechanic noise. The collision of the two worlds caused a large explosion that colored the Seireitei in green and yellow. The blast pushed the two opponents further apart.

Enraged, Enzo swung again. The air sizzled around them. He stepped aside, avoiding Jikanakuma at the last minute. Enzo disappeared to better take him from behind. Gin praised him for his initiative with a kick. He crushed the face of the Primeros under his foot. Enzo crashed on the ground face first, tasting dark, putrid Hollow blood on his tongue. He stared at that Bitch, Rangiku, watching it all and almost growled with rage.

Gin stooped slowly to his level.

"Are you gonna shit yourself and beg me to end your life quickly like last time?"

Striking the ground twice with his fist, Enzo growled, then he laughed maniacally, unable to stop himself. It must have been pretty contagious as Gin started to laugh too. They laughed like madmen standing at the crossroads of their destinies, a brazier of flames behind them.

"Isn't it funny? I was shaking when I came … I mean, you're a Primeros now. Aizen's dirty little secret. He must have kept you guys for a reason. I told myself maybe you won't win this one, Gin. But I see that you haven't changed one bit since." Gin teased.

With a roar of rage, his eyes bulging, Enzo straightened up and kicked Gin on the floor. Too late, he missed. Gin was already behind him- whispering in his ears.

"I don't think I have as much imagination as I did back then. I got significantly older, you might say. Maybe even a bit senile. Yet, I will try to be creative, for your sake, Pumpkinhead. So, please don't beg for me yet?"

After everything he has been through on his way to Matsumoto Rangiku, there was suddenly something about this fight that was unappealing to Gin. It was calling forth his most primal instinct to the surface. Each blow getting more ruthless, each strike landing even more recklessly. They only seemed to agree on one thing, for now, they didn't want to use an annoying crutch like a bankai or a resurrection. It was a good old-fashioned one-on-one swordfight between two dishonest men.

They chased each other, each side landing powerful blows on the other. They danced around Rangiku, their silhouettes just a blur, a tornado of intents. Blood was flying around in heavy droplets that splashed her bland yukata. Rangiku's heart grew tense. The tension grew exponentially, and she saw the intent in every deliberate strike. She tried to move away, not letting herself get caught in the fight. At this rate, the hill was going to collapse. This fight had been an intricately choreographed dance of Destruction planned long ahead. Everywhere she looked, there were signs of despair.

Suddenly a hand snaked around her waist, uninvited. And Rangiku was forcefully pulled into their dance, forced to be a shield, forced to play the role of the victim again, except this time, she fought back.

A cloud of ashes rose where she stood previously. Her bland yukata became a black Shihakusho. Like a playful ghost playing hide and Seek. A swift shadow. Haineko savored some freedom. Her left eyes gleamed red as a result. She glided out of reach. Black ink spilled in her left pupil. She grabbed Enzo's wrist and twisting it down, almost breaking the bone. Before he realized what was happening and before the pain registered, he was seized by none other than Gin. He crashed back on his back, and the mountain started to give in underneath them. Like trash, the Primeros went tumbling down the hill. He rolled and rolled on the slippery slope until he could catch himself back with his spear. He surprisingly met Shinso with JiKanakuma.

"What is it, Pumpkin. You still think girls are the weaker sex?" Gin smirked.

Enzo kicked him down the hill, avoiding being decapitated last minute by Rangiku. Fuck this. Rangiku was still a bit slow behind, but what she didn't have in speed, she countered in determination. Enzo's attack was unfocused. It was unfair. Another explosion behind them, a pile of rocks rolled down the hill. Enzo gave a round kick sending Rangiku in the path of a behemoth of stones. But Shinso and Haineko, combined together, like an incandescent tornado of metallic dust, destroy the gliding pile of mountain rocks before it could inflict any damages.

Rangiku emerged from the cloud of Destruction, stumbling a little. She was pale and sweaty, visibly strained by all the efforts. This time Gin was there to catch her and pulled her to the side. Of course, she wasn't up to fight. She just frickin' came back from the dead. But he was proud of his girl anyway for showing some serious skills in a fight like this.

