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Chapter Text

She falling. She's not sure why or how, all she knows is that she needs to figure it out before she plummets through the ground below. It's easier said than done, her body feels like it's burning and tearing itself apart all at once.

Even her mind has betrayed her as it fogs up with nothingness. She tries to think but all that appears is a distant thought of 'protect'. But even that is drowned out by the blur that is her memories.

The the ground is getting closer and closer until she hit it hard enough to take the air from her lungs and hit her head hard enough to blur her vision. The only thing she knows other than the darkness is the distant thump that she hear a moment after her fall then nothing.

She comes to in the same spot she fell, now covered by the darkness of night.

The first thing she takes note of is the burning sensation that is coming from her chest down to her stomach. She raises her head to glance down but finds nothing, not even a scratch.

She winces at the feeling but seeing as there's nothing there she lowers her head back down to help with the throbbing headache and spinning. She takes a moment to breathe then tries once again to think.

Her memories that she had tried so hard to reach before slowly appear one by one until she has a clear picture of what is happening.

First come the her sister then her friends. They are the most important so even now it's obvious why those memories come back first. Then the soul society appears. The home of her allies and even some of her friends is important as well so it comes second.

Last comes the memories of war. While they have helped make up her person to who she is today they are distant and resent, to resent to be ingrained the way the others are. Even they hurt. The reminder of what she has lost, no givin up, stings like little has before.

She snatches the memories of her family with a greediness that surprises even her. Her sisters so young, her father that lies but has always told the truth when it matters most, her dear mother that has long departed the world yet somehow haunts her more than any spirit ever could.

Then her friends who are family but in a different way. Not like her sisters who she must always protect. She tries anyway but they never let her for long. Always stepping up next to her no matter how much she wish they would stay behind so she could shield them.

Chad her first real friend that brings her peace in a way few can, Orihime who she has failed but heals her anyway , Uryu who is a prickly as a cactus but helps with out question. Rukia and Renji who she would take on a entire government for and even Uruhara and Yorichi her teachers who make her feel safe like she never has before.

The though of them calms her slightly but only renews the urgency to see then safe and sound even more. That in turn fuels her determination and it is that that allows her to stand even with almost no energy to speak of.

She wobbles as she pulls herself up and even almost falls but she catches herself and continues anyways. The pain from the nonexistent cut blinds her for a moment but she continues walking.

The hole she made when she landed is large and deep and require most of her energy to pull herself out of. She only just manages by grabbing the rocks that are sticking out and using them as a mountain climber. She grabs the ledge to get out and rolls over panting in exhaustion.

She feels a bit of victory as she completes her climb as silly as it sounds when compared to her over accomplishments but she is too tired to see the hilarity so she'll take what she can get.

She lays there panting for a moment and finally takes the time to look over the injuries. She does a quick scan of her body and is relived to find other than some brushes and cut she seems to be fine physically. Only things that hurt enough to warrant any concern is the odd feeling coming from her chest.

She take a moment to check once again just to be sure is isn't going insane but just as she had seen it is completely unharmed. It makes no sense but she hasn't the time to think about it now. She must find the others.

Once again she pulls herself to her feet and looks every which way for anything that looks familiar. She had absolutely no idea were she is. She quickly concludes. Every way looks the same and nothing is even remotely familiar. She is what can only be described as the middle of nowhere.

She sighs tiredly at her quickly dwindling hope. With the option of no idea and no idea, she walks slowly the direction that feels right. Its not different than the other but her gut feeling is pointing that way and it has saved her more times then she care to think about.

She walks for about 5 minutes before she sees it. A large familiar hole. For a moment she fears she might have gone in a circle but it doesn't make sense as she hadn't taken any turns. Cautiously she approaches but has to take a pause to let out a painful gasp when the pain of the nonexistent injury seems to double. 

Shakely she takes a breath and a step back. Just like magic the feeling returns back to it original pain. A burning skin tearing sensation but still miles better then the one that she had just experienced. 

Carefully she took another step forward only to be rewarded with the same feeling as before. Only this time she gritted her teeth and stubbornly stood where she was. After a long agonizing moment, the pain faded back like before. So she took another step forward. Again the same thing happens, then again, and again until she was gasping out in pain right at the source of the large hole.

After a few seconds of pulling herself together she clumsy stood back up to her original height and opened her eyes to see what was the source of her pain.

It... was a man??

Ichigo blinked in surprise then snapped herself out of her surprise to reach over and check on him. Quickly she used what ever first aid training her father had ingrained in her after one to many fight to check in his vitals. She first checks his puls and is relieved to find a weak but working one.

Next she needed to check him for injuries so flipped him over on to his back and gasped at the sights of a large gash that is strangely enough exactly were her own pain was coming from.

Hurriedly she used the extra cloth for his ruined clothes to press down any bleeding while she cursed her inability to use Reiatsu. Then again she hadn't been able to learn healing Kido anyways. Unohana had tried to teach her but it was a losing battle so she had eventually just settled for making sure Ichigo's traditional heal techniques were up to par.

After she had tied the cloth tightly to help with the bleeding she began to check the rest of his body for injuries. After she was satisfied with her scan she finally took the chance to get a good look at his head. She bypassed his face as she looked at his head and was satisfied to see there was no bleeding around his (oddly familiar?) brown hair.

"I hadn't taken you for the forgiving type Ichigo Kurosaki" a deep voice rumbled 

Ichigo eyes flew to the man's face only to be met with the face of the enemy Sosuke Aizen. Her eyes widened in horror at the knowledge of who she had been healing and using energy she didn't know she had she jumped back only to be hit with pain just like before.

Still, she managed to not crumble on the spot and practically snarled. "Aizen!"

Chapter Text

"Aizen!" Ichigo spat angrily

"Now now, no need to be so aggressive. You healed me didn't you, so you must have kept me alive for some reason perhaps a sense of guilt or your hero complex at work." He grinned cruelly

What Ichigo would give to wipe that smug look off his face.

"Please, if I had realized it was yo, you'd be dead. In fact, let me change that" she practically snarled

His face was smug as he spoke "At least try not to act like an animal" He drawled "besides how exactly are you going to accomplish that without your zanpakutõ" 

Ichigo's eyes snapped to where her sword usually was. Just like he said, it was gone, leaving her back feeling almost naked without Zangetsu's comforting weight. Just for a moment, she mourned the loyal companion that she had lost to stop Aizen.

Unwilling to show her weakness she snapped back. "I'll make do, besides in case you haven't noticed your happens to be gone as well."

"So it seems" was all he said in reply

Tired of talking Ichigo stepped forward to confront him, powers or no powers be damned, only to be hit with the blinding pain again. Only this time she couldn't stop the wince before he saw it.

"You're injured, but you don't seem to be bleeding. You might have healed it with kido but guessing from the fact you didn't use it on me means you don't know how or simply cannot." He said with a tilt of his head much like how an owl might track its prey.

Ichigo shivered at the implications.

