AN: Is there any interest in this story idea?

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Star Wars, they belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. I make no money from this story. It is not for sale or rent.

Chapter 1

=DA=

Part 1

=DA=

Fifth Division Barracks

Soul Society

After Ichimaru went back into hiding, events proceeded more or less according to plan. A crowd made of Fifth Division Shinigami gathered in the courtyard and stared dumbly at Aizen's fake corpse. That much was not only accounted for but expected. The pulses of Aizen's Reiatsu flooding the area until every member of his division within the area came to see what the hell was happening, well those had nothing to do with any plan Gin was aware of. As if that wasn't bad enough, while seated and unseated officers gawked at the corpse, the pulses finally stopped, which offered Ichimaru a short lived hope that things might still go according to plan.

It was then that Aizen stumbled out of the barracks to the shock and relief of his division. Sosuke held his Zanpakuto in a shaking hand and used it as a cane to keep himself upright, offering the perfect image of an invalid. The first to react was his Lieutenant, Hinamori, who rocketed at Aizen and managed to actually plow him over so they both fell in a tangle of flailing limbs.

Gin stared at the unfolding scene with wide open eyes wondering what the Soul King's name was happening. This most certainly had nothing to do with the plan. He decided that the plan was already scrapped for some reason and Flash Stepped in front of the still stunned Shinigami, appearing between them and Aizen. He got there just in time to see and hear Sosuke gently hugging his Lieutenant and whispering empty words in her ear. A moment later Aizen noticed his presence, or so it seemed, and roughly Flash Stepped away, depositing Hinamori just behind the open door of the barracks and standing protectively in front of her. He had his left hand on her shoulder and his right clutched the hilt of his Zanpakuto so hard that his knuckles went white. His posture was tense, as if he was ready for combat, yet at the same time he looked utterly exhausted.

"Captain Aizen?" Gin inquired with his trademark smile plastered all over his place.

"Gin." Sosuke narrowed his eyes at him as if seeing him for the first time.

Now, that was even more concerning that everything else that already happened that night. What game was Aizen playing?

Sosuke glanced to the left and he relaxed a bit. A heartbeat later, Ichimaru sensed two familiar signatures fast approaching and within moments, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Retsu Unohana appeared, floating in the air above the courtyard. The youngest Captain took one look at the area, glared at Gin and Flash Stepped beside Hinamori. His gaze went from his little friends form to Aizen, then to Ichimaru and back. Interestingly enough, Sosuke's reaction was to simply offer a thankful nod to Hitsugaya.

"Captain Aizen, can you explain this, please?" Unohana asked in a kind voice, however her small smile was anything but.

"Infiltrator." Aizen croaked and nodded stiffly at the fake corpse. "Tried to steal my memories and Reiatsu. Almost succeeded too."

For all his experience and cold blood in his veins, Gin couldn't help it, his eyes went wide as saucers when he heard Aizen's words. What was that madman playing at? He glanced at the fake corpse and back at Aizen, a terrible suspicion worming its way within his heart. In that precise moment, the fake corpse burst into flames and before anyone could react, it flaked out in ash until there was nothing left from it.

Now it was Gin's turn to feel unwell. His eyes bored into Aizen who slowly turned his gaze his way and stared at him. It was at that moment that Ichimaru knew, he hasn't been the one to deceive and play Aizen so he could betray and end him when the opportunity presented itself. Instead, it has been the other way around. Hitsugaya was already glaring at Gin, Unohana didn't miss the wary look Sosuke was giving him as, neither how he stood protectively between Hinamori and Ichimaru.

He wondered how much of the plan he knew of had been a lie crafted to deceive him. Was anything true? When did Aizen figure it out? How long did he play him? How much of what he knew was true and how much an illusion? These questions ran throughout his mind, shattering his composure, even if he somehow managed to keep himself from visibly wavering.

