Sogyoku Hill. A pillar in the center of Seireitei, it was once used as an execution site for the most heinous criminals of the Soul Society. The pillar at its peak was destroyed nearly two years ago by Ichigo Kurosaki, but the symbolism remained. And now it will be the site of execution once again.
All the Captains of the Gotei Thirteen were gathered save for Byakuya Kuchiki, who stood with Renji Abarai at the gate where the army of Hollows was stationed. None had moved since Tamotsu was captured.
Tamotsu knelt near the edge, Rangiku standing behind him and Yamamoto behind her. The others were gathered in two staggered rows so they could all witness the proceeding. Facing the group, Tamotsu's expression was stern.
"And now," Yamamoto said. "All of Seireitei shall witness what happens to those who defy the Soul Society!"
With a nod, Rangiku stepped forward and withdrew her zanpakuto and stood before Tamotsu. Her expression was sour as she held her blade.
"Rangiku Matsumoto... Destroy the traitor!"
Rangiku nodded and swung her blade hard and fast, striking not Tamotsu but Yamamoto. A spurt of blood blew from the wound in the man's chest as Rangiku stood with her back turned.
"You disappoint me," she said, her body beginning to glow. "I would have thought you of all people would be able to read between the lines." The skin and cloth surrounding Rangiku's body began to lift away in sheets of reishi, revealing someone underneath. "What I said was true. I have no brother. But I will do all in my power-" The reishi disguise dissolved completely, revealing the true Tamotsu Toshiyuki standing in Rangiku's place "- to protect my sister!"
Tamotsu leapt forward, readying a bare-handed strike-
- Do not believe what your eyes see... Do not listen to what your ears hear...
- "You are not my Commander!"
- "You just don't get it, do you? Everything in Seireitei... Its all an illusion."
- "You cannot always trust your eyes. They will deceive you."
- "To convince you I only need two words..."
"Sosuke Aizen!"
Tamotsu raked the air before Yamamoto, a fabric of rainbow colors flashing before the man and falling away to reveal Sosuke Aizen standing in front of everyone. All at once, five of the present Captains leapt forward, their bodies dissolving in the same manner as Tamotsu's disguise as Rangiku, to reveal Tier Harribel, Kisaki, Mila Rose, Sung Sun and Apacci.
Aizen leapt off the ground as he was nearly surrounded and batted away as a twin attack from Apacci and Mila Rose nearly struck home. Turning just in time to dodge and counter an attack by Harribel, the air suddenly cleared as Tamotsu caught up and let loose with his whip and caused a shock wave that rocked the air surrounding the battlefield.
"What's going on up there?" Renji asked at the gate.
"Hmm..." Harribel said. "It seems that stage two of the plan has commenced. I guess I'm done here."
The air shimmered around the group of Arrancar and the army of Hollows and they dissolved into the air like a mirage. Standing in their place was a young girl with short blonde hair and a long coat with a collar that covered her neck.
"Ririn?!" Renji exclaimed.
"Yep!" Ririn said, placing her hands on her hips. "What? Me calling you a freeloader didn't give it away?"
"Ririn- But... Captain! You said that Tamotsu was going to be executed! Were you in on this too?"
"I was not involved with this plot," Byakuya said. "And I did not say that Toshiyuki was going to be executed. I told you that was what the message said."
"That's it!" Renji said. "I'm getting in on the action."
"No, Abarai. I gave my word that I would not interfere for three days. This is the third day. Besides. Do you not remember what happened last time Toshiyuki fought a strong opponent?"
Another shock wave cracked as Tamotsu threw his whip. Aizen easily dodged using Shunpo but was unable to move in for a counterattack.
"You impress me," Aizen said. "You were able to see through the illusion of my Kyoka Suigetsu."
"I told you before," Tamotsu answered. "Your Shikai has no power over me."
Aizen laughed. "You played your part well. I should assume you knew I was there when Rangiku visited you in Hueco Mundo?"
"I knew."
