Renji, Joel, Ichigo and Layne had all been utterly defeated, without even laying a scratch on Aizen and his compatriots, and Aizen was moving towards Rukia
"Stand Up, Rukia Kuchiki"
Aizen stood next to Rukia, who couldn't move at all "Oh, I see, your entire body became limp because of my reiatsu, no matter"
Aizen reached down and picked her up by the collar, hearing a small rustling that attracted his attention
Ichigo was still conscious, barely breathing and he glared at Aizen hatefully
"How pitiful" Aizen commented "You must really hate the fact that your strength doesn't match your vitality, but you should just lie there until you die, this mission has no further need of you"
"Mission?" Ichigo choked out
"Bullshit" Layne said, forcing himself up with colossal effort and summoning Oblivion to himself, seeing as he had to left hand to hold Oathkeeper in "We came here because we wanted to, not because we had some sick bastard pulling our strings"
"You, are tiresome, Kaname"
"Benihiko"
A multitude of blades appeared from Tousen's zanpakuto and headed directly towards Layne, who mananged to knock aside all the ones headed towards his face, but with no left arm he couldn't stop about thirteen of them from impaling his stomach and chest
Layne coughed up some more blood and went down again
"As I was saying" Aizen continued, placing his attention back on Ichigo
"Your invasion of Seireitei was truly amazing, thanks to you, even when a captain was murdered there was no investigation and it didn't actually seem like a big deal in comparison, thanks to you, it was really easy to make our moves"
"How…did you know we'd even come?"
"Gin"
Ichimaru appeared next to Layne, and sliced off his hollowfied right hand, tossing it to Aizen
Aizen dropped what looked like a few bone spurs onto the ground, "Surveillance, it would be amiss for me to not monitor one of my creations, but even without that, I would of known, Kisuke Urahara sent you to retrieve Rukia Kuchiki, didn't he?"
"What the hell?"
"I see, so you don't know, Very well then"
Aizen strode towards Ichigo, dragging Rukia with him
"Do you know about the four basic Shinigami arts? They are Zanjutsu, Hakuda, Hoho, and Kido, all of them are similar in the fact that they all have a limit, no matter how much natural talent you have, once you hit the limit there is no further growth, and when you have hit the limit of all four, there can be no more growth as a Shinigami…unless, you create a Shinigami-Hollow hybrid"
Ichigo's eyes widened in shock, Hybrid?
"It's a concept that has existed in theory for some time, Hollow—Shinigami, Shinigami—Hollow, if you combine the two you create a new limit, I myself focused on Shinigami—Hollow, and was successful in creating Hollows that could hide their spiritual pressure, Hollows that could make a Zanpakuto disappear and fuse with a Shinigami"
Rukia gasped involuntarily as she remembered her encounter with Metastacia, who had fused with Kaien, forcing her to kill him
"But they were all complete failures" Aizen continued "Not worthy of being called breakthroughs, until Kisuke Urahara created the Hogyoku, a substance which can instantly dissolve the barriers between Shinigami and Hollow, but he got afraid of his own creation and attempted to hide it, by putting barriers around it and hiding it in the depths of someone's soul…that soul was yours, Rukia Kuchiki, he wasn't trying to help you, he was trying to make you human so he could hide the Hogyoku forever"
Rukia looked like she was about to ask a question, but a large reiatsu washed over them and Captain Komamura jumped down behind Aizen and shouted "AIZEN!", swinging his zanpakuto down
Aizen just lifted a hand and blocked it effortlessly
"What a surprise, I haven't seen that face for a while, Komamura-kun" he said with a small chuckle
"How…can you still laugh? Aizen!" Komamura growled as a giant fist punched the ground, seemingly from his Shikai
"For your lies! And betrayal of us all, I shall crush you, Ban…"
Komamura stopped speaking as he suddenly noticed Aizen standing right in front of him "Impossible, he was standing over there"
"Hado number 90, Kurohitsugi" Aizen intoned, forming a black cube of kido which enveloped Komamura
"No way" Ichigo thought as he watched the kido dissipate and Komamura emerge and collapse, wounded all over "Even the other captains can't do a thing"
"How terrifying" Ichimaru commented, not sounding terrified at all "When did you became able to skip the incantation for a spell at level 90?"
