Chapter 20: Nothing but rain, pain, and treachery 3/3

"Mr. Shiba has struck a deal." Tessai rumbled. "He has pledged servitude to this shop for a time, in exchange for his treatment, food and lodging, and the learning of a trade. He will not leave, young miss."

Erza made a fist.

"Really, don't try it," Urahara said calmly. "You're strong, but you won't like where this goes."

"You expect me to lie to your family?" Erza hissed through her teeth.

"You lied to us all along." Isshin said calmly. "And I don't judge you for it. There's a lot that needs changing."

"You told him." Erza growled, looking at Urahara.

"He did." Isshin said. "And that's why I ask. You keep secrets for Aizen- and whatever business you have with him, that's between the two of you. But for my sake, for me, the man who was once your captain- tell them I'm gone. Let them remember a strong man, not a cripple."

Erza shook her head. "You really are an idiot, you know that?"

Isshin smiled slightly. "Always have been. And hey, it's not all bad- I think that cute quincy who brought us here likes me."

Erza stood up. "Fine." She said. "Fine. I'll tell them you're dead. But don't ask me anything again, Shiba Isshin."

"…all right." He said. "Good luck in life, Erza. Make the world a better place, eh?"

"…something like that." Erza murmured, and turned her back. "Bye." She said. It was all she could manage. A grand farewell might have been more appropriate, but she could think of nothing good enough. She walked out, full of inner turmoil. How could he ask her to lie? How… could she not, when she had been a liar for so long? How could she have been a hypocrite for this long? Where had she gone wrong?

Full of indecision and anger, Erza sped off.

Urahara Kisuke watched her leave, his burly associate Tessai standing next to him.

"Tell me, Mr. Urahara," Tessai said, looking as inscrutable as ever, "how much of the evidence you gave her was a forged?"

"Most of it." Urahara said casually. "Imitating handwriting is not that difficult- the only problem was time. I like being prepared, especially for Aizen's pawns. If she had known her science, she would know that most of it was nonsense."

"A lie to guide her to the truth." Tessai said, and nodded. "Is that not ironic?"

"I suppose." Urahara said. She had opened a portal now, a ways away, and was leaving the city.

"When you told her you might kill her… was that true?"

"In theory, yes," Urahara said with a smirk, "but I was sure the moment I mentioned Aizen that she already had her doubts. All she needed was a push- one that I was all too happy to provide."

"It will not impede his plans." Tessai noted.

"Even so, spiting him is its own excuse." Urahara said with a grin. "Come on- let's help our new resident settle in."

He was waiting for her when she got through the gate. Aizen Sousuke, her captain, looking calm and content with a small smile on his face, the same captainly mask he always wore. Erza flinched, visibly so- did he know? Could he know? Of course he could- he seemed to know everything. And she was a bad liar.

"You were gone a week." He said. "We feared the worst."

"Did you now?" Erza said, completely on edge.

"Well, I did make some investigations of my own. Imagine my surprise, when I found your reiatsu in Karakura town, quite alive. What happened?"

She couldn't lie. Not convincingly. But Isshin nearly had died, and she knew a thing or two about losing friends the hard way. She remembered, remembered Marisa and Remon and Sensuke, the bottomless pit it had put her in…

"It was captain Shiba." She said, her voice trembling. "I… was watching over him. I don't know what happened- there was something weird about that hollow we fought…"

That's the way. Don't actually lie, but don't tell the truth either.

"He's dead." She mumbled. "Shiba Isshin's dead." She took a deep, sharp breath, remembering the way they had looked, her friends, when they had been torn to pieces before her eyes…

"Something happened to him. A quincy helped us out, we won the fight, but he got… poisoned or something. All his energy drained. I couldn't go back, and I couldn't move him either."

"It took a week?" Aizen said, raising an eyebrow. Erza held her breath. She couldn't convince him, please don't keep prodding, please don't keep prodding…

"I'm so sorry." Aizen said gently. "I know you knew he is part of the system we stand against- but nevertheless he was a good man, and your captain once. I understand."

