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"Rukia" – Normal Speech

'Ichigo' – Thoughts

*Kaien-dono* - Zanpakutō speech/thoughts

"Bankai!" – Spiritual Technique

Chapter 17: Broken Masks Part 4

Sasikabe Chōjirō was a loyal follower of Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryūsai. The dignified Lieutenant of Squad 1 had sworn to follow him for all of his days, which is why he was not a Captain, even though he had attained his Bankai several hundred years ago. No man or woman would command his loyalty except for the one to whom he had sworn it.

Alone among the Lieutenants that served the Captains, he was privy to his lord's thoughts: someone was deliberately manipulating and twisting the laws of the Goteijūsantai and the Seireitei to serve their own ends. Exactly who that might be was a trickier question, but Chōjirō was certain that Genryūsai-dono would deal swift and exacting justice upon whosoever it may be upon the moment of their revelation.

Until then, he had to play along with the plan that Genryūsai-dono had relayed to him via a personal Kidō based on Bakudō # 77, Tenteikūra (Way of Binding Number Seventy-Seven, Heavenly Rickshaws in Silken Air). So long as the Sōtaichō had performed the First Verse of the Demon Way technique on him at some point during the day, he could use the Second Verse to contact and speak with the ever-loyal lieutenant with nary a problem.

'That's Abarai.' The white-haired man scowled slightly at seeing the traitorous redheaded Lieutenant. He puzzled Chōjirō; he had been partially responsible for bringing Kuchiki Rukia into custody in the first place, and now he was turning around and helping her to escape? Contradictory wasn't even the best term to describe it.

The oldest of the Lieutenants almost stumbled when he felt the sheer amount of Reiatsu boiling off of Abarai; the boy was radiating Reiatsu at the same level of a newly initiated Captain! But the only way that was possible was…!

'He was last spotted only two and a half days ago! Are you telling me that Abarai achieved his Bankai in such a short timeframe?!' Chōjirō mentally gaped in disbelief, though he kept his outward appearance as calm and stoic as always, with only a slight rise in his eyebrows and a widening of his eyes physically revealing his shock. It had taken he himself over two decades to unlock and master his Bankai, and this youngster had achieved the first part in less than a hundredth of the time?!

Suddenly, he felt old.

Shaking it off, Chōjirō drew his sword and charged at the redhead, who brought his weapon around to block easily.

"Yo, Sasikabe-san!" Renji smirked. "You well?"

"Stand down, traitor, and you may be fortunate enough to merely face confinement in the Maggot's Nest after this incident is over!" the Squad 1 Lieutenant snapped, secretly surprised at how the other man was holding him back with just one arm.

"Hmmm…nah." The redhead pretended to think for a moment before giving his answer. He then became serious. "My eyes are open now, Sasikabe-san! I won't turn from the truth. I am not going to let Rukia die because someone's decided to play the entirety of the Seireitei on puppet strings!"

The equally determined looks on the faces of the other members of his group, barring the collared and helpless Hinamori, told the old Lieutenant one thing.

'So the Ryoka are well aware of the manipulations behind the scenes also…does this mean that they know who is pulling the strings?' Sasikabe wondered. Then he banished the thought. Whether they knew or not, they were still invaders.

"Right or wrong, Genryūsai-dono is bound to obey the orders of the Central 46. And those orders are that Kuchiki Rukia must be put to death via the Sōkyoku!" he stated before disengaging and falling back a couple of steps. Performing a quick triple thrust in the air, he intoned, "Ugate, Gonryōmaru! (Pierce, Solemn Spirit!)"

Light played over the katana and it transformed into a rapier. Static lightning danced down the blade as Chōjirō levelled it at Renji. "Prepare yourself."

"Bring it, gramps!" Renji sneered. "Howl, Zabimaru!"

The serrated snake sword appeared as his Zanpakutō shifted in response to his will and then, just as quickly, lashed out, extending rapidly to slash out at Chōjirō. The older Soul Reaper smoothly dodged to the right and stabbed with Gonryōmaru, piercing through Zabimaru's extendable section expertly.

