"—Damn you... traitor... Aizen..."
We were in the Central Underground Assembly Hall, the headquarters of the Central 46. The four of us from Lord Aizen's faction had gathered here in secret, in this subterranean octagonal chamber thick with the choking stench of death. We had slaughtered every last one of the dignitaries who had been holding their meeting just moments before, completely seizing control of the Seireitei's highest decision-making body. Now, all we had to do was wait for Ichigo and the other invaders to cause a disturbance. We would use that as a pretext to seal off this facility, placing the entire political landscape of the Soul Society under our command.
"—Now then, this is our declaration of war."
On August 1st, Lord Aizen gave us a simple outline of the plan. Faced with the reality of finally breaking away from their homeland of so many years, even the normally composed Tosen and Gin looked grim.
"On the day of Rukia Kuchiki's execution, at noon, we will retrieve the Hōgyoku and make our triumphant return to Hueco Mundo via Negación."
Lord Aizen's declaration was calm, his commanding presence unwavering. For him, this was merely a sign that everything was unfolding exactly as foreseen.
"But there are a few things to take care of before our return. To that end—Gin, Momo."
"...!"
Here it comes. There was no way this man would let a momentous event like a declaration of war pass without any sort of theatrics. I fought to keep the smirk from spreading across my face.
"On the day before the execution, I need you two to cause a major commotion in the Seireitei. It will make it easier for me to move in the shadows."
With that, Lord Aizen summoned a bloodstained, elaborate Gigai modeled in his own image into his hand. I see. He's going to use that as the anchor point to activate Kyōka Suigetsu. He's even more prepared than in the original story. This is exciting.
"...Ah, so that's how it is. In that case, I'll play the part of the culprit who did 'im in."
"You are the most suitable for the role, Gin. If it were myself or Hinamori, it would create too many contradictions with our usual behavior."
"Oh, in that case, I'll be the one to discover the body! I'll go into a frenzy and make a huge scene. If Captain Ichimaru is nearby, I can even scream 'It was you!' and attack him to stir things up even more. Should I?"
"Ahaha, you're always so good at comin' up with fun ideas, Momo. If you do that, then ya gotta let my Izuru in on it, too."
Luckily, Gin proposed the 'assassination of Captain Aizen' gambit himself, so I just jumped on board. After all, when you think of Hinamori, you think of that iconic frenzied scene.
Of course, even with all this planning, everyone here knows that no matter what we do, we're just dancing in the palm of our boss's hand. Our actual performance will be mostly improvised. A little over-the-top acting on my part should be fine.
"—Kaname."
Just as the flow of our little drama was decided, Lord Aizen called out Tosen by name. It was most likely the special mission from the original story.
"For the time being, I want you to keep Kenpachi Zaraki occupied. Ichigo Kurosaki will provide him with some entertainment, but that alone will not be enough."
"Understood. I shall buy you some time with my Bankai."
So it's going that way. Even Lord Aizen would have trouble if the canonically overpowered Kenpachi showed up during our declaration of war—wait, huh?
...There was a strange undertone to the way Lord Aizen said that.
"Furthermore, when you fight Kenpachi Zaraki, I want you to lose while holding back. This will also serve as a test for the prototype spirit pressure-blocking bracelet. Keep yourself mobile so you can adapt to the situation in the final phase."
"Leave it to me."
Ah, so in this world, Tosen is going to throw his fight with Kenpachi. As someone who personally knows just how dangerous his Bankai is, I find it hard to believe he would lose so easily to a Kenpachi who isn't taking things seriously yet. If this was the real reason in the manga, then that would make perfect sense to me.
...Yeah, that weird feeling I had must have been my imagination.
"Momo."
"Ah, yes?"
I turned as Lord Aizen suddenly called my name. My eyes asked what he wanted, and our king, who stood before me, wore a look of pure amusement.
"—As part of this operation, I will grant one request for you."
...Oh?
This was an unexpected development, and I couldn't stop my lips from curling into a smile. A request he could grant me at this stage... it could only be that.
"...Are you sure?"
"I don't mind. I, too, am curious to see just how far he can grow."
The smile Lord Aizen wore as he said this was truly evil. He clearly developed a taste for this during that little improv session of ours, the sly devil...!
"...Thank you very much."
I offered my thanks.
Alright, this basically sets my course for future enjoyment. It'll be a slightly more difficult path than my original plan, but if this man is on my side, I'll choose it without hesitation. The sense of security... that Lord Aizen provides... is the absolute best!
Seeing the two of us smiling at each other, Gin, who was standing next to me, had a wry grin on his face. Hey, what's with that "I'm the normal one here" look? You enjoyed tormenting Rukia just as much as I did. The only member of the 'Non-Pleasure-Seekers Club' here is the pure, innocent Tosen, who's just tilting his head at this strange atmosphere. Oh, wait, even Tosen seemed pretty satisfied when he killed all those Soul Reapers to create White. Never mind, so much for the sane ones in Lord Aizen's faction.