"Thank you." Erza croaked, managing a nod. "It's… it was hard."

"Of course." Aizen said, nodding. "Please, take the day off. You need to rest."

"I've got to go report." Erza said, sniffing slightly. The tears which were almost spilling over were, at least, not a lie.

"…and that is your final word, Erza Scarlet?"

Old man Yamamoto's gaze was unforgiving, as steely as ever, and Erza felt like she might be struck down then and there for her deceit.

"Yes, head captain." She said, keeping her voice firm. "I was recruited to back up captain Shiba. We were assaulted by a hollow of unknown power, which killed him and incinerated his body. I was unable to defeat it, but I managed to escape."

"Grave news…" The old man murmured. "Very well. You may go. Submit a report to myself, and the second division, within a day. Dismissed."

"Yes, head captain." Erza said. She bowed, and began to walk out.

She was amazed that she had kept her composure. She didn't know how- she felt like up was down, like straight was crooked…

Aizen was an ally of hollows. Not of just people like Erza, but Barragan, the self-styled king of hollows. She had remembered his name at last, and he was a monster. Just how much could you say that you would use evil for the sake of good? How many Ichimaru Gins could you put in your service and still claim to be working for the good of the people?

He had made Metastacia. He had made gods knew how many others. He had stolen those notes. Again and again, she had tried to tell herself it was all a lie, that all this time had not been her duped, serving an evil man for an evil purpose- but she had run out of faith. Aizen had seemed a thoroughly decent man, but…

He was not.

The realization hurt her almost as bad as the death of a friend.

That night, not long after she had closed her eyes, she found herself in the marble palace again. Its pillars were being restored, and the floor was whole again. On the golden throne, as usual, sat Tetsu no Tama, looking down on her.

"Tell me, my fool master," He said, sounding more condescending than usual, "did your eyes finally open?" Casually, he sipped wine from a jewel-encrusted golden cup, and somehow Erza knew he was trying to goad her, to rub it in- whichever thing he was going to rub; there always were plenty.

"Aizen is not who he says he is." Erza said begrudgingly.

"Ha!" The spirit sneered. "I never trusted him- he is a conqueror, Erza, an ambitious man who wishes to be king of everything he can stake a claim to. Always too smooth, always saying just the right things to make you believe… but I am not like you, Erza. I am not weighed down by lofty ideals. I saw in him, the moment he bade you join him, what his true intentions were. Had you kept going down this path, I would have denied you my power."

"Fine." Erza said, gritting her teeth. "You were right. I was wrong. I was made a fool of. Are you happy now, my fool sword?"

Tetsu no Tama stood up, and put the cup down. Slowly, he marched down from his throne, until he stood face to face with Erza. Gently, he put an arm on her shoulder.

"Yes, I am happy now." He said softly. "You have freed yourself from the grasp of a tyrant through your own power. It is all I ever wanted to see."

"All that boastful talk and belligerence, and now you change your tune?" Erza said, feeling a little angry, and a little relieved.

"It angered me, being made somebody's thrall, however indirectly." Tetsu no Tama said. "It angered me, and for that, I became angry with you. But… now that you no longer dance to his tune, I am glad."

There was a strange, rare look on his face, Erza noted- a subdued look of joy, and… pride, like a parent whose child took her first steps?

"It was not your fault, Erza," He said, and Erza's jaw dropped a little.

"Say what?" She said flatly.

"He saw your virtue and kindness, and used it for his own gains." The spirit said, distaste in his voice. "You were the victim of a predator, Erza, one far beyond your ability to anticipate. You befriended a viper, one that made itself look like a lamb. He used you, like a tool, tried to warp you into his own image, to his own ends. He wanted a slave, and tried to make you one. But even then… you would not submit. You stayed true to yourself when it mattered most. However inadvertently, he gave you a trial by fire. You did well, Erza."

