Chapter 2: Call Between Souls

"That was some training session!" Renji mused, "I'm beat. I think Captain Kuchiki outdid himself. He took me on for battle training, and when we were done, he just started training his flash step with Yoruichi. And they're still at it! How did you and Tetsuya do? It looked like he was giving you a pretty good workout."

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, exchanging friendly smiles with Byakuya's gentler cousin, "He may be quiet most of the time, but cross swords with him and you're going to feel it afterwards."

"I will take that as a compliment," said Tetsuya, his smile widening as Renji slipped an arm around him and stole a kiss.

"Hey, you two," Ichigo laughed, "Get friendly when there isn't someone around not wanting to see."

"Aww, come on," Renji chuckled, lacing his fingers together with the noble's, "I waited forever for this guy to agree to go out with me. And believe me, I am going to take advantage of every minute!"

"Yeah, some 'date,' bashing the hell out of each other for hours and getting all sweaty and smelly. I can think of a hundred different better ways to spend the time."

"Eh, what would you know?" Renji said in an annoyed tone, "You wouldn't know a good thing like this if it jumped up and bit you!"

"Shut up, asshole," Ichigo shot back, swatting at the redhead, "You just think that since you're in love, everyone else should be too."

"Yeah," Renji laughed, considering, "Pretty much, yeah. But, can you blame me? Look at this guy!"

"Renji..." Tetsuya complained, blushing.

"Naw, I have to admit, he's got a point," Ichigo said gamely, "Renji's a lucky dog to have gotten someone like you to even give a Rukon mongrel like him the time of day."

"All right, that will be enough," Tetsuya said, giving him a mock frown, "I'll not have you insulting my boyfriend. I'll have you out on that training field again and I might just forget the rules of chivalrous battle."

"Ouch!" Ichigo laughed, "I think you're deadly enough as it is. I take it back, okay?"

"Okay," Tetsuya chuckled.

Ichigo watched as the two started back towards the manor, but hung back, trying to decide whether to wait for Yoruichi or just to go back home to shower and rest. Sensing that she and Byakuya were knee deep in flash steps and not likely to return for a while, he left Kuchiki Manor and started back towards the central senkaimon, quietly avoiding the busier streets so that he could attend more fully to his thoughts.

Inevitably, his mind went back to the pale, green-eyed man from his dreams, to his plea to help, and then Ichigo's own refusal.

I refused without even thinking. I mean, how would that work? Kisuke and I put Aizen in that cell. The last thing I want to do is to help him get out.

But thinking of the already isolated man, sitting bound and alone, day after day plagued his mind. And before he realized what had happened, Ichigo suddenly entered his inner world. He walked to the boundary of Aizen's world and extended his senses, trying to feel the presence of the man's disheartened zanpakutou. But all he could feel was how quiet and lonely everything was there.

He stepped forward, wondering if he would be able to enter again, and was a little surprised to find that he could. He walked alongside a whispering stream, then climbed the small rise and sat down under the tree, where he had been when he met the spirit before.

All was tranquil and still around him, with only the soft sounds of the stream and the falling rain breaking the silence. Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the last time he had seen Aizen Sousuke, his eyes filled with righteous fury and his lips spitting hateful things...mostly directed at Kisuke, whom, it seemed, he had expected to understand.

But whatever it was that made Aizen reject the soul king, for his own reasons, Kisuke accepted him. I don't know what made each of them decide as they did. And because of that, I can't figure out what to feel.

Was Aizen just an evil person?

He did a lot of evil things. He hurt people. He killed people. He turned people against each other. He seemed determined that it had to be that way...that there wasn't another way. But what's the truth?

He opened his eyes and froze, staring down at the emerald eyes that looked longingly up at him from the surface of the lake in front of him.

"Kyouka Suigetsu," he whispered.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," the spirit whispered sadly, "Why have you returned? I know you will not have changed your mind."

"Not about helping free your master. But...I would like to help you...as long as doing so won't hurt anyone I care about."

"I do not think that you can help me," said the spirit, blinking slowly, "My soul begins to weaken again. But I am weary of trying to remain here. Even when he comes back, he will not care if I am here or if I have gone."

"What makes you think that?" Ichigo asked, "He's your master, right?"

"He also let go of me. And you know why."

Ichigo let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"I'm not so sure I do. I mean, if you listened to what he said, it sounded like he was abandoning you for the power that the hougyoku gave him. But...even then, he didn't say that he believed he didn't need you. He said the hougyoku had decided that."

"He didn't seem to react emotionally at all," said the spirit.

"No," agreed Ichigo, "He was filled with the hougyoku's power...and...you know, I got the feeling that he wasn't in any kind of control at all. He said that he mastered it."

