Starting off, as usual, I want to thank Ie-maru, RG-Guest, TheBretonBookDragon for their continuing feedback.

Now, one of the reasons why I'm able to post this chapter relatively quicker than I usual do is because I wrote out a big portion of the chapters I'm presently working on ahead of time. I've been doing this for quite a while- certainly for the majority of the time I've been working on this story. When I'm struck with an idea for a possible futue, I usually write it out in a vaccuum, then when I've worked out the larger story, if I can use it, then I just drop the scene(s) in.

TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW

Chapter LXXXVIII:
"The Final Countdown, Part 2"

Soul Society...
Gotei Council Facilities, Council Chamber...

"We called for this assembly, of the Officers and the other members of the Greater Gotei Council, in addition to our allies," Captain Shunsui began his address. "More than just the Shinigami, we're joined by our Arrancar compatriots- both here and those in Huecco Mundo- in addition to the key figures of the Quincy, the Remnants of the Wandenreich, and our allies in the Mortal Realm."

Pausing, he looked outwards to look not just at those immediately assembled in the council room, but also to regard the numerous others that were listening in, either from the halls of their Divisions or their bases of operation in other locations- from Huecco Mundo to Karakura City...

"All that remains now for us are the the final preparations for the battle to come, be it in a matter of days or even hours." The tall swordsman continued. "Regardless of whatever might happen, no matter how things play out, I have full confidence in both our forces and in their capacity to adapt and react dynamically to what is all but certain to be a constant and wildly varying field of battle."

After that, the commander of the Eighth took a moment to gauge his audience...

"And so, with all of that said, I reached out to you," he went on. "In my estimation, our only option in going forward in the conflicts, is to do so with your full knowledge and support."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Division Twelve HQ...

The various ranking Officers of the specialized Scientific Division were assembled and ready, each of them awaiting final confirmation from their Commanding Officer.

Kisuke Urahara- the disheveled man clad in his usual well-worn atire- looked on as the pink-haired Arrancar started his address to the rest of the room...

"My friends," he began smoothly. "We are so close now..." The Espada went on. "All that remains is the final confirmation- at which point, we'll set our plan in motion." Szayel elaborated. "From here on out, we'll all have our parts to play in the days to come."

"And in the end," the bespectacled man continued. "I have full confidence in all of you, and in your ability to do your utmost to ensure the success of this mission." He continued. "However, even now in the midst of our current predicament- as dire as it may seem- that it remains just as important that we don't loose sight of everything that we've accomplished, up till and including today."

"Think about it," Szayel offered them. "Just stop and take a moment to consider that only a few years ago, none of this would have been possible- Arrancar and Shinigami, working together."

"It's all of your efforts," the pink-haired man explained. "This grand collaboration has made it possible for us to launch this critical strike, deep at the heart of the enemy's own inner sanctum."

"Szayel-sama," Nemu asked. "When can we expect final authorization?"

"Mere hours." The Captain countered, grinning. "It won't be long now... Soon, we'll receive word from the Gotei Council, and then- at which point- we'll begin moving."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

The Living Realm, Karakura City...

"Of course, I understand." Yoruichi spoke, her tone very matter-of-fact, into what might otherwise be described as just another everyday cellphone. "Of course, I'll see you later, then."

Ending the call, the dark-skinned woman looked over to the other person in the room.

"I take it then," Tessai began, producing a flask and taking a drink. "That we have a game plan?"

She nodded, regarding the burly broad-shouldered man before her. "Yeah, Kisuke just called me from the Soul Realm, confirming that he's going to be overseeing the efforts of the Twelfth Division with the first stage of the plan.." She explained. "Which should be any time now."

"In that case," Tessai responded, before tossing the flask to the woman. "Then I'd better go make sure that everyone and everything's in position."

"Wait." The exotic woman started, taking a drink of her own. "Tell me," she resumed, before tossing it back to him. "Truthfully, what do you think our chances are?"

He took a moment, folding her arms across bis broad chest. "Truthfully," The man started, exhaling and adjusting his glasses, before looking back to her. "I'd be lying if I told you that I believed that this was a sure thing..." Tessai paused. "But even still, I am hopeful."

"I see." The shape-shifting woman responded. "I have to say, I find your confidence refreshing."

"Still, I'd feel better if Urahara was here." Tessai added as he pocketed the flask.

