Chapter 15: Interesting Developments 2/2

Aizen Sousuke was a planner of plans, a hatcher of schemes, a manipulator, a puppet master who tugged at strings from the shadows, hiding in plain sight. He was, however, not opposed to get his hands a little dirty, metaphorically speaking. Spend too much time sitting down, and you would lose your touch.

Which was why he was out here in the Rukongai. When he had first started his infiltration, so much younger than now, he had sometimes fantasized that there might be more people like him- strong-willed, driven, with a goal and smarts to get there…

But sadly- or not- he had never seen anybody much like himself, with perhaps just the one exception… he seemed to be alone in his brilliance, the only one with the will to change the world. Which was why he felt the smallest hint of irritation when he found people who had seen past this veil, only to create one of their own- like Inaba Kageroza. He was the seventh seat of division twelve, and one of its chief scientists, and he had run secret experiments out here, in this lab hidden far out in a half-dead forest. That in itself wasn't strange by twelfth division standards- it wasn't uncommon for more dangerous, unethical research to be carried out covertly, so that the Gotei could wash its hands off of it, should the secrets be unveiled.

But Inaba was different. He had first looked into him only out of mild curiosity, as a way of passing the time- but the more he had looked, the more he had seen an oddball, somebody outside the norm, somebody with something to hide…

It hadn't been hard to find. Inaba's greatest protection was his status as an officer, being beyond reproach as a researcher- but he was not good at covering his tracks. Irregularities in materials sent to his lab, strange work hours, and he hadn't even bothered to suppress his reiatsu by much going out here. Here, in the Rukongai, close to Erza's home village… what a quaint coincidence that was.

And out here, he had found exactly what. Row upon row of modified souls, clones of several officers from the Gotei, kept in tubes of glass. Some were failures, and others… he sensed the reiatsu signatures, and despite himself, he felt a little impressed. Not only were there some excellent copies, but they mimicked the signature- and power- of several captains. Yet, Inaba's vision was flawed. How could it not be? What could he possibly hope to do with an experiment like this, if not some plebeian idea like taking the Gotei over with force- or destroying it? Inwardly, he shook his head and sighed. People thought genius was something extraordinary, something special, yet they failed to see that genius was pointless without vision… not that these dolls were genial in particular. Masterfully crafted, but even a casual look at the designs told him they could be improved upon.

Well, no point in wasting time. If successful, these dolls could cause havoc, more than he was interested in dealing with. He'd have to slip the second division a discreet tip, without it being traceable back to him- let them deal with it. Or…

A train of thought that was spawning an idea was interrupted by something that caught his eye. A mod soul, in a glass container just like the rest. He approached it. Female, green hair, short, dressed simply yet in typically human fashion… and, he felt as he prodded for its signature, seemingly unique. The others were all copies, but this one… it had a subtlety to it. It had been created, with much care, to be something else, something unique. He smiled. This was most likely Inaba's prized possession. So… why not find out how prized a possession she was?

He opened the container, bypassing the simple kido lock put on it, and the mod soul began to wake up, slowly opening its eyes. Aizen held up his Kyoka Suigetsu, wordlessly letting the shikai activate- the mod soul would be seeing a frail old man dressed in rags, looking frightened.

"What?" She murmured. "Who- who are… who are you…"

She stood up out of the container, stepping out on the floor.

"Go." Aizen murmured, mimicking the words of a frightened old man. "Just- just go."

And so, the illusory old man ran out of there at all speed. Aizen himself stood still where he was, quite invisible to the girl. He watched as she took a couple of cautious steps out on the floor- and then ran herself, away. Inaba was a good craftsman, but it seemed he instilled no love or loyalty. Typical.

Well, at least it made for a new opportunity. This could be an interesting test for Erza- she was quite close now, to being somebody he'd make one of his own. And as it happened, she was out on visit there, in her old village- just by coincidence.

Every so often- although, Erza admitted to herself with a little shame, not often enough- she would come back to visit her village. It was good to be reminded who she was fighting for, where her roots were. She was strong now, and so very different from the girl that had once spawned in this afterlife, weak and ignorant, but she was still the same Erza who loved the company of others, cared about the weak and needing, and protected those she could. In this case, protection came in the form of some money, and any local bandit knowing that all hell would break loose if the village was targeted by anything bigger than petty theft.

