The Challenge – Chap. 22

(Originally posted 7/14/12.)

XxXxXxX

"Wait!" said Rukia for the third time. She was standing on the window sill of Aizen's penthouse hotel suite, frozen with indecision, as he walked away from her, one arm draped possessively over Orihime's shoulders.

Aizen turned to look at her, his face completely expressionless. "You have ten seconds," he remarked tonelessly. "Then I will no longer guarantee your safety."

Byakuya had come to her rooms as she was preparing for her departure as Soul Society's emissary. He watched as she tidied her uniform and made certain her zanpakutou's sheath was aligned.

"Rukia, do not worry."

She looked up at him. "Nii-sama, what if I fail at this negotiation?"

"Are you worried about him trying to kill you again?"

She shook her head angrily. "No. If he violates the truce that way, we wouldn't want him on our side anyway. Besides, I don't fear death any more." She took a deep breath. "No, it's what soutaichou said in the meeting. What if Aizen learns we are desperate and uses that against us?"

Byakuya gazed at her. "I'm certain he already knows we are desperate."

"Then won't he take advantage of us?"

"You should follow soutaichou's instructions. We all know what Aizen is capable of. He will no doubt attempt to provoke and twist you to get you to do what he wants. Do not play his games; he is a master at them."

"But… but does that mean there is no hope?"

"There is always hope."

Aizen's eyes focused on her. How could such a monster be housed in such a beautiful package? He waited for her to speak with his impeccable mask of courtesy.

There was no choice. Rukia took a deep breath, trying to swallow her emotions and her pure hatred of the man who had lied and manipulated them all. "All right. The answer is yes."

Aizen raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" he drawled.

Scowling, Rukia bit out, "I will tell you his final offer: If you agree to ally with us, soutaichou will give you… the King's Key."

Orihime made a sharp intake of breath. Aizen paused, his face unreadable, his eyes searching Rukia's face.

Byakuya went on, "If the balance fails, the world will end. Soutaichou would give anything to stop that. Even… allowing a criminal access to the spirit realm.

"For without the balance, even the spirit king will topple. And… it is true the current king is weak. Perhaps… having a stronger king will not be all bad."

Rukia stared at her brother, incredulous. "You can't be serious, Nii-sama. Aizen is evil! He has murdered so many people, and he betrayed us all, pretending to be a good, kind captain, all the while secretly building a base in Hueco Mundo and allying with hollows! He—"

Byakuya interrupted her. "If we cannot stop the Vandenreich, there will be nothing left."

Aizen's face continued to express nothing other than placid amusement as he tilted his head in consideration, his arm still draped loosely around Orihime's shoulders. "Very well. I accept those terms. Deliver it into my hands by noon, Karakura time, and I will join your efforts this afternoon."

Rukia thought for a moment. It was shortly after 8 a.m. Did she have enough time to return to soutaichou with the news, have him retrieve the Key from its secret location, and then bring it to Aizen? And… would there be enough time for Orihime to read the note and arrange a way to comply with their escape plans?

She looked back at Aizen, scowling at the hidden gleam of triumph in his eyes. For the sake of the three worlds, she thought. "Done," she said.

XxXxXxX

The silence stretched out after Rukia's departure. Aizen's gaze was distant, far beyond the two in the room beside him. Orihime stared at him. He walked to the table, picked up his cup of tea, and paced to the window, reflective. He sipped as he gazed out at the world lying far below the window. Orihime wondered what he was thinking. Was it that the world would soon be his plaything? Her heart sank. Was this what they all had to look forward to, the entire world at Aizen's dubious mercy?

He drained the cup and set it back on the table. Turning to Orihime, he smiled. "How would you like to become a goddess, Orihime?" he asked softly. "Imagine. Power such as you never dreamed of." His voice dropped to a whisper. "No one could ever hurt you again."

Orihime swallowed. "I—I don't want to be a goddess," she stammered. "I just want to be happy."

Aizen strode to her and lifted her chin gently. "And you will be happy. How much easier your life would be, if the universe were to shape itself to your will, rather than living your life being controlled by outside forces? How much more pleasant…" He stroked the skin of her throat. As she trembled under his touch, he stepped back, withdrawing his hands from her. "You will see," he said, almost dismissing her as he turned to Ulquiorra. "Now. There is much to do."

