Pain so much pain. What had happened? He remembered the words before the world began to crack around them. They would meet again. Aizen had said the words again, as did Katsu. He wondered what exactly Katsu felt for Aizen, sure he had put the man through hell, but the dying moments. That was what confused Ichigo.
"Ichigo" Orihime's soft voice reached his ears. His eyes slowly opened, that was when the real pain hit him. It felt like something was clawing out of his mind. His eyes fell on Aizen and his mind began to fade. No he had to fight this, he slowly started to lose and he felt like he was wrapped in a warm blanket. What was going to happen?
Katsu using Ichigo's body approached Aizen not even bothering to look at anyone else. "Sōsuke" he got out.
Aizen glared at him. "Let him go."
"I will but I need to talk to you first."
Everyone were looking at them. "He will kill you if you hurt anyone he cares about" Aizen's words dripped with venom.
"He is safe I promise, we are not being watched. "
"Start talking" Aizen snapped out.
"I'm sorry" the words came out quickly as Katsu moved to kiss Aizen.
"You don't mean it."
Katsu pushed Aizen to the wall and kissed him, Aizen at first struggled but soon relaxed. "I never wanted you to become like this, I never wanted you to feel alone" Katsu said as he pulled back from the kiss. "I thought it was best for you to forget all about me though, I messed up because I thought I could live on. It wasn't by chance that you meet me again, we both wanted this. I…" Katsu started.
"Isn't this a sweet reunion" the imposter Kisuke appeared ruining the moment.
Katsu grabbed his zanpakutō from where it laid on the ground. "I should have killed you when I had a chance. Looks like you beat me to that punch of course. "
"It was the least I could do for a traitor like you. One can only be so loyal to a traitor."
Katsu glared at Kisuke. "Go to hell. "
Katsu let go of his hold on Ichigo and Ichigo's body slouched against Aizen. "I'm fine" he got quietly.
Ichigo felt like he knew what he had to do. Ichigo touched the Hōgyoku to the zanpakutō and it easily became one. "What are you doing" Aizen got out.
"Trust me." He faced the imposter Kisuke. "It is over."
Kisuke started laughing and the sound made Ichigo sick. "You are nothing compared to Katsu, if he couldn't overcome me what makes you think you can. The two of you are one in the same, one cannot kill me if the other could not. Tell me how did it feel to watch yourself get killed by the people you trusted? How did it feel to be labeled a traitor in both realities?"
"Shut up" Ichigo got out. He closed his eyes, he didn't know if this would work, but he had to try. "End all Shinokagami!" he got out.
The blade in his hands converted into a pure black katana. He moved the blade as if he was forming a Getsuga Tenshō. A black wave formed and slammed down on Kisuke.
"I know all of Katsu's tricks. You won't beat me with something so weak." Kisuke had somehow pulled a zanpakutō out of the shadows, it looked different than the one he saw the real Kisuke use.
Ichigo knew he had to do it. "Bankai Shin no Sekai no Kagami" he got out. Darkness formed around him quickly circling around Kisuke. It cleared from around Ichigo. Aizen was looking at him amazed, in the memories Aizen knew Katsu had a Bankai but not what it was.
Screams were heard from within the darkness and soon it faded away leaving only a black spot on the ground where Kisuke had been standing. A broke zanpakutō fell.
Ichigo dropped to the ground. Aizen was quickly going towards him. "Ichigo!"
Orihime quickly was by Ichigo's side. She attempted to heal Ichigo but her powers would not form around him at all. "What is wrong?"
"The boy has guts" Ichigo's mouth was moving but it was not his voice.
"Did you hurt him?" Aizen was trying so hard to keep his voice calm.
"No, I would feel the same pain if I was to hurt him. He allowed me to take over" Katsu slowly sat up.
"What happened to him?"
"Sōsuke calm down he's fine. He trust me more than his inner hollow." Katsu stood up looking at the girl. "He cares about you, he told me to tell you not to worry, Orihime."
"Explain to me why" Aizen got out.
"He let me in, I was not forced in like last time. Keep in mind before Kisuke forced him to remember who he was. I hardly had control then and we were being watched. Plus try seeing things from my side, the only people I knew were you and Gin." He looked towards Gin, which resulted in Gin looking away from him.
"So what exactly did you Bankai do" Aizen got out trying to bring Katsu's attention back to him.
