Chapter 13

The battlefield is quiet.

Both army meet at a park. All rolling green hills and tall green trees that bend in the fierce wind. They stares each other down as they take up their sides. For a long while, no one talks. Neither wants to make the first move.

Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen float in the air, above the trees. They stare down at The Soul Society's Captains and Lieutenants—and a few others—as they stand on the opposite hill. There's a countdown going on in the back of Aizen's mind as he counts heads to make sure are the Captains and Lieutenant are present as planned.

He needs to time everything perfectly if he wants things to end well. Therefore, he lets the silence stretch for as long as he needs.

"Any last words, traitor?"

Yamamoto's words reach Aizen's ears easily enough. He spares the man a quick glance before his eyes flicker to his left. With the bait taken, he signals for the first team to prepare to reveal itself.

All Captains and Lieutenants are accounted for.

"Funny," he mutters, disinterest dripping from his voice as he tries hard to pretend that he isn't invest in the fight. The less they think he cares at the moment, the better because Aizen has a very special plan prepared. First, he needs to keep his cool. He needs to act disinterested enough to make Yamamoto seem like the brash one itching to fight. "I was moments away from asking the same of you and yours."

"You will answer for you crimes, Aizen," Yamamoto warns as he glares up at him. There's fire in his eyes as he leans against his cane. He looks every inch the fragile old man—all wrinkles and white hair—but Aizen knows he isn't.

Beside him, Gin twitches. His hand flicks out twice just out of his peripheral vison. It's the signal that lets him know the others have moved into position. It's time to truly get the plan into motion now.

"Will you answer for yours?" he asks, as he finally looks Yamamoto in the eyes. The Head Captain doesn't even have the grace to look confused. He knows what Aizen is talking about but doesn't say a word. The rest of the Death Gods, on the other hand, have confused looks on their faces.

"I have no crimes to answer for," the old man denies, straight-faced.

Aizen scoffs.

"Who, then, will answer for the slaughter of the Quincy?" he asks, venom in his voice as he glares the old man down.

Many of the Captains shift nervously in their spots. They all remember the extermination of Quincy race, if not participated in the massacre. Aizen himself had been force to kill thousands of Quincy.

He remembers the fight like it was yesterday. Remembers the blood, sweat, and guts. Remembers fighting for his life and the sound of bodies hitting the floor as he slashed his way through the enemy.

Gin had been spared the fate of being part of the genocide. He had been nothing more than a child during that time. Just a student and too young to properly wield a Zanpakuto. Definitely too young to be a part of a major war but he remembers it as well.

However, what he remembers isn't the fighting.

Gin remembers the quietness afterwards. The fear. The discontent. He remembers how it felt as if the whole Soul Society had frozen. The world had stilled. Souls had been too afraid to leave their homes. School had been canceled and the world had been changed forever.

Tōsen had been lucky enough to avoid the event entirely. His soul had not yet arrived at The Soul Society but he's heard the stories. Still, while he had not been a part of that particular fight, he's been a part of many other horrors during his time in The Soul Society.

"The Quincy had to be stopped," Yamamoto says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"And so do you."

It's not Aizen who speaks or any of Yamamoto's Death Gods.

It's Daisy.

She saunters up to stand besides Aizen, Tōsen, and Gin. The Death Gods stare up at her in amazement because many had thought her dead. Her disappearance had always been a mystery. Some had speculated she'd been infected by the Hollow virus that had taken Shinji. They thought she had either not survived it or run off with them. However, after Aizen's defection, many had begun to think she might have fallen at the hands of the ex-Captain.

They had been close after all.

Where one went, the other always followed.

"You can't be allowed to go on murdering innocents," she tells the old man as he glares up at her.

"So the missing Fourth Division Lieutenant returns," Yamamoto drawls as he watches the redhead. "Tell me, young one. Will your defection be worth the price it will cost you?"

