Piercing metal striking a solid surface resonated throughout the air like a bell's chime, followed by the echoing whoosh of a heavy mass flying through the air. Light blue reishi trailed its trajectory, dissipating as it approached the earth. Aizen steadied himself and caught his fall, driving his hands into the sands below as he slid backwards to offer some hope of stopping before he collided with the stones and moss-covered ground.
How many years has it been?
Trajectory finally stopped, Aizen fell to his knees, breathless once again. He struck the sand in anguish. The blow that sent him flying left him uninjured; save for his pride. Sweat pooled off of his brow as he sat prostrating himself upon the sands, brown hair sticking to his face as he lifted his head. A familiar Hollow approached him, each step casting sand aside and emitting a faint golden aura. Each step heavier than the last.
How many times had he tried to best her?
Unmarred, Koukou extended a hand towards the Shinigami knelt before her. Without taking her hand, he turned his head away from her and rose. Koukou frowned, but when she opened her mouth to speak, a deep booming voice interrupted her from the sand path nearby.
"Yo, Lady Koukou. We caught a rat."
Rymenocc stood just outside of the perimeter of the training field with blood dripping from the tip of his katana. Faint black curls shadowed his once bald head. Orange eyes pierced like burning arrows, focused only upon Koukou–unwilling to grant so much as a glimpse at the other behind her. No amount of time altered the contempt Rymenocc held towards those from the Soul Society. To accept their kind was to forgive indiscriminate murderers and executioners.
Beside him stood Nallundra, her long hair loosely tied into pigtails, each one forming a single ringlet. She acknowledged Aizen with a slight nod before her gaze shifted to match Rymenocc's. No expression upon her lips, Koukou awaited a lengthier explanation.
"We caught the damned Shinigami alive, but he's in bad shape. If we're gonna get any information out of the bastard, now would be the time." Rymenocc said without any semblance of compassion.
"Very well." As Koukou turned to leave with the large Arrancar, she spoke quiet words only Nallundra could hear. There was no need for the words to be heard for the meaning to be understood—Nallundra's agreement told all. With a nod from the rabbit-eared Hollow, Koukou and Rymenocc walked past and faded out of sight. Rymenocc spared no glance at Aizen as he disappeared along with their leader, while the other Hollow remained behind.
"I'm going to take you to Tower Vare, I need to be at the interrogation as well."
"There is no need to escort me; I am more than capable of getting to Tower Vare myself." Aizen said between clenched teeth.
"That might be true, but it would make me feel more comfortable if I escorted you." Her tone indicated that there was no room for debate. Scowling, Aizen wiped the sweat from his brow and brushed his brown hair aside as he began to follow her with reluctant steps. Nallundra offered him a sideways glance before remarking, "You've been in such a bad mood lately..."
Her words tailed off, and he offered no reply. A walk both had made many times felt endless in the unyielding silence. Passerby Hollows noticed the sour atmosphere and shifted out of sight as they passed. Even the light of Tower Vare could not brighten the darkness looming above their path.
At the faintly lit entryway leading into Tower Vare, Mizuki rushed outside beaming with a joy oblivious to the discontent. It was followed by a greeting just as chipper as the innocence radiating from him. He now stood only a head shorter than his mother; a difference highlighted by him hugging her tightly. His pink curls were cut closer to his head than they had been a few years ago but still coiled around his face as though he were an angel. Nallundra hugged him in return before the three headed inside and were met by Madorean.
"I sensed a strange Shinigami earlier. Is everything alright?" With one swift motion, he wrapped one arm around Nallundra and she leaned into the embrace and pressed her head into his cheek.
"Yes, Rymenocc kept him from escaping and I caught him. There's no need to worry." She said, "Rymenocc's troupe got a hold of him before I did, though, so there probably isn't much time to interrogate him. I need to leave if I'm going to be a part of it."