"You've grown a lot stronger. But you are still no match for me. You're going to need much more than that level of power if you ever hope to defeat me."
Tamotsu grinned. "Yeah, I kinda figured you'd say that."
Throwing his whip out in front, he grasped the handle with both hands. Aizen could feel the energy building and then realized what was happening. He braced himself and felt a bit of surprise as Tamotsu exclaimed a single word. A word which twenty-seven years ago caused the destruction of a mountain, as well as triggered Tamotsu's own death...
"BANKAI!"
A torrent of blue energy erupted from Tamotsu and swirled like a tornado, two glowing yellow whips lashing out and closing the distance between the torrent and Aizen in under a second. Aizen dodged and jumped backward, looking back to see Tamotsu standing in the air with twin red tabards over his shoulders and an elongated whip in each hand, the handle wrapping around his wrist and forearm and continuing into his robes.
The twin whips erupted into flame and lashed out, their length extending and closing the distance, leaving a wall of yellow fire in their wake. Aizen could feel the heat on his skin, the fresh wound on his chest stinging with the extreme temperature so close. Even if the whips did not strike him directly, the heat emitted would cause him damage.
Suddenly pulling back, the whips cracked and created twin flaming shock waves that exploded outward. Looking down, Aizen could see the Arrancar preparing for another assault. Aizen dashed forward, as did Tamotsu, and they struck at each other and passed. The Arrancar leapt upward as a spurt of blood erupted from Aizen's shoulder. They grew closer and came in for the kill.
Aizen smiled as he watched the Arrancar close in on Tamotsu. They should have known better. When he earlier called the name of his zanpakuto, he activated its ability. Such a simple illusion, making it appear that he and Tamotsu switched places. Even the most hardened of warriors would fall for such a trick during the heat of battle.
When it became clear that there was no turning back for the strikes, Aizen conjured a Kido spell and fired it at the group. At level ninety-one, not even the Danku barrier would stop it. On top of that, even if they saw it coming, the group would not be able to escape the explosion.
The purple energy exploded, just as he had planned, and the residual smoke billowed from the strike point. All too easy. Even the strongest of Shinigami would be severely injured with such a close range, and it would have taken out an unsuspecting target easily as well.
Aizen was about to turn away when he suddenly found himself being wrapped in glowing golden chains and six spears of light. Binding techniques? On him? He almost laughed. It would only be strong enough to hold him for a couple of seconds. They should know this.
But looking below him, a swirling circle of red and black appeared and the Reincarnate Naomi Kanagawa passed through. A pink glow surrounded her body and the twelve outer flowers on her shield, along with the center one, glowed brightly with energy leaking from them.
It was then that Aizen realized that a couple of seconds was all they needed.
3 hours ago
"How's everything coming together?" Tamotsu asked. He was miles outside of Seireitei and gathered with the Captains of the Gotei Thirteen who he had explained the plan to, as well as those who suspected enough to side with him. "Sorry to rush, but the plan had to get pushed forward."
"We're fine on our end," Harribel said. "Anxious and ready to strike Aizen down."
"Patience is the key here. Ririn. Were you able to conjure the illusion I asked?"
Ririn waved her hand in a so-so manner. "I can conjure the Hollows like you asked," she said. "But I can't give them different walking patterns. They'll all be marching to the same beat."
"That'll have to do."
"There is one thing," Kyoraku commented. "This being an illusion, there won't be any reiatsu emanating from them."
Tamotsu threw his head back. "Crap! I didn't think about that... Wait- Maybe this could work. Unohana. Could you ask Hanataro to do something?"
"I suppose," Unohana answered. "What is it?"
"I need him to say that I'm suppressing the reiatsu of the Hollows."
"You sure that'll work?" Kyoraku asked.
"It'll work. They'll be scared and disorganized when they see Ririn's illusion. All we have to do is plant the idea in their heads. Then they'll believe anything we want."
"I could ask him," Unohana responded. "But what of the wall that protects Seireitei in emergencies? That would cause problems."
