Aizen's Kingdom (Bleach Fanfic)

Back in Inner World

Time clicked away in the deep blackness that followed. Ichimaru found himself coming to his senses, if one could really call it coming to his senses. The silver haired man found himself on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his inner world, while the poisonous water dripped downward towards the pools below.

Sitting up, his body feeling heavy, he glanced at the water, raising an eyebrow to find that they were filled with a crystal clear water. Sure, the poison dripped down, but the water remained clear and free of impurities. He took a deep breath and then spoke up. "What happened Shinso? Did I die again, just like I did in the other world?"

At that, his zampaktuo came forward, his feet beating a rhythm against the floor. "I hate to say this, but despite your vast intelligence, you are the biggest fool I know. The only person who is likely close, at the same level or surpass you would be your own son."

"God... he does take after me, doesn't he?" Gin muttered, removing his sandals and socks and dipping his feet into the cold water. "I always thought he only took after me in looks Shinso, and that he was personality wise his mother's child. Then again, I never tried interacting with him like I did just now, trying to think inside that small mind of his."

"Are you sure what you've done is the right thing?" Shinso stated, folding his arms across his chest. "Are you sure that giving your life up, sacrificing yourself is the best thing?"

Suddenly, a laugh came from Gin's lips. "Is it the right thing? I honestly don't think there is any black and white to this, though I used to think that there was."

The zampaktuo spirit joined him, sitting down at the pools edge, watching carefully. "I don't think that is the only thing that has changed, has it?"

"I thought that it was only Rangiku who was aching deep down to love on our child. I saw it with the way she acted around him, how she somehow knew that he was hers. I think now, I was the one hurting the most, because I knew that we were supposed to be family and it wasn't some subliminal thing. I knew that we were family, but couldn't be together. The just felt that we were."

"If you were to do things over, would you?" The zampaktuo asked.

"No." The answer came rather quickly. "First off, I don't believe I deserve a second chance. Second, I think I would make the same decision as I did before. I believe with all my heart, if Aizen knew that special child was mine, he would have taken it and crushed it."

At that, Ichimaru paused for a few seconds. "In truth, what I wanted wasn't for Toshiro to live. I wanted him to be happy and free, but I've never found the answer for that one. I haven't seen a smile on his face since I walked out of his life completely, when I thought he would be to young to remember. Every which way he's turned, life has been cruel to him."

"Let me rephrase that. If you had a chance to spend the rest of your life with your son, whether it be the old world or new, would you take it?" The zampaktuo asked, waiting carefully.

"Yes. I would take it. There is this desire deep down, to make sure that he is all right." Gin sighed, glancing up at the ceiling.

Eventually, he glanced down, and a ripple pinged on the surface of the water. The voice was of Hisagi Shuhei. "He's not going to wake up anytime soon Rangiku."

The silver haired man leaned in closely, confusion spreading on his face. "I don't care if it takes forever, I'll wait for him to wake up."

"Hisagi Fukutaicho, you really need to back off on this issue." Toshiro's voice suddenly spoke up, firmly telling the other off. "This is really none of your business you know."

"I don't see how it is any of yours Hitsugaya Taicho, yet you are also here. If you can be concerned about Matsumoto, then other people can too. Ichimaru Gin isn't the best person out there, you know."

"Please back off." The boy snapped the words out.

"Hey, taicho... that dream you had..." Rangiku suddenly piped up.

"It was just that Matsumoto, a dream." The boy stated, just as Shinso gave Gin a hard push into the pool of water.

Ichimaru found himself blinking a couple of times, and then he opened up his eyes. He saw two familiar faces, that of Matsumoto Rangiku and Hisagi Shuhei. The other face had bright teal eyes and white hair, but Gin found himself blinking a couple of times, as this person didn't look like the Hitsugaya Toshiro he knew so well.

However, the two eyes darted to the man's face. "He's actually waking up. Someone go and get Unohana Taicho." However, before he could wake up, he fell back under, his body not able to take staying awake any longer.