He looked at the orange head in front of him and chuckled. "I must say, Kurosaki-kun, you did an exceptional job infiltrating my base. Would you mind telling me how you found out about my most secret section in this huge mansion?"
"If you truly wish to know, then I would like to confess that I had a part in it," said a low, cold voice.
Aizen slightly turned his head to see Byakuya walked down the stair behind him with his five personal bodyguards. He couldn't help but chuckle again at the sight. "I never would have imagined that the Kuchiki-sama would find out about my underground business and tell it to the authority. You are aware this is putting your sister in more danger," he said, shoving the gun harder against Rukia's head.
Ichigo, after seeing the gun being shoved against his beloved's head, was about to run forward had it not been for Kenpachi who threw his arm in front of the orange head.
The bloodlust man whispered in a threatening tone, "If you take one more step you'll end up not only ruining this mission but also losing your woman. So stay still and be patient."
Ichigo knew he couldn't argue against the bigger man but still felt the hatred towards Aizen wanting to burst out. So he clenched his hands into tight fists, knowing full well his nails were drawing out some blood. Still, this was helping him keep his cool…to an extent.
Aizen grinned. "Come on, Kurosaki-kun. Why listen to that big oaf when dear Rukia-chan here is in such a disheveled state."
"Shut up," Kenpachi growled, "Let the woman go. There's no way you can escape this situation."
"You sure about that?" Aizen grinned, "I have a lot more tricks up my arms than you think."
Kenpachi felt a twitch coming on his left eye. "You just don't know when to quit, now do you?"
Aizen chuckled. "You should know by now that I'm always prepared for everything." While keeping his arm still around Rukia, he lifted his hand slightly and snapped his fingers.
The lights suddenly went off.
"WHAT THE FUCK?"
"What's going on?"
"Somebody get some light in here!"
Several flashlights were turned on and surveyed the room. The different men who were there to buy weapons from Aizen were still on the ground as well as some of Aizen's men, but…
"Where are Aizen and Rukia?" Ichigo asked.
Flashlights flashed around the room but Aizen and Rukia were nowhere to be seen. And two of his bodyguards were also missing.
"RUKIA?" Ichigo screamed.
"What the fuck?" Kenpachi yelled.
Byakuya walked forward towards where Ichigo, Kenpachi and Hitsugaya were standing. "What's going on?"
"I have no idea," Hitsugaya replied, scratching his head, "That bastard must have had a back-up plan in case something like this happened."
Ichigo groaned, rubbing his face. "And he took Rukia with him."
"Ara, looks like we're in a sticky situation again."
Everyone looked around the dark room, trying to figure out where the fourth voice was coming from. Hitsugaya and Byakuya shone their flashlight towards one corner of the room where Yoruichi were sitting on top of a huge box, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"What the—how did you get in here?" Kenpachi asked.
Yoruichi chuckled. "I know more about this place then you ever will." She jumped off the box and walked over to Ichigo. "Where's the map I gave you?" Ichigo blinked at the older woman for a few seconds, her presence making the situation even more confusing. He only got back his senses when Yoruichi smacked him over the head to bring him back from his thoughts. Quickly reaching into his back pocket, Ichigo grabbed the map and handed it over to her. After receiving it, Yoruichi unfolded the piece of old paper and showed the others the map before pointing to a specific point on the map. "They most likely would have gone here."
Ichigo looked down to where Yoruichi was pointing and saw that she was pointing to a huge lake located several meters away from the mansion. "What's here?"
"There's a hidden passage that leads to the docks," she pointed along a small line from where they were to the lake, "And he most likely will board a boat by this dock and get out of here."
"Where does the lake lead off to?" Hitsugaya asked.
"This lake is several miles long. He is most likely cutting through the lake to get to the other side. From there I expect Tosen, his personal driver, to be waiting for him," she explained.
"How can we catch up to them?" Ichigo asked.
Yoruichi smirked. "Didn't I tell you we'd help out?" Just as she was about to walk away, Kenpachi quickly grabbed her upper arm and spun her around to face him. "What?" she smirked up at the big man, "You really shouldn't play so roughly with a housewife. My husband won't like it much."
"Che," Kenpachi snorted, "I'm not interested in you." He paused for a few seconds, eyeing the woman who never flinched as he glared down at her with his one good eye. "But I would like to know who you are, how you know so much, and why you're helping."