"Raigeki no Tsurugi! (Sword of the Thunder Bolt!)" Chōjirō declared, unleashing a powerful electric shock through his blade and into Renji's. The redhead hastily retracted Zabimaru after dislodging the rapier.

"Your Shikai is a poor match up for my own, Abarai." The rapier wielder admonished him coolly, his tone reminiscent of a teacher scolding a wayward student. "While Zabimaru is excellent at extending the range of your swings and both sharp and heavy enough that any strike it lands will deal severe damage; its means of attack are also its greatest weakness. The blade of your sword can only travel in a single line and its size and weight slow its movements down too much to truly make use of its range; meaning a skilled or experienced enemy can read its path easily. Additionally, the metallic fibres that allow Zabimaru to extend in the first place are vulnerable to swift and precise attacks, such as my Gonryōmaru can deal out. You're unable to use Kidō, your level of skill with Shunpo, while acceptable, is still beneath mine and I am not going to let you get within arm's reach to use Hakuda. Face it, this is your loss."

"Ya know, you talk way too much!" Renji snapped and lashed out again, this time with three strong and fast consecutive swings.

"Like I said…" Chōjirō sighed. He lightly stepped between each swing. "…no matter how sharp it is, there's no point unless it hits me. ARGH!"

A burst of pain came as he was caught by the returning blades of Zabimaru, scoring a moderately deep cut on the shoulder of his sword arm. Quickly using Shunpo to move away, he shifted his arm experimentally to see if it was greatly impaired by the blow. It wasn't but it did hurt.

'That was careless of me. I neglected to remember the return cycle of the blades.' He thought with a grimace. 'Judging by the smirk on Abarai's face, he certainly didn't forget about it. As he was once a member of Kenpachi's squad, not to mention his normally brash personality, I certainly let my guard down and thought that he wouldn't use any tricks or underhanded tactics. Looks like I will have to adjust my way of thinking here…'

Before he could do so, Abarai leapt forwards with a small Shunpo and lashed out with his blade. Too close to dodge, Chōjirō moved to parry out of ingrained habit. Gonryōmaru groaned at the clash, the weight and power behind Zabimaru's massive blade crashing down on the narrower blade. The rapier barely managed to hold it back long enough for its wielder to pull back.

Chōjirō grit his teeth as he fell back to reopen the distance. Feeling the shuddering pain wrack through his faithful Zanpakutō as it nearly cracked under the impact. He couldn't risk another direct confrontation like that, lest his own blade shatter!

Renji refused to give the older soul reaper enough time to recover or fall back, surging after him with a constant barrage of attacks, keeping the pressure on Chōjirō unrelentingly. When facing an opponent with far more experience, the absolute worst thing you could do was give them enough time and space to form a plan. And Sasikabe Chōjirō was the longest serving Lieutenant in the entire Goteijūsantai, with almost a millennium of battle experience and learning at the heels of the Sōtaichō. It would be foolish to underestimate him and, despite what a certain Deathberry thought about him, Abarai Renji was not a fool.

'This…is going to be far more difficult than I originally anticipated.' The Squad 1 Lieutenant acknowledged grimly.

With Yumichika

The Fifth Seat of Squad 11, Ayasegawa Yumichika, was currently manfully pouting. Everyone was enjoying themselves and having a fabulous time fighting while he was being ignored! The nerve of them.

OK, so he was ranked as a 5th Seat, meaning that technically almost everyone present could beat him, but he was just as strong as Ikkaku, who was in turn at least as strong as Lieutenant Kusajishi Yachiru!

His eyes sharpened as he spotted the Squad 2 Lieutenant, Ōmaeda, entering the battlefield and starting to head towards where his Captain was fighting with someone, presumably Shihōin Yoruichi. Well now, that wouldn't do, would it?

Neatly Shunpoing in front of the 'plump' man, Yumichika pulled a slightly disgusted face. Ōmaeda was simply repugnant to look at, not a single trace of beauty visible on any surface.

