Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!
hellzanetruesdale: I'm sorry. I've considered the possibility of adding Ishida Ryuuken to the Soul Society Invasion, however I believe the character of Ryuuken would never agree to go Soul Society along with four other Shinigami of all people.
Ligerheart: I do agree with the way you view Hollow. I don't view Hollow and Shinigami as Evil and Good. If we're talking about main unevolved Hollow though I would sooner compare them with an animal then with a being that would necessarily be evil simply because it eats. You may have a point about relationship among Hollow or atleast Arrancar though. I won't promise anything yet but let's just say that for now I haven't yet made up my mind about adding a pairing. There might be one or that might not be, if there is though, it will almost certainly be Ichigo/Nel. The main reason for my current uncertainty is just the simple fact that I want to go used to writing before I start into more complicated aspects of it such as romance, after all, I am rather new at it all!
As for Nell being a Vasto Lorde, well I did it simply because I can and because it would make a couple of things easier to write and point out. Personally I also believe the Top 4 Espada in Canon were all previously Vasto Lorde. Mainly because of their high level of intelligence and the fact that even after they release their looks remain as human looking as it get's among the Espada.
RyumaOmega: As I mentioned above I am not entirely sure yet. At first I planned to use an Ichi/Nell pairing however my certainty about that started to waver when I noticed writing is truly harder then it looks. This being my first fanfic I figured perhaps I should focus more on putting a good story together rather then making it even harder by adding romance in the story as well. However since you aren't exactly the first one to ask me to continue with an Ichi/Nell pairing I will without a doubt reconsider it!
Chapter 2: Lies and Deceit.
Aizen was silently walking through the empty Central 46 Compound. He had to admit, it had been rather easy to clear the Compound of Soul Society's 'wise men' and their families. His plan was coming along perfectly and there was only a single day left untill it would all come to fruition. Currently two accomplices of Aizen were acting as both Aizen Sousuke and Tousen Kaname under the disguise of Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions. Ironically the person who was currently under the disguise as Aizen himself happened to be the very same man who fooled Hirako Shinji, Aizen's former Captain about 110 years ago.
As soon as Aizen rounded the corner he noticed a figure walking towards him, the figure of Tousen Kaname to be exact.
"Aizen-sama," Kaname greeted with a nod of the head, "I have received some interesting information from our 'client' in Las Noches."
"Continue, Kaname."
"It appears Nelliel Tu Oderschvank one of the remaining Vasto Lorde has taken a young Hollow under her wing. More importantly said Hollow was said to have long orange hair flowing down to reach his waist. Sounds familiar wouldn't you say, Aizen-sama?"
"It does indeed, Kaname. How certain can we be that this is indeed our young Kurosaki Ichigo?" Aizen asked.
"Reports state that said Hollow is without a doubt an Adjuchas-level Hollow. More importantly he seems to hunt mostly other Adjuchas himself and has so far not encountered a single one that even managed to put up much of a fight." Tousen explained.
"Interesting. I believe there is a good possibility this Hollow is indeed our young friend and appears to have allied himself with Nelliel. All the better for us, it might prove easier to...convince her to join us as well. Out of curiosity, Kaname, do the reports name any familiar Hollow that have faced our young Kurosaki yet?"
"Hai, Aizen-sama." Tousen answered, "Nnoitra Jiruga has faced the boy and was defeated effortlessly. Despite Nnoitra's skills it appears he didn't stand a chance. Kurosaki however did let him live." Tousen finished.
"I see," Aizen said, "Thank you, Kaname. Now let us be on our way, we have a lot to do still before we can commence our final plan."
=0=
It was early morning in Karakura Town. Two people were standing next to an unknown shop at the edge of town. Said people were Shihouin Yoruichi and Urahara Kisuke.
A little less then two days had passed and they were scheduled to meet eachother in about fifteen minutes. Urahara had done a lot of thinking over the past days and he had to admit the true reason he decided to join the others in Soul Society had next to nothing to do with what Ichigo would have wanted. No, it had however, everything to do with Kuchiki Rukia. Urahara was concerned, he had given her a special gigai that would slowly but surely rob her of her spiritual power and eventually turn her in nothing more then a regular human, forever lost off of Soul Society's radar.
He truly did feel sorry for Kuchiki-san. For it was her life that was being manipulated as he saw fit. But it was all for a greater good, that is what he believed. For the item sealed into Kuchiki Rukia should never get to see the living daylights again.
110 years ago Urahara was banished from Soul Society by the manipulating hands of the traitors, Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname. It was their experiments that drove Urahara to hide the object he created, the Hougyoku, within an unsuspecting soul living in the 78th District of the Rukongai. Said soul, was Kuchiki Rukia. For the Hougyoku could distort the barriers between Shinigami and Hollow. Allowing Shinigami the chance to gain Hollow powers and Hollow the chance to gain the powers of a Shinigami. It was exactly that which Urahara caught Aizen experimenting with, Hollowfication. Aizen however managed to unsmart him and got Urahara along with nearly a dozen other high-ranked officers banished from Soul Society.
This was the true reason Urahara wanted to go to Soul Society. He did not believe it was a coincidence Kuchiki-san was taken back to Soul Society. Someone was pulling the strings from behind the scenes. It was unheard of for a Captain and his Vice-Captain to be sent to retrieve an unseated member from the real word. Someone must have released Kuchiki-san was hard to trace after she got the special gigai he made for her. And someone must've wanted to make sure she returned without the chance of losing sight of her once more.
