On A Dark Path, He Walks

Disclaimer: I DON’T OWN THEM!

Warnings: Adult language. Adult situations. Angst. Possibly disturbing. Ichimaru Gin-ness that makes me happy in my pants.

Notes: Wow. Took me a while to get this one out. Things’re heating up in the shinigami world! Summer heat waves and convention stress kept me away for the most part. Catching the ‘Con Plague’ and having bronchitis was the rest of the reason. I hope everyone enjoys this.

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Ichimaru chirruped quietly and flashed frighteningly innocent eyes upon his longhaired lover.

“I’m all excited now! We’re going back to Soul Society!”

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Blissfully unaware of the impending attack on Soul Society, its residents rested in their beds, the shinigami world on a somewhat different clock than that of the ever-dark Hollow world. To Byakuya, the darkness that enveloped his home, was a hundred times brighter than the darkness in Hueco Mundo, the difference between the two seemingly as opposite as black and white.
Where Soul Society’s nighttime is only dark and the moon sheds light on the world, the pitch in the other realm was a suffocating darkness, one of mystifying clouds of reiatsu and the ever present dampness he associated with suffering.

There was a pleasant yawn to his right and he peered from his place beside Aizen, taking in Ichimaru’s outstretched form, his arms above his head as the former third squad captain worked the kinks out of his joints as if coming home from a long voyage.

“Yatta! It’s so nice to be back! Lookit the sky, Jyuu-kun. Isn’t it pretty? Too bad we don’t get stars back home, ne?”

“I suppose they are beautiful.”

The two light haired men looked upward as their leader looked down from the rooftop they had landed upon, wary of the silence surrounding them. It wasn’t normal for the captain commander’s home to be so devoid of security but considering that the search party had only been gone a few days and the threat of Aizen returning wasn’t immediate, they could very well have dropped their guard.
And time being so slow where they were, the twelve-hour window of opportunity to get to Hueco Mundo and back hardly applied. Aizen’s deftness with travel between worlds also seemed to negate the time limit.

How delightful.

“Silence, both of you. Something’s not right.”

“Maa, but Sousuke. Everything’s fine! Genryuusai-dono doesn’t have a guard anymore. He sent them to watch the worst parts of Rukongai. To prevent riots. Our reports said as much less than a month after we left.”

The once bespectacled lord glared slightly, then instantly smiled, as if his personalities were conflicting against each other.

“Thank you, Gin. Now, take Kuchiki-san to the Soukyou grounds. Instruct him on his duty.”
He handed the short haired defector Byakuya’s zanpakutou and after a brief but noticed kiss on the cheek, grinned broadly at his lover and disappeared, the dust clouds puffing up from the dirty tiles showing where he had stood.

“Come with me, Jyuu-kun. I could use the help. I doubt rokubantaichou-san will behave himself once out of Sousuke’s sight.”

A snarled response caused the snake-faced shinigami to glare dangerously, then revert back to his smile as well, an eerie mirror of the former fifth squad captain’s action.

“I can see you’re already acting up, Kuchiki-san.”

“I’m hardly acting up. I’m only allowing you to see how irritated I am with being here.”

Ichimaru cocked his head to the side and with his left hand fisted in Byakuya’s robes, he dragged the elder man out and off of the rooftop, heading directly for the execution grounds, red eyes watching for guards and still seeing none.
A flash in front of them once they came to the Soukyou stand alerted Gin to his lover’s whereabouts, the short haired Espada leader appearing before them with a broad grin on his face, his chiseled face alight with dangerous mischief.

Beside him, lay Sentarou and Kiyone, their bodies unharmed as far as Ukitake could see, his hand immediately falling to his sword, but realizing that they were asleep, or unconscious, he hesitated and removed it.

“Where were they?” he asked, concerned for them, but as his loyalties had changed, he found the love he once held for them lacking.

“In the bushes, asleep. Hardly what I would consider worthy third seats, Ukitake.”

“They were useful for the duties they were assigned to. In the end, they proved their loyalty right up until I left.”

“Aa, so true. So true and absolutely useless.”

