Summary: She was... a stranger to them, even to him. A faceless ghost from the Apocalypse claiming she came from the future but if it meant that she could keep everyone alive, then Kurosaki Karin would be that ghost for them.
Following the canon chronology with obvious alterations for the purpose of the story. Main pairings of the story: Hitsugaya/Karin, Ichigo/Rukia, Gin/Rangiku. Other pairings will come later.
Written in the third person. The words in italic are characters thoughts.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach (if I did, the 'ending' we got wouldn't have happened).
[SOUL SOCIETY: THE RESCUE ARC]
GHOST
~.~
Chapter 5: the perfect plan
"It's been a while..." she whispered to herself.
The Kuchiki Clan Manor was just as Karin remembered: pristine and imposing.
The Japanese style garden remained her favorite place, especially when the sun was spreading its first rays of light of the day on the green grass.
She had found solace at the thoughts of happier times in that place... And she still did now.
These nights under the moonlight where Byaku-nii, Rukia-nee, Ichi-nii and she peacefully observed the enormous koi in the lake. These rare spring afternoons where she had the time to meditate under Byaku-nii's favorite cherry blossom tree... Karin truly cherished the memory of Byaku-nii's gentle smile and Rukia-nee's peaceful contentement and kept them in mind whenever she was close to despair...
... Something that had happened more than she would have liked to admit to herself.
Even from there, she could distinguish the compound where Rukia-nee and she used to spare from afar and the grounds where were lying Byaku-nii's parents' graves.
The grandeur of the Kuchiki Clan Manor almost distracted Karin from the true aim of her visit. She could have used the tunnels Yachiru-chan had secretly built underneath the main house (even at that point in the past) but there was no need to, since she knew exactly where Byaku-nii would be at that exact hour.
The room where Byaku-nii put the shrine for Hisana-san had an ominous aura. It made Karin slightly uncomfortable every time she had to use the corridor to go to Byaku-nii's room. Perhaps it was because the rest of the enormous room was empty and devoid of life, she mused.
Just as she predicted, Byaku-nii was silently staring at the photo of his beloved.
It must have been painful for him to have someone who was the spitting image of his deceased wife facing him daily. Rukia-nee's lavender eyes kept inadvertently taunting him, even if she had never dared look at him straight in his face.
The mere fact that Rukia-nee was in his mansion alive (sort of) and breathing was a torture to him.
Still, it didn't excuse Byaku-nii's cold behavior towards his adopted sister for over four decades.
Karin would make sure Byaku-nii's apology to Rukia-nee would still happen no matter what in that new present. It indirectly contributed to her decision to pay Byaku-nii a visit before heading to the Fourth Division.
That fight between her two brothers still needed to happen because they both needed: for Ichi-nii to evolve as a shinigami, and for Byaku-nii to understand the law wasn't everything… Not to mention the fact Aizen would know something was off if there was no fight taking place between them.
It had been part of his plan after all.
But since she managed to convince Rukia-nee to follow her and break out from her cell, the execution couldn't take place, meaning that it was impossible for Ichi-nii to come and interrupt it. One simple action caused a new chain of consequences, like ripples in the water.
Karin realized she had modified a crucial point there but she deemed it as necessary so Aizen couldn't fuse the two Hogyokus together. After all, she had been sent past to change things, even if she didn't know explicitly what or how exactly.
Therefore, she had try came up with a plan to try to get a similar result as in the past concerning Rukia-nee's failed execution, apart from the Hogyoku getting in Aizen's hand... But with less blood and less casualties on their side that time around.
(Sort of?)
(… Hopefully?!)
On a more positive note... Urahara's Hogyoku had been retrieved and got destroyed once for all overnight, even if it had been at the expense of a considerable portion of Karin's already diminished reiatsu.
The whole process had requested to have Ukitake-san casting Shiju no Saimon to remain undetected by the rest of Soul Society and Orihime-chan's rejection power. To accelerate its destruction, Karin and Yoruichi-san had also continuously restored Orihime-chan's reiatsu and healed the burn marks she got caused by the rejection spell.
Orihime-chan summoned her Shun Shun Rikka as everyone formed a circle around the glowing blue orb. In the corner of her eyes, Karin could see her brother's fingers still intertwined with Rukia-nee's.