"The spell didn't even reach a third of its full capacity" Aizen replied, and then turned to look at Rukia again "My apologies, now where was I?"
Aizen thought to himself for a second "Ahh yes, to ensure your capture, I sent the 6th division, to prevent you from becoming human, I ordered the immediate destruction of your Gigai, and to ensure your execution, I decided to use the Sokyoku"
Aizen reached inside his shihakusho and pulled out a small white vial
"I wasn't expecting your group to come so far and actually cause the execution to fail, but I knew it was a possibility so I kept an alternate method on hand"
Aizen lifted Rukia up by the collar and crushed the vial in his hand, causing its contents to wrap themselves around his hand
Aizen stuck his hand directly into Rukia's chest, impaling her and withdrawing a small glass orb
"It's rather small isn't it," He commented, dropping Rukia to the ground, the hole on her chest sealing up
"Oho, so the recipient is unharmed, what an extraordinary technique" Aizen said, picking up Rukia by the collar again "Unfortunately, I have no further use for you, Kill her, Gin"
Ichimaru took one step forwards and thrusted his zanpakuto at Rukia "Shoot to Kill, Shinso"
Shinso's blade extended, aimed directly for Rukia's heart, but passed through harmlessly, as Byakuya jumped up, removed Rukia from Aizen's grip and took the blade into himself
Aizen raised an eyebrow, as Byakuya collapsed and Rukia called his name
Suddenly a zanpakuto was pressed against his neck, and he felt the poke of hidden blades in his stomach, as Yoruichi and Soifon grabbed him
"Don't move" Yoruichi commanded,
"If you move even one muscle, you'll lose your head" Soifon added
"Very well then"
Three giants, each the size of the Sokyoku hill all jumped from nowhere and landed next to it, causing the earth to shake
"The three gate guardians!" Yoruichi shouted,
Another giant figure jumped down, halting the original three
"YO! Yoruichi!" a small figure shouted, on the giant ones shoulder "I got bored, so I decided to take a walk"
"Kuukaku!" Yoruichi exclaimed in relief
"Let's do it Jidanbo, Sprinkled on the bones of the beast, pointing tower, red crystal, steel cartwheels, move and make wind, stop and make calm, The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle, HADO. NO. 63! Raikouho!"
Kuukaku shot her spell directly at one of the gatekeepers and blasted him away, and the other two didn't even blink
"So scary" Ichimaru commented waving a hand back "Whatever should I do"
His hand was suddenly grabbed, and a zanpakuto was placed against his throat
"Don't move please" Matsumoto asked
"Sorry Captain Aizen" Ichimaru apologized, "She got me"
"This is the end Aizen" Soifon snarled
"What did you say?"
Jed and Anita had gotten up and released their zanpakuto, holding an unconscious Kieran between the two them
"What should we do, Aizen-san?" Anita asked
"Stand there and accept your punishment" Captain-commander Yamamoto growled, paralyzing them with his reiatsu
"Don't you feel it Aizen? You've been completely surrounded" Yoruichi said smugly
Ichigo looked around, seeing Kyoraku, Ukitake, the fat lieutenant and the old lieutenant that Layne had beaten up before, as well 3 other lieutenants he hadn't seen before
Aizen merely smiled
"What is there to smile about?" Yoruichi asked, a little frustrated by this bastard
"I'm sorry, but it's time"
Yoruichi shot a glance up at the Sky, and what she saw horrified her
"Get away Soifon!"
Yoruichi and Soifon jumped back, just in time to avoid the golden beam that shot down and encased Aizen
A clawed hand tore through the sky, generating the beam and opening the way for more clawed hands to poke through
"Menos Grande" Ukitake whispered, looking at the sky in horror
Three more beams shot through the sky, encompassing Jed, Kieran, Anita, Ichimaru and Tousen
Hisagi and Rangiku barely had enough time to jump back before the beams got them too
The ground, weakened by constant impacts and Joel's earth moves, tore away in the beam and started floating upwards
"Trying to run away" The fat lieutenant snarled, moving to attack the beam
"Stop!" Yamamoto ordered "That beam is called Negacion, Menos use it to rescue their comrades, once the light has been cast, the fight is over, Aizen, is out of our reach"
Komamura suddenly sat up, took a moment to get his bearings and slammed a fist into the ground
"TOUSEN!, Get down here!" He shouted, the rage in his voice nowhere near mirroring the rage colouring his reiasu
"WHERE IS YOUR JUSTICE NOW TOUSEN!"
