The female Aizen gave an amiable, tinkling laugh. "I did hope this would appeal to your sense of aethestics Sousuke." Kyoka Suigetsu waved a hand in the air, and a table, two chairs and tea set materialized before it, indicating it's owner to take a seat. Aizen nodded graciously and sat down before the spirit, pouring a cup for himself and his genderswapped copy before answering, a look of intense pain on his face. "Your words wound me Kyoka Suigetsu, you seem to think of me as some sort of narcissist." He took a drink, grimacing, and set the cup down. "Alas, tea in this world shall never truly compare to reality's version."
Aizen's female counterpart gave the man an apologetic smile before resuming it's previous one of mild complacency. "Forgive me for saying so Sousuke, but I do not think you came here for tea and pleasant conversation. Your praise regarding my power is flattering, but it seems you are under some false impressions yourself." Aizen and Kyoka Suigetsu both took another drink, Aizen's lasting longer as he absorbed himself in thought. At last he set the teacup on the table and addressed his Zanpakuto. "Oh? And just what sort of false impressions might those be?"
Kyoka Suigetsu suddenly gave a spasm as though it were suffering some sort of stroke before it's body exploded into shards and reformed into the figure of Ichimaru Gin. It flashed Aizen Gin's well-known, unsettling grin before responding. "Please do not take me for some kind of fool Sousuke. You are adept at weaving a web of falsehoods around those you know in reality, but I am a reflection of your very soul. You cannot feign ignorance to me." The fake Gin took another drink and continued. "Several of those scenes Kurosaki Ichigo and his blade witnessed were the truth, I merely altered a few details for the sake of keeping your plan private."
Aizen's cold smile faded ever-so-slightly. "That is of little importance. The boy is a fool, he'll never be able to-" Kyoka Suigetsu cut him off, opening Gin's bright blue eyes to meet Aizen's deep brown. "The boy is more perceptive than you seem to take him for, which is rather surprising given how excellent a judge of other's characters you have been up until now. Or perhaps you are well aware of his acumen and are merely telling yourself this to assuage your fears?" Aizen's smirk had now completely disappeared, replaced by an unreadable, neutral expression. "I have no fear of Kurosaki Ichigo."
Gin's copy let out a shrill laugh. "That is not what I was referring to Sousuke. I think you have a fear of yourself, or rather, your true self." Aizen absent-mindedly raised his cup to his lips to take another drink, but, noticing it was empty already, set about pouring himself a second. "Conversing with you can sometimes be a rather wearying task Kyoka Suigetsu. You speak in nothing but riddles. I occasionally feel something akin to sympathy for those I perform the same act to in reality whilst I am here." He fixed the false Gin with a stern gaze. "However, I do not wish to speak of this with you. I merely came here to compliment your ingenuity and pass some time during my imprisonment." Kyoka Suigetsu laughed once more and began to reform itself again, this time into the figure of a large, cloaked man sporting unkempt hair and a mustache Aizen vaguely recognized. "Though nothing would please me more than to have a chance to speak with you at length Sousuke, it seems you have a visitor. I took the liberty of altering your perception of time whilst you were in here. Outside, you will find several hours have passed." Kyoka Suigetsu took another drink before feigning rememberance. "Ah, but before you leave Sousuke, I advise you spend some time thinking on, not only the illusions you have cast on others in furtherance of your plans, but the illusions you seemed to have cast upon yourself. They do nothing but hold you back."
Aizen merely nodded at his blade's cryptic statement. "As ambiguous as ever I see." Aizen rose to leave, his back to his blade. "I am rather glad the Hogyoku did not deem you worthless, Kyoka Suigetsu. Once again I must compliment you upon your decision to disappear from my grasp when Urahara Kisuke's seal activated. Truly ingenious, even he suspects I am disarmed now." He heard his Zanpakuto's spirit let out another tinkling laugh, it seemed to have readopted it's female form. "And once again you flatter me Sousuke. As I said before, I am merely a reflection of your own conscious You have only yourself to praise." Aizen readopted his trademark grin and closed his eyes, rising from his inner world just in time to hear an explosion rock his cell.
