Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I do however own all of the OC's in the story, unless stated otherwise.

AN: Hey reader peoples. I'm sorry didn't mention this when I started this fanfic, but I plan on it being around 50k or 60k words. The way my chapters are going now, it will finish up at just about chapter 18. In a few chapters I should be able to give you a clear ending marker for the story. Thanks to all who have read this far and kept with me through my story.

Thank you especially to dragonsofthe8elements for your review! I took the time to not only double check, but triple check this chapter. I hope I fixed my mistakes and I'm glad you are enjoying the story so far! I made this chapter a little longer than the rest, hope you enjoy it! This chapter is dedicated to you, my first ever reviewer! Enjoy!

...

Chapter 11: Fate Decided

Ten minutes have never gone by slower. The wait did give you time to think, but you could only think about the trial, or whatever it was that was about to take place. So many thoughts flowed through your mind so quickly, you barely had time to categorize them.

What captains would support you? If it came down to a vote between all of the captains for you to live or die, who would give you their favor?

Head Captain Yamamoto is an uncertainty, so you put him in the die category.

Soi Fon... live.

Rose is a vizard, so he should be on your side. Live

Captain Unohana is very kind. She would probably give you at least one chance, so another one for live.

Shinji helped with your vizard training so he better let you live.

Captain Kuchiki is a mystery. Die for him.

Captain Komamura is also kind hearted, just like Captain Unohana, but you don't know him that well and have no idea of him outlook on "abandonment." Ever since former captain, Kaname Tousen defected, he seemed to crack down on rule breaking more. Another die.

Captain Kyoraku probably wouldn't care. He probably saw it as a vacation and not treason. Live.

Kensei is another vizard. Live.

Captain Hitsugaya isn't fond of rule breaking, courtesy of Lieutenant Matsumoto. Die.

Captain Zaraki might not be the most sensible... creature, but you don't think he will condemn one of his own division members just because they left for a while. Live.

Captain Kurotsuchi will probably request to dissect you. Die.

And that leaves Captain Ukitake. You have been friends with him for a while, so you should be in good standings with him. Live.

Ok, so that means 8 lives and 5 dies. The odds are in your favor, but being that close doesn't make you feel any better... Oh crap! You didn't even take into consideration your newly found hollow powers! That makes you feel even worse.

You can feel the bile rise up in your throat. Not good, not good at all. You try to calm yourself, but it isn't working. You feel like you can't even breathe.

"Enter, Hiroto Arinori!" You hear the Head Captains voice boom loudly. You gulp. This is it. You reach for the doors and push them open.

Why are the lieutenants here? You receive many looks, ranging from sympathetic to angry to disgust. Some of them even stare with their mouths open. You guess they still thought you were dead.

You walk to the center of the room in front of the Head Captain.

"Captain Unohana, relieve him of his zanpakuto." Like you would be so foolish as to try and fight everyone here. Captain Unohana steps forward and opens her hands. You, reluctantly, give her Shi no Dansu. She smiles at you, letting you know it will be ok. She takes her place back in line with the other captains.

"Hiroto Arinori, do you know why you were called here?"

"I believe I do sir."

"Why then were you called before the captains and lieutenants?"

"I left the soul society without permission."

"And?"

"I'm assuming that since I didn't let anyone know I was alive, that is considered faking my death." You give Shinji a quick glance. He sighs and nods his head. You then sigh audibly. Better let him know now and not hide it.

"And my obtaining of hollow powers." The silence in the room at that last statement was so great, you could have heard a butterfly flapping its wings.

"You have hollow powers?"

"Yes sir."

"Would you be so kind as to demonstrate them." You are confused upon his request. He wants to see them?

"Sir, I don't think that would be wise for someone in my position."

"And why is that?"

"Sir, everyone here hates hollows. Most have more reason then others. If I am here for you to vote on whether or not I am going to be put to death, which I believe I am, and I gave you proof of them, I would be signing my own death warrant."

"That may be, but I wish for everyone here to see them. That's an order."

"As... as you wish then, sir." You reach up slowly and bring your hand down over your face, creating your mask, and in the process, sealing your fate.