"I explained to you Komamura" Tousen called back down, still rising higher "The paths I see with these eyes are the only ones not covered in blood, therefore any path I choose will be justice"
"To sink all the way to allying with Menos" Ukitake said with contempt "What is your goal Aizen?"
"To go higher" Aizen replied simply
"Have you fallen so far in the process?"
It was at this moment that Moll, Orihime and the others reached the top of the hill and watched the scene ahead,
"You are too arrogant Ukitake, No one stands on top of the sky, not you, not me, not even the gods, but the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky is over, from now on, I will be sitting on it"
As he said this, he took of his glasses, crushed them, and let the fragments scatter, and he swept a hand through his hair, completely changing the style
"Farewell, Shinigami," He said, looking at each of them in turn "And farewell, young Drifters" he added, looking at Ichigo and Layne, who stared back, unable to move "For humans, you were interesting"
Unohana swooped in on Minazuki and was greeted warmly by Ukitake, who was incredibly relieved to see her
Her fourth division minions were scurrying around, being generally supervised by Ukitake, as Isane was finishing up on Hitsugaya and Hinamori, and Iemura was assisting her
"Progress report, Captain Ukitake?" Unohana asked calmly
"Lieutenants Abarai, and Bluzer have been removed to the hospital, Captain Komamura wandered off a while ago, refusing treatment"
Unohana frowned at that, it meant that she'd have to track him down and scare him into going to the hospital
"Does anyone still need help?"
"Those two Ryoka, and Captain Kuchiki"
Unohana took a look at Ichigo and Layne, under Orihime's Soten Kesshun, surrounded by Chad, Uryuu and Moll, and instantly saw that she would be of no use over there, so went to help Byakuya
"Layne" Ichigo spoke up
"Hmm?"
"Why did Aizen call you his creation?"
"I have no earthly idea" Layne replied, "But if he's responsible for that thing inside me that tried to take over in my fight with Kieran, I'll take extra pleasure out of kicking his ass"
Layne went on to explain the circumstances of how he and Moll had arrived in Karakura town, but Ichigo wasn't listening as he absorbed Layne's first statement with shock, "I hadn't been planning on telling anyone about that, but he just spat it right out"
Ichigo explained about his inner hollow experience and Layne nodded in complete understanding, "So let me get this straight, that thing, was like one of this bigass things in the sky except inside us?"
Ichigo nodded, and Layne cursed
"Fuck it, it doesn't matter anyway"
Layne came to terms with it so quickly that Ichigo was forced to blink
"You're ok with that?" Ichigo didn't want to look weak by admitting he was afraid, and he thought Layne might be doing the same thing
"Man… I'm scared as hell, but I'm not going to lose to some stupid thing like some soul-eating monster that exists inside me and is attempting to take over my body"
The way Layne said it, not sarcastically, but completely devoid of emotion, convinced Ichigo that he wasn't lying
They were silent for a bit longer and then Ichigo spoke up again
"…I'm sorry I dragged you here to save some random you don't know"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"You got totally screwed up a couple of times, and I'm pretty sure you don't even know Rukia"
"And…you're apologizing why?"