Yoruichi's smirk slowly faded as she glared back at the man. "You're asking way too many questions when you should just be grateful that I'm helping you."
"She's right," Hitsugaya yanked Kenpachi's grip off of Yoruichi's arm, "Ask questions later; we need to go catch Aizen first."
Kenpachi reluctantly looked away and yelled at his men. "I want thirty of you to stay here and arrest these bastards," he pointed to the men on the floor, "The rest of you follow me!"
"Hai!" They all saluted.
As everyone started moving, Ichigo and Byakuya stood silently, staring straight at Yoruichi who was staring back at them.
Renji was about to exit the cellars when he noticed Ichigo wasn't moving. "Oi, Ichigo! Let's go!"
Ichigo got out of his trance and looked over at Renji. "Right," he nodded, quickly following his friend out of the cellars.
But Byakuya was still staring at Yoruichi, a small sign of amusement on his stern face. "I'm surprised to see it's really you."
Yoruichi smirked. "It's good to see you too, Bya-kun. It's been a little more than twenty years, right?"
Byakuya ignored her comment and immediately asked his question instead. "Are you going to tell the authority about your husband's relationship with the Aizen's?"
Yoruichi shrugged her shoulders as she walked past him and towards the exit. "We'll see."
Rukia struggled to keep in stride with Aizen as he dragged her out of the underground passage with two bodyguards walking on either side of them. "Where are we going?"
"I wouldn't ask too many questions if I were you, Rukia-chan," Aizen spoke back to her without turning around.
As soon as they came out of the tunnel, Rukia could hear the sound of waves not too far away. They made their way through the grove of trees when they sudden came out into a clearing.
Before them, floating on top of the huge lake, was Gin, smiling menacingly on a speed boat.
"How'd it go?" Gin asked,
Aizen only yanked Rukia forward to Gin who effortlessly caught her and pulled her into the boat.
"I'm guessing that means the party was stopped before anything could really start," Gin's smirk lowered.
Aizen went to the back and crossed his arms as he sat down. "Just go."
Gin handed Rukia off to someone else on the boat before getting behind the wheel. Rukia watched from the side as Aizen was hidden behind Gin who pulled the boat out from the docks and into the large lake.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
Gin looked at her and smiled. "You've been very talkative today, Kuchiki-chan. Just be still and you'll see."
Rukia tried to pull her arms out of the bodyguard's grasp who was behind her. "Why don't you just let me go? What else do you need me for?"
At that moment Aizen looked up, but instead of wearing the distraught expression he just had on, he was smirking again. "What makes you think the game's over?" Rukia stepped back, bumping into the man chest, as Aizen stood up and walked towards her. Aizen bent down and held Rukia's chin between his forefinger and thumb, lifting up her face closer to his. "In due time you'll come to understand why I still need you with me."
Rukia glared at the man in front of her. "What makes you think you can get away with this?"
"I have confidence," Aizen shrugged.
Just then the radio by Gin started screeching. "'Psch—screech'…This is Tosen speaking."
Gin picked up the intercom and replied. "This is Gin."
"I'm waiting for you by dock 34, but there seems to be a problem."
Aizen quickly went over and yanked the radio out of Gin's grasp. "What problem?" he asked, suddenly worried.
"There seems to be cops near this vicinity as well. There's the possibility that others might be following you so please hurry. I will contact you if—hey! What are you—AUGH!"
"Tosen," Aizen called into the mic, "Tosen, are you still there?" Suddenly, random noises were heard on the other side until it became scratchy. "TOSEN!"
"Ara," came another, familiar, voice on the radio, "I'm sorry to say that the man is down at the moment. If you leave a message I just might be able to relay it to him."
Aizen was still for a second before realizing who was on the other side. "Benihime," he smirked, "So you finally show yourself again after so many years."
Rukia was quiet but shuddered when a laugh came from the other end. I know that voice!
"Ara, Aizen-kun, you sure do know how to throw a wedding shower," 'Benihime' said in a cheery tone, "But I'm afraid I didn't bring you any present. I just thought the beautiful bride would have gained her senses and left you by now. But who would have thought you were holding her against her will? Tsk tsk, Aizen-kun."