"Tell me about it." Yoruichi groused irritably. "I swear, he's been spending so much time back in the Twelfth, with that Espada Captain and his Lieutenant." She lamented. "Honestly, you'd think they were the ones that he's in a relationship with." The woman bemoaned, to the amusement of her friend.

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

The former and current Captains of the Twelfth Division entered into an expansive room, the majority of the wide-open sprawling interior dominated by an array of otherworldly and sophisticated machines and banks of complex controls along the walls that formed the boundary of the room.

"This is it, my friend." Szayel Grantz spoke. "Everything that we've discussed, and more... All of what you see here in this room, it's been assembled in the service of one of our primary objectives." He went on to reveal in a smooth tone, as he turned to look to the other man. "In this case, this is all dedicated to tracing the 'beam' of the pulses back to their point of origin."

"Just thinking about everything..." Urahara mused. "You realize, of course, that this will likely turn out to be the fourth large scale conflict I've been involved in, and in just the last three years."

The Arrancar nodded in agreement. "Actually," Szayel paused. "It might even be the fifth, depending on how you regard the second incident in Karakura, with the Brethren."

"Hollows, the Sternritters, the Brethren, and now these 'Shadow' creatures," Urahara recounted aloud, as much for himself as for the other man in the room. "And now, at last, we're about to face off against the full might of an adversary... a force that we sill don't fully understand."

"It's strange, to consider what we're faced with." The Espada replied. "And yet, there's almost a certain poetic irony that the final obstacle ahead of us should be seen as the embodiment of the oldest and most primordial of all fears." Szayel continued solemnly. "Darkness."

Suddenly, a series of memories flashed across the ex-Shinigami's thoughts. "So then," Urahara began, as he looked onward. "What exactly is the next step, from here?"

Szayel responded with a nod. "Firstly, we activate the dimensional frequency scanner," the Arrancar answered, gesturing to one of the nearby devices. "Our plan is to activate this device as soon as we've confirmed that our infiltration program has successfully breached the enemy's systems."

"And so, with any luck, once you've started up this machine," the scruffy-faced man started, folding his arms across his chest. "The enemy will be too busy to realize what's truly going on."

Just then, Szayel received an alert, lifting up a 'cellphone' to his ear. "I see... Of course, we're ready to begin, here, on this end." He replied. "I'll see to it, right away."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Division Eleven HQ...

Isane exhaled, the silver-haired female Shinigami looking at the purple-haired man...

At the moment, the two of them were situated in the quarters of the Third-Seat Officer, the notoriously perfumed and adorned Shinigami was seated on the floor pf the room with his legs crossed, his his back facing toward her. He silently registered as she approached him.

"I- I really am sorry..." The flamboyant Soul Reaper spoke hesitantly, before then rising to his feet, as he turned to regard sight o the taller woman. "Isane, my dear..." Yumichika began. "I've realized, these last few months, that I haven't been the best partner to you, as of late."

With that, he captured her hands in his. "The truth is... You've been invaluable to me."

"Yumichika..." She replied, uttering the attractive man's almost under her breath, as she proceeded to lock eyes with him. "After everything you've been through, you can't tell me you seriously believe that you're fit to take part in the fighting?!"

He seemed to take a moment to soak in her pleas. "All I really know... is that I have to get out there and face my fears, because I couldn't live with myself if I didn't to get out there and try."

Isane struggled to keep herself composed. "Yumichika..."

Yumichika gave her a gentle smile as he approached the Lieutenant. "Now, now, Isane," he started, as he ran a hand through her hair. "You're far too magnificent of a woman to be crying."

With that, he leaned in to kiss her, with the silver-haired woman returning the display of affection en-kind as she wrapped her arms around him, deepening the long over-due kiss...

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Entering into the room, Darkwood and Dario looked over to Uriah, the man seated at his desk, with a look of concentration as he worked at his computer- the faint glow coming from the flat-screen monitor of his computer reflecting off of the lenses of his glasses.

"Uriah, has something happened?" The brown-haired man asked.

Without looking away from the screen, he replied: "More like something is happening."

The man was dressed in a black turtleneck and matching slacks. He had a fair complexion, and his jet-black hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and he sported a rectangular glasses.

"Well, come on then, for god's sake," Dario started forcefully. "Don't just leave us standing here like this, hanging in the wind!" He countered. "Quickly, get on with it and tell us what's going on."