"Not as much as you" she gestured to the cut.

He looked down and made a face of distaste "Yes, an unfortunate outcome of our fight" He looked up and his eyes bore into her "Let me pay you back for it" He was gone in an instant.

He was next to her in a matter of seconds. Ichigo threw herself to the ground. He barely just missed. Thankfully it seemed even without her powers her instincts were still up to par because if she had been even a moment slower with her reactions she might have been knocked out cold or worst. 

Then again maybe not because of the moment, the adrenalin washed away they were both, down on the ground gasping from the pain.

Ichigo panted as she looked over at him. The make-shift bandages she had tied around his injury had fallen off when he had moved and he was once again bleed out. He withered in pain for a moment and Ichigo thought about finishing him off but between the pain and the bad feeling that was getting more intense each time they moved away from each other she decided it was best to just leave him be for now.

Eventually, he passed out from blood loss while Ichigo watched rather helplessly but before he went out like a light he uttered the ominous words "If you kill me now Ichigo Kurosaki, you might not live to regret it"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the odd choice of words. If he died then who would kill her? He might have one of his followers around here but she hadn't heard or seen a single thing since she arrived. 

The only thing she could think of was well...impossible. Even if the evidence pointed to it, it was still a reach. Then again what was Ichigo if not an impossibility disguised as a person? Reluctantly, she reached over slowly, just in case he was just pretending to catch her off guard, and poked him right in his injury.

She fell back onto her ass and hissed in pain. Theory confirmed, she thought blankly as she sat there stunned. Then promptly began to freak out.

' What the actual hell! You got to be kidding her! Out of everyone in the entire world, she got stuck to the one that was a genocidal maniac!

To make it worst she didn't even have her Reiryoku to defend herself with or stop him! The Saigo no Getsuga Tenshõ had taken Zangetsu and all her powers with him!

Why did this always happen to her? Honestly, Uryu had once commented on her luck but she had waved him off. Now she wished she had taken that as a warning. Really how the every loving crap is even happening. What had she done to deserve this!? '

Ichigo gripped her hair angrily as she screamed in frustration. She switched between cursing Aizen and the world as she tried to get it together.

She was out of breath by the time her rant finished and she was able to calm herself.

Taking deep breaths she began to think of a plan. Not her strong suit as she preferred to deal with her problem the old fashion way, with a punch to the face or a good old sword fight, but one could not be around Urahara Kisuke without picking up a thing or two.

First, she needs to tend to his injuries, if him getting cut caused her pain she didn't even want to think about what his death might cause, and despite what others might think she did not in fact have a death wish. After she did that she would need to get something to tie him up with.

Next, she needed to get someplace safe. She was in no condition to fight. If anything or anyone attacked them right now she would be powerless. Especially to an Espada.

After that, she would need to get her inner Kisuke on and experiment a little to find out just how connected their pain was. If she felt his pain there was a good chance that hers would transfer to him too. Unfortunately, he would need to be awake for that.

Which leads her to her next problem. She needs a way to stop him just in case he tried anything when he woke up. As confident as she was in her martial arts fighting skills they were no match from Aizen even if the Hōgyoku was nowhere in sight.

(And if that wasn't a relief then Ichigo didn't know what was. The last thing she needed was an even more overpowered Aizen running around.)

And lastly, find the others. If there was anyone that knew how to fix the mess she had gotten herself into it was Hat and Clogs. She just needs to stop him and Shinji from killing him long enough to sever the connection between them.

Ichigo nodded to herself and went to look over his injury. Once they were tied tight enough she ripped off a piece of her own already ripped shirt and tied his hands up. Once she was satisfied with the strength of them she gently adjusted him onto her back. She would mind being a little rough but the last thing she needs was to be in any more pain.

Thankful for her she hadn't stopped her martial arts training when she was a substitute or she'd really be screwed right now.

Once he was secure she used her normal human (oh, how she was mourning her shinigami speed right now) speed to go off in the first direction she saw. After about 10 exhausting minutes of running she arrived at a small cave she spotted out of the corner of her eye as she passed.

She set him down and peaked into the cave. Thankful there was nothing there except for a few angry bats she shooed away. She almost felt bad for taking their home but she needs it more. Besides she had never really liked bats, too much like Ulquiorra.

She grabbed him and disposited him inside then flopped onto the ground. She tried to relax while her energy returned but without her sword, she felt helpless and paranoid.

After so long of having the constant presence of Zangetsu and even her hollow in the back of her mind she was too off-kilter to even let her guard down. Especially in front of the strongest enemy, she had ever faced.

Ichigo's heart tightened at the painful reminder. Even though he wasn't human he had been a part of her. He was just trying to protect her but Aizen, no she, had killed him. Aizen might be the reason but at the end of the day, she had allowed it. The worst part? She'd do it again in a heartbeat. For all she cared for him she could not live without her dear family.

A gasp broke her from her thoughts. Her head shot up as she looked at him as he opened his eyes weakly. She might have laughed at the irony of that thought if his moving hadn't shot a flash of pain through her.

"It seems you are able to listen before you attack." he gasped out "With how you acted before I had thought you a brainless attack dog"

"This attack dog might just forget if you don't shut your mouth" Ichigo threatened. It was a lie but she refused to take his insults lying down.

"Oh please, even you're smart enough to realize the situation we're in right now. One more bad injury and we're both going down." He looked over to her with a sharp look that transformed into a look of curiosity. "Besides with how low your Reiryoku is I doubt you would be able to do much of anything."

Ichigo forced herself not to squirm under the intense look. "I'll have you know I'm a lot strong than I look even without my powers!"

His lips curled into a smirk "Yes, I'm well aware of what you are capable of Ryoka girl."

"What is that suppose to mean!"

"No need to yell. I'm just admiring your skill. You really could do better than the soul society." 

Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the obvious offer. He must be even more out of it than she thought if he thought that, would sway her to his side. "Like you?" She scoffed "As if I would ever join you, you're an evil bastard and it will be a cold day in hell before I even thought about listening to a thing that comes out of your mouth."

Any humor he had on his face fell and turned to anger "You call me evil and yet you willingly work for the soul society. They kill without thought and reason. At least I am direct about my intention."

"The soul society might be messed up but they never treated and hurt my friends for their own entertainment. Besides I work with them, not for them."

For a second a flicker of surprise flash in his eye before it disappeared completely "And here I thought you a brainless idiot. So your not completely obvious to their faults. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. Tell me do you know your badge is stealing Reiryoku from you?"

Ichigo winced when her long-running theory was confirmed. She had been suspicious ever since Jūshirō had handed her the badge but hearing it out loud shot a sting of betrayal through her chest.

"I take it for that wince you are and yet you work with them anyways." He said with an odd expression on his face.

"Enough small talk! We need to figure this out. What is the last thing you remember?" Ichigo snapped

He stared for a moment then turn to stare at the wall. "We were fighting. I had just been about to win and achieve my lifelong goal but then you and your impossibilities appear and ruin hundreds of years of hard work." It sounded just as bitter and angry as she had expected.