"Get outta the way!" Ōmaeda shouted at him, drawing his Zanpakutō as he screeched to a halt.

"Sorry, but your Captain is in the middle of a duel right now and it would be bad manners to interrupt it." The most elegant member of Squad 11 replied easily. "So you will have to content yourself with being beaten down by me in a beautiful manner."

A vein started to pulse on the fat Lieutenant's head. "You asked for it!" he shouted. "Buttsubuse, Gegetsuburi! (Crush, Five-Formed Head!)"

In a flash of yellow light, the katana blade of Ōmaeda's zanpakutō shifted into a flail, a massive spiked ball attached by a long chain to the hilt that Ōmaeda still held. A weapon designed purely for brute-forcing his way through things. 'It's a shame really.' Yumichika though absently. 'Such a weapon would have found a welcome home amongst our own Squad, were it not for the fact that its wielder was a mewling, cowardly lump of ego and blubber.'

"Ara, well I can't very well not respond to that, now can I?" the 5th Seat asked rhetorically as he ran the palm of his hand down the length of his own blade. "Sake, Fuji Kujaku! (Bloom, Wisteria Peacock!)"

With the sounds of blades grinding together, Yumichika's zanpakutō curved forwards and then split into four, the three new blades fanning backwards.

"Get crushed!" Ōmaeda shouted, hurling his Shikai's iron ball at the thinner man. Vanishing in a burst of Shunpo, Yumichika closed in on his opponent and slashed at him with Fuji Kujaku. Ōmaeda hastily blocked with the chain of his flail. After the 5th Seat withdrew his weapon, the fat man was shocked to see that, not only was Yumichika not being hit by Reiatsu Backlash, which by all right a mere Fifth Seat should be suffering after facing a powerful Lieutenant like himself, but there was actually a chunk of metal missing from Gegetsuburi's chain!

"H-h-h-how?!" he demanded in a panic. "You're a Fifth Seat!"

"I am only a 5th Seat because I gave 3rd to Ikkaku and I dislike the number four." Yumichika replied airily. "And the only reason Ikkaku isn't the Lieutenant is because Zaraki-taichō would be most displeased if someone even though of taking Lieutenant Kusajishi's place. I'm sure you can follow the train of logic here."

"You…you're Lieutenant-class!?" Ōmaeda bleated in disbelief. "Why would you willingly take a lower rank?!"

"Ah, I see. You're one of those types." Yumichika smile grimly, though there was an obvious disdain in his voice. "You put such a hefty value on such petty things like status or money that the idea of accepting a lesser rank is anathema. The simple truth of the matter is that obtaining my 'proper' status would mean leaving Squad 11 and, more importantly, Zaraki- taichō, and I…no, all of the members of Squad 11, venerate Zaraki-taichō and wish to be led into battle by him. That is it, although I doubt one such as you can comprehend that. Now then, that's enough talk…let us get back to fighting!"

Ōmaeda squealed and drew back Gegetsuburi, trying to hit his enemy on the back of the head with his Shikai, but that was an obvious move that someone with a chain-weapon would use, so Yumichika had deduced his ability to do so from the moment he saw what the man's zanpakutō was. Thus he dodged with plenty of time to spare, incidentally forcing Ōmaeda to catch is own weapon before he got smacked in the face with it.

"Your weapon is good at dealing heavy levels of damage and is fairly quick, making for an excellent ambushing weapon fitting for the Stealth Corps. Sadly, without the element of surprise, it is simply not quick or manoeuvrable enough to catch someone on my level of speed and agility." Yumichika stated factually. "And in a fight where you have to fight inside of the reach of your arms…"

He lunged in and started slashing rapidly with Fuji Kujaku, which in turn forced Ōmaeda to block using the metal ball of his Shikai. A rather ingenious use of it, it must be admitted, but it was far too large and heavy to be maneuverer easily and thus couldn't be everywhere. The fat man's arms and shoulders were quickly covered in numerous bleeding gashes, cuts, and slashes.