So it was that now, after a day off well spent in the company of the village children, who had watched with awe as she showed them her sword and regaled them with tales of her hunts- carefully censored to take out the more horrible bits- that she was walking home. Shunpo could take her there in a tenth of the time, but a good walk was nothing to waste- it gave her time to think, to enjoy the scenery, and just be left by herself.

Her tranquil walk, though, was interrupted. Not far from her village, she saw a girl, lying in a ditch just next to the road. Her clothes were strange, much better made than that of the typical Rukon dweller, and her hair was green. Quickly, Erza walked over, and checked for a pulse. She was alive, at the least- just unconscious, it seemed. Erza frowned, sensing carefully this mysterious soul. She had power, it seemed- quite a bit of it; at least the equivalent of a twentieth seat, putting her miles above the typical Rukon dweller.

Carefully, she lifted her up, and put her under a tree by the road. She took out a simple water bottle from her pack- always useful on a trip like this- and splashed some of it on the girl's face, gently. It took a minute or so, but then the girl stirred, her eyes opening.

"Where…" She mumbled weakly.

"Drink." Erza said, holding the bottle to the girl's face. "Easy now- you must be exhausted." Carefully holding her head up with one hand, she put the bottle to her lips. The girl drank greedily, reaching up with one hand to hold it by herself. Erza let her, and sat back as the girl got up in a sitting position, taking deep gulps. Finally, she put the bottle down, and took a deep breath, wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

"Who are you?" She asked shyly, looking at Erza with suspicion. Strange as she were, Erza couldn't blame her- the Rukon could be a hostile place.

"I mean you no harm," Erza said, making what she hoped was a friendly gesture with her arms. "You want that water? You can have it."

"…that doesn't answer my question." The girl mumbled.

"Oh. Right, that. I am Erza Scarlet, third seat of division five, of the Gotei Thirteen," she proclaimed, speaking quietly.

"…I am Nozomi," the girl said, clutching the water bottle and hugging her legs to her body. "My name is Kujo Nozomi."

"Where are you from?" Erza asked. "Where did you come from? When I found you, you were unconscious by the road. You must have walked for a very long time."

The girl just kept hugging her legs, looking into the ground.

"All right, all right," Erza said, making sure to keep an even, quiet tone, "I'm not going to force you to talk. I know a lot of people out here don't like us shinigami- some think we don't care, some think we're just like the gangs out there, only bigger and stronger… but I try to be better than that. I'm not going to force you to say anything- if it's your business, it's your business."

The girl just looked at her, with a curious expression, as if veering between suspicion, disbelief, and plain old confusion.

"…there's a village up that road." Erza said, pointing to where she had come from. "I'll walk you there- or not, if you don't want to. If you tell them Erza Scarlet sent you, they'll give you a meal and a place to stay. It's a good place to start. It's where I started."

The girl- Nozomi- sat quiet for a while, and Erza began to wonder for how long she could stay. She had to get back to the Gotei before sundown, and while helping a stranger was the kind thing to do, she couldn't hold herself up all day.

"…I'm afraid." Nozomi said at last. "He'll come hurt me if I…"

"Who will?" Erza asked.

"I can't tell." Nozomi said. "He kept me- he made me- it's not long from here…"

She trailed off.

"Like I said," Erza said carefully, "you don't have to tell me anything. I'm not here to bully you around. I just want to help."

"Why?"

Erza blinked. She was strange. "…because I think it's the decent thing to do."

"And why is that?"

"I don't need a reason to be kind," Erza said, smiling at her, "it's just enough that people need a kindness, and I have the time to give it."

"That's all?" She sounded suspicious, almost hostile.

"That's all." Erza said affirmatively. "But I'm not going to force it on you if you don't want it. So…" She stood up, as if to leave.

"His name is Inaba." Nozomi said quietly.

"…really?" Erza said, sitting herself down again.

"You'll protect me?" Nozomi said. "If he comes for me?"

"I definitely will," Erza said, nodding. At this point, she knew of few people who could outfight her- vice-captains, captains, and not many others; certainly no Inaba.

