Chapter 4: A painful decision

Hours after Aizen had announced his intention of succeeding Yamamoto as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13, he had decided to stay inside the Division One barracks. For safety purposes, Soifon ordered three men of her own division to keep tabs on Aizen and his whereabouts.

However, this did not distract from the fact that much commotion had been caused inside Soul Society by Aizen's intention to become Captain-Commander. Many Captains were enraged at this atrocious aspiration. Toshiro had to be confined inside his own division's barracks for raging rapidly. The same happened to Kensei, who had to be calmed down by his Vice-Captain Hisagi. The senior Captains – Ukitake, Kyoraku and Unohana – were surprisingly calm. The other Captains were not present due to injuries, so nothing could be said about them.

And Hinamori? Although she could have opted to stay with Aizen inside the barracks of the first division, she decided to stay in her own division's barracks with her trusted Third Seat and loyal servant Akiyama. Since this incident, everyone but Akiyama was avoiding her. Even her own Captain did not say a word to her. And Hinamori did not want to talk to him. Not after what she had done, even though it was necessary. It was strange. Hinamori was usually such a law-abiding officer, always upholding order within her own division before Shinji was reinstated as Captain of the fifth division. Now, she was ostracised for freeing Aizen, a traitor, thus making her a traitor herself. She betrayed the law.

"Is everything alright, Lieutenant?" asked Akiyama curiously. Hinamori shrugged a little, being caught with her head in the clouds. She gave her Third Seat a brief look and smiled at him.

"No, it's just about.."

"…Captain Aizen, correct?" Akiyama finished. The Vice-Captain of the fifth division nodded, causing the Third Seat to sigh.

"It's so crazy… Captain Aizen and Captain-Commander…" she said, not being sure what to say exactly. Akiyama nodded knowingly. "He knows what he's doing."

"But the odds of achieving this are small.." Hinamori argued. "There is no way the Central 46 will accept a traitor to be the Seiretei's leader."

"Never say never with Captain Aizen, Lieutenant." Akiyama grinned. "If he has this aspiration, he must be sure to be able to achieve it." She looked at her Third Seat in disbelief and nodded slowly. "I think.. You're right." They laughed a little.

Meanwhile, Captain Kyoraku was inside his division's barracks and let Nanao tend to his injuries a little. He was the only Captain with no need to go to Captain Unohana for his injuries; before Nanao became Shunsui's Vice-Captain, she was a member of the fourth division and thus knew a handful of healing techniques. However, her hand was less gentle than Unohana's. By far.

"Ouchhhh…"

"Calm down, Captain Kyoraku." instructed the voice of Nanao, Vice-Captain of the eighth division. She was currently stitching up the eye wound Shunsui had acquired from fighting the old Quincy. And it hurt. A lot. She understood that it hurt, but the moans of pain that came from her Captain were also distracting her from her work.

"Captain, you need to calm down and relax." she instructed once more as Shunsui continued to moan in pain.
"Nanao-chan, can't you be a little more gentle..?" he asked humbly but Nanao pouted scolding as a response. Shunsui whined once more.

After Nanao tended to all of his wounds, Shunsui stood up.

"Captain?" Nanao inquired and looked up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the Division One barracks." came his short reply. Nanao was still clueless. What could her Captain possibly want there? Shunsui put his hand on her head and caressed it gently. Nanao was caught off-guard by this.

"Captain, what are you-"

"Don't worry, Nanao-chan. I will be back soon." he assured her warmly. "Just stay inside the barracks, okay?" Nanao nodded slowly.

With that, Shunsui left.

When Shunsui arrived at the barracks of the first division, it was surprisingly dark and bleak. So much nostalgia was associated with that place. How Yama-jii used to scold him when he flirted with girls or peeked when they were bathing in the hot springs. He used to be lazy, so Yama-jii scolded him even more for that. Shunsui sighed. He had looked up to Yamamoto as a father figure. A father he never had. He and Ukitake were like brothers. Ukitake was the more rational of the two, always being against the pranks, and the flirting and taking photos of naked girls in the hot spring. He was chaste and morally conservative even at such a young age.

"Why did you have to go, Yama-jii?" Shunsui whispered against the cold port of the barracks. "Why did you have to die..?" On the next moment he had already regained his composure and opened the port to enter the Division One barracks. Yama-jii's division.

Much to his dismay, the inside was just as dark as the outside. He shook his head a bit and opened the lights. His vision changed from sadness to anger when he saw a certain traitor sitting on Yamamoto's chair. The person was grinning at him.

"Welcome, Captain Kyoraku." he greeted.

"Aizen."

Said person stood up and walked towards the Captain of the eighth division. He didn't mind the men from Soifon's division just standing there like statues.

"I wasn't expecting to be visited by anyone other than Hinamori-kun or Akiyama-kun." the traitor stated calmly. "I'm delighted to see a new face in my presence."