Moments later, he felt the pressure his binds exerted upon his body disappear, and opening his eyes, saw that they had been cut cleanly in half vertically down from his head. Pulling them casually off his form as though they had been nothing but an extra layer of clothing, Aizen saw for the first time the one he had to give credit to for his freedom. It was the same man Kyoka Suigetsu had taken the shape of at the end of their conversation. Aizen flashed him a shining smile. "I appreciate your willingness to liberate me, but it was hardly necessary " The freed Ex-Captain gestured to the orb embedded in his chest. "I was never truly trapped to begin with you see." The tall, imposing figure returned Aizen's smirk with one of his own. "I am well aware of that Aizen Sousuke. I merely wished to speak with you." He pointed to the hole in the ceiling to Aizen's cell that he had apparently entered through.
"I know your sense of hearing has been deprived of you for some time Aizen Sousuke, therefore I shall give you a chance to reacclimate to your surroundings and take in the sounds of the world above." Aizen, having been using his sense of hearing for several hours up to this point, did not need time to adjust and register the screams, explosions and various reiatsus that emanated from the opening in the ceiling. "Ah." Aizen said, feigning surprise. "So you have finally decided to strike then? That is a rather bold move. I do hope you are prepared." The mustachioed man let out a bark of laughter, and the blade he had used to slice Aizen's bonds in two dematerialized from his grasp. "I assure you Sousuke Aizen, my men have been trained and all necessary precautions have been taken, including the sealing of Kurosaki Ichigo in the Dangai Precipice World."
Aizen simulated a look of deep surprise. "You say you have sealed Kurosaki Ichigo in such a way that he shall not interfere with your plans? An impressive feat." The man let out yet another amused growl. His expression changing to one of mild impatience as a searing heat suddenly manifested itself inside the cell. Aizen resumed his false surprise. "Oh my. It seems the Captain-Commander has released his Bankai at long last. If you do not hurry you may miss the show."
The cloaked man did not respond to Aizen's statement this time with laughter, but rather with a stern look directed at the entrance he had created in Aizen's cell's ceiling. "Do not fail me Royd." He muttered before turning back to the former prisoner with a cordial expression. "You are correct, and that is why I unfortunately must rush these proceedings." He took a deep breath before speaking his next words with an air of one bestowing a great honor upon an individual. "Sousuke Aizen, I, Juha Bach, as emperor of the Vandenreich, wish to extend to you an offer to join our prestigious ranks as a Special War Potential." Aizen regarded the man before him calmly, placing his fingers together.
"Forgive me if I am wrong, but it seems that that would in fact be a rank beneath your own, Juha Bach." Aizen flashed the man a pleasant grin. "I find working under someone else to be entirely unfitting a god such as myself." Bach walked forward slowly, the shining blue reishi blade he had used earlier reappearing in his hands and pointing it at Aizen's head. Aizen actually laughed. "And what exactly will you do Juha Bach? I cannot die." Bach grinned broadly before lowering the blade. "You are quite right Aizen Sousuke. And that is the very reason why that I shall not pursue this particular course of action at this present moment, for we have all the time in the world for you to come around. I merely wished to present the opportunity to you." Aizen closed his eyes, an amused smirk playing at his features.
"Your interest is appreciated Juha Bach, but not desired. I have no intentions of placing myself beneath another's command." Bach's own grin did not fade. "As I said Aizen Sousuke, you will come around in the end, when all Soul Society is reduced to ash and the Zero Division lie dead at my feet." Aizen opened his eyes and fixed Bach with an interested gaze. "The Zero Division you say?" Bach laughed. "Did that pique your interest? Indeed, it is the goal of the Vandenreich to bring all corrupt Shinigami to justice, including the defenders of the Soul King himself." Aizen watched Bach closely for a few moments before responding. "I do not think your men are prepared to face the Royal Guard." Bach nodded. "Perhaps. But you are. Is there nothing I can say or do to convince you to at least consider my offer?" At this, Aizen closed his eyes once more, deep in thought. "Yes. There are several things you can agree to that will cause me to give your words deeper thought Juha Bach." Bach gave Aizen a delighted smile in return.