"…all right then," The girl murmured. "Listen closely…"

What she told Erza had her at first nodding understandingly, then raising her eyebrows, then drawing a sharp breath of surprise- the girl, Nozomi was a purely artificial creation, grown in a lab not far from here. More alarmingly, said lab was full of copies of Gotei officers of the highest rank, powerful and intended to do harm… Erza could scarcely believe it as she heard the tale, but if the girl was lying, then she was a fantastic actor. A quick tour back to the lab, after some instructions, confirmed it- a secret lab, full of devious things…

Erza had returned to Nozomi not an hour later, picked her up in her arms, and carried her with her as she sped towards the Gotei Thirteen as fast as her legs could carry her. After placing Nozomi in official custody- that is, in her own room- she had reported directly to Aizen. He had listened, nodded, and sent word to the second division immediately.

That had been yesterday. Now, today, she stood to attention in his office, called in by her captain personally.

"At ease, please," Aizen said, standing up from behind his desk. Erza relaxed herself a little.

"The report came back this morning. It seems this Nozomi girl was one in a line of dozens of creations. They are being dismantled and destroyed as we speak, of course- terribly dangerous."

"What will happen to Nozomi herself?" Erza said stiffly. Would they want to do the same to her, dismantle her?

"I argued for her case. I can say with some confidence that she will not face the same fate- she has a mind of her own. She is a soul, even if artificially created. She will be kept under surveillance, but I can say with some confidence that she will be allowed to live."

"Good." Erza said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"More importantly, Inaba is still at large." Aizen said gravely. "His goal, it seems, was not a hostile takeover, but the complete destruction of the Gotei Thirteen. His research, 'Project Spear'- a mod soul program for combat purposes- was rejected. For that petty a reason, he decided to use his genius for the sake of destroying all we hold dear." He sighed. "A wanted order has been put on him, dead or alive, but due to the level of strength he possesses, a regular kill team is out of the question."

"Sir?"

"I'd like you to hunt him down." Aizen said, giving her a smile. "We have a fix on his last known position, out in the Rukon, and it's continuously monitored."

"Yes, sir." Erza said, nodding.

"I know you will do fine. But don't delay- go out there now. Everything you need to know will be in this file." He said, handing her a file, not especially thick. She looked inside; there were some sheets of information, and some photos.

"Read on your way there. Now, go."

Erza nodded, and walked out.

Out she was in the Rukon, in a rugged forest littered with half-dead trees. It was a gloomy place, even with the sun shining down on it; most appropriate, Erza felt, for traitorous scum like Inaba Kageroza.

She walked cross the forest floor for an hour or so, carefully sensing for reiatsu. She was watched, most likely, by intelligence agents- they left nothing to chance. She would solve this herself, though- Aizen was counting on her, and she would not let him down.

Eventually, she sensed it- emissions of reiatsu, well hidden but not concealed enough, too close to be masked. Confidently, she stepped up towards where it came from. She came upon a rock formation, with an entrance to a small cave. Hiding in the dark? It would do him no good. Boldly, she stepped forward, unsheathing her sword. She murmured the release for her shikai, and felt the blade change, manifesting as Dual, one sword in each hand. She stepped towards the mouth of the cave, feeling the reiatsu source. No letting her guard down; there was no telling what-

The assault was sudden, out of nowhere, and only many decades' worth of trained reflexes let her react in time. From above, a series of jagged, rock-like projectile rained down on her, and just at the last second she slipped into a shunpo, moving away. She had been hit, though; several of the projectiles had slammed into her left arm and shoulder. It hurt, but nothing seemed broken. Sliding to a halt some twenty strides back, Erza looked up at her attacker.

"This is who they send for me?" Said Inaba, standing above the cave. "Pitiful."

He stood tall, wearing yellow robes, and he wore the creepiest spectacles. His hair was green, like Nozomi's, with a blond streak in it. In his hand was a double-bladed sort of staff, with a sword blade at each end, held with the casual ease of a trained swordsman.

Erza did not indulge him with a reply, instead dashing forward into a zig-zagging run, shunpo carrying her at breakneck speed. Inaba spun his sword-staff, though, forming a grey circle of some sort, from which more stone-like projectiles flew. Erza was forced to jump aside, her charge halting. Inaba did not let up, sending hailstorm after hailstorm of rocks at her. As she jumped, dodged, she tried to think- there seemed to be no end to these things, and though they dissolved very quickly after hitting, they did hit hard. His spiritual pressure was absurd, for a supposed seventh seat- easily at the level of a vice-captain. Quickly, to test him, Erza sent out a mid-level kido spell at him.

"Hado number thirty-three: Sokatsui!" She cried, and the white lightning formed in her palm, flying directly at Inaba. He did not even move; the grey circle just formed in front of him, blocking her attack with ease. Damn. She was getting nowhere like this.