"Cut it." Shunsui demanded sharply. "Just because you were allowed to stay inside Yama-jii's barracks, it doesn't mean you are free to do as you please." He looked coldly inside Aizen's brown orbs. "You are still a prisoner, don't forget that."

"Did you come to mourn Yamamoto's death?" Aizen asked neutrally. "Perhaps you would like some tea to ease your worn nerves?"

"I said cut it!" Shunsui yelled and clenched his fists. "Don't act like this is your division, Aizen…"

The traitor smirked. "I see. You are referring to my proposal to succeed Yamamoto as Captain-Commander, aren't you?" Shunsui shrugged. Aizen hit the nail in the head. He was extremely good at reading people. He walked a few steps away from Shunsui.

"You see, it caught me off-guard hearing that the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 had been killed." he spoke as he walked. "Even I could not fight him directly head-on."

Shunsui remained suspicious and subconsciously clung onto the hilt of his zanpakuto. However, that didn't seem to faze Aizen the slightest.

"But you also have to realize that he couldn't possibly stand a chance against that man." It was clear that Aizen was referring to Juha Bach even though he did not utter the name.

"Yama-jii had fought him before." Shunsui stated.
"I know. I heard of this fight when I was in the Living World." Wait, Living World? Did that mean that Aizen was-

"I was a human before I came to Soul Society." he stated calmly. "I was spiritually aware since my birth and therefore knew of Soul Society and its leader." That surprised Shunsui. He never expected that Aizen had been a human before and not a soul born in Rukongai.

"But that's not the point. The point is that I understand why Yamamoto lost against him." Aizen quickly switched back to the original topic. "He was outsmarted."

That hit Shunsui. He clenched his fists harder because Aizen's words made sense. Perhaps too much sense. It's as if Juha Bach's fighting style was very familiar with him. That did, however, not answer the question Shunsui had in his mind.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Aizen did not answer. "Because you want to overpower yourself to become Captain-Commander!?" Aizen still did not answer. He smirked.

"The enemy" he initiated after a long time of silence while looking deeply into Shunsui's eye, "too powerful to be fought head-on. You should know this when you face them." He took out a piece of paper and gave it to Shunsui. The Captain of the eighth division recognized the Kanji of his full name: Kyoraku no Jirou Souzousa Shunsui. That was the name that was given to him at his birth. He also recognized the broken seal that the paper was previously sealed with: The seal of the Central 46. This was an official letter. He gave Aizen a quick angry glare because he had opened the letter.

"Read it." the traitor instructed. And Shunsui read the letter, carefully. With every word that he stumbled across, his eyes grew wider and wider. By the time he finished reading, the piece of paper slipped from his fingers like a hot potato.

"Do you understand now why I'm telling you to be cautious of the enemy?" Aizen asked him. It was a rhetorical question; Shunsui knew exactly why Aizen asked. The letter of the Central 46 read as follows: By decree of the Central 46, Kyoraku no Jirou Souzousa Shunsui is nominated to become the Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the first division.

"Are you ready to lead not only the Seiretei, but all three worlds into a war that could possibly destroy everyone and leave no one alive?" Aizen once more asked firmly. Shunsui did not reply. Instead, he turned away from Aizen.

"I will have to. It's my obligation." he replied briefly.

"You know nothing about the enemy." Aizen argued.

"I'm willing to learn."
"There is no time." the traitor interjected. "You are without a doubt one of the strongest Captains of the Gotei 13. However, you still are significantly weaker than Yamamoto."

"So are you." Shunsui shot back. "You said it yourself: You weren't able to fight him head-on."

"Because I engineered Wonderweiss for this purpose? That alone makes you think I'm weaker than him?" It was clear that Aizen was mocking Shunsui. "Is this how you want to achieve victory against the Vandenreich?" Shunsui became angry at each word Aizen uttered.

"Captain Kyoraku.. you need knowledge on how to fight them before you can think of defeating them." The way Aizen spoke this was a scolding manner. It's a manner Yamamoto used when he scolded Shunsui. He lost it. Promptly he drew his Zanpakuto and attempted to slash Aizen with it that dodged it effortlessly. Instead, he appeared behind Shunsui.

"A Captain-Commander must always keep his composure. Right now you failed the first test." He touched Shunsui's shoulder and instructed him to withdraw his Zanpakuto. "You are not ready. You are still mourning the loss of your master." Shunsui held his breath. Even without Kyouka Suigetsu, Aizen was still a force to be reckoned with. And once again, Aizen had hit the nail in the head. Both Shunsui and Aizen remained like this for a while.

"Why", he asked whisperingly after silence. Aizen did not move. "Why do you want to lead Soul Society?" Nothing. "You said you don't care. But a leader is only as good as his subordinates." He clenched his fists. "A leader must care."

Aizen smirked. "I hate that man more than anything." Shunsui barked.

