Author Notes: Note, this chapter starts before the end of the last interlude in the previous update. Basically starts just after Aizen uses the lvl 90 Hado.

...

...

Urahara Kisuke stared ahead towards the destroyed entrance. The blast of reiatsu had vaporised everything on its way. His attention shifted towards the crumbling walls of Black Coffin. His mind, for the moment, filing away the fact Aizen had done what Kido Masters could only dream of. Instead, he found somesolace in the fact Aizen had used one of the most, if not the most, offensive kido as a defensive measure. It had been the first and only moment he'd acted like himself.

Unfortunately that solace was smothered with the fact Aizen had saved his life. That attack had been aimed for him specifically. Though Aizen's use of kido may have momentarily slowed him down... That attack... The moment he'd laid eyes on it he'd froze...

He ignored the way his hand minutely shook as he forced his expression to show nothing. His mind going in a circle as it returned back to the fact Aizen had saved his life.

Urahara Kisuke couldn't help the sense of dread that filled him at the thought. He slowly turned his head around, expecting the worst before to his further shock, he found him just staring at him! The same damn smile on his face!

"You alright Kisuke?" The words sent him for a loop as he felt the world around him spin.

What on earth was going with today!? What game are you playing!? He all but roared into his own mind as he forced a smile on his face.

"Yes, yes 'appreciate the save there-" He could hardly believe the words coming out of his mouth.

As he took the rest of the captains expression. From the shocked expressions that painted Shunsui's and Soi-fon's face, to the sheer awe that painted Hitsugaya's, Ukitake and... He held the wince that threatened to come out when his eyes landed on Rukia's... He still couldn't believe how Aizen had twisted that... Still, when his eyes landed on Gin, oddly enough, he finally found an expression that truly merited the situation.

Pure utter fear.

Atleast one captain knows what's going on... He found himself thinking. He turned towards the entrance, completely ignoring the way the shinigami suddenly shifted.

"Well, not to say this hasn't been fu-" Urahara started as his mind worked on autopilot as he faced the exit. He quickly ducked his head the moment he'd felt Byakuya's reiatsu move towards him, barely avoiding the man's blade. He could already see the other captains move to release their blades.

Byakuya raised his blade, intent on bringing it down before, to his utter annoyance, he felt someone's leg crash against his knee, a second foot followed as it crashed against his cheek sending him flying, in an arc, across the room.

"Nice timing!" Urahara Kisuke remarked as he slowly pulled his body back up.

"What the hell is going on Kisuke!?" Yoruichi, yelled out as she quickly pulled his Zanpakuto out of the floor.

Kisuke shrugged, he frankly was rather clueless on the matter, as he pivoted on the spot, grabbing Yoruichi and pulling her to the side and out of the way of Hitsugaya's swipe. The young captain not wasting a beat as he pulled his blade back and pointed a finger towards them. The beginning of an incantation on his lips.

Yoruichi, however, gave him no chance as she landed on both her feet, passing him his Benihime and dashing off the ground away from the miniature captain as she held a grip to the back of his coat. He himself raised his zanpakuto and pointed it towards Hitsugaya and his building reiatsu as she pulled him across weaving through Byakuya's petals in the process.

"Awaken, Benihime!" Urahara roared as Yoruichi suddenly stopped on her dash, his feet quickly hitting the ground as he balanced himself before swiping up with his released blade. "Tsuppane, Benihime!" He continued on the moment he'd analysed Hitsugaya's incoming Hado. The generated circle of energy impacting with the surprised captain's kido, cancelling it out on contact. He briefly winced when he suddenly felt an enormous push against his back, courtesy of Yoruichi. Turning his head the slightest, he found Komamura currently locked fist to fist with the woman.

Urahara quickly swiped his sword over his head, "Shibari, Benihime!" He echoed out as crimson reiatsu suddenly condensed into a net over the helmeted captain.

Komamura, on seeing the attack, quickly jumped a few spaces back, though to his surprise, Yoruichi gave it no reaction as she suddenly leapt of the ground towards him. Her foot stretched out as it crashed into his stomach causing stars to fill his vision. The woman immediately flash stepping away as another net of crimson energy suddenly filled his view.

Urahara stood back to back with the woman as three captains, not including the, downed and incapacitated, two, circled them. Hitsugaya, Byakuya and Ukitake. And just behind the latter one, was an amused Aizen Sosuke. The man just now having decided to pick up his sword and use it to cut-

He stifled the sigh as he pointedly ignored the fact Aizen Sosuke decided Kuchiki Rukia's cuffed hands were more important than him.