Erza blinked. She was being… praised. By her judgmental, moody, arrogant zanpakutou, who never seemed pleased with anything. Well, she wouldn't complain.

"…thanks." She said, after a good, long pause.

"You know what you must do next." He replied.

"Yes." Erza said firmly, nodding. "I will tell him it's over. I will not follow him anymore."

"And if this brings your world down?"

"Then so be it." Erza said, steel in her voice. "I'd rather that happen than stay in the employ of a monster."

"My master." Tetsu no Tama said, and to her shock, he gave her a courteous bow. He turned around, walked back up to his throne, and the dream began to fade.

Erza sat bolt upright in her bed. This could not wait. It ate at her, like fire inside her chest waiting to burst out. She would go, right now. Quickly, she put on her uniform, and strapped Tetsu no Tama to her belt. It ended tonight. She would tell him off, get it over and done with. What would he say? What would he do? She had no idea. Probably nothing good. But it mattered not. She would not run, she would not hide, she would get this done. She could feel her zanpakutou hum with approval, as she marched out of her room, out to the gardens of division five.

His office was not a long walk away. But of course, Aizen was not so conventional as to simply wait in his room. As she crossed the gardens, the moon shining down on them brightly, she felt him- standing further in, near the pond, quite awake. Of course he had expected her. Why wouldn't he?

Resolutely, she marched forward, and soon she saw him standing there. The glasses were off; he was there as his true self, waiting for her. She walked up to Aizen, standing face to face with him.

Aizen watched her approach. She had lied to him before- she had been clever enough to tell something close enough to the truth that it was convincing, but he already knew what had happened. He had noticed her doubt- she was, in the end, too strictly moral to understand his methods. Of course he had been suspicious of her- suspicious enough to put a bug on her.

"Such a beautiful night." He said, as if there was not a thing wrong in the world. "One really has to appreciate the simple things in life, wouldn't you agree?"

"Forget that." Erza said harshly, unable to keep her voice calm, aggression seeping from her tone.

"Then I assume you have something important to say?" Aizen said. "You sound so serious."

"You made Metastacia." Erza said. "You were behind the vizard incident. You've lied to me all this time."

"I imagine Urahara Kisuke must have seemed very convincing." Aizen said calmly. "After all this time, all I've done for you, you would rather trust a ruthless, amoral gutter feeder convicted of treason? You disappoint me."

He could see the doubt in her, the guilt and pain his words caused. He had indoctrinated her well, well enough that this was difficult for her. She was not beyond helping yet.

"I saw for myself." Erza spat out. "I didn't just listen to him. I knew you had been lying to me long before that!"

"Oh?" Aizen said innocently. This was interesting.

"The blueprints." Erza said. "I saw them, in your office. Kageroza's notes, the ones you said were destroyed. You lied."

Aizen kept his face straight, but suppressed a bit of annoyance. The blueprints. They had lain in his desk drawer for years, hidden under a stack of paper. Nobody ever looked in the captain's desk, because of the reverent respect everyone held for such a position- he should have put an illusion on those, too. It was an oversight.

"Then there's this." Erza said, pulling a file from her shihakusho. She threw it at Aizen, who caught it with one hand quite smoothly. He opened it, and rifled through it.

It was a poor copy of his own research notes, most of them imagined- except his notes on the vizard process. Just how Urahara had got his hands on these was something he would like to know- that man was nothing if not resourceful, it seemed.

"Lies and slander." He said casually. "I understand you are troubled, Erza- my plan is one that demands much sacrifice. But I had really hoped you would put more trust in me than to let it be upset by such lies. Has your perspective changed? Have you seen the tyranny of the Gotei, and understood it to be liberty? Have you seen its oppression, and decided that slavery is freedom? Have you seen its callous cruelty, and decided that it is justified? Tell me Erza, just where am I wrong?"

