I had been about to initiate another on-the-spot plan, before I came up with another one, honestly!
I am shocked Aizen actually managed to hold that facade up for as long as he did because if I am coming up with all these ideas then god only knows how much goes through the real one's brain...
When I think about how often he must've been tempted to say fuck it and try out likely world-ending experiments...
Honestly, from the view I am seeing? Canon was Aizen Sosuke being nice.
And as if he somehow heard me, I could feel an almost serene sense of... Not to say appreciation... But something close... Fill the air.
The implications of that aside, I focused my gaze towards Gremmy. My sword lazily pointed towards him, a smile slowly grew on my face as I, rather calmly, sheathed the blade. I knew Complete Hypnosis was in effect as my current body was evidently not shitting itself at the prospect of fighting the literal definition of a reality warper.
I let that thought linger in the air for a moment...
Ah... There's the small amount of dread kicking in.
This is not amusing, The child-like voice from earlier returned in full force.
If this was supposed to be Aizen Sosuke then I am not sure sure what that said about him.
Hush you, I thought appropriately.
Anyway. I had an idea.
I grinned at the Sternritter, earning a sneer in return.
Focus! He's-
I relaxed entirely as I felt the Sternritter's energy flare in the air.
What are you doing!?
"Jugram had a fit didn't he?" I questioned passively. I'd almost forgotten the second-in-command shared his powers with Yhwach...
Aizen's voice was quickly silenced.
The reiatsu in the air vanished. Instantly.
The moment Gremmy's attention shifted, reality knit itself back up instantly.
Still, the Quincy reacting this quickly? It's only been 3 hours...
And in the last 10 minutes you've nearly died 97 times,
Oh, he's keeping count for me.
Aizen?
"What do you know of it?" Gremmy asked, oddly polite. His posture seemed to have relaxed, his expression calm, almost cheerful. Almost child-like in his mood swing...
"I'll answer your question... For a favour," I grinned at him.
Gremmy tilted his head at the words, a blank look on his face. "What kind of favour?" He questioned curiously.
My answer made Aizen screech into my head.
"I am planning a prank you see, I am planning to prank the Shinigami!"
He blinked at me, curiosity burning in his eyes.
"Just like I pranked the Sternritters... Don't you wanna know how?" I added on as I finally felt my mind clear, Aizen evidently having calmed down.
I swear the brat's eyes were practically sparkling.
"What do you need?" He questioned completely serious.
I grinned back, "I need you to summon a person called Rukia Kuchiki, she's currently in prison."
"Why?" he questioned again, curiosity plain.
"We're gonna steal their missing evidence,"
He blinked once and nodded.
This proves absolutely nothing, he will kill you as soon as you've outlived your usefulness, which is to say truly none, you are merely delaying the inevitable And given I would likely have to exert an effort to defeating him... Need I say more, mortal?
Nope, got you loud and clear.
Challenge accepted.
...
...
-Gremmy-
Transporting the girl was an easy favour, the Quincy mused. He found it both odd that this Shinigami could pose enough of a threat to send both halve's of his lord to rage and yet at the same time be incapable of transporting a single reaper out of custody?
Incapable enough to ask a Quincy for help?
It didn't matter to him really, it was simple... curiosity. Curiosities seem to levitate towards this 'Aizen Sosuke'.
"What are you doing?" He questioned calmly as he stared at the Shinigami. The strange reaper was simply staring at the prison-clothed 'Kuchiki Rukia' in front of him. His hand on his chin.
"Arguing with myself for help," The reaper remarked with a shrug.
Gremmy blinked at the answer. What an odd Shinigami...
"That does not make much sense,"
"Much?" Aizen minutely turned his gaze towards him, a grin on his face before turned back to the unconscious girl.
Gremmy, near absentmindedly, watched as the Shinigami reached a hand inside his robe pockets to take out what looked like a small purple device?
"This one right?" Aizen questioned no one in particular.
"Who are you talking to?"
"Myself,"
"I see,"
Gremmy briefly took a step back as he watched six green sharpened poles suddenly come out of the ground beneath them, all surrounding the prisoner before them. Aizen's hand had turned entirely green in colour as he slowly reached a hand out towards the girls chest, impaling it without care before, though he had instantly removed his hand. Quickly placing whatever it was he had just removed in his pocket.