The sounds of metal clanging against reishi rang throughout the Dangai Precipice World, periodically interspersed with the hopeful chorus of the dying Shinigami that their hero was on his way and the lamentations of the young man trapped there. "Damn it!" Ichigo yelled, attacking the bars of his cage once again. "This can't be happening! Everyone… everyone is depending on me!" Raising Zangetsu for what seemed to be the hundredth time, he swung down hard, but again the cage showed no reaction to his strikes. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice sound out from his communicator, dwarfing the rest of the voices belonging to the Gotei 13 soldiers. "Bankai. Zanka no Tachi." Ichigo froze mid-swing. "That voice... the old man..."
He breathed a sigh of immense relief, if the old man had gone Bankai, then there was no way Soul Society was going to lose this war. He was simply too strong. Wven here, in this interdimensional rift, he could feel the temperature rising as Yamamoto's massive reaitsu clashed with the leader of the Vandenreich's. Without warning, a Senkaimon opened off in the direction of Soul Society, and a large figure strode through into the tunnel between worlds that Ichigo was trapped in. "H-hey! Over here!" Ichigo yelled. The figure broke into a run, and as it drew near Ichigo saw the form of Komamura Sajin, a white-cloaked girl no more than Ichigo's age sitting on his shoulder. "K-Komamura-san?"
The bestial Captain nodded at the orange-haired youth and looked to his companion. "You did not lie." She closed her eyes momentarily at his words and one of her eyebrows twitched. "You act as if I have no honor puppy." Ichigo stared confusedly at the two, then as the girl lowered herself from Komamura's shoulder, he caught sight of the five-pronged cross that served as the symbol for the Vandenreich from underneath her cloak. "Komamura-san look out! She's a-" Komamura cut him off by raising his hand. "Do not worry Kurosaki-san, I am well aware of what she is. And what she is, is our ally." The girl looked back up at the wolf, frowning slightly. "D-don't get the wrong idea doggie. I'm only doing this because you spared my life, and because the pride of the Quincy refuses to allow something like that to simply be ignored. This has nothing to do with you personally, got it?" The Shinigami Captain merely nodded wordlessly, which somehow seemed to agitate the girl even further.
Pulling her cap over her eyes to hide her rapidly reddening face as she approached the cage, Ichigo finally managed to get over his shock and formulate a sentence. "H-hold on Komamura-san. What's going on?" Komamura looked at Ichigo and formed a small, sad smile. "The heat you are feeling right now is from the Captain-Commander's Bankai, Kurosaki-san. He is currently in battle with the leader of the Vandenreich, but I do not think he will last forever. This Stern Ritter was gracious enough to supply us with the details of your capture, saying that their leader, known as Juha Bach, seems to believe you're the only person capable of still serving as a threat to his plans. She then went on to tell us of your current situation, which explained why we had had difficulty contacting you recently. And to top it all off, this helpful young lady is going to free you." The Quincy girl outside of the cage across from Ichigo was now glowing scarlet. "S-shut up doggie! I'm not on your side, I told you!" Ichigo stared at her blankly for a moment.
"Wait. How are you going to break this cage? I've been hitting it for hours and nothing's worked." The Quincy smiled smugly and placed a hand on the energy comprising the bars of Ichigo's prison. "It's very simple really. His Majesty gave Kirge the ability to manipulate Reishi across vast distances, and he used it to create an unbreakable cage. Unbreakable as in immune to physical and spiritual attacks that is. Quincy techniques, which often use Reishi manipulation however..." Her hand glowed briefly and the bars to the cage shattered like glass. "Are all that is needed to dispell the ability. Even a first year student would have been able to break free from this trap." Ichigo glowered at her. "Well I'm not a Quincy." He retorted. She sniggered. "Obviously. How his Majesty views you as a threat I'll never know..." Before Ichigo had a chance to open his mouth, something happened that caused the three of them to let out astonished gasps. The heat had faded, and with it, Yamamoto's reiatsu. Komamura was the first to snap out of his surprise. "Genryuusai-dono!"
