...

It beguiled him... Rankled him to the extreme!

How could he not see it!? How could he have not so much as questioned it!?

The boy had, in the span of moments, utterly angered him more than any other being since he'd himself first woke up in this wretched, cursed world!

How dare he keep eclipsing him... How dare he keep breaking his worldview!

Just as soon as he'd made peace with the idea that there was almost no hope for his world. For his dreams. For his need of existence-

The boy throws another wrench into his plans. Throws another bomb at him that should've been obvious. That should've been noticed by him the very first time he'd ever glimpsed the truth of the Royal Guard!

Yet it was not the boy he was truly angry at- Even if it pissed him off that he could do what he had failed so spectacularly at, and with such ease.

But in the end, it was no fault of his- Well, strictly speaking at any rate. He had after all brought his own... Tainted Grail upon himself, even if it was by absolute stupidity encased in the most ridiculous of conditions, wrapped in the worst scenario to ever go through his own mind.

Yes... Besides that, it wasn't really his fault.

Oetsu Nimaiya on the other hand, the man to have cut up the Soul King. The man who wore his guilt upon his sleeve. The man who never developed further than the peak he'd held for so long.

He had once thought it to be a matter of laziness. That the genius who'd invented Zanpakuto had elected to waste his time, his resources, his life on that fact alone. Not ever wishing to go any further. Not ever wishing to ascend to greater limits.

There was no greater sin for a genius than to dwindle his time and settle for one grand achievement. A deadly sin that filled the Royal Guard's ranks with no end.

One of many sins at that, for each of the Royal Guard, played their own cursed part in it and had their own sins to throw at all their faces.

Gluttony.

Greed.

Sloth.

Pride.

It had perfectly into his world. Into his view. That the greatest of Soul Society's sheep would be the most hampered. Would be the most cursed.

That there was no redemption for their ways.

Even their so-called healer only did so through wrath.

And yet... Yet! The damned sloth had reasons for his actions. For his lifestyle!

Guilt... Of all damned things! Guilt for what he had done. For what he had reaped!

Guilt that prohibited him from excelling further! From making up for his damned actions!

Guilt.

How dare he ridicule him so. Ridicule their realm so!

It wasn't just the fact that he had played a very real hand in their current circumstances... It wasn't the fact that he'd been rewarded for his crimes- It was the guilt he visibly showed that brought him over the edge.

How dare he feel such a human feeling... How dare he prove himself to have a soul.

He was a contradiction that beguiled horrors. That brought about a sense of wrongness in his world!

To feel responsible, and yet make no changes to his life. Make no attempts at redemption- Only to quietly seethe with the secret, known to none but himself...

He was an utter damned coward!

And yet he dares... Dares to think himself better than him!?

Even after the boy's statement, the man had the gall to look peaceful! Utterly ignoring the anger held beside him, by the captain commander- The older man had earned a few more notches of respect out of him for that alone.

Had the gall to look relieved...

And because of him... Because of the coward before him...

He watched it all happen, unable to hamper it. His hold over what had remained of his soul's identity, finally, and utterly, breaking.

He let out a sigh, and let the event take hold.

For there was no use in stopping it.

It should've occurred to him sooner, he supposed. Should've occurred to him the moment that first secret made itself known.

This was the path he would take, even if had no control over it.

Though he abhorred not knowing what was to come...

The sound of a chuckle reverberated through, even as the inner realm collapsed on itself.

The sound, he noted idly, coming from himself.

He wasn't sure what to make of it.

For the first time in his long-lived life, he was truly walking into the unknown.

He had no plans prepared. No backups to fall on.

Hell, he didn't even know what was going to happen in a matter of moments.

And yet... Shockingly.

Disturbingly.

Horrifyingly enough...

He felt a strange, utterly alien, feeling sweeping through him.

A strange, acceptance of sorts.

A feeling that barely showed itself whenever he successfully put another under Kyoka's spell.

Security.

He felt secure.

He felt, almost, protected oddly enough.

He couldn't quite put a word on it- But for the first in his life...

He couldn't help but scoff as the thought made itself truly known to him.

He could depend on someone else.

The pain of his inner realm's collapse relieved itself, a sense of peace taking its place.

The visage of a figure, calmly, showed itself before him.

Kyoka didn't say anything as it stared at him, pure utter emotions in its eyes for the first time since... They'd first met.

Curiosity. Warmth. Acceptance. All looked back at him through those very eyes.