"Hatred blinds. Did you not say that when Captain Hitsugaya attempted to fight you?"

"His hatred and my hatred are worlds apart." Aizen replied, turning to Shunsui. "He hates me out of admiration, whereas I hate that man-" He stopped. He was telling Shunsui this… why, exactly? "Yes…?" the Captain of the eighth division asked in anticipation. "You hate that man because…?"

Aizen stepped away from Shunsui. He did a kido spell to close the port of the first division, clenching his fists slightly. Although Shunsui did not see it, Aizen was angry.

The next day, early in the morning, all Captains and Vice-Captains of the Gotei 13 were summoned to the assembly hall of the Central 46 to discuss Shunsui's nomination for the position of Captain-Commander. The Gotei 13 waited patiently for all members of the Central 46 to assemble. When they did, Shunsui was asked to come forth.

"Kyoraku no Jiro Souzousa Shunsui", spoke the Chairman of the Central 46. It struck everyone with surprise that Kyouraku was from a noble family. The "no" in his name was a noble indicator. "As you have read, you are nominated to succeed the late Captain-Commander Shigekuni Genryuusai Yamamoto as Captain-Commander of the Gotei 13 and Captain of the first division." the Chairman continued his information. Again, everyone from the Gotei was surprised. It was Shunsui? They were expecting Ukitake to take the position, or Unohana even; she was clearly the most respected and scariest Captain in the Gotei. In addition to that, she had the highest stats in the Shinigami databook besides Yamamoto himself – in other words: She was the second-strongest Shinigami just next to Yamamoto. So why did they choose Shunsui?

The Chairman sensed the confusion in the minds of the present Shinigami and proceeded to answer the question. "Captain Unohana is a formidable healer, the best healer we have. Every war needs a healer. While it's true that her true strength lies in combat, she must continue to heal the wounded of this war – in all three worlds." Unohana Retsu looked down, tensing a bit. Ukitake noticed that and shook his head knowingly, his eyes being filled with despair.

"That is why we have chosen Captain Kyoraku for this difficult position." Upon hearing his name, Shunsui nodded and clenched his fists slightly and stepped forward. The Chairman looked at him coldly.

"Kyoraku no Jirou Souzousa Shunsui" he spoke his full name, "The entire Central 46 agrees you are the best suitable for this position. Do you accept this?"

Silence. Shunsui did not move. Cold sweat ran down from his forehead. Is this really the right thing he should be doing? Being Captain-Commander is gradually different from being Captain of the eighth division. A Captain-Commander is responsible for the well being of the entire Seiretei and Rukongai. He is the Commander-in-Chief in times of war. There was a war going on right now. And things looked bleak. Right now, the Gotei was losing. He knew nothing about the enemy. Absolutely nothing. Normally he wouldn't be afraid of not knowing his enemies' tactics. But this enemy was different. They killed Yama-jii with relative ease. They abducted Kurosaki Ichigo, the hero that had defeated Aizen. Shunsui quickly realised that winning this war required a power level much greater than Yamamoto's. Kurosaki Ichigo was stronger than Yamamoto, and even he lost. No, this war required the power of one certain man.

Shunsui lifted his head and looked the Chairman of the Central 46 deep in the eyes. Without thinking, Shunsui's reply echoed the hall.

"No."

Outrageous. Unbelievable. Atrocious.

These were words that described the sentiments of the Gotei as well as the Central 46 very accurately. Why. Just, why? This is something Yamamoto would've wanted. He loved his former disciple Shunsui like his own son. So why this response!?

"As much as I appreciate your trust in me", Shunsui looked at the Gotei 13 and back at the Chairman, "I refuse. I cannot succeed Yama-jii."

The Chairman was angry. He slammed his fist on the high wooden table and let out a harsh scream. "Do you understand what this means!?" he gritted his teeth. "Soul Society will be lost!"

"It won't." Shunsui argued, speaking neutrally. "I have an alternative, far better suited successor to Yama-jii's position as Commander-in-Chief than me." He took a deep breath of relief. His heartbeat calmed down fast. Getting this over with was a mouthful, but he said it. By his own free will.

"This man will lead Soul Society to victory against the Vandenreich." Shunsui added with confidence and looked at the port.

"And who would this man be?" the Chairman asked solemnly.

"I think everyone knows him. He needs no introduction." Shunsui replied and his look went back to the port.

"Come in, Aizen Sousuke."

The port opened and the shining light blinded everyone in the room. Only Shunsui wasn't blinded. The silhouette of the former Captain of Division Five and traitor of Soul Society slowly walked forward, his smirk not visible to anyone.

"You called for me, and here I am."

to be continued

Wooooooow, that was a mouthful.. having fever dreams really motivates you and gives you a writing kick. Just what I needed. I hoped you like this chapter and thanks for reading and reviewing!

To Sango: This was just the beginning of the mess to come. Much more chaos will ensue. Watch J