You stand their silently for a moment before lifting your head to face the Head Captain.

"I asked to be shown your hollow powers, not just your mask."

"Sir?"

"Use your hollow powers. I'm afraid they won't do you much good against me, but try as you will."

Wait, he wants you to use your hollow powers? Against him no less? "For that I require my zanpakuto."

"Captain Unohana, please give Mr. Arinori his zanpakuto back." Captain Unohana walks over to you, unhesitant and unfearful of you in your mask. She hands you Shi no Dansu back and, once again, returns to her place in line.

You point your zanpakuto at the Head Captain. "Yami no Beru." A black wall appears before you and turns your physical form invisible.

"You can conceal your physical form."

"Yes sir." You dispel the invisibility, once again being able to be seen by everyone present.

You point your sword at him once again. "Tobimasu." The burst of energy surges forth and hits the Head Captain in the chest. He is completely unfazed by the hit.

"That attack was dull. It is not meant for cutting your opponent, but rather distancing them from yourself. Are all of your hollow powers passive?"

You hesitate slightly, remembering the last move Kanashimi made on you. "No sir."

"Show me."

"I can't do that sir."

"Why can't you?"

"My last power is Shinimasu." Some of the captains and lieutenants flinch at the name. "I can literally will someone to die... but at a cost."

"What is the cost?"

"My own life." Even the Head Captain falls silent at this.

"You may kill one individual by simultaneously sacrificing yourself... that is truly terrifying. At this very moment, if you so choose do so, you could kill anyone here?"

"Yes sir"

"Even myself?"

"I...I believe so sir."

"That is quite interesting. I'm afraid you have peaked my curiosity. How is it that you and your opponent dies?"

"Their heart stops sir. It ceases to beat. As far as I know, even Captain Unohana couldn't revive you from the attack."

"Your hollow told you this?"

"No sir, I... I know from first hand experience."

"Then how is it you are still alive?"

"The fight occurred with my hollow in my inner world. She used Shinimasu on me... and we died. I guess because it was inside my mind I couldn't really die... but I still felt it."

"Interesting... Now we must proceed, as you stated earlier, with our voting. You may say one last thing before we commence the voting."

You take a look at the people gathered before you. "Fellow vizards, if you would." Understanding what you meant, each vizard present dons their mask. "They are more powerful then me. They are your most trusted advisors and leaders. If they can live, why should I die. I know what I did could be considered treason. I know that I could be put to death for it, and I'm prepared to accept that. All I ask is that you don't judge me based solely on my hollow powers. Try me as a soul reaper, not as a hollow." The vizards remove their masks. You remove yours as well.

"Well said, Hiroto Arinori. With that said, we will begin voting. Captains and lieutenants, cast your votes." Little slips of paper appear before each person present, excluding yourself. The lieutenants get to vote as well? You might be screwed here.

...

After a few minutes, each person hands their slip to the Head Captain, Captain Komamura being the last.

"I will not cast a vote due to an even number of people being present. Now then, Let us begin." He picks up the first sheet. "The lieutenant of division 1 votes die. The captain of division 2 votes live. The lieutenant of division 2 votes die."

You swear you see Soi Fon give Omaeda the most evil glare ever. He is going to pay for that later.

"The captain of division 3 votes live. The lieutenant of division 3 votes die. The captain of division 4 votes live. The lieutenant of division 4 votes live. The captain of division 5 votes live, the lieutenant of division 5 votes live."

Things are starting to look up. That is quite a lot of lives you have gotten... but it seems your luck ran out at the 5th division.

"The captain of division 6 votes die. The lieutenant of division 6 votes die. The captain of division 7 votes die. The lieutenant of division 7 votes die. The captain of division 8 votes live. The lieutenant of division 8 votes live. The captain of division 9 votes live. The lieutenant of division 9 votes live. The captain of division 10 votes die. The lieutenant of division 10 votes live. The captain of division 11 votes live. The lieutenant of division 11 votes live. The captain of division 12 votes die. The lieutenant of division 12 votes die. The captain of division 13 votes live. The lieutenant of division 13 votes live."