She understood.
Albeit painless, the removal of the Hogyoku buried within Rukia-nee's soul required Urahara's other invention. Karin tried to be as gentle as possible as she used the device and put her hand through Rukia-nee's chest to extract the Hogyoku. The hole formed in her soul vanished as quickly as it appeared and she physically remained unharmed to everyone's relief.
Still, the ordeal had been traumatic.
Between that and Karin's previous abridged (but partial) explanations on the matter, Rukia-nee felt overwhelmed and afraid by her current ordeal. In her panic, she feverishly grabbed Ichi-nii's hand who squeezed it back as a silent support.
The monster inside Karin stirred up. How were they going to handle the revelation concerning the Hogyoku's true power and its consequences on their lives? And what about the rest?
Her eyes went back to the other person who had noticed Ichi-nii's tender gesture and was now watching them with wistfulness.
Orihime-chan...
In Karin's past, Aizen had only made an aimless conjecture concerning Orihime-chan's powers and used it as a decoy. Her abduction had happened because Aizen needed to get as many shinigamis as possible out of Karakura Town for the invasion...
And Orihime-chan was the perfect target for an abduction: she wasn't as strong-willed or confident in her own abilities as the rest of the group at the time:she had been deemed as the weakest link.
However, Aizen had no idea how right he had been about one part of Orihime-chan's power, even if it was by chance. And if the Aizen of the present would ever discover the extent of said powers, the abduction would hold a whole new meaning.
Karin would do her best to hide it from Aizen as long as she could. Despite her tormented past, Orihime-chan had a gentle heart, there was no need to taint it with such darkness again.
There was no way Karin could let her deal with the guilt she had carried for years due to her past selfishness that any girl of her age had when it came to a crush.
The orange haired girl was already dealing with another demon anyway: her self-deprecating thoughts. Karin added that to the list of things she would had to discuss about.
"Souten Kishun, I reject!"
A soft orange glow enveloped the Hogyoku before Orihime-chan's reiatsu quickly left her body, her energy getting drained by the blue orb. Her knees buckled.
Karin's eyes widened. She rushed towards her and managed to catch Orihime-chan in time in her arms. Luckily, Ishida also quickly moved to support Orihime-chan.
"Inoue-san, are you okay?" he asked.
The Hogyoku possessed an overbearing power that faintly resembled to Aizen's sole physical presence in Karin's past (or future? Whatever, Karin would figure it out later).
"I'm fine, Ishida-kun!" Orihime-chan affirmed in a faint voice, despite the redish burns forming on her delicate hands and spreading to her pale arms. She tried not to hiss in pain.
But you aren't fine, Karin wanted to say, her mouth set in a thin line.
Ishida certainly shared her thoughts but chose not to voice it either.
Instead, Karin let Ishida hold his friend's shoulders as she placed her palms above Orihime-chan's arms and started applying healing kido. Strangely enough, Karin didn't get any scratches from the contact with the foreign yet familiar energy.
In fact, the last time she had felt that energy was just before waking up in her old bed, a few days ago. Karin brushed that thought aside when she felt Orihime-chan's reiatsu drastically drop again.
Even if Karin could partially restore her energy through healing kido, it wasn't enough... She needed help.
Ukitake-san was in charge of holding the kido barrier so he was out of question. Rukia-nee didn't have even one quarter of her reiatsu back yet. Renji and Ichi-nii simply sucked at kido spells, which only left... She took a deep breath.
"Yoruichi-san, please restore Orihime-chan's reiatsu."
The process had deprived them of sleep until dawn... Karin had left as soon as Ukitake-san, Orihime-chan and even Yoruichi-san had passed out from exhaustion and started snoring as the rest of their companions.
Meanwhile, Karin still stubbornly avoided sleep. Not that it mattered: the glee she would feel after seeing Aizen's reaction would be a worthy compensation.
"Sorry for sneaking in here," she started. Byaku-nii looked over his shoulder, his face still impassive despite her unsolicited appearance. Karin slid the shoji behind her to make sure no one from the Kuchiki Clan personnel caught sight of her. "I hate to interrupt your moment of reverence to Hisana-san but I've come to deliver a message."
Karin had to give him credit for not twitching at the mention of Hisana-san.
"Tell Renji to come to say it himself," he replied in an even voice.