Ulquiorra nodded. "Yes, sir… and," he added, "congratulations. That was a masterful negotiation."

Aizen inclined his head. "Thank you, Ulquiorra."

Realization burst over Orihime. "You… you played her! You knew what the offer was and you tricked her!"

Aizen turned to her, his gaze dark and placid. "I was negotiating for control of the universe, Orihime. Of course I will use whatever advantages I can obtain."

As outrage boiled up in Orihime's eyes, Aizen held up a hand. "But before you accuse me of further crimes and manipulations, you must understand the logic behind the situation. Yama-jii was aware that I knew her weaknesses. He did not send Urahara." He paused as she struggled to make sense out of his words. "He wanted the negotiations to go this way, Orihime."

She shook her head. "I don't understand. He wanted to give you the King's Key?"

"Yes," Aizen mused, his gaze focusing on her bewildered expression. "Do you fully understand what is happening in Soul Society right now? They are being besieged by an ancient enemy that is reckless, driven mad by hatred. The Vandenreich are irrational. They are tipping the balance of souls across the three worlds. If that continues, eventually all the worlds will be destroyed."

Orihime's eyes went wide. "Why… why are they doing that?"

"They are consumed by hatred and the desire for vengeance. Soul Society is reaping what they sowed. Do you know who the Vandenreich are?"

Orihime shook her head and he continued, "They are the descendants of the Quincy race, the same as your friend Ishida Uryuu."

She sucked in her breath. "Ishida?"

"Yes. Soul Society, led by Kurotsuchi Mayuri, attempted genocide upon them two hundred years ago."

"What?" She remembered her first time in Seireitei and Ishida's battle with Mayuri. Her face darkened. "That man is evil!" she burst out.

Aizen raised an ironic brow and continued. "The Quincy have never forgotten. Indeed, as a race, they have become obsessed with revenge. For two hundred years they have been preparing in secret, allowing it to be believed they had become extinct. They have become a strict military society, ruled by their desire for vengeance. Their primary base is not far from Hueco Mundo. Although Yamamoto remained in ignorance of their threat until recently, I have been aware of them for some time, and made certain to make preparations to defend against them."

He picked up a silver butter knife from the table and turned it in his fingers. "As a result, I have intelligence on their primary weaponry and strategy. They are deliberately unbalancing the worlds by massacring Hollows."

She glared at him. "Well, why didn't you give that information to Soul Society? Or do you prefer if the world is destroyed?"

He merely raised both his eyebrows. "Orihime," he pointed out softly, "Soul Society had placed me in prison under a sensory seal. It was not possible for me to communicate with them."

"Oh." She subsided, still frowning.

"Let me continue." A fleeting expression she did not recognize crossed his face. "In return, Mayuri murdered 28,000 denizens of Rukongai to balance the worlds… with Yamamoto's approval."

Watching the horror on Orihime's face, he added, "Yamamoto made yet another error in judgment." Distaste twisted a corner of his mouth. "He is growing senile," he murmured, shaking his head. "He simply did not realize how powerful they had become. They have developed the ability to steal bankai."

He waited to see how she would react to his statement. "Yes. You understand. They can defeat the strongest captains of Seireitei."

"But—" she whispered, her hand to her mouth. Her voice trailed away.

He walked to the window and stood gazing out at the city below. "With this development, everything changes. The Sternritter will inevitably defeat the Gotei 13. When that happens, nothing can stop the destruction of the worlds…"

"What?" gasped Orihime.

He lifted a shoulder, let it fall. "Nothing, that is, except a king with sufficient power to balance the universe." He turned to face Orihime. "Yamamoto claimed that in a thousand years, no shinigami had been born with sufficient power to match his." He met her eyes. "He lied. There was one with power equal to the Captain-Commander."

Her eyes were round. "One?" she whispered.

Some deep emotion flared in his eyes. "Yes," he murmured, "it was I. And when I fused with the Hougyoku, I gained sufficient power to defeat not only Yamamoto, but also the current spirit king. The king is weak and ineffective. He has failed to take action many times. The king should have sent his forces to attack me when I threatened Soul Society. Instead, he cowered, safe in his domain." His voice dripped scorn. "Now, the Sternritter are demolishing Seireitei, and again the king does nothing. Yama-jii knows that the only way to stop them is to have a strong king on the spirit throne, one who can then stabilize the balance of the worlds by himself."