"Not too long ago," Uriah started. "I received a priority communique from our people overseeing the network here, the ones responsible for maintaining our overall connectivity, reporting that there's been some kind of intrusion attempt by an external signal... It somehow managed to bypass our external firewall, but was subsequently been detected by internal security."

"If it's contained, then surely it can be traced back to its source." Darkwood commented.

"That's just it," Uriah replied. "I've never seen anything like this... Someone or something is trying to gain access to the core." He went on, adjusting his glasses. "And whoever is behind this, they're doing a damn good job of covering their tracks... I've never seen an encryption algorithm like this."

"Somehow, the signal is variable," the bespectacled man explained. "So far, whenever we try to get a lock on it, the signal somehow conveniently changes its configuration."

"Don't bother with finding the source." Darkwood replied calmly. "We're not dealing with ordinary 'hackers'... No, I know from first-hand experience that there's only one possible organization with all the necessary specific resources and the people with the training capable of carrying out something like this."

"Wait," Dario chimed in. "If it can't be analyzed, then how is it being 'contained'?"

Uriah didn't respond to him immediately, initially appearing content with taking a moment to simply relax as he reclined in his chair. "That's just it... So far, we haven't been able to contain it." He answered after a moment. "It's worse than trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, because in our case- the shape of the hole keeps changing, seemingly to prevent us from making any progress."

"Don't forget, we have far more pressing matters." Darkwood continued. "I'm much more concerned with discerning the purpose of this signal." He explained. "Uriah, what can you tell me about this- what stands out to you, is there anything that reminds you of something you've seen before?"

"If only it were so simple." The bespectacled man answered. "I've been working in programming and coding for decades." Uriah explained smoothly. "And I've never seen anything like this."

"Can you give me some kind of idea as to the possible purpose of this signal?" Darkwood proceeded to ask the seated man. "It's imperative that we know what their aim is?"

Uriah removed his glasses and exhaled. "Based on its behavior so far, I suspect it was designed with the intention of infiltrating our critical systems." He offered with a sigh. "Except, the sticking point is the fact that the inner-core doesn't contain any sensitive information... at least, as far as I've been told."

"This network was designed to function independently as a fully isolated and autonomous system. It can be moved to an different server, if needed." Uriah added calmly, before he replaced his glasses. "I don't know how else to put it, except, to say that it's like someone drilled a hole into an isolated system, and rather than reacting to the intrusion, we're still just trying to work out exactly what the hell they're doing!"

Darkwood crossed his arms, silently mulling things over. "It's not a coincidence that our adversaries would chose this time to make their move." He remarked aloud. "I'm going to need you to monitor this situation as it evolves," the bearded-man continued. "It's imperative that we remain on schedule, so I'm going to have to entrust you to keep me informed of any developments."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Back in the Twelfth, Szayel and Nemu were standing in an elevator...

"Szayel-sama, if I may make an observation," Nemu calmly began. "You appear to be unusually excited in the face of a conflict that potentially completely devastate everything we know."

Szayel smirked at the observation. "Oh, my darling Nemu," the Arrancar responded, as he turned to face the purple-haired woman. "It's all about the anticipation, the thrill of facing the unknown."

"I see." The female Shinigami spoke. "If I understand you correctly, Szayel-sama, then you're saying that there's some degree of enjoyment in the unknowable?"

"Well, the truth is, that it depends." The Octavio responded smoothly, meeting her green eyes with his own golden ones as he rested his hands upon her shoulders. "There's always going to be some degree of fear involved," he went on to explain. "But it's the possibility of success that makes thing exciting."

Nemu nodded, giving a small smile. "Thank you, Szayel-sama," she answered. "I do believe that the insights that you've provided, has ultimately given me a better understanding of emotions."

A chime sounded, and the metal doors parted. "As always, you remain ever the dutiful learner." The pink-haired Arrancar commented, adjusting his glasses as they into the corridor. "And though, while I'd enjoy nothing more than to continue this discussion," he continued. "I am presently required elsewhere, and so, I would consider it a great help to me, if you would go and oversee the other projects."

"Of course, Szayel-sama." The woman replied with a polite nod, as she turned to head off down the hallway, leaving the Arrancar alone as he looked to a nearby door...

There was a slight hissing sound as the door opened, and Szayel entered a room where of a number of his ranking Officers were engaged in monitoring various computer screens...

