Chapter 4: Disillusionment

"You look surprised," Aizen said, studying Byakuya's stunned expression, "Do you mean to tell me that you didn't know of the corruption that poisons the noble clans?"

"Of course I am aware there is corruption," Byakuya said indignantly, "It doesn't matter how civilized the society. There are always going to be those who, for any number of reasons, pursue change through baser means. But what you are suggesting is...Sousuke Aizen, if this is true, it speaks of the collective work of more than half of the council...so many conspirators...the internal corruption of the entire body of justices!"

"And you wonder why I killed them all," sighed Aizen, "Or thought I killed them all."

Byakuya nodded.

"The fact that we found councilors who had been disguised as prisoners...and that they had been concealed down here for so many years speaks to just how long this plot has been underway."

"So," said Aizen, gazing into Byakuya's widened eyes, "Are you ready to hear what I have to say?"

Byakuya looked back at him skeptically.

"Just because there is corruption in Central 46 does not excuse you for breaking in here, murdering a full contingent of councilors using stealth and usurping their power."

The noble's eyes narrowed and his reiatsu flared.

"As well as using my sister as a pawn in your plans."

Aizen smirked.

"I think we will just have to agree to disagree on that. But if you will sit down for a moment, I will share with you what I learned some time ago that brought me to the conclusion that I needed to take action."

Byakuya looked around briefly, then back at the former captain.

"It seems we have nowhere else to be, at the moment. I will listen to what you have to say. I would ask, however that we move on from here. We are going to have to try to find a way out of here, so we can walk and talk on the way."

"Do you have your bearings?" Aizen asked, "Do you know which way to go to find a way up?"

"I do remember the direction of the lifts," said the noble, "however, I wouldn't suggest hoping any of them will be in working order. And if you are correct in your conspiracy theory, then it is likely that special attention will have been paid to disabling or otherwise damaging them."

"You are probably right, but we should assess them anyway to be sure."

"This way, then," Byakuya said, leading him out of the cell they had gone into.

Aizen waited until they had gotten clear of the first collapsed corridor and were working their way towards an exterior stairway, then began his story.

"No one knows this, but I was brought to Central 46 when I was a child," he told the noble, "I won't bore you with the details. You know that when it is determined that a shinigami youth has exceptional power, it is the job of Central 46 'to assess the child and to place him or her on a pathway consistent with the laws and mores of peaceful society.'"

"Yes," said Byakuya, "It does not happen so often, but sometimes, a shinigami or his or her zanpakutou can be found to be at risk for later trouble. There are many programs for those children, and they are quite successful. It is well documented."

Aizen shook his head.

"It is well documented that children with relatively minor issues, who can easily be helped are recommended to these programs and, yes, those children are helped."

"There are a few of my own relatives who are a part of that program...both the running and the execution of it. Why? Are you saying that the organization is corrupt? How so?"

"That organization is fine and noteworthy," said Aizen, "It is just that not all children identified as being 'at risk' are put into the program."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, frowning.

"There is no oversight of which children are tested and assessed. Records and documents disappear from the assessment center at an alarming rate, yet no one knows this, because no one is checking to see who is being tested...and what happens to them afterwards!"

"So...enlighten me," said Byakuya, "What exactly happens to the ones who have issues that cannot be addressed by these programs? I have never even heard of such a thing happening."

"I have," said Aizen, his eyes darkening with hatred, "You see, Byakuya, I was one of those children!"

Byakuya's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look completely surprised.

"I can see how someone with your abilities would have caught the attention of Central 46. As your long list of heinous crimes proves, intervention early on isn't simply beneficial, it is critical. But you are only..."

"I was brought before an assessor when I was eight years old and my powers began to emerge. I did not yet have my zanpakutou, but they would have been able to sense it preparing to manifest. The assessor was kind to me and after I was tested, I was sent home with my parents. Later that night, they burst into our home, and they said that I had to go with them. They convinced my parents that anyone I came into contact with was in danger of my powers overwhelming them. They promised that I would not be harmed, but that my powers had to be neutralized for everyone's safety, as they were too destructive."

"A fair conclusion in retrospect, ne?" said Byakuya, "I do not hold with them neutralizing your powers without fair cause, but..."

"They lied to my parents!" Aizen snapped angrily, his voice echoing in the empty corridor, "They took me from my home in the dead of night and brought me back to this place. They put me in a holding cell, and I heard several of the councilors talking, one saying to another, 'I know it seems wrong, killing the boy, but if we allow his zanpakutou to emerge and to join with the powers that he has innately, he is going to be too dangerous. Better that he quietly disappear. The termination will be painless. And we will tell the parents that, tragically, their son did not survive the neutralization process...it happens occasionally!' Fortunately, for me, Kyouka Suigetsu seemed to realize the nature of my circumstances. He manifested and helped me to use his illusions so that they only thought that they killed me that night. Kyouka Suigetsu helped me to conceal myself in the Rukongai. I thought to return to my parents, but when I came to the house, I learned that my parents had been made too afraid of me. I heard them talking about me, saying how much they missed their little boy, but they were relieved at the danger being gone. I fled into the Rukongai, changing my appearance and name, so that I could hide amongst the children in an orphanage in the upper Rukongai. I grew up there, using the name, Sousuke Aizen. And I vowed that I would make each of the ones who did this to me pay! For my wretched parents, I left them haunted with a ghostly image of me that hounded them until they lost their minds and had to be institutionalized."

