Husband to None and Father to One.

So…yeah I kind of got bored with some of my other stories and while browsing for some good stories about Aizen, I thought…'Why are so many of Aizen's fanfics yaoi in nature?' Needless to say I decided to build on this one a little bit. I have several ideas laid out, but is there anything specific you would like to see? If there is let me know and I'll see if it can be fit in. Otherwise, please read and enjoy this expanded version of my former one-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Normal Speech"

"Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks"

'Inner Speech / Thoughts'

"Zanpakuto Speech"

XXX

Chapter 1:

"Otou-san, look what I found!" a five year old boy with vivid orange hair and bright brown eyes called out, running up to his father. Setting his brush down, a man that looked to be in his early twenties, with kind brown eyes and wavy, medium length brown hair, stood and scooped the energetic boy up, into his arms.

"Oh? What is this?" he asked the boy, smiling as his son hid his treasure within his cupped hands. Coaxing the boy's fingers apart, he watched as a fragile looking black butterfly with crimson markings on its wings, rested calmly on the boy's palm.

"Pretty!" he shouted happily, thrusting the creature right under his father's nose.

"Yes it is, why don't you go show kaa-san okay?" the man said gently as he set the boy down on the ground, watching as he ran off shouting for his mother. Chuckling as he followed after the boy, he traced his steps through their comfortable home, ending in the small kitchen. Staring at the scene, he felt his heart lighten at the sight in front of him.

A young woman in her late teens or early twenties kneeled down next to the boy, her crimson kimono accentuating her curvaceous figure. She had tanned skin and stormy grey eyes, features in stark contrast to her equally vivid short orange hair. Her tanned fingers flitted gently over both creature and child, drawing a giggle from the boy at his mother's ministrations. "That's so pretty, where did you find it?" she cooed at the boy, ruffling his hair.

"Near the river," the boy replied, noticing his father in the doorway. "Kaa-san liked it!"

"I knew she would," he replied, moving over and wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. Feeling her rest her head against his chest, he sighed in content.

"Aizen-sama?" she said, puzzling him. She never called him by his family name or added the suffix sama before. "Aizen-sama?" she repeated again, fading away as his body was briefly shaken.

Opening his eyes to the world again, Sosuke blinked owlishly and stared as Tosen shook his shoulder again.

"Yes Kaname what is it?" he asked in his casual tone, his mind still walking amongst his past.

"It's my shift now," Tosen replied, stepping back and gesturing to one of the many screens in front of Sosuke. "You should get some rest."

Nodding his head with a sigh, he pushed his chair back and turned away and headed out of the room, retreating to his own Division's barracks.

XXX

"I'm sorry Aizen-san, I don't know what happened, but I tried to treat him as best as I could," an elderly woman said as she led a stricken-faced Sosuke deeper into her home. As she slid back the wooden door, he felt his heart crack down the middle at the sight before him.

His son; his strong, beautiful boy lay face up on a futon, his body wrapped in bandages that were stained with gore. His once flawless skin was marred by black and blue bruises and various burns, each widening the crack bit by bit. Kneeling next to him, he took his son's hand with a heavy heart, feeling tears pour down his face and sobs fight their way free of his throat.

Hearing the sound, his nineteen year old son cracked an eye open and smiled up at his father. "Tou-san…you're back," he said in a quiet tone, his voice hoarse from the cut to his throat.

"Shh, you shouldn't try to speak for now, I'll…I'll get you to a healer, just please conserve your strength," he pleaded with his son, his grip tightening around his son's deathly pale hand.

"I tried to stop them tou-san…" the boy coughed out, his chest heaving painfully and a red splotch appeared on the stained white cloth indicating that a wound had reopened. "But I was…too weak to do anything…to them."

"No! You were never too weak," he said sharply. "They were the weak ones for attacking a woman and child." Hearing his son laugh lightly, he winced as the laughs turned into violent, wracking coughs. Trying to still his son, he found his son's hand clasped on his shoulder.

"They…they took kaa-san alive tou-san," he gasped out. "You have to…you have to save her. It's too late for me…but please…save her!" Seeing his son take one more pained breath, he watched helplessly as his body fell back onto the futon, his eyes utterly lifeless. Feeling his heart shatter completely, he broke down, sobbing and cursing at the top of his voice, his tears staining the crimson cloth.

