~FIREFLY KNIGHTS~

Bleach Copyright Tite Kubo

Firefly Knights Copyright Illand Girl

'For those that need a Guardian.'


Chapter 20: Reflection of The Truth


"What are you waiting for?" Tōshirō snapped.

I halted in the middle of an intersection so quickly he ran into my back. Despite the little captain crashing into me I hardly moved, much to his irritation. I sniffed the air once, realizing something was coming. Fast.

"The scents are moving," I looked down another path. A tiny smirk played at my lips. The scent of blood was gaining on us quickly. "And a friend is coming out to play."

"Friend?" Rangiku asked. As if answering her, the menace himself, Kenpachi Zaraki came blasting around a corner with three men bolting after him. One was Ishida, and the other two were the squad members from the night before. Rangiku gasped as I stood in the middle of the road, waiting for the captain to come. Zaraki raced up to me, stopping not three feet away, stirring up a dust cloud in his wake. He was so tall he blocked out the sun. A wicked grin appeared on his face; half hidden by shadow as he sized me up.

"So, the defenceless girl survived the night." He taunted. I couldn't help but let out a tiny smirk back.

"Mhmm. I found Ichimaru and lived to tell the tale." I joked, noticing someone trying desperately to pull themselves up onto Zaraki's shoulder. "Orihime?"

"Y-Yeah!" She gasped as she finally emerged. I smiled, happy to see she looked to be in one piece. Her eyes still held the same determination as the night before. I had been concerned about leaving her and Ishida but was glad that Zaraki had kept his word and not harmed them. He didn't seem like the type to go out of his way to harm weakened people anyway.

"Hey! It's Scary Eyes!" Yachiru cheered as she landed on my back. I winced as she hit my spine with her knee, glaring at her.

"So you made it." Ishida said as he came to a stop beside us. I waved to him and the other two squad members.

"You... You were serious about meeting Captain Zaraki?" Rangiku murmured. I looked back to see her stunned expression along with a frown on Tōshirō's face. He crossed his arms as he watched me with a thoughtful expression.

"I told you I wasn't lying." I said firmly. Then I turned back to Ishida, having to crane around the Kenpachi to see him. "Where are you guys headed?"

"We were hoping to run into you Scary Eyes!" Yachiru answered as she swung around on my one shoulder. I grumbled, staggering slightly from the swinging. Ikkaku slung his sheathed sword across the back of his neck, holding onto it from each side. I looked over to him as he stepped closer.

"We figured if you were telling the truth about smelling everyone, you could point us in the proper direction. Somehow the lieutenant managed to direct us to you. Surprisingly." He muttered the last part as Yachiru made faces at him from above my head. Ikkaku glared back, gripping his sword tighter. At his words though, I glowered, feeling my mood drop as I imagined myself in a dog costume.

"I'm not a bloodhound." I whispered, but it seemed to go unnoticed.

"I don't give a damn what you call yourself. Where is Ichigo?" Zaraki demanded. I huffed, crossing my arms. Zaraki cackled, a wide grin on his face as he leaned over me. His face was now fully shadowed and approximately 70% scarier. "I'll even snag your other little friends if you tell me where he is right now."

I looked to Orihime and Ishida, both of them nodding in encouragement. I looked back to Zaraki, then closed my eyes. It was damn near impossible to smell anything with both Tōshirō and Zaraki standing so close.

"Well? Where is he?" Ikkaku demanded. "Or is our bloodhound just a kid in a dog costume?"

My eyes snapped Ikkaku.

" You try smelling anything with these two so close!" I yelled, gesturing to the two captains present. I took a couple steps back, spacing myself out a little before turning away from them. "Just... give me a second..."

I took a deep breath through my mouth and exhaled through my nostrils. Then I took a breath in through my nose. While I always sniffed the air to find the smells, it was more a habit than a necessity. I could 'smell' spiritual pressure without sniffing the air, but there was something that felt right about sniffing anyway. Smelling spiritual pressures was different than using my olfactory sense, because it wasn't like a regular scent. It carried in the air and tracked a person far greater than any scent and wasn't affected by real odours. It didn't diminish, just existed. Zaraki and Tōshirō's scents were still strong, but I could ignore them if they were both behind me. I could compartmentalize them and focus only in front of me as I took slow, deep breaths. It was difficult sorting through all the scents in the Seireitei.

It was also difficult since four scents were coming towards us. Sifting through them and trying to ignore those four was tough. So many scents to sort through.

Blood. Winter. Spring. Apples and cinnamon. Almonds and vanilla. Apricots and roses. Campfire. Sake and roses. Something sour and lemon. Cinnamon and cologne. Women's perfume. Moss. Chili peppers. Summer and chocolate.

Summer and chocolate.

Ichigo...

I pointed towards the scent.

"He's moving pretty fast," I dropped my arm, then opened my eyes to see where I was pointing. The massive cliff side at the centre of the Seireitei. "There are many strong scents collecting at the cliff side. Ichigo is heading there as well."