"But you sense the truth, don't you, Ichigo?" Kyouka Suigetsu said softly, his words rippling the surface of the water, "Sousuke Aizen wasn't the master of the hougyoku. The hougyoku mastered him. It knew his deepest desires and it used them to further its own goals. He told you that the key to mastering it, was when he realized that it had a will of its own. Unfortunately, he thought that he could impress his will upon that of the hougyoku. He was taken in the direction he thought that he wanted to go. But...that day on the battlefield, he realized something."

"What was that?"

"He sought to stand at the top. But he didn't really want to," explained the spirit, "For why would a man who already lived in solitude, seek greater isolation?"

Ichigo went quiet for several long minutes, looking into the water and thinking deeply.

"Kyouka Suigetsu, what is it that you want me to do?"

"I want to see him."

Ichigo let out a heavy sigh.

"You know I can't help you do that."

"You can help me without putting him in a position to escape," suggested the spirit.

"How?"

"I live within your inner world now. And that means that I can look through your eyes, just as Zangetsu can. If you go to see him, then I can look through your eyes and I can see his face."

"And all you want is to see him?" asked Ichigo, "or will you talk to him too."

Kyouka Suigetsu lowered his eyes.

"I don't know if I want to speak to him, or to have him know that I am there."

"And what am I supposed to tell him is the reason I came?"

The spirit considered the question, then answered solemnly.

"For closure."

"Huh," mused the shinigami substitute, "That would make sense, right?"

"It would."

"And you think Central 46 will let me walk on in there? Just like that?"

"You saved Soul Society and Karakura Town. I think they will let you in, if you ask it."

Ichigo went silent again, listening to the rain fall steadily and breathing in the fresh air.

"Okay."

Ichigo was instantly touched by the look of genuine relief that blossomed onto Kyouka Suigetsu's handsome face.

"Thank you, Ichigo. I am very grateful."

"Yeah?" Ichigo said, shaking his head, "Well, don't be yet. I still have to convince them to let me in there."

He blinked in surprise as Aizen's inner world suddenly flickered around him, and he found himself sitting cross legged under a tree in a park, not far from the Central 46 chambers.

Ichigo looked in the direction of the compound, taking a deep breath, then starting towards it. With every step, he wondered if he was doing the right thing. With every step, he felt more and more that it wasn't just something that he chose to do. He needed to see Aizen, if not on Kyouka Suigetsu's behalf, then on his own. He was hurting inside. And just as with Aizen's world, rain fell softly in his own world.

It won't stop until I deal with it.

He reached the closed doors of the compound and bowed briefly in front of the outer guards.

"Hi, I am..."

"We know who you are," one of the guards said, bowing, "And it is we who should lower ourselves in front of you, not you who should lower himself. What can we do for you, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"I know that I should make an official request, but...what I need...is to see Sousuke Aizen."

"I see," the guard said, frowning, "I am not sure that it will be allowed, but I will make the request."

He turned away and spoke softly into a communicator, then turned back to face Ichigo.

"I have been asked to question you about your reasons for needing to see him."

"For closure," Ichigo said, repeating the words that Kyouka Suigetsu had given him.

"Ah."

The man turned away again and spoke into the device again. Several minutes later, he turned back and nodded briefly.

"Councilor Nori Kuchiki has agreed to escort you in."

"Ah, the head elder of the Kuchiki clan?" Ichigo said, smiling, "That's great. Thank you."

"Go to the next checkpoint," said the guard, "Councilor Kuchiki will meet you there."

Ichigo moved forward and walked calmly through the gates, over the bridge, and to the front entry of the compound. As he reached it, the doors opened, and Nori Kuchiki appeared before him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, it is good to see you, although I was surprised at your request."

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled softly, "It was kinda out of the blue. But...I need to do this."

"I understand. There is much between you and that man. Come, I will take you down into Muken. Only, I will ask that you leave your weapon here, just inside the compound. It will be returned when you leave."

"Sure. No problem," Ichigo said, removing the weapon and handing it to an attendant.

He followed Nori through another checkpoint, then into the prison. A scanner at the entrance scanned Nori's eye, then Ichigo's, then beeped softly and allowed them to pass. They stepped onto a lift and rode it downward.

"So," said Nori, "What made you decide to do this now?"

"Well, I was training with Byakuya, Renji and Tetsuya, and I started back. But, along the way, I was thinking about the battle. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it lately. And I know that if I want it to stop troubling me, then I have to deal with it."

"I think that is wise," said the elder, "But do be careful around him. After all, some of his innate ability will still be with him. Even sealed away, his powers are dangerous. I will not listen in, but I will watch to ensure your safety, while you are with him."