Staring at them with disgust, Enzo took advantage to catch his undead breath, taking refuge on a frail section of the mountain. He spurted blood on the ground, holding his side. He hadn't counted on Rangiku participating in the mayhem. She should have been that lively back in Hueco Mundo; they would have had a blast. But now, the princess wasn't his primary target; Gin was.

He studied everything about Gin. He studied everything from the nature of his bankai to the way he simply moved during a fight. He had endless reports and footage on hand, thanks to Aizen, who recorded everything that guy did back in Soul Society. That was how he was able to predict most of his moves and countered with Jikanakuma. Yet, he needed more to trigger his resurrection. He needed to make contact. Except Gin was a virtuoso in long-distance, long-range fights, a master at evading attacks. He never fought openly. Each time, he thought that was it, Gin contorted in ways he could avoid impact. Enzo only saw one way to end this. He had to forego caution and fight in the open to trap him. That's why raising his speed, lowering his Hierro shield, he allowed Shinso to connect time and time again with his Hierro. He no longer cared. There was no way out of this. He would get his vengeance or, at the very least, hope for mutual Destruction. He would do anything to kill that guy. He smirked, a tornado of spiritual pressure forming where he stood.

"Kōin yanogotoshi, Jikanakuma."

The spear turned into a three-pointed Kobudo, and he started to whirl it above his head. Without warning, he attacked again. This time with a new strategy, before Shinso and Jikanakuma could meet, Gin pushed Rangiku back, shielding her completely, deliberately stepping forward to protect her. Enzo smiled from ears to ears as he relentlessly tried to make contact, targeting that girl, anticipating the mistake Gin was bound to make.

The little boy back then hadn't seemed the least bit scared. A look of ice, with youthful and naive features, he had leaned over Mao Enzoraki, his zanpakutō a few inches from his face. His aura had made the air around him toxic. Gin had prepared his revenge. He had been preparing it for decades. He was even disappointed. He had believed that these guys would pose a real challenge to him. But they had not been more complicated to beat than the usual thugs of Inuzuri. He hadn't felt anything as a bonus. He thought it would quench his thirst. That his desire for revenge would stop there! That seeing their head rolled on the ground, eyes out of their sockets, he would feel soothed.

Gin remembered the day that guy touched what was his. He remembered the visceral pain coursing through him for the first time in his existence. What they did to her that day scorched his own soul. Because he realized from her distance her mind was breaking down just trying to survive this ordeal. Her body was giving up. She was praying for Gin to come to save her. He couldn't grant her only wish. She was the only person that matter in his world, yet he was unable to grant her wish in a timely fashion. She was screaming in horror, but no sound came out of her. Her body went numb. She was internalizing and storing all that pain in their shared soul.

Gin remembered how much he writhed on the ground like an actual snake, desperate and delirious. He wanted to go to her. Reach out to comfort her. Destroy everything that stood in his way. Destroy the world who stood between him and her. He simply couldn't move from the ground, black tears streaming down his cheek. He simply felt everything they did to her. It took him on a weird journey with pain as his only companion. He was never the same afterward. Maybe the worst damage had been done on his soul, unprepared as it was with such a concept. He had lived close to a millennium without ever feeling that way. Until then, he hadn't even believed in the cruelty of mortals. True, he was wary of them but not to believe them to be the ultimate threat. They were inconsequential creatures in the grand scheme of things. Cattle. Herd. After that, he couldn't believe this was the world he lived in. He couldn't believe this was the world his Rangiku lived in. He wanted to change that, destroy this world and build something new in its stead. Destroy it. Turn it to ashes. Build something new.