Aizen left them where they lay and stepped to Byakuya’s side, standing in a friendly manner, his hands at his sides, Zabimaru tucked neatly into his obi, alongside his Kyôka Suigetsu, the sixth division taichou’s eyes drifting to the two, inwardly seething at the nerve of the former captain.

“We will execute this here. I refuse to cause a disturbance that will barely be seen or heard throughout the inner city. I care little for the residents of Rukongai and it’s only the reactions of the Gotei 13 that truly matter.”

Gin nodded, as did Jyuushiro, the young Kuchiki heir’s eyes moving from one man to another, trying to decide a way out without endangering himself, the rest of Soul Society or most importantly, Renji.

“What do you have planned now, Aizen?”

Dark eyes turned to him and now they smiled very little.
“A fireworks display, Kuchiki-san. Now, stand there-“ He gestured to a bare patch of ground, less than ten feet from where they had gathered. “-and summon your bankai.”

He moved quickly to snatch the sword from Ichimaru when the grinning captor offered it in an outstretched hand, each of the three traitors watching carefully for any sudden moves.

“Might I remind you, that your co-operation is essential to the well-being of your lover? Do as you’re told, Kuchiki-san.”

Begrudgingly, Byakuya held the sword in position and called out his bankai, watching dispassionately as the crafted item disappeared into the ground and the area around them grew dark, his robes billowing slightly as the immense swords grew out of the very ground. Ichimaru’s eyes opened to take in the beautiful view, Ukitake’s face one of confused feelings, uncertain if he should be happy for Aizen, now that his plan was in motion, or sad for Soul Society, which he loved just as dearly as his darling Gin.

Holding off the somewhat automatic attack the petals immediately used after being summoned, Byakuya kept his right hand aloft, as if ready to control them. Already, he could feel the influx of spirit particles, as they fed his power, an invisible way of backing his skill without alerting his opponent to the ability.

“You can feel it now that you’re aware of it, ne, Kuchiki-san? The drain on the reserves is at a low limit, but once you perform your second stage bankai, the senkei senbonzakura kageyoshi, as you did while fighting the orange haired ryoka, and then your third stage, of which few people have ever seen, it will drain the reserves to the point of stealing energy from Genryuusai-dono himself.”

Sitting down on a patch of dry grass, Ichimaru watched the goings on as if he were a child at the summer fireworks festival, his hands back behind him as they supported his upper body, bright eyes watching the petals as they danced in the breeze, eager to destroy. The conversation between the two men was seemingly private and with Ukitake by his side, he felt all right with the situation.

He tugged gently on the elder man’s pant leg and looked over with an adorably pained face.
“Sit down, Jyuu-kun. I’m kinda lonely by myself.”

“I want to be on my guard in case something goes wrong, Gin. Please, be more alert.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen. Sousuke’s got the other zanpakutou. If Byakuya goes too far, he can cancel the effects easily enough. Kinda sad that the boy didn’t realize it back when they fought each other, ne?”

He tugged again, this time earning a sigh and a swat, shrugging as he rolled onto his side and propped his head on an upturned hand.

“Suit yourself. When the show starts, you’ll wanna be sitting down.”

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Left on the floor of Aizen’s throne room, Renji was ignored for the most part, as he woke and started to moan in pain, his burns healing and therefore itching terribly. He looked around from the odd position he was lying in and caught sight of the turquoise haired Espada who had nearly killed him at the gate. The creature was licking his lips and once being noticed, shifted from his place against the wall and walked over.

“You’re awake, huh? Betcha that shit hurts. Aizen-sama’s a hardcore sadist when it comes to torture and punishment.”

The redhead glared angrily, still woozy from whatever had happened to him, his senses dulled as if nerves were only firing halfway or not at all. He managed to get to his knees and with his left hand, he cradled the right, peering at the marks, wanting to scratch the hell out of them but knowing full well that it would only bring unnecessary pain.

Irritated with being ignored, the mask toting former Hollow kicked out a leg and clipped Renji’s hip, causing the boy to grunt sharply and fall to the opposite side, banging his elbow on the stone floor.

