A doubtful Statement

"You've come with a proposal?"

Shunsui's office was large, with a desk situated in the center overseeing the Seireitei through a long, sweeping window across the narrow room.

"I have… A rather generous one, as well."

"Hmm," he sighed, rubbing his beard. "What did you have in mind? We're in dire straits at the moment..."

It was natural they'd accept any help, but if it came with strings attached? A bar of gold was most definitely alluring, but if there were silver chains attached to them, held up by a bank or some other unknown entity. Was the gold still as appealing as before?

People would openly accept help, but if there was an ulterior motive hidden beneath the layers altruism, they'd likely have seconds thoughts. That said, there was nothing wrong with hearing someone out.

"Go on," he said. "Have at it."

"I need access to two private areas of the Seireitei. I also need to speak with one of your Captains," I muttered. "The first is the 8th Level of your underground prison, Muken."

"That's quite a dangerous place, Arrancar."

He wasn't lying. Muken was home to Sōsuke Aizen, former Captain of the Fifth Division. A man well-known throughout Hueco Mundo and the Seireitei for staging a coup d'état against the Soul-Society.

"Is it possible?" I asked. "Preferably, I'd prefer to enter alone."

"Something like that isn't possible, I'm afraid. Currently, there are two Captain's down there as we speak. Sōsuke Aizen is also a rather precarious individual." As Shunsui finished his sentence, he stuck a hand behind into his Shihakushō.

'Oh.... That's a pain.'

I'd hoped this hadn't happened yet, but I was bound to trip up and fall eventually. Everything had gone almost too well up until now. A roadblock or two in my path wasn't unexpected, and almost made me feel a little better. Up until now, everything had felt so surreal, leaving me in a constant state of nausea.

"The key to Muken was recently stored in my heart… I'd planned on speaking with that man tomorrow."

"I see…. That' fine. The presence of a man like you wouldn't hurt," I replied, accepting his compromise.

"Before we move on. What is it you had to offer the Seireitei? I'm sure you'll understand, but we can't just have you strutting around the Seireitei without anything in return."

He was quick to move on. Sōsuke Aizen was likely a sour topic here in the Seireitei, so it was only natural. I didn't even want to speak about the man myself.

"So long as I can speak with Hirako Shinji and access somewhere else, I could potentially annihilate the entirety of the Quincy army. "

I'd dropped a bombshell on the Captain-General. This proposal was incredibly generous. Both sides would get what they want, but, like most things, it just wasn't that simple. Whether or not I could actually do such a thing was fully up for debate. Annihilating such a monstrous army like the Wandenreich was much easier said than done.

"That's not something you should go throwing around, Arrancar." Shunsui said, his tone growing cold. "And, might I add, what would speaking with Sōsuke Aizen and Captain Hirako have to do with such a thing?"

I went to reply to him, but quickly cut myself off. Explaining myself in the open would likely have been a mistake. Unbeknownst to the Soul-Reapers, the Quincy were far closer than they realized. Whether or not they could hear me wasn't something I knew, but it was entirely possible they could be listening from the shadows.

"What I'm asking for isn't much. Granting me access to Muken and the Aristocrat district isn't much of an ask. Besides, Captain Hirako should be close by."

Shunsui soon had a confused expression on his face, as if I'd just told a joke. Was my proposal that amusing to him? Did I misjudge?

"Mhm. You have some odd requests, and in exchange, you'll attempt to annihilate the entirety of the Quincy?" Shunsui chuckled. "You're quite funny, Arrancar."

Nanao chimed in a moment later, "I disagree, Captain. What this man is asking for is hardly of concern. Whether or not he can do such a thing is up for debate, but granting him access to his requests is hardly an issue."

"Nanao… You're cute when you object, you know?"

She had a look of disgust on her face, Shunsui's inappropriate remark quickly backfiring. "What's wrong with you?"

A smile crept up my face as I watched them bicker away. Observing Nelliel and Grimmjow argue had numbed my brain a little too much for comfort, so this was definitely a breath of fresh air.

"I suppose accompanying me on my trip down tomorrow wouldn't be an issue, but what could you possibly want with Captain Hirako and the Aristocrat district?"

"That… I think it'd be better if I didn't tell you," I said under my breath, averting my eyes to the sweeping window.

I didn't want to do it. It felt wrong. No. It was wrong. There wasn't anything morally just about what I was doing.

Ironically, though, this might have been the most altruistic thing I'd done to date. Something I'd tried to uphold my entire life, sacrificing my needs for the sake of others. Now, I'd all but sacrificed that as a means of returning, and here I was, making moves like this.

This decision had me conflicted. On one end, it was a noble, morally correct thing to do. But, a coin had two sides, and the other was far less admirable. This other side was likely the most selfish, abhorrent thing I could possibly do.

"I won't ask… While I do wish to uphold a certain degree of respect in the Seireitei, I don't believe doing so in the midst of a war is necessary," Shunsui said. "You'll have full access to the Aristocratic District, but I will appoint a guide."

"I'm grateful, Captain-General."

"Mhm.... I still have my doubts, but I'm willing to take a risk. That is all we can do at the moment."

The first invasion had truly been a kick in the teeth for the Soul-Reapers. Among the many deaths and injuries, the loss of the previous Captain-General and the stolen Bankai was an astronomical defeat.

"If you'll wait here, I'll have a guide and Captain-Hirako come as soon as possible," Nanao said, walking out the office with Shunsui.

He glanced back as he left the room, "I'll see you tomorrow, Arrancar."

I didn't say anything back, only nodding as my body relaxed itself. My shoulders slumped as the door shut, my knees giving in as I fell to the floor. Maintaining composure beneath that man's spiritual pressure was the hardest thing I'd ever had to endure.

'Was he testing me…?'

It didn't matter. Whether or not he was testing wasn't of concern anymore. Gaining access to Muken was the first step and had been achieved. I'd planned on breaking in and speaking to the man if he'd denied my request, but that wasn't necessary anymore. Breaking the law here was already something I was going to have to do, pushing my luck wasn't worth the risk.

The same could be said for the Aristocratic District. I no longer needed to sneak in or battle to my goal, it was now resting at the tip of my fingers.

'Glad I don't have to track that guy down, as well… I thought, an image of Shinji appearing in my head.'

Having finished talking to myself, I stood up and glanced out at the Seireitei. Unlike Hueco Mundo, it was beautiful, even while lathered in craters and smoke. Thousands of years of culture and history were spread out before me, the efforts of those who walked its streets etched into the very foundation of this universe. My Earth didn't have such a thing. There were few who truly cared for humans. How ironic was that? People were so selfish they only cared about themselves, and not the entirety of their race. Something like that was truly baffling to me, even despite my current situation.

'None of these people are real… It's all a mistake. I just need to leave.'