"…you are at a disadvantage due to the weight and design of your own weapon." The 5th Seat finished with a smirk. "While I'm certain that, due to your position in Squad 2, you have an excellent grasp of Hohō in general and Shunpo in particular, I am one of the best in Squad 11 at those particular skills and, thus, you have little chance of either reopening the distance between us or escaping."

"W-We'll see about that!" Ōmaeda growled, knelt and placed a hand palm down on the ground. "Bakudō #21: Sekienton!"

An explosion of red smoke obscured Ōmaeda and covered the area around the two fighters for at least ten meters in every direction. Yumichika rolled his eyes before closing them and allowing his ability to sense Reiatsu to expand outward. This was a smokescreen technique used to evade those Hollows who were too lost in their anger to use their ability to sense Reiatsu so it had no ability to hid or block Reiatsu sensing.

'Ah, so he was sneaking around behind me and…there it is.' The man grinned, feeling a small pulse of Reiatsu that signalled an attack coming from his opponent's Shikai. With almost negligent ease, he absently shifted two paces to the left and the large metal ball sailed through nothing but empty air. The vain man then brought Fuji Kujaku up and, with a double-handed cut, severed the chain of Ōmaeda's Shikai.

"GEGETSUBURI!" the fat man howled in a fury. "You BASTARD!"

Yumichika sighed. Could no one lose with a bit of beauty these days?

Surging forward in a burst of Shunpo, the enraged Lieutenant appeared inches away from the 5th Seat, a look of pure an utter outrage on his face, his right arm drawn back to deal out a punch. Yumichika decided that this was more than enough. He had won and Ōmaeda refused to recognise it. Time to teach the ugly buffoon a lesson with the world's oldest and best teacher: pain.

Drawing his left hand up into a palm, Yumichika thrust it at the punch that the fat Lieutenant clumsily sent at him.

"Eat this!"

"Tesshō! (Iron Palm!)"

With a gut-wrenching crack, Ōmaeda's arm broke in two places. Unsurprising, considering the Hakuda technique it had just been hit with. Tesshō, when used by a master of the technique, could crush the skull of a Hollow in a single blow. Yumichika was not nearly at that level with it; he was something of a sword snob and found Hakuda to be a simply unbeautiful means of combat, but he was at least competent with it.

"My arm! MY ARM!" Ōmaeda howled in pain.

"Oh, do be quiet." The 5th Seat grumbled and struck the back of the man's head with a chop, sending him into unconsciousness and stopping his blubbering. "That was a most boring fight."

Settling down, Yumichika reverted Fuji Kujaku to its Fūingata state and dragged the unconscious Lieutenant over to where Unohana-taichō stood. Oddly enough, the black masked woman, Kokken Asa, stood next to her.

"Unohana-taichō." he greeted her stiffly.

"Yumichika-san. That was a very brutal ending to the fight, was it not?" the Captain of Squad 4 asked, there was a hint of mild reproach in her tone.

"Brutal, but effective. I do what it takes to win a fight, and Lieutenant Ōmaeda looked to be beyond reason with anger after I broke his Shikai." Yumichika replied respectfully. He didn't see why that was the case. If a Shikai was broken, which happened more than you might think, then it would repair itself over time. Perhaps it was the first time someone had broken his Shikai? What an unusual thing to discover; it happened all the time over in Squad 11.

Shaking her head wearily, too used to the attitude of Squad 11 to bother any further, the plait-haired woman knelt beside the wounded and unconscious Lieutenant and started inspecting his arm.

"Two clean breaks, no fragmentation of the bone…a nice job, Yumichika-san." The Captain said after a moment. She then started to heal Ōmaeda.

"Kindly don't wake him up, Unohana-taichō." Kokken put in bluntly. "He would be a pain to deal with again."

"I am aware, Kokken-san." Unohana stated softly. "Ōmaeda-san will not wake up until all of this is over."

That made Yumichika hitch an eyebrow in both surprise and shock. Since when did a Captain, especially one of Unohana Retsu's seniority, take orders from a Ryoka?