Ringu Kogitama's head went rolling on Aizen's porch, catching the vice-captain's attention as it splattered blood on his wall. He slowly put down his quill pen. Standing in the courtyard, Gin held next Enzo's decapitated head in one hand as soldiers gathered in the fifth division's courtyard. Aizen came out at last. They stared at each other without a word. Gin squinted innocently as he threw the head at Aizen's feet. The boy smirked. He had expected Aizen to call for back up. He had half-expected he would have to kill every one of them to get to Aizen. But before the other soldiers moved, Aizen stopped them with one hand. He stared into Gin's soul with an air of recollection. They remained like that for an indefinite amount of time.

"Who are you?"

"Gin. Ichimaru Gin."

Aizen tilted his head knowingly.

"You're the Prodigy from the Academy I heard about, right? What brings you into the fifth division?"

He asked casually as if heads rolling on his porch were no indication at all. Gin flippantly shrugged as the soldiers started to surround him. That shit should be obvious. He played absentmindedly with his bloody wakizashi, licking the blade.

"Heard you were hiring?" Gin said.

"Who told you that?"

"This guy."

He pointed at the head with a smirk while scratching his own little head.

"He told me a lot of stuff. We had a long, meaningful conversation."

Aizen frowned but nodded, seemingly interested, his face perfectly neutral.

"He told me you wanted… to change this world. Build a new one in its stead."

A shadow passed on Aizen's amiable features; he didn't move.

"Me too."

Gin said clumsily, wiping the blood on his face, adding even more gore in the process. Aizen simply smiled, feigning shyness. He took another step forward.

"Welcome into the Fifth Division, Gin."

As Shinso grazed his neck, Jikanakuma finally pierced Gin's chest. Time stopped—Jikan kanshō.

Rangiku caught herself staring into Gin's eyes in that frozen second between standoff and fighting, replicating his look of horror. That arm around her waist belonged to Enzo.

For a second, it almost looked like Gin had stabbed his own lover to get to Enzo. For a second, it was hard to comprehend how they made it this far. The truth was even more twisted. Enzo held onto Rangiku as a shield. Like he predicted, Shinso stopped inches from her heart. Despite his self-proclaimed hate for Haineko, there was no way Gin's zanpakutō could hurt Rangiku. There was no way he would not recognize Haineko. Enzo smiled defiantly. During that fraction of a second, when Gin was busy stalling his attack, his Kobudo had met with flesh for once. Gin's chest.

After all, Gin really did say he died several times on the path that connected Heaven to Hell. He forcefully glided back, palpating his side, put a finger in the notch to estimate its depth. His nerve ending was suddenly shooting with pain. He was weak against pain. He was not recovering fast enough. Shinso trembled between his fingers, and behind the barrier of his silver fringe, his eyes changed color. He needed to feed again. It was just out of the question. He needed his full control to exact his revenge. It was the only thing he had sworn he would never use. The little heart he had, he would lose immediately. After all, they've been through, if he lost the little heart he had to become an animal, a beast, a bloodthirsty predator, Rangiku would never forgive him. She would never accept it.

Time stopped. In the giant hourglass of life, the grains of sand stopped flowing. The timeline opened before him in a series of infinite directions. For Byakuya or any average mortal, his lifeline constituted in a hundred different paths. Gin's paths were infinite, yet he would only choose all the path that took him to Rangiku. It was a maze with snippets of moments. Yet, some events he couldn't even recognize as something that ever happened. Then, he was suddenly faced with a ghost from his past, someone, something tall.

"Do you wanna touch it?"

Gin bit his lips, biting back any retort. He was suddenly so tired.

"Where am I?"

"You absolutely adore this place. Even more than my little Moon, in fact. I never understood how you can spend so much time watching that wheel."

Gin blinked, and in front of him was the wheel, spinning away, moved by the endless flow of potent souls.

"Where's my path? Why am I here again? Does it end here?"

The creature was shaken by laughter.

"Ending? What is the end?" It said with a jaw full of sharp fangs.

Gin shook his head.

"I was fighting for Rangiku… A minute ago… I was in Seireitei… and…That asshole got me… in his stupid resurrection…"

"Who?"

"Rangiku-chan…"

"I don't know that person. Is that one of your new creations, my boy?"

