Scarlet Symphony

Captive Justice

One thing you could always count on when it came to Sosuke Aizen was that his own emotions and responses to any kind of situation would differ to everyone else's. This was no exception. While his two subordinates tried their best to hide their surprise and shock, he was hit by a rather pleasant wave of nostalgia.

The mask completely coated the face of the occupant in question. From chin to forehead and around his cheekbones, not to mention skintight. Yet there was no visible sign of him struggling to breathe or discomfort caused by it. If that was the case, then one could only assume that this was no accessory, but a piece of him, no different than a limb. Aizen's smile grew. For a second he believed to have a situation on his hands that mirrored his antics of a hundred years ago. He could do well without another situation where is experiments were temporary husks of true Arrancar.

This was a completely different story.

Dots of light seemed to reflect off of the mask's edge. As white as the walls of Las Noches. A set of crisscrossing teeth were etched into its design, but didn't looked at is if they were usable, likely another piece of the design. Similarly, another splash of color drew they eye towards the mask. Two lines of red, no wider than a centimeter each, cascaded down the left side of the mask, one line breaking apart briefly as it was intercepted the eye engraving.

Ah yes, the eyes. While they were no less yellow from before, they had lost much of the intensity and sickness. Gone was the desire to ravage and consume, if anything all they contained was utter confusion and fatigue. Their design was also radically different, if somewhat simplistic. There was no iris, no cornea, on the two topazes that filled the darkness behind the mask. Accompanied by the crimson clot of hair, the appearance of this being certainly boggled the mind and drew the attention of spectators.

Even Gin couldn't hold a smile to this.

"Aizen-sama!"

There was the rush of many steps, and in the blink of an eye, several figures draped in white had gathered around the three. The majority wore similar uniforms, including helmets that concealed their entire faces, their design mirroring a skull. Each held their weapon at the ready, loyal soldiers ready to follow any command. At the helm of their company was a man dressed in similar garbs to Gin, minus the ludicrously large sleeves. A visor withheld his eyes from the world, much like how the world had robbed him of his sight.

Kaname Tousen held his weapon tightly; all knowing that he could unleash and return the blade to its sheath with a split number of seconds. It would only take him a breath to cut down the perceived threat that lay before him.

"My sincerest apologies for my late arrival! When I felt the reaitsu spike I came as quickly as I was able!" he apologized, head bowed to his lord.

"Not without bringing some back up I see" Gin chuckled as he observed the squadron behind him. "Are the Calaveras really necessary?" he quizzed.

Tousen turned his head sharp in Gin's direction, brow narrowed. "I feared the worst and so took precautions. Any true subordinate would have done the same in my position, at least I would hope so" he snapped back.

"Oh I don't know, I like to think I have a bit more faith in my own abilities, yet alone Aizen-taicho's" he retorted, unfazed by his remarks.

Tousen's grip on his blade tightened. Still, he refrained from resorting to more petty words. Instead, his focus remained on the figure that all gazed upon. While he was blind to his appearance, he more than anyone could feel the shifting reaitsu that coursed through the body of this newcomer. No-one knew how he saw the world, what he perceived that working eyes could not.

It was like a heart monitor. Reaitsu spiking and falling constantly while trying to find itself a rhythm to follow. He frowned and slowly unleashed his zanpakuto from its sheath.
"Is this the abomination from before?" he asked.

"In a sense" Gin responded.

"Then I shall do away with it" Tousen insisted as he took a couple of steps forward, blade ready to sever his target's head with a single stroke.

A sharp nudge came to his chest and he stopped in his tracks. Aizen lowered his hand, his eyes not leaving the being before him. He was still struggling, arms pushing against the pale sand to try and raise himself. His arms gave way on several occasions, only enough for him to reveal his chest. Lean, rippling with quiet muscle, but still absent of the hole that defined all Arrancar. Instead, that same scar stared back at all onlookers.

Slightly darker that the rest of his flesh, ingrained into the torso like a set of cracks through a landscape. An 'x' shape with one of the corners extending to the right hip.
Ragged breaths broke from the mask, a slight breaking along the mouth area allowing the air to flow out in whimpering bursts. Aizen chuckled, the same laugh he always gave when a new factor arose in life's game, a factor he would always turn to his advantage.