He howled, about to move for the exit. The girl caught his arm at the last second, fear evident upon her features. "H-hold up doggie! You don't understand! If the old man is dead, then that means the Fuhrer has won, and he's likely about to give us all the order to destroy Soul-" Without warning a smooth voice erupted from the medallion she was carrying in her pocket. "This is an order to all Stern Ritter from his Majesties right-hand, Hashvald: His Majesty has emerged victorious. Yamamoto Shigekuni is defeated. Initiate the purge, then fall back to Headquarters for further orders. The Royal Guard are coming." She winced. "See? Right now all active Stern Ritter are summoning in foot soldiers from headquarters to reduce your world to rubble. It's probably safer if we fall back to Hueco Mundo, I can't feel Kirge's presence anymore." She pointed at the direction Ichigo had come from hours ago. The orange-haired boy shook his head, determination in his eyes. "No. I can't go. I'm the last one who can save us. You two leave. Komamura-san, get Inoue, Chad and Urahara-san to safety. Take them to my house, my dad will know what to do."
Komamura's response to Ichigo was a firm glare. "Do you take me for some form of honorless coward Kurosaki-san?!" Ichigo looked at Komamura, abashed, not getting a chance to respond before the Captain continued. "I will not fall back while a child goes to defend the honor of Genryuusai-dono! You may be the last one capable of facing Juha Bach, Kurosaki-san, but I will not stand idly by while you do so. My men, my comrades-in-arms, our friends, Kurosaki-san, they're going to die if we don't return to Soul Society." Ichigo stared at the wolf, stunned. "K-Komamura-san..." He watched the girl resume her place on Komamura's shoulder, letting out a long sigh as she sat down. "No helping it huh? You sure are a dumb dog." Komamura merely shrugged, turning to face the way he and the Quincy had come. He made an odd gesture with his hand, and another Senkaimon opened beside the one he had arrived from. "Yours is on the left. I will arrive to assist you as soon as I acquire back-up. Are you ready Kurosaki-san? Bambietta?" Ichigo nodded, racing forward so quickly he barely had time to hear Bambietta scolding Komamura for using her first name. "Good luck Komamura-san!" Ichigo shouted as he approached the exit of the Dangai Precipice World.
Blasting out into Soul Society at long last, Ichigo had to force himself to concentrate on finding Juha Bach and ignore the destruction he saw around him, but somewhere deep in his being he still felt his heart give a twang of sorrow. There was nothing left but ruins, soldiers marching in formation slaughtering everything in their path, the cries of the dying and the countless corpses of the already dead. Distantly, Ichigo noticed several reiatsu still revealing their owners in battle, and the thought gave him some small comfort, though the absence of Rukia or Renji's still caused him some pause. Discovering that the reiatsu he had felt surge before Yamamoto's had disappeared was in fact right below him, Ichigo grunted. "Thanks for depositing me here Komamura-san. Guess it's right to business!"
He Shunpo'd from the cloud he had created upon his entry to aim a swing at Juha Bach's back. The moment he had emerged from his cover, however, Bach had reacted. It took Ichigo a split-second to realize Bach had just blocked his attack without turning, merely raising two fingers behind him to counter the strike. "You arrived sooner than I anticipated, Kurosaki Ichigo. I must wonder how you freed yourself from my Jail." He swiveled his head just enough to regard Ichigo with one eye. "Do not tell me this is the best you have to offer?" Ichigo jumped back and assumed a defensive stance. A weak voice caused him to suddenly falter, but Bach did not take the opportunity to exploit Ichigo's temporary opening. "K-Kuro...saki... Ichi-go?" Ichigo looked past the form of Bach to find the remains of Yamamoto, his upper half severed from his lower, his other arm ending in a stump to accompany the one he had lost back in the Winter War. "Jii...-san?" Ichigo responded, dumbstruck.