"Sentinel." She murmured, and her weapons shifted into the round shield and spear. Standing her ground, she waited for Inaba to make his move. Spinning his sword again, the grey circle appeared, raining down another barrage of pointy projectiles. Bracing herself, Erza lowered her centre of gravity, and held her shield up high, absorbing the attack. It hammered on her hard, and her shield arm screamed in protest against the unrelenting assault, but she had to endure. It couldn't last forever, right?

She hoped it wouldn't.

Luckily, it didn't- after what felt like an eternity, the barrage stopped for just a second. It was all Erza needed. Raising her spear arm for a throw, she could see Inaba looking down on her, as if to see if she was still standing. Then, she let her arm lash out, and the spear flew from her hand, and in just the blink of an eye, it hit home. She heard the dull thud of flesh being pierced, and a grunt from Inaba. The spear and shield dissolved, once again re-shaping as dual blades, and she leapt forward in a step of shunpo, crossing the distance in but a second. Inaba was staggering back, bleeding heavily from his side, but he still managed to parry her strike, skillfully wielding his stave-sword. He was hurting though, Erza knew it, and up close she had the advantage. Mercilessly, she hacked and slashed at him, with all the speed and grace she was capable of, her arms weaving an artful, well-practiced pattern of slashes, stabs, upward and downward cuts. None of these were meant to hit so much as keep him on the defensive.

He was defending though, just barely, seeming far more resilient than she would have expected. After nearly two minutes of trying to break his guard, she decided to try something else. Pushing down hard with both swords, she locked the both of them in place, pushing against each other.

Then, letting go of one sword, she thrust her palm forward, under his guard and right against his chest.

"Hado number one: Shou!" She cried, putting all she had behind the simple kido spell. It slammed into him with full force, knocking him over, sending him tumbling. To his credit, he was almost at his feet when she came at him, but it was too late. Slashing upwards with both swords, she cut him across the chest and arm, feeling flesh give way to the sharpness of her blades. He cried out in pain, and still managed to get to his feet, but Erza gave him no pause, kicking him in the gut. He staggered back, and Erza prepared to attack again. Now to hurt him just badly enough that he'd live-

Then he reached for something by her waist, and suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and Erza's eyes hurt. Coughing, tears running from her eyes from the chemical smoke bomb, Erza fell over. By the time she got to her feet, Inaba was already on the run.

Inaba grunted through his teeth, biting back the pain. He had administered as strong of a painkiller as he dared, and kept running. He was bleeding from at least three places- the damned woman had pierced his side with a spear, and cut him twice with swords, catching his chest and arms. Blood was soiling his robes, and the pain still burned through the drugs he had injected.

Damn them all! He had given the Gotei his truest genius, allowed them the finest project imaginable, and this was the thanks he got? They deserved to die. Every last one of them deserved to die, for rejecting him, for refusing an intellectual superior out of ignorance. Mongrel apes, the lot of them, stuck in their archaic beliefs of power and authority…

But of course, being a genius, Inaba had taken precautions. The moment he started his revenge scheme, he had known this was a possibility. There were contingencies. There were safe houses out there, deep in the Rukon, according to his own design, well hidden from all prying eyes. He'd run, he'd lick his wounds, and he'd do whatever was necessary to get his revenge. One day… one day, they'd all see. Letting out a wheezing chuckle, he pictured the death of each captain, powerless to stop his brilliant plan…

And then, as he staggered forward, he noticed a figure standing in his way. He had almost bumped into his chest, so preoccupied had he been.

"Aizen!" He burst out, cursing his luck.

"It's the strangest thing, ambition," Aizen said. His tone was different- in fact, all about him seemed subtly different. He wasn't wearing his glasses; he was holding them in his left hand, his hair was combed back, and he sounded so… cold.

"It's a good thing to have," he continued, as Inaba staggered, forcing himself to stay upright despite the pain, "how else will you get anywhere in life? Too many settle for less than they are capable of. Out of laziness, out of security, out of contentedness. Even among the best officers, this is true. Few are those who do not settle."

"What is this?" Inaba snarled. He was a wanted man, a traitor- yet Aizen had neither killed him, nor made a move to subdue him.

"Your work." Aizen said, smiling as if he was thinking of a funny joke. "I liked it. I almost admired it. It's all being destroyed now, of course, but I saved some blueprints for personal use."

