Monsters We Became { Bleach Aizen Sousuke Fanfiction }

13 - Into Revelations

"The troop of Hollows sent to the Soul Society has been all but eradicated." Madorean said with dread in his voice, uncomfortably set across the table from Koukou. She rose from a half lain position on the couch with a frown and tucked her legs under her form, attention turned towards the Hollow hidden behind a waterfall of black hair.

"Tell me what happened."

—

Kaisett sat half slumped across the scratched table. Once dark feathers lacked their original luster and density; dark skin and scales were bleached grey in patches. Despite her haggard appearance the mask that covered her face was pristine, but that did nothing to stave the shaking of her hands as she wrote upon a slice of parchment in front of her – ruining the brushstrokes that had once been eloquent such that they now bordered on illegible.

Realizing the futility of her efforts, Kaisett placed the brush down, lowered her head, and offered a sideways glance to the steady-handed man beside her. Even though her eyes were clouded-over and her pupils unfocused, she was content to gaze over the unbroken focus with which Aizen wrote. It was a sight that she enjoyed despite the relative infrequency of its occurrence. After all, even though he visited Bosque Santuario almost every week, most of that time was spent training with the others.
That was still more frequent and longer in duration than any visit the others ever offered – not that it would have been welcomed. Soujimaru was the only one who ever took interest in her writing, the disorganized mess of a creature that he was. More often than not, he lost, scattered, or stained the pages. It made her appreciate the orderliness of the Shinigami and was one of many reasons her words were kinder when spoken to him.

"What are you writing, Shinigami?" Guttural and raspy, it sounded as though Kaisett's vocal chords were as decayed as her outward appearance. Each word was spoken with stark pause.

"A gift." He answered without looking up. Unusual, considering the formality with which Aizen carried himself, but Kaisett paid it no mind. After all, it was still an improvement from the others.

"Writing... a gift? For whom?" Kaisett asked.

Instead of an answer, he replied with another question. "Do Hollows remember their past lives?"

"Some do." Words fell from her mouth and into the air.

"Do you, Kaisett?" He asked.

"No. I died before... before I could form many memories. Some Hollows died while they were mere children. They never had a chance to live. Bosque Santuario... it... it is the only home they have ever known." Kaisett said with a somber tone that differed from the emotionless way in which she normally spoke. Aizen narrowed his eyes and offered a sideways glance, breaking focus from the text in front of him temporarily. There were no words to offer.
Long after Aizen finished writing and Kaisett finally returned to her own work, the door leading to the outside slid open. It was Koukou, Soujimaru, and Nallundra and they entered with a purpose. Soujimaru was draped in a green cloak that hid his face, leaving only a disheveled golden braid and the tips of the horns from his mask visible.
"Lady Koukou. There is something important we must discuss." Kaisett raised from her seat with impossible speed for a creature of her size. But there was an unmistakable tremble in those thin legs that matched a waver in her voice and differed from the spreading decay.

"Yes. Please lead the way." Koukou said. Half as quickly as she had risen from her seat, Kaisett brushed past the noren leading to the dark stairway below and descended into its depths.

"You are welcome to join us if you would like, Aizen." She said as she descended the steps, Nallundra and Soujimaru behind.

Aizen followed them down the stairs, past the noren door and into an underground room. It was the first time he'd descended those steps tucked into the back of the small library, although it would not be the last. A change in the air made him cough. Deep below the sands of Hueco Mundo and the forgotten realm below the air became eerily dry, as though all life had been stripped from its essence– more so than the rest of the building and civilization. At the end of the stairway, the pathway opened to a large room, much taller and more spacious than the room above. Unlike the vast majority of buildings in Bosque Santuario, this room's floors and walls were carved from the same gray stone as the mountainside, darker and more irregular. It absorbed the little light offered by the three lanterns in the room.