Chapter 5

Every Lord, big or small, famous or…infamous, has a weakness. Of course, the infamous ones are usually brought down by their weaknesses. While the famous one's weaknesses never see the light of day because no one really wants to take them down.

Now, Lord Aizen isn't really famous and he can only be considered infamous by a select few. Hell, only about one third of the population from all three realms hates him. While another one third of the population loves him and the last one third doesn't even know he exists!

And even if he could be considered infamous his one weakness, is actually kind of…useless to exploit. For you see, The Great Lord of Las Noches is a man of few words. Now, before you ask how that can be a weakness, think about it like this.

A Lord needs to be able to inspire his people. Needs to be able to weave words into grand tales of awe-inspiring wonder. Paint pictures of victory with a few simple words and all the right tones. Captivate his audience just long enough for them to swear their unfailing loyalty.

So what kind of Lord is one that can't?

It's one of the reasons he's so misunderstood. It's one of the reason there's a war coming.

A Death God.

A Guardian of Souls, Sosuke Aizen used to be one. Used to lead his own Division and help defend souls from the monsters that live in Hueco Mundo—from the Hollows and Menos and all the other creatures that thought to pass into The World of the Living (The Human Realm) and devour the innocent souls there.

He used to send his men to slaughter these creatures that knew no better. These creatures that didn't understand anything but their need to fill the hole created by their missing souls. Creatures that didn't know what they were doing was wrong. That used to be human. That had families and dreams and desires. He used to kill them by the truckloads simply because Central 46—the rulers of The Soul Society—demanded it.

No one knows why he did it. Why he chose to experiment on these creatures and bring them back, and—really—the only reason no one knows is because no one asked.

So ask yourself.

Why would this man, standing at the highest position one could hope to gain—ACaptain of his ownDivision for the Thirteen Division Imperial Guards—go around creating his own men out of vile creatures if all he wanted was to rule all three realms?

Why didn't he simply recruit other Death Gods who shared his views instead?

Why would he try to bring civility and stability to a land where monsters roamed in every dark corner? A place where death is a usual occurrence?

Why would he waste so much energy just trying to keep peace in his army full of brutal, violent Arrancars?

Aizen has done the impossible. He's given a (arguably) normal life to the soulless, horrible creatures that roam Hueco Mundo.

So the question is why?

And the sad part is that no one asked.

The Death Gods, once again showing the depth of their complete ignorance and intolerance, had branded him a traitor before any explanations could be made.

They are now planning to kill everyone Aizen has been able to make semi-soulless without mercy. Without hearing their stories and actually giving them a chance to prove themselves just because they were once 'Monsters'.

Now, I know the Great Lord Aizen is not a saint (he took some very extrememeasures to accomplish what he has), but he isn't exactly the infamous, cruel overlord The Soul Society paints him as to anyone that will listen.

Therefore, as Aizen watches the group peering up at him he knows he only has one chance to do this. One chance to convince them that he's not out to rule the world before The Soul Society get their hands on them and tells them otherwise. Because they will find out about them. The Soul Society has enough spies in place that no matter what means Aizen uses to get them back home they will be seen leaving Hueco Mundo.

Plus,Daisyis with them.

With a deep, longing sigh Aizen looks towards his Espadas. His men who—with an exception of a rare few—would lay down their lives for him and whatever bullshit plans he has in mind. Ulquiorra's the perfect examples of this. The pale boy is painfully loyal to him. So much so that Aizen knows that if asked it, the boy would bring him the innocent She Wolf's head or die trying.

Sometimes he wonders if the boy's chosen him as his personal pack.

He flares his Reiatsu again. Once more gaining the attention of his men and a few subtle twitches from the She Wolf. He watches her raised her nose in the air. Almost as if to try to sniff his Reiatsu that still hangs lightly in the air.

"This meeting is dismissed," he says, eyes still on the girl and so he notices the She Wolf's tail break out into an excited wag. She begins to tremble slightly in her spot and even goes so far as to whine. "Proceed with the plan," he tells Ulquiorra distractedly just as the girl rushes towards him.

It's out of the corner of his eye, as the girl run towards him, that Aizen sees it. Aaroniero Arruruerie—Lord Aizen's ninth strongest Espada—falls. He's brought to his knees as an unknown Reiryoku springs across the room and a few others buckle under its weight.

The wolf has Reiryoku. The wolf is powerful.

The wolf isn't human.

Aizen doesn't get to think too long on that because, as soon as the thought registers, a yelp sounds around the room. He doesn't seewhenCeci-Anne lets an arrow fly. Only when he hears it collide with Ulquiorra's raised Zanpakuto—his sword—does he even know she's attacked.

No, not attacked.

The arrow, fast and strong, knocks the Zanpakuto from Ulquiorra's grip. It sends the Zanpakuto skittering across the floor seconds before he can bring it down on the She Wolf's head. It's only then, as the girl screeches to a halt in front Ulquiorra, that he realizes that the boy has misinterpreted her advance for an attack.

"That is enough, Ulquiorra," Aizen says before the boy can attack yet again. Ulquiorra turns to look at him, face blank as always. Aizen fights back a shiver as empty emerald eyes stare up at him. There's a tension in the room as everyone waits to see what Ulquiorra will do.

Aizen doesn't though wait though. He knows Ulquiorra will follow his order so he doesn't bother waiting for Ulquiorra's answer. Instead, he turns to the girl and motions her towards him. What does surprised the Lord—though he hides it well—is that Ulquiorra attacked with his Zanpakuto.

It's a first.

The boy doesn't use his Zanpakuto in a fight unless he feels his opponent is worthy. Therefore, it says something that, instead of another type of attack, the boy chose to unsheathe his weapon. But, then again, the She Wolf has already taken him down not once, but twice, with skill and strength alone.