I looked at Zaraki, frowning.

"If you head to the hill, you'll meet up with him," Orihime cheered from his shoulder, sounding happy. I didn't blame her, I wanted to find Ichigo soon and let him know how my side of the mission had gone. Hopefully he was on time to rescue Rukia. "But there's a couple of scents that are moving toward us right now from the hill. One of them is captain Tōsen."

"Tōsen? He should be laid up in bed still." Ikkaku commented. My nose twitched as I looked at him, annoyed at his lack of trust in my ability. Why come to me for information if you're just going to argue it?

"I'm telling you, there are four scents all coming this way and one of them is him." I said firmly, glaring at the bald man. He glared back which Zaraki laughed at.

"So, someone's come out to play then? Well, if Tōsen gave you no trouble little girl, then he might be a good warm-up for my rematch with Ichigo." Zaraki said as he stepped closer to me, his robes swaying in the breeze were brushing my own now. He cackled at the discomfort I couldn't quite hide. "I think you and I should have a match after this whole thing is settled."

"Yay! That'd be great Kenny! Scary Eyes might be lots of fun for you!" Yachiru said as she leapt on top of Orihime to whisper, quite loudly , into Zaraki's ear. "I think she's as strong as Ichi, Kenny."

The look the Kenpachi gave me sent a chill up my spine and the hollow inside of me growled.

"Maybe one day." I squeaked, not wanting that day to come anytime soon. Zaraki took off a moment later without a word to his companions. I blinked as Orihime screamed, holding on for dear life as Yachiru swung back and forth on her legs. Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Ishida all ran past us after them. Ishida paused, then turned back to me.

"Sakurai, be careful," he said, surprising me. "Out of all of us, you seem to find yourself in the most danger."

I couldn't help but smile at that. Ishida was a much kinder person than I initially expected. It was a pleasant surprise after days of struggling and being in survival mode. We were almost able to go home now, and I desperately wanted to sleep in my lumpy bed.

"Me? Nah, Ichigo's the one with all the stupid. I get all the luck." I half turned, ready to lead Tōshirō and Rangiku towards Aizen. "Make sure Ichigo doesn't die, please?"

Ishida chuckled, then turned and ran after the group. I watched him go for a moment before turning back to my companions.

"Sorry about that," I said before turning down another path. I spoke over my shoulder, not moving yet. "While I was trying to smell Ichigo, I found Aizen's scent again. Right now, it smells like Gin is in the same area."

Rangiku let out a small sigh, while Tōshirō's grumbling continued. I took off without another word, knowing that any sort of further discussion at this junction would be short lived with the short-tempered captain.


"It's here. The scents are coming from inside this place." I explained, coming to a stop at the start of a bridge. 'This place' was a small, round building surrounded by a round waterbed inside a rounded wall. The only entrance was a bridge connecting across the water to the rounded building. Tōshirō started across the bridge ahead of me without waiting for us. I glanced at Rangiku, who shared a look with me, before we followed him in. At the other end of the bridge was a heavy looking door with multiple rows of bars to prevent access.

"Are you absolutely certain the scents are in here?" Tōshirō asked over his shoulder. I took a moment to gather myself and focus, but even without that, I was certain that both scents emerged from this door.

"Yes. I can smell Aizen and Gin in here and-" I spooked, looking behind us, but nobody was on the bridge. A frown broke across my lips, I could've sworn someone else was right there... It smelt like-

"What is it?" Tōshirō asked, on high alert at my behaviour. I looked down at him, noticing how his hand was on his sword. He felt it too. There was tension in the air from the moment we stepped on the bridge. A static I couldn't shake off, making me twitch like a nervous animal. It originated from the door.

"I thought I smelled Momo... And... Lieutenant Kira?" I admitted. Tōshirō's eyes widened. He raced back across the bridge, looking beyond the stone wall that blocked our view. After a moment of searching, he returned, frowning and glaring at the door.

"No one's here."

But her scent was here... Why couldn't we see her? Izuru too, I could faintly smell him. Was I just out of touch after trying to follow the same scent for so long? I turned and looked at the sealed door, deciding to keep going instead of idle there. I had only intended to use my blade to poke at the door for any traps, but Tōshirō's left hand covered the one I had on the handle, spooking me. His hands were cool to the touch, much like his spiritual pressure.

"It's better if I do it." He murmured. The little captain drew his blade, and in one swift motion sliced through the bars and door itself. It cracked into pieces, crumbling to the ground. That had not been what I had expected of the little captain. Rangiku gawked.

"You just broke into Central 46! That's a punishable offense even for you!" She shouted. I looked between the two, confused.

"Yet there's no alarm." Tōshirō said, sounding intrigued. I frowned, crossing my arms.

"What is this place?" I asked. Tōshirō looked at me over his shoulder, realization dawning on his features. Did he forget I wasn't a real soul reaper?