"Things are going to become interesting around here, aren't they?" he mused aloud, not really expecting an answer.

"More interesting than you can possibly imagine or desire." Kokken said darkly before looking to the sky and muttering something that Yumichika could barely hear.

"Just how long do you intend to dawdle, you bastard?"

With Aizen

Finishing his coffee and neatly setting his cup down, the mastermind behind framing Kuchiki Rukia and the Ryoka invasion sighed in exasperation at the latest images he was seeing. The defeat of the fat fool who was Soi-Fon's Lieutenant wasn't entirely unexpected; while more competent and skilled than his demeanour suggested, Ōmaeda was still only on the upper end of average compared to most of his peers.

Still, the fact that a 5th Seat had been the one to defeat him was troubling. Aizen had used the absolute hypnosis ability of Kyōka Suigetsu to ensnare every Captain, Lieutenant and 3rd Seat, trapping them under his power. This included the current Commander and Vice-Commander of the Kidō Corps as well as, before their deaths, the entire Central 46. He had not bothered with anyone below that of 3rd Seat, since he'd assumed none had the power or capability for growth to be an issue with his current plans.

'No…I neglected that newly promoted 3rd Seat from Squad 4.' He reminded himself. 'Hanatarō Yamada, wasn't it? Well, the boy isn't a concern; his zanpakutō, whatever it is, cannot be useful in combat if he is in Squad 4.'

He dismissed the boy from his thoughts and eyed the screen showing a very wobbly picture of Komamura's Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō doing battle with a very enthusiastic Zaraki Kenpachi. The savage beastman with a noble heart versus the bloodthirsty battle maniac…it was quite an interesting clash. It was a stalemate, however, as Zaraki was deliberately drawing out the fight for his own enjoyment when he could have just ended it in less than five minutes.

If there was anything that Aizen despised more than the ossified nature of the Soul Society (and it always ticked his sadistic funny bone that that same nature would be the key to the first steps of its downfall) it was gross inefficiency like that.

The rest was as it was when he had started to drink his coffee, barring the fight between Sasikabe Chōjirō and Abarai Renji. It was something of a surprise that the redheaded Lieutenant was putting up such a good fight against his vastly more experienced opponent and Aizen had to complement the man for training so hard. That was pure effort spent to better himself, to become more than he was and rise above his peers.

Aizen Sōsuke could respect that in a person. It was what he sought to do, after all, just on a far grander scale than what someone like Abarai could appreciate, comprehend or accept.

A small alarm went off and Aizen peered at the small console. Apparently, someone had just destroyed the door leading into the Chūō Shijūroku Shitsu (Central Underground Parliament) building, where he currently was. A bit of searching showed who the intruders were; the young Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro and his lazy Lieutenant Matsumoto Rangiku. He had expected them to arrive a bit later, but that was fine. Now was as good a time as any to move out and claim the Hōgyoku as his possession, thanks to that bedamned woman Kokken Asa ruining his carefully laid out plan. He'd relieve his stress by taunting the two of them; that was the only use that the pair of idiots were good for, anyway.

Walking at an even pace, as even a Captain would take time to break through the thirteen lockdown security measures of the Central 46 Compound, Aizen left the Seijōtōkyorin and ambled towards the Diet Building, where the cold corpses of the old fools, who had imagined that they had held absolute power in the Soul Society in general and the Seireitei in particular, still rested where he had cut their throats open while they were debating whether to add another squad to the Goteijūsantai. A pointless and ridiculous notion; there were barely enough graduates of the Shinōreijutsuin to replace those lost each year to Hollows and their own incompetence, let alone staff an entirely new squad.

They had wanted to be seen to be doing something important, to justify the draconian authority that they exerted, which surpassed that of the Four Great Noble Houses and the Sōtaichō of the Goteijūsantai. The brown-haired man sneered at the thought of those old fools having actually done anything even remotely useful that involved risking themselves and their prestige. It was ludicrous to consider.