"No, this isn't from him..." Even at that point of the past, Renji was the first person that came out to his mind? Intriguing. She remembered that time she stumbled upon them just before Renji could start one of his heartfelt and cheesy declarations of devotion to his former Taicho… It had been awkward to say the least. "Kurosaki Ichigo wishes to engage a fight against you."
Okay, it was straightforward but it was okay since it didn't directly involve Aizen. No continuous mental game of chess necessary.
That part of the plan was like her elder brother: way too blunt, but Karin was counting on two key factors: Ichi-nii's existence itself, including the fact that his presence in Soul Society went against Byaku-nii's pride in law and tradition and also...
"Why would I heed such grotesque proposal?"
Karin inwardly smiled. She discerned his interest and dare she say it, curiosity on whatever she would have to say on the matter.
"If Kurosaki Ichigo loses, I will hand you Kuchiki Rukia. That is only if you win of course," she proposed, her voice hollow.
The monster inside her stirred up anew, familiar yet terrifying.
Guilt.
Her stomach dropped at her own words. Even if it was just to lure him... Even if she had warned Rukia-nee beforehand about it, she felt terrible.
Hell, she couldn't even say 'we' instead of 'I'. Implying that Ichi-nii would willingly hand over Rukia-nee was as good as tarnishing who her brother was and what he was standing for. But Karin could do that.
Because she had sworn she would protect them at all cost, and she wouldn't break a promise.
Never again.
"Very well."
Karin blinked, her mouth wide open. Again... And again.
"Uh?"
"Do not make me repeat myself."
Karin just obtained what she had aimed for, albeit not in the way she had envisioned it. She quikly closed her mouth and bit her lips.
The Byaku-nii of that time lived to apply the law, in more ways than one. She had to ask.
"Why didn't you say anything about me at the Taicho meeting? I haven't heard anything related to my presence in the streets of Seireitei."
While she couldn't reveal that Toshiro and Ichimaru-san were plotting with her, she knew Byaku-nii was clever enough to come to the conclusion that Renji was on her side. He also should have deduced Ukitake-san willingly left with her and Rukia-nee.
Despite that, Byaku-nii didn't say a word to his Soutaicho. Not to mention that his excessive display of aggressivity on the bridge unsettled her.
But then, given Byaku-nii's apparent taciturn nature… He would never tell her.
She shook her head. "Neverm–"
The rest of the sentence died on her lips.
Kuchiki Byakuya acted distant and apathetic. From his social interactions to the way he fought, he permanently put a barrier between him and other people: partly to hide his hot heart underneath a cool head, mostly not to hurt again.
To love meant to feel sorrow. Karin had come to the conclusion that romantic love inevitably led to tragedy for shinigamis, and even quincies...At her own expense sometimes.
Shiba Kaien and Shiba Miyako. Byaku-nii and Hisana-san. Ishida Ryuuken and Katagiri Kanae. Oyaji and Okaasan. Ichimaru-san and Rangiku-san. Kenpachi and Unohana-san. Urahara and Yoruichi-san.
Ichi-nii and Rukia-nee. And finally...
Byaku-nii knew that and decided to distance himself from the possibility of ever loving someone again, even in a non romantic way. That meant he had also avoided close physical contact at all cost. At least that was for the Byaku-nii of the past. The one in front of her.
But perhaps she had underestimated him. The hold on her wrist was reminiscent of the Byaku-nii she had come to love like she loved Ichi-nii.
Gentle and delicate.
"The glove. It was made with the finest material of Seireitei and could only be handed to you by the Kuchiki Clan Head." He raised her hand and pointed a small symbol sewn on the tekko with his finger. "Under closer inspection, I have come to the conclusion that it was indeed I who gave it to you."
He slowly released her wrist, his eyes now back on Hisana-san's photo.
"I see..." Karin replied, breathless.
It all made sense: everyone's reaction at the sight of her tekko, Byaku-nii's wrath the previous day on the bridge. Karin realized she had underestimated her Byaku-nii as well, the one from her future.
That birthday gift held a deeper meaning than she had originally thought. And if her gut feeling about Urahara's time travel plan was correct...
Byaku-nii knew it would be the only solution if both Ichi-nee and Rukia-nee came to die.