“Ahh, what the fuck was that for, you bastard!”

Grimmjow snorted and reached forward to snatch the shinigami by the hair, forcing him to stand on legs entirely too weak for the task.

“Just because I fuckin’ felt like it. You’re worthless anyway. Why the fuck should I care if you’re comfortable or not?”

“Because he’s an important part of Aizen-sama’s plan, fool.” Came the reply from the youngest Espada, Ulquiorra’s face a mask of concealed disgust, from being left behind to watch the others. “Harm him and Aizen-sama will reward you with punishment.”

“Fucker’s just bein’ indignant is all!” He retorted, letting go of the swordsman’s hair to let him fall back to the cool floor. “He isn’t worth my time anyway!”

Calculating eyes watched the tall arrancar’s slow exit, noticing his shift towards the helmeted fighter’s own rooms. Ulquiorra groaned mentally and silently prepared himself for a long night.

“Where’s Kira, you little bastard? I know Ichimaru showed him to me but I wanna see him again…”

“You will behave in a manner appropriate for your status here. You may be important to Aizen-sama, but to me, you’re only garbage.”

“Yeah, well this garbage needs to kick your a-“

“That’s enough, Abarai-kun! I’m here. I’m fine.”

Renji turned his head too quickly and grimaced at the pop it gave, feverished mind hardly registering the oddly dressed shinigami before him.

Kira had on his normal shinigami clothes, but again, had the Espada coat on overtop, as well as a pair of soft looking house slippers. His kimono and coat were undone at the chest and underneath, Renji could see red lines where injuries marred the boy’s pale skin.

“Kira!”

“Aa. It’s me.” The blond looked to the young arrancar and glared slightly, gutsier than he ever was in Soul Society. “Ichimaru-sama’s rooms need to be cleaned. See to it.”

Bowing slightly and moving quickly, Ulquiorra left, knowing that if the blond was brave enough to ask an Espada member to do his bidding, Gin had authorized it, and disobeying would mean certain doom.
Left alone again, the two Gotei 13 members stared each other down, Renji unsure of his best friend’s loyalties and Kira uncertain of his feelings for the loudmouthed redhead. He wanted so badly to be with his former captain but the relationship he shared with the other was still just as important to him, regardless of Renji’s love affair with his own taichou.

“Why’re you doing this, Kira? We only came to bring you back.”

“I’m…not going back.” Came the short reply. “I belong here. With Ichimaru-sama.”

Getting to his feet amidst shifting pain, Renji stepped over to his friend and clapped both hands down on his shoulders, wanting his attention as well as something to lean against.
“You belong with us. I don't know what kinda shit he's been telling you-"

"He hasn't, Abarai-kun. I'm certain this time. Ichimaru-sama hasn't done anything to make me believe otherwise."

The young fukutaichou gave the boy a shake, snapping his head back and forth rather violently, growling through clenched teeth and rocking on his tired legs.

"When did the bastard become 'Ichimaru-sama', huh? He's been Ichimaru-taichou for as long as we've been shinigami."

Kira pushed the other away and watched somewhat dispassionately as the redhead scrambled to find something to hold onto, staggering to the pillows the silver haired defector had previously sat upon.

"Ichimaru-sama's not my captain anymore. And...I'm not his vice captain. We're members of Aizen-sama's army now."

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Feeling as powerless as he ever had before in his life, the regal Kuchiki heir glared at his captor and continued to hold his bankai in check while waiting for further instructions, slowly scanning the horizon as the grey light of dawn slowly crept over the distant scenery.

“How long will you make me wait, Aizen? Dawn is approaching.”

The short haired Espada leader chuckled softly and lifted his left hand, dragging Zabimaru from its battle-scarred sheath and quietly calling out its summoning word, the item lengthening and shifting to its more sinister form, was dagger edge glinting in the slowly waking light.

“I wanted there to be enough light to see my plan come to fruition. It seems the time has truly arrived.” He turned to Gin, whom he smiled warmly at, ignoring the sour look he received from the white haired captain. “You may proceed, Kuchiki-san.”