The two had stopped as they had reached the first of the exterior stairways. The structure had been completely destroyed and was so badly caved in that they could find no way to crawl through. After a careful attempt to clear some of the debris, they were forced to admit defeat and to move on, looking for another of the emergency stairways.

"I agree that what was done to you was heinous, and certainly, the guilty parties should have been punished, but it hardly points to the kind of corruption you suggested."

"Not in and of itself, Byakuya," Aizen said darkly, "But the part I told you about is not all of the story, and does not explain my decision to seek, not justice, but revenge."

"Then, do go on," Byakuya said, continuing forward as Aizen followed.

"Are you sure you do not need to rest? You are beginning to stagger again, Byakuya. You should..."

"You should continue with your explanation, if you wish to convince me of anything, Sousuke Aizen."

Aizen smiled patiently, shaking his head at the noble's stubbornness.

"As you will, then. After I completed the vengeance that I had promised to take upon my parents, I returned to the Seireitei in disguise, and went through the academy as a respectable citizen, evincing just enough promise to win a seated position and to be considered future captain material. I worked hard to earn the respect of those around me, but it was clear from early on that no matter how I excelled, special favor was going to be given to noble born students. It was a slap in the face, even having concealed the true level of my powers, to be held back and pushed down for no better reason than I was not noble."

"That is still no reason to commit mass murder," Byakuya said dryly, beginning to pant uncomfortably as the pain increased in his back.

"No," Aizen agreed, "And even at this point, I was ready to shoulder the frustration. But I did want to go back to Central 46, as I was haunted by what had happened to me. I wanted to be sure that it did not happen again."

"And you thought that purging the council was the way to go?" Byakuya sighed, "Disgraceful."

"I told you, that wasn't it at all. I wasn't sure what action I would take, but I worked my way into a position of trust inside the Central 46 chambers. And once on the inside, working as a respectable liaison to the council, I came face to face with just how corrupt and lawless that governing body really is."

His eyes darkened and became deadly, and beneath the seal, his reiatsu swelled warningly.

"You think that, in general, the council is fairly run and helps to keep the peace? If so, then you are far too naive, Byakuya. That scene you saw back there? Murdered councilors? Secret prisoners? That is just the beginning. What the conspirators were doing...was trying to overcome the justice that only your clan, among the four greatest, championed!"

"Are you saying that the other great clans conspired to overcome the power of the Kuchiki clan? How so, when we have maintained our position atop the noble clans all of this time?"

Aizen sighed and shook his head reprovingly.

"Really, Byakuya, you are incredibly gullible, ne? You really think that your clan is in control? Truly? Well, allow me to disillusion you! You don't have nearly the power you think. And if you think I am wrong, then answer me this. What is the mantra of your clan?"

"We strive for..."

"A peaceful society," Aizen finished, "through the careful delineation of, adherence to, and enforcement of our society's laws? Is that it?"

"Yes."

"There are none among the noble lords who do not know this. So, the obvious way to control the Kuchiki clan is to control Central 46."

"As you so capably proved with your own actions," Byakuya said, frowning.

"But I was not the first to use this institution in that manner."

Byakuya paused, swaying as the pain intensified in his back, until nausea began to overtake him. Aizen shook his head and coaxed him into sitting down in a small, dark alcove. Byakuya flinched and glared as Aizen's hand slipped beneath his yukata, but couldn't help closing his eyes and loosing a soft, relieved groan as Aizen's fingers worked themselves into the knotted muscles.

"You are going to have to rest," Aizen insisted, "Even if we find a way up, you won't be able to manage if you do not rest. You have badly strained your back and may be doing permanent damage."

"And that concerns you because...?"

Aizen smiled.

"If you lame yourself to the point of uselessness, I will have no way out of here at all."

He felt suddenly, that Byakuya was shivering, and worked his own body closer, using his chest and abdomen to provide support for the noble's injured back. And he was made certain that Byakuya was finally ready to admit his need for such, as he made no complaint at the closeness with his enemy. He merely turned his head to rest it on in the warmer space beneath the other man's chin and slowly caught his breath, fighting the onset of sleep.

"You should let yourself drift off for a bit. You need the rest," Aizen advised him.

"You have no idea what I need," Byakuya countered, his voice betraying his weariness, "I will rest briefly, then we will go on."

Aizen sighed again and held the noble against him, finishing his story as Byakuya struggled to remain aware.