Soutaicho's keys, Byaku-nii's gift, Renji's last order, Grimmjow's sacrifice, Urahara's letter...
That second epiphany put some of her friends and colleagues' gestures into a whole new perspective. How many of them knew? Why choosing to put their faith in her, of all people?
Karin felt dizzy... And standing in front of the one who had died in her arms didn't help with her inner turmoil.
It was another macabre reminder of her sins, but the main difference lied in the fact the Byaku-nii standing in front of her wasn't Giselle's doing.
Karin shuddered. She didn't want to think about that apathetic psychopath now.
"I'm so..." Karin stopped herself. She hated how unsteady her voice became. "See you in five hours at the Sokyoku Hill," she hastily said before using shunpo.
If Karin wouldn't have left so hastily, she might would have recognized the far-off familiar glimmering in Kuchiki Byakuya's eyes. The glimmering Byakuya, and the ones around him, thought he had lost after his beloved's passing.
Sometimes, death was quicker than falling asleep. Other times, it was a slow and poisonous torture that could only be noticed once it was too late.
Gin perfectly knew he could die at any moment. After all, he was a soldier. Moreover, he was one of Gotei 13's Taichos…
Gin knew what death looked like.
Death looked like Aizen Sosuke. And he was about to face it today.
Gin and he had just arrived in Central 46 after having observed the young Kurosaki's fight against Sixth Division Taicho through one of their spy cameras from the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. A thrilling fight that proved Gin had been right to find that kid creepy.
"Gin, have you found Hinamori-kun?" Aizen asked in a smooth voice.
Gin not so innocently tilted his head and asked with an ounce of sarcasm, "Oya... Worried 'bout Hinamori-chan, Aizen-Taicho?"
Gin had used his own reiatsu concealing cloak to hide Hinamori-chan's presence. It was similar to Karin-chan's cloak except kido spells had been added to make the one wearing it invisible… Quite practical on the few killing sprees Aizen and he committed over the past few decades, Gin must say.
"I made the girl so dependant that she can't live without me. Getting her killed by either Hitsugaya-kun or your Fukutaicho was a favor I willing to do but it seems I will have to do it myself," Aizen explained.
Bullshit.
That anwer made no sense and they both knew killing the girl wouldn't serve to their... his purpose. Yes, Aizen's purpose only.
And that reply wasn't even a 'no' or a 'yes'.
Did a small part of Aizen somehow... care about her? If so, it must be buried very, very deep inside him. But Gin doubted Aizen was even capable of caring about someone else.
"Chibi-chan thinks I kidnapped her." And he wasn't exactly wrong, Gin noted to himself with amusement. Gin started hearing noises from afar. The plan was about to start. "Ah! Looks like Chibi-chan and his Fukutaicho just broke in. I'm goin' to welcome 'em."
"Very well."
Just as initially planned, Izuru lured Rangiku to fight somewhere else while Chibi-chan would come there alone.
It was risky given how reckless the kid could get but Gin counted on the fact the Fourth Division Taicho would come in time not to have Chibi-chan bleeding to death. Or at least heal him in time.
Not that Gin cared that much about him but he knew Karin-chan did. And Rangiku as well.
"Welcome, Chibi-chan. Follow me," he greeted Chibi-chan with his signature grin.
"What the hell is going on, Ichimaru? And where is Hinamori?"
At least Chibi-chan played his part well. He might have a chance to survive. "Follow me if ya wanna know." Gin started walking, his heartbeat slightly increasing despite his attempt to keep it even.
Karin-chan did warn Gin but even without that, he wouldn't have tried anything against Aizen.
At least not now.
It was decided that Gin would reveal his betrayal at the very last moment on the Sokyoku Hill, once Rukia-chan would appear there but you never knew with Aizen.
Given Karin-chan's words, Gin had been rightfully paranoid over the past decades so considering the possibility that Aizen might already knew his intention wasn't so far-fetched.
"This is... the Seijoutou-kyorin, the residential district for Central 46 members. Why did you bring me there, Ichimaru?" Chibi-chan said, looking on the verge of fighting him. Again.
"Have you ever been there, Chibi-chan?" he rhetorically asked.
"You know there's no way it could happen, I'm not part of Central 46. Now stop asking me stupid questions and tell me where the hell Hinamori is!" Chibi-chan yelled, his voice echoing around them.