He took a moment to check in with several of the Officers as they worked.

He moved to approach Akon, the bespectacled Espada leaning in. "We've just received word- it's time to start the second Stage," he informed him in a low tone. "Begin 'Phase Two'."

"Yes, yes, of course." The seemingly perpetually-glum Third-Seat responded to him with a nod, before wordlessly moving his mouse to click on a 'button' visible of the screen.

Szayel smiled at hearing this. "And so," he paused for effect. "Here we go."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Division Four, Medical Center...

"So what's the upcoming game plan?"

"Based on what I've been told," Shenkai replied in a confident tone. "I'll be leading a detachment from the Second Division into the Living Realm." He explained. "My forces will be one of those that's going to be dispatched to Karakura City, along with another one from the Tenth."

Soifon nodded, while seated in an upright position from her hospital bed. "I won't pry into the details." The slender woman responded. "I have full confidence in you, Lieutenant Shenkai."

"You honor me, Captain." The other Shinigami replied with a smile. "And while I won't burden you with the finer details, I'd like to request the aid of Sir Vega in the fighting to come."

Ggio gave a momentary look of surprise, before turning to exchange looks with his mate that was still bedridden in the wake of having only recently given birth. After a moment, the Female Shinigami smiled to herself, before nodding. "Of course, he is- after all- a respectable warrior in his own right."

The former Fraccion blushed under the praise, but offered no protest, giving a flustered look as she looked to the Chinese standing before them, giving him a knowing look. "W-wait, Soifon, you-"

"Relax, Ggio." She cut him off in a gentle tone. "The truth is, that once I've recovered enough that I'm fit to be discharged, I'll be immediately busy with restoring my family home."

"Just think about it..." The woman went on. "The Division barracks are no place to raise a child," she went on to reason. "No, a family needs a proper home, and one with the necessary space and resources to care for them, and we'll also need some staff." She continued calmly. "And since I have no intention of stepping down as a Captain, just as I have to expectation of you becoming a full-time stay-at-home Dad and take care of all the housework and caring for little Meiling."

"Quite right." Shenkai chimed in. "I'd be hard-pressed to envision Sir Vega in an apron."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Darkwood was suddenly struck, going stock still as his entire body stiffened!

And then, just like that, the glass that he'd been holding- complete with bourbon and ice- slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor, shattering violently on impacting with the floor!

"Darkwood," Dario entreated, looking to him. "What the hell's going on with you?!"

"...We've been tricked." He spoke, his eyes unfocused. "The infiltration program, it wasn't designed to hack into our system, that was just a smokescreen." He exclaimed, leaning on the lip of nearby counter as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "...I've underestimated our foes."

"What are trying to say?" Dario replied, a look of concern on his face. "What ever could have possibly happened to cause you to react in the way you just did, a moment ago?"

This seemed to shock him from his momentary stupor. "We've been played." Darkwood stated in an emphatic tone. "The purpose of the infiltration program was never to target the data on our networks..." He explained to the younger man. "No, the truth is that it was just using our own systems to 'piggyback' on our network- with the end goal of working it's way towards its true objective."

"Then," the hooded man responded. "What exactly is it's true objective?"

Darkwood exhaled, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "The Magnus Machina!"

"The Engine?" This elicited a genuine look of surprise from Dario. "From everything you've told me, how's on earth is that even possible, to say nothing of why?!"

"I don't know how they're doing this," the black-clad man answered. "But the fact remains, regardless of the 'how', the plain and simple truth is that they've reached the Machine!" He went on. "They knew what they were doing when they triggered the Machine because they knew that prematurely activating it would force us to alter our plans, ensuring this entire conflict would begin on their terms!"

"Then, there's no way to deactivate it?" Dario inquired.

Darkwood shook his head. "No, once the process is started, there's no stopping it."

"Then this is it." Dario fired back. "With this attack against us, we've reach the point of no return."

"Sounds serious." A familiar voice spoke.

At this, the two men turned to look as Ichigo arrived. "If what he said was true," the orange-haired youth started to say. "Then what are you planning to do in response?"

"The only thing we can," Darkwood replied. "We move our plans forward. However, luckily, we had the foresight to prepare a number of contingencies, just for such an occasion."

"Still, with that being said," the bearded-man continued. "This sudden change of plan means that I'll have to head out to monitor the the output from the source of our power, the Great Machine." He went on to state to the teen. "And as a result of this change, you'll be coming with me."