Urahara did feel bad for deceiving both Isshin and Ichigo's friends like this. Although he had an inkling Isshin was on to him regardless. The man was more perceptive then people gave him credit for. But it wasn't as if their goals weren't the same. So he supposed he didn't really have to feel all that bad about it after all. They both wanted the same after all, if only just for different reasons.
Urahara wasn't sure how they were going to procede once they got inside yet. They were going to arrive in West-Rukongai close to the walls of Seireitei. The easiest way to get inside would be to simply convince Jidanbo, a Seireitei Gatekeeper, to let them in. If necessary however it could always be done the old fashioned way, which would be simply beating the old gatekeeper after which he would allow you inside. Once inside however, they would have to improvise. There were just too many things that could go wrong.
Urahara sighed and turned his head as approaching footsteps distracted him from his thoughts. Approaching him were Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado, Ishida Uryuu and Kurosaki Isshin dressed in his Shinigami Uniform with his Captain's Haori draped across his shoulder much like a cape and a huge cleaver like Zanpakutou covered in bandages stripped to his back.
As the four of them halted in front of Urahara he could see by the looks in their faces that they had done a lot of thinking in the past two days and he was certain they were as ready as they were going to be. As if sensing his thoughts they all nodded at once, letting him know they were ready to go and not planning to waste any time.
He nodded back and cleared his throat before he started speaking. "Once we get through the Senkaimon[1], we will arrive in the middle of West-Rukongai. We will convince the Seireitei Gatekeeper to let us inside. This is a job you best leave up to myself, Isshin and Yoruichi." Urahara pointed out to the others. At the mention of Yoruichi however, several people frowned. How was a cat despite the fact that it could talk supposed to help out with that? Urahara was already looking forward to their faces when Yoruichi would show her true colors.
"Once inside, things will likely ensue in chaos. The best we can do from there on is perform a Kido to locate Kuchiki-san. Tessai who will be joining us as well will be the one to perform this job. After we have ascertained her location we will simply try to get their as fast as we possibly can!" Urahara exclaimed, an uneasy grin on his face.
After this Urahara motioned for them to follow him inside where Tessai quickly joined them. Yoruichi however went off into another room as they proceeded to go downstairs into his underground training facility where the Senkaimon was already set up.
"I have one more thing to tell the three of you," Urahara said pointing towards Ishida, Inoue and Sado. "If you come across any person wearing this," He told them, unfolding a white piece of cloth he was holding and proceeding to put it on. It was a Captain's Haori with the Kanji for twelve on it's back. "I ask you to let me, Yoruichi, Isshin or otherwise Tessai handle them. Do not fight them, unless you have a death wish." Seeing them all frown again at the mention of Yoruichi Urahara couldn't help but snicker nonetheless they nodded a couple of seconds later, signifying they understood.
As if on cue a slender woman with a tanned skin and long purple hair, wearing an orange jacket joined them. "Ah, Yoruichi, it seems we're all here then," Urahara said, close watching the faces of Sado, Inoue and Ishida. They all held rather confused expressions. Inoue was the first to burst however. "Y-Yoruichi? B-but you're a cat!" She blurted out. The other two could only nod as they looked from Inoue to the tanned beauty standing in front of them. "A cat? Have you ever seen a talking cat before, Kisuke?" She asked him in mock seriousness. Urahara snickered at her antics. "No, no Yoruichi I haven't. But I do believe we have more important matters to attend to," He stated looking at the three teens still standing there with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. Deciding they'd had enough fun he dropped the playfulness, taking on a more serious expression. The others soon followed.
"Well then, I believe we are ready to go, we will go through the Senkaimon together and we will exit it together just as well," As he said this the Senkaimon started to glow with an ethereal blue light, signifying it was open. After a 110 years, Urahara Kisuke was finally returning to Soul Society.
=0=
Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname were waiting at the entrance of the Shrine of Penitence for the escort of Kuchiki Rukia. They were late and so Aizen thought back to the last couple of days.
First he thought back to when information reached his ears about Kuchiki Rukia. She was sighted in the real world at last after an absense of almost two months. He knew Soul Society would likely sent a standard retrieval squad to retrieve Kuchiki. He felt this was a risk. Apparently she had lost her Shinigami powers and passed them on to some human boy and the last information they received was that said boy managed to drive a Menos Grande back to Hueco Mundo. It was certainly possible the same boy would manage to defeat the retrieval squad. He could not risk losing sight of Kuchiki Rukia once more, he was certain Urahara Kisuke had something to do with her dissapearance and knowing that man he would succeed in keeping her off Soul Society's radar, if given enough time.
So he proceeded to take out the entire Central 46 and along with the help of his zanpakutou made it appear as if the Central 46 was still running just as it normally were. In secret however, one of either Aizen, Gin or Kaname would be inside Central 46's chambers at all times to continue giving orders to the Gotei 13. Ofcourse these orders were to keep up appearances that Central 46 was still very much alive and secondly to turn the tide in their favor. For example he was able to send Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji to retrieve Rukia from the real word. The Rokubantai-taicho and fukutaicho, this assured that Rukia would return, and she would not escape Soul Society's clutches again.