Aizen laughed. "My my, Benihime; I'm glad to know you still have your sense of humor. However," the humor completely disappeared as he growled, "You should know exactly what I want."
"And what might that be?"
"Everything," Aizen answered.
"…Ara, that's a lot to ask for," 'Benihime' chuckled.
"After all the trouble you put me through I believe I deserve it, if not more."
There was silence for a few seconds. During that time, Gin pointed out to Aizen that they were almost at the second dock.
"What would you say if I were to tell you that I lost everything," the man chuckled.
Aizen's eyebrows lowered as he frowned. "I doubt it."
"Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you, Aizen-kun, because the day I left that life, I got rid of everything. There was no way I would have left a single blueprint of my designs if it could somehow lead back to my family and endanger them. I'm not that heartless," he replied in all seriousness.
A growl came out from deep within Aizen's throat. "Then I will just make you make more of them. Don't forget I still have the Kuchiki girl with me—"
"And if you kill her? What do you think you'll get from me?"
Before Aizen could respond, Gin pulled up the boat into the dock. Aizen quickly slammed the radio onto the ground before turning around to glare at Rukia. "Follow me," he ordered at the man holding her.
Gin was the first to jump off the boat, followed by Aizen, then Rukia, and finally the two bodyguards. She struggled under the big man's tight grip, but remained calm. In her condition, doing something too drastic would definitely make the situation even worse.
They walked off the dock and quickly made their way to where Tosen was supposedly waiting for them in the large parking lot up ahead. "Do you think something might have happened to our poor friend?" Gin asked.
Aizen was quiet, trying to calm his anger. "We'll see once we get there," he growled, quickening up the pace.
But once their foot landed on cement ground, Aizen cringed. "Benihime."
A man wearing a green-white stripped hat, with his back towards them, was standing in front of them. "Ara, looks like you finally arrived. I was starting to get bored." The man turned around with an evil smirk.
"Urahara…" Rukia breathed out with wide eyes.
"Kuchiki-san," the old shopkeeper bowed, "It's been awhile."
Suddenly, they heard a loud 'thunk' that brought everyone's attention to the ground next to Urahara. And Aizen's hands clenched into tight fists to see Tosen lying there, unconscious.
"I asked him very politely if I could use the radio but he said 'no' so I took matters into my own hands," Urahara chuckled, "But don't worry because he's still alive."
Aizen glared at the old man with great intensity. Suddenly he grabbed Rukia by the arm and brought her forward. "Think of doing anything stupid and I can't promise you that she gets out of this unharmed." He pulled out a small revolver from his pants and held it up to her temple.
Urahara held onto his smile as Aizen pulled back the hammer. "Like I said: What can you get from me if you kill her? You'd end up wasting all of your chips, and gaining absolutely nothing."
"What makes you think this is my last 'chip'?" He sneered as he shoved the gun even harder against Rukia.
The smile on his face suddenly disappeared and Urahara remained silent. "What makes you think I don't know everything up your sleeves?"
Aizen chuckled. "I'm not the same person as my father back then."
"No," Urahara nodded, "You're even a bigger fool then your father was."
"I would have to concur."
Rukia looked up to see Byakuya suddenly appearing from behind them. "Nisama…" she whispered, but was immediately cut off when Aizen's hold on her tightened. Seeing this, Byakuya came to a halt, only a few feet behind them.
Aizen cringed. "My my my, it's so hard to get rid of a Kuchiki these days."
Byakuya barely flinched as he coolly responded, "And it's impossible to get rid of an Aizen without causing a ruckus."
"This is getting boring."
Aizen merely shifted his eyes when a dark figure jumped out of nowhere and landed next to Urahara.
"Why, my dear," Urahara gasped, acting all surprised, "Is it really okay for you to be jumping and running around like that now? Don't forget you are pressing on forty—"
"Think about finishing that sentence and I swear you'll get none of it," Yoruichi growled at her husband.
Aizen looked between the old couple and the Kuchiki noble on either side of him. "Well, now that we're all here, why don't we start talking?" He pushed Rukia off to one of his bodyguards and pointed the gun at Urahara, "I want you to give me all the blueprints.
"Why should I?" Urahara asked, "What can possible come out of those silly drawings I made when I was younger?"