Underneath that was the smallest bit of awe and respect that she refused to acknowledge or even think about. Last thing she wasn't was any more of his interest or attention. Just look at what had happened to Orihime.

"Anything else?"

"Just that you cut me with that last attack, which would explain my current injury."

Ichigo sighed deeply "So same as me basically."

On the bright side, that meant that he was probably not behind her predicament and would probably also be affected if she got hurt so she was safe for now. Unfortunately, it also meant that they were back to square one.

"You're less affected by this than I had imagined you would be," he said with a tilt of his head.

Ichigo was actually terrified and trying not to have another meltdown but he didn't need to know that so she just ignore him.

He kept talking anyway. He sure liked the sound of his own voice. He hadn't stopped monologing for even a second when they were fighting.

"We will need to test the connection, what is the range, what is the strength of the pain transfer, and if I also feel yours."

Ichigo stiffened at the last bit. If he didn't then her plan was ruined and she doubted she would make it out of this alive. She played it off so he wouldn't notice her nervousness and nodded.

"Fine, but we're doing this on my terms or not at all."

"And why exactly should I listen to you," he asked menacingly. Ichigo swallowed, she needed to be careful. One wrong move and it was over.

"Because you have to. Chances are your life is currently connected to mine and one wrong move and it's over for the both of us." Ichigo said calmly

"You would take your own life to stop me, you have to be joking"

Ichigo's patience snapped. "You've threatened my friends, my family, my home, hurt people I care about. Let me be sure you understand that if my life is all it takes for them to be safe from you then I would give it without hesitation"

Her face was red with anger when she was finished but it seemed to get the point across if his silence was anything to go off.

He was quiet as he looked at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking at all. His face was completely blank.

"Fine" he eventually agreed

Once she untied him they started the tests. They checked the pain transfer first. It wasn't completely accurate thanks to their different pain tolerance but it seemed like it transfers about 1/2 the pain normally and 2/3 if they tried to even think about leaving

Next was the distance. If they were 5 feet from each other it stayed 1/2 but anymore and it slowly began to transfer all of it the more they stepped back.

Last was the final test. The one Ichigo was the most nervous about. If this proved that her pain didn't transfer then everything was about to get really bloody very quickly. 

Aizen provided her with the sharpest rock he could find with a little too much amusement. Ichigo glared, they would see if he was laughing when he shared her pain. (If, her traitor's mind whispered)

Grabbing the stone firmly she carefully pressed it to her skin and sliced across. She hissed slightly as it ran across her skin. Then hesitantly looked up to a silent Aizen. She looked at his face and was instantly relieved to see him cringe and hold the same spot on his arm.

Some of the weight she had been carrying fell from her shoulders "Looks like we have our answer then" 

Chapter Text

The relief Ichigo feels when Aizen flinches is almost enough to make her forget the predicament she's in, almost.

The piercing stare he's sending her from the other side of the room does a good job of bringing her back to reality, she thinks, as she tries her best to act unbothered. She doubts he's buying it judging by the amused gleam in his eye.

"So, what do we do now," She says more to herself than her ever frustrating and unhelpful companion. Perhaps that is why she's surprised when he replies.

"Give my state, I and by extension, you are in, I say we find somewhere safe to hide for now."

Suppressing a flinch Ichigo turns to stare at him. "And where exactly do you suggest we go?"

"I would recommend my castle but seeing as I doubt you'd be willing to walk into anywhere I have lived, somewhere else is probably best."

He's right of course but that doesn't stop Ichigo from being annoyed that he can read her so well. "Urahara shop is always an option"

He makes a discussed face and scoffs "As if I would ever step foot in a place owned by Urahara Kisuke"

Ichigo smirks at his distasteful expression. "Of course must be hard being close to someone who can best you, then again its good practice for when I defeat you"

His eye flashed dangerously. "Careful how you speak, you may have... surprised me for a second but you can be sure it won't ever happen again once this connection has been broken"

She's tempted to keep going but considering her current lack of any powers she decides it's best to stop antagonizing him for now.

"So the shop is out, any other ideas, oh wise one," she says sarcastically and smirks a little at the twitch in his eyebrow.

"Considering neither of us recognizes the area I say we-"

"How do you know I don't recognize it" She interrupts. He gives her a look that causes her to scowl and look away.

"As I was saying, it's best if we search for anything familiar or even a town. Judging by the amount of Reiryoku currently in the air we are most likely in the soul society. I may recognize the area if we walk around."

Ichigo is quickly reminded that the man in from of her was at one point a respected captain of the Gotei 13.

"Then what? I get the feeling neither of us is willing to be pulled around by the other, especially to our allies."

"Subjects" he corrects "You may have allies but I have subjects"

"Not very loyal ones given Gin and Grimmjow's willingness to disobey orders"

He grimaced for half a second "Yes, they have always been a bit of lost cause and will be dealt with accordingly."

The when I get rid of you, was left unsaid but Ichigo could hear it anyways.

"No matter" he continues "We shall see when we get there just who's will wins out in the end, my Espada or your reapers"

Ichigo tilted her head up confidently. "Just don't be too disappointed when you lose."

He smirked "I could say the same for you"

"Remind me again why we're picking weeds," Ichigo asked irritatedly as she grabbed yet another plant. They had been walking for hours on end with no destination insight and she was sick of it.

"Not weeds" Aizen corrected automatically "Food, there's no telling how long it will take to find one of the districts. The soul society is big enough to hold all the souls not currently in rebirth comfortably. It could take days to find a district"

Ichigo sighed in annoyance "I thought you were a captain. Why don't you recognize any of this." She motioned to the woods around them

His eyebrow twitched. "What exactly do you think captains do?"

"I don't know, boss people around, do paperwork?"

"Both of those are an oversimplification. They keep everything running smoothly and look over everything for problems that anyone might have missed. This takes a considerable amount of time especially with the number of idiots that the soul's society hires." He said very snootily

"So what I just said," Ichigo asked then snickered as his face fell into one of annoyance. Good, now he knew how she felt.

"Like I was saying, they don't have time to mess around and so they and by extension, I didn't go out of the Seireitei much."

"So basically your useless" Ichigo summed up.

He turned back to her with a furious expression that put her on edge "And what exactly have you been doing this entire time, other than trying your best to drive me insane that is"

Ichigo's face turned to one of outrage. "In case you don't remember, I was the one who got us to safety! You just laid there pathetically while I cleaned and dressed your wounds. Then I had to carry you while you got to sleep the whole way. So excuse me if I'm a little irritatable since I haven't slept!"

He blinked in surprise and moved back out off her face then turned away in silence.

They walked in silence for the next few hours until finally, he paused. "We should set up camp before it gets dark. We don't have any torches and it would be idiotic to keep going while you a practically dead on your feet."

Ichigo looked up in surprise but quickly agreed.