Aizen had to admit he'd had an interest in Kurosaki Ichigo ever since he heard about the Menos Grande incident. A Shinigami, a human Shinigami even, that had not been at it for more then a month or two yet driving back a Gillian. Truly astonishing indeed. But he would not have altered his plans for said boy, as a matter of fact his plans were counting on the boy and his friends to invade Soul Society and attempt to rescue Kuchiki. However when he heard the boy turned into a Hollow and fled to Hueco Mundo he could barely contain the grin threatening to appear on his face. He would capture Kurosaki and mold him into the perfect weapon. He would help him become a Vasto Lorde and in doing so earning the boy's no the Hollow's trust. Next he would use the Hougyoku on him after he retrieved it from Kuchiki's soul and turn the boy into his number one Espada.
It had been a race against time since he would no longer be able to utilize the Soukyoku to retrieve the Hougyoku from Kuchiki Rukia's soul. He spent hours and hours searching for a way to remove an object embedded inside the soul. It was in the Underground Assembly Hall's Great Corridor of Spirit Documents that I found Urahara Kisuke's past research documents. It explained in minute detail how to embed a foreign object in a soul and so he surmised that the technology to remove a foreign object from the soul would also be somewhere among Urahara's past research. And he was right.
All they had to do now was wait for Kuchiki Rukia to arrive. Take her to Soukyoku Hill and wait.
"It seems our guests have arrived, Aizen-taicho," Ichimaru's voice called out from his right.
As Aizen looked up he could clearly see four guards approaching each holding a single red 'leash' leading to the same red collar which was bound across Kuchiki Rukia's neck. "So it appears, Gin," Aizen said, a smirk forming on his face.
As the guards approached the Shrine of Penitence they were startled to see three captains block their path. They were not informed of this. They were supposed to simply lock the prisoner in the Shrine of Penitence and leave two out of the four of them to stand guard outside. Before they could continue their train of thought however, the Captain standing in the middle spoke up. "Gentlemen, hand over the prisoner please. We will handle her from here," He requested with a friendly smile.
This Captain was certainly higher in rank then they were which usually meant they were supposed to obey the orders they gave. However their orders came directly from the Commander-General and he stood above even the Captains. It was clear these Captains were not aware of the situation.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that, we have orders directly from,-" One of the guards spoke up but was cut off as the same Captain spoke up again.
"Gin, Kaname," Were the only two words he said. Before the guards could even begin to wonder what this meant they saw two out of the three Captains dissapear. Just as he was about to ask what was going on here he noticed his eyes getting heavy, just before he closed his eyes completely he noticed the last remaining Captain standing in front of him, smirking.
=0=
Inoue Orihime stood amidst Urahara, Yoruichi, Isshin, Sado and Ishida in the middle of Western Rukongai mere seconds after the Senkaimon had closed itself off again.
The sight that greeted her was shocking. She had always believed Heaven to be a nice place. A place where all people were equal to one another. There would be an abundance of food. Children running around playing with one another carefully watched by their elders. Adults making light conversation and watching out for their children. Huge white marble houses at the side of the streets that were made of the very same marble.
Indeed, Inoue's fairytale vision of heaven was crushed into the ground forever. The houses standing at the side of the street, if they could even be called houses they were more like shacks, looked like they were ready to collapse at any given moment. Adults in rags were shouting at eachother as if their life depended on it. Kids that looked no older then eight years in the same ragged clothing weren't playing on the streets, no they were trying to steal food from the vendor's who were positioned along the side of the road. It was complete and utter chaos.
However as she noticed people staring at them she began to feel uneasy. Isshin however took the lead and starting walking forward towards the great white walls she could just make out in the far distance. She quickly decided to follow him.
=0=
Kuchiki Rukia stood before the man she had known as the Gobantai-taicho[3] Aizen Sousuke ever since she had joined the Gotei 13 and for the first time in her life, she was trembling in fear at the sight of him. Was this truly the gentle Captain she had known for years? This monster who so callously ordered the death of four prison guards merely because...
Yes, why? Why had Aizen done what he did? Why had he ordered these men who were lying face down on the ground covered in their own blood to be killed as if it were nothing?
"Kuchiki Rukia, you shall come with us," Aizen's voice interupted any further of her thoughts.
"W-why? What do you want with me!?" She yelled out, confusion and desperation clear in her voice.
"All will become clear in due time, for now, just follow us," Aizen said. A friendly smile on his face all along.
=0=
Shihouin Yoruichi stood before the giant of a Gatekeeper they called Jidanbo. It had been a while since she last saw him.
Taking a look over her shoulder she saw the rest of her little group of ryoka standing behind her. Well, she supposed she was the most suitable out of their group to convince Jidanbo to let them through without having to cut him up.
"Yo, Jidanbo. It's been a while isn't it!" She greeted the half-asleep giant.
Jidanbo, apparently having heard her stretched his arms before standing up straight and looking down at her. His eyes instantly widened. "S-Shihouin-sama! Y-You're not supposed to be here, you know that!"
Not surprised by his attitude Yoruichi replied. "Ah. I'm well aware of that. My friends and I need to pass through here, Jidanbo. I prefer not having to cut you up, they never did call me the Goddess of Flash for nothing," She said bored, picking at her nails.
Jidanbo meanwhile gulped, he couldn't just let someone through without a fight. But fighting Shihouin Yoruichi? No that wasn't a very good idea. "I-I have orders Yoruichi-sama, I can't just let you through like that!"
"See those guys behind me Jidanbo?" Yoruichi started, pointing a finger over her shoulder. "I'm sure you remember some of them. Do the names Urahara Kisuke, Tsukabishi Tessai and Kurosaki Isshin ring a bell? I'll tell you what if you let us through we'll leave you be and we won't tell a soul in Soul Society about what you did," She said, winking at him.