The words Byakuya had dreaded hearing finally reached his ears and he closed his eyes as he called forth the second stage of his all powerful ability, the petals disappearing in exchange for hundreds of brightly shining swords, each one hanging around him in a dangerously perilous way, ready to strike down his enemies. Sousuke watched with absolute interest, smiling broadly and stepping back to be out of range of the threatening weapons.

“Do it! Summon the entirety of your power so the power is drained!”

Unable to disobey, Byakuya created a massive rolling wave of petals, keeping them in a circling mass that covered the ground and sky around himself, keeping the former fifth squad captain away, but sadly enough, feeling the inner drain on the surrounding area’s reiatsu. The immense generation of power would hardly go unnoticed in the desolate place and sure enough, a reiatsu that didn’t belong to either of the four men crested the edge of Soukyou’s outcropping.

Byakuya immediately turned to see who it was but was blocked by Aizen, his cloak floating about his body in a powerful wind generated by the moving petals, Zabimaru still held in his hand, as if he were going to use it to fend off the new arrival.

“Continue your duty, Kuchiki-san. The drain goes for as long as you hold the technique, correct? For no reason, will you stop. Keep it up until the whole of the captain commander’s reserves are depleted.”

“…..hai.”

“Gin!”

The fox-faced shinigami was on his feet in record time and came to stand beside his lover, smiling as usual, his eyes moving from the beautiful lord to the approaching visitor.
“Want me to greet our friend, Sousuke?”

“That’s exactly what I would like you to do. Make sure we’re not disturbed, but allow the procedure to be seen. I want the whole of Soul Society to know how easily I defeated them a second time.”

“Hai!” He chirruped, disappearing for a brief second before reappearing directly in front of the somewhat unwanted intruder, red eyes taking in the stunned look on the other’s face with obvious amusement.

“Ohayo, Hitsugaya-kun!”

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Having been awakened by the inability to sleep, the child prodigy had paced restlessly for hours before wandering to his office and sitting down at his overly large desk, its top cluttered with unfinished paperwork his lax fukutaichou had failed to finish. He sighed out loud and set to work, signing the authoritative documents and writing up the reports on squad expenses and uniform requests. Each week, it seemed as if the large breasted vice captain needed a new set made because of her ever increasing bust line.

By the time dawn had rolled around, he was quite finished the work and though sleep called to him little by little, he remained in his office, more than likely because the young shinigami’s day would normally start in less than an hour anyway. He yawned slightly and went to the window to watch the sunrise, something he normally neglected to do but that he had secretly enjoyed doing as a child, waking earlier than Hinamori to do it alone.

The spirit pressure he felt once reaching the large opening caught him by surprise, its level and signature unmistakably that of the sixth division captain. He furrowed his brow in confusion however. Wasn’t the elder man in Hueco Mundo with his fukutaichou and Ukitake? Why would he be back so soon? And without a formal report to the rest of the Gotei 13?

Curious and a bit worried, the white haired boy ran from the building after leaving a note for Matsumoto to make tea and wait for him to return, his small legs taking him as far as they could before shunpo aided him greatly. He crested the Soukyou ridge and cringed somewhat, Byakuya’s reiatsu alarmingly strong as it pushed him back. The telltale signs of the man’s bankai frightened the tenth division captain and he moved faster, catching sight of four people standing on the dusty plateau.

One he had obviously recognized as the regal Kuchiki heir, another Ukitake, the man’s long hair flowing about him like a cape, seemingly alive. The One off to Byakuya’s right gave him some trouble before he clenched his teeth and immediately snarled, seeing the man’s face and feeling instant hatred.
No doubt that it was Aizen. His large form noticeable even with the white Espada uniform on, his hand held high but not holding his own zanpakutou. Hitsugaya blinked when he saw Renji’s sword in the man’s fist, its shimmering edges promising damage. So, Aizen had somehow disposed of the sixth division’s fukutaichou and had commandeered his sword. How befitting of the traitorous captain.