They gathered wood for a fire and used water from the river they had stopped at to drink. Ichigo chugged it greedily as she realized just how thirsty she had been the entire time. 

Aizen laid out the food they had found on a nearby rock and began to divide it occasionally grimacing in pain from his wounds.

Ichigo looked over to him "Why don't you just use healing kido?"

He turned to look at her and gave her a look that suggested he thought she was an idiot. "Tell me Kurosaki have you ever seen someone use healing kido on themselves"

Ichigo blinked and thought back to all her battles. Quickly she realized not once had she seen anyone use it to heal themselves. "No"

He nodded and looked down at his wound. "It's because you can't, it is impossible to even for the likes on me or even your little orange-haired friend."

Ichigo frowned "Why?"

He was obviously annoyed at all the questions because he scowled at her "Didn't Urahara teach you anything."

Ichigo turned defensive "Excuse me for not knowing but in case you forgot I was busy at the time trying to not die, because of you I might add."

He smirked like he found it funny and for a second Ichigo thought he might not answer but then he spoke. "We all have a certain amount of Reiryoku in our bodies, for people like you and me it is much higher. That Reiryoku lets our body heal at a much faster rate than normal humans so the more Reiryoku you have the faster you heal. That is why you and I heal much quicker than everyone else."

Ichigo nodded, She had figured after her broken arm healed in a few hours while Chads took a few days. Then she frowned "What's that got to do with Kido?"

 "If I have this much Reiryoku" He held out a fist full of pebbles. "and I give some to someone else " he held up another fist of pebbles and poured in some of the pebbles from the first hand. "They would heal faster because they now have more but if I tried to give myself more I would still have the same amount because you can not make Reiryoku only reabsorb it from the air."

"So basically you would heal at the same speed because you can't give more than you have?" Ichigo asked

"Almost" he corrected "Giving Reiryoku also takes Reiryoku so you would actually be using up more than if you didn't try to heal yourself at all."

Ichigo frowned and thought about it. "Then is that why Orihime can't use it? She would heal at the same rate"

"Correct, she and soul reaper work very much in the same way"

"So where suck with this pain until we find someone that can use healing kido" Ichigo sighed as she flopped on the ground

"Yes well seeing as you can't use kido at all, we have no other choice in the matter." 

"Hey! It's not my fault I can't. I have too much Reiryoku for them to work even the strong ones get overpowered if I use them!" Ichigo defended angrily as he smirked

In the end, it took 2 more days of torturous walking to find a village. Once they did it took all of Ichigo's self-control to stop herself from crying at the sight of it. After 3 days with only her worst and very talkative enemy for company, she couldn't wait to see her friends again.

When she finally found them and beat Azien for good she would definitely apologize for not appreciating them enough. Funny how being with someone who you hate really made you rethink your life.

"A town," Aizen said and he must have felt the same because it almost sounded dreamy.

They both tried to look casual as they walked in but from their borderline desperate expressions, Ichigo was sure they weren't doing a very good job at it.

Ichigo walked up to the first person she found and tapped her on the shoulder "Excuse me miss, but what district are we in"

The woman looked at her suspiciously. Probably because of her torn clothes and the fact she looked out of place with her bright hair. "80 districts of the north side"

She scurried off as fast as she could.

"Well, at least we know where we are" Aizen's voice called from beside her causing her to jump.

Ichigo glared at his amused expression "If we're in the north district we need to head south from here to find the Seireitei."

Aizen nodded "We will need to take the Senkaimon out to Karakura town where we will see who has won out in the end."

Ichigo would much rather stay here considering she had no idea how her body would react to her soul now that she didn't have any powers but she doubted she could stop him so she agreed.

"Let's see if you have anyone left after that little stunt you pulled."

He waved her off "Herribell was too devoted to her followers, she would have abandoned me if I hadn't stopped her. I rather she be dead than be in the reach of the enemy"

Ichigo clenched her jaw "What a horrible thing to say." She turned to glared "It's just like you"

He glared back coldly "It was merciful, anyone else would have met a much more painful demise for such a betrayal."

"Maybe there's a reason everyone that follows you seems to betray you!" She snapped and stomped towards the Seireitei.

Now that they knew where they were going the trip there only took 1 day. Ichigo would have been relieved except that the closer they got to the gate the more she got a bad feeling about this entire plan.

At first, she thought it was just nerves for what was about to come but then she began to look around and nothing looked familiar. Ichigo might not have spent a lot of time in the districts but even she knew what the closer ones looked like.

It was putting her on one edge. She glanced over to see Aizen's reaction but his face was blank and unreadable.

Finally, she broke "Something is off"

He glanced at her then looked forward "Yes" he said simply

Now sure that she wasn't going insane Ichigo tensed 

"Calm down," Aizen said calmly

"Calm down!" Ichigo hissed "Something wrong I can feel it!"

He smiled pleasantly as they got closer to the gate "It is. but until we know what act natural" he said like he was talking about the weather but Ichigo could now see the urgency in his eye.

She forced herself to relax and put on her regular scowl. She knew from experience that if she tried to smile it would just look fake and suspicious. "What do you think it is?" she asked trying to sound casual.

He paused for a moment as if he was just thinking about lunch then replied "I'm not sure, something is off as if I have the oddest sense of Deja ve."

This time Ichigo suppressed a frown "I'm not getting any of that, just the weird feeling of, well, offness"

They were getting closer and closer to the gate and Ichigo was feeling tenser and tenser by the minute but stubbornly kept it down. It was ridiculous, she shouldn't be the one panicking but no matter what she did she could stop her heart from speeding up.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Aizen pulled her against him. "What are you doing!" she hissed as quietly as she could

"Quiet, no matter what just follow my lead," he said softly

"What I'm not just going to-" Ichigo started before she was interrupted 

"If you value your life you will listen to me" he hissed urgently 

Ichigo moved to glare but paused when she noticed his stiff poster and panicked eyes.

She took a look around them then nodded cheerfully. The paranoid panic she had just felt had just gone up 3 fold as she felt the piercing gaze of at least 5 pairs of eyes on her.

In a flash, all of them were in front of them. All of them horribly familiar.

"Vice-Captain Aizen, I need you to come with us"

Ichigo's world spiraled.

Chapter Text

'This is probably somehow my fault' Ichigo mused humorlessly 

Normally she tried not to think so negatively but really what other person got stuck in these situations? Other than Aizen that is, but at this point, she's pretty sure he was just the unfortunate bi-product of being too close to her at the wrong time. 

At the very least someone else is suffering with her, right? She might have felt more comforted by the thought if he was literally anyone else.

Ichigo just hoped she looked calmer than she felt because she's pretty sure she's on the verge of a panic attack and that would definitely make them look even more suspicious than they already did and considering that a vice-captain had just walked into the soul society with a random woman they had never met after more than likely completely disappearing for half a week, that was saying something. 