Jidanbo's situation was getting worse by the minute. Urahara Kisuke was the former Twelfth Division Captain while Tsukabishi Tessai was a former Captain of the Kidou Corps. Not to mention Kurosaki Isshin. His options were few and even if he were to fight them it wasn't like he would stand a chance. Besides, his code of honor would force him to let through anyone who managed to beat him. One way or another, Jidanbo reasoned, they would get through anyway.
Yoruichi couldn't help but smirk as Jidanbo turned aroun to lift the gate. She motioned to the others to follow her before making her way over to the gate herself.
Urahara meanwhile turned to face Tessai and nodded, as if to say, you know what to do. Tessai seemingly understood for he nodded back and after they passed through the gate he instantly started drawing an intricate symbol on the ground.
"Heart of the South, Eye of the North, Finger tip of the West, Heel of the East, Carry the Wind and gather, Banish the Rain and Disband." Tessai chanted,"Bakudou #58 - Kakushi Tsuijaku!"
While Tessai was focussing on the symbol drawn in front of him and was quietly murmuring what sounded like coördinates the remaining members of the ryoka group were confronted by a large group of Shinigami the moment they stepped through the gate.
Upon realizing who they were looking at however some of the veteran Shinigami among the patrolling group instantly ordered a couple of their men to report to the Commander-General.
"Kuchiki Rukia is standing at the bottom of Soukyoku Hill! She is being escorted to the top by none other then Ichimaru, Tousen and Aizen!" A voice among the Ryoka group shouted.
Now this confused the veteran Shinigami of the Sixth Division. He was certain he recognized three of the Ryoka as Urahara Kisuke, former Twelfth Division Captain, Tsukabishi Tessa, former Kido Corps Captain and Shihouin Yoruichi, former Second Division Captain and head of the Shihouin Clan. Yet there was one other Shinigami standing among them with what looked like a Captain's Haori draped across his shoulder, he did not recognize this person at all but he knew by merely looking at his face that he was not to be taken lightly. The three he did recognize were all Shinigami exiled for reasons he was not privy to.
Nonetheless this situation was extremely fishy. He realised the Ryoka were planning something with the Kuchiki that was scheduled for execution, the adopted sister of his own Taicho. On the other hand he had just heard them saying out loud that Aizen-taicho, Ichimaru-taicho and Tousen-taicho were apparently escorting her up towards Soukyoku Hill. It was already a known fact amongst most of the Shinigami in the Gotei 13 that Kuchiki Rukia was scheduled for execution in twenty-five days on top of Soukyoku Hill. Other then that it was known as well that she was scheduled to be moved to the Shrine of Penitence sometime today. Whatever the situation was, it appeared three Captains were acting on their own accord.
Urahara meanwhile was looking at the Shinigami who seemed to be in charged of this patrol squad. He looked to be deep in thought and Urahara knew it was because of the words he had heard Tessai shout earlier. Urahara decided he should use this situation to his advantage.
"I'm sure you realise who we are and that you do not stand much of a chance at beating us. Tell your Captain to meet us atop Soukyoku Hill. I would advise him not to come alone. Everything will be made clear there,"
As he said this he grabbed a hold of Sado, Isshin grabbed Ishida, Yoruichi grabbed a hold of Inoue and they quickly dissapeared in a flash of shunpo.
=0=
Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni-Soutaicho sat in the First Division's Office when a messenger arrived letting him know a member of the Sixth Division had an urgent message for him.
Sighing he told the messenger to let him in. The Sixth Division member instantly went down on his knees and bowed his head in a manner of greeting to his superior. Yamamoto motioned for him to get up and quickly explain the urgency of his message for he had more to do then listen to messengers all day long.
"Yamamoto-Soutaicho, the exiled Captains Tsukabishi Tessai, Urahara Kisuke and Shihouin Yoruichi along with four other ryoka, one of whom appears to be wearing a Captain's Haori as a cape on his left shoulder have invaded Soul Society through the gate leading to Western Rukongai!" The messenger reported quickly, almost stumbling on his words and obviously afraid he'd say something wrong.
Yamamoto's eyes widened at this and that was not a sight one would often come across. He'd never known really what to think of the banishment of Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi and Tsukabishi Tessai. They were good Captains without a doubt and although Urahara was a bit of an oddball at times he truly was a genius. As the founder of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute Urahara had made many a great change in Soul Society. And now it seemed they had returned, and not alone either.
Yamamoto wondered what their goal could be, what did they hope to achieve by coming here? Being the realist he was he was sure Urahara realised they could not with the seven of them even hope to beat the entire Gotei 13's forces if it was revenge they were out for. So they must've come here for a different reason. Perhaps Kuchiki Rukia had something to do with this? Realising the messenger was waiting for a sign to leave Yamamoto gave him just that before giving the order to every Division to search for the Ryoka and capture them. He was sure there was more to this then one would think.
=0=
Aizen, Ichimaru, Tousen and Rukia appeared on top of Soukyoku Hill moments after Yamamoto, who was still unaware of anything other then the ryoka invasion, gave his orders.
"Quite the uneventful trip, wouldn't you say, Aizen-taicho?" Ichimaru spoke up with his trademark grin adorning his face.
Thinking back on their little trip from the Shrine of Penitence to the top of Soukyoku Hill Aizen had to agree with Gin. They had expected to run into some resistance atleast. It was generally known Kuchiki Rukia was to be moved to the Shrine of Penitence today. To see three Captains escorting her away from it would at the very least raise suspicion and sooner or later they had expected other Captains to interfere. Yet the only people they had come across before were those who had seen Kyouka Suigetsu's released form before and could thus be put under it's complete hypnosis to make them believe they'd seen nothing at all or even make them believe they'd seen something completely different.