Aizen briefly took a step back before nodding his way, urging him to return the girl.
"I suppose this makes it two favours then?" Gremmy questioned with the hint of a grin on his face.
Aizen simply shrugged, though he did release a sigh of relief when the girl was transported back to her tower. The green poles from earlier having disappeared entirely.
"Now, you will tell me-" Gremmy started to speak before he felt something fill the air. He couldn't tell where it came from but the energy in the air had started shifting. He narrowed his eyes at the Shinigami. "What are you doing?"
Aizen blinked, the amused expression on his face evident. "What on earth do you mean?" He questioned innocently.
With a swipe of his hand, Gremmy made said energy disappear as he focused his attention on clearing the air, temporarily removing any and all enchantments in it in the process.
To his own surprise, Aizen simply smiled at the action before he started to speak.
"I'll be completely honest with you about what happened," The Shinigami started. The Quincy's own interest rising. Idly wondering what kind of 'prank' could result in his lords rampage across the Wandenreich.
"I have absolutely no idea," Aizen's answer filled the room in silence.
Gremmy twitched once as he stared at the captain in front of him. "That prisoner..?"
"Just covering my bases, you've been a marvellous help,"
Gremmy stared at the Shinigami, his anger almost taking over before the serene sense of calm from earlier return. "You're lying,"
He paid no mind to his, oddly, fluctuating emotions.
The two words however had their intended effect with the way the Shinigami seemed to freeze up.
"Why are you lying? What are you hiding Aizen Sosuke?" Gremmy's tone quickly shifted, his words came out faster, with a certain edge to them as his eyes widened further.
Aizen quickly narrowed his eyes as he leapt a few steps back before to his own shock he found the wall behind him expand further away from him.
"You will not escape that easily, I have locked you in here with me, and until I choose to let you leave you will not go anywhere."
Aizen Sosuke stood still, one eye on the slowly distancing wall, the ground beneath them expanding with it. he could see the other walls follow in their footsteps as his previously small room suddenly grew one-hundred fold.
"I thought you were here to kill me?" Aizen questioned him lazily.
Gremmy twitched again, what on earth was wrong with this Shinigami? "Why are you still calm? You are locked in a dimension with me. Do you truly think you can beat me?" The questions refused to stop as his mind suddenly yearned for the secret. The secret he knew existed, the secret that threatened to send Jugram into insanity! HE sImPLy HaD TO KnOW! His mind briefly coloured itself as emotions he'd never felt before started swelling up in him...
Anger, hope, desperation, joy and to his own shock, even fear.
To think this one Shinigami could instigate such feelings... To think, he, Gremmy Thoumeuax could so easily lose control in his presence...
It only made him want to know all the more.
"Hmm..." Aizen idly hummed as he fingered the pommel of his sword, the lackadaisical smile on his. "Are you alright, Gremmy? You look a little overwhelmed..." He questioned lazily.
Gremmy blinked, his head shook as he focused his attention on Aizen again. He could feel the subtle way his feelings seemed to peak, sending too many signals to his brain in the process. He could practically feel the endless environment around them warp according to his minds whims. "Tell me the truth! What are you hiding!?" he called out, his anger enough to summon tendrils of darkness for a brief moment befor, once again unnaturally, dissipating.
"And what truth is that?" Aizen's voice came out almost hazily to the Quincy, preventing him from thinking too much on his anger. He briefly took another step back the moment the air around the Shinigami suddenly started shimmering with light. Light he couldn't recall creating..
Gremmy blinked once as he willed his power to effect, as he willed it to get rid of what power Aizen was currently trying to us-
-MMY! The sudden, unknown, sound broke his concentration as it forced itself into his mind. The small lights surrounding Aizen seemed to increase in intensity. Greemmy brought both hands to his head, almost protectively, his eyes widened marginally as he stared at the Shinigami.
"What are you doing to me!?" Grammy suddenly roared, his hands now clasping both sides of his as he willed his power to cleanse anything that might be affecting his body.