"Interrupting this trial is punishable by death, Shihoin Yoruichi, but you knew that already," Byakuya remarked as he moved side to side before rapidly closing the distance between them. Though fast, unfortunately not fast enough as Yoruichi's leg suddenly proved-

Urahara's eyes widened as he felt the sudden grip on his leg, his head snapping down only to find Komamura's hand.

...

Komamura quickly pulled the captain up by his feet, his arm pulling itself back as he braced himself and promptly smashedhim into the ground. His body exploding with a massive pop-

"That was a close one!" Urahara exclaimed from his place behind the basket captain. He'd been just about to once again engage the captain before him before he felt it.

Before they all felt it.

An earth-shattering roar suddenly echoed across the entire realm, though the more immediate concern was the, twisted, malevolent Reiatsu that suddenly cried out. A reiatsu he recognised, and yet at the same time didn't... And judging by Kuchiki Rukia's sudden expression, so did she.

"Finally..." Aizen suddenly remarked as he shook his head the slightest bit.

Urahara ignored the shiver that went down his spine at the word as he realised that was likely what Aizen had been waiting for... And for it to be important enough to save his life...

...

"Finally..." I am not sure why they decided to finally stop fighting over that but I am certainly not going to complain!

...I am not even surprised anymore.

...

-Kaname Tosen-

Justice is unpredictable.

Those had been the final words. The final nails in the coffin before he'd turned.

The words that, while confusing at the time, had intrigued him enough to offer his own cooperation.

"Finally..." Aizen's voice echoed out, though he paid him no mind as he focused on controlling himself.

He pointedly held in the snort when he felt the continued flare of reiatss coming out of Kisuke, Yoruichi, Gin and of course, Kyoraku. All of them desperately trying to figure out a way to turn the tables. To try and salvage what pieces they might have left.

They all no doubt thought this was his true move.

None of them seemed to have realised, that from the very beginning, they'd never been on a level field.

Aizen's first move had come as a shock to all of them. A move so unpredictable, even he and Gin hadn't seen it coming, so insane, none of them were able to process it, let alone react appropriately.

The man's first move had been to flip the damn table.

Truly... The path, much like the man himself, to Justice was unpredictable.

He finally understood what he'd meant.

Finally realised the solution had been in front of him all this entire time.

"Now, if you kids could control-" Tosen quickly tensed his muscles when he felt the sudden flare of reiatsu from Kisuke smother the room. Had it not been for the fact Aizen continued on speaking without missing a beat, he would've released his blade. "-yourselves for five minutes, I can go try fix-" Whatever the man been about to say however suddenly cut off as the smallest reiatsu in the room suddenly disappeared, no doubt finding the odds of everyone remaining cordial slim. Her priorities clearly shown.

Though he couldn't see Aizen's face, he, oddly enough, found himself imagining a deadpan expression on it...

"You know what? She's got a point." Aizen suddenly remarked as he promptly decided to ignore the mess he'd created, the mess that as of this point could be blamed on literally anyone but Aizen, and simply sped off, presumably after Kuchiki Rukia.

...

It didn't take long after that before everyone else followed. Kuchiki Byakuya practically on Aizen's tail as his struggle with wanting to destroy Kisuke and protecting his sister in law from the Ryoka and whatever that surge of reiatsu was ended. Yamamoto and Shunsui had been next before, to no one's surprise, Kisuke and Yoruichi left aswell. In the opposite direction. The rest of the captains barring Gin and the still sleeping Kenpachi, quickly followed them. Though he personally doubted any chance of success in that department.

And so, given the only two in the room were a sleeping captain and his colleague. Kaname Tosen finally released the sigh he'd been holding in throughout the entire trial and raised his head and laughed. Pure utter joy filling the room. He could feel Gin's sudden flare of Reiatsu as the captain quickly took a few steps back.

"Subarashi! Aizen!" Kaname cackled as he held his head with his hands, his laughter pouring out almost endless. (Wonderful)

He simply couldn't help it.

"You know... You're the last person I'd expect to accept... Perverting justice like that..." Gin remarked warily as he stared at the chuckling captain. He'd never seen such an expression from the man.

Kaname evidently found the words funny as he snorted. "Justice is unpredictable, Gin-taichou. You can only prepare so much... Sometimes you have to force it,"

Gin processed the words, a frown filling his face. "What about forcing it is unpredictable?"

"Why, the process itself of course... Aizen just proved that it works... That the only thing that truly matters is the end result." Tosen answered.

Gin took a few steps forward towards the dark-skinned captain, his eyes opened the slightest. "Then that would make us no better than them! Make you no better than him!" He snarled when he was within earshot. His frown deepening when Tosen made no reaction besides simply turning his head the slightest towards him.