It was then that he noticed several reiatsu signatures approach the top of Soukyoku Hill. Several of which he instantly recognized. 'It appears our plan went a bit too uneventful after all.' Aizen thought.
"Aizen-sama,-" Tousen started but was cut off when Aizen raised a hand, motioning for him to stop.
"I am aware of it Kaname, it appears we have some guests, let us welcome them. For we don't have much time left."
The instant those words left his mouth, seven figures appeared in front of him. He smiled.
"Welcome, Urahara-san, Tsukabishi-san, Shihouin-san."
=0=
Kuchiki Byakuya sat in his office at the Sixth Division Barracks working on that which was the bane of every Captain's existence, paperwork. For even the seemingly emotionless Captain of the Sixth Division hated paperwork more then anything. Today however he appeared to be lucky as his 15th Seat who was supposed to be out patrolling along the Western Seireitei Wall rushed into his office.
"Ryoka have invaded Seireitei through the gate located in Western Rukongai." the 15th Seat as good as shouted at his Captain. As he realised his mistake he went down on his knees and bowed his head down towards the ground as if apologizing.
Byakuya meanwhile was puzzled. Ryoka in Seireitei and no alarm had been raised? Was the squad he sent out to patrol the Western Walls this incompetent? Byakuya frowned at this. There would be consequences for their actions today, but for now, he needed to know what the situation was.
"Explain everything you know," He stated, his voice impassive as always.
And so the 15th Seat started explaining how his squad was on patrol as normal. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary untill they heard the gate crashing down in the distance as if someone had opened it and consequently had let it drop back down to the ground. They had rushed over to the gate to find a group of seven ryoka. One of said ryoka was drawing intricate symbols on the ground and was chanting as if performing a Kido. He explained about what he heard one of the ryoka shout concerning the three Captains and prisoner Kuchiki Rukia. Lastly the man informed his Captain of his assumption of three out of seven of the ryoka's identities as well as the mysterious fourth person. Byakuya, thinking this was all, motioned to dismiss the man however said man just stood there as if unsure if he should continue.
"Taicho, the ryoka Urahara Kisuke asked me to pass along a message. He said to come to the top of Soukyoku Hill and said everything would be explained there." After these words the man seemingly hesitated but continued after a short pause nonetheless. "H-He also...advised you not to come alone," The man finished.
After the Sixth Division Captain had dismissed the man he lost himself in his thoughts. Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, Tsukabishi Tessai and a mysterious fourth person who was supposedly wearing a Captain's Haori draped across his left shoulder. Byakuya never believed Shihouin or Urahara were guilty of these hollowfication experiments Central 46 spoke of. But Soul Society law decreed they were to be exiled and so that was how it had going to be.
Byakuya was confused as well. What did all this have to do with his sister, Rukia? And why were Tousen, Ichimaru and Aizen escorting her up towards Soukyoku Hill. Assuming it was the truth to begin with.
Then there was the fact that Urahara had told him not to come alone. Byakuya was confident about his skills. He didn't need telling to be sure he was one of the more powerful Captains in the Gotei 13. Yet he knew he would not stand a chance against all seven of them on his own.
Deciding on a course of action he pulled up his sleeve and started drawing square-like symbols on his arms, while thinking of the people he wanted this message to reach he started chanting.
"Net of black and white, Twenty-two bridges, Sixty-six vestments, Footprints, Distant Thunder, Mountain peaks, spinning ground, night crouching, cloudy sea, Blue ranks, Fill the great circle and dash across the heavens! Bakudou #77 - Tentei Kuura!"
Closing his eyes he spoke the manage he wished to convey to all Captains and Vice-Captains of Soul Society.
"Captains and Vice-Captains of Soul Society. I have received information that a number of seven ryoka have penetrated Seireitei's defenses and are currently awaiting our arrival atop Soukyoku Hill for reasons that are unknown to me. Three out of these seven are rumored to be the ex-Captains Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi and Tsukabishi Tessai. The other four have yet to be identified. I request immediate assistance."
Opening his eyes again he grabbed and put on his Captain's Haori and proceeded to move out of the Sixth Division Barracks. Someone was going to have to do a lot of explaining.
=0=
Kuchiki Rukia stood behind Tousen Kaname who held her up by the collar around her neck. This had officially become the most frightening day of her life. To start off with the seemingly gentle Captain Aizen Sousuke had pretty much kidnapped her with the help of Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname. She was then forced to follow them as they made their way towards Soukyoku Hill for reasons unknown. The few Shinigami they encountered along the way seemed oblivious to their presence. It was as off they didn't even see three Captains walking straight past them with a prisoner who was supposed to be on death row.
When all was said and done and they finally arrived atop Soukyoku Hill seven more people arrived, seven she knew all too well. These seven were Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, Tsukabishi Tessai, Inoue Orihime, Ishida Uryuu, Yasutora Sado and surprisingly Kurosaki Isshin, Ichigo's father!?
Rukia's heart dropped when she realized Ichigo was not among them however. Had he died after all? Had she said those harsh words to him, basically rejected him, for absolutely nothing in the end? All Ichigo's friends were here it would only be logical if he were with them! Something must've happened to him and Rukia couldn't help but feel bad.