Aizen smirked. "Don't tell me that after only a few years you've forgotten all about the business you have conducted underground?" Urahara made no comment so he continued. "When you suddenly disappeared to elope with the heiress of the Shihoun family, my father immediately took where you left off in hopes of expanding our power. However, every year that fucking dumbass lost more and more customers, each of them complaining like spoiled children that the models weren't good enough. When I was old enough, I knew I had to do something."
He turned to Byakuya and smirked. "And I knew the Kuchiki's had a huge business. If I were to gain it, not only would I have enough money to expand my underground business, but I would also be able to have connections to the world's most powerful men and women." He held up the gun and let out an eerie smile that made him look insane. "Now that I have all you three bastards in front of me, I will gain back the power that I lost and increase it by tenfold!"
Aizen was about to pull the trigger when suddenly he heard sirens coming from the side. He turned around and just beyond the trees flashes of red and blue started appearing closer to where they were.
"What are you going to do now, Aizen-kun?" Urahara asked.
Aizen glared at him and pointed his gun to him. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"
BANG!
Rukia shut her eyes shut when Aizen pulled the trigger and smoke came out from the front of the barrel.
Silence.
The silence ensued for another few seconds before Rukia finally dared to open her eyes. She expected to see Urahara down on the ground, all bloody and dead, but instead she was shocked to see…nobody?
"Ara, looks like your aim's gotten worse over the years."
Rukia turned around and was shocked to see that the person holding her was down on the ground and Yoruichi was now standing right behind her. She looked to the side to see Urahara fanning himself with that annoying fan right next to his wife.
Aizen took a step back when realizing they were close to him. "H-how—"
"Tsk tsk," Yoruichi grinned, "Haven't your mother taught you to keep your mouth closed? At that rate a fly could fly into your mouth."
Aizen gritted his teeth. "YOU BITCH!" He lifted his gun again.
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, AIZEN!"
Everyone looked up to see several cop cars surrounding the area, huge headlights shinning down at them. Hidden behind the open car doors, the cop with the megaphone shouted down at them. "WE HAVE YOU COVERED. DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND COME QUIETLY!"
"Che," Gin sneered, "Looks like we need another back-up plan."
"Not a problem," Aizen replied before he suddenly pulled something out of his pocket.
Immediately realizing what it was, Urahara took off his coat and tossed it over Rukia's and Yoruichi's heads when Aizen smashed to the ground a smoke bomb that exploded as soon as it made impact. Rukia yelped when she felt a pair of rough hands grabbed her to hide her fully under the coat, and held her tightly.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?"
"HE'S GOING BACK TO THE DOCKS!"
Rukia kept her eyes shut and tried not to breath in the smoke as Urahara and Yoruichi tried to keep her away from harm. She started to cough as the smoke surrounded them.
"Try not to breath," somebody said but she really couldn't tell who it was at the moment because of all the craziness happening just beyond Urahara's jacket. It wasn't for another minute before she could tell that most of the smoke subsided.
"You okay?"
Rukia's head jerked up when she heard the familiar voice as he pulled Urahara's green jacket off of her. Her eyes focused. She smiled. "Ichigo…"
The orange head smiled back. "You okay?" he asked again. She nodded her head as Ichigo held onto her tightly. "I thought I almost lost you for a second there."
Rukia just nodded again, unable to say anything. She looked over to the side to see Byakuya still standing where he last was, dusting off his jacket that he seemed to have taken off to hide himself from the smoke. She was about to call out to him when she heard gunshots just behind her. Turning around, she noticed Kenpachi's huge form on top of a boat where several men were shooting down Aizen, who was trying to get away with Gin in the same speed boat that they were just on.
"AIZEN! LET'S FINISH THIS!" Kenpachi screamed.
Rukia watched as the large man pulled out a huge rifle. She could tell he was about to shoot but Ichigo quickly turned her back to him. "You shouldn't see that," he said before capturing her lips, distracting her from the loud gunshots and the sound of a dead body dropping into the large lake behind them.
His lips didn't leave hers until everything around them started to quiet down again…not to mention the sudden coughing noise coming from beside them.
Rukia quickly pushed Ichigo away with a blush when she noticed her brother was glaring at them. "Niisama, I apologize; forgive me," she bowed.
"I'm not," Ichigo glared.