"I told you that I was not the first to use Central 46 to control the Kuchiki family's actions. And the truth is, that it had been done by a secret society within the council. I worked my way inside the council and I began to look for clues to which councilors were involved. Someone must have become suspicious, because my association with them was suddenly terminated. Oh, I was let go with a lovely reference touting my abilities, but the intent was clear. Someone knew I was probing for information. I tried several times to slip in, but even with Kyouka Suigetsu's assistance, doing so was difficult and it was impossible for me to find the information I sought.

I began to lose hope, and to lose faith that there was any way to trust that governing body to be just anymore. Amidst the throes of my disappointment, I discovered the way to make the hogyoku, and my path to Las Noches was set out before me. And because I knew there was no justice for any to be had in Soul Society, that it was just a farce as long as liars and traitors were undermining our society, I decided that I would use the full strength of my powers to change that.

I will not go and say that it was for humanitarian reasons."

"Good," muttered Byakuya, "Then, I would know you were lying!"

"And I decided that, as the Kuchiki clan had seemed powerless to stop the others taking advantage, they deserved to be swept aside with the rest. That is why I involved you and your sister. What was needed was a complete upheaval and renewal of the leadership in our worlds. And it seemed poetic justice that the powers that my aggressors feared is the one that will rule them in the end."

"Listen to you!" Byakuya said angrily, "Going on and on about how you would fix things! You talk about fairness and justice! Was it just to use innocent people as pawns in your plans, Aizen? Rukia never did anything to you! Nor did Momo. And more than that, Momo was your own vice captain, and trusted you, as you misled her to do! As much as you say that you were wronged, and that those councilors were unjust, you turned to those same tactics when you sought to rise to power! How are you any better?"

Aizen gazed into Byakuya's dark eyes, surprised at the genuine hurt he found there. He stared wordlessly for a time, then brushed the stray hairs away from the noble's smudged face.

"You have me there," Aizen admitted quietly, "What happened to me is that the struggle for justice eventually turned into a struggle for power to force order on the unjust worlds I occupied. So, no, in the end, I was no better than the ones who hurt me. But I was, from beginning to end, made by them."

"And how do you know that you would not have followed a similar path, even if not corrupted by them?"

Aizen smiled and shook his head.

"I don't. But it doesn't matter. I was stopped. Those councilors and conspirators have not been, and in fact, have taken large strides forward. And the next logical step after 'removing' the incorruptible councilors from their positions, is to kill you and conquer your clan...making sure that any power that begins to awaken after your death, is quickly squashed. You may hate what I did, but these people are about to make war on your entire family. All that remains to be seen, is how they turn the blame on you."

Byakuya went quiet for a long time, leaning against his enemy and considering what he had learned. It was unthinkable that what Aizen was saying was true, but the evidence was all there.

"Is there any way to prove anything that you have told me?" he asked finally, "If so, then I know a place to conceal and protect it, and us until we are able to provoke a summoning of a royal council, here in the Seireitei."

"Your family archive?" Aizen guessed, "How resourceful! But now that this building has been brought down, finding anything useful will be prohibitive at best. Once we escape the lower levels, we must conceal ourselves, Byakuya."

"Are you suggesting using Kyouka Suigetsu? I thought you destroyed it." objected Byakuya.

"I allowed him to be sacrificed in the process of my transcendence. However, as the hogyoku has rejected me, fate has shifted and Kyouka Suigetsu only awaits the breaking of the seal on my powers to return to me."

"Do not think you will convince me to..."

"You are marked for death, Byakuya," Aizen reminded him, "If you are thinking that you will waltz out of here and demand an inquiry, and be able to stop them, think again. They will only accuse you of the very conspiracy they are responsible for! One way or another, they will kill you. But if you allow Kyouka Suigetsu to conceal us, then we can procure the proof we need to convince a royal council of the corruption we know there was!"

"And what do you want in return, Sousuke Aizen?" Byakuya asked softly, "What is the price I will pay for trusting you? Will you kill me too?"

"I'll make this simple for you," Aizen said, smirking, "You know that they want to kill you. At least with me, you have some chance of you and your family getting back what they are trying to take. Think about it, Byakuya, but don't think for long. Because our time is limited."

Byakuya lapsed into silence again, overwrought by his injury and the deep feelings of betrayal.

And now, it looks as though my only option may be to trust a cold-blooded killer. If his reasons for his actions are as he said, then he may redeem himself by helping me. But if it suits him, he could turn on me and a large number of people could end up dead...

What do I do?

Where do I turn?

Aizen felt Byakuya shiver again, despite the warmth he had offered the noble. It was rare, he thought, to see vulnerability in this man...just as it had been rare to see the mercy that led him to rescue his enemy from his attackers. And it was even more unusual to feel a desire in himself to protect anyone else.

But Byakuya had proven himself to be different.

And in that moment, everything had changed.

As the noble drifted off into a troubled sleep, Aizen's arms held him a little bit tighter.

Pure things cannot survive the world's travesties alone. They need protecting. But how odd it is to want to provide that protection myself.

I thought he was my enemy...