A new creation? A creation? Gin paused. Fuck if he remembered. He considered, at last, the thing that was extended to him by the creature. He swallowed hard, his heart leaping in his chest. It was a tiny gem, not really shiny, an insignificant piece. It rolled right inside the palm of his hand as he held it for a few minutes. But he soon handed it back to its owner with unusual deference.

"You liked to play with it so much in your crib as I also did once upon a time… Now you're old enough to walk on your own. I can go back to sleep."

Gin looked around him again.

"I'm not in Seireitei anymore. Where am I? Who are you?"

"You have a lot of questions. Good! Good! I'm relieved. It's all good you created your own fail-safe, my boy. You're such a prodigy. You never failed me! Don't tell your siblings, but you are my greatest creation! So Rangiku-chan, right? It's a perfect name for it… I guess. Ran-chan?"

"Ran-chan?" Gin repeated slowly.

He looked around worriedly. It was even blander a world than his inner world, a silver castle between sand dunes.

"Hey! Wait! Tell me! Am I dead? Is that the end? I expected it to be something else. Are you God? Are you the Spirit King?"

The creature simply laughed maniacally.

"Hilarious! You really are my precious boy. Stop jesting! You have always been so lively… Now go on… Be on your way… Please cause some mayhem while you're at it. Show them how it's really done. Make me proud. Ran-chan… Ran…Rangiku-Chan? What a pretty name! This boy! Really?" The dark figure said, walking away, his hands joined leisurely behind his back.

Gin stared at his juvenile appearance in a puddle of liquid chrome. He looked even younger than in his oldest memory. But before he could make sense of any of this, he gasped, seemingly grasping his consciousness back with both hands. Eyes wide, he tried to catch his breath. Jikanakuma's spear retracted before puncturing his bowels over and over again. The pain he could get accustomed to it. Gin sidestepped and dance his way out of reach on instinct, blindly stumbling further away to avoid another attack.

Enzo gasped in stupefaction. First, that bastard Kuchiki came out of Jikan Kansho's inferno. Still, he admitted back them having let go of his control on purpose, distracted by what was happening to Barruk. But he'd never seen anyone come out of its trance so fast.

Gin was sweating profusely, understandably shaken by his vision. His hand was shaking so much that he seemed to be on the verge of losing control. He stood in the air with the giant doors of Muken opening behind him.

One by one, the remaining captains of the Gotei arrived on the scene, or what was left of the stage. Komamura triggered his bankai to repel the invader. The giant straightened up completely, and his fist stopped the fangs of an Inukami, a dog demon with seven tails. The samurai pushed him back inside the portal.

The captain-general landed in turn, followed by his lieutenant Sasakibe.

Amid the chaos, a Garganta opened in the sky, parachuting the tenth division's Captain into the void. Nel, Tia, and Grimmjow watched the Captain's fall and the extent of damage caused by the war for a few seconds. The Garganta closed just as suddenly.

Before he crashed to the ground, the clouds gathered in the already gray sky. The raindrops crystallized, and the ice dragon showed the tip of its nose. Surfing on the muzzle of the beast, Hitsugaya attacked, in turn, the portal. He immediately started eliminating everything that was teeming and escaping from the door with Hyourinmaru. It roared as he glided through the air, freezing everything in its path.

"And a new ghost?" Kyouraku whistled diligently. Ukitake nodded, also relieved.

Tōshirō glanced behind him. His blood only turned cold. Gin. He tightened his katana and ... Impossible. His heart jumped in his chest. Rangiku. She was alive. He headed straight for his vice-captain. He blinked when he saw an object passing at full speed.

Kyouraku beheaded the tentacles of a giant slobbering cuttlefish. Ukitake had split an equally Herculean-sized caterpillar in two.

Gin crashed on his back. It was when he was already on the ground that he realized he was falling. He felt like shit again, his stomach contracting wildly, his hands shaking. Nauseous. It was from a distance he watched the other captains fighting upside down in the sky.