When the lights failed to disappear, the fear inside his heart grew, and with it the unknown voice from earlier returned in full force, Though his sole gaze stayed focused on Aizen Sosuke.
Gremmy! Get out! It's a tra- The voice seemed to cut itself off towards the end. But he'd heard enough to get the picture.
It was then he noticed the small smirk on Aizen Sosuke's face.
Gremmy didn't waste a single second as he quickly raised both of his arms towards the Shinigami, his entire focus set on destroying the body in front of him in its entirety. It earned him a look of surprise from him in return though he ignored it as he fired off a point blank blast of pure reiatsu. Enveloping said Shinigami entirely.
Though he knew he didn't need to breath, he'd instinctively found himself panting for his breath as he stared at the dark mark crowning the floor the previous Shinigami had been on. He felt the tug off satisfaction at the job well done, his excitement rising as he realised he was likely to get a great reward for his endeavour.
And as he made to leave the dead captains chambers, his hands minutes away from opening the portal back to his world, a strange feeling in the back of his mind... Stilled him, causing him to momentarily turn towards the black mark on the floor before he narrowed his eyes at the style of execution...
Entirely unlike him...
So, he cleared his mind, the walls around them fixing themselves back as his powers touch quickly disappeared, and then he focused clearing any and all potential enchantments away.
When the veil lifted, Gremmy found only one single emotion left in it's place. The only true emotion to have come from him...
Pure unadulterated rage.
And as he stared at the impeccably clean, and thoroughly empty room, he felt tempted to scream.
That bastard had disappeared the moment he'd gotten what he'd wanted...
And as he considered the implications of giving the one man, whom Jugram had thrown a literal kill on sight order for, exactly what he'd wanted...
The very air around him turned electrical at the thought...
...
The Tenth Division Barracks
Hitsugaya abruptly turned on the spot as he heard the sudden explosion go off in the distance. With a quick nod to his lieutenant, the both of them promptly leapt into the sky. Their gazes snapping towards the direction of the sound.
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes when he realised the explosion had come from one of the captains barracks... Aizen's at that... He narrowed his eyes further when he caught sight of a humanoid figure floating high above Aizen's burning chambers.
Straining his ears, Hitsugaya managed to make out the words the intruder was saying.
"-You've pissed on my good graces for the first and last time Aizen Sosuke! You! And-" The humanoid figure stretched his arms to the side.
Hitsugaya quickly decided his course as he set off the air towards the, clearly insane,enemy.
"-The rest of this pile of trash are going to burn! You dare try that with me! You dare mock me! Who the hell do you think you are!?" The intruder suddenly raised his hands to the sky, his face coming into view. Hitsugaya could make out an expression of absolute anger.
"I am Gremmy Thoumeaux! Do I look like fucking Bazz B to you!? I am The Fucking Visionary!" The deranged madman roared his voice catching the attention of each and every Shinigami within Sereitei.
Just what did captain Aizen do to him? To practically turn him mad! Hitsugaya couldn't help but wonder as he got closer to the potentially dangerous individual, the man didn't seem to be paying him any mind, his sole focus to the sky?
That was when Hitsugaya saw the meteorite.
...
-Ichigo-
He signed up for invading another realm to save his friend.
He signed up for working with Urahara Kisuke.
Hell, he signed up to fighting half-mad captains who disappeared in the middle of the fight!
That memory still irked him! The sight of that bell wearing weirdo not only taking his strongest strike without a wince but to utterly start laughing like a lunatic... And then disappear...
Even still.
Kurosaki Ichigo had signed up to that and more! All to save his friend!
But this? He considered as he watched, a sweat drop slowly making its way down his head, the meteor slowly making it's way down towards them...
This was pushing it.
And then he heard that voice... And saw the being it was coming from...
Immoral, coldblooded reapers were one thing...
Insane blonde terrorists were another thing entirely.
Though he was certainly grateful for the distraction, he felt somewhat bad for leaving the Shinigami to fend for themselves...
Maybe this 'Aizen Sosuke' could help them out...
The blonde weirdo was certainly demanding his attention.
...