"Central 46. Its name comes from the 40 sages and 6 judges that have been selected from across Soul Society. It is our highest judicial system. Their words are final, and they are the ones that choose whether the Stealth Force or Gotei 13 are to carry out that sentence." He turned back to the broken door. "They were the ones to determine Rukia Kuchiki's execution."

"Rukia Kuchiki only gave her powers to protect innocent lives."

So, these were the people who chose her demise. I narrowed my eyes and clenched my fists as I took a step around Tōshirō. The stairway into the building stretched beyond what I could see. Darkness and an ominous feeling hung over my head the moment I stared into that abyss.

"So that's why Byakuya never defended his sister?" I asked, frowning. Tōshirō looked surprised, was it not common knowledge?

He didn't answer, instead he took the lead in the descent into the chambers. Rangiku and I followed him, a nervous feeling crawled through my chest the further we went. Something felt off, a tension was building in my stomach. I shouldn't be here . I felt like this place was more than just a spooky empty building. It felt suffocating, like an old crypt. Something told me to turn around. Now. My legs did falter on the steps, but Rangiku's hand tapping my shoulder, urging me forward, had me speeding up again to catch up to the little captain.

It was a long way down the stairs before they opened into a huge dome-shaped area with a smaller room insider the centre. Beyond that there seemed to be several hallways we could go down. When we reached the bottom, Tōshirō led us into the room instead of further in. This time it was my turn to crash into his back when he stopped abruptly. Little captain stumbled but didn't even grumble about it. His eyes were ahead, and a second later I realized why.

All the members that had sat in their chairs were dead. Some looked like they had been moved, while others appeared to have attempted to flee and half crawled out the door. The scent of putrid rotting flesh was heavy the moment we walked in. I gagged, Tōshirō gagged, I covered my face with my hand and struggled to pull my collar up enough to deal with the smell. Rangiku gasped behind us, coming to a halt without crashing into my back. The little captain walked forward, inspecting the scene as he pulled his sleeve up to cover his nose.

"I can't believe this..." He whispered, voice muffled by the fabric, as he looked at a desk where one man had folded forward and bled out. I took slow steps down the stairs, shivering at the scene. I stepped over someone who had been struggling to crawl, drag marks of blood were left behind them. Their face was down, and I couldn't bring myself to look at the old man. This was a massacre. Who could've done this? Tōshirō touched the blood on the desk, his fingers coming back clean as Rangiku followed behind me. "It's already blackened and cracking..."

If that was the case, this wasn't a fresh kill. Tentatively, I stepped up to another man slumped in his seat. He had a huge gash across his chest with dried blood all over his lap and front side. There was a pool of dried blood beneath him. I shook a little, took a calming breath, then reached to grab his arm. It rose easily. I gently placed it down as I had found it.

"What are you doing?" Tōshirō asked, though he didn't sound angry, more curious. I turned to him, his eyes were calculating and thoughtful, but not enraged like I had expected them to be at me touching the dead man.

"Things could be different in the soul world, but in a real body, rigor-mortis lasts about 24 to 36 hours after death," I nodded to the man behind me. "But his arm moved freely. So, if that's the case..."

"They've been dead for at least 24 hours." Tōshirō grimaced. My mouth turned into a hard line as I glanced at the other exit. "I was just thinking... These chambers would make the perfect hideaway..."

Tōshirō didn't need to say more. If this was the centre of all the orders Seireitei had received in the past few days, and they had been dead for quite a while, someone would have been down here the entire time unnoticed, calling the shots and giving orders. What's more, the alarm Tōshirō mentioned... It meant that someone locked that door from the inside after disabling the alarm. That couldn't have been an easy task, right? Surely such important people were protected well, and that whoever killed them had to have gotten in here with some sort of difficulty?

I sniffed, regretting it but able to smell the two spiritual pressures above the scent of death.

"They're down here." I confirmed, though I cringed at the real smells that were crawling into my senses. This room was horrible to stand in. Tōshirō looked at me, arms crossed over his chest. He didn't seem nearly as bothered with this place as I was. Granted, I didn't know how many dead bodies he had seen in his lifetime.

"Can you still lead?" He asked. I nodded, still covering my nose, and led them across the chambers to the other side.

"Captain Hitsugaya!"

We paused, turning to see Izuru at the top of the exit we first came in. He looked somehow worse than the last time I had seen him, and far shakier. His eyes locked with mine, a haunted look crossed his features. What had Gin done to the poor guy? Unless it was someone else...

"I told you I smelt him!" I seethed, frowning tightly. Izuru looked at Tōshirō, then took off running.

"Rangiku!" Tōshirō yelled.

"Sir!" She took off after Izuru, Tōshirō taking only a few steps before he stopped. With his back to me, I realized at the same time what he said next. My eyes widened, my heartbeat speeding up.

"If you were right about Kira..." He turned to me; eyes wide. "Where is Momo?"