Setting his expression back into the mask of the ever friendly and affable Captain of Squad 5 that he had worn ever since he had risen to the position over eighty years ago, Aizen sauntered smoothly into the Diet Building, taking centre stage in the middle of the floor that was usually reserved for the accused. A fitting location to stand, considered that he had murdered them all within this very chamber. The best part of that though, was that thanks to his Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnotism, none of them were able to notice anything strange happening until after he had slit their throats open and deliberately dropped the illusion.

Oh, the mixed expressions of outrage, panic and outright fear on their faces had been glorious to behold. The feeling of putting an end to such an outdated bunch of existences had been…profoundly satisfying.

The sound of two pairs of running feet came to him and Aizen looked up, smiling mysteriously as Hitsugaya Toshiro and Matsumoto Rangiku entered the building and stared in shocked horror at the dead members of the Seireitei's government. Then they noticed him.

"Aizen?!" Hitsugaya exclaimed sharply, blue eyes narrowing in suspicion. "So the Ryoka was correct; you weren't dead after all."

"Indeed. The fact that it took so long for you to realise the facts, and with outside help at that, does not impress me, Hitsugaya-taichō." Aizen stated kindly, fully reverting to his pleasant mask just to further irk the dim-witted duo before him.

"Aizen-taichō, what is the meaning of this?! The Central 46 are dead!" Matsumoto growled out, the usually laidback woman's eyes flashing in anger as she readjusted her grip on her sword with one hand, keeping the other free to launch a Kidō.

"By my hand, no less." Aizen informed her, a bit of smug pride entering his tone. "These old fossils had long since outlived their usefulness, so when reports came in of a Gillian-class Menos Grande being forced to retreat from Karakura Town, I killed them."

The pair looked at him in rising horror. Then Hitsugaya growled. "So everything we've been ordered to do by the Central 46; arresting Kuchiki Rukia, fighting the Ryoka, preparing to execute Kuchiki Rukia via Sōkyoku…all of that was on your orders?! Why!?" the diminutive Shikigami practically roared, the air around him chilling and misting slightly as his Zanpakutō started to respond to its master's emotions

"I'm afraid that is none of your concern." Aizen offered kindly, before sighing ever so slightly. "It really is a shame that Kokken Asa interfered; I had planned for some entertainment for myself entitled 'Hinamori Momo has a Mental Break'. It would have been amusing to watch as she went on a rampage."

"What was that?!" Hitsugaya froze in anger, the air itself seemingly freezing around him

"I've steadily moulded her into the kind of person that cannot exist without me." The traitorous Captain informed him affably, as if discussing a favoured hobby. "The news that I was dead, combined with a conveniently placed note informing her of my suspicions regarding another Captain, I was still trying to decide on either you or Gin when things started to go wrong, would have likely shattered her poor little mind and seen her attack in a blind rage. Then she would have been directed to come here, where I would have given her a final goodbye before ending her life. I'm not a sadist after all; if she can't live without me, then the fact I am going to leave this ossified heap would kill her anyway. A mercy killing, if you like."

"You…!" The child-like captain was actually growling now. A thin, shimmering blue aura forming around his body as the ground beneath his feet frosted and the air turned into ice as his mounting rage quickly began to rip apart his self-control.

"But…but how did you fake your death?" Matsumoto blinked in confusion. "I saw your body!"

"Ah…you don't happen to mean this, by any chance?" Aizen asked politely and suddenly, he was holding a copy of himself by one hand.

"That's…!" the two gasped.

"Watch carefully. I am about to release the effect of my zanpakutō." He cautioned them softly. "Kudakero, Kyōka Suigetsu! (Shatter, Mirror Flower Water Moon!)"

Like someone had punched a mirror, the 'body' Aizen was holding shattered into panes of light that quickly vanished, revealing the Fūingata form of his blade that he then sheathed once more.

"B-But…Kyōka Suigetsu…uses mist and the water particles in the air to create confusing illusions…there's no way that it could create an illusion like that!" the orangette Lieutenant stammered in confusion.