The Head Captain sets down the papers. "If I am correct in my counting, that means 15 have voted live and 10 have voted die. We will decide your punishment at a more suitable date, but for now..."

That spiritual pressure! Its...

"Vacio." You turn to see Shinji speak. "Head Captain, this is the arrancar we spoke about. He is strong. He held off my own attacks, along with Captain Soi Fon's, Yoruichi Shihoin's, and Kisuke Urahara's like they were nothing."

"All of the lieutenants report to your station's. All of the captains report to the site of the arrancar. We must deal with him immediately."

With that the group disbanded, flash stepping away, leaving you alone with the Head Captain.

"Sir, where should I go?"

"For now, report to you squad barracks."

"I understand sir." You flash step away, silently angry that you were unable to help. Seeing everyone again will be nice though. Its only been a week, but still.

You hear explosions and screaming in the distance when you reach your barracks. Damn, sounds like he is putting up a fight. You walk into your barracks and are surprised to see many of the seated officers sitting there... like they were expecting you.

"Uh, hey guys?" Ikkaku stands up and slowly walks over to you. He puts forth his hand for a hand shake. You smile and Gladly accept it.

"It good to have you back Hiroto."

"Thanks, its good to-" You are suddenly cut off when Ikkaku punches you in the face. You slam against the ground. "What the hell Ikakku!"

"That's for leaving without telling us." He offers his hand to pull you up, but when you reach for it he punches you again. "And that's for not telling us about your Bankai!"

Many of the seated officers looked at each other in confusion. Hiroto has a Bankai?

"What the hell! You didn't tell anyone about yours for a few years! How is this any different!?"

"I still told them though! Now pick yourself up, we are going to fight."

"Now?"

"Hell yeah! I want to fight your Bankai. Hurry up to the training grounds. You got five minutes." With that, he disappears in a flash along with the rest of the seated officers.

Dammit. You can't get out of this one. You pick yourself up and start walking to the training grounds. This really couldn't have came at a more inopportune moment. What if the captains need me? I was one of the few who had first hand experience with Vacio. I could help. You don't like the idea of leaving Soi Fon by herself either.

Before you knew it, your feet had carried you to the meeting spot. You look into the stands and see most of the division present. Word sure gets around fast, doesn't it. Guess a fight between the 3rd and 4th seat in your division draws a crowd. Standing opposite of Ikkaku, you draw your zanpakuto.

"Hey Shi, can you come out here for a while." Your zanpakuto glows and Shi no Dansu materializes in front of you. "Things might get ugly if I have to use Bankai. Just go sit with the rest of the division until I'm done."

"Ok Oto! We'll be cheering for you!"

"We?"

"Oto Jr. Of course!" She holds up the bear to emphasize her point.

"Oh... ok then." You turn and face Ikkaku while Shi no Dansu skips over to the stands. Many give her a wide berth, but the few who know her better than the others happily sit with her.

"Ready now Hiroto. I won't hold back."

"Die, Shi no Dansu." Your sword morphs, much to the interest of the others. They knew about your shikai, but have never seen it before. "Neither will I."

...

The fight had been going on for ten minutes and neither Ikkaku nor yourself have yet landed a solid blow.

"Come on Hiroto! You may have gotten better, but you still can't beat me withoutyour Bankai!"

"If I use it, you'll regret it."

"I regret you not using it!"

You give him a sigh. "Fine, but I warned, you." You drag your zanpakuto across your front in a sweeping motion. "Bankai." Your zanpakuto morphs, yet again, into the scythe you despise. "Rasuto Shi no Dansu."

You give it a twirl before slamming the pole against the ground. "Prepare yourself."

"Oh I'm ready! Let me have it!" He mocks you. You calmly raise your scythe above your head.

"Master of death, Ruler of souls, Keeper of hatred, I give unto you all that is mine. Strike down your enemies with haste and misfortune. Destroy all those who dare defy. End the days of the weak. Catalyse me for your own selfish needs. Kill all who oppose. Murder the righteous. Reward the gluttonous. Leave your palace of night. Exit the realm of slumber. Enter our world and consume. Oshoku no Yoki."