I gestured for us to keep going, sniffing the air after we left the room filled with the dead. Vanilla and almonds had somehow gotten ahead of us. It wasn't a huge surprise, considering the labyrinthine style of this place. Maybe she continued deeper when we turned into that little room? I told him to follow before sprinting down one of the hallways. Three scents came from this direction, leading me into an area with ridiculously high ceilings. The pillars seemed massive, and on closer inspection I could see that each one was really a building of its own.

We ran further in, past several of these building pillars. When the scent blurred, I stopped by one building to sniff again. A cold feeling went up my spine when the smell of apricots and roses started to get closer. My eyes darted around, looking for Gin, but I couldn't find the man.

Danger.

"What is it?" Tōshirō asked, stepping up beside me. I didn't move, feeling like I was being watched suddenly. Another scent overpowered Gin's, filling the room with a dizzying aroma that had me breathing through my mouth rather than my nose. It was so strong I felt my vision waver. What was happening?

Danger.

"Someone's here." I whispered, my hand resting on my zanpakutō. I flinched when I heard noises to the left of us, Tōshirō did too. A small gasp left my lips when I realized nothing was there. Then they were behind us. Now to the left again. But no matter how quickly we turned I couldn't see anything, nor could I smell anything in those directions. Why did it feel like I was being stalked? Slowly, as if something was circling me.

But nothing was there.

Danger.

I winced, looking down at my bare arm to find a small cut on it. Where had it come from? I couldn't see or hear a thing and yet... I froze up, feeling like I was surrounded. My breathing quickened; my heart started to beat faster- it felt like someone was standing right behind me. Looming over me in the same way Zaraki had...

Or Gin.

I gasped, drawing my sword and going to swing around my left. The sensation of someone standing there ended the moment I turned around. The scent of apricots and roses moving across the room. When had it come closer? I didn't even sense him until he was right behind me. Tōshirō drew his sword, moving to stand next to me.

"What is it?" he asked. I swallowed, refocusing as I closed my eyes and steadied my breaths. I needed to calm down, panicking would get us nowhere. And yet my heart kept slamming in my chest.

"There's something in here," as I spoke something skittered beside us, gaining Tōshirō's attention. "Don't fall for it. There's nothing there."

"What do you mean?" He asked, moving closer to my side with his back to me.

"I mean that there is nothing over there, but there are three other people in the room with us right now." I explained, gripping my zanpakutō tighter. "Someone's playing a trick on us."

"Can you find them?" He asked. I hummed, closing my eyes as I tried to regulate my breathing. I needed to focus immensely on just the smell, but not my actual nose. If I followed my nose, I would smell stale air and dust in this place. No, I needed to rely on my sixth sense.

"I'll try." I said, taking a huge inhale through my nose several times to calm down and focus.

I could smell four people in the room when I walked in. One was Tōshirō, who was close enough to me that I could sense him easily. But the other three were muddled. Something distorted my senses the further away they seemed to be. One was far stronger than the rest, with a deep cinnamon and cologne smell. It had to be Aizen, his scent was so powerful that if Tōshirō hadn't been standing next to me, I might've lost his scent. I had smelt Momo when we walked in, but it was drowned out now and I couldn't find her. The final scent-

Apricots and roses-

I gasped and spun, swinging my sword at the air beside me. My feet scuffed on the floor as I almost fell off kilter from not making contact with anything. Nothing was there, but my gut told me s omething was definitely there .

Apricots and roses-

Taking a risk, I closed my eyes, trusting my spiritual pressure tracking by smell alone. If I kept my eyes open, I would just confuse myself. I had survived in the Seireitei because of my sensing ability, now would be a good time to put my faith in it again. I took a breath and found Gin. He was moving quickly, changing places and trying to disrupt my focus.

Left, right, left, away- Behind!

I turned and guarded, my sword hit something, the scent of apricots and roses increasing. I flared my spiritual pressure, feeling it brush against the familiar scent. A satisfied grin ripped across my mouth as I opened my eyes to stare at the open air.

"Hello Gin." I said lowly. There was no reaction, no sound confirming what I knew was there, but Gin disappeared. I was startled, tripping forward. Where-

The scent increased.

"Behind you!" I yelled to Tōshirō. He turned in time to guard, skidding across the floor past me as something pushed him along. Gin must be using Shinsō, but if he was doing that, he must've been trying to separate us. Tōshirō stopped moving, the pressure easing off him as he corrected his footing.

"He's using his shikai!" I said, closing my eyes again and keeping my nose towards the scent. I backed slowly towards the little captain. My back hit Tōshirō's. I sniffed, trying to find anyone. "We need to stick togeth-"

Tōshirō's scent was across the room.

Then, who was-

I couldn't smell anyone.

"My my, ya just lettin' me get behind ya like that?" A hot breath whispered in my ear as I felt his body press against the curve of mine. My heart leapt into my throat as I opened my eyes. Long fingers danced across my neck; his familiar laugh was in my ear. His bony fingers wrapped around my throat and gave a squeeze. Up this close I could smell him, but it wasn't his spiritual pressure I could smell, it was the kind of scent one naturally wore. Gin smelt like a man with sake on his breath.