"…"
"Look Ichigo, I would of come anyway, I had my own reason to be here, and as for the getting hurt part? I decided I would help you achieve your goal, and it would be ok if I died trying"
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard"
"So is you trying to take all the pain for yourself" Layne replied flatly
"We've been fighting together for something like the last five days, so believe me when I say this, Ichigo, You need to trust in your friends more, you can't just go around and defend everyone, or keep them out of harm's way because people like Chad, Uryuu and Orihime will go to the ends of the earth with you, standing at your side… and so will I, because we trust you"
Ichigo was silent as he absorbed that
"Oi dude" Layne added as an afterthought "Thanks for saving my ass"
Layne extended his hand and Ichigo grasped it tightly, a gesture of camaraderie and friendship forged in fire
"You can start relying on your friends, by relying on me; I'm strong enough to take it"
They let go of each other's hands and returned to staring at the sky in partial silence, only partial because Layne fell asleep and started snoring
Ichigo lay staring face up at the ceiling of the fourth division's hospital complex, still listening to Layne's snoring
Orihime had run out of energy after somehow regrowing Layne's right hand and so the rest of their wounds, not to mention Moll's had to be treated by the fourth division
The ride here hadn't been particularly comfortable, stuck in the gut of some manta ray zanpakuto, but the saliva accelerated the healing, or so Unohana had claimed
"That was possibly the best sleep I've ever had" Layne commented, stretching as he and Ichigo walked along the streets of Seireitei
Ichigo facepalmed, Layne had been asleep from when he passed out under Orihime's Soten Kesshun, through the ride to the 4th in the stomach of Unohana's zanpakuto, being examined, checked, healed and otherwise poked and prodded, he had slept for a solid 36 hours, which was how long it took the wounds to seal so they didn't need to wear bandages any more. He actually would have slept longer until Ichigo and Isane, tired of his constant snoring, poked him out of bed with both of his zanpakuto
"So…where are we supposed to go now" Ichigo asked Layne, who was still preoccupied with stretching
Layne concentrated, sensing out every unique reiatsu signature of people he had met till now, quite a few were behind him, like Renji, Byakuya, Unohana and Isane, but he could sense Joel and Ukitake in the same room, presumably doing paperwork, and everyone else was spread all through Seireitei doing their own thing
"Damn, it's going to be tough to track everyone down" Ichigo muttered
Layne raised an eyebrow at that "Does it really matter right now? There's that party tonight that they invited us to for some reason, so we'll see everyone there…and the gate home won't be ready for a couple of days anyway"
Ichigo looked at Layne weirdly, he had just spouted some facts that Ichigo was sure he'd been sleeping through
"Were you really asleep?" he asked, completely deadpan
"Let's put it this way Ichigo" Layne chuckled "Absorbing information, is by no means the weirdest thing I've done while asleep"
And with that line he walked off, looking for something to pass the time to the party that night
He decided to try and track down Yoruichi, to show her that he was now fully recovered, she'd been in a couple of times to visit him and Ichigo, naturally being worried about her protégés, but Layne had been asleep for those visits, and he was sure she'd be happy to see that he was up and around
The Seireitei was quite a beautiful place Layne noticed, finally having a chance to take in the sights around him slowly as he wasn't busy being pursued by mobs of angry Shinigami, the architecture was very interesting and there were plenty of cool buildings to check out
He stopped by a sign denoting that he was heading into the barracks for the second division
Perfect, this is probably where Yoruichi is
The sounds of fighting reached his ears and he hurried up the stairs, but didn't take the front entrance, electing to flashstep up a couple of ledges and onto one of the roofs surrounding the central courtyard of the barracks, relaxing as he saw what had been making the noise
In the dead center of the courtyard stood Soifon, taking on what looked to be pretty close to her entire division, several of them already lay on the ground passed out, and Layne sat down… if nothing else this promised to be entertaining
She seemed upset with them, as she was shouting at them all as she kicked the crap out of them, especially one who Layne recognized as the fat one who's zanpakuto he'd shattered with his fist
"And you! You took one hit from a Ryoka and passed out, and you call yourself a member of the Special Forces, you're a disgrace"
She grabbed him by his uniform and tossed him, an impressive feat considering he was all bulk
Layne stifled a giggle, but it wasn't soon enough and Soifon became aware that she was being observed, but finished off the rest of her division, and then told them to hit the showers as she turned to Layne
"You" she said calmly, pointing at Layne "I'm not finished yet, and you just volunteered to be my sparring partner"
Layne's eyes widened in surprise "No, no… I'm just looking for Yoruichi, I just got out of the hospital, and I'm definitely not up for a fight"
Soifon smirked at his rapid refusal "I wasn't giving you a choice"
She flashstepped behind him and kicked him down into the courtyard, before flashstepping back to her original position, her smirk glued to her face as she watched him pick himself up and brush some dust off his arms
"What happened to the bravado you displayed on the Sokyoku Hill, perhaps your true colours are those of cowards?"