Yamamoto did not turn to look at Ichigo, in fact, Ichigo was surprised the old man was capable of speech at all in the state he was in. "I am... sorry... you had to... get involved... in... this. But... you are not... strong enough... to face this man... I urge you... run..." Bach let out a cruel, harsh laugh. "Even in his dying moments the Captain-Commander displays how weak he has become. To care for this boy? You truly have fallen Yamamoto Shigekuni." Ichigo charged Bach, fury filling his entire being, but every swing he aimed at Bach was easily blocked, either through Bach dodging at the last second, parrying the blow with his own reishi blade, or simply stopping the strike with his free hand. "That is not enough Kurosaki Ichigo. You are weak, and as it stands, you shall always be weak." He let out another evil laugh. "There is nobody left in Soul Society who can stand before me. You have lost." Ichigo was saved from having to respond to Bach by another voice answering in his stead.
"That is not entirely true." Bach's eyes widened momentarily before he lept from the spot he had been standing half a second before a blade swung down at him. "Are you alright, Kurosaki-san?" A woman's voice asked him, her flowing black hair hiding her features from the boy. Ichigo swallowed. "Y-yeah." Wait. He knew that voice. "Unohana-san?" The Captain of the Fourth Division turned to face him. She looked like a completely different person with her hair free from that braid, it blew uncontrollably about in the wind, and her eyes seemed to be wilder, fiercer. Ichigo knew this was not the same woman he had traveled to the Fake Karakura Town with the previous year. "Fall back. That is an order." She said, watching Ichigo with those frightening eyes. Despite his trepidation, Ichigo still shook his head firmly. "I-I can't! I've come to help!" Unohana's eyes briefly reverted back to the motherly, caring ones he had seen before. "I'm sorry Kurosaki-san, but you have arrived far too late. There is nothing more for you to do. You are not even a full Shinigami, we true members of the Gotei 13 shall take over from here." And at her words Ichigo watched as several other Captains arrived on the battlefield, surrounding Bach and his white-haired subordinate. "Soifon, Komamura-san, Rose, Kensei!" He said, turning around to face the rest of them. "Toshiro, Hirako, Mayuri, Ukitake-san, Kyoraku-san!" He noticed Byakuya and Kenpachi were missing, but Unohana's next statement tore him from his thoughts. "You are relieved from duty Kurosaki Ichigo. You no longer are aligned with the Gotei 13, and as such are not required to abide by our laws." She gave him a pleading look. "Please, Kurosaki-san. Run."
Ichigo watched her open-mouthed for a few seconds. "W-what?" He asked stupidly. "You... you're kicking me out of the Gotei 13?" Unohana nodded, and Ichigo shook his head. "No... no! That doesn't matter! I don't care if I don't have to..." A thought had occurred to him. Unohana said he was no longer bound by their laws. Which meant he could try something crazy. Something that truly meant they had no other options. If Bach was capable of killing Yamamoto using Bankai, what chance did any of his friends stand, even all together as they were? Most of them wouldn't even be able to use their Bankai, either because it had been sealed or out of fear of harming their allies. He was the only one who could help them now. "Okay." He looked at all his friends one more time. "Please, all of you, listen to me. Don't die. I'll come back, I promise!" And with that Ichigo ran from the battlefield, directing himself toward the place the First Division used to stand. As Juha Bach's reiatsu clashed with Unohana's and the remaining Captain's released their respective Shikais.
Upon arriving at his destination, Ichigo was stunned to find a massive crator leading deep, deep down into the Shinigami prison. "Looks like I wasn't the only one who came to see you recently." He muttered, walking over to the edge. "Here goes nothing." And with that, Ichigo jumped, falling for what seemed to be minutes, until at last seeing the grounding rising up rapidly before him and cushioning his landing with a pillow of reiatsu. "No wonder it took Komamura-san and I such a long time to get down here." He grumbled to himself, looking up from where he had just fallen. Remembering where he was, Ichigo quickly drew Tensa Zangetsu and directed his gaze toward the center of the room. To his astonishment, Aizen was freed from his bonds. But to Ichigo's even greater astonishment however, Aizen was merely sitting in his throne, watching him with a look of intense curiosity. "Kurosaki Ichigo. How wonderful it is to see you again so soon. And might I ask what brings you down here for the second day in a row?" he wondered, the Hogyouku in his chest glowing brightly. It was alive once more. Ichigo couldn't help but let out a humorless laugh.
This really was insane.