Ichigo thanked whatever higher power out there that they had the foresight to change out of their old severely torn clothes before they arrived. Then cursed them because it was probably their fault she was in this situation, to begin with.

A voice interrupted her mental cursing. 

"..Mrs are you all right?"

She snapped her head up "Yes I'm fine, what were you saying"

The unfamiliar soul reaper gave her an odd look. "I'm done looking you over. Everything seems to be fine, just be sure not to strain yourself for a few days"

Ichigo nodded robotically in agreement and watched as the women walked out of the private healing room they had put her in.

They, being long-haired and slightly younger Shinji and Kyoraku while they took Azien away to another room.

Ichigo sighed as she put her head in her hands and mentally went over what had happened the last few hours.

To say she had been shocked when she had seen the familiar-faced soul reapers would be the understatement of the century. Even Aizen who until this point she had been sure was impervious to shook had stilled completely at the undeniable proof in front of his eyes.

Their eyes had only connected for half an uncomprehensible second when he had been promptly heaved off to only the soul king knows where.

She had then been, rather harshly, led to the room she was currently in. The soul reaper that pulled her around had sternly told her to wait there and be quiet. If she hadn't been in the process of another mental break down she might have snapped back for the harsh treatment.

About an hour later another soul reaper had arrived and began to check her for any wounds. She was probably from squad 4 given the expertise she had looked her over with.

Which lead her to now.

Running her hand through her hair nervously Ichigo tried to make sense of the situation.

She knew for sure that she wasn't in an illusion. She was completely immune to Kyoka Suigetsu's powers up until she had used the final Getsuga thanks to her overwhelming Reiatsu. Plus since Aizen didn't have his Zanpakuto at all he couldn't have used it on her. He hadn't pulled it out even when he had originally tried to finish her off.

Not to mention he had seemed just as shooked as her and paranoid when they were being followed. He might have been faking it, which she wouldn't put past him to do but Ichigo's gut told her differently.

She digested the information as she mentally went over her other options. That left two possibilities she was A, trapped in a horrible nightmare, or the more unlikely option B, in the past.

Ichigo slowly raised her hand and then swiftly slapped herself across the face with it. She hissed at the pain and then groaned miserably. She has somewhat wishfully hoped it was really just a bad dream.

That left the second much more improbable yet at this point, the only possibility. She had somehow managed to time travel with her greatest enemy as her only companion.

She had to stop herself from screaming out in frustration. Not only would it look even more suspicious than the slap anyone watching would definitely begin to question her sanity and someone was definitely watching her. No way the ever paranoid soul society would ever allow a stranger to be unsupervised in their compounds.

Her borderline unhinged thought process was thankfully interrupted. This time by a relaxed-looking Aizen. Well, he would have looked relaxed if she couldn't see the tension in his eyes.

He had the same look as a few hours ago. Like he wanted to be anywhere but here. A thought Ichigo was inclined to agree with.

"Hello Ichigo dear, it's time to leave now," he said smoothly as he reached out to her

Ichigo fought a recoil. "Where are we going?" She asked with a curious tilt of her head as she willed her eyes to bore into him.

He put his hand on the small of her back causing her to clench her jaw but she stubbornly let him against her better judgment and instincts. Now is not the time to freak out she reminded herself firmly.

"Home remember?" he looked down at her meaningfully

"Ah, silly me I forgot,"

"Not to worry dear, you're probably just exhausted from the journey," he said with fake worriedness as he led her out of the room then into the hallway.

"Your probably right, I just need some sleep after all that. Did you get everything sorted out" she asked softly

His grip tightened in warning "Yes, don't worry everything is fine, I just need to see some of my superiors about my abrupt exit"

"That's good, I'm glad everything is okay now. I was worried for a second there that you were in trouble"

"No like I said, they just needed to ask me a few questions."

Ichigo hummed. So they haven't been caught and he was able to explain his lack of presence the last few days. Still, that doesn't explain why he keeps calling her dear.

Her eyes flickered behind her before she forcefully pulled them back. She's was almost 100 percent sure that they are still being followed even without her Reiatsu at her disposal.

Ichigo sighed softly and forced herself to relax into his grip as they walked to their unknown destination silently. The odds that this was a trap were higher than she liked to think about but between the soul society and Azien, she was more likely to get out of this alive if she went with him.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking, they arrived at a moderately sized building that Aizen opened soundlessly

"Ladies first" He held the door for her. Ichigo gritted her teeth and walked in wordlessly.

She waited for him to close the door fully and relax before she spoke. As soon as he did, she pounced.

"What the hell was that!" she hissed

He sighed deeply as he ran his fingers throw his hair "Judging by your performance back there you've realized we're not in our time"

"Yes, but that doesn't explain that Ichigo dear, business!"

Any patience that he had shown her before completely disappeared as his eyes flashed dangerously and his voice rose "What exactly do you think I told the room of soul reapers as to why I walked in with a complete stranger after disappearing for 3 days."

Ichigo flinched back at the sudden outburst and she subconsciously prepared herself for an attack.

He continued undeterred "Anything I do all ready sounds suspicious enough as it is without you. Anything else I could come up with was improbable at best. So what, do think a told them, dear wife." He finished with a taunting sneer.

It took her a minute to process what he just said "Wh-what?"

"Let me put this in a way your idiotic brain can comprehend from this day on you and I are married"

The room seemed to freeze and no one moved a mussel. Even the air seemed to gain a sort of stillness. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"...Married?" Ichigo finally chocked out

"Unfortunately" he responded with a distasteful expression

"Bu-but why!" Ichigo finally snapped out of her trance "you couldn't have chosen anything else!"

He glared down at her "Weren't you listening. I just told you I couldn't, trust me when I say this is the last thing I wanted"

"Just what exactly happened in there?" she asked somewhat hysterically

He grimaced "Once we were separated, I was taken before the captain commander for judgment. He questioned why I had disappeared for 3 days only to return with a stranger and a large wound."

"and what did you say?"

"I told them I had sensed your Reiatsu fluctuating and racing to your aid"

"Then what" she demanded "They couldn't have possibly believed it was that simple"

"As you said, it wouldn't make sense as to why I had abandoned my post to rescue a random citizen, in danger or not. I was in between a rock and a hard place. So I said the most understandable thing that came to mind, I had gone to rescue a loved one." He paused and moved to lean on a nearby table

"Of course anyone with half a brain would realize that I am an orphan from the outer districts so you couldn't be my sister or cousin. Mother was out for obvious reasons. That left wife or lover and considering our... unfamiliarity with each other arranged marriage was our best bet."

Ichigo grimaced at the phrasing but nodded along. "What did they say?"

"They asked why you were in danger. More than likely a ploy to trip me up about our so called marriage. Conveniently enough the wound you gave me worked a evidence as to our story." He had an almost amused look. Probably because the thought that, Ichigo of all people, would help him with any plan, was hilarious to him

"Fuck" Ichigo sighed overwhelmingly

"I wouldn't put it so crudely, but yes, fuck indeed"

Ichigo snorted as the word came out of his mouth and slammed her head down on the table to cover up a histerical laugh. It came out conceringly unhinged.