"There's somebody who wanna meet you..." he continued, his back still turned on him. "Go on. Look behind you."
"Behind... me?"
"Hitsugaya-kun..." a voice said.
Chibi-chan's eyes widened. "Hinamori?"
A sardonic grin made its way on Gin's face. He knew it.
That bastard really wouldn't reveal himself immediately to kill Chibi-chan and created an illusion instead. And said illusion took the appearance of the one who affected Chibi-chan the most: Hinamori-chan.
"Hinamori! Is that really you? Where have you been, we've been looking for days!"
It was a good thing Gin predicted Aizen would do that and warned Chibi-chan too. Even if the kid knew where Hinamori-chan really was, that illusion was very convincing.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Hitsugaya-kun." The fake Hinamori-chan started to come closer and put her head on Chibi-chan's shoulder, generously weeping on his haori. Chibi-chan's body visibly tensed, although he didn't say a word.
"Hina–"
But the illusion stopped her move at the sight of the Fourth Division Taicho and her tall Fukutaicho. Gin almost sighed in relief.
It wasn't that he would have enjoyed seeing Chibi-chan get stabbed but he wouldn't have stopped it either, despite knowing the complications it could lead to, since Gin decided to stay in Soul Society.
But as for now, Gin liked not being completely dead, thank you very much.
"I thought you would be there... Aizen-Taicho," the Fourth Division Taicho said, her voice almost contrite. Did she realize the true monster Aizen was beneath that gentle smile and kind manners? It wouldn't be surprising, given her own true nature. "I should not call you 'Taicho' anymore, should I? Treacherous reprobate Aizen Sosuke."
Despite the sadistic smile plastered on his face, Gin felt in tinge of irritation to see Aizen still unfazed, and even with a smile that could mistaken for a peaceful one.
Gin wondered if he could make his former Taicho be visibly shocked or aghast. According to Karin-chan, Gin had managed to do that, at the cost of his own life.
"Hello, Unohana-Taicho," Aizen politely greeted her.
"You deceived us all!" Chibi-chan yelled with ire. He seemed genuinely surprised to see with his own eyes that what Karin-chan said was true.
"It wasn't my intention to deceive you. It's just that... out of everyone, there wasn't a single person who could see my true face," Aizen cooly explained.
Except he was wrong. Gin did. He saw Aizen's true face from the start.
He would have say a word to Karin-chan about that detail. Perhaps Gin underestimate his own role. Perhaps Aizen wasn't as much in control as he seemed to be.
"I was thinking, if somebody were to come, it would be now. Was it easy to figure out that I would be here?" Aizen asked.
"In Seireitei, there is only one place... where entry is absolutely forbidden under any circumstance, and that is here," the Fourth Division Taicho replied with a slight edge on her voice. It was nothing, but it was still there. And it made Gin shiver. "It is the ideal place for someone who has gone as far as to fake his own death with such an elaborate corpse doll," she finished.
He remembered Aizen's instructions not to engage a fight with her in any way. Of course, Gin did his little investigation and found out about her in the restricted section of Soul Society.
The worst criminal to have ever existed… At least, until Aizen Sosuke.
"As a Gotei Taicho, it is my duty to arrest you. Surrender or I shall engage a fight against you."
Karin-chan was even more clever than Gin thought... It had to be her who warned Fourth Division Taicho about Aizen's dangerosity, since the current Unohana Retsu from Gotei 13 was known for not engaging a fight and focusing on healing instead.
It had to be Karin-chan's instructions becauseTHE Unohana Retsu was now holding her zanpakuto in her hand, ready to unsheathe it.
"As expected of you, Unohana-taicho," Aizen praised her."Close. Your insight was good but you made two mistakes. First of all, I didn't come here to hide. And second..."Aizen made appear another illusion in addition of Hinamori-chan, with a smug smile on his face. "This is not a 'corpse doll'."
Despite knowing Aizen was holding his zanpakuto in his hand, Gin saw a fake corpse as the rest of the ones in the oom.
The Fourth Division Fukutaicho gasped. "When did he–"
"When? I've been holding it the whole time. But… I was just letting you see it until now."
"W–what?"
"You'll understand soon enough. Watch carefully, I'll release it now… Shatter, Kyokasuigetsu."