"Open your eyes Gin, we already aren't," Tosen replied, an indifferent look to his face, before he flash-stepped elsewhere.

...

-Aizen-

I wasn't necessarily surprised to find myself quickly outspeeding Rukia as I suddenly landed on the roof of one of the squad barracks-

I furrowed my brow at the sudden thought before ignoring it completely. I quickly took a look around the room, finding Ishida and Orihime on the floor likely knocked out. Unohana Retsu was on the other side, evidently having not noticed me, her Zanpakuto held out in front as a miniature wall of green reiatsu fluctuated in front of her. In the centre, Ichigo was on his knees, his head held up as Reiatsu leaked out of him, a cloud of darkness filled the air above him. The moment my eyes landed on the face that was forming, they quickly widened.

What the hell is Yhwach doing here!? My brain temporarily froze as, for likely the first time since I got here, my own genuinedread coursed through me, the feeling intensifying as Aizen, for some reason, quickly joined me.

Unfortunately my mouth didn't get the memo. "What the hell is Huya doing here!?"

I barely noticed the others arrival as in that moment, Ichigo called out for his fake Zanpakuto spirit while an idea quickly filled itself in my head. The feeling of dread lessening dramatically-

Oh my god you trust my judgement!

Not even if Kisuke won.

My body, regardless of Aizens 'hurtful' admission,-

...

-quickly responded as I suddenly found myself between the boy on his knees and the swirling face/void of darkness.

"Yo Huya!-"

Why do you keep calling him that!?

"-My name is Aizen Sosuke! Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!" I remarked, my sword stretched out. I wasn't sure why Yhwach was here, but I'll be damned if I didn't get him under complete hypnosis.

Figured he'd get pissed if I used the wrong honorific.

Before Aizen could even respond to that however, both of our attention spans, his marginally smalle-

Tread carefully.

-aswell as Keanu Reeve- Yhwach's were quickly taken. Distracting him from Absorbing Ichigo's soul-

You're making way too many assumptions!

-Regardless, the moment I'd finished saying the release my blade quickly started glowing, runic scripture suddenly encrypting itself onto the steel itself.

Umm... Aizen, is this you? I questioned internally though given the sudden sense of dread that filled me, I am assuming not-

Figure it out.

Wow. You have got to learn to let things go.

That is an impossibility with you.

I briefly turned my attention focus towards my blade when the the scripture reached the tip of the blade, the swirling void of darkness started... Rotting. Yhwach's previously calm face distorting as it swivelled around, it's bulging red eyes panicked.

You don't have a clue do you? I questioned internally as I tensed myself, my free hand held over my face, though I kept my eyes locked onto the slowly deteriorating cloak of shadows.

...

Aizen's answer did little to curb the growing panic.

Perfect...

It was then I noticed another pair of Reiatsu suddenly appear behind me, one marginally larger then the other. Admittedly enough that could be anyone if Yamamoto was one of the two.

When the rotting reached halfway, now within inches of the distorted face's extra long moustache, Yhwach started to scream.

I ignored the sudden, familiar and seethingly hot, burst of reiatsu that smothered the entire roof, my eyes transfixed on Yhwach's snarling face.

"Damn you... Damn you..! This isn't over... You hear me!? Aizen Sosuke! I, if it is the very last damned thing I do, WILL KILL YOU!" Yhwach's scream suddenly echoed out as the space started to distort around the edges as more and more of the reiatsu simply started disappearing. A bright light flashed as holes in space started to knit itself back together, before disappearing entirely.

I blinked at the sudden exclamation and said the only thing I could think of as a response.

"Yes... Well, best of luck."

... I simply have to ask... Aizen's sudden voice broke me out of my stupor. I quickly turned towards the still confused main protagonist behind me, giving him an amused expression in the process as I realised I'd probably removed the Quincy part inside him. None of the darkness had gone back in him after all...

"What the hell just happened?" He questioned, somewhat bemusedly, his eyes briefly switching between me and his blade.

I considered the question for a moment, my body tensing the slightest when I felt the brief wash of heated reiatsu from earlier vanish, before to my own surprise, I suddenly felt... far lighter then before, as if some sort of haze had been lifted. I briefly locked eyes with the captain-commander and for the first time today found a rather fond look on his face.

Wonder what that's about? And you had a question?

Deal with this first...

Oh so you do trus- OW! What the hell Aizen!? I internally exclaimed, my body thankfully making no reaction as I felt the sudden, rather vicious I must say, sting that travelled down my arm.