You strike the ground with your blade. A dark energy bursts forth from underneath Ikkaku. He doesn't scream, but you can tell its painful. After a moment the energy disappears, leaving Ikkaku standing there and smoldering.

"That was pretty good. I admit you've gotten stronger, a lot stronger. If I was in Bankai I would be able to keep going." He stops talking for a moment. "Hey Yumichika."

"What?"

"Take me over to the 4th would ya? I'd hate to be left here." With that, he falls over and hits the ground.

"And he calls me dramatic." Yumichika sighs and stands up, moving to drag his friend to the 4th.

"Yay! Oto won!" Shi no Dansu bounds from the stands with a grin on her face. "Let's go out for ice cream!"

You roll your eyes at her comment. "You just want ice cream, don't you?"

"Yeah, but we can celebrate too!"

"Maybe in a little while, I want to go-"

BOOM!

A large explosion echoes off the buildings around you. "Holy crap! What was that!?" You look around and spot one particular building in front of your division smoking. You then see Captain Hitsugaya climb slowly out of the newly formed hole, panting heavily and bleeding profusely, and drop down to the ground. He looks around for a moment and sets his eyes on you.

"Hiroto, come here!" You oblige him, making your way across the way to where he was kneeling while avoiding the debris from the building.

"Yes, captain?"

"Come with me." He tries to stand, but ultimately falls back to his knees. "I need you to help us with this fight. You have fought him before, so you might have an idea of what's going on, or how to beat him."

"Sure thing captain. Let me heal you first though. You won't be any good if you can't even stand."

He gives you a questioning look. "You are a member of the 11th division, right?"

You give him a smile. "Let's just say I have too much free time. I'm nowhere close to being as good a healer as the 4th division members are, but I should he able to do some general healing."

He nods, letting you proceed. You raise your hands over him and apply your healing kido to his legs first. After a few minutes you finish. They look better, but not completely healed, however, it will have to do for now.

"Oto, are you leaving?"

You look over at Shi no Dansu, who walked up to where Captain Hitsugaya and yourself were sitting.

"Yeah, for a little bit at least."

"Ok, we can get ice cream later." She looks sad at the fact that she won't be getting ice cream anytime soon. You give a quiet sigh.

"Whenever your ready to leave Oto, I will be too." She glows for a moment, then returns to the zanpakuto at your side. You turn back to face the fallen captain.

"Can you walk now captain?" Captain Hitsugaya tries to stand, and succeeds, giving you a nod.

"Let's go. The others are having a hard time beating this guy. Who exactly is he?"

"I'll tell you what I know on the way." He nods again and you both take off in a flash.

...

"So he has the power to take over someone's mind?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't seem like he can do it that often. Either that, or he chooses not to use it. I've only seen him do it once."

"Interesting. So what your saying is not only should our physical guard be up, but our mental guard as well?"

"More so your mental guard than your physical one. I'd rather take a hit or two than let him invade my mind."

"Indeed." You finish the run to the battle grounds in silence. Reaching the place where the battle is commencing, you notice that its taking place in Captain Kuchiki's back yard. Well, his gardens actually, but same difference. Either way, looks like he will need to plant some new flowers.

From what you can see, his garden is basically a war zone. Craters litter the ground like leaves. Some of the trees are uprooted, branches strewn about. Part of the mansion itself was on fire. Captain Hitsugaya saw to it that the flames were put out.

There were three captains currently fighting Vacio. Captain Kyoraku was wielding his two zanpakuto, Captain Zaraki was laughing like a lunatic, swing every which way, and Captain Kuchiki was standing a little further away, motioning with his hands to control his shikai.

The rest of the captains were scattered about the area. Some were nursing wounds with the help of Captain Unohana. Some were standing by, ready to fight.

"Why aren't they attacking?"

"We decided to fight three at a time to wear him down. When one of us falls or is too tired to continue, another captain takes their place. This way he can't run and we can't be killed as easy."

