Monsters We Became { Bleach Aizen Sousuke Fanfiction }

02 - Outside, Oasis

Moonlight filtered in from holes in the sand far above. Vibrant, green moss blanketed the ground. Before them laid an oasis, or, at least, the closest thing Hueco Mundo had seen in its current state. It did not belong.

A field of rice sprawled outwards from the cobbled path. The walkway ran along the vegetation and split towards the massive lake that fed water to the crops. How strange it was, to see water below the desert. Lifeblood that should not exist. Water had been stripped from this land long ago, during its creation, and could only exist through artificial means.

The reservoir was crossed by a petrified bridge that led to a stonework azumaya. Moss crawled along the pillars of both structures, fed by the moisture below and some unknown source of nutrients. Each of the platform's eight columns bore glimmering yellow orbs. Their light bestowed life upon the still waters below—indistinguishable from the energy that now disappeared from Koukou's tail. Although, if those spheres were the only source of illumination, it would still have been night-dark in this crevice amongst the rocks.

Instead it was as bright as day.

A great amount of light radiated down from above. Not from the few breaks in the sands overhead nor the moonlight that filtered through the openings, but from a bright mass at the top of the tower beyond the bridge. The sphere loomed over an inordinate building built carved brick by carved brick against the mountain wall. Sloping roofs reached halfway to the sands above. At their extreme peak, the fake sun. Eyes watched from the open walls.

Holes dotted the mountainside at that structure's side—tunnels burrowed deep into the rock, deeper than could be seen by a passing gaze. Rudimentary doors barricaded many of the entrances. A few were even decorated with stairs and simple adornments. More evidence of life. Hollows peeked out from a few of the entryways. Several figures darted inside and slammed the doors behind, as though an attempt to hide.

Ahead of the group and past the field, lake, and tower was a massive crystalline tree. It had no visible branches with its crown far ascended into the darkness above. Wooden scaffolding surrounded the midpoint of the trunk. The spiral stairs stopped at a platform overlooking the far-side of Bosque Santuario, short of the ever-high branches. It was not a large nor wide platform, but that did not stop the masked creature that looked out from above. They scrutinized the new arrivals, special attention placed upon the outsider.

Flax ran in rows against both the path and a series of clustered buildings in the distance. Several figures in the field paused to look at the entrance when the group arrived. Some fled. Yet, the rest were focused only on the task at hand—be it drying fibers, breaking them, or combing the strands. If it weren't for the worker's bulky forms and disproportionate limbs, they could have been mistaken for hard-working humans.

Another massive tree, flickering with the same glowing lights seen at the bridge, loomed over the center of the field. The enormous trunk blocked the view of the buildings from where the group stood. As a result, it was impossible to discern how many structures slept within the quarter. Smoke rose in the distance from some fire unseen.

A final split in the path led into the obscured district, deeper into the land than the bridge. At the farthest corner, another tree slept with its canopy breaching the sands above.

"I did not think anything like this could exist inside Hueco Mundo. Even the Forest of Menos was supposed to have only sparse lichen." Each oddity reflected itself in Aizen's eyes. The moss, the lights, the water–each sight as unusual as the last.

"You're right. What you see is only possible from the combined efforts of several Hollows. It was just a split in the mountainside before we arrived." Bylosse said. The severe look he wore while in the Soul Society faded. It was replaced by something softer, although still weary and stern. There was a paradoxical kindness about him that had not existed within the Shinigami's domain.