A look of horror crossed Inaba's face, as he imagined all his research- his brilliant knowledge, unearthed only to be buried again- being destroyed. Aizen only looked more amused now, seeing his face.

"You had ambition, power, and nearly was careful enough to cause a ruckus. You even made a copy of myself. I'd have felt insulted- but then again, I cannot be copied. I am one of a kind. Your crude effigy was the copy of a fantasy- so I'll let that slide." He put his hand on his sword, and slowly pulled it out. Inaba took a sharp breath, preparing himself for the worst.

"What I cannot abide is having ambition, power, seeing past the illusion everyone else does… and then making a pitfall of your own the moment you gained clarity." He sighed, casually waving his sword in Inaba's direction. "Really, destruction? For the sake of petty revenge? I could respect wanting to tear it all down to build a new tomorrow, according to your own vision, but you didn't even think that far, did you?"

"If you're going to kill me, kill me." Inaba sneered, clutching at his side.

"No." Aizen said flatly. "We'll get there. But first, I think you need to know why you failed. Not just because you were careless, but because you attracted a bigger fish- that is, myself- without even knowing I was there." He narrowed his eyebrows. "You are a petty, second-rate schemer. You are a child whose reaction to adversity was throwing a tantrum and wanting to kill all your detractors. You are a little fish who dared to swim in my waters without looking further than right ahead of you."

"What are you?" Inaba hissed, breathing heavily. "If you're a 'big fish'- what does that make you?"

"A bringer of change. I'd explain, but what I want is far beyond your limited spectrum. You put yourself in my way, as if you could possibly be a worthy rival. I am the man who will topple the Gotei- and when I do, it will have meaning."

"And they said I was mad-" Inaba started, but before he could continue, Aizen was right in front of him, his sword smoothly sliding into Inaba's chest. He let out a gurgle, as he watched his heart's blood pour out. What had happened? There had been no shunpo, no hint of movement- one moment, he had just been there, right in front of him, before he had had a chance to raise his guard.

"Madness is what lesser men call a true genius that they cannot understand." Aizen said, his eyes staring right into Inaba's. "On that point alone, I think we agree."

Those were the last words Inaba ever heard, and he sunk to his knees and slumped over, quite dead. Shooting a content smile, Aizen dried his blade with a handkerchief, sheathed it, and put his glasses back on. Well, this had been a fun distraction…

The next day, Erza reported back to her captain's office. The mission was, on paper, a success- Inaba had been found a few miles down the line, having bled to death. It did not feel like success, though- she had wanted to take him alive, bring him to justice. She sort of expected a chewing out, and she felt like she would deserve it. Walking in to the office, she stood to attention before her captain.

"Erza Scarlet reporting, sir." She said stiffly, in an unusually formal tone.

"Report, then," Aizen said, from behind his desk.

"I pursued Kageroza Inaba to the indicated location. He used his zanpakutou's abilities to launch a surprise attack, but was unable to deal any significant damage." Her shoulder still ached, though. "After overcoming his shikai's ability, I was able to close the distance, and finally outfight him. I cut him a total of three times, although in my opinion, with the physique of a shinigami of his level, it should not have been fatal." She lowered her gaze to the floor. "I was mistaken, sir."

"Please, Erza," Aizen said, smiling at her, "look at me." Reluctantly, she obliged.

"Inaba was unstable." Aizen explained. "He had performed much experimentation on himself, to some success- but his body was unable to adjust in such a high stress situation. He chose to run, and due to a self-induced chemical imbalance, he bled to death. You had no way of knowing. You did your duty admirably, as I knew you would."

She really wished he had just scolded her. "Sir?"

"It's an ugly business." He said, shaking his head. "Some would say it is better this way. Not myself, of course," he added hastily, seeing Erza's look. "No, I'd rather have seen him brought to justice… the Gotei was not without blame, benefitting from his research for so long without seeing him go… extreme."

Erza nodded. "I tried my best."

"You always do." He said, smiling warmly. "Now, I believe there is something else you'd like to ask me…?"

Erza nodded again. "Yes- Nozomi."

Aizen sighed. "Right now, only a limited number of people know of her existence. I had hoped to save her- but the second division is rather… insistent on cleaning this mess up. And by 'clean up', I mean 'purge with fire'. Twelfth was furious- they purged all the mod souls they could find, along with any data. If they find out about Nozomi…"

"They would kill her." Erza said sharply.