"So now what we- we what, play house for the rest of our lives!" she wheethed out "Act like this normal while hoping we don't slip up and they send the whole Gotei 13 after us." She reached up and began to pull at her hair sharply. It didn't help, but she was too stressed to stop herself.

"Don't be ridiculous" he interrupted her panic "I just need time to figure out how we ended up here, then I can reverse it and get us back to finish what we started." He sounded much calmer than her and despite herself she felt comforted.

That was right, she might be stuck but she was stuck with perhaps the smartest man on the planet. Everything was going to be fine. She reassured herself.

Ichigo took a large breath and released it slowly.

"Alright," she spoke aloud to herself then turned to him "What's our story?"

"Story?" He asked with a raised eyebrow

"How we met, why we got married,how you got the injury. You're a vice-captain, I doubt they'll belive any old hollow gave you that"

He looked at her peircingly then turned "You're right of course, I told them it was the Grand Fisher and two smaller hollows that had come after you because of your higher than normal Reiatsu. Since you 'can't fight' they should have no trouble believing I was hurt trying to keep you safe"

Ichigo breath hitched, Grand fisher, the hollow that had killed her mother. The one her father had killed all alone as revenge for his wife. It was dead back home.

She paused

But it wasn't dead here, was it? She was back in time before her mothers death if she... would that even work? If she killed it now, could she prevent her mothers death?

He looked at her sharply, as if he could read her mind "Absolutely not"

"What?" she asked defensivly 

"Don't even think about it"

"You have no idea what I talking about. You don't know anything about me" she hissed

He glared harder "So you're not thinking about killing the Grand Fisher to stop your mothers death. Can you really look me in the eye right now and say will absolute certainty that you're not thinking about revenge?"

Ichigo flinched under his accusing tone. "So what! Where stuck here anyways! Might as well do something useful while we're here"

"We traveled through time" he stressed the word "No one had ever accomplished that to this extent, we have no idea what would happen if we changed anything. Its bad enough that were here at all. If you do this, it could affect nothing, or it could cause the collapse of the entire timeline. Killing everything even those beloved friends of yours."

Ichigo swallowed. She hadn't thought of that.

"I specifically chose the Grand fisher so you wouldn't have to fake your anger towards something not so you would go on a rampage and kill us all." 

Ichigo glared at him and tried her best to hold back all her emotions "Fine" she hissed quietly "what else?"

He obviously didn't believe she was giving up so easily because he glared at her as he spoke as if that alone could keep her in place. It probably would have worked on anyone else but Ichigo wasn't just anyone.

"We've been married for about a decade but have only met a few dozen times so far, which will explain our unfamiliarity"

"What? How does that make sense!"

He was obviously bored of this conversation because he just sighed. "We are shinigami, that may seem like forever to a human but to us it is just a second of our life spand. Don't forget this is an arranged marriage, it isn't that unordinary for that to occur."

Ichigo felt a flash of sympathy for Rukia, who had complained to her more than once about the medaling Kuchiki elders trying to find her a husband.

"And our meeting?"

"One decade ago, you and I met while I was conveniently there on a mission from my captain. I saved you from a hollow attack and your father offered me your hand in marriage as thanks, simple as that"

Ichigo scowled in distaste "What kind of dad just up and offers there daughter like that"

He looked amused again "You'd be surprised by how often it happens. Especially if the daughter in question happens to be more Reiatsu than normal. It may seem cruel to you but if they can't afford to feed them, this is their way of offering there daughter a better life as the wife of an officer. It wouldn't be out of place for a desperate father to offer you to a vice captian."

"That terrible, Those poor girls"

"That's life" he shrugged off "Most were better off anyway, better to be the wife of a soldier than die of hunger"

Ichigo turned to glare "Just because there not starving doesn't mean their not suffering, they're being taken from their families"

"Don't be so naive Kurosaki, it's just the way the world works, and need I remind you not what we are here to fix."

Ichigo scowled at him but relented the conversation for now.

"So let's say it happened and you so graciously accepted. Why wasn't I with you and why haven't you ever mention your so called wife"

"Both are easy enough to answer. I the ever kind and generous man offered to allow you to stay with your poor old father and send you money to live while I continued to work to sustain both of us. Of course I visit you on Holidays and my birthday. As for why I don't mention you. I have always been a rather private person, so one will find it strange as long as you play along."

"You have it all planed out don't you?" She sounded impressed despite herself

"Of course, I'm a genius beyond your understanding" 

And impressiveness gone

"So genius, what happened to my 'father' or have you not thought of that?" She asked sarcastically 

"He unfortunately perished in the hollow attack which is why you've been acting so odd" he added the last part with a smirk

"Hey! I just time traveled, I'm allowed to be confused!"

After that long conversation she had been exausted and thankfully Aizen had a guest room she could use to sleep in. New wife or not there was no way she was sleeping in the same room as him.

Shufflling into bed only now did Ichigo realize that the injury hadn't bothered her since she had left the healing room.

Ichigo looked down and tilted her head in confusion. The healer had said she was fine after looking her over but the wound hadn't been visible or even actually coming from her so she had assumed she would have to wait until Aizen was back.

He must have been healed while she was in the room Ichigo eventually decided.

She shook the thought from her head as she laid back down onto the soft pillows. She had to hand it to Aizen he had obviously spared no expenses in good quality bedding. Uzu would have loved it.

The thought of her sister brought a pang of pain to her heart. Only now that she was here in this room, all alone, with time to think did she realized just how much she missed her family.

Her heart squeezed uncomfortably. God what was she even doing. Sleeping in the same house as a sociopath while her sister could be hurt or scare some where.

Were they with her dad?

Did they even know what she had been doing or had their father just told them that she was on a trip and would be back soon like all the other times she disappear to save the soul society?

Was her dad even okay at all?

Last she had seen of him he had passed out completly for holding back the cleaner for so long while she perfected the final Getsuga. Had hat and clogs found him? Was he being healed?

What about the other? Was Orihime okay? Was Uryu? Was Chad?

The questions swirled in her head so quickly she was getting dizzy.

God she missed them so much. She was so worried. At least Renji and Rukia were with Byakuya. She could trust him to look after them but the others were right in the middle of all the fighting and for all their strength they could be hurt.

Ichigo's breath speeds up along with her heart. Her hand moved up to clench her shirt right above it. She took a deep breath to calm down but her anxiety couldn't.

She tried to think of anything else but her mind was paralyzed in fear at the thought of any of them being hurt or worst de-

He breath hitched at the thought and she jumped out of bed and ran towards the bathroom. She barely reached it in time to empty out the little food she had eaten the last few days.

She retched and gasped for air as she trembled over the bowl.