As we were enjoying this cheerful moment...
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
"Ah, sounds like they've arrived."
The Seireitei's alarm bells suddenly began to ring. Given the timing in the original story, there was no doubt. Ichigo and his friends were finally here!
This was the curtain rising on one of Bleach's most celebrated arcs: the Soul Society arc.
"Care to go and greet them, Momo?"
"...!"
I was trying my best to appear calm, but the ever-perceptive Lord Aizen must have seen through my excitement. He was offering me Gin's role from the manga.
Ugh, it's tempting. Far too tempting. But—unfortunately, I must decline...
I believe this scene is incredibly important. The emotional scene later on, where Gin Ichimaru entrusts his hopes to Ichigo Kurosaki before he dies, is predicated on the fact that the two of them cross blades here without interruption. But if I, who met Ichigo when he was a child, were there—even if I just tagged along with Gin—in the worst-case scenario, Ichigo's memory might fixate on my presence, overshadowing his impression of Gin. That would be a problem, even if it's partly my own fault.
"...No, I'll pass on speaking with Ichigo Kurosaki for now. I think it would be better for Captain Ichimaru to go, for the sake of his villainous performance."
"Me? ...Ah, you mean to make it look like it was my own scheme to let the boy live and escape. —Alright then, I'm off."
Having made my difficult decision and passed the baton to the more suitable person, Gin instantly understood and headed for the exit. Lord Aizen, who was watching me stare resentfully at Gin's departing back, was grinning at me. He's so annoying.
"...More importantly, we should hurry and lower the Seirei Wall from the Soul King Palace. Ichigo Kurosaki can be surprisingly reckless at times, and there's a chance he might try to charge straight into the Seireitei."
"You're right. Let's make haste."
He must have been able to picture it. Lord Aizen rose magnanimously from his seat and headed for the control room for the Seirei Wall.
"I'm leaving the forgery of the Central 46's orders to you three. You can take turns."
"Yes, sir! We'll do our best."
"Lord Aizen, where will you be in the meantime?"
"I have some research to attend to in the Great Spirit Book Gallery. So until that is finished—"
And so, with the rumbling of the Seirei Wall activated by Lord Aizen as our signal, the first phase of our plan to defect from the Soul Society began.
—We'll have our dear invaders work as hard as they possibly can.
"—Ah, this is no good."
At the Hakutō Gate, as seen from Junrinan, District 1 of West Rukongai.
Led by a black cat calling itself Yoruichi, the human boy—Ichigo Kurosaki—had descended upon this place with his three companions. Consumed by rage, he was now attacking the man before him.
His anger stemmed from what had happened minutes earlier. The gatekeeper, Jidanbō Ikkanzaka, who had graciously agreed to let them pass after their one-on-one duel, had just had his arm sliced off.
The assailant was a Soul Reaper in a white haori, gripping a short wakizashi. Ichigo, who would later learn that his opponent was one of the thirteen strongest in the Soul Society—Captain of Squad 3, Gin Ichimaru—was, at this moment, just an ignorant child who knew nothing of the world he was in.
"Well now... you've gotten pretty strong since I last saw ya, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"Wha—! You know who I am?"
After a brief clash of blades, the man murmured this. The fact that a total stranger knew who he was sent a cold sweat down the normally defiant Ichigo's back.
"Who knows? Maybe I just heard about ya from the Captain of Squad 6 the other day—or maybe I've known ya since long, long before you were even born...?"
The boy held his breath at the slit-eyed Soul Reaper's cryptic words. His ominous smile stirred a strange fear, and Ichigo tightened his grip on his Zanpakutō, trying not to let his unease show.
This man was different from Urahara, from Renji Abarai, from Jidanbō. He was an unsettling man whose sword reflected no thought, no emotion. Realizing he was being drawn into his opponent's pace, the boy channeled the frustration building in his chest into a downward diagonal slash.
"Hah... Then how about I show you an Ichigo you don't know!"
"My, how scary. You're a frightenin' child."
"Don't get cocky, you damn fox-face—take this!"
It was a blow delivered with all his might. But the Zanpakutō he brought down only shattered the stone pavement below. He frantically looked around for his vanished foe and saw the slit-eyed Soul Reaper standing nearly twenty meters away.
"Wha—! What are you playing at...!"
"...You're an interestin' one, so I'll give ya a special treat. My Zanpakutō."
"What!?"
The moment the man drew back his wakizashi and took a stance.
—Shoot to Kill, "Shinsō."
"Guh—AAAAAGGGHHH!?"
"Ichigo!"
Just before being pierced by the sudden flash of light, Ichigo barely managed to defend himself with his Zanpakutō. He and Jidanbō behind him were blown far outside the gate by a tremendous force.
The flash's source was the blade itself, which had extended to a terrifying length. Unable to resist, Ichigo tumbled ungracefully across the plaza outside the Rukongai gate. He struggled to his feet with the help of his friends.