"They would call it termination." Aizen said soberly. "To them, it's no different from scrapping a machine. The law would agree with them."

"It's not right!" Erza burst out. "She's a person- she has thoughts and dreams and- and- and- she's not just some toy-"

"Calm down." Aizen said sharply. "What is there to do?"

"I'll take her and run if I have to." Erza said stubbornly.

"You really mean it, don't you?"

"Yes." Erza said, taking a deep breath, realizing that she did, that she'd walk out on her entire life over just a principle. Damn ethics…

"You do realize you just confessed intent of treason to a captain, yes?"

"…so be it." Erza said coldly, feeling like she was standing next to a cliff, ready to take the plunge, to crash and burn. What would he do? He was dutiful, she knew- understanding, kind, reasonable, but not a traitor.

But Aizen just smiled. "Calm down- there's no need to be so drastic. I'm not about to report you for having a moral spine."

Erza breathed a sigh of relief. "So you agree, then?"

"Do I agree that she deserves more than indiscriminate termination? Yes. I do. But officially speaking, I cannot do much. Legally, my hands are tied. This is a second division matter."

"Then-" Erza started angrily, but Aizen raised his hand, silencing her.

"I said officially."

"…sir?" She said uncertainly.

"Erza, ever since the first time I saw you, I knew you were different." He said, leaning back in his chair, crossing his fingers. "You are intelligent, driven, and you know right from wrong. I always knew you would go far. To be honest, I am proud to have you under my wing- proud to see you standing here, in the face of your superior, choosing right over law no matter the cost. You have integrity. It is people like you who make society worthwhile."

"..sir?" She said, feeling surprised. That was high praise, and it rather came out of nowhere- it was wonderful to hear, sure, but it didn't have much to do with Nozomi.

He sighed, and shrugged. "I suppose what I am trying to say, in my roundabout way, is that I like you. Integrity, backbone… that's hard to come by."

Erza nodded. "You said… officially."

"Clever girl," Aizen said, nodding and pointing a finger at her. "Yes, officially I can do nothing. But as you know, being a captain comes with considerable power. We are expected to never abuse it- but when it's something obviously right, like saving a life from merciless bureaucracy, is that abuse?"

"No, sir." Erza said firmly, looking him in the eye.

"It's not, no." Aizen said. He rummaged through his desk, finding a file of papers. "I could… I could call in a few favours, silence a few voices- with money, maybe a bit of threats… I could make some reports go away. I could save her. Yes, I could save her."

A look of joy on her face, Erza shot forward, putting her hands on his desk. "You could? Then please, I beg you, captain! You must!"

"You barely know her." Aizen said. "She could become a villain no better than Inaba, for all you know."

"She deserves a chance at life. It doesn't matter if she is my best friend, or a stranger on the street- she deserves a chance. Everyone does."

"Remarkable." Aizen mumbled. "There is the fire of conviction in your eyes- of a kind I haven't seen in a long time. You really believe it?"

"I believe she deserves better." Erza said, standing herself tall. "I'm not a philosopher- I'm not that smart. But I believe everyone deserves a chance."

"This would come at great personal risk." Aizen said hesitantly. "If it were found out… captains can be cut a lot of slack, but it only goes so far. If it were exposed, I could be imprisoned, maybe even executed…"

"I-I know, sir," Erza swallowed. "I could just-"

"No, you're not going to grab her and run, you silly girl," Aizen said dismissively, chuckling. "You'd get found in two weeks' time, max. You are strong, but you are no good at hiding."

Feeling embarrassed, Erza nodded. "But still-"

"I'll do it." Aizen said. "But… remember that, when it counts the most, you owe me one. A big favour. Anything I can care to ask. Is that understood?"

"I accept." Erza said, nodding.

"And you would never go back on your word."

"Not once."

"It is done, then," Aizen said, nodding. "Don't worry- I am confident that when I am through, she will be just another soul recruited from the Rukon. She will have to attend academy, of course."

"Of course." Erza said, breathing out with relief again. "Thank you so much, sir- thank you so much!"

"It's all right." He said cheerfully. "Really, I'll think of it as a mental exercise."

"Yes- so-"

"You should probably run along now- go tell Nozomi the score. She is a soul from the twenty-third district of the Rukongai. She lived in a village called Rakutei, with an old man named Jaken, and you spotted her there and offered her a place. She accepted. Can you memorize that?"