Gin was sure now that he had been played. He could swear that he knew what was about to happen, he was about to be turned into a patsy and Aizen was going to throw the blame for Central 46 and everything else that he could make stick at him. Was Tosen on it too or was the blind man just another pawn ready to be discarded when it was convenient? Did it matter at this point?

He had seen this particular performance happen once before, about a century back. That should have been a lesson enough, he should have seen this coming. Laughter bubbled deep within his chest and Gin choked it down with supreme effort of will. The last time, Aizen managed to get multiple Captains and Lieutenants disgraced and exiled… and every single one of them was a veteran in a good standing, most of them were respected, trustworthy.

Ichimaru Gin was none of these things. He was Soul Society's cold blooded snake, an image he gleefully crafted for himself in order to integrate himself with Aizen. It was hilarious, really. He gave Aizen all the rope the man needed to hang him with.

Yes, he should have seen this one coming, yet he didn't. He knew that getting rid of Aizen once and for all would be hard, perhaps close to impossible. He would likely get one single chance to kill the monster for good… But now? How was he supposed to do it now?

They have been crafting this betrayal for a century. He had been played for at least that long. It was clear as a day now, Aizen had never trusted him. Perhaps he somehow knew Gin was out to get him from the start, either that or he had always planned for things to turn out this way and to use him as a fall guy. Aizen had been gathering irrefutable evidence about Ichimaru's crimes since day one, that was another thing he was now convinced of. It all had been a set up.

How was he supposed to deal with something like this?!

Just like that, Gin found himself in a desperate position, left at Aizen's nonexistent mercy. That monster could doom him with a single word now and both knew it.

Ichimaru Gin began to shake. He had done monstrous things in Aizen's name, all for the singular hope that he would get one good chance to bring down that monster with him. That in the end, he was the only one in Soul Society who knew the truth and given an opening could stop the monster. Now he knew that said fragile hope had been a lie. It had always been a lie.

=DA=

Part 2

=DA=

Fourth Division Barracks

Soul Society

The things that could peak Retsu's interest were few and far between, becoming fewer and fewer with each passing year. She had learned to cherish every single such event, to do anything less would be foolish as rare as they were as of late. If she was to be honest with herself, finding Aizen in any way interesting, that came as a surprise. Oh, she could sense that there was more to him that the face he showed to the world at large, which was par to the course for most Captains in Gotei 13.

That didn't make most of them interesting to someone like her. When you stripped all the masks, hers included, no matter their depth, they simply couldn't move her heart and she knew the truth about most of them.

The Aizen Sosuke she found leaning on his Zanpakuto in the courtyard of his own division, he was different now. His bearing, the taste of his Reiatsu now that it was calmer and recovering. More importantly, it was how he was acting and talking. There was more than a hint from the kind man he showed to the world, yet the mask was gone now, broken or discarded. That combined with his claims about the body she saw skewered in the middle of the Fifth's courtyard was more than enough to have him confined, which he accepted with wry amusement. That didn't change when a grumpy Yamamoto arrived demanding answers, answers which Aizen was actually eager to provide.

And those answers, they made him interesting. More importantly, Aizen Sosuke was the only one who remained undisturbed when she briefly brought down her own mask and offered him a rare genuine smile. Instead of blanching and seeking a way to run away, he merely wigged his eyebrows in speculation.

"Please, Captain Aizen, do answer the questions again." Retsu offered him a second genuine smile, her Reiatsu spiking and filling up the room as she quietly and clearly chanted a Kido.

A soul brought open on display couldn't lie even to itself. That was why, Aizen sat on his hospital bed, holding his naked Zanpakuto pressed to the floor, right in the middle of a Kido circle, one that Retsu was busy supplying with power as she finished the incantation.

"Do ask, my dear."

"Are you Aizen Sosuke, child?" Yamamoto began the interrogation again.

The Captain of the Fifth rolled his eyes at that, completely disregarding the irritated pressure that Yamamoto excreted as he added his own Reiatsu to the Kido, ensuring that Sosuke would speak only the truth.