Jolting awake, Sosuke's chest heaved heavily as he shook off the pain and horror of his nightmare. Looking out as the sun rose over the horizon; he gritted his teeth and stormed out of his room, grabbing his haori and glasses as he went.

'Never again! I will not lose my son again!' he thought vehemently, checking the reports on the ryoka incursion that had just come in.

XXX

As Sosuke found his zanpakuto blocked by a black daito, he felt his breath catch in his throat at the person in front of him. His mind was in disarray as he took in the orange locks that fluttered in the breeze, to the piercing brown eyes that stared back in defiance of death. Seeing the confident smirk that emboldened his allies and frustrated his enemies, pleased him, despite his blank expression.

"Sorry about that Captain Aizen," Gin said as he stood behind the man. "I sensed that kid coming, but thought I should do nothing for the time being."

'In the end, it was a good thing that you ignored him Gin,' Sosuke thought as he stared at Ichigo, Renji and Rukia bicker with one another. "It doesn't matter Gin. Whether I need to crush one ant or two, there is no difference to me," he said in even tone, watching as the pair of them raised their blades at him.

'Still the rebellious child that refused to back down no matter the odds…how comforting to know that still holds true,' he thought as he effortlessly blocked Renji's Higa Zekko. Sighing to himself, he caught Ichigo's blade with a single finger and barely flinched as he heard his blade cry out in horror as it sliced into the teenager's torso.

'Hush Kyoka, this will all be over soon,' he placated her, hearing a soft murmur of understanding. Looking at the boy as he collapsed to the ground, he felt a pang of guilt for raising his hand against him, but brushed it off in light of his current situation. Flash stepping away, he cut down Renji effortlessly, before walking towards Rukia and lifting her up by her collar. Seeing her body shake in fear, he couldn't help but smirk at her.

"I see being hit by my reiatsu has sent you into paralysis," he taunted her. "Well that is to be expected after everything you've been through after all." Hearing the sounds of struggling and raspy breaths, he turned to Ichigo's prone body, his eyes widening as the boy tried to prop himself up on his elbows.

'Please just stay down Ichigo-kun. I don't want to have to raise my blade against you again,' he thought pleadingly, his mind racing as Ichigo raised himself up onto one elbow.

As luck would have it, Captain Komamura chose that moment to arrive on the scene, forcing him to defend himself from this new arrival. Clutching the canine Captain's blade between his fingers, he couldn't help but wonder how so many of them made the rank of Captain, when they allowed their emotions to dull their blade so much.

"It's been a while since I've seen your true appearance Komamura-kun," he remarked, watching the Seventh Division Captain's face contort in anger. Filtering out the man's rant about his betrayal and other nonsense, he tapped into Kyoka's power and slipped past the Captain's defences. "Hado no. 90, Kurohitsugi," he chanted in a soft voice, while black energy, tinted with purple arced around his fingertips. Soon a black box formed around his fellow Captain and mercilessly impaled him with barbs of black energy.

"Now where was I? Oh yes, dear Rukia you have something that I need from you. Sadly it seems as if Ichigo and the others were just as capable at stopping your execution as I thought. Now I'm glad that I spent all that time searching for this," he said as he withdrew a thin purple cylinder from within the folds of his shihakusho and popped the top of it.

As the gas filled the area around them, his hand turned a sickly green and several spiked pillars erupted from the ground. Thrusting his hand into her torso, he extracted the Hogyoku from her soul.

'Such a small object that holds such immeasurable power,' he thought, watching in surprise as Rukia's soul was unharmed in the removal.

"Kisuke Urahara has truly outdone himself with this technique," he commented out loud, hearing Ichigo gasp in surprise. "I'm assuming that he failed to tell you the full extent of your mission here then," he said with some bitterness in his tone. "It is to be expected since the man is also a master manipulator. Allow me to explain it to you quickly and simply."

Before he could utter another sentence though, he felt a new reiatsu signature above him and several others approaching him. "It seems as if we have company. Very well my tale will have to wait," he said as he flash stepped to stand at Ichigo's side. Barely a moment later, he felt Sui-Feng's blade nipping into his throat, while Yoruichi sealed his blade within its sheath. Looking around him, he could see the rest of the Captains and Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 arrive, 'capturing' him and his subordinates.