-Aizen-
I briefly considered the available options I had as I stared out from my hiding spot.
"Show yourself Dammit!"
I ignored the shrill voice, my attention focused on the meteorite heading towards soul society, at a rather leisurely place I must admit.
Can he not simply will you to show yourself with his ability?
Probably.
Why hasn't he?
I don't think you have any right to question anyone about how they use their powers.
Aizen?
I sighed as I suddenly got to my feet, my blade in hand already. I was currently hid ontop of one of the captain barracks. I wasn't sure which, I'd yet to actually memorise each one.
"You have one minute! One minute before everything burns!" Gremmy's voice tore through the air. His manic laughter echoing out, attracting everyone's attention.
I am surprised no one's tried to fight him-
I felt their presence a second before they arrived.
Three Captains.
One Commander.
I grinned at their arrival. I'd flared out my reiatsu to attract their attention. Evidently Gremmy didn't bother searching for me by said reiatsu.
He probably thought I'd try to hide it.
Too bad for him.
I don't use logic.
Understatement of the century.
The Hogyoku definitely works fast... Aizen's humour was already evolving.
I don't think you understand what Humour actually means...
Do you?
I named Hinamori my lieutenant, did I not?
Cold dude. Seriously, just cold.
I turned towards my fellow captains, a grin appearing on my face.
Your ability to hide your emotions is frankly frightening.
I wasn't sure how I felt about that... I mean I don't think I am hiding anything...
That in itself is worrying,
"It seems the captain meeting will have to be postponed," Yamamoto remarked earning my attention, his eyes lazily appraising the blonde Quincy raving in the sky. I'd been about to speak before Yamamoto turned his gaze towards me. "Is there a particular reason this dangerous individual is currently seeking your death?"
I swear I could practically feel the sarcasm rolling out of the commander.
Even with a meteor slowly making its way towards us, dude gave absolutely no shits.
I am asking you to keep those thoughts to yourself. Nicely.
So long as you play nice! 'Cos I've got another plan!
"We had a conversation-" I started to answer only to be interrupted.
"I understand," Yamamoto deadpanned. "I take it you have a plan?" He questioned rhetorically.
Ignoring that jab, I turned towards the other captains beside the commander, one Shunsui and Ukitake and gave them said plan.
I am beginning to see a pattern here.
That is literally impossible.
...
-Hitsugaya-
Hitsugaya was a reasonably abled captain, young for his age for sure, but his abilities on the matter have never been in question. His history alone would have people double-checking themselves before speaking to him on his captaincy.
And so, due to this, he wasn't necessarily prepared for the sudden, complete, dismissal by the blonde intruder.
"You're not Aizen, get lost," Gremmy drawled the moment he'd appeared within view.
Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, his zanpakuto out in his hands as he heard the sudden sound of his lieutenants flash step appear behind him. "I am going to have to-" he started, about to release his sword before he saw the stranger merely wave his hand, a blinding flash suddenly filling his view causing him to wince.
When he reopened his eyes, he felt himself twitch at his location.
'OOf!' His lieutenant exclaimed as she landed beside him, a wide-eyed expression on her face. She briefly looked around, her head comically turning as she tried to figure out what part of the Rukongai they'd been thrown into...
"Are we in district 80!?"
"..." That maniac is so going to pay...
...
-Ichigo-
Ichigo found his attention momentarily taken away from the white tower they'd managed to reach. He knew just behind that door stood, a likely rather long climb given the shinigamis fixation on long staircases, Rukia... He ignored the sudden commotion as Hanataro searched around his uniform for some sort of key. His focus on the distance. He could just about make out another person in front of the blonde from earlier.
Even Hanataro seemed to momentarily get distracted as he turned around in the same direction.
"Aizen-taichou?" Hanataro seemed surprised. "Wow... He's way stronger than I thought... You can feel his Reiatsu here!" He seemed to exclaim in awe. Ichigo was rather glad for the kid, he'd seemed awfully despondent ever since the appearance of that meteor.