This was enough to draw Dario's interest back into the conversation. "Wait, are you certain?" He asked the other man. "Are you sure that he's suitably prepared to be brought to that place?"

Darkwood nodded. "To be honest," he admitted, folding his arms. "Truthfully, I had fully expected that we would have had a bit more time to properly prepare you for this, Ichigo." He continued, as he turned to the young man. "But now, I'm afraid that's no longer an option."

"I understand." Ichigo replied. "No matter what happens, I am fully dedicated to realizing your plans, and will stay the course, regardless of wherever fate might take me."

"Your dedication to the cause is heartening," the black-clad man started. "But as to the matter of your certainty in your ability to stay the course- no matter what... Well, I hope you're right."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

The two Lieutenants, Kira Izuru and Shuhei Hisagi, were making their way down a side street, intent on visiting a nearby bar that the two Shinigami frequented.

"Should we really going out drinking right now?" Kira asked the other man.

"Well, you know what they say," Shuhei replied. "Enjoy yourself, it's later than you think."

The blonde-haired man chuckled. "You might just be right..." Kira replied. "Yes, I suppose that there's something to enjoying yourself while you still can."

"I figured you'd know what I mean!" The dark-haired Soul Reaper responded. "Never the less, we still have tonight to thoroughly enjoy ourselves, before being thrust into the maw of chaos!"

"Oh, hey, hey!" A voice called out, causing the men to turn and look as none other than Mashiro Kuna came rushing towards them. "Yo, what 're you guys up to?"

In contrast to the outfit she had worn while in exile in the Living Realm, the female Vizard sported a black bodysuit, with white boots and gloves. The only holdovers from her previous ensemble were the orange bandanna around her neck, and the goggles residing atop her head of green hair.

"You guys getting drinks?" Mashiro asked eagerly. "I've got some time, so can I join you?"

The two men exchanged glances, then nodded to their colleague.

"Don't worry, it's no problem." Kira replied with a smile.

"He's right," Shuhei added. "Why don't you come join us?"

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Back in the Twelfth Division...

"Captain!" Akon called out. "Our systems just registered a sudden and massive surge in the emissions from the Anomaly." He explained as Szayel appeared beside him. "The energy readings are contiguous with all our previous data, except there's been a change in the form of the output- the semi-predictable mathematical 'pulses' have been replaced by a constant steady stream."

"Well, this reaction was only to be expected..." Szayel remarked. "After all, we reached out and struck at their very core, so it was only reasonable that they should respond in-kind."

Akon merely nodded as Szayel continued. "Begin monitoring the energy reading in the Living Realm and in Huecco Mundo- it's critical that we stay abreast of what's going on elsewhere."

The Arrancar registered a beeping noise, and proceeded to produce a cellphone-like device from his long coat. After pressing a button, a feminine voice coming through: "Szayel-sama, we've received a call from Kisuke Urahara, he wishes to speak with you."

"Understood." He replied, nodding to himself. "Have him routed to my office, I'm on my way."

"Of course, Szayel-sama, I'll see to that right away."

With that, he exited the room and headed down the hallway, to his office...

Taking his seat behind his desk, he looked to his computer monitor. "Hello, Kisuke," Szayel began in an amicable tone as the other man's face appeared. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Urahara nodded. "Less than ten minutes ago, my systems alerted us to the presence of Dark Energy, as if from out of nowhere." He explained to him. "I take it then, that you carried out the plan."

The bespectacled Arrancar smiled. "I think you mean our plan." He replied. "But to return back to the point, we successfully launched the infiltration program without issue, which in-turn enabled us then to use their own systems as means to trace a path to whatever lies beyond the anomaly."

"I expect that you'll have fed these 'alien' coordinates into your system, and then translated them into a form that the teleportation systems are able to understand?"

"We're currently in the process. "Szayel answered. "But, as you just put it, the coordinates are truly 'alien' in nature, so we have no time frame to work with."

"Yes, of course." The ex-Shinigami calmly replied. "I already have reason to pay a visit, so I'll make my way to the Seireitei right away." He stated intently. "And then, of course, I suspect that I'll be of far more use on your end than I ever would if I just remained here."

Szayel tilted to the side, resting on his elbow. "Well, if my intuition is indeed correct, then I'll definitely be looking forward to finally seeing the scientific fruits of your labors."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Division Six HQ...