"It removes the air from the bubble of darkness that goes around the victim. Different people see different things as they die. Though "he started.
"It is an illusion, so you control the five senses of your opponent."
Katsu nodded. "To be blunt about it yes, though it taps into another aspect that Kyōka Suigetsu does not."
"Can Ichigo now use that zanpakutō when he wishes" Kenpachi wanted his fight he had come for.
"If he wishes, as we are one in the same."
"Perfect, that should make fighting him better" Kenpachi said.
"You truly wish to die don't you? "
"Ignore him, but what will the Hōgyoku do since Ichigo combined it to Shinokagami."
"Simply enhance its power to the fullest. You should have known that" he got out.
"Will it return everyone's memories?"
Katsu shook his head. "Only you and Ichigo remember the truth. It is better that the rest not be remembered by anyone else. Which reminds me" Katsu said waving his hand around the room.
One by one the room started to collapse. "Return to the Soul Society, they won't remember what happened. "
"How can you easily do something like that, surely you can't make the whole Soul Society forget what happened. "
"I can when Kisuke did most of the damage, well I am to blame as well. The damage I did was on you though."
Everything was fading.
…
The sunlight was bright.
A small groan left Aizen's lips as he opened his eyes. What had happened? Memories began to flash before his eyes. A small yawn was what brought him out of his daze.
"Why must you wake up with the sun" Ichigo got out as he sat up and wiped the sand out of his eyes.
"Please tell me I am not crazy, what do you remember."
"Could you be any vaguer? What do I remember about what? Sōsuke use words."
"Do you remember being a traitor and the mental asylum and" Aizen started.
Ichigo looked at him. "You mean the dream, yeah I remember it. It doesn't seem like a dream but yeah I remember it. Wait how did you know what I was dreaming about?" The memories flashed before his eyes. It wasn't a dream.
Ichigo looked around at his surroundings. This wasn't his room in Karakura Town. He saw a few things that made his head spin. A captain haori was folded on a small table, a pair of glasses were on the nightstand and three zanpakutōs were leaned against the wall.
There was a knock on the door. Aizen slide out of the bed and went to open the door. "Here" Ichigo got out as he handed Aizen the glasses.
Aizen shook his head but put on the glasses anyways. He slide the door open "Captain, how's your head?" Momo was at the door with a smile on her face. She looked past Aizen and waved at Ichigo. "What about yours?"
Ichigo managed a small wave, but he did not speak. He couldn't, he was trying to figure out what had just happened. "Captain Aizen may I come in?"
"Of course Momo" Aizen got out stepping aside to allowed the girl into the room.
"The way both of you are looking at me means you must not remember what happened. It has been" she started.
"Leave them alone, Momo. Don't remind them of all that happened. No one needs to remember that, we allowed them to only come back here so that everything would be more normal" Ichigo looked at Toshiro who was standing outside the unclosed door.
"Sorry Shiro."
"Captain Hitsugaya, what a pleasant surprise "Aizen got out.
"Wow they must have really messed with you head, for you to think my showing up here is pleasant. Oh well." Toshiro looked towards Ichigo "I only came by to tell you both about the Captain's meeting if you feel like you are capable of going."
A captain's meeting? Ichigo noticed another haori, this one clearly marked with a nine. Wait he was a captain. "Of course, thank you so much Captain Hitsugaya. "
Toshiro shook his head and looked at Momo. "Come on, let them get ready in peace." Momo nodded and waved a goodbye to both Aizen and Ichigo.
"Explain" Ichigo got out his voice shaking as he stood up and went over to the squad nine haori.
"Your guess is as good as mine with this" he got out. Ichigo had went and picked up Katsu's zanpakutō. He shook his head as a flash of something hit him.
"It looks like this is either a different reality, an illusion or the result of the Hōgyoku creating a different world. We might as well play along."
Ichigo placed the zanpakutō back against the wall and went to go get ready. Aizen went to go pulled the fifth squad haori on, but Ichigo stopped him. He was shaking his head. "Nine not five."
"Come on, you're joking."
"Nope" Ichigo said shrugging into the haori, having Aizen give him a look.
"If that was true then you would be the one wearing the glasses."
"I'm not Katsu in this life. You're the one who decided to do the whole glasses thing. "
"Just put them on" Aizen said taking the glasses off his face and handing them to Ichigo.
Ichigo sighed and took the glasses from Aizen and put them on. He thought he could hear laughter, but it quickly died.