Layne was silent, refusing to be baited into attacking her recklessly, but he discarded his zanpakuto and tilted his head from side to side
Soifon attempted to flashstep behind him but she wasn't yet moving faster than he could track and he grabbed her arm and flung her away
"Excellent!" She praised him, excited for the first time today that someone hadn't been taken out by her in one hit "If you can knock me down once, I'll tell you were Yoruichi-sama has gone!"
"Suits me" Layne said calmly, before disappearing from her sightline
So fast!
Her instincts warned her which way he was coming from and she blocked his punch, retaliating with a snap kick aimed at his face that he ducked under, before trying to sweep her legs out from under her, which she jumped over
They both kept up the offense and defense, Soifon inwardly surprised at the level she was forced to fight at to keep up with him; she had certainly underestimated him at first.
They sprang apart, panting heavily before Layne seemed to speed up, catching Soifon off guard, and delivering a heavy blow to her chest, knocking her flat on her ass
Layne relaxed, he'd knocked her down and now she would tell him where Yoruichi was, the sparring session was over
Layne was wrong, faster than he could track Soifon had gotten up and tackled him to the ground, revealing her zanpakuto, which was already in Shikai and traced it lightly across his ear, clinking as it touched his earrings
"Don't think for a second that a fight is over unless you have executed your opponent… I saw the aftermath of your fights Ryoka" She said calmly, still threateningly running Suzemebachi around his face and chest "You neglected to kill all of your opponents, that's an attitude that will get you killed"
"I won't kill anyone; I'm not going to sink to his level, no matter what"
"Soifon" Yoruichi said calmly "I see you two are getting along well"
Soifon leapt off of him and bowed to Yoruichi "Yoruichi-sama, we were just sparring"
Layne got to his feet and rubbed his neck, thankful that Yoruichi had saved him from having to fight anymore
"Why don't you two go for another round? I'll watch and give some pointers" Yoruichi suggested with a sly smile
Layne flashstepped off before she finished her sentence and Yoruichi laughed and turned to Soifon
"So, Soifon, what do you think of my newest Student?" she asked crossing her arms as she watched Layne running off into the distance
Soifon narrowed her eyes as she considered
"Insolent, Disobedient… You should warn him Yoruichi-sama, if he's not careful I'll make him my lieutenant, and pound some respect into him"
Layne paused to look behind him, not sure if Soifon was actually in pursuit of him or not, then caught sight of Ichigo running the other direction, pursued by Kenpachi
"Oh fuck"
Layne turned tail and started running as Ichigo ran past him
"Wait Ichigo, don't leave me here!"
Breathing heavily, Layne knelt down and attempted to catch his breath, he'd lost track of Ichigo and Kenpachi by flashstepping away and was now almost completely lost and exhausted
I need a fucking nap
He heard the sounds of light snoring nearby and investigated, popping his head over to see a small pond, and Captain Kyoraku napping in the shade of a tree next to it
The area looked rather peaceful and Layne decided that Kyoraku was one of the smartest individuals he'd ever encountered and clambered over the wall, dropping down on the other side, when Nanao appeared, clearly looking for her Captain, who hidden out of sight by the tree he was snoozing behind
"Trell-san, have you seen Captain Kyoraku, there's a mountain of paperwork to complete from all the injuries and damage to the Seireitei and he's snuck off somewhere"
Layne thought that doing a mountain of paperwork sounded like the worst possible way to spend a lazy afternoon, and decided to lie through his teeth
"I haven't seen Captain Kyoraku since the Sokyoku Hill"
Nanao frowned, clearly exasperated and done with her Captain's antics, and left Layne alone
"I owe you one Trell-san" Kyoraku said, his voice slightly muffled under his hat, clearly not asleep, just dozing
Layne found a perfect shady spot over by a different tree and settled in to rest
"Don't mention it"
A couple of days later, after the party, Ichigo was once again running away from Kenpachi, and Layne was at the thirteenth division headquarters, talking to Joel and Ukitake
Joel spat out his drink when he heard the news of Layne's bout with Soifon and the aftermath
"No joke, she offered you a place in her division?!"
