The Lesser Evil
By Spunky0ne
(HAPPY AIZENMONTH!)
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After the end of the war with the quincies, Central 46 reinstates Kisuke and sets him on the dangerous task of retrieving the hogyoku from the imprisoned Aizen, but secrets from the past rise up to create a harrowing situation that may end in both their deaths…MxM, mentions of past rape/non-con…Aizen/Kisuke, Byakuya/Renji, Ichigo/Tetsuya
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Chapter 1: The Truth in Blood
"Urahara Kisuke," said the grand councilor of Central 46, looking down from his place among the gathered sages and judges to where the former taicho stood in the center of the Central 46 council chamber, "We appreciate you taking the time to come here. I know you are a busy man, so I will be brief. The battle with the quincies has claimed the lives of several taichos. As such, we have been charged with helping to decide who should replace them. In short, having given consideration to all of the candidates, we have decided that...you should have been included among them. The only reason that you were not is that you had been banished. And although this council has never before rescinded a banishment, we are willing to consider your contributions to Soul Society and offer you reinstatement. So, tell us, are you interested in returning to the twelfth division as its taicho? With Kurotsuchi Mayuri gone, missing and reported dead, the division is currently leaderless."
"What about Kurotsuchi Nemu?" Kisuke queried, "Where's she?"
"Missing and presumed dead as well."
Or maybe the two are just off plotting together and don't want to be bothered.
"In any case, even if they do return," the grand councilor went on, they are suspected comitting war crimes...for the unlawful collection of, experimentation on and alteration of a number of quincy captives. I assure you, they have a long list of offenses to account for. The Gotei 13 must convey an image of strength and commitment to duty. We feel that you would best represent our goals. So, what say you?"
Kisuke sighed softly, lowering his eyes to hide the edge of disgust he'd rather the gathering of powerful and mostly corrupt sages and judges didn't see.
"It's strange," he said quietly, "When this all began and I was first expelled from Soul Society, there wasn't anything I wouldn't have done to be accepted back again. It was...painful, having done what needed to be done to stop Aizen, then to be instead blamed for the things he did, and the things I did to save lives he tried to take. I'll admit that it was tempting to hold a grudge, but instead I just tried to make something of a life, there in Karakura Town. And having put such great effort into creating the shop and caring for things there, I don't think I should abandon what I've built there."
"That is understandable," said the head councilor, "And it would certainly be an acceptable accommodation that, as the head of the twelfth division, you could continue to make your base there. You would need to take part in taicho's activities and check in regularly with your division, but you would be welcome to bring Tessai in as your fukutaicho to assist in your efforts. We are rescinding his banishment as well."
"You are?" Kisuke said, looking surprised.
"Yes, we are," the stern-eyed elder affirmed, "So, you see, the circumstances are favorable to you. We will only ask one thing of you if you return to us."
"And that is?"
The grand councilor looked around the room at his colleagues briefly, then back at Kisuke.
"If you accept our terms, we will ask that your first mission be...to find a way to remove the hogyoku from Aizen Sosuke's body."
"Heh," Kisuke mused, shaking his head, "I don't know if I can do that. It's been over a hundred years and I haven't managed to come up with that yet. I'll give it my best, of course, but…"
"Urahara Kisuke," the head councilor said firmly, "you are the greatest mind in our society, a fact that was regrettably overlooked by our predecessors. And you created the hogyoku. If there is anyone who could find a way to remove it from the traitor Aizen's body, you can. So, what say you? Will you accept the taicho's position and this first mission?"
Kisuke gave them a sly smile.
"Well, I suppose if you can be so forgiving and make a place for me here, I can be forgiving too. Okay, I accept your offer."
A pleased rumble went through the room.
"Very well, Urahara Kisuke, you are hereby reinstated as Taicho of the twelfth division and head of the Research and Development Department. And your first order is to remove the hogyoku from Aizen Sosuke's body."