"My, my Kuchiki-san, you don't look so good," Urahara said in his usual jovial voice.
Rukia glared at him in return. How dare he joke in such a situation!? However as soon as thought this, Urahara's expression became dead serious. Isshin, Yoruichi and Tessai stepped forward to stand by his side.
"Aizen!" Urahara basically spat, "Hand over Kuchiki Rukia, your business with her is done,"
Rukia was surprised by the amount of venom in his voice when he spoke Aizen's name. She supposed there must be some history there.
Aizen however, merely smiled. "I'm afraid that will not be possible Urahara-san. You see, Kuchiki Rukia will be coming to Hueco Mundo with me, she possesses something that I want, as I'm sure you know,"
Rukia felt her heart drop. Hueco Mundo? Aizen was taking her to Hueco Mundo? What did this mean, had Aizen betrayed Soul Society? And what did he mean with the fact that she possessed something that he wants?
=0=
Urahara meanwhile was pondering what possible action he could take. He was counting on the reinforcements from Soul Society to arrive and hoped they would asses the situation properly. He knew they could not defeat Aizen with the four of them. And the truth was that the remaining three would be a mere hindrance. Urahara decided he had to stall untill reinforcements arrived.
As Urahara decided to draw his sword out of his cane the eyes of those around him widened yet they quickly followed his example. Urahara however would have none of this.
"Ishida, Inoue, Sado," Urahara said, turning his head, "Stay out of this, these guys are out of your league," He said it in a tone that assured them he would not accept no for an answer. They merely decided to step back and watch for the time being.
As Isshin joined him on his left and Yoruichi and Tessai on his right he looked at them once and nodded. They knew what Aizen could be capable of, Urahara remember it as it were yesterday. Aizen-fukutaicho at the time, blocking a Hadou #88 with his own Kidou spell. It was unheard of.
Now they stood against eachother once more. Isshin staring at Tousen. Yoruichi staring at Gin, who was, ofcourse, grinning. And Tessai and Urahara staring at Aizen, wanting payback for what he did to them a 110 years ago. Aizen however, just stood there, his eyes twinkling.
=0=
The first to break the staring contest was Kurosaki Isshin. Drawing his sword, Zangetsu. The bandages wrapped around it magically unwrapped as soon as the sword left it's back. With a quick flash of shunpo Isshin went around Tousen and went for a horizontal slice across his back. Tousen quickly drawed his own katana and blocked the strike by holding his blade over his shoulder vertically with seemingly little effort.
Tousen seeing an opening already decided to take advantage of it while Isshin was still close. "Nake, Suzumushi[4]" Tousen whispered.
Before Isshin even got the chance to wonder what Tousen's Zanpakutou's ability was a high pitched tone was projected from Suzumushi. Forcing Isshin to his knees who dropped Zangetsu and grabbed his ears in an attempt to force out the sound. As he looked up he could see Tousen's lips moving but Suzumushi's piercing cry prevented him from hearing the words he was speaking. However when Tousen pointed his index and middle finger at Isshin, he realised he'd been a fool. It had been years since he'd even been in his Shinigami form and he went off to fight a Captain of all people straight away. Those were the thoughts swirling through Isshin's mind as six golden rods of light slammed into his waist, holding him in place.
When Isshin looked back up Tousen instantly dissapeared before his eyes and he felt a burning pain in his back. The last thought running through his head before he lost consciousness was how utterly pathethic he had just been. He vowed to return his fighting skills to their old level if he got out of this alive.
=0=
"Shihouin Yoruichi," Gin said, his standard grin in place, as always. "Goddess of Flash,"
After those words left his mouth Gin dissapeared in a flash reappearing behind Yoruichi who barely managed to dodge his horizontal slice by ducking.
Yoruichi instantly improvised, putting her hands to the ground and kicking her feet upwards expecting to hit his chest she was surprised to feel a hand wrap around her ankles as she was launched across the platform of Soukyoku Hill.
Gin, still grinning as always, merely watched her fly away. As Yoruichi reached a halt however he pointed his Zanpakutou at her. "Ikorose, Shinso,[5]" At this command his Zanpakutou started to glow a bright white and extended out towards Yoruichi at an amazing speed. Yoruichi as creative as she was jumped up and started to run towards Ichimaru along the length of Shinso.
If possible Ichimaru's grin widened even further at this action. As his lips started moving, Yoruichi could just barely make out the words he was saying.
"Hado #63 - Raikouhou," Gin said rather bored. As Yoruichi jumped off to the side she watched Gin look into the same direction out of the corner of his eyes.
As she turned to see what he was looking at her eyes widened. Kurosaki Isshin was bound a by a Kidou spell, blood seeping out of seemingly fresh wounds it appeared as if he had lost consciousness.
But as she turned to look at where she was going to land she was shocked to find Tousen standing there waiting for her. When she saw his lips already moving she knew this could very well be her last few seconds alive.
"Bakudou #63 - Sajo Sabaku," Tousen words rang out and before she even reached the ground a golden chain made of Kidou shot out towards her and wrapped itself around her completely.
"Ikorose, Shinso," Yoruichi could only close her eyes and calm her breathing as she awaited the strike to pierce her back, straight through her heart. The strike came, she was surprised however when it came in her left arm and she cried out in pain when Gin twisted his sword arm around so violently she could hear her own bones breaking and her muscles being torn to shreds. Blood flowed down her arm as if it were a never-ending river. Yoruichi tried to ignore the pain but it proved impossible as she continued to scream the lungs out of her body. Ichimaru however didn't leave it at that, he violenty jerked Shinso sideways ripping the remaining skin tissue that was keeping her arm together apart. Yoruichi passed out a second later after which the Kidou holding her arm together dissolved and her arm fell to the ground.