He resisted the urge to smile. It was tearing her apart- such a goodly person she was, so sure of right and wrong, and there was no bigger wrong than the tyranny he had shown her- carefully sprinkled with exaggeration where necessary. Any moment now, she would have to give in.

She was quiet for a minute. Then she shook her head, and said,

"You are not wrong at all, sir."

Just as planned.

"Then-" He began, but she cut him off.

"You are not wrong about the Gotei. It needs to change. It is not a system I can be part of. But! I cannot be part of your system either. If we are willing to do anything, anything at all to win, then that means there is nothing we won't do. I cannot follow your way anymore, Aizen."

Inwardly, he sighed. She was so terribly headstrong.

"Is that how it will be, then?" He said coolly. "You reject my vision still, even knowing what it is I aim to create?"

"I don't know what you truly aim to create." Erza said harshly, crossing her arms. "I cannot trust you anymore. I am through. Enact your plans without me."

"I see." Aizen said. It was irritating, at the least- probably, that was Urahara Kisuke's only intention. Erza certainly was not an irreplaceable pawn. "And what will you do with your knowledge of my operations?"

"I'll keep it to myself, don't you worry. I think maybe I'll run off somewhere I can be the way I want to- or maybe I'll stay, and try and change this place for the better from the inside. I have not decided yet."

"Very well." Aizen said, giving a sigh- out loud, at last. "I will not stop you. I wish you the best of luck for the future, Erza."

"As simple as that?" Erza said skeptically.

"No matter what you may believe of me, I am no monster." Aizen said, giving her a convincing smile. "I will not kill you for turning away. Perhaps when I change this place for the better, you will see that what I did was for the best after all. Until then… well, good night."

"…okay." Erza said. "So… we're… good?"

"Fine and dandy." Aizen said.

Not saying another word, Erza hesitantly turned around, and began to walk away. Aizen stood there for a long while, thinking. He could have sworn he had bent her will…

The next day, Erza woke up feeling relieved. A bit shocked, but relieved. It was like a band-aid ripped off quick- it hurt, but it was all better once it was done.

But what was she to do? She had not been all talk last night- this was not a system she could be party to anymore. The Gotei was a tyranny, and… well, could she really change it if she tried? Should she run, or would it be quitting if she ran without trying? Life was confusing, she decided, and the best thing was to give it a good thinker. Once she had calmed down. Which probably could take years.

But as fate had it, she did not have years, or even days. Exactly three hours after breakfast, when she was just about ready to head out on patrol, she was approached by the unmistakable form of captain Soifon, the tiny but frighteningly competent head of division two. She was flanked by a full team of onmitsukidou officers. Erza's heart sank. Oh, no…

"Erza Scarlet, vice-captain of division five." Soifon said sharply. "You are under arrest for treason, conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to undermine the Gotei, subversion and blasphemy."

"No, no, no," Erza said, desperately holding up her hands, as if it would appease the captain, "no, you don't understand, it's not-"

"Get down on the ground!" Soifon barked. "Get down on the ground and put your hands on your head. Failure to obey will result in forceful subjugation."

"But-" Erza said desperately. A captain. Of course Aizen hadn't let it go. She had been stupid to think he would.

"Obey!" Soifon insisted.

"…I can't." Erza said. With a feeling of dread, she reached for her zanpakutou, pulling it out swiftly. Maybe she could knock her over, knock her out, maybe she could distract them long enough to start running-

Before she had even had the time to call out her zanpakutou's name, Soifon was on her. She grabbed Erza's wrist in an iron grip, twisting her sword arm aside, and her other arm moved in a blur. Quicker than Erza could see, Soifon jabbed her fist into her solar plexus twice, slammed it into her throat once, and brought her palm up, slamming it into Erza's nose. Pain and nausea overwhelmed Erza, and she staggered back, only barely holding on to her sword. Not a second passed before a sweeping kick struck her in the head, once, twice, in the blink of an eye. Without quite knowing how it happened, she was thrown into the ground, and her arms were twisted behind her. Still, she struggled, trying to wrestle the little captain off her. Soifon grabbed her by the hair, and slammed Erza's head into the ground. Finally, blissful oblivion took her.