"A simple ability I used as a cover." The man before her shrugged indifferently. "The actual ability of my Kyōka Suigetsu is 'Absolute Hypnosis', a powerful ability to dominate the five senses of anyone who has seen me use my zanpakutō's release."

Both Soul Reapers stood stunned for a moment before Hitsugaya snapped out of it, his teeth bared as the aura of his Reiatsu intensified tenfold. "How long have you been planning this…this treachery!?"

Aizen offered the white-haired captain a smile that was both smug and condescending in equal measure. "Since before your Soul was reborn into in the Rukongai." he stated smugly before glancing between the two silently fuming Shikigami, "I must ask though, what exactly led you both to come here? I was expecting to be well away before you both showed up."

"Several of the most recent orders sent down by the 'Central 46' directly violated a number of their own laws." Hitsugaya answered, his teeth grit but managing to regain some control over his temper as his aura began to slowly calm. "For consistency, if nothing else, the Central 46 uses loopholes in the laws to do any underhanded work that they deem necessary, rather than outright ignoring their own laws as they please. That was the first clue. The second was that, even in lockdown, the Central 46 would communicate with their clans and families. None have received word from their kin since before this entire affair began. The third and final clue was when we ran into Unohana-taichō on our way here. She expressed that there was something…off…about your 'corpse'. That it was nothing more or less than an extremely powerful illusion makes sense now, as well as why Kokken Asa laughed when she looked at the 'dead Captain Aizen' a few days ago."

'Kokken Asa…you are going to die.' Aizen thought, fighting to keep his calm façade even in the depths of his own mind. That bedamned slip of a girl had interfered with his plans and ruined his fun one time too many.

It was long past time to end this little game. He was going to find Kuchiki Rukia, remove the Hōgyoku from her, murder her, and Kokken Asa for good measure and as much deserved stress relief, and then go to Hueco Mundo so he could start directly overseeing and preparing his Arrancar army.

"Well, while this has been an entertaining diversion, I must be going now. It is long past time for the first act to reach its climax." He stated as he unfurled a long length of white cloth hidden up his sleeve that quickly started to wrap and swirl around him.

"That's Sentan Hakuja (Thousand-Coil White Snake)!" Matsumoto cried.

"Traitor! Stop!" Hitsugaya drew his sword uselessly.

"A few last words for you, both a question and its answer." Aizen said as the teleportation Kidō swirled around him. "The question is, why do you think I went to all the trouble of framing Kuchiki Rukia? In answer: she has something hidden within herself that will guarantee my absolute power. Destroying her Soul via the Sōkyoku was the simplest way to get it out. I have discovered an alternate method, but sadly, the procedure is not fatal. I shall not see either of you again, so I bid you farewell."

Before either of the other Soul Reapers could do more than move a step, Aizen Sōsuke vanished in a flash of white light, leaving two angry and confused Soul Reapers behind.

"We have to hurry to the Hakutōmon as fast as we can." Hitsugaya said grimly, turning around to start rushing back the way they came, Rangiku following on his heels. "Whatever Kuchiki Rukia has hidden within her, Aizen cannot be allowed to obtain it. To commit the crimes that he has in order to do so, I shudder to think what it could be."

With Kirika

When the spinning cone of white fabric appeared, Kirika had tensed. She had a rough count of the Captains and their respective locations, and the only ones who weren't present were either in combat with one another, unable to use teleportation Kidō or were the exact person she had come to the Seireitei to kill.

So when Aizen Sōsuke appeared from within the Sentan Hakuja when it vanished, her heart stopped. She had heard descriptions of what Aizen looked like physically and what his mask looked like, but seeing him in person was a different story. She had never seen Aizen before, not even ten years ago when he had experimented on her. It had been Soul Reapers conscripted to his cause that, she presumed, he had later killed once the project had failed, that had operated on her.

He looked like a librarian or a lawyer with his glasses and carefully groomed hair, but, in surprising dissonance with his image, there was an air of danger around him. A feeling that, beneath that humdrum surface, a true demon lied in wait.