"Hadou #54 - Haien," Were the last words Gin muttered before he turned to walk back towards Aizen as Yoruichi's severed arm was burnt to ashes.
=0=
Urahara and Tessai stood before an unmoving Aizen. Aizen was a powerful adversery and they knew it. Even with the two of them fighting Aizen together victory was not assured.
"Okiro, Benihime[6]!" Urahara spoke, clearly tired of delaying the inevitable. His Zanpakutou became slightly shorter. A flat blade was formed with one half of the blade retaining it's orignal color while the other half became black. The tip of the blade ended in a slanted razor-like edge rather then being tapered to a point.
As he turned his head to nod at Tessai he found said man was already waiting to meet his eyes. Both nodded simultaneously, knowing what to do.
After their silent exchange Urahara immediately dissapeared only to reappear on Aizen's right side and go for a vertical slash at the side of his head. Aizen merely stepped back and, quickly drawing his blade, made a horizontal slice towards Urahara's mid-section which was blocked by Benihime.
"Hadou #88 - Hiryuu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou!"
As Urahara heard Tessai's voice call out he instantly flash stepped away from Aizen. Knowing what direction Tessai's attack was coming from.
As the blast was closing in on Aizen Urahara noticed his lips were moving. Just before the blast hit Aizen however, he smirked. And was engulfed by a huge explosion not even a second later.
Urahara looked up in horror however as an ear-piercing scream cried out through the air. Taking a look around he saw Yoruichi there, bound by a Kidou spell with Shinso lodged in her arm which. Just as he and Tessai were about to rush over to her aid a black void appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and encased itself around them. A second later Urahara could feel hundreds of tiny spears piercing his body from every possible angle. Both he and Tessai dropped to the floor, barely conscious.
"Hadou #90 - Kurohitsugi," Aizen commented, with a smile.
=0=
Ishida, Sado and Inoue stood at the edge of Soukyoku Hill. The horror of the events they'd just witnessed clearly edged into the features of their face. As far as Ishida was aware Urahara, Tessai, Yoruichi and Isshin were all Shinigami at the level of a Captain. Nonetheless all four of them were batted aside as if they weren't even there. These fights couldn't even be killed a battle at all, it had been a slaughter.
Isshin had been the first to fall and although Ishida had been impressed with Isshin's speed he realised Isshin had not been in his Shinigami form for well over twenty years. This being the very first battle he fought he obviously needed some time to readjust. Fighting another Captain who is dead set on killing you obviously isn't the best warm-up.
Yoruichi on the other hand had held out for a while and Ishida could honestly say her and Ichimaru weren't too far off eachother in terms of power. The sneak attack Ichimaru pulled to force her towards Tousen had been cheap, but it was effective nonetheless. Ishida had to wonder though if this Ichimaru person enjoyed causing pain. Getting her arm ripped off like that was the most brutal thing Ishida had ever seen and her arm had been burned to ashes after she lost consciousness. She would never regain that arm that was one thing Ishida, sadly, was sure of.
And then there was the Urahara and Tessai against the man they called Aizen. They seemed to do alright and Ishida even thought they'd totally annihilated him with that Kidou attack. However as soon as they noticed Yoruichi's situation they dropped their guard to rush to her aid. Which appeared to be their biggest mistake. Ishida was unsure what exactly happened inside that black box, but he could clearly see stakes of Kidou being insert from the outside and from the way they looked as the box dissapeared he could make a pretty accurate assumption he thought.
On one hand Ishida believed Urahara, Tessai, Yoruichi and Isshin were all out of shape. He was certain Yoruichi could fight on equal footing with Ichimaru and Ishida believed that Isshin would've been able to do the same in his prime. The main thing that had gone wrong was the fact that Isshin went down so soon which allowed Tousen to come to Ichimaru's aid.
And now with all four of them down Ishida didn't even want to think about what was going to happen to them. Ishida knew he was strong enough to kill just about any normal Hollow excluding Menos Grandes. He knew there were plenty of Shinigami in Soul Society he could take down without any trouble but these...Captains they were on a completely different level. He couldn't even follow their movements let alone beat them in a battle. But he would protect Inoue and Sado, that he vowed, as he watched the figure named Tousen make his way to pick up the prone body of Rukia, before he did so however, he muttered something, placed his fingers on her forehead and her eyes closed.
Just as he was about to wonder if the reinforcements Urahara had spoken about earlier were even going to arrive at all, the silent rushing sound of shunpo was heard all around the platform. When Ishida looked up he saw all seven remaining Captains of the Gotei 13 standing in front of them, with their lieutenants standing at their side.
=0=
As the Commander-General Yamamoto surveyed the scene in front of him he got worried. Before him lay the unconscious bodies of Shihouin Yoruichi, Kurosaki Isshin, Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai, all of whom the Commander-General knew all too well.
He was confident none of the three Captains standing before him would manage to defeat even one of these four figures in a fair one-on-one fight. Not with the abilities they displayed on their Captaincy exams atleast. Something more was going on here and he just knew that Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru were right in the middle of it.
"Gobantai-taicho, sanbantai-taicho[8], kyuubantai-taicho[9], what is the meaning of this?" Yamamoto spoke out loud enough for all to hear.