A smile slowly grew on its face, one that felt out of place, that felt wrong, and yet...

He couldn't help but return it.

He wasn't sure what was to come. Wasn't sure what his next step would be. And definitely wasn't arrogant enough to create a plan of his own that was destined to fail.

But worst of all, he wasn't sure of what would become of... Kyoka.

Since the boy's entrance into this world, he'd found himself spending rather more time than he'd ever expected with his spirit. And once the boy had broken Huaco Mundo and lost access to Kyoka's abilities, the time he had spent with the spirit had turned... Social of all things.

Which was why he reasoned to himself, he should... Should...

He closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath, before reopening them.

He reached a hand out to Kyoka's shoulder, surprising the spirit.

Locking eyes with his oldest... Friend. He supposed.

He genuinely thanked them, for all they'd done for him.

Kyoka stared at him, its mouth opening the slightest bit-

"Idiot."

Was all it settled on saying, as it shook its head, even if the smile on its face didn't waver.

A small part of him, somewhat, agreed with that response.

Mostly because, the moment his inner realm finally collapsed, it quickly rebuilt itself right back up.

Only this time... Well.

"...Okay my backstory aside, what the fuck just happened?" Oetsu Nimaiya questioned him, having jumped back up from his seat, just as the Captain Commander did.

He blinked a few times as he found himself back in control of his own body.

Looking around owlishly for a moment, his gaze landed on the boy that had split off to the side- A strange shimmer clouding his appearance.

"Dude... Did you just materialize your fucking Zanpakuto!?" Oetsu Nimaiya questioned, utterly baffled as he stared between him and the clouded being beside him. "How the hell-"

It took him another second before he finally finished processing his predicament, just as the boy slowly got up to his feet, looked all around him, and started outright cackling before he charged at Nimaiya's form, for a no doubt stupid reason-

"Gimme, gimme, gimme!"

It took him a second further before he realized the boy had absolutely no control over the primordial reiatsu he'd absorbed before- The energy now radiating out of him.

What did take him somewhat by surprise, was the utterly confused expression on the commander's face- Yamamoto for some odd reason, constantly switched gazes between him and the hole the stupid idiot had left in the building via bleeding Nimaiya.

"Captain Aizen..." The man started for a moment before frowning at him. "I take it... This was part of your plan?" The man idly stroked his beard, a strange glint feeling his eyes as he calmly took a few more steps towards the hole in the wall, the sight of a Nimaiya being flung into the sky momentarily filling his view. "I must say I would prefer some notice in the future..."

Idly raising himself up to his feet, he calmly dusted himself off and walked up to the Captain Commander.

"...Apologies for that-" The man promptly turned a pointed look his way, his eyebrows arching upwards-

Oh, soul king have mercy... Was all he could think the moment it occurred to him why.

He coughed into a hand, adopting a cheery persona, that went against his very being.

"Wouldn't have wanted him to realize." He barely managed to force the wink out of his eyes.

Oh gods... He was... He was going to...

Oh soul king, hell was already here wasn't it?

He had to act like a fool! He had to pretend to be that idiot!

This was going to be a freakin' nightmare-

Kyoka's laughter ringing through his bond with the spirit didn't help at all.

Mostly because his other bond was tied to the boy currently using Nimaiya's face as a makeshift hammer- The word, 'gimme,' constantly resounding through it, louder and louder with each second that passed.

"So... This was part of your plan, yes?" The old man reiterated. Somewhat less convinced than before.

Nimaiya's body promptly crashed through the roof of the building they were in, landing squarely in the center of the room, just as the boy's form crashed into it, digging himself and the other underground.

He, as well as the old man, had instinctively raised themselves a few inches off the ground as they turned to stare at the hole.

"...Yup." He deadpanned. "Trust me..." He added on, barely holding in the urge to let out a sigh. "Just according to kei-fucking-aku..."

The older man at his, slip, mistranslation, and utter wrecking of the word, to his own growing headache, let out a relieved sigh!

"Very well then." He remarked. "I must say, however, given it is not said enough... it is absolutely remarkable that you've managed to stay so positive in light of everything you've gone through." The older man stated seriously, turning an eye towards him.

What was his life right now..?

"Truly, Aizen Sosuke, you are a credit to the Gotei Thirteen,"

And, from everything he'd learned of the boy's character- From every nightmare-inducing study into him, there really was only one response to that.

"Cool." He deadpanned, and absolutely hated himself for it.

...

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