You nod and scan the scene. You spot your target. Soi Fon. She is sitting on the ground being tended to by Captain Unohana. You rush over to her side.

"Hiroto!" She cries out, surprised at your appearance. "What are you doing here? The Head Captain said-"

"Toshiro brought me here. He said you needed my help. I was a little surprised too, considering he voted for my death."

"That still doesn't explain what you are doing here."

"Like I said, I'm here to help. If I can stay hollowfied long enough to score a hit on him, it will make your jobs a lot easier." You stand up and call out to the fighting captains. "My turn guys." They turn to see you strolling towards them.

You stop before Vacio. "Oh, how wonderful it is to see you again Hiroto! You don't know how much I've missed you!"

"Save it you twisted creep. Last time we met you said you wanted to kill me."

"Oh, but of course!"

"Why?"

"Well not you per say, but that hollow inside of you. She needs to die."

"What did she do to you?"

"Nothing... yet. You see there are three kinds of hollows. Those born from spirits who have had their chain removed or who have been corrupted. Those who were made by a multitude of converging hollows, like a Gillian or Adjucha. Even the vasto lorde's and arrancar's fall into that category... and then there are inner hollows. Oh yes, the stupid, disgusting, unworthy inner hollows. All of them must be tamed. It's sickening to think of a soul reaper taming a hollow like it was their pet. Most of them are on par with Adjucha level hollows. Some even manage to make it to a vasto lorde level. However some, like the one that insufferable little brat Ichigo Kurosaki is carrying around, are on a whole other level. That thing inside of him has the strength of 100 vasto lorde. The one inside you is the same. She will grow until you are like Ichigo. Unstoppable. Untouchable. You will be a god... I won't let that happen. I'm going to kill you here and now, suck the hollow out of your soul, and take her power for myself. When I do that, I will be able to kill that damn brat and take his hollow too. I will become a king. I will become a god."

He finishes his speech and draws his blade. He wants to be a god, just like Aizen did.

"I was one of Lord Aizen's so called rejects. Instead of me, he picked that lazy, good for nothing piece of crap Starrk to be his 1st Espada! I wanted to kill him. Oh, how much I wanted to watch his blood soak the ground. Then Ichigo did it for me. I'm thankful for that, I truly am, but now you stand in the way of my goal. I am going to be a god, but first, you need to die."

He stance becomes very relaxed and he eyes you, waiting for you to make a move.

"Bankai." You utter that one word and all of the captains look at you. You sweep your zanpakuto across your front. It morphs into the same familiar scythe once again. "Rasuto Shi no Dansu."

"Impressive! But you'll need more than a Bankai to stop me!"

"I know."

He, along with several of the captains, gives you a look of confusion. "I'm not going to beat you with my Bankai."

"Ha! So even you know how pointless it is!? Tell ya what, if you surrender now I'll make sure your death is quick and painless.

"I said I wasn't going to beat you with my Bankai, not that I wasn't going to beat you. Have you already forgotten?" You draw your hand over your face, creating your mask. "I have hollow powers too."

"Oh what a pretty mask. Unfortunately I'm going to have to run it through with my sword!" He yells and lunges at you. You put up your scythe to block. The lunge hits your blade and bounces back. You reach out with your hand.

"Yami no Beru." A black wall appears and hides your physical form.

"Oh, playing tricks are we?" He takes a slash at the black wall, but it dissipates, leaving nothing to show for his efforts. "Come now, don't play hard to get. It isn't worth the effort to play along. You slash at his exposed back. You hit him! Wait... he's not bleeding?

He turns and slashes at your side, but you manage to block it with the handle of your scythe. You fly back from the hit.

"You'll need more than that to break my hierro Hiroto. Remember, I was supposed to be the 1st Espada. I'm the strongest hollow there is."

Damn, he is right. His hierro is tougher than anything you have felt before. It was like trying to pierce solid steel with a butter knife.

"Well I see you are out of tricks." You dispel your Yami no Beru. Its easier to move without it active. "So its my turn now." He places his sword in both hands, the hilt in one, the blade in another.

"Hiss and slither, Serpiente." He snaps his sword in two.