Byakuya Kuchiki was seated in his office, in the heart of his Division, as he studiously looked over a number of documents, including many that were relevant to the present situation.

Unlike some, the dark-haired nobleman was more than accustomed to the silence. If anything, he was firmly of the belief that it made work such as this more productive.

When he'd arrived in the office, he'd first hung his white Captain's haori on a special fixture mounted on the wall, then placed Senbonzakura in its immaculate wooden case atop his cabinet. With that done, he seated himself more comfortably, hence now how he arrived at his current location.

There was a polite knock at the door, prompting the immaculate man to look up from his papers and and responded for his visitor to come in. The next moment, the sliding shoji door opened, revealing his Lieutenant- Renji Abarai- who was holding a short stack of documents.

"Lieutenant," he calmly prompted. "You may come in."

"Aye, Captain." The red-haired Shinigami replied, giving a polite nod as he stepped inside.

With that, Renji deposited the stack of papers onto the Captain's desk.

The Captain and heir of the Kuchiki paused, looking up from his papers. "Tell me, Lieutenant Abarai, how are things fairing between yourself and and Arachne-san?"

"Oh, fine, sir." The tattooed Soul Reaper replied chipperly, with a cheerful smile

"I see." Byakuya responded with a quiet nod. "I believe there will a westerly breeze."

"Wha-?!" Abruptly cut off, the Lieutenant- still facing him- could only look down in shock, at the sight of the swordblade that was not protruding outwards from his torso!

The Captain watched impassively as blade receeded and he toppled to the floor...

He fell to the ground as soon as the blade was withdrawn from him. As blood started to pool beneath him, he looked up in confusion, only for Byakuya to coldly remark "The Real Lieutenant Abarai would know that I would not mention his partner in such a casual manner."

Kensei and Szayel both appeared, flanking the real Renji as he moved to finish his mimic off!

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

"I hope you appreciate how much trust I have in you" Darkwood started in a steady tone, as he and Ichigo made their way down a hallway. "Prior to this, I've only entrusted two other people with direct access to- what's come to know as- the 'Engine'." He continued. "Crowley was one of them..."

"And the other person...?" Ichigo prompted.

"Is Dario." The older man replied. "You see, Ichigo, in the past, occurrences of potential 'Manifests' were much rarer. Oh, I should add that that's what we've come to colloquially refer to the people with powers linked to the energy of my reality." Darkwood explained.

The teen was taken aback at this. "Hold on, are you saying that that's the only reason for my new powers?"

"Oh no, quite the contrary." Darkwood replied, shaking his head. "In theory, anyone can learn to use the power of Manifest," he continued. "Though in practice, I've found that it's much more dependent on the adaptability and openness of a person's thinking."

"Wait," Ichigo started. "What do you mean?"

"The 'scourge' that is cynicism." Darkwood replied with a gentle smile. "When people lose the ability to see the things that are wondrous and magical in their day-to-day lives... That's when they've closed themselves off to the possibility of growing as a person." He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm talking about all of those people who grow up by growing old, who accept that life has defined boundaries."

The orange-haired youth looked on intently as he continued. "Ichigo, you made it this far because you refused to live in the cage of modern society." Darkwood added. "The 'energy' I previously mentioned, it's just a catalyst, a trigger to allowing people to unlock the unique powers of Manifest."

"One thing you have to keep in mind is that we aren't just throwing around the word 'Manifest' simply because it's just a catchy buzzword." Dario interjected. "Rather, that word holds meaning."

The older man in the room nodded. "As I previously said, the number of awakenings of Manifests were much rarer- perhaps only a handful for every century."

"And all that changed after Aizen failed to open the Gates of Heaven?"

"Yes, exponentially." The bearded-man replied. "Over the course of the last tree years, the number of Manifests has risen to more then in the last three centuries combined."

"Then Dario is from before then, but how?" Ichigo asked.

Darkwood nodded. "Like I said, while the output of energy into your reality was far lower, it was still enough to awaken a small number of individual, and once we became aware of this, steps were taken to ensure the we would be able to make the most of what this opportunity offered."

"I can't help but notice you keep saying we." The teen countered. "Just who or what exactly are you?"

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

Unemotionally, Byakuya Kuchiki regarded the three men standing in his office...