I promptly ignored the satisfied feeling that swelled inside me as I locked my gaze back to Ichigo.

"Oh... I think I might've, for lack of a better phrase, just saved the world... But... Knowing my luck he's probably going to come back... Oh sorry, I am rambling. My name's Aizen Sosuke," Oddly enough, I believed every word.

What would you do if he did come back? Aizen suddenly questioned me, his interest piqued.

Probably strap him to a chair.

Aizen gave me no direct response, though his annoyance was all to clear.

He thinks I am joking.

Ichigo processed the words for a moment, briefly wincing from something, before he nodded though there was a definite twinkle in the boy's eyes. "So I've heard-" That cannot be good... I found myself immediately thinking, wondering what Urahara might've said to him... "-Kurosaki Ichigo!" He added on at the end as he held out a hand towards me.

Or probably not...

Regardless, I quickly plastered a smile on my face and took the hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ichigo blinked before he released my hand and rubbed the back of his head. "Right... Say you kno- Rukia!" His sudden question cut itself off as he, and I, quickly realised the girl was with us on the roof.

She stood beside the still unconscious Ryoka, one Unohana Retsu likely checking on them. Mostly checking on Ishida really. Just behind her was a rapidly turning Byakuya, his hand dangerously close to the pommel of his sword as he scouted out the area for any other threat that might decide to show it's face.

"By the way, Ichigo, you might wanna keep Urahara away from your siblings!" I quickly stated as I realised the man was likely going to try poison my image the first chance he could get in the real world. Figured I'd get the first shot. Besides I seriously doubted he nor Yoruichi would still be waiting back there for us to return.

As I was saying, I have to ask... Did you truly insult his name like that... In an attempt to be polite?

I wasn't sure why he sounded so worri-

Wait, is Huya an insult!?

..Did you miss the sheer hatred he was emanating?

No comment.

...

After the whole fiasco with the "Emperor" of the quincies, I and the captains, barring Unohana quickly made our way back to the, now broken, tower.

Hopefully we won't be sticking around too long... I need a nap

... You're a shinigami... You don't require... Nevermind. Aizen, in a stroke of brilliance, quit while he was ahead.

Your end will be painful.

You say the nicest things.

Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida and Orihime were thankfully escorted to the nearest medical wing, though the captains had wanted to start the interrogation, none of them were truly in any physical condition to be up and about. Half the reason I'd made it to Ichigo so much earlier then was due to Rukia's condition. Yamamoto hadn't even deigned to say anything in regards to them. I quickly focused my attention back ahead of me.

The first thing I noticed was the distinct lack of Kenpachi in the room.

Guess he's up again...

Turning my attention away from my guaranteed rematch with the crazed captain, my eyes quickly skimmed over the signs of the earlier blast of reiatsu-

Wait, Quincies' can't use Reiatsu right?

... That... That's a valid point... Aizen's mind quickly connected the dots and their sequels as he reached the same conclusion.

Someone else tried to kill Kisuke,

Yhwach is no longer a Quincy!?

Or perhaps not...

Upon entering, my eyes quickly widened at what awaited us.

Byakuya, just beside me stifled something as he tensed, Shunsui gave no reaction besides a raised eyebrow while Yamamoto had an indifferent look to his face.

Just ahead, I found Hitsugaya and Ukitake and just between them was one cuffed, thoroughly winded Shihoin Yoruichi. The woman had two small black rectangle locks around her arms, inches away from each other. I could practically feel the reiatsu in the air get sucked into it.

How the hell did they manage to catch her!?

As always, asking the wrong questions.

Huh?

"We found them just about to leave Seireitei, Shihion-san decided to stick around and delay us. Soi-fon-taichou decided to follow Kisuke to the human world while we handled her," Hitsugaya explained the moment Yamamoto stopped walking.

"So... You just carry those cuffs with you? They don't look like the regular kind," I stated the moment I'd finished looking them over for the second time.

For some reason, that made everyone barring Ukitake and Hitsugaya tense. Including Yamamoto. though oddly enough, neither me nor Aizen felt worried.

If anything, Aizen found the actions amusing.

Hitsugaya blinked at the question before he simply turned towards Ukitake, a questioning look on his face.

"Uhh... Well, they were originally brought in case... We needed them for you..." Ukitake suddenly answered, a guilty look to his face, as he stared at me.

I blinked at the answer, the tension in the air steadily rising, though funnily enough Hitsugaya looked more pissed at themthan I felt. What with the way his eyes openly narrowed.

I quickly shrugged before turning back to Yoruichi. "Should probably take one off her in that case. I doubt you'd need two-" I promptly ducked the flying spit that followed my statement.

...