He smelt like him .

"It's like ya want me to kill ya." He whispered, his teeth grazing my ear as he squeezed my throat again. It took all my strength to clench my eyes shut, holding my zanpakutō tighter. It wasn't real. Nothing was there. I couldn't smell a single thing behind me except for the liquor on Gin's breath.

"You're not real."

"Ya sure about that?"

I gasped when I felt Gin's spiritual pressure appear behind me in the same place as the voice. I used all my might to swing out at him, my sword hit something hard. I used the rebound to make space and felt Gin move away. But his voice continued to laugh in my ear.

"Ya can't keep this up forever. Whatcha gunna do about it?" I grumbled, keeping my eyes closed. Whatever the hell this was, it was a nasty trick. Was it a mind game? Was Gin just invisible? No, I couldn't hear when my sword made contact, I just knew it did from my spiritual pressure brushing Gin's. So what was it? And- come to think of it- where did the little captain go? I could faintly smell him getting further away from me. Where was he going?

I kept moving and blocking whatever came at me, trying to figure out the trick. Maybe it was like Tōsen's ability? Maybe I was just being washed of my senses. But I could still feel, hear, touch and see... Unless.

"Let me show you my power as a sign of good will."

The scent of cinnamon and cologne, all throughout the Seireitei. Smelling like Aizen was standing next to me. Following me. Gin's snarky comments about watching my battles. They really had been there; I just couldn't see them. Or maybe I could see it but couldn't perceive it at all. Maybe Gin wasn't invisible; maybe I just couldn't tell he was there.

That's it!

It's hypnosis. Gin was here but something wasn't letting me perceive him. For whatever reason I could still smell his spiritual pressure though, and that was the only thing giving me an advantage. The heavy scent clouding the halls gave away who was doing this, but what sort of trick was it?

"Shatter, Kyōka Suigetsu."

Was this Aizen's shikai? Was this what he was showing me? Lulling me into his hypnosis? That was so long ago though, how was he still able to use it now?

I yelped as something cut my shoulder. I covered the wound with my right hand as I moved away from Gin's spiritual pressure. What good was smelling him if I couldn't tell what his attack was going to be? There was nothing I could do but sniff, dodge, and block.

"You know, there is one other thing you can do." The hollow whispered to me, her voice breathing in my ear. "You can let me out."

I swallowed, trying to stay focused on the scent of Gin. One of the scents moved, but it was going towards Tōshirō. Was that- almonds and vanilla? Momo?

Gin appeared beside me, but I used Sonido to get to Momo. I reached out, feeling my spiritual pressure brush hers. Could she see me? I tried to keep my eyes closed lest the illusions get to me. A knee jerk reaction in this condition could get us all killing each other by mistake.

"Momo-"

Something stabbed me in the gut, and for a moment I could see Momo looking at me. Her sword was buried into the side of my gut. I was too stunned to speak as she slowly pulled her sword out. I made a noise equivalent to a wounded animal. I never thought she would attack me like this. How did she know I was there? But Gin hadn't been there when I heard him, was Aizen making different illusions for each of us?

Momo looked into my eyes with tears in hers. A look of determination on her face as she held her blade in both hands. I coughed again, my right hand trying to cover the stab wound as I folded slightly. Soft noises left my mouth as the pain became worse. At least she hadn't stabbed me all the way through, I tried to ration in my mind. But damn did that hurt.

"Momo!" Tōshirō shouted, leaping at us. I almost fell to my knees, but Tōshirō, oddly enough, picked me up and moved me away from Momo.

"W-Wait..." I winced.

"Momo, stay still." He sounded scared. Momo? I wasn't-

Oh no.

The hypnosis. It was showing each of us something different. Tōshirō put me down against a wall and stood in front of me. Momo held her sword out, looking determined still. I winced, trying to sit up and say something.

"L-Little captain." I called. Tōshirō froze, his gaze turning to me. Had he heard me?

"You're-"

Apricots and roses.

Something stabbed Tōshirō in the shoulder. Blood sprayed everywhere as it went in the front and out the back, it felt like it hit the wall beside my head as dust crumbled into my hair. My eyes widened as I watched Tōshirō get yanked a bit when the weapon was pulled out. His eyes were wide as he staggered a bit, trying to stay standing.

"Stand up, Sakurai." Tōshirō's voice was hoarse as he gritted his teeth. He kept his back to me, re-balancing himself. "Whoever is doing this, we have to find them."

From around Tōshirō I could see Momo screaming, lunging at us. Tōshirō met blades with her.

"Momo snap out of it!" He yelled, but Momo said nothing. Seeing the blood stain his white haori, seeing how he could no longer use his right arm to hold his zanpakutō, it finally dawned on me. We're going to die like this. We're really going to die here, fighting like animals to protect ourselves. And fucking Momo Hinamori was going to be the one killing us both. A pulse of anger went through me at the thought of her being my killer.