Both Layne and Ukitake nodded
"Great, this means you can stay here in the Seireitei"
Ukitake started shaking his head and Layne sighed
"Joel, I turned it down"
"Wut?"
"That woman terrifies me, she just wants to beat the hell out of me, over and over and over again, and man, I'm just not about that life"
Joel shook his head, it was just like Layne to blow something minor like that out of proportion, he just didn't want to have assigned duties
"So you're declining out of pure laziness?"
"Hell Yes"
Joel sighed and turned to Ukitake "Captain, I have to inform you that I'm quitting then"
"What? Why?" Layne burst out
Joel looked confused
"So I can go back with you?"
"Hell no, you're staying right here" Layne said stubbornly
"What?"
"Listen you idiot, you were ready to kill me because of your sense of duty to this place. I'm not letting you abandon it because of me"
"Layne…"
"Don't say anything sappy, if I let you leave that Nemu chick would probably tear me a new one, and it's not like we aren't going to see each other ever again, there's still those brothers of ours and Aizen out there somewhere"
Without waiting for Joel's reply Layne turned and walked out into the office antechamber where Ichigo and the others were waiting
"Idiot" Joel muttered, and then smiled at Ukitake, "Don't mind me, erase anything I might have said about quitting from your memory… "
Ukitake smiled back and nodded "Do you want to go see them off? The twelfth division has finished the Senkei Gate"
"Let's get going then"
The group walked along the streets of Seireitei, heading towards the 12th personal Senkei gate, which had been modified so it would reverse the effect that Urahara's Senkei gate had on Chad, Uryuu and Orihime
As they walked, Yoruichi caught up to them in cat form, decided that walking was too much trouble and attached herself to Layne's shoulder, Moll also joined them and pulled Layne a little apart from the group to talk to him
"Layne, I've decided to stay"
"That sounds cool…wait what?"
I'm going to stay here in Soul Society" she repeated "Nanao is a kido master, and she's agreed to train me, and Unohana says there's a position opening up in her squad that would suit my abilities, if I agree to become her student in zanjutsu and healing kido"
Layne had a pretty good idea which position would be opening up, That creepy dude that she used to have as her third seat, had asked Layne to pretty much decimate the eleventh division to stop them rioting in the fourth division and Unohana had caught him… she hadn't punished him however, because she felt that Kenpachi wanting to fight Layne had been enough of a punishment
"Cool," Layne repeated, hiding the disappointment he felt
They reached the twelfth division and entered, avoiding Kurotsuchi's freaky subordinates went to the back compound of the division, where the Senkei gate was waiting for them
All the captains and lieutenants were there waiting, lined up in their formations, with Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia and Hanataro looking like after thoughts at the very end.
Ukitake and Joel took their positions and Moll went and joined the afterthoughts
Ichigo, Layne and the others walked past the assembled Gotei 13, smiling, and accepting all the farewells they got
When they got to Moll and Rukia, they did something very rare for both of them, and glomped both Ichigo and Layne, so the four of them were stuck in two large glomps
"Thank you, both of you" Rukia whispered "For everything"
"Give us a shout if you need us" Layne told them "We'll come running"
"I'm going to miss you two jerks"
Layne sweatdropped at Moll's line as he extricated himself and Ichigo from their grips
Ichigo and the others said their goodbyes and prepared to step through the gate, when Ukitake suddenly remembered something
"Ichigo-kun, Layne-kun" he said quickly
"Ukitake-san?" Ichigo questioned, as he and Layne turned around
Ukitake handed them both a medallion type thing that had a skull inscribed on it, over a cross emblem, Layne's cross was a deep green, and Ichigo's cross was black
"What are these?" Layne asked, confused
"Seals of approval, basically Soul Society has rules for acting Shinigami, and if we feel that those people are beneficial to Soul Society, we give them these, but normal humans won't be able to see them, because it's a reasonably powerful artifact and it can knock souls out of bodies, like Gikongan"
"Thanks, Ukitake-san" Ichigo said, and Layne nodded
They turned back towards the Senkei Gate, and walked through