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The sound of his cell door opening brought Soul Society's most wicked shinigami into full wakefulness, and he squinted, casting his one uncovered eye on the doorway. He couldn't help but smile as he recognized two of the three shinigamis who entered the cell. The first, a dour looking prison guard, posted himself just inside the door, while the other two men moved forward, blinking to adjust to the darker environs.
"Why, Urahara Kisuke, and if I am not mistaken, this is Kuchiki Takao's son, Tetsuya, ne?" the heavily bound prisoner greeted them cordially, "To what do I owe the dubious pleasure of your company?"
He looked more closely at the other man's new haori and his eye widened.
"Ah, I see. You have been reinstated. Let me offer you my congratulations."
"Thanks," Kisuke said, smirking back at him.
Kisuke glanced from Aizen to his slightly unsettled looking companion.
"You two know each other?" he asked, giving Tetsuya a curious look.
"We are acquainted," Tetsuya explained, coloring slightly, "Aizen taicho…erm…when he was Aizen taicho, he visited Kuchiki Manor on occasion with the other taichos after you left for Karakura Town."
"I see," Kisuke said good naturedly, "Well then, you'll wanna congratulate Tetsuya, here, because he was just given the open fukutaicho's position in the fourth division."
"Hmm, it took them that long to figure out this young man's potential. Why am I not surprised?" Aizen mused dryly.
Tetsuya felt a tiny, dark shiver run down his spine as the prisoner gave him a congenial smile.
"So, let me guess," Aizen said sedately, "They have commissioned you with removing the hogyoku from my body, ne? Using any means you must...even if it kills me?"
"I see that being locked up hasn't dulled your mind," the twelfth division taicho commented, moving closer and beginning to remove the prisoner's restraints.
"Oh, of course not," Aizen said casually, "I am careful to exercise my mind to keep it fit, then I spend hours planning each step I will take, once I leave this place."
"You mean, in twenty-thousand years, when they have to let you go? Assuming that you don't get your time extended again for bad behavior, that is."
"Ah, but it is difficult to be properly wicked when one is tied to a chair all of the time, never fed or bathed, barely spoken to, except when they come to try to remove the hogyoku in various horrid ways."
"Oh?" Kisuke said, frowning as he slipped a silver band onto each slender wrist and then continued to work at the leather straps, "How have the fools tried to do that? Wait, let me guess, they tried to cut it out of your chest, ne?"
"Yes," Aizen confirmed, I just regenerated, of course, and the hogyoku reappeared in its place in my chest."
Kisuke sucked in a surprised breath as he uncovered the rest of the prisoner's arms and found them heavily bruised and still bleeding in some places.
"Damn. Tetsuya…"
"I've got it," the half-noble affirmed, moving in close to the traitor and healing the horrific damage as each strap fell away and more hidden damage was uncovered.
The healer remained composed, but his blue eyes betrayed notable distress at the injuries he was slowly erasing. Kisuke's glare and the tension in his reiatsu deepened.
"Ah," Aizen said quietly, feeling an odd twinge at the infuriated expression that came over the scientist's face, "They discovered that I regenerate more slowly when fully bound. So, when they torment me now, they are quick to set the bindings back in place, so that I will suffer more."
"Have they raped you?" Kisuke asked, making Tetsuya flinch and drawing a look of genuine surprise from Aizen...and a completely honest answer.
"Wouldn't you, if you had the most wicked traitor known to our society completely helpless in front of you and no one cared what you did to him, because he couldn't die? I did kill the first poor fool who tried, but those who followed him only made sure I was not lucid enough to use the reiatsu in my body to attack them when they touched me. Don't be naïve. Of course they raped me. Repeatedly."
Tetsuya's hands shook softly and he tilted his head forward to hide the tortured expression he wore.
Kisuke said nothing in answer, only laying a comforting hand on Tetsuya's slim shoulder and keeping his eyes carefully lowered as he continued to release the bonds.