He heard Enzo laugh.

"Oh, at last! Look like the mighty had finally fallen." Enzo said, stooping at his level.

Rangiku pounced on him before he could touch Gin, but Enzo simply grabbed her by her flamboyant mane and threw her down.

"Kamishininoyari."

He leaned over Gin again and was surprised to see he was grabbing Shinso with both hands. He barely had time to crawl backward, a boiling ray of energy blasted the sky.

"Buto." Gin simply said.

Enzo ducked and sprinted back. Buto caught his shoulder and dark hemoglobin splurted in the air. Gin jumped back on his feet, gritting his teeth at the pain slicing him in two. The Haori of the third division was slashed, the sleeves on the right destroyed. The Primeros had grabbed him by the neck with one hand and with the other tried to impale his carotid and severe his timeline. The pull of Jikan Kansho on his timeline was strong still, and all his attacks got countered. Yet, He dodged at the last minute with a backflip. With a returned kick, he pushed Enzo away. The Primeros retaliated savagely. An explosion of reiatsu was triggered each time they met. That was nothing like how they started this.

Grabbing Shinso with both hands, he looked at Enzo with a smile.

"Back then, I was shaking as I held Shinso. Buto Renjin."

Enzo swirled his spear in front of him. The strength of ButoRenjin hit the spear point-blank, and a range of trees behind Enzo dissolved under pressure. Gone was the care. When the first division walls were caught in their duel. It got pulverized to dust. Enzo absorbed all the shock with a delayed timeline as his resurrection allowed him. Gin sidestepped him to get behind him.

- Jikan Kansho, Jikanakuma.

- Bakudō no Hachijû Ichi, Danku.

The waves released by Jikan Kansho were stopped short by a transparent Kido wall. Enzo groaned.

- I don't like to use kido, mainly because I find it much less exciting, but in our case, this will save us time, huh? After all, following all the rules of nature, your zanpakutō, Primeros, is based on kido. So let's get back to the basics, shall we?"

Enzo remained frozen, his face monstrously distorted with rage. He roared like a wounded beast.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, I took your balls once. Sorry about that too! Buto!" Gin said, blood seeping in the corner of his mouth.

He was not surprised to find her standing there waiting for him. She didn't ask about her oversized shinigami clothes. She didn't ask questions when she saw the bloodstain on his face.

- Gin?

- Ran? I've decided. I will become a Shinigami. I will become a Shinigami and change things. So that the story ends without Rangiku ever having to shed a single tear.

Finally, his plan backfired. Rangiku had shed tears well afterward. Gin opened his eyes for a few seconds.

- I don't think I created the Monster in front of me. However, I think it was I who released it into the wild. And for that, I'm sorry!

- Are you sorry?

Gin nodded again. Enzo let out a roar of rage before launching the spear first on the Captain. With skill, Gin slid Shinsō up his sleeve. He imprisoned one of Enzo's large hands in his, gave a blow on the transverse of his chin, effectively breaking the bone. He then forced the arm that carried Jikanakuma to let go before turning to inflict a mighty kick on the Primeros neck base. Finally, he ended the sequence with a punch in the rib cage. His fist pierced right through the Primeros' chest. How?

Simple. He had first weakened his Hierro at strategic points before striking. He hadn't become Commander of the Arrancar armies of Aizen just because of the crystal clear purity of his beautiful blue eyes, his tremendous sense of humor, and his impeccable style. He had studied the matter.

However, and that he hadn't calculated, before he retracted his fist, Enzo had disappeared. Gin's eyes widened in surprise. He bowed his head.

Enzo materialized behind Rangiku. He lifted the young woman and laughed, his mouth bloody.

"Gin, I'm the one who's sorry. I'm going now. But I'm not going alone."

During that second, when Rangiku's life was hanging in the balance again, his heart had stopped beating irrationally. Of course, she remembered what he taught her… But the fear was still there that she wouldn't or couldn't. That this time the separation may be definitive. He wasn't ready yet. For it to be definitive.