But the gate, now without Jidanbō to hold it open, was rapidly closing...
"Ah, right."
Just before the Sekkiseki gate shut completely, the slit-eyed Soul Reaper said something strange.
—That girl... she said she wanted to see ya.
The smiling man's form vanished behind the gate as he waved a cheerful "bye-bye." Although thrown off by the man's incomprehensible words, Ichigo couldn't shake a strange, indescribable feeling—that this one statement wasn't about Rukia, but about someone else entirely.
***
Cheers rose from all around as the young girl—Orihime Inoue—used her mysterious power to heal the wounded Jidanbō. Ichigo and his three friends stared wide-eyed at the bustling market, a stark contrast to the atmosphere when they had first arrived.
—We wish to welcome you as Jidanbō's benefactors.
Prompted by the words of an old man who identified himself as the elder, the residents of the Rukongai began to praise Ichigo's courage one after another. They explained that the boisterous gatekeeper was a Soul Reaper from this very district. Unlike the other unpleasant ones, he was a local hero who often helped his people.
"So why are you guys, Jidanbō's saviors, here as invaders?"
"...We came to get back a friend who's about to be executed by those 'unpleasant' Soul Reapers you mentioned. Her name's 'Rukia.' You know her?"
Most of the residents tilted their heads in confusion, but a few murmured, "Rukia?" and "I think I've heard that name somewhere..."
Then, suddenly, a portly woman clapped her hands together.
"—Oh! You mean Momo's friend from the Academy!"
"!!"
In that instant, the expressions of every resident gathered in the plaza changed.
"What!? Momo's friend is going to be executed!?"
"If that happens, Ms. Hinamori will be sad!"
"We can't just stand here! As soon as Jidanbō wakes up, we're all marching to the Seireitei to protest!"
"That's right, we're not afraid of any Soul Reapers! Rise up, the Junrinan Hinamori Protection Squad!"
"We'll teach them that a difference in a soul's spiritual power isn't the deciding factor in a battle!"
The crowd suddenly united with a single will. Their spirited cries turned into a roar, like something from a rock concert in the World of the Living.
"Wh-What's with these guys all of a sudden...!"
"...It seems Ms. Kuchiki is acquainted with someone quite famous," Chad noted.
"A cute name like 'Momo'... I wonder if she's like a local idol?" Orihime mused.
Ichigo and the others took a step back, taken aback by the sudden shift. In a corner, the black cat Yoruichi, who had been calmly observing the market's fervor, disclosed a piece of information.
"—Momo Hinamori. Unless it's someone else with the same name... she is likely the female Soul Reaper who is the Vice-Captain of Squad 5."
"!?" the group gasped. "Vice-Captain...!?"
They were stunned by this unexpected revelation. A powerhouse ranked just below Gin Ichimaru, and, for Ichigo, an existence on par with that formidable enemy he fought in the World of the Living, Renji Abarai.
"I researched all twenty-six Captains and Vice-Captains beforehand, and her name was among them. She is said to be an unprecedented genius of Kidō, concurrently holding a seat in the First Division of the Kidō Corps, a special unit separate from the Gotei 13."
"W-Wow! Then, if we could team up with someone that amazing, we could save Ms. Kuchiki...!"
"!!"
Orihime's hopeful observation made the young high schoolers lean forward in anticipation. If she was as popular as the market's reaction suggested, she must be a kind-hearted person like Jidanbō. It seemed highly likely she would cooperate if they appealed to her sense of duty.
"However, Squad 5... a genius kept close by that Aizen..."
"Yoruichi?"
But Yoruichi showed reluctance at Orihime's idea. The black cat just grumbled when they asked what was wrong. After a moment of internal conflict, she dismissed the plan.
"...No, forget it. If there is any chance, it is likely that someone else will ask for her help in rescuing Rukia. If we are to involve ourselves with this Momo Hinamori, it will be at the very end, just before we save Rukia."
"'Someone else'?" they all wondered.
Yoruichi smiled at the confused looks on their faces.
"It simply means that we are not the only ones trying to save Rukia."
"!!"
For the four of them, who had just witnessed the terror of a Captain-class Soul Reaper like Gin Ichimaru, these words were a great source of hope.
From an objective standpoint, Rukia's crime had plenty of room for extenuating circumstances. It was impossible that not a single one of her fellow Soul Reapers—people with whom she surely had deeper ties and bonds than they, mere humans, did—would object to her execution.
Because the four of them, and one cat, knew the truth. They knew that Rukia Kuchiki, though tomboyish, was a compassionate, sensitive, and wonderful person, full of human charm.
"...I'll save you, no matter what."
—Just wait, Rukia...!
Eight days remained until the execution. With great courage and hope in their hearts, the four youths glared at the closed Seireitei.
Their next destination was an entry route from the sky—Kūkaku Shiba's Flower Crane Cannon.
***
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