"Does that please you?" Aizen asked, "But you don't look pleased. That is twice that you have taken me by surprise in a very short time. Perhaps I was wrong. Maybe the time locked up in here is causing my mind to weaken. As much as Tetsuya is a gentle person, you are much more complex…or are you conflicted?"
"No, I was just angry."
"Hmmm, angry because...?" Aizen asked, smirking, "Right, because you are a great defender of justice, aren't you, Urahara Kisuke? And it seems wrong to you, even though I am a foul criminal, to abuse my body and treat me to torments not prescribed for me in my sentence. And you are aware, aren't you? As soon as you discover the way to remove the hogyoku, they are going to confiscate it and be poisoned by its power."
"That's why I'm going to destroy it," Kisuke said simply.
"Are you?" Aizen asked curiously, noting the lack of surprise in Tetsuya's expression, "How will you do that? I suppose they will be watching you, ne? And if it looks like you are going to destroy it, they will try to stop you in whatever way it takes."
"Don't you worry about that," Kisuke said, removing the last of the bonds and biting at his lip gently as he observed the remaining damage to Aizen's naked and fully revealed body, "I've got it covered."
A silence rose up between them as Tetsuya closed his eyes for a moment to contain the horrid memories that the sight of the traitor's awful injuries brought on.
"Are you all right, Tetsuya?" Kisuke asked bracingly, "I can handle the rest if you…"
"I'm fine," the half-noble assured him, "and I want to help."
"Of course you do," Aizen sighed, "You define what nobility should be, but never can, Kuchiki Tetsuya."
The two elder men watched raptly as Tetsuya's slender body began to glow with soft, blue light that the young man directed into the prisoner's now unrestrained body, making the awful slashes and bruises slowly fade.
"Fascinating," Aizen mused, watching the light around Tetsuya's body gradually fade, "You are a very talented healer, Tetsuya. Thank you."
Tetsuya blushed and Kisuke cleared his throat briefly and handed the former taicho a plain, white yukata.
"Put that on," he ordered the prisoner, "I am taking you to Karakura Town. I haven't had a chance yet to move my things back into the Seireitei, so we will conduct our experiments there, for now."
"A good move, since they have undoubtedly bugged the entire twelfth division, probably placing operatives within the ranks and such..." Aizen suggested.
"Of course," Kisuke agreed, "I expected that. The bonds I've placed on you are a new development of mine called dimensional overlay."
"That sounds fascinating," Aizen said approvingly, "How does it work?"
"Well, they open a sort of pocket dimension around you that separates you from this one, but allows me to 'reach in' and affect you."
"Is it also possible for me to 'reach out?'" Aizen asked.
"Only as much as I choose to let you and only in what ways I allow."
"How very crafty of you," Aizen complimented him, "I look forward to testing the parameters of this. It is a wonderful invention."
"Well, I couldn't just let you walk around hypnotizing everyone along the way, ne? Also, Tetsuya needs to get close to you to heal you and I have to get close to figure out how to separate you from the hogyoku, so..."
"I look forward to that closeness," Aizen chuckled slyly, "Although I haven't suffered from a lack of sexual attentions, they haven't been as pleasant as those a highly intelligent man like you might offer."
"It also protects you from being interfered with by people other than me unless I allow it," Kisuke said, ignoring Aizen's seductive words completely, "So, unless you really piss me off, no one but me has any access to you."
"You are protecting me?" Aizen said, an edge of surprise in his voice.
"Well, you were right that they would probably kill you as soon as that thing came out of you, if they could."
"So you...?"
"So, I am taking over your imprisonment, using this dimensional separator that I invented. Who knows, if it works well, we may not need to put people in jails anymore. With proper oversight, this device could revolutionize the way we treat and rehabilitate criminals."
"You think I can be rehabilitated?" Aizen asked, looking amused, "As unlikely as it is, I would really like to see you try that."
"Well, we'll see about that later," Kisuke said, motioning towards the open cell door, "For now, we're going to my lab in the living world."
Aizen paused, looking from the open door to Kisuke again.