So his cold dead heart leaped frantically in his chest…

Enzo lifted the young woman into the air.

Black ink spilled in both Ichimaru's eyes, and the world became critically red. A hollow mask was reconstituted over a whole part of Ichimaru's face. Boiling away, his skin changed color again… morphing uncontrollably… Particles of reishi were absorbed from his immediate surrounding. He opened his jaw….

Enzo turned Rangiku to look the young woman in the eyes. Rangiku bore into his soul with silent gravitas. None of the panics he ever saw earlier. It was as if she didn't care for her life any longer. She didn't scream. She just stared at him, point-blank.

Toshiro could never arrive in time. The necklace around her neck was untied and slid to the ground. Enzo tilted his head back to utter another thunderous laugh. Despite his broken bones and his own suffering, he put more pressure on Rangiku's neck until his claws scratched the delicate skin of the young woman. Her face, almost cyanotic, Rangiku didn't struggle.

On the contrary, she wanted to be as hard as a stone when she felt that his real goal was to break her neck. With one hand, she grabbed the falling necklace, and without thinking, she stuck it in his throat. It was the Primeros' turn to change colors and choke.

Shaken by a coughing fit, he let go. Rangiku fell back to the ground and crawled out of reach as quickly as she could. Still trying to grab her blindly, he crawled on the floor. Rangiku felt a hand on her shoulder, and after a quick burst of terror, she recognized the hand of her Captain. She clung to this hand, Shiro-chan's hand, like a lifeline while not taking her eyes off Enzo.

Tears just as black as his pupils obscured the sight of the Primeros. He tried in vain to spit out the foreign object. He looked up to find Gin in front of him… Well, maybe not Gin… As his eyes traveled slowly from head to toe.

One Gin Ichimaru was no more. The creature who stood before him Enzo couldn't recognize. His eyes, obsidian black, considered his prey with a total lack of humanity. He snapped his snake's tongue on his fox canines twice, his face morphing slowly. His clawed hand, brushing Enzo's throat, he pronounced his verdict, becoming again, judge, juror, and executioner.

" Korose, Kamishini no yari."

The activation of his bankai caused a surge of spiritual pressure. Toshiro grabbed his vice-captain and ducked behind a rock. The throat of the Espada soon began to boil. No cell escaped the poison. They imploded on themselves one by one.

Gin vaguely felt Rangiku's gaze on him. With the mask on his face, the blatant distortion between who and what he was grew out of control. His head jerked back as he opened his mouth to feed. Fortunately, the area had been deserted. Everything melted and turned into white orbs. His throat hanging by a thread, Enzo remained paralyzed, laughter forever trapped in his throat. A flurry of shiny balls flew past him, absorbed by Gin.

Until the very soul of Enzo Weavorpine, a shiny blue thing was absorbed. Gin retrieved the floating necklace and grabbed Enzo's face with one hand. Then he ground it as if it had been just a simple overripe fruit. Hemoglobin and flesh tainted the haori of the third division. Enzo's shell immediately disintegrated.

Gin now stood in a desert of his own making. He roared for the creature he became was in so much pain right now, missing something, missing everything. Not recognizing anything. Who? Where? How? Gone was the thought of Enzo. Not even knowing what started it all, he let out another beastly growl. He surveyed his surroundings with a predatory leer, black fumes escaping his open mouth. He needed to start over.

- Gin?

Distrustful, Tōshirō caught up with Rangiku, holding her arm firmly. The creature growled low, showing fangs. It continued to feed on his surroundings, unleashed and unhinged. Toshiro couldn't believe what he was seeing.

More than a millennium ago, a creature fell from the sky with no clouds to cushion his sudden fall. One instant, it was holding a familiar hand, being cherished and all, next he was falling swiftly. Clouds opening behind him, lightning crossing and shining, drawing patterns in the blazing sky... Like the deployment of angel wings… Earth rushing to meet him.