"Twenty-third district, village Rakutei, old man Jaken," Erza said, nodding excitedly. "I'll- I'll go tell her right away."

With that, she turned around, and practically ran out of there. Aizen sat back in his chair, smiling a genuine smile. It felt good when things progressed smoothly, yes it did…

A week later, with some hasty paperwork having been filed left and right, Nozomi stood outside the shinigami academy, dressed in a women's academy uniform. Aizen had been true to his word- nobody seemed to have any idea, and all the official documents said the same: soul with spirit potential found in district twenty-three, by Erza Scarlet. If anybody knew, they did nothing about it- which made it unlikely; second division was very no-nonsense when it came to professional murder.

Nozomi looked excited- the fear had left her eyes, with her creator now dead and her future secured.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Erza said. She knew she wasn't her mother, her older sister- that she hardly even knew her- but somehow, she couldn't help but fuss. She had found her, saved her… she felt oddly responsible.

"I'll be fine, Erza," Nozomi said happily.

"You don't think- you don't think being, er, like you are, that will stop you…?"

"Being a mod soul?" Nozomi said. "It's all right, you can say it. Just not very loudly."

"Right."

"Really, I'll be fine. Souls are just a mess of spirit particles to begin with- anything they can do, I can do. Actually, being designed is an advantage- I'm better built, not just the result of a random process. No offense." She said hastily.

"It's fine." Erza said, laughing. "So… you're sure you can handle this?"

"Anything they can do, I can do better." Nozomi said resolutely. "Besides, it's not like I have anywhere else to go. I become a shinigami, or else- that was the deal, right?"

"Yeah…" Erza said, shifting uncomfortably. In an ideal world, Nozomi would have had her freedom, not needing to hide- but the world was anything but ideal.

"I'm going to try and be like you." Nozomi said, looking her in the eye. "No, better- I'm going to study hard, train, give it my all, and one day I'll be a captain. Then, you'll have to call me 'sir'." She shot her a grin. She had grown an attitude, that was for sure.

"Yeah?" Erza said, grinning back. "I'll be a captain long before that, just you wait."

"It's a deal, then," Nozomi said happily. "One day, we'll both be captains together."

"Go as far as you can. And if you fail to get to the top- that's all right, so long as you did your best." Erza said, nodding. "Now, go ahead- you've got school to go to."

"You'll come see me, right?" Nozomi said hesitantly. "I don't know anyone else…"

"Of course I will." Erza said, nodding. "I don't abandon my friends."

"Friends…" Nozomi mumbled. "Yes, of course… all right. I'll see you later, Erza.

And with that, Nozomi walked away, through the academy's gates, with a spirited gait, almost bouncing, skipping. She had a tomorrow to get to. It didn't make Erza feel big, didn't make her feel like a savior, but it did make her happy. She could make a difference, she knew it- and with good people like Aizen at her side, there was hope for this world after all. One day she'd wear a jacked just like his, have power just like his, and she would help everyone she could…

Well, that was a long way away. For now, paperwork awaited- reports didn't write themselves, however much she wished they would.

As the title of that chapter said, interesting developments indeed!

I've always liked Nozomi as a character. Strong, willing to fight for her friends, and has quite a bit of a backbone to her. Not to mention cute as all hell. However, despite that, I really didn't want to do a few chapters JUST do get her involved, because as much as I like HER, the arc she was in...Not so much. Not the worst filler ever, but after that reigai Momo episode...Yeah. Hope you all liked How Aizen dealt with Kageroza. One of my favorite scenes so far. :)And we finally get introduced to one of the main issues that I find with the gotie 13. Mayuri. I wont deny that the man is brilliant, no one can, and he does have the power needed to be a captain...But my god do I HATE him. Any character who abuses their own children will be a character I despise. I know he made her and all that, but...still, that's just not right! That's not even touching on the OTHER things he's done.

Also, the screams Erza heard in that laboratory...REMEMBER this. That's all Ill say for now.

Last but not least, I decided to go a bit more into detail as to how Erza's shikai works. Its a bit different from the original idea, which was just her being able to think of any close quarters weapon and her sword would turn into it. You can all thank GreatKingRat88 for the new, and in my opinion, improved, version.

Thanks for reading! Please leave any of your thoughts in a review, I LOVE hearing what people think of what we've done!