"So quick to sentence death," Daisy says as she appraises the old man. She very carefully keeps her gaze from roaming toward the other Death Gods. She needs to remain composed and knows that won't be the case if she looks towards her old friends. "You haven't changed a bit."

Another tense silence takes the field. Many Captains shift uncomfortably under the expected events. They had thought Aizen would have come out swinging. Or that he would have brought more men to the fight. However, he stands up there with only Gin and Tōsen and now—surprisingly—Daisy at his side.

Moreover, isn't that a shock?

Daisy, former Lieutenant of the Fourth Division, stands before them and they can't help but stare. They all remember her, of course. Most of them had even been her friend before her sudden disappearance. Her just as sudden appearance stuns those that were closer to her.

Like Renji Abarai, current Lieutenant of the Sixth Division.

Sure, he was just a kid during the time but he remembers her. He remembers the red-haired woman who would travel into the poorer districts with treats and toys for the kids who didn't have anything. Renji had been one of those kids. Homeless, he'd struggled to survive off stolen bread and scavenged food. He probably would have starved many times over if she hadn't come along as often as she did with food to spare for the homeless kids like him.

Rukia Kuchiki—Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division—too had been one of those children and her chest clenches painfully as she stares up at Daisy. She remembers the dark days of her early childhood clearly. Just as she remembers that Daisy had been the one to encourage her to keep moving. To keep fighting to live.

"Look at your Head Captain, men," Tōsen says after the silence has lasted long enough for most to get over the shock of seeing Daisy alive. He waves a hand in the old man's direction as he talks to pull as much attention to his words as he can. "Daisy has cause no harm and yet she has been listed for execution. Is this really the man you wish to follow to your grave?"

"You're one to talk!"

All eyes swivel towards the talker and Aizen's mildly surprised to find that the yell comes from Shūhei Hisagi. Tōsen's former Lieutenant glares up at the trio, mouth set in a sneer.

"You're out to kill us all," Hisagi reminds them and Aizen gives a bitter laugh.

"Oh, my boy," he tuts with a shake of his head. Many wide eyes turn back to him at the sound of his laughter but before he can speak, the next group makes its appearance.

"You have been lied to," Urahara calls as he, Yoruichi, and Tessai move into position. They stand on one of the hills instead of in the air. Though they stand on the hill directly under Aizen so there's no confusion of just whose side he's on. "Aizen is not out to take over the world."

His words are met with confusion. A quiet mummer goes through the gathered Death Gods but no one speaks up. Not even Yamamoto says a word. He stays silence, realization about what is about to happen stealing his words.

Seems he as if he might have to kill some of his men as well.

"You lie," someone finally says. All eyes turn to Hitsugaya as he unsheathes his Zanpakuto with deadly grace. "I always knew you could not be trusted, Urahara. It will be my pleasure to end you."

"Bloodtursty as al'ways, eh?" Gin calls as he stares down at the boy with closed eyes. "Guess ah know wat choice you'll be makin'. Suh a shame."

"Choice?"

"The Council was corrupted to the likes of which most of you were unaware of," Aizen says as his eyes drift briefly to the one who asked. He finds the speaker to be Izuru Kira, Gin ex-Lieutenant.

The man is all wide, blue eyes and confused but his gaze isn't on The Lord threatening death. It's locked on Gin and there's a pained look on his face. There's also betrayal shining in his eyes that hurts even more to see. He prays Gin can keep his cool long enough for their plan to succeed at the sight of it.

They have a lot riding on this and a strict schedule to adhere to. However, he holds no doubt that the first thing Gin will do is attempt to sway Kira to their side. The Lieutenant holds a place in Gin's heart that not even Aizen had been able to reach. Close as they may be, Gin's heart belongs solely to his Lieutenant.

Leaving Kira behind had all but torn the silver-haired man apart. He hasn't been the same since they left The Soul Society, Aizen can tell. Sure, Gin laughs and jokes but Aizen can see that his smile don't quite reach his eyes. Gin truly misses his Lieutenant. Even more so than he misses his childhood friend, Rangiku Matsumoto.