"Thanks,"Ichigo said gratefully, "That is really reassuring."

They reached the lowest level and checked in with the Muken guardpost, verifying their identities again. A guard remained with Nori at the checkpoint, overseeing a monitor that looked into Aizen's cell, while another guard led Ichigo to the door and let him inside.

Ichigo's heart skipped as his eyes adjusted to the dark, then he saw Aizen's dark brown eye had rotated in his direction.

"Just touch that button when you are ready to leave," said the guard.

"Thanks."

Ichigo turned slowly and walked to where Aizen sat, bound tightly to a chair and looking up at him.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he said quietly, "I have to say that I am surprised."

"Are you surprised that I came here?" Ichigo asked softly, keeping his eyes lowered, "Or are you surprised that it took me so long?"

Aizen's mouth curved into a smirk.

"I had hoped that you would come sooner."

"If you think that I'm here to get you out, then think again,"Ichigo said coldly.

"Why are you here?" Aizen asked, his smile fading slightly.

"For closure," Ichigo said, raising his eyes and meeting Aizen's.

Aizen made a sound of surprise and his eyes widened, but he didn't speak right away. Instead, he lowered his voice and spoke more softly.

"He is still alive?"

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, "But he is really conflicted."

"He sent you here?"

"He asked me to come here, so that he could use my eyes to see you."

"But...that means that..."

"Somehow our inner worlds have joined. I was able to enter yours and to talk to him. It seems that he survived by grabbing onto Zangetsu and sharing power with him. I lost my powers, and the two helped each other to survive."

"But," said Aizen, his brown eye narrowing, "you are not powerless any longer."

"No."

"I could feel it when you entered," Aizen acknowledged, "Congratulations. It seems that you were able to be restored after all."

"Kisuke created a sword, and all of the captains and vice captains were ordered by the Captain Commander to infuse the sword with their power."

An odd flash that looked something like pain touched Aizen's eyes for a moment, but disappeared quickly.

"I see. they felt they owed you for stopping me. But even so, you know that what they did was profound."

"Yes," Ichigo answered, "I'm aware."

"I do have to warn you, though. It would be dangerous to reveal what's happened with our inner worlds."

"I kinda got that feeling."

The two looked at each other silently, pondering what to say.

"May I ask you a question?" Aizen queried finally.

"Okay."

"Are you glad I am here?"

Ichigo gazed back at him silently, considering the question.

"I think here is where you have to be. If you were free, you would still be hurting people."

"Probably," Aizen admitted, "After all, even though the hougyoku no longer accepts me as its master, I am still powerful enough to be dangerous."

"I know. That's why, even though I was willing to help Kyouka Suigetsu see you, I will not help him get you free. There are too many people whose lives would be in danger...too many people who I care about that could be hurt."

"I understand. But...even though you want me to stay here, and even though you initially decided to come here on my zanpakutou's behalf, you have your own reasons for being here, don't you, Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Ichigo stared at him silently.

"You felt it, didn't you? You understood the mistake I made."

"In trusting the hougyoku?" Ichigo asked, "Yeah. It struck me as odd, during our battle, that while saying that trust and dependence were kinds of weakness, you trusted and depended on the hougyoku."

"And do you know why I broke that rule?" Aizen asked.

"No."

"I broke that rule because I believed that it was part of mastering the crystal. I believed it was necessary. And do you know who convinced me of that?"

"The hougyoku?" Ichigo asked.

"The hougyoku," Aizen affirmed, "Using my own intellect to draw out my desires, then teasing me with them, the hougyoku led me along a trail of its own design and it did try to make me king. But it failed. Are you able to understand why?"

"I don't know," Ichigo confessed, "Kisuke said that the hougyoku rejected you because you were weakened."

Aizen eyed him skeptically.

"But you don't believe that," he said wonderingly, "What is it that you do believe, Ichigo?"

"I don't know," the youth said, shaking his head and turning away.

"Will you be coming back?"

"I don't know," Ichigo answered honestly, "I have to think about it."

"Well, while you are thinking, you might check the battlefield for pieces of my zanpakutou. As he is now allowing you into our world, you can find him and restore him."

"If I did that, it would only be to turn him over to the authorities," Ichigo said warningly.

"Who would destroy him," Aizen said warningly, "Is that what you want?"

"I don't know," Ichigo whispered, "I don't what I want."

"That's a lonely feeling, isn't it?" Aizen asked more softly.

"Yeah."

"Ichigo, thank you for coming here."

"Right. I ah...have to go."

"Goodbye, then."

Ichigo swallowed hard and forced himself to walk out of the cell, and feeling Aizen's one uncovered eye following him as he went. And all of the way back home, Aizen's question echoed in his mind.

Are you glad I am here?