He gazed at Orihime. "Yama-jii knows that I have become the only hope for all the worlds. He wanted to find a way to give me the King's Key without losing face. It is his only chance. That is why he chose a negotiator that he knew I could easily outmaneuver in a short amount of time. My instruments tell me the soul imbalance is becoming severe. We only have a few days at most before the destruction of the worlds."

Orihime's heart pounded and she could not stop an indrawn breath. "A few days…?" she squeaked. "But…"

"Do not worry, Orihime." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Once I have the King's Key, it is a short step for me to the spirit dimension. Once my power is unbound, it will be possible for me to fight the god that currently sits on the spirit throne."

Ulquiorra, who had been listening carefully all this time, no expression visible on his face, stirred at this. "But are you strong enough to defeat him, sir?"

"Well." Aizen replied. "That depends on Orihime, now, does it not?" He looked back at Orihime. "So. Do you understand the situation, my dear?"

Her eyes were locked on his as she stood, paralyzed by shock. She was able to manage a tiny nod.

"Good. Then—we come to the most important of questions, the one that concerns you."

Orihime's eyes were wide. "Me?" she whispered, although she already knew what he would say.

"Yes. You see," he explained, "I need your help. I need you to unmake the tracer Soi Fon put in my soul, and unmake the binding on the Hougyoku and on my powers. I cannot do either of these things, and it would take too much time for Soul Society to do it, and it would require multiple captains working together. That is the nature of such bindings."

"But then… why didn't they know you were still bound?"

Aizen smiled with a hint of darkness. "There are many times when it is advantageous to have your opponent believe you are far more powerful than you are. It is a strategy I have exploited numerous times."

Orihime stared at him, her heart pounding, wondering what kind of strategy he was using with her.

"But I am telling you the truth, since I hope you are not my opponent. You are the only one who can unbind me. But you must do it carefully so as not to damage the Hougyoku itself."

Orihime gulped. As she stared at his calm expression, the ramifications of his request became clear to her. He would not be asking her to perform this delicate operation if he had any other way to remove the seal on his powers. After all, she had once sworn to unmake the Hougyoku with her powers.

Did that mean… that she could either return him his power, or destroy it? Did she really have that ability? And even if she did— Fear bloomed in her. How could he allow her such a massive advantage over him, unless he had some failsafe, some means to ensure her cooperation? But what could it be? Would he threaten her overtly?

Reading her panic in her eyes, he took her hands gently in his. "Orihime," he said softly, "it is now up to you. You have persistently refused to believe me when I have told you that you have the powers of a god. Soul Society has overlooked you, and even your friends in the human world have dismissed you as powerless." He drew closer to her, fixing her with his eyes, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "I alone have valued your power, Orihime. And now… that power will be, as I have always known, crucial in saving the three worlds from destruction. Will you use that power for me… and for all the world?"

Into her mind flashed the nightmare memory of when he had first captured her, when he had told her he needed her power. She looked up at him, gripped by the memory, drowning in the hypnotic power of his brown eyes, and felt weak in the knees.

"If you damage the Hougyoku or detach it from my soul, then I will no longer be strong enough to face the spirit king or to balance the worlds, and we will all go down to destruction," Aizen said, his eyes on hers. "You are afraid I will threaten you. I will not. As I said earlier, I have no choice but to trust you. You have the power to save or destroy everything. It is up to you." His eyes lingered on hers, which were now wide and fearful.

"… To me?" she whispered. "But I'm just…" She stopped. "I'm nobody."

He reached out a hand, stroked her cheek gently. "Once again you undervalue yourself." He shook his head. "Kurosaki Ichigo had no doubt of his worth when Soul Society turned to him as their savior," he murmured. "Why should you doubt your worth? You are no different; a being with unique powers who has believed herself to be an ordinary human all her life."

"But Kurosaki-kun…" she whispered, "his father is a shinigami. He's more than just a human."

"Indeed," Aizen nodded. "But what do you know of your own parentage?"

Orihime flushed. "My parents… were monsters," she said, turning away and looking down. "My father was a drunk and my mother a whore." She stared, unseeing, at the elegant pattern of the parquet floor. "I am nobody."

"No." Aizen moved to her, took hold of her face very gently and turned it to face him. "Look at me and listen when I tell you: you have not been told the truth about your birth parents."