She woke up in a cell, her hands cuffed. The first thing she noticed- after the pain, and the nausea, and the woozy feeling she always got after taking a hit to the head- was her energy. She was locked down, unable to channel any reiatsu. The cuffs around her wrist were sekki-sekki, no doubt, the spiritual ore that blocked out energy completely.

She looked around. It was dark, the cell windowless- there was some light coming from the cell's opening, through the iron bars. It was a small cell, large enough for a cot and not much more. How long had she been down here? Erza sat herself up, and cringed- Soifon was shorter than even Momo, but she kicked like a mule.

"So you finally woke up."

She recognized the voice. She would recognize it anywhere.

"Aizen!" She sneered, getting herself up on her feet. She nearly fell over as soon as she had stood up, leaning herself against the wall. The world looked blurry, but she could see him there, looking so self-assured.

"It's so interesting." Aizen said. He sounded cold, calm, collected, so completely dispassionate. "I spent a lot of time trying to shape you to be a good lieutenant. You really would have made a worthy choice."

"You are a monster." Erza snarled, forcing herself to stand up properly.

"I will admit I made a few hollows for my purposes, yes," Aizen said casually. "Metastacia was imperfect. White, the one that killed Isshin, was too- but both of them were successes. What you never could see, Erza, is that true change requires sacrifice."

"I think the first thing you sacrificed was any sense of right and good." Erza growled. "You did this for yourself, all along, not for the people of the soul society."

"What I will build will make for a better world." Aizen said firmly. "But it will be completely according to my design, and nobody else's. 'Right', Erza? That is a fairy tale for children. It is an assumption we make because we wish to make sense of the universe. The world is so, so very large, Erza, and it cares not how we live, suffer and die. But to find purpose, we invent ideas like 'right' and 'wrong', and just… assume this is a reasonable way of looking at reality. Anybody who sees through the veil will know… it is an arbitrary, ignorant world view, one that has no factual basis, one that is in constant flux and changes from one time and culture to another. A fairy tale is all it ever has been, and it has chained you well to Plato's cave."

"I have no idea what that means." Erza said bitterly. "All I hear is a really long excuse for how being scum is okay, for using monsters to do monstrous work. An excuse, that's all I hear."

Aizen smiled. "I really do like you, Erza Scarlet. Even though you are ignorant, narrow-minded and short-sighted, you are much more honest than any of the fools I suffer in this ridiculous afterlife."

"Go away." Erza said bitterly. "I want nothing to do with you."

"As you please." Aizen said. "You will be interned in the maggot's nest. I pleaded for you not to be executed, you see. I am very persuasive. And decades from now, when my plan has come to fruition and your power has drained, I will let you out. You will then see the fruits of my labour, and… you will see the error of your ways."

"Go away!" Erza shouted. Her anger was overflowing; she had so much to say yet no way to articulate it. She had been betrayed, by the man she had trusted more than any- he had betrayed her, her and everything she had believed in.

"Good bye, Erza." Aizen said, and walked away. "We shall see each other again."

Two days had passed since Erza's arrest, and Lisanna was as baffled as anyone else. Erza, the loyal, kind, dependable Erza, a traitor? She had seen the evidence, heard the testimonies, yet none of it still made sense to her- nothing of it fit. She had known Erza in life, unlike any of her other friends, and if there was anybody she had never expected to betray them, it would have been Erza. Everything she had ever done, she had done for her friends, for a better world…

And now she was painted as an anarchist, a terrorist conspiring to overthrow the Gotei and destroy all that it stood for. It made no sense.