"Let's just get this over with. Wait if I was made a Captain that means" Ichigo got out he was beginning to panic.
"Who knows" Aizen got out and opened the sliding door allowing Ichigo to step out of it first. He pulled it close behind him.
"Come on, we will go to Karakura later if you want."
"Yeah that is fine with me."
Soon they had come to the squad one barracks and Aizen pushed opened the closed doors that lead to where the Captain meetings were done. Two empty spot were left, next to each other. Ichigo and Aizen quickly followed in.
All eyes were on them, and Ichigo felt uncomfortable.
"Welcome back Captain Aizen and Captain Kurosaki. Your absent would have been excused if neither of you had come. Though now that everyone is here, we can discuss the problem at hand. The Ryoka." Ichigo was surprised by the words that the old man was speaking.
Ichigo remembered that word well, when they had come to stop Rukia from being executed he and his friends had been called Ryoka. He felt faint. Aizen's arm went to steady him.
"I'm fine" Ichigo got out quietly. He went back to paying attention to the old man speaking. "Captain Kurosaki, are you up for going to meet these Ryoka. They claim to be here for you."
"Of course Head Captain" Ichigo got out, he couldn't do a longer response, he could already feel eyes on him.
"We will allow Captain Kurosaki sometime to deal with this could be threat. Captain Aizen and Captain Ichimaru will be going along with you. Dismissed."
"Are ya two really okay" Gin said as he joined the two of them as they went to leave the room.
"Yeah, why would we not be Gin" Aizen got out.
"I probably shouldn't tell ya this, but there was a hollow attack. An experiment gone wrong by squad twelve and well ya know" Gin was leading the way towards one of the gates and away from squad one as he spoke.
Ichigo noticed that the Seireitei was being rebuilt, he wondered what happened this time. "Ichigo!" Orihime had ran towards him and threw her arms around him.
"Hey Orihime" he got out as he hugged her.
"I was soooo worried about you, then Kisuke told us about you becoming a Captain and we had to see you."
Ichigo could see Uryu and Chad coming towards them. Yoruichi appeared shortly behind them.
"So you broke into the Soul Society" Aizen said looking at Ichigo's friends.
"Sōsuke Aizen, I see you're still a captain" Yoruichi said.
"Yoruichi, hey" Ichigo got out. He was going to have to try to keep the peace.
"Don't you hey me, Ichigo Kurosaki. After everything you side with him, don't you hate him at all for what happened?"
"Yoruichi, he probably doesn't remember. That blank look gives that much away. Ichigo do you remembering dying?"
Ichigo looked at Uryu, which time was Uryu referring to? When he didn't answer the Quincy pushed his glasses up on his nose. "You're hopeless, but you decided to defend that man there. You don't have to be blind to know how you felt towards him. You going to save him caused your death. Your father was the one that had a feeling you would come right back here. "
"Now now leave them a'lone, Quincy boy. Can't you see that neither of em are up ta talking bout such things?"
"Gin, it is fine. How is my family?"
"Isshin is trying to get Kisuke to allow him to come back to the Soul Society" Yoruichi said. "Anyways I'll leave you alone, I need to go talk to Soi- Fon." She flashstepped away.
Ichigo groaned. "Gin would you go and tell them that there is no threat" Ichigo got out.
Gin nodded. "Of course Captain Kurosaki." Aizen gave Ichigo a look, which Ichigo simply shrugged at. Ichigo could feel a pulse on the side of his leg, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Ichigo!"
Aizen had quickly scooped the boy into his arms.
….
Ichigo blinked. Where was he now? He was welcomed with white walls. He slowly started to sit up. Except he couldn't.
"You can never defeat me" he could not see the source of the spoken words, but he knew the voice. The imposter was not dead.
He sat up coughing, his eyes opening and taking in too bright sunlight. He was not wearing the patients clothing from the asylum, thankfully. He also noted that he was not wearing the white captain's haori, he wondered if that had been some odd vision. His head was resting on something, and it didn't take him long to realize his head was in Aizen's lap.
He risked sitting up, Aizen appeared to be in a daze and the movement made the man look down at him. "You shouldn't move" his voice was quiet but calm.
"Why" Ichigo asked stupidly.
"How bad did you hit your head, Ichigo? Never mind. To fill you in what you missed, once again we are back in the Soul Society, but notice the place that we appeared at."