"I've already thought of that. Tengokucho. Is that aspect of the plan cleared?"
The white and gold butterfly landed on the petals of a flower and cocked its head. It was difficult to say the least, it said. But my audience with the Soul King was successful after an explanation.
"Tengokucho?" Ukitake asked. "And the Soul King? You can't just make an appointment whenever you want with him."
The Tengokucho looked at Ukitake and responded in what seemed like a smug tone. Perhaps you cannot.
"We know Aizen likes to use illusion," Tamotsu continued. "We'll have to use this to our advantage. He'll know that he can't fool me, but the rest of you are still able to be tricked. He's overconfident and I'm sure that some time he'll use one of your charges to make it appear that he is standing where I really am. Noba. This is where you come in."
Noba nodded, his eyes narrowed behind the mask he wore that hid all but his eyes.
"Naomi. You'll have to take the brunt of the attack. While we're distracted Aizen will probably use Kido that would break down any barriers we have. Will your shield be able to take the Arrancar attacks and that as well?"
Naomi nodded.
"Noba. Once her shield is charged, I'll bind Aizen. Your portals are faster than Shunpo. Naomi. How rapidly can you fire and how many shots can you use before you run out of energy?"
Naomi looked toward the ground nervously. "I have another attack. A stronger one. I don't like using it, but I only need one shot."
Tamotsu nodded. "Do it."
Present
Aizen looked down as the flowers on Naomi's shield seemed to burn brighter and could hear the small girl's voice.
"Kusabana taihou Kageyoshi!"
The resulting explosion of pink and white seemed to darken the sky around it. The blast shot outward as every bit of stored energy in Shirrudo no Kusabana was released at once. Aizen exited the blast, his robes smoking and singed in a few areas.
It was the Fracciones' turn to attack. Disoriented, Aizen found it difficult to fend off their barrage of attacks. It was an interesting predicament. Attack the Arrancar, facing five against one, or attack Tamotsu and try getting past the burning whips. He chose to go after the ones he could face directly.
The Arrancar attacked one after another from various angles, each one moving in from a direction that forced Aizen to open himself to the next attacker.
"Enough of this!" Aizen finally cried out after blocking another flurry. "I should have killed you all long ago!"
Erecting a barrier which blocked and held off the attack from Sung Sun and Mila Rose, Aizen dodged Harribel's attack and focused his attention on Apacci. He swung his zanpakuto at just the right moment, when her own blade was at an angle which made it impossible to block.
The sword found its mark and cut through Apacci's body completely, only to have the body pop like a balloon. The moment of confusion forced him to turn and block as another form of Apacci came in from behind.
4 days ago
"Here's what I need from you, Captain Kurotsuchi," Tamotsu said. "I would like for you to construct disguises that are able to replicate the reiatsu of the person it represents. One for myself and five others."
"Planning to invade from the inside, are you?" Mayuri responded. "And an elaborate distraction outside I presume? How interesting."
"There's more. I need you to also construct something similar to the portable Gigai that Urahara invented, but they must be able to be used by Hollows. They should be able to be controlled remotely and be able to fit within the disguised."
Mayuri rubbed his chin with his finger. "Interesting. Most interesting. A decoy hidden within a decoy."
"This is Aizen we're talking about. Lets put it this way. This will test your abilities to the fullest. Its not easy to trick a trickster. So. Will you help me?"
Mayuri's lips widened into a smile, then into an even larger grin with his yellow teeth bared. "Willingly," he said.
Present
Tamotsu rushed forward, unable to keep up with the Shunpo and Sonido techniques being used by the Aizen and the Arrancar. He didn't want to bring Noba into the heat of battle with melee weapons, but he did have an advantage with his Bankai form being able to extend the whips up to a hundred feet. It wasn't the best for accuracy, but it did its worth for keeping Aizen on edge.
As he watched the Apacci portable Gigai get destroyed, he knew that Aizen would be furious at being tricked not only once but twice by him. This is where the true battle would begin. These were the last part of his plan to keep Aizen off balance, but as he watched as two more of the portable Gigai burst, the others burst on their own due to the stress caused by the battle.