Gin watched with morbid fascination Aizen's zanpakuto go back to its original form, as he let it fall on the ground.
"This is my zanpakuto, Kyokasuigetsu. It possesses the power of complete hypnosis."
"Complete... hypnosis? But Kyokasuigetsu is supposed to be a flowing-water-type zanpakuto… It distorts the sight with the reflections of running water and mist to confuse the enemy into attacking each other! This is what you told us, Aizen-Taicho!" the Fourth Division Fukutaicho vehemently said, visibly still in denial about Aizen's true nature."You gathered all the Fukutaichos and demonstrated it in front of our own eyes!"
Aizen slowly went down the stairs to head towards them. Gin could see in the corner of his eyes Chibi-chan debating with himself whether to attack or not, at least until the illusion of Hinamori-chan vanished.
"I see," the Fourth Division Taicho finally said after a moment of deafening silence, apart from Aizen's steps."So that was actual the hyposis ritual," she deduced.
Aizen was now standing by his side, looking as calm as ever.
"Correct. Complete hypnosis controls all five senses to the point that it can make the target misinterpret another person's form, shape, mass, feel and smell, to replicate that of an enemy. In other words, it can make a fly appear to be a dragon. And all I need to do to activate it is to show to the enemy Kyokasuigetsu's release. Whoever lays eyes on it, even once, will completely succumb to the hypnosis whenever I release my Kyokasuigetsu."
"Even once..." the Fourth Division Taicho repeated, fully grasping the implications of Aizen's statement.
Another betrayer.
"Yes. Whoever layseyes on it falls under my spell, meaning that those who can't see will not be affected. In other words..."Gin prepared himself for their escape."Tosen Kaname had been my subordinate from the start."
Gin swiftly unrolled the white material from his sleeve, making it twirl around the two of them.
"Before I go, please allow me to compliment you… Because even while being under complete hypnosis, you did a splendid job in being able to notice something odd about my corpse, Unohana-Taicho. Farewell, I doubt we will ever cross paths again..."
"Wait!"
The last thing Gin saw before getting transported to the Sokyoku Hill was Unohana Retsu's blue piercing eyes strangely looking at him only, rather than Aizen.
The both of them arrived merely a few seconds after Tosen with Rukia-chan and Abarai.
"Welcome, Abarai-kun," Aizen greeted him.
Abarai looked in better shape than Gin expected, although the knew the Fukutaicho could do nothing against Aizen. "Aizen-Taicho? It can't be… Ichimaru!"
For the first time in his life, Gin prayed. He prayed Karin-chan would come soon enough. He prayed he could still be alive long enough the mighty fall when he would discover Urahara's Hogyoku got destroyed.
"Leave Kuchiki Rukia here and withdraw."
A/N: I can't believe that between the time where I published the previous chapter and now, we got a worldwide pandemic and TYBW animated announcement.
Quick comment on the title of the chapter itself. The 'perfect plan' is about both Aizen's plan and Karin's (counter)plan. And to this point, both of them seem to have everything happening as they planned. But that was until the very end of the chapter, when both plans are about to clash and you could guess what it means...
I had to skip the Byakuya VS Ichigo fight although it really was my favorite, and rather focus on its emotional meaning and its aftermath, especially concerning the Kurosaki/Kuchiki dynamic (let it be in the past or the future). It will be developed as you can guess gradually.
And yes. One of the Hogyokus got destroyed. And yes, I'll do my best to explore Orihime's powers and character since Kubo wasted the potential.
T: Better late than never for an update? I'm still hanging on even if I took some time but expect some twists in the following chapters!
I would like to thank the people who has favorited or/and is following this story after I published the previous chapter: Nicol Turchini, A Deathless Song, Lightblade23, MadameDee, Engineer of Epicness, Midnight Hikari, nicol99, zhurley, carlsniper1990, UnknownReader189, Hunai, Jana80, btstfn, NamikazeAi-chan, KooraX, haeye, EpicLolipop, Sylosse, Arya the Killer, JumpRanger, Dragonmaster150, Mena Saber, Rysecar, Robyn's, Neji's Imoutou, Vvphat
Once again, thank you for the fav/following! Don't hesitate to post comments, I'll make sure to answer them on next chapter's A/N or through PM :)