What followed was a story they each knew too well. An unspoken agreement between the Hollows that controlled Bosque Santuario to protect and watch the guest Shinigami, lest some tragedy slither its way from either the depths of Hueco Mundo or the height of the Soul Society. Madorean looked back to Nallundra before he responded, "I understand."
As Madorean and Nallundra spoke, Mizuki ran to the back room with as much speed as his little legs could muster. Shuffling of paper combined with the clanking of metal and wood came from the room before he returned with the same rush holding a wrapped scroll, offering it with a grin upon his face.
"This is for me?" Aizen lowered himself to meet Mizuki's height, a faint smile upon his face.
"Yes! Please take a look at it, I hope you like it." Mizuki said. A grin beamed with an innocence scarcely found in any realm except for in the faces of children too unaware of the worlds' cruelties.
Aizen unraveled the scroll, revealing a delicate painting of the training field. Entwined vines towered over the field, with white hyacinths blooming along their smooth surfaces. A Shinigami was depicted, but the angle was viewed from behind and a vine obscured their head. They appeared as more of an Arrancar, true identity left in obscurity. Ahead of the figure in black was an obvious depiction of Nallundra. Vines wrapped around her arm and pink hair flowing around her, as though a deity.
"Thank you, Mizuki. I'll make sure to hang it." Aizen said, the small smile on his face not receding.
Mizuki twirled his hair with his finger, the tell-tale sign of more to follow.
"Is there something you wanted to ask me?"
"Yes. I was wondering if, when I finally do get a Zanpakuto, you would train me? I see you training with everyone and you always look so cool, I want to be at least as strong as you." Both hands pressed together and head bowed, Mizuki bright blue eyes pleaded with the best attempt at humility ever offered by a tween.
"Of course. How is Rymenocc progressing on creating a replica Zanpakuto?"
"I am not sure. He told me he made a sword, but it crumbled in only a few days. He said he had more ideas, but I don't know..."
"When you do get one, I will be happy to train you," Aizen said. Mizuki hugged him in response. Regardless of how he had been feeling about the situation, the child was not a target for the darkness that cloaked Aizen's mood.
Nallundra left, but not before ruffling Mizuki's hair and caressing his forehead. Mizuki groaned, flustered, "Mom, you're embarrassing me." Embarrassment that earned a smile and wink from the pink-haired Hollow before she disappeared past the noren door.
"Little Mizuki, can you please go take care of the dishes and begin preparing the vegetables for dinner?"
A soft command from his father; Mizuki headed to the back room without a quip. Madorean and Aizen stood alone in the room on the first floor of Tower Vare in silence; Madorean painted some rainbow scene upon the canvas stationed before him. Aizen sat in front of the open hearth with a cup of water poured from the pitcher that sat upon its raised edge. He examined the scroll Mizuki had left to him, tracing each carefully constructed line with his eyes. For such a young boy, Mizuki had a spectacular talent. If he continued to progress as such, the boy would become a master painter before he even reached adulthood. With Madorean as a comparison, however, the child still had his work cut out for him. Aizen tucked the scroll into his kosode and closed his eyes.
Madorean's soft voice broke the silence some time later. "How has training been going?"
"Recently, not as well as I would have hoped. It is almost as though I have hit a ceiling." Aizen replied.
"Strange. You haven't even achieved 'Shikai' yet, have you?" Madorean asked. He meant the question to be disarming, although the hint of surprise could not be missed. The first release of a Shinigami's Zanpakuto, called 'Shikai', can take more than just a few years to achieve. Even the strongest of their kind have found mastery difficult when the spirit within the sword reveals itself to be uncooperative. Yet, this power was something all Shinigami were required to achieve less they stagnate into nothing more than fodder.
"No."
"Forgive me, but I find that difficult to believe with your strength," Madorean said. Aizen took no measure to dispel the accusation, remaining within its trailing silence.
"Arrancar and Shinigami are so different. Bylosse and Rymenocc never mention having to communicate with their swords to learn to use their abilities."