Orihime's eyes widened in shock as multiple emotions swept her. "What? No, that can't be true!" she cried. "Sora would have told me!"

"Sora," murmured Aizen, "wanted to protect you. So he intended to keep the secret until you were old enough to understand."

She pushed herself backward, shaking her head to free herself from Aizen's grasp. "No," she cried. "No! You're lying… just like you always lie."

Aizen drew nearer to her, fixing her with his eyes, as she took a step backwards, and then another, until she realized she was against the wall and could retreat no further. He moved forward, and she felt she was drowning in his huge, liquid-center brown eyes. "Am I indeed lying now…?" he whispered.

She shook her head. "Why should I believe you?" she insisted. "After all the times you have lied to me…"

He bent his head and his mouth brushed her ear. His unique scent was all around her as his warm breath stirred the hair above her neck. She… she could not concentrate when he was so near to her. She placed her hands flat on his chest to push him away. But that was a mistake as well. She could feel his warmth under her palms, his heart beating slowly and steadily, the toned muscles of his chest gently flexing under her fingers. He slipped one arm around her. "Orihime," he said and his deep voice thrummed against her skin. "Part of you knows I am telling the truth this time. That you hold the fate of the universe in your hands. No one else in the entire world, in the three worlds, but you has the power to reject reality. You have known it for a long time; you have merely been afraid to admit it."

He paused and studied her downturned face. She was silent, her thoughts whirling. Were her powers indeed that great? And what would be the outcome of helping him? How many times had he lied to her, tricked her? He was always so convincing. His words were so compelling. Part of her was crying out for her to believe him, that it was important, that if she did not obey him this time, the consequences could be momentous. Her heart—and her body—were crying out to her to take him in her arms, to accept his words. She felt like a wall of sand standing against the tide.

"I know you do not trust me. But… I do trust you. Out of all the souls in the universe, I have chosen to trust you." She stared at him in anguish. He was lying again. He must surely be lying.

"So… are you willing to undertake this task?"

Orihime swallowed. If he was telling the truth, it was up to her to save the universe. But… if he was lying, she could be bringing a great evil to power over the world. Her mind spun. She needed more time to analyze the situation… to figure out what was best to do… but how could she think clearly when he was standing so close to her, right in front of her?

How could she deny him when he, who did not trust, said he trusted her? Indeed, she realized, he had been trusting her for some time. He had no powers, yet he had returned hers. He had disengaged the protective systems on the building at her request, trusting her to protect him.

She could not betray his trust, could she? She felt her resolve wavering once again.

He reached out a hand to delicately stroke her face, his thumb brushing over her lips, and at his touch, she felt a rush of desire once again. She had no way of knowing whether he was telling the truth; but she was weak, she realized, weak with desire for him, and… dare she even think it?… love for him. He certainly did not deserve her love, or her trust… but she realized, even as she stood there, with the most momentous decision of her life waiting in her hands, that she had fallen in love with this man.

She had fallen utterly and completely in love with someone she did not trust. Thick tears slipped down her face unnoticed. She had fallen in love with a selfish, evil, power-hungry bastard.

How could it have happened?

She loved him with a passion she had not dared to admit, even to herself. The realization struck her with a tidal wave of emotion so powerful that it shook her body physically. It was completely irrational, she knew. She knew that Kurosaki Ichigo, whom she had loved all her life, was far more deserving of her love and devotion. She knew that this man would take her love and use it purely for his own desires and ambitions, and would discard her when she was no longer of use to him; she would be nothing but a tool to him, a casual dalliance on his way to greater things; he would manipulate her cruelly; he would torment her and take pleasure in her pain. He had no morals, no redeeming values. Her life would be worth nothing in his hands.

And yet… when she looked deep within herself for her decision, the answer was simple. She loved him. She had once held his child within her body… and she still grieved for the loss. She wanted nothing more than to be with him, to give herself to him in the deepest possible way, regardless of whether her love was reciprocated. It was a terrible thing, this emotion.

She had no choice. Ever since the day he had taken her she had been lost. She had sworn that she was his, body and soul, back when she was his prisoner in Hueco Mundo. She had known even then that there was no reason, no hope, no good to come out of belonging to him.

It was a compulsion. She had dived into his arms, into the vastness of his reiatsu, and could not surface. He had a power over her that went beyond rationality, beyond everything she knew. He was a maelstrom that had sucked her in to his power and she could not escape.