He was so near them now, the feel of the increasing reiatsu almost stifling to him, his own hand moving to his sword and thankfully so, as a form appeared before him that he hadn’t even noticed, his mind too filled with sudden hatred and his eyes too filled with a frightening sight.
He managed to draw Hyourinmaru out to a defensive position but was short in noticing who his attacker was, only catching a flash of red eyes and silver hair before he was greeted in an oddly friendly manner, his mind and eyes working overtime to place them and upon doing so, he backed off and slid in the dirt, his speed putting him off balance.

He looked up from the dusty cloud and glared into the face of his most loathed of all people, the ever-grinning defector leaning down as if readying himself to humour a child much smaller than himself.

“Nice to see you, jyuubantaichou-san.”

“Explain yourself, Ichimaru. Tell me what you’re doing here!”

The elder man stood up straight and drew his sword, the small wakizashi non-menacing to the younger male.
“Maa, there’s no need to be rude. I’m just here to welcome you to Sousuke’s little display. Gotta have the gatekeeper tell you what’s what when you visit the temple for a fireworks display, ne?”

“Fireworks display? What’s going on here? Why has Kuchiki-taichou summoned his bankai? Why does Aizen have Abarai-fukutaichou’s zanpakutou?”

Gin chuckled softly and closed his eyes again, resuming his adorably innocent look and playfully lifting Shinsou up to run his tongue down the length of the short blade, teasing the other captain with his dangerous but cute attitude.

“Sousuke’s got plans for Soul Society that needed to be addressed here. We couldn’t do it from Hueco Mundo.”

A sharp cry from the unwilling participant caught both captain’s attention and they turned to look as Byakuya moved from his second stage bankai to the third, the great white wings sprouting from his back and the halo appearing between them, the swords disappearing and conglomerating into the single white sword he now wielded. He kept it held out in front of himself, gritting his teeth and still managing to look somewhat noble in his effort, his own reiatsu now dangerously weak but remaining at a level where he could still function and not hold his bankai.

“H…how’s he…keeping his bankai active? His reiatsu’s almost nil!”

Gin tittered and turned his back on the smaller shinigami, still holding Shinsou where Hitsugaya could see it.

“It’s feeding off of Genryuusai-dono’s reserves. The old man’s probably dying in his bed right now, slowly being drained of his spirit energy.” He peered over his shoulder, smiling in his snake-like way.
“If Kuchiki-taichou lets that energy build up long enough, his body, though strong, isn’t good enough to hold all of shobantai-taichou’s power. Can’t you just see it, Hitsugaya-kun?”

A blast of spirit energy from the now ailing sixth squad captain made both men shift in its given off shockwave and once the dust had settled around them again, the white haired swordsman found himself standing alone and gasped in shock as a cool hand wound its way around his throat, the glint of steel appearing in his line of sight as Gin brandished his zanpakutou like a new toy.

“Can’t I hear what, Ichimaru? All I can hear are your cowardly screams when I rip your head from your shoulders.”

“Tsk, tsk, jyuubantaichou-san. You’re underestimating again.”

He pointed to Byakuya, whose body bore the marks of his lengthy session, his forearms nearly burned by the force of the energy flowing through his sword. His wings had grown in size and the distance Aizen had to stand from him had increased greatly, the brunet now more than a hundred meters from the grimacing captain.

“You see how he’s struggling with the amount of power he’s absorbing, Hitsugaya-kun?”

“He’s suffering. That’s plain enough to see, you bastard.”

“Maa, be nice. I’m only explaining things to you.” He chided. “Now, in the summertime, you know how mosquitoes will drink until they fill themselves, then they fly away to do whatever it is they do with our precious life essence?”

“Yes.”

“Well, when one is drinking from you, you can pinch the skin on either side of it, forcing a large amount of blood into them. Their tiny bodies can’t handle such a large amount coming so quickly and they explode.”

The ice sword wielding taichou choked and turned to face the other, only getting a glimpse of a ferally grinning visage.

“They…explode?”

Gin pointed with one lanky finger, indicating the struggling captain’s impending demise and even going so far as giving it a soundtrack of its very own, the boy’s eyes following, suddenly wide open.

“Pop!”