"Can you hear them?" Ichigo found himself. Straining his eyes, he could make out the form of this 'Aizen Sosuke'
"It's time to pay for what you've done! I'll let you live long enough to watch your world vanish! Would you like to give your people any last words!?" The blonde man seemed to cackle, his voice loud enough to reach even them. His sheer excitement at the prospect was rather... revolting.
Ichigo, oddly enough found his attention fixed onto the 'event.' His eyes refusing to budge.
He watched on as 'Aizen' merely raised a single hand to the side, his reiatsu flaring like a blanket as it covered as much distance as it could manage, which to him was mind-boggling.
"What is he doing?" Hanataro's whisper caught him off guard, "Why's he pouring out all of his reiatsu like that... He won't last at this rate..."
"Yes, actually," The new voice suddenly caught them unaware, no doubt empowered by the blonde.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu,"
...
-Aizen-
I had to time this right.
I wasn't actually anywhere near Gremmy, I was still with same group as earlier, the three captains just ahead of me, each of their blades alight with power. They'd been building this up since the meteor first showed itself. We'd moved closer the moment I'd finished telling them what they had to do.
About 100 metres in the air stood Gremmy, his face inscrutable. 300 Metres above us was the currently falling Meteorite. Now accelerating at a much faster rate.
Though of course no one but me actually knew I was here per say. They all thought I was actually speaking to Gremmy.
Just like him.
I took in Gremmy's flabbergasted face from my position as he watched my false-self's sword for any signs of... Well, I am assuming anything. When he realised absolutely nothing had changed, he turned a scowl towards fake me's face,
Aizen's eyesight was literally 20/20 on steroids. He could probably see an insect a mile away if he focused.
"You still dare to make a mock-" He started cursing as his mind suddenly willed the meteorite into speeding up.
Perfect.
Fake me brought his free hand out before him, an amused smile on his face before he simply flicked his fingers.
Yamamoto, Shunsui and Ukitake took this as their que to launch enough firepower to take out cities.
While my Shikai, without any of them knowing, secretly covered the entirety of the event in an illusion.
From the captains view, nothing had changed, their combined reiatsu had simply crashed into the meteorite, completely vaporising it in the process.
As far as they were concerned, Gremmy had seen exactly what they had. And my job in all of this was to keep him preoccupied long enough until I figured how to use a certain, non-existent, spell I'd learned in the future to seal him.
I told you not to use that as an excuse.
Well, it's not like you gave me any.
I did.
Genocide is never the answer Aizen.
My plan was to psyche him out into retreating.
Which is exactly why from his point of view, the moment I'd flicked my fingers, his little meteorite disappeared.
...
-Gremmy-
Gremmy's face stiffened, his eyes widening as he eyed the now missing meteorite... "Cl-clear..." He whispered to himself, his mind forcibly clearing any and all enchantments in the vicinity, his voice no longer augmented as he searched for the missing meteor.
Nothing showed up. Nothing returned.
It wasn't an illusion.
His meteor had truly disappeared...
He turned his gaze towards the smirking Aizen Sosuke.
The man who'd made his meteorite cease with the flick of a finger... The man who'd made his imagination disappear.
"Do you understand what that means?" Aizen questioned, a looming aura emanating from him. His eyes practically dead to the world as he stared at him.
Gremmy Thoumeuax felt his finger twitch. He briefly floated back, for a second almost forgetting that he was currently standing on air. And then he finally noticed the attention he'd gathered... He felt the gaze of thousands on him, the flare of a thousand reiatsu's...
Thousands of them... And yet he couldn't even kill one...
And as he took in Aizen Sosuke's shimmering face, Gremmy realised that from the very beginning, he'd been playing him for a fool.
The man hadn't even deigned to meet him face to face and yet had still managed to practically shutdown his power.
And as he focused his mind on returning back, on running home. As holes ripped across reality, he figured it out, understood even, why Jugram and his lord had acted the way they did.
Gremmy knew then and there, instincitvely believed even, that Aizen Sosuke was, by any and all definitions, a monster.
...
See. Told ya it'd all work out.
Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Are you calling me a broken clock?
No, you've only been right once.
So you're admitting I was right?
You're insufferable.
...
Author Notes: Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to leave feedback! Chapter 6 will be out tomorow!