110 The beginning of the end

Itsuki stood there smoking a Kiseru as he watched Ichigo appear. He looked just like in the anime where he confronted Aizen. Covering the three's presence, he saw Ichigo man handle Aizen towards another different place. Not long after the sound of clashes could be heard and smoke clouds due to the destruction caused.

Itsuki reappeared on a nearby plateau only for it to become a target for one of the aftereffects of their clashes. As the rocky plateau turned into debris, Itsuki let out a puff before just staying in the same spot and looking at the fight. Ryurai and Byakko could be heard buzzing slightly as they craved a fight, patting them lightly,

"Our fight is yet to come."

This seemed to calm the two down as Itsuki's attention arrived at the two as soon as Ichigo broke out of the kido Aizen used and struck him, to the latter's surprise. With Aizen going into his fourth transformation, back in the living world,

"No…y-you're lying, aren't you?"

A trembling voice was heard as a depressing atmosphere descended onto the scene. Broken buildings surrounded them where three girls surrounded Gin. Unohana was healing all the captains as a shadow covered her eyes. Gin had a sorrowful look as he looked at his childhood friend. Both her palms covered her mouth as tears threatened to leave her eyes. Soi Fon and Yoruichi had ferocious looks as they glared at Gin,

"Don't lie!"

Yoruichi let loose a punch which Gin didn't dodge. Tears left her eyes as she stood straight. Soi Fon grit her teeth,

"We all know Itsuki's strength, there's no way…"

"It's true."

An aged voice interrupted her as the three turned to look at the one who spoke. Yamamoto looked as if he had aged a few more years, while he walked towards them letting out a sigh.

"Captain-commander…"

A depressed atmosphere left his body,

"Captain Minamoto Itsuki has fallen in battle."

His back seem to hunch a bit more but this ultimately confirmed Itsuki's death. Soi Fon fell onto her knees as disbelief was written all over her face. Yoruichi stood there as her bangs covered her eyes and her trembling hands clenched. She bit her lip hard enough for it to bleed. Rangiku on the other hand outright collapsed. Luckily, Soi Fon was quick to react as she caught her. Yoruichi also quickly came to her side and checked on her.

Urahara was also there as he looked at the scene with his hat covering his eyes,

'What are you thinking Minamoto Itsuki?'

Urahara only knew so much about Itsuki, but he failed to believe that a few captains could incapacitate Itsuki. Sure, there was the reason of his eyes being slashed, but he felt it was too far fetched for Itsuki to go down like such. For that reason, Urahara believed that Itsuki was still alive and all that occurred was a farce to deceive the eyes of everyone present.

He knew about Itsuki's goal, but he felt that he was missing something, something that Itsuki didn't tell him.

'Could he have also seen that?'

While Urahara drowned in his own thoughts, the man in question had his ears filled with the quarrel of bird and child.

He started questioning his life choices as spit and feathers fell over his back where the two were arguing.

"Stupid bird…"

"Kyuu kyuu kyuu…"

"*gasp* How can ywou say that?"

Somehow the two were able to communicate properly, as if their IQ levels seemed to create some sort of resonance.

"Itsuki…"

"ssshhhhhh"

This seemed to stop the quarrel as a large explosion caught their attention and Ichigo entered his final Getsuga form. With his hair turning black and Aizen's disbelieving shouts, Ichigo slashed down heavily injuring Aizen.

Ichigo's powers started vanishing as Aizen felt like a chance had come only for a red shard to appears on his chest. With more and more appearing, Aizen could feel the kido trying to seal him. Urahara then appeared and looked around, not finding what he was looking for he then looked towards Aizen.

"I planted this kido within another one before your transformation, at your weakest point, given that we couldn't kill you…"

Aizen seem to sink all this in as a serene look plastered his face before letting out a smile.

"tch…seems like I've lost…"

Urahara frowned seeing Aizen's change in nature, as he was just screaming moments before. It also felt like he wasn't talking to them but rather someone else. This plagued his mind as he hurriedly looked around but still saw no one there. Aizen never fought back, but just smiled as the seal encompassed him.

Ichigo's power left him as his hair turned orange. Itsuki just watched as a small smile crept on to his face before turning to leave.

The aftereffects of the fight had left people in terrible states. Ichigo had lost his shinigami powers, while everyone's physical injuries were healed later by Orihime's powers, the same couldn't be said for the mental ones. Apart from that, Soul Society had lost their main fighting force, Captain Minamoto Itsuki had fallen in battle. There was only one joyful news for the small circle known as Itsuki's friends, Rangiku was pregnant.

The cause of that was currently looking at the sealed Aizen in his dark prison. It was pitch black with no light in sight as the two looked at each other. Although he had heard the news he reigned in his emotions before they took over.