"Is this really how you want to die? Like a dog being put down in the dark? Confused and alone?" The hollow cooed in my ear.

I felt my spiritual pressure pulse with my heartbeat. Watching the little captain clash swords with Hinamori, watching him struggle as he tried not to hurt her still. It enraged me.

"Or are you gunna fight for it? Fight for every last breath? Fight for that chance to live?"

I want to live.

I want to fight for it.

Standing hurt, but I used the wall to get onto my feet, putting my back against it. Taking a slow, calming breath in, I steadied my nerves. Heat was rising in my body as I exhaled. I could see my breath, like steam in the cool room. My pulse thrummed, my spiritual pressure rising.

Raising my zanpakutō horizontally in front of me, I faced the flat side of the blade towards me and laid my open right palm on the blade.

"Reflect, Espejo."


This was sure interesting.

Gin hadn't thought much when he told Aizen of the lil' girl's ability to smell him. He thought Aizen would just disregard it, or perhaps mull it over for a little while before solving the puzzle and dismissing it.

He did neither.

Instead, Aizen grew fascinated with the idea of someone breaking through his Kanzen Saimin. It was such a rare occurrence that it brought a new light to the soul reaper's eyes. Gin never liked that look, his thinking look. His eyes grew sharper, his mouth slack, topped with the glint of his glasses made him so creepy. It was always a bad thing when Sōsuke Aizen was faced with a challenge. It'd been a long time since Gin had seen this side of him.

"She's coming, this is good." Aizen mused. "For a moment I thought she would go with her friends instead. This would've been for nothing then."

'For nothing ' were some strong words, at least in Gin's humble opinion. Though he supposed if Aizen wasn't interested in secluding the girl down here to test her, he might've headed off the moment Ichigo's battle was over. Instead, he was here, waiting patiently for the lil' flies to fall into the web.

"She's sure good at makin' friends. I hear Zaraki's on their side now. Wonder if she'll be recruitin' Kuchiki next." Gin mused. The brown-haired soul reaper knew that Gin had one of three moods, and all of them would play games or make jabs wherever he could find cracks in someone's facade. With Aizen, though, there were no cracks. He simply tried to chip at flawless armour, but failed every time. Still, Aizen enjoyed indulging his moods when they suited him, and even more so throwing it back at the squad 3 captain.

"You sound jealous, Gin. Perhaps you are more attached to her than I thought?" Aizen asked smoothly. Gin chuckled, his grin turning malicious.

"No more than ya, captain," Gin teased. He sighed, almost sounding remorseful. "Though I guess if we're bein' honest, I feel bad for the lil' thing. She caught yer eye, after all."

He did almost regret telling Aizen, just a little. The kid might've stood a chance if she flew under the radar. But Gin's gut told him, from their last battle, that Naomi would never skirt by without Aizen watching her now. She was growing too quickly not to notice.

"That all depends on her capabilities," Aizen glanced at the surrounding halls. Empty, lifeless. "This place will either be a testing ground, or her tomb."

As Aizen's words left his mouth as he sensed his lieutenant. Aizen frowned, disappointed that she arrived first. No, perhaps this was better. He forced a fake smile to welcome his subordinate. Seeing the switch in persona, Gin moved for the door.

"I'll get 'er for ya." Gin said as he vanished. Aizen stayed still, waiting patiently for their return.

He wasn't at all surprised by Momo's reaction to seeing he was alive and well. She couldn't live without him anymore. Which made her such a wonderful subordinate, and a perfect plaything. Her eyes watered at the sight of him. She couldn't comprehend what was happening in front of her eyes. Aizen used his mask well, giving Momo a warm smile as she took a step towards him. Then another. She sprinted the rest of the distance to his awaiting arms.

"C-Captain Aizen." Momo cried into his chest. He held her gently, pleased by such a strong reaction to his presence. It was pleasing to see his choice of a lieutenant was still entirely infatuated with him.

"There there, Momo. I'm here." He soothed, his eyes made contact with Gin at the doorway, the snake's shoulders shaking with quiet laughter at Aizen's affectionate display. It brought an idea to the captain's head.

"Did you get my letter, Momo?" Aizen asked. Momo tearfully pulled back from him, craning her neck back to look up and meet his gaze. Her neck looked so exposed like this, so submissive.

"I-I did." she said softly. "I tried to fight Naomi Sakurai, I tried to avenge you, Captain Aizen!"

Aizen hummed in the back of his throat. The sound brought a pink blush to Momo's cheeks. He brushed a bang out of her face, his hand cupping her cheek and jaw. Evidently, she failed, and it was disappointing that Sakurai had not killed Momo when presented with the opportunity. The girl was too kind, nothing like her sire.

"Good girl." His words had the intended effect, Momo was pinned under his intense gaze. "I hope you understand. Gin had to usher me into hiding at the last minute. It is only because of his support that I stand before you. I couldn't risk Hitsugaya and Sakurai finding me."

"So... It was true then?" A fresh wave of tears came to her face. It was almost boring how easy this was. "I... I can't believe..."