"If you don't mind me asking," Kensei asked. "What exactly tipped you off?"

"Firstly, he has served as my Lieutenant long enough that I am confident the real Renji Abarai would not address me in such a casual manner." The Captain explained. "And secondly, the Lieutenant would be familiar enough with myself to know that I would not inquire into his personal affairs, let alone that I would ever refer to his partner in a common method."

"Bravo, Captain Kuchiki." Szayel replied with a clap of his gloved hands. "Nothing less than I would expect of you, a credit to your Captaincy- you know your people well."

The raven-haired man merely nodded unflappably. "So, it would also appear that your intuition was correct, Captain Grantz." Byakuya countered. "And your investigations, Captain Muguruma, it would seem that they have proven that your instincts were also correct."

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

"Incredible." Shunsui commented. "Tell me, what lead you to suspect a second infiltrator?"

Captain Kyoraku, along with the respective Captains of the Sixth, Ninth, and the Twelfth, were in a separate room within the expanse of the Central Chambers.

"Well, after the other was revealed, it wasn't long before I began questioning the likelihood that a lone agent would carry out the infiltration of Soul Society." The Arrancar began. "After doing some looking into their movements, I realized that an second impostor would allow them to carry out their mission considerably easier- what, with one covering for the other."

"And do you have any insights into what their mission was?" Byakuya asked.

"Once he was suitably certain," the white-haired Vizard began. "Captain Grantz approached me, to enlist my assistance, as my purview is internal security." He explained. "We quickly deduced the most likely modus operandi- to kill and replace high-ranking Officers within Soul Society."

"We believed this, because it's possible that if my Lieutenant was replaced, I would likely have been the next target, which- in turn- would have given them full access to the resources the Twelfth, thereby allowing for yet further infiltrators to enter and repeat the process."

"Good grief!" Nanao commented, holding her clipboard in one hand, while reaching up to adjusting her glasses with the other. "This is all starting to sound like Invasion of the Body-Snatchers."

"Actually, that's a rather apt analogy." Kensei replied politely. "Except, beyond replacing individuals, we believe their endgame was to covertly undermine our operations- though we'll never know what the full extent of this would have been." The white-haired man added. "We can only hypothesize that their targets were the heads of the divisions that would be most critical to our success."

"If that's the case," the tall scruffy swordsman began. "Their targets would likely include myself..."

"You, being the overall Commander." Nanao was quick to clarify.

"And myself," Szayel spoke. "The head of the Scientific Research and Development Division."

"And myself," Kensei added. "I'm the head of the Division responsible for Internal Security."

"Or myself," Byakuya was the next to speak. "As a Veteran Shinigami and Captain."

"What about Jushiro or Retsu?" Shunsui asked.

"Or Captain Hitsugaya, or the others?" Nanao went on.

"We need a baseline, to compare the various factors." Szayel reasoned. "First off, I suspect that any individual's proximity to a high-level Arrancar or even Espada may have played a factor in who they targeted, perhaps because they couldn't be totally certain they could fool them."

"And, given that both Captain Ukitake and Lady Ukitake are regularly in the presence one or both of individuals that comprise the Primera Espada," Byakuya reasoned. "This would mean that neither one of them were ever under threat of imminent danger, and given that half of the Fourteenth are Arrancar, including Captain Obberschank- herself an Espada- would remove her as a target."

"And I imagine that Captain Soifon is likely regularly under such heavy security," Szayel reasoned as he addressed the others. "Due to her pregnancy and the fact that she's only just recently given birth, that she wouldn't ever been considered a potential viable target."

"And that leaves us with Captain Ōtoribashi, Captain Haraku," Byakuya started. "And myself."

"Plus, Captain Komamura, Captain Grantz, Captain Hitsugaya, and myself." Kensei finished.

"That still leave at least seven targets." The slender bespectacled woman pointed out.

"Actually, Lieutenant Ise," the Octavio Espada retorted. "I believe that we can reasonably narrow that list even further." The pink-haired Arrancar went on. "Of the Divisions mentioned... Gaining control of the Third, the Fifth, or the Seventh wouldn't yield any strategic gains."

Shunsui adjusted the brim of his hat. "Wait a moment," he cleared his throat. "Didn't you and Captain Muguruma both say earlier the objective of the infiltrators was to gradually take over?"