Byakuya snorted. "I would be careful with what you say, kozo." He looked around them, completely ignoring the enraged orange head before him. "Where is Urahara?"
That was when Ichigo and Rukia realized that the owner of the green jacket was nowhere around them. They looked around and frowned.
"But they were just here…" Rukia said to no one in particular.
Ichigo frowned as he looked back at the green jacket in his hand. When he held it up he noticed a piece of note stuck to the back of the jacket. Curious, Ichigo held up the piece of clothing fully by either side of the shoulder area and held it before him.
Kurosaki-kun!
We finished our part of this problem so everything should end smoothly from here on out. Don't worry about us; we just remembered your father bought some expensive sake and I know he's opening up the bottle right now (I just have a sixth sense about these things). We'll see you and Kuchiki-san back at your place in a few days!
Your Favorite Shopkeeper,
Urahara
PS. Please bring me my jacket back; it's my favorite.
Ichigo frowned as he read the note. "That dumbass…seriously, what was this all about?"
"It's best not to ask so many questions," Byakuya said as he slipped his arms through his black jacket and straightened out any wrinkles.
Ichigo looked back to the lake as he saw Renji and the others entering Aizen's boat, dragging the owner's dead body out of the water to stuff him in a black bag. He cringed upon the image. There was a reason why he was doctor; he wanted to save lives not end them.
The entire area was fully lighted as several cops made their way to the docks to help drag Gin out of the boat as they returned to the dock. The creepy man was down on the ground with his hands behind his back. They placed handcuffs on him before dragging him to the cars.
And on the other side, several cops gathered to pick up the still-unconscious Tosen and the two bodyguards that Urahara and Yoruichi knocked out with immense speed.
Kenpachi and several of his men jumped off the boat, dragging Aizen's body in a black bag with them. He walked over to Ichigo and Rukia and nodded his head. "It's all over." He was about to walk away when he noticed the deep look on Ichigo's face. "Don't worry," Kenpachi continued, "You guys can go home; I'll have Abarai not include you guys in this case. You've been dragged along far enough as it is."
Ichigo frowned. "But what about 'Benihime?'" he asked, suddenly feeling worried about the man who was like his uncle.
Kenpachi stared at him then snorted. "Who the hell is 'Benihime'? You starting to make up shit, boy?"
Ichigo blinked at him several times but was forced to step back when Kenpachi roughly pushed past him and made his way to where ambulance was waiting for him. Soon the other cops crowded around the injured, but still standing, Kenpachi to get the final orders as to what to do with Gin and Tosen.
Rukia let out a sigh of relief. "Does this mean we can go home now?"
Ichigo looked down and smiled. "I guess so." He grabbed her hand and started to lead her away when someone called out to them.
"And where might you two be going?"
Ichigo turned around and glared as Byakuya approached them. "Home."
Byakuya stood in front of them, eyeing Ichigo up and down. "And you were planning on taking Rukia with you without my notice?"
Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? Don't tell me—"
"I have yet to give you my consent on taking Rukia's hand," he stated.
Ichigo glared. "You really need to get that stick out of your ass—"
Rukia quickly elbowed him to stop him from digging his grave even further. "I apologize niisama," she bowed, "But I would like to return home with Ichigo to see my children."
Byakuya looked at her.
"And I believe after everything you put me through, I should be granted to be returned home," she emphasized the last word, looking straight into Byakuya's eyes.
The stone-like Kuchiki was quiet for a few seconds before turning around and walking away.
Ichigo watched as Byakuya walked further and further away from them…but he never responded to Rukia's statement. "Oi, Byakuya!" Ichigo called out, "I'm going to take this as an 'okay'!"
Byakuya didn't even flinch as he continued walking away.
Ichigo scratched the back of his head. "Look like that's a 'yes.'"
"Ne, Ichigo?"
The orange head looked down at the petite woman who wrapped herself within his arms. "Yeah?" he smiled down at her.
Rukia looked up and gave him a wide smile. "I'm pregnant."
A/N: Phew! This was one long chapter.
And I know it seemed rushed in the end, not really specifying about Aizen's death... but why should I? Rukia and Ichigo are the main focus of this fanfic and Aizen was just a side character that I needed for a few chapters and quickly kill off.
Anyways, to the next chapter!
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