Tamotsu swore under his breath. It was all he could expect given the circumstances and tight timeframe, but if Aizen's emotions controlled him and he lost control he would also lose the battle. On the other hand, he might actually enjoy this battle and having his wits challenged.
With a scream, Mila Rose lashed out and connected with Aizen's blade. She jumped back as Sung Sun came in from another angle. Apacci came in last and swung, but their timing had become predictable. Aizen quickly stuck his hand out and grabbed Apacci's forearm.
"I wonder," Aizen said. "Is this another trick or are you the real one? Let's find out, shall we?"
Grabbing her forearm tighter, Aizen pushed the middle of Apacci's forearm backward with his thumb and snapped the bone. Apacci screamed and dropped her sword, falling to the ground as she lost concentration.
"Aizen you bastard!" Mila Rose screamed. She and Sung Sun rushed in and began hammering at Aizen, who blocked their strikes with ease. His ploy had worked. Not only had he taken one of the combatants out, he had broken the will of others. Their strikes were messy. Predictable.
"Stay in formation!" Harribel shouted. But it was too late. Her other Fracciones were stricken and fell to the earth.
Aizen lashed out and exchanged several blows with Harribel before slipping his blade into the hollowed form of her sword and disarmed her. He reached back for a final blow but found his zanpakuto would not move. Looking up he could see that Tamotsu had closed the gap between them and one of the whips was wrapped around his own blade.
Tamotsu threw the other whip around Aizen's blade and poured his reiatsu into the weapon. Aizen too filled his blade with reiatsu, a test of power now. Tamotsu glowed brightly, reiatsu pouring into the air around the battle. His scream grew in intensity as the reiatsu increased, and Aizen smiled.
The two stood for several seconds, their zanpakuto locked together, until the weaker reiatsu finally gave way- and Aizen's blade cut through the twin whips of Tamotsu's Bankai.
"Hinohebi!" Tamotsu screamed as his zanpakuto shattered. He fell to the ground, his zanpakuto scattering into fragments of light and formed the human shape of Hinohebi in his arms.
"I'm sorry... Tamotsu..." Hinohebi said weakly. "I tried."
"You did what you could, my friend."
Hinohebi closed her eyed, her body disappearing and forming the shape of the sealed zanpakuto. With the sound of a hundred falling nails, the blade snapped and fell onto the ground. Tamotsu closed his eyes, the only part of the sword remaining wast the hilt and tsuba. The rest lay in a hundred pieces on the ground. His eyes filled with emotion, he could not stop the tears from the loss of his zanpakuto.
The emotion was cut short by a slow, steady clapping sound. Aizen walked casually to the spot where Tamotsu sat and smiled. "Well done," he said. "Well done, indeed. You deserve an appropriate prize for being able to fool even myself."
"Just tell me one thing," Tamotsu said. "How were you able to escape prison?"
"Escape? My dear boy. What makes you think I was ever in there in the first place? Have you forgotten my zanpakuto's ability? All this time it was just an illusion of me in that cell. But for you, I was thinking of giving you some more information. More specifically, on who you really are. Haven't you ever wondered?"
Tamotsu's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
"The truth of the Reincarnates. Long ago while I was researching Hollowfication, the thought crossed my mind that I might actually fail and may even be killed. What a waste that would be. All that knowledge... Gone forever. But then I remembered something we were taught. When a soul dies here, they are reborn in the World of the Living. And when a soul dies there, they come here. About twelve percent of souls here have some memory of their life in the World of the Living. But not the other way around."
"What are you saying?"
"What I'm saying, dear boy, is that I researched a way to forcibly regain memories of past lives. Imagine. A new body but with all the knowledge and power of a previous lifetime. Imagine the potential!"
Tamotsu's eyes grew wide as he finally understood what Aizen was saying.
"That's right. You, and all the other Reincarnates, are here today... Because of me."