The creature met the Earth of Soul Society like a Meteor hit the world of the living once, bringing only Destruction and Tragedy in its wake. That's how that thing crashed in Soul Society. The earth rippled like water over kilometers and kilometers, rivers and sea would rise. Magma boiled its soils, the ground opening to let it all out. Volcanos erupted with a deep rumbling noise. Mountains were unnaturally erected with volcanic rocks. A mushroom of smoke rose to cover the blue sky. It crashed, and the people in their small villages screamed and ran in fear the world was ending.

It crashed.

Then nothing.

It took months for the dust to simply settle.

It took a year for the creature to open his eyes and simply exhale, and another two years to learn to walk again. When the beast finally left the crater, crawling and climbing five years since his fall had passed. It would have been unreconcilable to see this tiny pup… This toddler… and determined he was at the origin of such massive Destruction. He looked around him with curious eyes. Curious about the wind that blew on his face and the ever-constant sun burning his eyes. He squinted hard, finding he could see better that way. From time to time, he would encounter a hollow roaming the land. This, he would recognize instantly as something familiar yet dangerous. He would run or brawl with them disorderly, depending on the mood. He would watch them also melt until he opened his jaw wide to absorb them. They tasted like emptiness. Like something was missing. They tasted like something he regretted swallowing. So, he decided he wouldn't systematically kill them. Some, he would even train and pet for a while before they find their way back to their lands. He walked and walked for years without a purpose. His features shifted along the years to better accommodate his surroundings. Without a sense, it tasted rocks and pebbles, never finding them satisfying. It crushed under his fangs, leaving him a stale taste in his mouth, but he didn't know any better.

That was until he ventured closer to the forest and the quelling inside him increased tenfold. It was like an agitated army inside of him. He developed a sense of not being entirely alone on this plane of existence. He developed the habit of tasting every new thing once, grass, leaves, trees, berries, fruits, seeds...etc. Some days he got sick and heaved. But he felt no pain and encountered no disease. It tried rabbit raw, and it realized it quenched the agitation in his stomach for a very short while. So it started hunting, for more of these things… That's how it encountered its first men. They were hunting, carrying their child on their back. The creature observed them from behind bushes, trying to decipher who and what they were. He took in the habit of following them often like he did for the rabbit. They lived under self-made shelters. They bred animals for their own consumption. He tried one of those animals, and he got so full he had to throw up the rest.

Catching his reflection in a puddle, he realized he looked a bit like them, except for his silver hair, but even that didn't look too out of place here. The older they get, the whiter, the more silvery their hair became. He started listening more to the sound they made and the way they walk. Finally, he could grasp syllables together and make them make sense. At the turn of his first century, he understood most of their dialects. He could also recognize and mimic their expressions. He stole their clothes too.

Three centuries later, he was a regular sighting among the villagers. He would spend a tremendous amount of time observing and spying on his people. Among them, he had a few favorites, like Gu Paipai, a farmer. Gu and his female Tomo had a litter of six mouths to feed. If he was a good enough farmer, he was a terrible hunter. So, during winter, the creature would drop a rabbit on Gu's porch now and then, for he was convinced Gu needed all the help he could find to feed his voracious offsprings. That is how thanks to Gu's enthusiastic testimony that the others started to consider him a deity and build totem and temple for him. They left food almost daily in exchange for the protection of theirs stocks and harvest. Persimmons and Meat rolls soon became his favorite things.

He watched Gu and Tomo late at night, fighting, cussing each other out, before kissing each other deeply and blowing the candles. Then at night, in his dreams, he would wish for someone to bother him the way Tomo seemed to bother Gu at times. Life went on. They grew older, and he would watch each of their little pups leave the house and find people to bother in return.

Until something happened to Gu and Tomo came in the forest seeking for him, crying and pleading. He was curious to see what she would tell him, so he appeared to her and even followed her to where Gu fell. He watched tiny golden orbs like sparkles detached themselves from Gu's chest and rose in the air. It was clear Tomo couldn't see it. But the state Gu seems in looked irreversible to him. Oddly enough, he realized he felt a turmoil inside, not unlike when he was simply hungry.