Then Kirika's heart started beat again, moving into overdrive as the people around her started shouting and talking. It was unheard by the masked Soul Reaper though. It was she had gone completely deaf and blind to the rest of the world. The only thing she could see was the monster standing in front of her.

Th-thump!

'Kill…'

Th-thump!

'Kill him…'

TH-thump!

'Kill him…!'

TH-thump, TH-thump, TH-thump, TH-thump…

'KILL HIM!'

With a wordless shriek of rage, Kirika vanished in a blur of Shunpo, reappearing in the air above Aizen, two Shunbunshin Clones opposite her, forming a triangle. Kirika's skin glowed bright with the seals that kept Kaien's memories sealed as another level of it was broken down.

'KILL HIM!'

"Shakkahō!"

"Sōkatsui!"

"Sōren Sōkatsui!"

Three large waves of fire, one red and two blue-tinged white, roared as they leapt towards their target. Aizen looked up, his eyes widening fractionally in surprise as he was abruptly attacked out of nowhere.

'He can't block all three with Dankū, it's a simple one-dimensional shield.' Kirika thought viciously. 'Even if he does use Dankū to block all three, it was only designed to hold off one Hadō at a time. The three I just fired off at full power should roast him!'

Despite all of that, deep down, the Masked Soul Reaper knew it would, at best, just irk him. This was someone who had outsmarted Urahara, albeit from completely out of nowhere, possessed Kidō puissance at least equal to Tessai and could fight on even terms with Yoruichi. If a trio of fire-type Hadō were enough to stop him, then he would have ceased to be a problem a century ago.

With an enormous explosion, Aizen Sōsuke was engulfed by a massive explosion of flames that became a tornado. The Shunbunshin dispersing, Kirika landed atop a roof near where Ichigo and Byakuya were standing, their fight paused as they eyed her.

"…was that Aizen-taichō I just saw you attack?" Byakuya asked after a pause.

"He isn't deserving of the title of Captain." Kirika snarled. "He's a traitor to the Soul Society, a heartless murderer and torturer! He is the one who has been sending your orders to capture, imprison and execute Rukia! He is the one who has made you choose between Hisana's will and your duty!"

That made Byakuya stagger slightly. "You…how do you know of Hisana?!"

One memory that had flooded in just a moment previously was one of when Kaien had, behind both his Captain and Rukia's backs, confronted Byakuya about what he had requested Ukitake to do. He had threatened to attempt to appeal Ukitake's positioning of Rukia as an Unseated Soul Reaper, citing mismanagement of personnel. It was a rarely-exerted privilege of a Lieutenant to second-guess their Captain in that regard, so much so that the very fact that Kaien had invoked it would bring attention onto the case that even the Kuchiki Clan Head couldn't interfere with.

So Byakuya had, very, very, very reluctantly, informed Kaien of who he had been married to and what he had promised Rukia's older sister before she passed away. It had been one of the few times that Shiba Kaien, one of the most stubborn Soul Reapers in existence, had backed down somewhat. He had backed down enough to allow it until Rukia was strong enough to handle herself in combat, one reason why he had started training her.

"That's for after this is all over." Kirika informed the Noble. "For now, we have to keep him away from Rukia."

"You just fried him like an insect." Ichigo pointed out, hefting his Shikai to rest on his shoulder.

As if triggered by the orange-haired boy's words, the tornado of flames exploded out, dispersing in seconds, revealing a scorched, very much alive, and very pissed Aizen.

"Kokken Asa." He growled. "You have become a veritable thorn in my side and now, you have just gone one step too far. Gin, kill her."

"Shoot to kill, Shinsō!"

Kirika staggered forward slightly as something hit her from behind. Looking down as pain blossomed in her abdomen, Kirika saw about a foot of steel emerging from her gut, spreading a red stain across her lower torso. Stabbed. She'd been stabbed from behind.

"Ichimaru!"

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Next Chapter: The Mask Comes Off: Kirika's Rage

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