"Yes, my Lord," Ulquiorra finally says as the girl slinks past him. He goes to pick up his Zanpakuto. He says nothing more after that. Instead, he heads towards the rest of Aizen's men who have decided to stay behind and watch what will become of the intruders.

"Ceci-Anne, stand down," Leah says and Aizen chances a brief look towards the archer. He finds the young woman standing not too far from his throne. That's when Aizen realizes just why Ulquiorra seemed somewhat reluctant to fall back.

Ceci-Anne still stands, bow in hand, ready to attack.

Aizen keeps his eyes on the archer as she lowers her bow, hoping he won't have to deflect an arrow. That's when he sees the two white ribbons twitch. They're long and thin, attached to some part of Ceci-Anne's outfit, and they stretch out around her.

They flicker this way and that, reminding Aizen that, for all that the girl is blind, she can see. Can make out where everyone stands, when someone moves, and even knows how everyone looks. But it's Tōsen that makes the connection as one ribbon stretches in his direction.

Being blind himself, he relies solely on his Reiryoku to help him get by. Like sonar, his Reiryoku lets out constant pluses of energy. He understands that the ribbons are Ceci-Anne's way of seeing. But at the same time they're not.

The ribbons are floating on her Reiryoku. Her Reiryoku is the one moving them. It's a miniscule amount of power. An amount that isn't too surprising to find in a human. It's nowhere near as much as a Death God's but it's enough for her to send out constant pulses of energy that, when processed by her brain, helps her map out her environment. It tells her who's standing where and who's moving.

Much the same as him.

Maybe she is his.

It'd be hard for him to be certain and the only way to really know would be to ask who her mother is. Yes, even the blind get it on.

"Matilda," Aizen calls, staring down at the girl now standing in front of him. What happens next only helps confirm Aizen's suspicion that the girl isn't human.

As she stands there, her Reiryoku explodes in her excitement. It covers him and everyone around him—strong and heavy—and he doesn't pause to see just how many of his Espada are brought to their knees by its sheer power.

He acts on impulse.

Years spent helping his men remember themselves and learn control before they tear everyone and everything around them apart with their Reiatsu causes him to react instantly.

He locks her power away.

It's a trick he's been forced to learn and use whenever a particularly powerful Arrancar can't keep their Reiatsu under control. An unchecked Reiatsu as strong as hers can destroy weaker Arrancars. With the war coming, he much rather not lose some of his Espadas. Besides, the seal he's placed on her is removable. Plus, he doubts the others will even notice what he's done.

If they don't know of the other Realms then they obviously don't know of the other species or their workings.

"How long have you existed," he asks because he knows she canspeak.Human or not, he's not stupid enough to believe that she can't. And, because he knows she's not human, he doesn't know what her answer will be. Powerful as she is, she could have easily existed for thousands of years.

"We estimate about seventeen," Leah says, but that can't be it. Aizen doesn't bother to inform her that he isn't exactly asking her age as he stares at the girl. Willing her to speak but she doesn't. "We found her when she looked around ten years of age."

Aizen nods slowly, looking the She Wolf over as she continues to stand at attention. Things aren't adding up. She's not human, of that he's sure, so they—the other humans—should not have been able to see her. Humans can't see the other species—Hollows, Menos, Death Gods, Arrancars, etcetera—unless they hold a certain amount of Reiryoku themselves. While Ceci-Anne might hold, Leah obviously doesn't.

So how can they see her?

"I'll be taking my leave now, Lord Aizen," Ulquiorra calls throwing Aizen's thoughts off track.

"Very well, report to me after your mission," he replies distractedly. Whatever conclusion he was coming to gets even more lost to him as the familiar Reiatsu from before covers him. He looks towards the shattered doorway just as a lean figure slips in.

"There is still much left to discuss," Aizen says as he turns back to Leah. He waves the She Wolf away once his attention is brought back to the situation at hand. He'll look into that mystery later. "The payment for the damage caused to my castle being amongst them."

"No discussion is need," Leah tells him, shoulders set in as she glares at him. "We pay our dues."

"Ah, but I do not want your money, nor do I have need for it," Aizen says with a smirk. It's not an outright lie. The materials needed to rebuild his castle cannot be bought with Human money after all.

"Then whatdo you want?"

"I want your help," Aizen says, standing as his Second In Command pulls up next to him. "There is a war coming. One that has been kept secret from humans and you've seem to have accidently stumbled upon. To keep it simple, I'll need your help if I want to win."

"A war? What War?" Daisy asks, speaking for the first time since she and Aizen recognized each other.

Of course she wouldn't know. She's be gone for so long and Aizen feels a pang of something when he realize she doesn't know. Doesn't know what he's doing here in Hueco Mundo. Doesn't know that The Death Gods are all but hunting them down. She doesn't know that this war could spell the end for him.

"It's nice ta see ya ag'ain, Daisy," the man that just arrived says, a sly smirk covering his face as he recognizes her too. The history between her and his Lord is a long and troubled one. He couldn't be called his Lord's Second In Command if he didn't know who she was. "Ya haven't changed a bit."

"Gin!"

"Damn Daisy, how many of them do you know?" Humbert asks, angry, suspicious glare still in place. Daisy shoots him a glare to match. Besides them, Leah shakes her head in frustration.

"Tell me about this war," Leah demands, hoping to get back on track. "And when you say humans, what exactly do you mean? Why do you make it sound like there's things out there, fighting, that aren't?"

And it's as Aizen motion's Gin to give the explanation—because he'd probably mess it up if he did it himself—that they hear it. That same eerie voice from before, that once again sends shivers down his spine, sound around the room but it's supposed owner is nowhere to be found.

"I've existed forcenturies."

"Where's Matilda?"