Ichigo slowly eased himself up and looked at the area around them. "What's the story this time?"
Aizen shrugged. "Who knows" he got out.
"Is there really no clues?"
"No, nothing. It doesn't look like we fought here, but you can never trust the surroundings."
"The imposter lived. So most likely he may have something to do with this."
Aizen looked at him, shock clearly showing in his eyes. "You clearly killed him though."
"Well I didn't, so that means we need to be careful. How the hell do I stop the reality skipping that the Hōgyoku is doing?"
"Release command" Aizen offered.
"I have a feeling it isn't that easy. I'm still trying to figure out the whole past thing."
"Well you even knowing who you were in your past life is amazing within itself. No Shinigami knows anything about their past life, and never has anything like this occurred before. As for the events, they confuse me as well. There has to be more to it."
Aizen had stood up from the ground, pulling Ichigo up with ease along with him. "Why stay here when we should be trying to figure out what kind of reality we are in. "
Ichigo had opened his mouth to speak, when he noticed movement. He quickly shut it, his hand rested on the hilt of Katsu's zanpakutō, right now that was the easiest zanpakutō to get to. "I found them" he could hear a female voice, he wasn't quite sure who the voice belonged to however.
That was when he noticed the party who had come to find them. Rukia, Renji and Byakuya were among them. They looked like they had been through hell. Rukia hesitantly came towards him. "Ichigo, I'm so glad that we found you" she said.
"I know I'm going to regret asking this, but why were you looking for us?"
Rukia had her arms around him. He half expected her to hit him and call him an idiot, but not the hug. He slowly but hesitantly hugged the girl who he considered his friend. "You two were separated from our group" she got out.
"I told you not to worry so much, they aren't exactly helpless" Byakuya voiced.
Ichigo looked at the people who made up the party. He was not familiar with a lot of them, he supposed they were unseated Shinigami. He could tell that Shunsui was there along with two people he didn't expect to see. The first was Shinji who gave him one of his toothy smiles and the second was Kisuke. He hoped that it was the real Kisuke and not the imposter.
He was looking at Aizen for help, he shrugged. "I must have hit my head extremely hard, could someone tell me what was happening. How did we get separated exactly?"
Renji was the one who answered him. "We were on a mission, and well we were coming out of the senkaimon and that is when we got separated. We thought it was a hollow, but if it was it had to be an extremely high level one."
Ichigo risked another question. "What exactly was happening before this mission?"
Rukia shook her head. "Are you wanting the story from the beginning? Should I ask you if you remember everyone?"
"I know who everyone is just confused on some things. It will help me get things straight."
"Well you broke into the Soul Society what seems like years ago to save me from being executed. How you ended up getting involved with him, I still don't know. One day it seems like you two were enemies and then you were very close. We caught him going to visit you in the world of the living."
"I think I got it from there. Come on, I want to go visit my family. Yes you're coming with me" he said looking at Aizen.
"Oh very well since you asked so nicely" Aizen said with a hint of a smirk.
Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu from where it was laying plopped up on a rock and attached it to his back. He grabbed Aizen's hand.
"Ichigo, are you sure it is wise to go back there" Rukia got out.
"Yeah. Why is there something you're not telling me? You're not going to tell me I can't go see my family, or tell me something happened" he got out starting to panic a little.
"Ichigo, ya haven't been home for at least a year. You randomly appearing might rise questions." Shinji was looking at him concerned.
"What have I been doing for a year?" Ichigo was now both curious and a little shocked.
"Just let him go, hell I'll even go with them to make sure everything is fine. " Kisuke offered.
"If anyone can easily go with them it is Rukia." Byakuya was looking over Ichigo, his eyes showed concern.
"No, I'm fine. Promise. I can come back if anything happens, promise. It would be helpful if you just tell me what happened, but I guess I'll have to figure it out myself. Who knows the memories might come back once I visit my family." He offered a small smile and flashstepped without warning. Aizen kept up easily with him, but at first it had been more of a dragging motion. They had made it to central senkaimon. Ichigo had never let go of Aizen's hand.
"Well that was different" Ichigo voiced.
"Anyway you can recover the memories of this life, since Katsu is most likely the one who is doing this" Aizen got out. Ichigo shook his head.
"Let's just go, you did promise that you would go with me to Karakura."
"I did, let's just see what has changed this time. "
They entered the senkaimon and entered into the dangai after two hell butterflies had appeared before them.