Slowly and shakily she stood with the help of the sink and pulled herself up to lean on it. She looked into the mirror for the first time in days. She looked terrible. It made sense since she hadn't slept or eaten well the last week. The food they had scavenge had barely been enough to survive let alone fill their stomachs and they had only slept a few hours at a time in an attempt to get to the Seireitei faster. Ichigo sighed deeply as she splashed some cold water on her face.

She stood there for a few minutes to catch her breath.

It was then that she realized just how thirsty she really was. She looked at the door and frowned. It was either tap water or walking into Aizen's kitchen at the risk of him being there and seeing her like this.

Ichigo scowled as she bent down to drink. She ignored the voice sounding suspiciously like her mother scolding her for doing this and gulped the water down into her painfully dry throat. She swallowed greedily and drank as much as she could to help quench some of her hunger.

Once she finished, she leaned on the door and allowed herself to slide down it. She was still too overwhelmed by everything to return to her new bed

She tucked her head between her knees and tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths. It did help somewhat but it didn't stop her thoughts from whirling around her head.

Around 10 minutes had passed before she finally, allowed herself to stumble back to bed and curl up on herself.

She hoped she was home soon.

If Aizen had heard her little freak out he thankfully didn't mention the next day.

Chapter Text

"We should get the paperwork in order" Is the first she hears that morning.

Not the most pleasant thing to hear in the morning and it's differently not Yuzu's cheerful greeting but it's probably the best she can expect when living with an over-dramatic supervillain.

"Paperwork?" Ichigo asks with a yawn

"Yes, pages of information that you sign to agree to something" Aizen replied without even looking up from his coffee.

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched at the sarcasm "I know what paperwork is" she huffed angrily  "I mean for what?"

He took a long sip of his coffee instead of answering. It only pissed Ichigo off all the more.

He set his mug down with a sigh and an almost unnoticeable smirk. "Our marriage certificate" he finally felt inclined to let her know

Ichigo frowned her eyebrows "We need one of those?"

He gave her a look "Obviously, did you wake without your brain?"

Ichigo inhaled sharply, at this point she was one more sarcastic comment for committing murder and suicide by extension but before he could say anything else that would have caused Ichigo to rip his head off there was a loud knock at the door.

"Sosuke!" A voice chimed 

'Shiji' her mind immediately recognized. She shoved down the sudden feeling of panic that threatened to overwhelm her.

She hadn't even thought about how she would react to seeing her friends. On the one hand, seeing them safe was all she wanted since she got here but she wasn't sure she could bare to see the unfamiliar looking in their eyes.

Their closed-off and untrusting gaze.

She hated feeling so unbalanced and hesitant. So fragile that she might fall apart with just a look. She was always been so strong, invincible some had said but in the face of her beloved family, she felt like she might shatter like glass.

"Sosuke!" The voice called again and any hopes that he would leave vanished.

She had anticipated someone might come to see them soon but she hadn't even thought about it being him. She felt like smacking herself for her oversight. He was Aizen captain after all.

Ichigo's head snapped towards the door then at Aizen who was suppressing a grimace. She flashed him an amused smirk and felt a little better when he gave her an annoyed look.

Aizen opened the door slowly "Captain what a pleasant surprise" he smiled pleasantly

And wow, that looked so fake it might actually be painful. Then again Ichigo was oddly good at reading him so for all she know it could look normal.

"Sosuke! Just came by to drop this off but I might as well officially meet your darling wife while I'm here." He said and shoved through the door much to Ichigo amusement.

"And this must be the misses" Shiji chimed "Might I just say it's a pleasure to meet someone a lovely as you," he said smoothly and placed a kiss on the back of Ichigo's hand

Ichigo took the time to finally get a good look at him. He looked painfully similar to his future self but that was to be expected, soul reaper didn't really change much once they reached a comfortable age.

That being said he had some small differences like his hair and his wardrobe but Ichigo couldn't concentrate on anything but his eyes.

His eyes were distant and suspicious.

It burned.

Ichigo gave him a pained grin "Ah, it's nice to meet you to Captain...?"

"Hirako but for you beautiful Shinji is fine" he replied with one of his toothy grins

Ichigo softened, her heart ached

Her second smile was less forced "Shinji then" she agreed easily.

He grinned brighter and for a hopeful second Ichigo thought she saw some of the light in his eyes appear but it was gone so quick it must have been wishful thinking. He stared at her for a second too long to be polite then snapped over to Aizen once again.

"Hey there Sosuke, do think I forgot about you, you lucky dog, congrats on the wedding, speaking of which I'm invited right?" He asked as he swung an arm around Aizen's shoulders 

Ichigo choked down a laugh.

"I'm sorry captain but unfortunately we won't be having a wedding." He replied calmly as he carefully removed Shinji like he had hundreds of times before

Shinji perked up in interest "Oh, and why's that, I hope you're not depriving your dear bride of a nice big ceremony after all she's going to be your wife."

Ichigo actually had to hold back a cringe at each word.

"Unfortunately Ichigo here is rather shy and I'd hate to make her uncomfortable especially at a time like this." 

Shinji grinned sharply and Ichigo felt a wave of proud affection even as she strained up out of pure instinct. Here was the dangerous man she knew. "Wouldn't want to make her uncomfortable" he agreed easily but Ichigo didn't believe it for a second.

"Yes, you understand, now if that's all? We have a very long day ahead of us after all."

Shinji snapped back to his normal self, grinned brightly, and held out a paper to Aizen. "Right, I forgot, here what I'm here for"

Aizen grabbed the paper calmly and quickly read through it. His face was hidden by the paper as he scanned it.

Finally, his head snapped back up "you're sure?" 

Shinji grinned harder, not his normal one but his shit-eating grin. Ichigo was instantly on edge. "Yup," he said with a pop of the p "Directly for the captain commander himself."

Aizen's expression strained out into a smile "Of course, I look forward to it"

Ichigo looked between the two smiling men in confusion.

"Well, it's time for me to get back to work, those papers won't write themselves!" He walked towards the door but turned to her just before he left "I'll be seeing you soon beautiful." Then slammed the door closed

Ichigo blinked. That was odd, even for him.

"So what's with him?" 

Aizen let his polite smile fall. "We may have a bit of a problem"

"Like what?" Ichigo asked uncertainly

"It appears the captains have invited you to work at squad 6 as of next week."

"What? Why!?"

"An obvious ploy to make us slip up. They have insisted that you should be kept near me for your 'comfort' " he answered with an unpleasant tilt of his lips.

Ichigo took that in for a moment "Well that's bullshit"

"Quite," he said as he lead back in his chair thoughtfully

"So what's our play, politely decline, tell them I'm grieving the loss of my father?"

And wasn't that convenient, she just so happened to be very upset to be so far from him.

"No"

 "What? Then school, I could always enroll."

Not ideal since she didn't currently have any reishi but desperate times call for desperate measures.

"What I mean is we won't be declining their offer."

...

Ichigo's thoughts came to a screeching halt and it took a second to reboot her brain enough to gape at him. "B-ut I don't know anything about this time! A few unfortunate questions and I'm finished!"