"Originally, yes." The white-haired, pierced Vizard answered. "However, it's more likely that after the first agent was thwarted, the remaining one had to shift to a lesser goal."

The tall Captain nodded. "I see, then since they couldn't get to me, they would have to go after one of the four remaining targets..." He went on, rubbing chin. "So why target Captain Kuchiki?"

"To start, while Toshiro Hitsugaya is unusually powerful and a rising figure," Szayel replied, reaching up to adjust his glasses. "With all due respect, the fact is despite his power and intellect, he's young and lacks sufficient experience, so he's limited in terms of his influence on larger events."

"In the end," Byakuya picked back. "I suspect that I was their only real option." The Noble stated as he went on. "Perhaps they believed the others were on to them, or that they were too difficult to get to."

"Or," Shunsui countered with a smile. "Perhaps, they knew I trusted you and your judgment?"

. . . ...o.o.o... . . .

The black-clad man stopped and turned to regard Ichigo. "I suppose that's a fair enough question, and I think you're overdue for an answer." Darkwood replied. "Over five thousand years ago, the denizens of what lies beyond that which you know as your reality became aware of the fact that their native energy was, in fact, leaking into your own reality." He explained to the young man.

"We've never figured out what started this change..." He continued. "It may have been some signifigant stellar event, like a massive solar flare," Darkwood reasoned. "Or, perhaps it was something far more terrestrial, like an eruption, along the lines of Mount Vesuvius or Krakatoa."

Ichigo listened intently as he continued. "As for myself, you could say that I'm something of a 'special case'. I was sent to this realm to serve as a sort of 'point man'." Darkwood revealed. "Just that act alone, that of sending me here, required a considerable expenditure of time and energy."

Ichigo, briefly at a loss, composed himself. "H- how long have you been here?

Darkwood gave a thoughtful expression. "Well, I'm almost tempted to answer 'a long time'... But, I've lived through so many different calendars- such as the transition from the old Julian to the Gregorian." He offered him cryptically. "I can't really be certain after so much time... But, as best as I can recall, I'd say I've been moving- both in and out of the shadows- for between three and four thousand years."

The teenager's eyes widened, his mouth agape, words failing him...

"I understand your reaction, it's a lot to take in." The brown-haired man responded. "Truthfully, it was only by working all of this time, that I have an idea of how much time has passed- while I was building up and evolving my personal network, and thereby ensuring that I would always have friends in key places- politically, strategically, industrially, and so on."

"And of course, it wasn't just to my benefit," he added with a smile. "I've done my utmost to assist the preservation of fledgling democracies, to making sure that the progress of civilization would be able to survive in some form, even after the fall of Rome and then later Constantinople." Darkwood went on to explain. "And, in a few rare cases, I've helped to see to the deaths of tyrants."

"You're talking about... assassinations?" Ichigo hesitantly stated.

Darkwood merely nodded at the assertion. "Sometimes, extreme measures are required." The black-clad man replied effortlessly. "After all, Saint Tomas Aquinas himself wrote: he who slays the tyrant, frees the people." He recounted. "I think you'll agree that humanity as a whole stood to loose nothing of any worth by the deaths of Caligula or Attila the Hun or Robespierre."

"Why stop there?" Ichigo asked with a smirk. "Why not others, like Yamamoto or Hitler?"

Darkwood shook his head. "As I said, I only involved myself in rare cases... And, truthfully, I had no interest in sculpting the course of history." He replied. "After all, I never claimed to have the power to see the future, and by the time that the Admiral and the Fuehrer had committed their atrocities, I was hardly in a position to help eliminate either of them- not when history saw to it."

Just then, Dario appeared. "Darkwood, we've received reports from our agents that the Shinigami and their Allies have finally begun mobilizing their forces in-earnest."

"Then, it seems that we're at last approaching the 'crossroads'." Darkwood countered, before looking to the teen beside him with an intent gaze. "It's time, Ichigo."

(- End of Chapter LXXXVIII... -)

It won't be long now... The War is coming!

The closing scene between Ichigo and Darkwood is a great example of the benifits of animation. I can just imagine a series of rapid-fire flashbacks: showing Darkwood speaking with Socrates in Athens and in the Roman Senate, or overseeing the transcription of western liturature into Arabic. And of course, I love the image of him exiting the Cryptoporticus as Caligula is murdered, or being present in Paris as Robespierre is arrested in the Hôtel de Ville.