This was the point of no return. Slashing out with his swords, each seal on Aizen was cut apart leaving strands on the ground. The alarms failed to activate as they had been taken care off. Getting up, Aizen immediately struck with his fist as Itsuki blocked with the sword,

"I'm an immortal and I'm stronger than you, why would you think ill keep my end of the deal…"

"So, the hogyoku did indeed fully accept you…"

Itsuki hypothesised that it wasn't that the hogyoku rejecting him that made him 'lose' his powers it was that the hogyoku had fully accepted Aizen and him returning to how he was, was his final form. Ichigo mentioned a loneliness but Itsuki looked at him as someone that didn't want a being controlling his life from a higher place. It was also in line with Itsuki's reasoning.

He didn't feel safe and with the announcement of Rangiku's pregnancy, further steeled his determination.

"…and the reason is simple, I can kill you."

Itsuki didn't elaborate further as a portal appeared and he walked in. Aizen smirked and looked at his seat before following behind him. Appearing within a familiar group of huts, Itsuki looked at the group of shinigami being drilled by Naga and then at the two Vasto Lorde's that had healed from their injuries.

"Aren't going to stop at your funeral?"

"It's irrelevant."

A playful smirk left Aizen's mouth as he started analysing the group surrounding them.

"Quite the people you have gathered…"

Itsuki didn't say anything as his presence grouped the people together. The two Arrancars looked at Aizen with indifference while Tier had a bit of anger flash by. Starkk had a lazy look plastered his face as he wasn't "betrayed" by Aizen. The dark ones alongside Baishin and Ichinose Maki looked at Aizen with curiosity. They were never there when Aizen was captain or famous, so they barely had no idea who he was given their lack of contact with Soul Society. Only Ichinose Maki had a faint idea given how he had infiltrated Soul Society and that he was there when Aizen was captain. But that was all he knew.

"We leave."

Itsuki didn't say anything as he moved past them and stood facing the horizon. While Itsuki did this, Tier and Starkk looked at each other and then at Aizen who just seemed to ignore them. The person they followed seemed to also follow the captain in front of him but still Tier asked,

"Why should we?"

"Follow if you want, if you don't want to then stay."

Tier's eyebrows responded with a twitch as she heard that vague answer. Giving the excuse that he had saved her life, she complied with Itsuki, but her curiosity had been touched. Starkk shrugged his shoulders as he also complied when another being appeared next to him with a flash of light. A young naked Arrancar appeared next to Starkk that had a hole where her stomach was. Her hollow mask consisted of a horned helmet with the helmet covering her left eye, leaving her right pink eye out in the open. A design of flames decorated just above the covered eye while the left horn of her helmet was cut off. Beneath the helmet was a short green hair and she looked around vigilantly, staying close to Starkk. This was obviously not the first time this had happened as the latter bought out a pair of clothes for her. The clothes consisted of a vest, brief and arm warmers in the typical arrancar colours consisting of white with black outlines.

Behind the hut, another Arrancar walked out which was Ulquiorra who had also healed. He silently appeared behind everyone, with only Aizen and Itsuki noticing his entrance. They didn't say anything as Aizen spoke to Itsuki,

"What are you looking for?"

He could feel Itsuki's reiatsu sweeping over Hueco Mundo as if he were searching for something.

"The soul that had committed the most sins and turned into a Hollow."

As they were on the same side now, Itsuki didn't feel the need to hide anything from Aizen. The two made a deal, and the latter was simply following it. Itsuki never let his guard down, but he felt that Aizen's existence would make sure to help him walk forward. If he showed any weakness, he knew that Aizen wouldn't mind taking the chance finish him off. It wouldn't be because he had planned it but that he got bored or even disappointed in Itsuki in a way. Still Aizen immediately got Itsuki's intentions as his smile widened but he still asked,

"Why?"

Itsuki didn't reply directly but started talking, as if telling a story.

"The existence of hell is an ambiguous topic, the realm existing even before the creation of soul society is a mystery in of itself…���

Everyone's eyes widened at that with the group of shinigami being surprised that they were going to hell, while the Arrancars were having there first history lesson on the history of Soul Society.

"I am lacking souls…"

Everyone's attention was brought onto Itsuki while Aizen was able to sense the existence of a void sphere within Itsuki.

"…what better than to consume the beings created by such a place."

As soon as he finished, Itsuki disappeared and appeared in front of the group with an average hollow which he immediately crushed to death with his reiatsu. The hollow didn't get a chance to speak as his soul was immediately held by chains and a large gate appear behind him.

"Hell is connected to all three realms. This is where we enter from."

Two bandaged skeletons adorned the gate as their respective opposite arms were held in a way as if opening the gate. The gate didn't fully open as a blade pierced through and stabbed the soul. With a laughter the soul was pulled, and the door was about to close when Itsuki put forth his foot, stopping the gate from fully closing. A confused voice was heard when the door opened slightly as he felt a gaze land on him. Itsuki didn't say anything as he slashed forward cutting the being in front into two.

"One"