He took a breath then turned to her seriously " I don't think you understand the predicament we're in here, this isn't a suggestion, it's an order disguised as one. Rest assured, if you don't go with me on Monday they will take that as a sign of guilt and come after us."

She froze she hadn't even thought about it like that. She glanced around the room and licked her lips nervously.

"So what then? What the plan cause I sure as hell don't have one"

"Thankfully for you, I had already anticipated this outcome" 

Of course, he had, Ichigo rolled her eyes but listened attentively

"You will appear with me on Monday and spend the day around the office with me. You will act polite and refrain from insulting me or anyone else if you know what's good for you." Ichigo scoffed and looked away with a scowl

"Unfortunately this does mean we will have to rely on your acting skills so you will need to spend the week studying as much as possible." He continued much to Ichigo annoyance 

"So basically I'll be doing everything while you sit back and relax." 

"Hardly I'll be dealing with Hirako and the other annoyances."

The last word caused her to grind her teeth in anger. Like those 'annoyance's weren't living people,  just things in the way of his goals.

"Annoyances" Ichigo grunted, " that's what everyone is to you, what a pathetically empty life."

He continued unfazed "that's what they are" he agreed "luckily for you you happen to be a useful one or I wouldn't be so... tolerate"

Ichigo sensed the line she crossed as carefully moved back over it to safety. "How will I be studying?"

The air returned to the room. "You'll be studying the books in my personal library. I assume I don't need to warn you not to damage them."

Ichigo huffed but nodded 

"Good, I expect you to at least get through all the major incidents of the last century. You look young even for a soul so they won't expect you to be older than 150."

Ichigo made a face at the number "soul king you're old" she blurted out without thinking.

The room froze again but he made no move other than and slight twitch of his eye. "Do avoid mentioning age or at the very least try not to blatantly insult anyone you come across."

Ichigo cough in slight embarrassment

"Given the state of the Seireitei, we are somewhere in the year 1870. Unfortunately, since most of the Seireitei operate much slower than the human world there is likely no definitive way to tell exactly when we are for now. Meaning you're going to have to study every big event from 1760 up until now ." He said as he handed her yet another textbook

Ichigo sighed disparagingly at the large pile of books in front of her. This was defiantly the universe paying her back for missing so much school and she didn't doubt that somewhere her teachers were definitely laughing at her.

"All of this" she mopped

"Yes, now after this we will be going over them so don't even think about skipping anything." 

Ichigo held back a retort and stuck to glaring at her book like it was at fault. This continued for several minutes until finally she huffed and opened the first one.

God she hoped they weren't boring

"What happened in the year 1781?"

"The 3rd seat of the 7th division attempted a coup after his brother, who was 6 seat at the time, was killed on a mission by hollows. He blamed the captain's leadership and became distrustful of his authority. He did somewhat impressively manage to wrangle up a group of 20 people but without anyone higher than 3rd seat they were easily defeated and publicly executed to serve as a reminder of the soul society power." Ichigo replied

"Good but remember to leave out the possible ...oversight of the 7th division's captain. Many of the 7th division is still sore about the subject. Now 1825."

"After the accidental death of a civilian of the 20th district at the hands of a soldier of the squad 11 during a hollow attack, there was a riot that left 12 people dead and 31 injured. While no one was executed the 20th district was closed for 2 weeks. There hasn't been a riot since."

Ichigo frowned, it wasn't new to her to hear about death like this but still it felt wrong somehow that souls couldn't even find peace in the afterlife.

"Why did the civilians blame the soldier if it was an accident? Sure it's tragic but no more than any other death by hollow"

 "I see you caught that. They wouldn't have rioted normally, that is if the death had been accidental at all."

Ichigo's eyebrow flew up in shock "What? but the text says..."

Aizen scoffed "Don't always believe what you read, the soul society would never allow something like this to stain their reputation. They merely covered the incident up and had anyone too vocal about it removed."

Ichigo grimaced every time she learned something new about the soul society her opinion of it just got worse. "So what really happened then?"

"The truth is, the soul reaper, an insignificant unseated reaper at that, had been rejected by the women he killed just a moment before. He was so unbelievably offended and angry that he lasted out in anger at her. An untrained civilian stood no chance against the train reaper, she died on the spot. His younger brother had been with her at the time and ran off to tell her father who was rightfully outraged. Their neighbor and friends got involved and you can see where this goes."

Ichigo inhaled angrily "He killed her because she wouldn't go out with him. She hissed. "They killed all those people to cover up the death of that poor woman!"

Aizen chuckled darkly "of course they did. The soul society is corrupt. Believe me when I say they've done worst."

Ichigo was too upset to even begin to attempt to defend her friend's home. All she could think about was that poor woman and her little brother that saw it all. Soul king she couldn't even imagine what he must have felt like. She couldn't help but think about Karin or yuzu in his place tearfully running off to get their dad.

"What happened to the soldier?" She finally ground out.

"Officially he died not long after on a mission. A hollow managed to get past them and he died honorably saving his team."

"And unofficially?"

"The soul society didn't see the point of keeping a potentially dangerous and uncontrollable soldier alive"

"He was killed" Ichigo felt a twisted sense of satisfaction for all those people who had died.

"Yes, most would say it was to punish him for killing the girl but I don't doubt it was to keep his mouth shut."

"Saving their own asses once again, why am I surprised." Ichigo scoffed scornfully.

There was silence as Ichigo angrily glared at the textbook in front of her. Soul king know how much of the information was a lie. Not she would have known without Aizen.

She blinked at the thought.

Her eyes flickered to him. He was so willing to give her information, she didn't know if it was to try and sway her or what, but as much as she hated to say it, it was working in a way. Without her friends back home she wasn't sure she'd fight for the soul society at all.

God, she wished she knew what he was planning.

"You could always ask" he chuckled. 

Ichigo flushed in embarrassment she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"Well?" He continued

Ichigo huffed but relented "Why did you tell me all this, I'm not going to change sides so tell me, why?"

He smiled his fake pleasant smile "I'm aware, your loyalty to your family is too strong. That wasn't my intention. I mearly hoped to show you that things aren't always as black and white as they seem."

There was a moment of silence as they both let it sink in.

"I'll leave you to your studies," he said as he stood up was walked out the door.

'No' she thought 'they weren't but Azien was defiantly an interesting shade of gray'

Ichigo stood nervously in front of the large squad building. She had been here many times before, be it a different squad, but the walls had never felt so daunting. They seemed two times large than normal and 3 times as threatening.

She tried to calm her racing mind. It was ridiculous she had broken in here before but somehow this seemed even more dangerous now than before.

Aizen squeezed her arm. "Remember don't do anything stupid and well be fine."

'Right, cause that's real comforting.' Ichigo thought sarcastically as she held down the urge to squirm and glanced around.

She took a deep breath and nervously to a step into the building

'This was it, time to act like her life depended on it because it did. No pressure right'