Aizen's Kingdom
~Infiltration~

Everything felt like it was going to smoothly. Ichimaru felt that as soon as he got near the place where his niece was being kept, and he felt a tug of dread running through his body, as if something was bound and determined to go wrong. However, the silver haired man didn't want to think along those lines, as he knew letting ones feelings get in the way could be counter productive.

Turned out, Isshin had been able to gather a storm. There were a few people who had never believed that Yourichi and Urahara had killed those particular people. Each had their own reasons for believing what they did, but the numbers had proven to be helpful in the fact that they had been able to get as far as they did, so maybe that was why there was that feeling of easiness.

Of course, the entire Shiba clan had chosen to join in. There was the eldest brother Isshin, not to mention the substitute Soul Reaper. Kaien showed up with his wife, while Kukaku dragged along the idiot of the family. They were followed closely by their two main supporters as they stormed the place, and Kukaku and Kaien had drawn in the giant of the west to hold the gate open for them.

And then there was Unohana and Ukitake, who came back from retirement. One could only guess what their wish had been, and what the captain's who had died had been, but it likely had been some guilt carried about not protecting the young ones. That was always how they had been, their purpose set towards watching the younger generation.

On top of this, Hanataro showed up with his brother and his sister-in-law, not so much for a fighting counter on their regard, but to make sure that all injuries were taken care of. In the long run, things were going smoothly, but they were also going slow. Tomorrow was the deadline, as that would be the day Aizen would marry Hinamori Momo.

As the sun set over the horizon, Gin moved into the room that Soifon had told him Hinamori was in. She wasn't fighting along side them, but willingly gave them information that they needed, staying in the shadows in case she was needed at the last minute. Ichimaru glanced around, then saw Momo sitting on a futon, staring out the window.

"Hinamori?" Ichimaru spoke up, watching the small female as she suddenly looked up at him.

"What do you want?" She asked, her voice monotone.

This caused the man to let out a deep sigh. "I've come to get you out of here."

"Why?" The female looked at him with a blank stare.

Gin moved in a little closer. "Because we are family."

"Family abandoned me. It was my uncle who sold me to Aizen." The girl stated, her eyes remaining blank. "I was an infant when it happened."

Ichimaru held out his hand. "I'm not that uncle. I wouldn't have made that choice."

At that, Momo paused, the her lips pushed together. "Why didn't you stop him then?

"The honest truth is, I was a child at the time. I couldn't do anything about it then, and I've been trying to figure out the best time to move to get you out of here." Gin stated, holding out his hand, hopeful that things would work out. What he said didn't feel like a lie, as he had in the other world been waiting for a time to get at Aizen. The man wasn't one to trifle with.

The small female stood up and walked over to the man, taking his hand. Ichimaru then began to lead her out, hoping full well that things would go all right. However, when he tried to turn a corner, he saw Aizen. What he saw, caused him to step out, making himself and Momo vulnerable. Ichimaru spoke up coldly. "Are you trying to use an illusion on me?"

However, he suddenly felt Hinamori let go of his hand, and then he felt the blade of Toibume going through his stomach. Glancing downward, he blinked a couple of times, before ending up in his inner world for a few seconds. What he saw bothered him greatly, as he felt that all his power was now gone. For, all the pools were empty, meaning in this world he hadn't been able to keep back his emotions.

Shinsou came and shoved him hard. "You've got to get back there. This isn't the time to allow your niece stabbing you in the back as a deterrent from stopping Aizen."

However, Ichimaru couldn't come back easily like his zampaktuo wanted. "What is going to happen to Toshiro and Rangiku if killing Aizen doesn't turn the world back to normal? Truth is, Rangiku was right. I've been over protective of that child, trying to keep him from danger, only for him to end up in danger."

"If you don't go back, what will happen to them?" His zampaktuo hissed.

At that, Ichimaru found himself plummeting back to the world and he was looking Aizen straight in the face, blood dripping down his lip. He then opened up his mouth. "Why?"

"Aizen-sama raised me since I was a baby. It goes without saying who my family is." Hinamori stated, her voice cold.

"No... that's not what I meant." Gin's pale teal eyes went to look at the hostage that Aizen held in his arms, frustration growing, as it turned out that the situation wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. There was always a miscalculation to his plans, and Aizen had of course found it and used it to further his own.

Author's note – Ch21 969: ; Total: 23,529

First off, I wish to thank everyone whose reviewed, as this story has reached over fifty reviews. Second, I could have gone into detail about the plans, but that would have meant a lot of detail, not to mention I felt it would actually take away from the story, rather then add to it. Believe it or not, I am almost finished with this story.