"It is true, everything I wrote was the truth." Aizen said, his gaze lifting as he sensed his esteemed guest and her less favourable companion. Momo sniffled, still clutching to his robes.

"Can you do it, Momo?" He asked. Momo looked up to him again, he cupped her face in his hands. "Can you fight with me?"

"Of course, Captain Aizen." she said, her small hands clutching his wrists, stabilizing herself. Her pupils were blown out when she looked into his brown eyes. Her cheeks were hot, her skin felt like it was on fire under his fingertips. It was a shame really, she was a good girl, unfortunately she was also too easy to manipulate.

"I will assist you then. My shikai will give us the upper hand if we work together. But you must not waver Momo. We must defeat them." He glanced at Gin, his glasses hiding his eyes as they reflected the lights in the room. "Gin, you know what to do."

Gin chuckled.

This would be so much fun .

Gin knew the moment that those two stepped into the room the three of them were invisible to them. He liked the look of uncertainty on Naomi's face, how he could tell that she was unnerved by the empty room. She twitched a lot, reacting to every little sound. Her indigo eyes darted everywhere to find the source of her nerves. Gin could not hear or see the illusions cast specifically on her, but he could tell Aizen was enjoying himself in unnerving her. Kyōka Suigetsu had a funny way of using the power of suggestion on each of their minds to show them what they wanted to see. So, if Naomi thought too hard on one thing, it would materialize in her illusion.

Still, he could tell that she wasn't entirely trusting her senses.

"What is it?" Hitsugaya asked her, his own nerves much calmer. While Gin could chalk that up to battle experience and general maturity, Hitsugaya didn't have that sixth sense that Naomi had. To him the room was empty. Naomi looked pale as her eyes darted around the room again.

"There's something in here." She sounded breathless as she spoke. Her brows were knit in intense concentration.

"Impressive." Aizen mused, blatantly ignoring Momo as she wandered in the way she thought the enemy was hiding. Away from Naomi and Tōshirō until he needed her. "I didn't quite believe you when you told me she could still sense us, Gin."

"Ah, I can't blame ya, captain," Gin looked over to Aizen with his usual grin. "I didn't believe her either."

Typical Gin, going off a whim to find entertainment. However, this turned out to be quite an interesting turn of events. Perhaps keeping her alive was the correct choice after all.

Gin stepped right behind Naomi, who froze up immediately. Aizen was amused by the look of fear that pulsed across her face. She could tell he was there and even struck out. The snake laughed as he moved away, looking to his captain for new orders.

Aizen hummed.

"Let's test it further, shall we?" He watched as Gin danced around the girl. It seemed as more time passed, she was able to follow Gin easier. No longer did she hesitate in her movements. Her eyes were closed, her brows still knit in heavy concentration. Had she developed an acute sensory ability for spiritual pressure? With such accuracy? Most high-level soul reapers that had gained this sensory ability could only tell the presence of another in the vicinity, but Naomi was following Gin's every step. While he had never seen this done before, he had a few theories that may explain the phenomena.

Gin played a little longer, deciding it was almost time to strike her. A quick death was better than being toyed with, no? He lunged for her spine, but Naomi spun and blocked him perfectly. It surprised the snake; he hesitated in moving away when the foreign feeling of cold spiritual pressure brushed against him. Her eyes snapped open as a nasty grin spread across her face. One he'd seen Zaraki wear in battle before after a particularly nasty strike. Her eyes looked up to his.

"Hello Gin." Her voice said in an octave lower than her normally soft tone. Gin shivered, his grin widening despite her not being able to see it. She was staring into his eyes as if she could see them.

"Ya really are a creepy lil' thing." He laughed, knowing she couldn't hear him. He bolted away, debating on what his next attack should be. The kid had improved immensely since their first battle. She was fast now, much faster than he expected her to be after only a few days in the Seireitei. Her reflexes were nothing to scoff at either. Even with all her senses under the illusion, she managed to disregard them and focus on the single thing giving her a leg to stand on. It was a skillset most captains would be unable to succeed with.

He managed to cut her up a few times, but despite pressing into her the cuts remained shallow. Her skin seemed to be hardening as time passed. Aizen was watching, taking it in with an analytical gaze. He commended her efforts; she was struggling against the illusions yet somehow keeping up with Gin. Though Aizen knew his subordinate was the type to play, he knew Gin was still trying on some level to hit her. He wanted to give a name to the phenomena of her sensory capabilities, to understand what it was and how he could improve his hypnosis to an extent that even she could not get past it. It was a puzzle that, unfortunately, Aizen would have to leave until a later date. For now, they'd wasted too much time down here. It was almost time to leave.

The snake finished his last attack as Naomi vanished, appearing next to Momo. That was not a flash step . How had that girl managed to achieve such a skill that soul reapers could not? Unless she truly did not possess any soul reaper capabilities? A puzzle indeed.