"I suppose you have a means to locate and return me if I...stray?"
"Yeah. Let's put it this way. You can try to escape, but you will be brought back to me upon my command. You can try to hurt me, but you won't be able to reach me. All that exists that can touch you, and that you can touch is me. Your fate is completely in my hands...and if they had asked me to? I would have used this device to lock you into that pocket dimension you're in and throw away the key. I don't have that option, so this will have to do."
"I suppose I should be glad that you have some sense of morality."
"Yeah, you should."
"You are a very complicated person, Urahara Kisuke. I have to say honestly that I am looking forward to seeing you tackle this. It will be interesting to see what you try."
The three men exited the cell and passed through the security checkpoint, then slowly traversed the levels of the prison until they reached the surface. They left the Central 46 compound and stepped out into a lovely, spring afternoon. Aizen paused, breathing in deeply.
"I thought that I was not able to interact with...?"
"You are bound by the parameters I set," Kisuke explained, "I control everything...what you see, what you hear, smell, taste, and feel."
"That is an odd reversal, considering my powers," mused Aizen.
"I thought you'd enjoy the irony," Kisuke chuckled, "Anyway, I don't see any harm in letting you enjoy the fresh air and such, as long as you behave yourself and don't cause me any trouble. I can always take these things away at any time. But then, that's what you bought when you decided to turn against us all."
"You make it sound like more of a rash decision than the painful choice it was."
The shopkeeper drew in a slightly hissing breath.
"Hey, Tetsuya, why don't you go on ahead? We'll see you back at the shop."
The half-noble gave him a doubtful look.
"It'll be fine," Kisuke assured him, "I've got him. He can't do anything to me that I don't allow. Besides, it's been a long time. He and I have some catching up to do. Go on now and get something to charge you back up after all of that healing you did."
Tetsuya looked far less than convinced, but he nodded and flash stepped away. Kisuke frowned and looked back at Aizen, picking up their conversation where they'd left off.
"You don't think the choice was painful for anyone else?" Kisuke asked, an edge in his voice, "You don't think it was painful for the people you deceived, injured and killed on your way to trying to 'stand at the top?'"
"Do you want me to be sorry?" Aizen asked calmly, "I'm not."
"I know."
"And you, of all people, know what made me make the choice I did. You didn't have the courage, although you had the mind and the powers to..."
"Don't go there. That's water under the bridge," Kisuke said shortly, "I said it then and I'll say it again, what we have may not be the only way or even the best way, but it is the way our world is constructed. If we abandon it just because we're angry about the way it works, then we'd only be destroying everything that matters."
"Ah, but when you said that before, it surprised me. You see...when you said that, you had already lost what mattered most to you...hadn't you, Urahara Kisuke?"
"Shut up!" Kisuke snapped, drawing a look of silent sympathy from the prisoner, "Don't bring that up. That's water under the bridge too."
"Is it?" asked Aizen, moving closer, "You might want to remember that water under the bridge you are talking about was my brother! He wasn't just your..."
"I told you to shut up!" Kisuke shouted, "Don't talk about that to me, ever again."
"Why not?" Aizen asked, his eyes narrowing, "Aren't you a champion of truth, Kisuke? The truth is that my brother was a good man...a better man than I am. He should have lived and I should have been the one to die! That bastard up there that I wanted so badly to murder and replace knew that I was right and he just sat there and..."
"He did what he had to do," Kisuke said, shaking his head, "Please, just...don't say anymore. Let's go, okay? Or if you want, you can go back and sit in that cell in Muken for the next twenty-thousand years and just hope that nobody comes up with a way to take the hogyoku. Because, if they do that, they're going to kill you. Law or no law, they hate you that much."
"And you don't?"
"No?"
"Really? After everything?" Aizen mused, following as Kisuke opened the way into the precipice world and stepped inside, "Truly, Urahara Kisuke, you are a fascinating person. No wonder he loved you."
"Come on," Kisuke said darkly, turning his eyes away, "before I change my mind about this."