"I have noticed the same thing. It is likely due to the different ways Arrancar and Shinigami obtain their Zanpakuto. Shinigami, with few exceptions, must be given an asauchi and their soul imprints upon it as they grow. For Arrancar, their Zanpakuto is born from their true form."
"So if I became an Arrancar, my Zanpakuto's ability would turn me into something similar to my current form?"
"If my observations are correct."
"Then in some ways, becoming an Arrancar could be considered much less of any upgrade than a Shinigami learning Shikai or Bankai."
"Perhaps. But if it increases the 'ceiling' in the same way learning Shikai or Bankai does for Shinigami, then an Arrancar would be more powerful than a comparable Hollow." Aizen said.
"How does that factor in Hollows' ability to gain more power by consuming souls?" Madorean asked.
"An interesting question,"
"There was a tale of a primordial Adjuchas Hollow, called Ikomikidomoe, whose power outclassed nearly every other being in Hueco Mundo. It is said that he obtained his power exclusively by devouring souls and foregoing future evolutions." Madorean said.
"I wonder if devouring souls would increase a Shinigami's potential as well." Aizen said, curiosity leaking into his words. Madorean looked to Aizen with pure bewilderment. Even a majority of the Hollows at Bosque Santuario refused to devour souls unless it became necessary due to a lack of supplies--and that had not happened behind its walls in centuries. Therefore, the nonchalant words of the Shinigami drew a particular sense of concern from the masked humanoid. "Not that I am interested in eating Souls, of course." If it were anyone else, there may have been a sheepish expression upon his face, but Aizen maintained an indifferent air, "It is purely speculation."
Madorean maintained that expression of disbelief for a moment before easing and returning to painting.
"What became of Ikomikidomoe?"
"Nobody knows. It's said he left to attack the Soul Society one day and never returned." Following Madorean's words, there was a long pause before either spoke again.
"I would like to ask Kaisett about what we have spoken about today. She typically has some insight to offer in these matters. I'll be on my way." Aizen narrowed his eyes as he went to leave without awaiting a response.
"You need to stay here for now." Madorean said, back turned to the Shinigami.
"For what reason? I am more than capable of making it to Kaisett's." Each word dripped with disdain.
"My orders are to not allow you to wander off alone, and with Mizuki unattended I would not be able to accompany you." Madorean responded, his brush stopping.
"Are you going to stop me?" Aizen reached for his Zanpakuto and cast a piercing glare that locked with Madorean's teal eyes, their black sclera intensifying his retaliatory stare.
"If you have a problem with the order, you are welcome to address your concerns with Lady Koukou directly. Until then, yes, I would have to stop you." Madorean turned to face Aizen in totality.
"Then I will." Aizen said between clenched teeth. At that moment he considered what would be the outcome if he fought Madorean. The snake-like Adjuchas was probably of similar strength to his own: if he managed to strike first and maintain the offensive he would be able to leave. Consequences for such a decision were yet to be determined, although it was plain to see that they would be severe. Nallundra would never let him live it down; if she let him live at all. Accepting futility and deciding to put the sword away was challenging, although contempt lingered in the words that followed. "I am going to take a bath, I don't believe you will need to accompany me there. I hope ."
Madorean turned away from Aizen without a response, back towards the canvas he had been painting upon. His long tail slammed once against the stone floor as he resumed painting. Aizen exited the room through the noren to the right and went straight into the center room of the hall. Placing the scroll Mizuki had given him against the far wall, Aizen undressed, and resolved to express his discontent with Koukou's orders the next time he encountered her.
Some time later, Bylosse entered Tower Vare with a sluggish demeanor. Bewilderment and concern replaced his fatigued expression when Aizen rose from his seat, hair still damp, and spoke.
"Please bring me to Lady Koukou."
Heavy red eyes scanned every inch of Aizen's expression looking for an answer they failed to find. With a sigh, Bylosse responded.
"This is an odd request, and you appear to be upset..." – Bylosse scanned the crack in Aizen's calm expression again – "... is this about earlier? I'll take you to Lady Koukou. Come on."
With every step, the light from Tower Vare faded.