"I was known Aizen Sosuke, yes. As of a few hours ago, I'm once more Delkatar Veil as well." He rolled his eyes. "I know you're ancient that dirt, old man, that said I haven't been a child in a very long time."

Yamamoto's eyes actually widened briefly at the unexpected disrespect, especially when now everyone present knew that it was as close to genuine as it could get. At the same time, Retsu's smile became a permanent fixture on her face as she continued to examine the enigma that was Aizen Sosuke.

"Do you really expect us to believe that you're not only reincarnated soul but just remembered everything about your past life? That something like that actually happened?" That question came accompanied by sneer by the Captain of the Twelfth.

"I don't expect a hack like you to believe anything." Aizen answered without a care in the world. When Yamamoto actually glared at him, he rolled his eyes and continued speaking. "That said, I'll answer the question. I've been having dreams and nightmares about my past life for some time now, a few of you could attest to that. Those… memories have been a heavy burden and influence as of late. This night, when an entity messed with my Reiatsu and memories, something happened. I felt burning and freezing. Something tore within my Inner World, rend it asunder even as I remembered everything."

There was no hint of a lie or deception, not even a half truth that Retsu could detect. Perhaps Aizen was really telling them the truth as he knew it, either that or he was among the most accomplished liars in the world, someone able to deceive everyone with nothing more than simple truths. Either way, he was becoming more and more interesting every time he opened his mouth to speak.

"Aizen Sosuke, or Delkatar Veil." Yamamoto's voice rumbled in irritation. "No matter what you call yourself now, have you ever committed any crimes against Soul Society? Are you loyal? Do you intent to betray us?" With every question, the pressure in the room climbed up and up, and with the last one, the relatively tiny amount that leaked away as Yamamoto poured his Reiatsu into the Kido was more than enough to crack the floorboards.

It was a good thing that the only people present within the immediate area were either Captains or Lieutenants. Even most of them swayed on their feet. Only Yamamoto's two students who were content to remain silent and simply observe so far, along with Retsu herself could boast that they remained unaffected. Unohana suspected that Aizen would have been the fourth, if his Reiatsu hadn't been depleted and brutalized earlier this night.

"No pressure, eh, Captain-General?" After a brief moment of levity, Aizen became deadly serious. "I'll answer of course. To the best of my knowledge I have not broken a single one of Soul Society's laws… unless Central 46 have changed them since the last time I checked. I have committed no crimes. I am loyal. I would never betray Soul Society as long as I have an acceptable alternative."

Aizen met Yamamoto's gaze with a cool and collected eyes.

Behind them, standing in a corner and observing with ill disguised curiosity was one Gin Ichimaru. The man had became rigid as a board the moment the Kido took effect and stiffened more and more with every single question that Aizen answered truthfully. It was a most curious and entertaining sight. When Sosuke answered the latest questions, Ichimaru's Reiatsu was as sharp as any sword and the man literally stank of fear. For some reason, Aizen's answers terrified him.

"Captain Aizen, what do you know about the Ryoka invasion?" Sunishi deigned to speak at last.

Aizen smiled kindly and broke the staring contest he had with Yamamoto.

"I believe the Ryoka see themselves as justified. I believe that they're here to save their friend, Rukia Kuchiki." At that, Aizen looked Byakua in the eyes. "I find myself agreeing with the sentiment. It is utter foolishness, not to mention a terrible waste to execute one of our own, over a human of all things. What crime did Rukia Kuchiki commit? As far as I know, all she did was what she had to in order to survive. Her 'trial'" Aizen spat the word as if it was poison, "not to mention the verdict, are nothing less than a complete and utter disgrace."

Kuchiki actually flinched as if slapped. Even more amusing was what Aizen left unsaid as he stared down the girl's older brother with contempt written all over his face. And Ichimaru? He actually choked when he heard Aizen's words. How curious.