The worst was that deep inside, she knew that she did not want to escape.

Already she knew she would do exactly what he wanted as she had done so many times before. She realized her head was bobbing up and down in a jerky nod.

As he smiled at her, she turned her head into his palm and kissed his fingers.

She could not help herself and he knew it. She was his, now and forever. Ever since she had sworn that oath of allegiance to him, her subconscious had known. She belonged to him utterly. She might be terrified of what he was going to ask her to do, but at last, she fully understood that she would follow him, whatever he asked of her.

He drew her close to him and enfolded her in his arms. His lips brushed the top of her head. "Do not cry, Orihime." She hadn't realized she was crying, but now she felt the wetness coursing down her cheeks. "Everything will be all right."

XxXxXxX

As Orihime sat in the bathroom, her fingers reached into her pocket. On the tiny scrap of paper in Rukia's messy scrawl, adorned with doodles of Chappy rabbit heads, she read: "Rescue planned for you. Show yourself at the window and place one hand on your head if you agree. In one hour, Ichigo will come to your hotel room disguised as a waiter. He'll have a dining cart with a hidden compartment for you to climb into. We know you're not a traitor. Love, Rukia."

Her eyes blurred with tears. Her friends still believed in her. Her heart flooded with warmth and affection. She missed them so much. They felt so far away… but they still believed in her.

Even though they were wrong.

How could she join them now? She shook her head. She was a traitor. Regardless of how he had coerced her initially, eventually he had won her to his side. She had agreed to follow him.

Even though she knew it was wrong.

Slowly, she crumpled up the tiny scrap of paper and flushed it down the toilet.

XxXxXxX

Aizen smiled as he lounged on the couch before her, stretched out full-length in his white robes. He had never appeared so beautiful. Even without his reiatsu, he blazed with power and confidence, his finely-sculpted features composed and serene, his muscular body graceful and replete with hidden power like a panther coiled to strike.

Even though she held his life in her hands, her power far greater than his at the moment, he held her heart in the palm of his hand. And he knew it. He knew he controlled her. She could see it in his eyes. He had always had utter confidence that she would do exactly as he wished.

She approached him slowly. This was it. What she was going to do now would change everything.

Slowly, she knelt in front of him and felt his smile widen at the gesture. He placed a hand on her head with a gentle touch and she shivered. "Orihime," he murmured.

She sat for a moment, gathering her concentration. Then she raised her hands and invoked her power. "Souten Kisshun. I reject." Her shield blossomed at her words and enveloped Aizen's torso. She closed her eyes, and with her inner vision reached out to the man in front of her.

She could sense the Hougyoku, bound, its power pulsing fitfully through its bindings. Intertwined with it was the limiter and tracer, to her inner eye appearing visually as black netting binding Aizen's own native reiatsu.

With this process, she knew, she was making Aizen a god.

She directed her power, aiming it at the tracer and the bindings on Aizen's soul, but skirting the Hougyoku itself. She could feel the jewel pulsing, threatening in its vast power, its native energy levels flaring and fluctuating as she gradually began to remove the binding.

It made him immortal, and gave him the powers of a god… but was it malignant in and of itself? Did Aizen truly control it, or did it influence him?

As she continued, focusing her energies, so close to Aizen's soul, she could sense the man before her more clearly than she ever had before. There was a darkness in his soul, a wound that pulled the energies awry. A void, an emptiness. It was an old wound, an old scar, centuries old. Around it she could see a glittering shell, a structure woven about the wound to preserve the integrity of the soul itself. She could feel that the structure was set hard; she wondered if she could ever heal it or change it. There was nothing she could do immediately in any event; she could already see that she would have to expend a huge amount of energy to defeat the bindings that were sealing his powers away; it would take all her efforts simply to comply with his wishes.

She began to work, teasing away the threads and the netting, gradually releasing, bit by bit, the soul underneath. She breathed slowly, deeply, in and out, as she delicately picked out the lines of power, carefully, so carefully so as not to damage the life force beneath nor the throbbing, overwhelming puissance of the Hougyoku, the darkly radiant jewel inextricably bound to Aizen's soul with long, black tendrils.

As she worked, so deep, so close to the man's center, she saw what she had never seen before. She saw that there was a glory in his soul, a hidden power so brilliant and spectacular that it took her breath away. As she slowly peeled away the bindings and released more of his power and inner nature, she could not help but gasp.