"There is no need for an execution Kaname" he spoke out.

Tousen nearly snapped his neck in shock when he turned to his superior. "But, my lord, it attacked Las Noches! It would have attacked you" Tousen spoke out urgently.

"And you believe it to be an honest threat against me?"

"No, but any creature that shows hostility towards you cannot be allowed to escape justice, that is why I will not allow this thing to live" Tousen responded calmly, waiting for any excuse or leniency that would allow him to cut away at the creature below him.

Aizen gave a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. If there ever was one issue that his blind subordinate would not let go it was the punishment of those that defied his will, and even worse fate awaiting those that took up arms against him.

But perhaps he had a point. His eye darted to those who had gathered around. Their loyalty was unquestionable, still, if they saw him pardon a creature that had caused such a nuisance and had resulted in a few of his soldier's deaths, it would create the slight speck of doubt. He not benevolent by any stretch of the imagination, and he knew how quickly rumors and events spread throughout Las Noches like wildfire. No, he couldn't just pardon this. But he wouldn't allow any opportunity to be wasted.

It only took him a second to come up with an alternative situation that would satisfy both parties and still serve him the distinct advantage in the long run.

"If you are truly insistent in dispensing justice Kaname…" he began.

"It is my very reason for existing Aizen-sama, one I pledge in your name. As I shall prove to you once again" Tousen said as he walked before the being and grabbed him by the throat. With minimal effort he was pulled up above the sand, gloved fingers digging into his wind pipe with the blade inches from his mask. A miniature statement on his part, after all, he was the blade that could cut through anything, a simple mask was going to be of no consequence.

"I wasn't finished talking Kaname" Aizen spoke out, his voice louder by a few decibels.

There was a sudden hush, save for the choking sounds of the being caught in Tousen's grip. Aizen's eyes narrowed, no matter the outcome, this newcomer would either provide decent entertainment, or better research material. All he had to do now was instigate it.

"You will bind him, you will escort him into Las Noches, and there you will imprison him" he said, each instruction crisp and clear. Their simplicity meant he would not tolerate anything less.

"Imprison?" Tousen repeated. The very word tasted sour on his tongue. "Aizen-sama, this creature does not deserve…"

"I decide who deserves to live and who is to die. My decision stands that this Arrancar will not die at this moment. Is that understood?" he instructed, eyes becoming sharp.

Tousen stalled for words, his weapon still raised to the Arrancar's face. With a single jerk of is arm he could spear him through the eye and be done with it. When the moment stalled for an unreasonable amount of time, a sharp sound broke the mood. All turned to see Gin clap his hands.

"Well then, best not waste anymore time out here then, I'm sure we could all do with a spot of tea after this whole debacle. Oh, you two" Gin said as he pointed out two of the Calveras. "Please assist your superior office take the captive to the Calabozo, the lowest level should suffice for our friend here" he instructed.

Aizen turned on his heels as he faced the Night Palace, his business taken care of. His smile spread as Gin finished up any loose ends in his command. Either he was exceptionally good at reading into his methods, or his own curiosity was playing up.

"Then I believe we are finished here."

Tousen bowed his head and sheathed his sword, if somewhat reluctantly. He released the Arrancar who fell to the dusty floor with a vicious thud, only to be scooped up by two of the white-clad soldiers who began to drag him towards their base of operations. The blind swordsman listened to the sound of feet being dragged through sand, and how he wished that it were the noise of blood trickling across it instead.

"Do not despair Kaname" Aizen's voice pulled him from his thoughts. The former Captain of Squad Five walked briskly towards his kingdom, satisfied with the day's events. "After all, our guest may not even last the week" he said.

A moment of silence before subordinate followed master towards their castle of the night. He tried to pry away his thoughts from the selfish act of ending the newcomer's short-life, bringing his mind some peace with a single notion. "Justice shall be delivered in the end, no matter who holds the blade."