The illusions changed and- for just a moment- he allowed Naomi and Momo to see each other. On reaction his lieutenant struck. Aizen chuckled as she stabbed Naomi in the gut. His illusion of Naomi layering perfectly over her actual form. Naomi looked stunned, perhaps thinking Momo would not have harmed her. How naive.

Momo pulled her sword out. Judging by the lack of depth, this would not kill the girl, but it would keep her out of the way for now. Perhaps this was the motivation she needed to strike back. He swapped the image of Momo and Naomi in Tōshirō's eyes, enjoying the confusion that ensued from it. It didn't amuse him as much as he was hoping for though. Instead, it felt like a lacklustre climax to a research subject.

"I think it's time to end this." Aizen said. Gin frowned.

"Ah, but the fun's just startin'." He whined. Aizen ignored him as he felt a cold chill run up his spine. A spiritual pressure so dense that it even permeated Aizen's senses arose from Naomi.

"Reflect, Espejo."

It was like the world was inked in darkness; a weight sat heavily on everyone in that room. For an instant all the lights seemed to dim into nothingness, and the cold floated freely in the dark abyss.

Aizen flared his own spiritual pressure, dismissing the cold chill immediately, but still it lingered in the air around him. Gin shivered, not quite able to persuade the heavy spiritual pressure from washing over him. It felt like a weight on his shoulders, someone was pressing down on him. Tōshirō felt it worse. Between his wounds and this almost alien spirit pressure, he struggled to stay standing. The squad 10 captain shivered, feeling cold for the second time in his life. Tōshirō witnessed Momo falling to the floor, folding under the pressure. He gritted his teeth, going to her to see if she was alright. To no surprise, she was knocked out cold. Tōshirō looked for the source of this cold despair as it settled into his chest.

Black flames washed over Naomi. Aizen watched, fascinated as a new form emerged when the flames vanished. Her breath made steam in the cool room, her black lips parting. Electric green eyes that shone in absolute darkness, like radioactive material, illuminated her ashen complexion. It looked like the black rimmed cat-eye was running down her face in streaks, like mascara running after someone has cried. The horns, which Aizen had witnessed before, were not the only thing on her head. The upper half of an antelope skull sat on the top of her head; the nasal cavity was cracked and broken off.

The most interesting change, Aizen would say, was the bronze rimmed mirror that floated in front of her chest. She did not touch it, her hands hidden beneath a mangled white wrap that covered her entire body. The mirror floated on its own in front of her chest. It reminded Aizen of a hollow hole.

"Oh? Is this her shikai?" Gin mused, though even he could tell that was incorrect. No, this was not a shikai, or a bankai. Her spiritual pressure resembled closer to a hollow than a soul reaper.

"You're far more interesting than I thought, Naomi Sakurai." Aizen took a step forward as Naomi's pale hand reached out through a tear in the white wrap, the jingle of chains could be heard and seen wrapped around her arm and dangling by her wrist. Pieces of it were broken as they swung uselessly on her arm and disappeared underneath the cloak. . A morbid sound of someone struggling to breathe could be heard reverberating in the vast halls; echoing in the chamber and sounding eerily like a last breath. It came from Naomi as she reached for the front of the mirror. Her hand grasped at nothing, yet her zanpakutō materialized out of the glass.

Slowly, as though it was immense effort, she pulled it out. The sound of the sword sliding out, grinding against the glass, resounded in the hall and gave a new meaning to the chills. She held her blade, raising her chin to look Aizen in the eye.

'A defiant one.' Aizen thought, finding it amusing as she tried to stare him down.

"Gin." His only word was an easy command, but Gin didn't move. The brown-haired captain frowned, looking at his subordinate. Gin hadn't moved since Naomi drew her zanpakutō. It took him a moment to realize, as he turned to see Naomi. She was looking at him-

He felt the cold pressure permeate his body again, his heart pumped once, twice, then he felt something cut into his left shoulder. Blood seeped onto his haori, dripping down his body. Aizen looked down at the cut that spanned from his deltoid to his serratus. His hold on Kyōka Suigetsu's hypnosis wavered, and in that moment, he realized that his own world was staggering.


Tsk Tsk Naomi you are quite interesting eh? For reference, I was leaning heavy towards Wendigo/Forest Dweller vibes for her released form. Thoughts?

This chapter ended up being so long that I had to split it into 2. The second part needs editing but should be out in a few days. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I took some... creative liberties to Aizen's KS. In the main story it appears to blanket and be non-descriminate as to who it effects, but I thought that Kubo really missed out on the creepiness that could come with this sort of power. Despite how scary the ability is we hardly see it used with true purpose. He never had to use it when he defected, so I wanted to play around with it a bit.

Anyway, here ya go!

Oh FYI, I've been editing chapters on AO3. The entirely edited version of this story is on there. I will be trying to upload the edited version of this story onto FF but it may take me a while to do that. Thank you to all my readers (there's now 200 of you holy crap) and I hope you'll have a lovely day.

Anyway, see y'all next time!

Cheers.

Iland Girl