And she finally realized why she had been so fascinated by this man, why she could not help but kneel before him and obey him. His soul was coruscating and blinding, intense and complex and already bordering on the divine. She was only releasing what was already there. She was awed by the depths that lay before her as she unwrapped and unwound. It was as though she were gazing into a vast crystal cave, a hidden chamber pulsing with power and wound about with intricate and beautiful crystalline forms, an incredible and limitless labyrinth.

She had never touched a soul so complex and measureless.

Even her fairies seemed in awe as they swirled around her, helping direct her power, manifesting her rejection abilities to overcome the bindings. Gradually, she sensed the last of the limiters completely fade away.

She sat back on her heels as her shield died away, breathing heavily from exertion. Aizen reclined on the couch in front of her, his eyes blazing as he regarded her. He looked no different, and yet…

His reiatsu was swirling, flaring, expanding. She could feel its vast power washing over her and through her. But for some reason, it was not crushing and painful as she might have expected. Instead, as the roar of energy flashed towards her, it was… warming, somehow healing. She felt her soul take in the energy and expand, and felt her own depleted reiatsu begin to be replenished.

Aizen reached out to her and took her hand in his. Eyes wide, she stared back at him.

XxXxXxX

Aizen closed his eyes as Orihime's healing shield rose around him. He could feel the subtle and complex manipulations she was performing even though he could not tell exactly how her power worked. It was truly a marvelous ability. He had, as always, judged her correctly. It did not matter that he had been unable to completely shape her to his original desires; indeed, she was more interesting because the structure of her soul was so unyielding; she was diamond to his adamant.

She was now undoing the binding spells it had taken three captain-level shinigami several hours to wind around his powers and the Hougyoku, unerringly teasing apart all the interlocking cords and bindings. He had never seen anyone before who could undo a spell without having some knowledge of the caster.

He had chosen well when he kidnapped and seduced her. He had seen for some time that she had become hopelessly infatuated with him despite her apparent resistance. More. She loved him. A tingle of delight moved through him at the thought. For a moment his emotion surprised him, then he told himself he was pleased because it ensured that she would continue to use her astonishing powers in his behalf and for his interests.

Of course, now that he was about to become the god of the three worlds, his own powers to make and unmake reality would be augmented to the next level, and he would no longer need a power such as hers.

Already, with the unsealing of the Hougyoku and his return to transcendence, he could sense the shattering, intoxicating power he had felt once before rise again in his core. Again, he savored the overwhelming rush of pure power and might as it coursed through his body.

But this time, he reminded himself, he would not allow himself to become impaired by his intoxication. He would never again make the mistake he had made earlier.

As Orihime's shield began to fade, he began weaving a new set of spells to contain and enhance his power, as well as a new set of backup spells just in case anything went wrong. When the shinigamis brought him the King's Key at noon, he wanted to be prepared for every contingency in his ascendance to the spirit realm. He did not want to make any more mistakes.

Soul Society would ask him to crush those foolish Sternritter along the way. As it would be in his interest to do so, he would comply with that part of the agreement.

At last, all his plans would come to fruition. He would stand at the top of the world.

He kept his eyes closed so that Orihime would not talk to him and disturb him at this moment. There was too much he needed to do as he tore down and reconstructed his inner world to realign his powers with the new configuration. Defeating the spirit king would not be trivial, for that creature had the powers of a god merely because of his position on the spirit throne. Aizen, for all his carefully constructed abilities, did not have that level of power and would not until he claimed the throne and its concomitant powers for his own.

As Orihime's shield slowly faded, he opened his eyes and gazed at her, cradling her hands in his. He smiled. "Thank you, Orihime, for returning my powers."

He pushed himself upright and stood up. He could feel the colossal energies heaving within him, tremendous powers balanced by his will. He stood in human form in the concrete and glass spear placed on the Earth and felt the celestial dance of sun, stars, planets, satellites all around him, whirling in their ponderous, slow-motion parade through the universe… now with himself as the center, all the powers swirling and moving in and around him; he had become the new gravitational center of all the forces around him.

He had the power of a god. All he needed was the King's Key and the universe would be his toy.

He looked down at the human woman beside him, looking up at him with mingled terror and anticipation in her eyes. He smiled and took her hand in his, casually.

"Orihime," he murmured. "I have no further use for you."