"Please, my lord, do something! Revive him! You are omnipotent. Please, I cannot live without him."

Even if he didn't make sense of it, the creature knew by instinct. It devoured Gu and Tomo's souls and their fields and stocks until there was nothing left. Roaming the land for decades in a feral state, he destroyed everything on his path. Until one day, he felt full and fell asleep in the dry crater of a volcano. He slept for decades… Centuries even. When he woke up, it all seemed like he did well at first. But later, he felt uneasy and somewhat ashamed, yet he didn't understand what he did wrong.

Something started gnawing at his consciousness. Tomo asked him to do something, and he did. But the silence that reigned where Tomo and Gu's house once stood after that was like capital punishment. Gone was his joy. He felt satiated but lonely. Life would spring forward. Simple souls started to populate the place again. But no souls were remotely alike these two. He began to study the question while watching their empty field being invaded by trees. A new generation took over the land. He followed them from birth to their passing and followed the orbs as well, as they entered almost invisible portals. He understood the souls went there to feed someone else. Don't ask him how he knew he just did.

Two hundred years passed, he started to encounter more of 'the black uniforms' patrolling the land during his walks. They would systematically kill the poor hollows that ventured too far from their land. It saddened him to see their uneven fight. Yet, he was fascinated by their techniques. So, he started to stalk them further in the city, disguised as one of them. He wouldn't pay attention to all the noises they made, not yet. He would mostly watch them train and hunt. Following their session, he discovered he could run as fast as the fastest of them. He found he could move energy using his Ki, too, just like them. He heard this was called spiritual pressure. He learned a lot just by following some of them.

It never was clear if his growing knowledge of the world was the cause. He started having nightmares, dreaming of places he never visited. He would be having nonsensical conversations with creatures and spirits he never encountered in the most realistic dreams. Each time, he woke up shivering and sweaty. Each time, he wouldn't fall back to sleep for days. He would go back to Gu and Tomo's place, sit on what used to be their porch for hours, trying to get a sense of where they went. Did they join the manufactory he saw in his dreams? Did they know about the Monster behind the wheel? What did all of this mean? Why was he alone? What was missing?

It was during one of his strolls that he found something of interest in the forest. It was an unconscious girl. Her blond hair spilling like a crown behind her, she looked like she fell from the sky like him. He introduced himself and ask for her name. When she told him that her name was Rangiku Matsumoto, time seemed to freeze for Gin. Just her name alone seemed like the answers to the thousands of questions he had. He just knew her by instinct alone. He knew she was his. He smiled in recollection. Tilting his head, he knew she fell from the sky because he wished it so deep down.

Back in the Seireitei in the present time, the creature jerked back, ready to feed, until it noticed the necklace still hanging in his left claws.

"Gin."

It stopped moving. His black pupils settled on the necklace in his hand. Ran-Gi-Ku.

"Gin." She screamed, trying to get away from Toshiro.

Destroy. Kill. Eat. Kill. Rangiku. Run. Survive. Destroy everything. Rangiku."

"Gin? Please? Wake up? Let go, Captain! I know you can hear me. I'm here. I'm safe. Please!"

Gin clasped the necklace with one hand, closed his fist, and smashed the mask over his face. Once ... Twice ... On the third ... It began to fall apart and disintegrate… he morphed over and over... His pupils shifting to normal. He stumbled backward, disorderly. He barely had time to look up in her direction that Rangiku threw herself into his arms and anchored him to the ground. He watched his claws fade as he clung to her for a change. Gin wanted to hang onto Rangiku and never let go. He was finally home.


[1] The Kushanāda are the guardians of Hell. They are humongous beings who walk on all fours with elongated skull-like heads and a large piece of armor on their right are in charge of the Togabito, the sinners, who usually populates Jigoku.

[1] Gōsei, literally angel dust, is a unit of measurement.

[2] Seishin-Shin, literally the Spirit God.

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Next chapter = Delusion of Grandeur