"It's over for you Aizen," Yoruichi said with her eyes narrowed at him, making him chuckle at her naivety. "What's so funny?!" she hissed at him, her eyes sparking in fury.

"Ah my apologies," he said with a smile, "but it is time for me to leave now."

"GET AWAY FROM HIM SUI-FENG!" Yoruichi yelled at her, escaping just in time as the negacion came down on the traitor. To her horror though, it trapped Ichigo in there with him, preventing any attempt at rescuing the boy from his clutches.

"I see you understand the gravity of the situation Yoruichi Shihoin," he said in a neutral tone, looking back at Ichigo, who was equally surprised at the turn of events. As the garganta tore open and the Gillians poured out of it, he felt the ground below him crack and start to rise slowly. "I would like to give my thanks, to all of you, for granting me two very special gifts. I have gained a powerful artefact and at the same time, a remarkable 'test subject'," he said, supressing the grimace that threatened to form at his choice of words. Rest assured, I will treat the both of them, with the utmost care."

Reaching the top of the pillar, he hefted Ichigo's body over his shoulder, being careful not to aggravate the boy's injuries any further.

"The next time we face each other," he said as he turned to face them, crushing his glasses and sweeping his hair back. "It will be when I ascend to the throne of heaven. Spend what time you have left wisely until then."

Hearing the garganta shut behind him, he began his trek to Hueco Mundo, still carrying the now unconscious body of the substitute soul reaper.

"Do ya need a hand Captain Aizen?" Gin asked as he walked next to him, pointing to the boy on his shoulders.

"Thank you Gin, but no. It is only a short walk there after all," Sosuke replied, keeping with his brisk pace.

"Forgive me Aizen-sama," Tosen spoke up as they neared the exit of the garganta. "But why did you bring the boy with?"

"As I said before Kaname," he replied, not bothering to turn around and face him. "He will make an interesting test subject." 'Not that either of you need to know the truth about it anyway,' he amended, entering the throne room of Las Noches.

"Welcome back Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra said with a bow, when the four of them appeared. "I trust that your plan was a success then?"

"Yes, it even surprised me with its effectiveness," he answered his most loyal arrancar so far. "I trust things have been stable in my absence."

"Of course Aizen-sama," Ulquiorra repeated, his eyes staring blankly at Ichigo, fooling everyone but Aizen with regards to his curiosity. "I have managed to find one potential Vasto Lorde that will be of interest to you and have confirmed his current location."

"Excellent work Ulquiorra," Sosuke said as he set Ichigo's unconscious body down on the ground. "Now I must ask that the three of you leave me please. I need to get to work on this one."

"Of course," the three of them echoed, heading out of the throne room and closing the door behind them. Once he was sure that he wasn't being watched, he let his fearless façade fall away and allowed his worry to cover his face.

"Is he going to be okay?" Kyoka Suigetsu asked him, her mind fragile after tearing into the boy.

'If I act quickly, yes,' he replied, pulling his own Hogyoku from his shihakusho and holding it in front of him.

Fusing it with his own reiatsu, he watched as the purple sphere reached out and engulfed Ichigo's prone form, bathing the throne room in a brilliant purple light. As it began its work, Ichigo's body shook in agony and a scream escaped his throat, the unearthly sound sending shivers down his spine as it rang through the entirety of the fortress.

XXX

All around the fortress, the various inhabitants reacted curiously to the reiatsu permeating the fortress. In his room Gin was puzzled at why Aizen was converting the boy so soon, but brushed it off since it wouldn't affect his own plans in any foreseeable way at the moment.

XXX

Ulquiorra had acquired a far off look in his eye as he felt the boy's reiatsu signature vary greatly. When he had first seen him, he felt the traces of hollow reiatsu permeating him, but now the feeling was completely different, almost as if something was seeking to rid him of that element.

XXX

Back in the throne room, the light died down, revealing Ichigo unharmed and healed, clad in his shihakusho with a sealed silver zanpakuto gripped tightly in his hands. Struggling to his hands and knees, the boy remained crouched down on all fours while he tried to regain his breath.