Apacci blinked as her mistress blurred back into existence. Her blade had returned to its sheath, her arms returning to her chest, putting up that metaphorical shield once again. Her three underlings exchanged glances.

"Harribel-sama? Are you…?"

"It's been taken care of, you three are dismissed for the rest of the day" she stated as she made her way back into Las Noches. That caused some concern between the three.

"Mistress, we are perfectly willing to…" Sung-Sun tried to gently persuade her superior, but she soon found that tactic to be useless as Harribel's eyes found them, and they were cold.

"Would you rather that were an order?" she asked.

There was a frantic shaking of heads, to which she finally took her leave. The corridors of Las Noches were always darker before they got to her quarters. As she made the necessary turns towards her own private accommodation she felt her shoulders slump. That was unfair of her. Her Fraccion had simply being their duty; she was the one carrying the internal baggage.

"Reckless. Reckless and idiotic." She sighed.

Honestly, how could she have been so clumsy? She had acted on pure instinct alone. In that moment when she had sensed Aizen's presence, she had lashed out with the intention to kill. Normally she was once to analyze any situation, but nom in this case she had followed her gut instead of her mind. In the end, despite all her good intentions, all she had done was potentially lost favor with the King of Las Noches because she had interrupted an unorthodox experiment.

"It's something that Grimmjow would do," she sighed, making her shoulders slump even more. She needed an evening to herself to quietly vent all these annoyed emotions out of her system. Come tomorrow she would be calm, cool and collected.

She couldn't say the same for that Arrancar.

Aizen relaxed into the seat that was reserved for the greats, the Throne of Las Noches. He only ever sat in one of three places. Either in his private chambers, at the head of the Espada in the Meeting Room, and finally here. In this particular spot, he towered over everything and everyone else. Everything beneath him had to look to towards the heaven if they wanted to catch his gaze.

Well, most individuals.

"So that was an interesting afternoon" Gin chuckled as he appeared beside the throne. His minimal wounds had been treated, but the recoil damage from so much Shunpo zigzagging would leave him sore for a couple days. "Stubborn Hollow" he had thought aloud as he massaged his shoulder.

"You're involvement was an essential factor. This little experiment could prove to be most amusing" Aizen stated as he leaned back against his seat of white marble. "That is why you are going to monitor him."

Gin's eyebrow perked up. "You want me to play prison warden?"

"I want you to be my eyes. You've placed him in a corner of which very few can escape. Observe and report any relevant data" he instructed, leaning on his hand.

"If he wakes up, you mean?" Gin added.

"If he succumbs, then Kaname will have his justice, and we won't have to waste our time with a fruitless project. Understand?" Aizen asked.

A long yawn parted from Gin's lips. "Well, it would be nice to put my feet up. I accept this integral mission with all of my being" he smirked as used Shunpo to disappear from sight. As soon as he left Aizen allowed his own chuckle to escape.

"Let's hope that you bear fruit"

Gin practically leapt onto the seat in the monitor room. A multitude of screens and controls were layered about the room. Every inch of Las Noches could be monitored from here. Save for Aizen's quarters of course. But perhaps that was a blessing in disguise. No one wanted to see their omnipotent God commit sins in the dead of night beneath his sheets.

Leaning back on the very comfy leather chair, Gin flicked a single switch that showed him the entirety of the Calabozo. The various chambers and cells that descended from the foundations of the palace all the way through the darkness of Hueco Mundo's earth.

Casually rotating one of the panels, the camera began to flicker in and out of different scenes as it zoomed across the different areas of Las Noches' prison. Finally it focused on a single room. The only light could seen was from the camera itself, after all, the deepest level of Carabozo was well known for its heavy darkness, vast humidity and claustrophobic environment. From the night vision that the camera allowed, Gin managed to make out the unmoving body of the occupant. Hanging from the ceiling, wrists in chains, had hung low. Only the shallowest of breaths escaped him.

The all too familiar sound of metal bending arose in the monitor room, as Gin opened his first bottle of sake of the evening. He took a long sip and raised a toast to the screen.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me pal. Try not to die, I want to kill a couple of days in here."