Therefore, he hopes that Kira joins them for Gin's sake alone.

He doesn't even want to image how devastated Gin will be if they are forced to end the blonde. However, it will be done if necessary. Aizen does not doubt Gin's loyalty but he also knows that if Kira goes Gin might just go as well.

The only thing keeping Gin going now is the knowledge that they didn't actually betray anyone. Sure many people were hurt, physically and emotionally, but no one had actually been deceived. They had simply left and everyone was better off without the old Central anyways.

The new one however would definitely need to be investigated. While he's all for wiping out the corruption, he's not really interested in wiping out those that don't need to be killed. If they prove themselves to be just, then Aizen sees no need to kill them though he will keep a close eye on them.

That had been their first mistake, after all.

With no one to keep them in line, the old Central had grown too powerful.

"You lot cannot stand here and tell me that you had not seen it as well," he tells them, watching as the Death Gods shift nervously at that. He lowers himself to the ground then. Slowly, he comes to stand next to Urahara. His trying to make himself seem less powerful. More exposed so he seems less like the tyrant they all think he is. "Surely, as Captains, all of you must be aware of the starvation, the chaos, the unjustified executions, and the inability to voice you disagreements without threat of execution as well."

The Death gods continues to shift nervously but no one says a word.

"You would be dead, Rukia," Aizen calls and the petite little Death God jumps at the sound of his voice. "The Central had ordered your death and you brother would have personally marched you to your execution if we hadn't stepped in."

"Lies!" the girl cries as she clenches the Zanpakuto harder in her hands. "That was you, you planned it! You killed the Central and called for my death!"

"How much are you willing to lie to your men," Aizen calls as he turns his gaze to Yamamoto. There's fire in his eyes that he know everyone sees but he can't stop himself. His disinterested act is out the window but it shouldn't affect their plans too much. "You know as well as I do that the Central called for her execution long before I killed them. The only reason I even stayed behind a long as I did was to stop it.

"The only reason I even let you be brought in front of the Sōkyoku at all was because I needed the Hōgyoku Urahara stupidly chose to hide in your body," Aizen tells Rukia though he sends a pointed glare Urahara's way.

"The Central was on to me," Urahara says with a big smile and a shrug despite their dire situation. "They were seconds away from raiding my facility and Rukia was the closest one around that they wouldn't suspected. You asked me to help you cross the line between Hollow and Death God and I did to the best of my abilities but the Central caught wind. You know as well as I what would have happened if they caught me with the Hōgyoku."

"You, you hid it inside of me so that the Central wouldn't kill you," Rukia asks as she stares at her old time friend. She looks like someone just pulled the rug out from under, confused and shocked. "I, I though you hid it so Aizen couldn't get his hands on it."

"I made it for him, Rukia," Urahara says with a sad shake of his head. "I never got a chance to finish it before my banishment and, afterwards, I was too busy tending to Shinji and the others. I never meant to leave it in you but couldn't get word to Aizen on where I hid until a century had past.

"Once I did though, I pulled some string to get you sent to Karakura but then you had gotten involved with Ichigo and I couldn't get you to stand still long enough to remove it," he tells her, shame in his voice as he bows his head. "The Central found out not too long after that the experiments conducted in my facility were just as they had suspected and that I had hid something in your body. That's why they called for your execution, not because you transferred your Reiryoku to Ichigo. He already had Reiryoku you just removed his seal."

"Seal?" Rukia asks sounding more than a little dazed at the information overload.

"Ichigo is son of Isshin Kurosaki, also known as Isshin Shiba, former head of the Shiba Clan," Aizen says, once again drawing the attention to himself as Urahara looks like he's about to be brought down from the shame and guilt alone. "Ichigo would have been a member of the fifth Noble Family if Isshin had not defected. Still, Ichigo is as strong as any noble. Thus, Isshin put a seal on him and his sister so that they would not be accidently found by any Death God."

The gasp that ring are almost music to Aizen's ears.

"This has gone on long enough!"