"Ichigo?" Sosuke asked hesitantly, seeing the boy's ears prick up at his voice. Fearing that the transformation had failed, he tensed up in anticipation.

When the boy's brown eyes finally met his own, he could see them soften slightly, while a smile formed on his face.

"Tou-san, it's good to see you again," Ichigo replied, struggling to his feet and almost collapsing in Sosuke's arms. Wrapping his unwilling arms around his father, he felt the man stiffen under his touch.

"It really is you Ichigo," Sosuke sighed as he returned the embrace, his arms tightening around the boy as his fears diminished somewhat, while he felt Kyoka Suigetsu jumping for joy within his inner world.

"Of course it's me? Who else could I be?" he asked incredulously while Sosuke's body shook with laughter. "What's happened to put you in this state tou-san? In fact why do you look so different? And where's kaa-san? She was always practically hanging off your hip." Seeing his father fall silent, Ichigo grew fearful and clasped his father's shoulders.

"Otou-san, what's wrong?" he asked as Sosuke's eyes filled with tears.

"I failed you both Ichigo," he said as he sunk into his throne, his head in his hands. "You died in my arms over two hundred years ago and only recently did I find your soul's reincarnation. That is why I look so different and would explain my current mental state," he explained, regaining some of his composure.

"And kaa-san?" Ichigo asked, already knowing that news was going to be horrible.

"She…she passed away too Ichigo. Executed by Sokyoku and removed permanently from the cycle of souls," Sosuke answered him, catching him just as the boy's legs gave out again and tears began to pour from his eyes.

"B-But why?" Ichigo sobbed, his mind struggling to understand why something would happen to his mother, a woman that was always kind to others and a shining example to him of all that was good in the world.

"I don't know why Ichigo-kun," Sosuke continued, doing his best to comfort his son. "The records were erased from the Great Spirit Library, as well as the forbidden archives under the Captain Commander's care. All I know for sure is that it was done under the Spirit King's orders."

"But kaa-san was always so…" Ichigo trailed off, unable to finish the sentence as a woman in her late thirties appeared in his mind, her spiky orange hair in stark contrast to her grey eyes and red kimono. Remembering the one time he asked her why her eyes were different to his own, while their hair was so similar, she laughed and told him that he inherited the best bits of his parents, that being her hair and his father's brown eyes.

Looking up at the man again, he stood on his own and offered him a small smile to assure him that he was fine.

"What are you going to do then?" he asked, watching as his father's features darkened and he returned to his throne.

"I plan to take away everything that the Spirit King holds dear," his father whispered venomously, surprising Ichigo at his tone.

"I won't try to deter you from that path, but kaa-san was never one to respond to violence, with more violence. Do you think she would forgive you?" he asked, seeing Sosuke's shoulders slump.

"Your mother can never feel anything ever again Ichigo," he said sternly, making Ichigo wince at his tone. "At this point it is irrelevant how she feels about my actions."

"Of course tou-san, sorry for asking you so callously," Ichigo said with his head bowed, relaxing when he felt his father's hand run through his hair, ruffling it like he used to.

"Don't bow to me like that Ichigo," he said softly. "I just got you back after two hundred years. I doubt I could be mad at you at all over the next few years."

"So what will you do now and what do you want me to do?" Ichigo asked, still reeling from having his memory restored to his past life.

"For now…rest Ichigo," Sosuke said as he stood and led Ichigo out of the throne room and to his wing within Las Noches. Opening the door to the room across from his to a room, he led Ichigo inside. "There will be plenty of time to discuss what happened later. My room is across from yours; do not hesitate to come speak to me if needed." Watching his son walking into the room, dragging his feet as he walked, he suppressed the smile that threatened to spread across his face and watched him slump down onto the King-size bed.

'I only hope that you will not be casualty of this vendetta of mine,' he thought to himself, closing the door behind him and retreating to his own chambers.

XXX

So some subtle yet profound changes if you ask me and overall, I think it's a lot better this time round. Just a note, the reason why Ichigo was slightly confused after his 'transformation', is because Aizen is suppressing the knowledge of his death for now.

So what did you think about it? Let me know please.