As Aizen looked up, he smiled. "Soutaicho," He greeted warmly. "We are leaving, that is all," Aizen finished kindly.
And all of a sudden Yamamoto understood. He had had an inkling things weren't right ever since Kuchiki Rukia was recalled back to Soul Society. She was to be retrieved by none other then Kuchiki Byakuya and Abarai Renji, a Captain and Vice-Captain respectively which seemed to be entirely unnecessary, a standard retrieval squad would have sufficed just fine. Then there was the fact that Kuchiki Rukia got sentenced for execution rather then imprisonment and execution by use of the Soukyoku no less. An execution method usually reserved for traitorous Captains.
Yes, Yamamoto was certain Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen had somehow been pulling at the strings of Central 46, the only piece of information Yamamoto was missing was for what they needed Kuchiki Rukia.
"Leaving? You are going nowhere, you will leave Kuchiki Rukia right here and you will be executed on the spot for betraying Soul Society, that is my decision," Yamamoto's voice rang out through the air, the anger clearly visible on his face.
Confused murmurs rang through the crowd behind him, it was clear not everyone had caught on yet, it would serve him best to convince the other Captains and Vice-Captains of this betrayal first.
"Tell me, Aizen, how did you convince Central 46 to do your bidding? What did you offer them?" Yamamoto asked, shock ran through the crowd behind him. Central 46, corrupt?
Surprisingly Aizen let out a slight chuckled before he started shaking his head. "Convince them? Offer them?" He let out another short chuckle. "I killed them,"
The tension was palpable in the air after this statement. Central 46 ,the ruling goverment of the Seireitei consisting of forty wise men and six judges had been killed? And noone had even noticed this?
"Impossible!" Yamamoto shouted, "Ichibantai-fukutaicho[10] Sasakibe Chojiro has been to the Central 46 hearing room just yesterday to discuss a matter of the utmost importance concerning the First Division and he reported Central 46 would discuss the problem and come up with a solution in due time,"
"Ah," Aizen replied, "Ofcourse, that is what I wanted you to see, have you ever wondered why my Zanpakutou's ability is?"
"But ofcourse!," Abarai Renji yelled out, "You showed your Shikai to all the Vice-Captains during our meeting!"
Aizen just smiled. "Indeed, that is what I wanted you to see. My Zanpakutou's ability will work on anyone who has seen it's release even once. Kyouka Suigetsu's ability is complete hypnosis. It can control each of the five senses to the point that it can make you see, feel, hear, smell or taste anything I want you to. All that is required is that you see it's release, just once." He explained.
The anger was clear on Yamamoto's face, as he too realised such a Zanpakutou was the perfect weapon for deception.
"And you are both in league with him?" Yamamoto asked angrily, looking towards Ichimaru and Tousen.
"Ah! Soutaicho!" Ichimaru replied happily.
"These eyes see only the path of least bloodshed, to follow Aizen-sama's path, means to follow the path of justice," Kaname said calmly.
Angry cries could be heard from the Shinigami assembled. The main ones coming from Komamura Sajin, Hisagi Shuuhei, Kira Izuru, Hinamori Momo and Matsumoto Rangiku. Komamura however took it one step further and charged at Tousen along with Hisagi. However before they could even come within 30 feet of him. A bright yellow light erupted from the sky and shot down towards the three traitorous Captains. As the assembled Shinigami looked up towards the sky they could see it being torn open and the sight that greeted them was shocking to say the least.
Dozens of Gillian were looking down upon them and behind these Gillian they would look straight into a bright green eye. As the three traitorous Shinigami Captains ascended towards the sky, one with the prone body of one Kuchiki Rukia thrown over his shoulder Ukitake stepped forward.
"You've even joined hands with Menos, Aizen?" He asked. "For what reason?"
"To seek new heights," Aizen replied calmly, looking down at Ukitake.
"Have you fallen to the ground," He started, "Aizen?"
"Your arrogance is excessive," Aizen answered, "Ukitake. No one was standing in heaven to begin with. Not you, not me, not even God. However, that unbearable vacancy in the throne of Heaven will end. From now on," Aizen continued, taking off his glasses and pushing back his hair, "I will stand in Heaven."
"Sayonara, Shinigami."
"And sayonara, ryoka. I promise, you will see your friend again, soon enough," Aizen said cryptically as the sky closed up behind him and the other two traitorous Captains.
=0=
[1]Senkaimon - World Pentration Gate. Gate which Shinigami use to come and go from Soul Society to the Real World.
[2]Rokubantai-taicho/fukutaicho - Sixth Division Captain/Vice-Captain
[3]Gobantai-taicho - Fifth Division Captain
[4]Nake, Suzumushi - Cry, Suzumushi
[5]Ikorose, Shinso - Shoot to kill, Shinso
[6]Okiro, Benihime - Awaken now, Benihime
[7]Sanbantai-taicho - Third Division Captain
[8]Kyuubantai-taicho - Ninth Division Captain
[9]Ichibantai-fukutaicho - First Division Vice-Captain
And another chapter done. Now before you start. Yes, I have given Kurosaki Isshin Zangetsu as a weapon. I personally enjoy the original weapons and releases the most by far so I will try to keep those things as close to Canon as possible. Since Ichigo is and will remain a Hollow for the entire story I didn't think it would hurt anyone to put Zangetsu in the hands of his father. Since we are now done with the stuff concerning Rukia, and the three traitors in Soul Society you can finally expect to see more of Ichigo and Nel again starting next chapter!
R&R!