Because of that, this sensation of utter wrong, she had jumped on it when she had received a note from Rod Sentry. She didn't know him, but he was apparently one of Erza's friends- the second of the sole survivors from the massacre. So here she stood, in an alleyway far from any regular patrol route, waiting for him to show up. She hadn't needed to wait long; she had stood there for a few minutes when she turned her head once, and then, upon turning it back, found Rod standing right next to her.

"Damn!" Lisanna exclaimed, flinching. "It's creepy when you stealth corps do that, you know?"

"No time for chit-chatting." Rod said firmly. He had a weary look about him, like he was constantly in a state of having woken up an hour too early, but his eyes were alert. "Erza. Facing trial in twelve days, where she is all but guaranteed to face a lifetime in the maggot's nest at the least. Your thoughts?"

"Oh. Um." Lisanna said, collecting her thoughts. "It's nonsense, of course! She would never!"

"The evidence is quite overwhelming." Rod said, striking a match and lighting a cigarette. "Very convincing."

"It's not her!" Lisanna insisted indignantly. "She couldn't-"

"Too convincing, actually. I've been part of the hunt for traitors three times in the past. When apprehended, you usually do not find a pile of evidence just lying around. You could, in theory, but… what are the odds?" He took a puff from his cigarette, blowing some smoke.

"What are you saying?"

"I am saying that Erza was very suddenly revealed a traitor, in spite of everything we know about her telling us it is extremely unlikely. I do not know her as well as you do, but- tell me, does Erza Scarlet have much of any guile? Is she the sort of charming socialite who could put on appearances and fabricate a mask to hide her true intentions? For years on end?"

"…no." Lisanna said. "No, she's just like me, just like the others- if she has something to say, she says it. She hates lying."

"Assessment correct." Rod said, nodding. "Her evaluation file in the corps says as much. Impulsive, a little reckless, strong sense of right and wrong, dutiful but known to prioritize her own sense of justice over service… we are rarely wrong, miss Strauss, and that is not the profile of a traitor."

"So what, then?" Lisanna said. "Was this a set-up?"

"It certainly smells like a framing." Rod said, nodding. "I don't know how or why, but I think somebody wanted her gone. Somebody very good at what he did, in a position to forge and plant evidence."

"Who?" Lisanna said. "Who could possibly…"

"Irrelevant." Rod said, shaking his head. "The question is: what will you do about it?"

"…I want to help her." Lisanna said. "She could be executed. I just… I don't know what I can do."

"I can do nothing." Rod said. "As she was a traitor, all her known associates are under scrutiny- especially one within the onmitsukidou itself. Currently, it is believed I am on mission- something I will need to prove later."

"Some help you are," Lisanna said, scoffing.

"I can do nothing," Rod said, "except…" He dug out a folder from his shihakusho, with a few papers in them.

"What's that?"

"A guard schedule for the coming week." Rod said. "The cells are patrolled regularly, at precise intervals. There are some windows, however… if you had the right information."

"So I take some of our friends and go bust her out?" Lisanna said.

"No!" Rod said sharply. "This is a one person operation. Anything more is too high a risk. You all have eyes on you. I can keep them off you for a few hours, if I know when exactly to."

Lisanna eyed through the papers. "Damn… I don't see more than a five minute window here." She murmured.

"And that's a luxury." Rod said. "Go tomorrow night. Just past ten o'clock. Bring your zanpakutou. Break her out, and don't stop for any heartfelt words- just go. Understood?"

Lisanna nodded affirmatively. "Understood!"

"Good." Rod said. "I'll be setting up a very firm alibi for myself. However… I think I can see to it that you'll be able to grab her zanpakutou. I'll set up a portal to the world of the living- I'll leave it there. You'll be given instructions when it's time."

"…good."

Damn… what a rush. It was almost like she was in Fairy Tail again.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. Enough that the worst of the anger had passed- the boiling, seething rage had passed, replaced by a chronic, vicious resentment. That bastard…

But as luck would have it, Erza would not be left like so for long. In the middle of the night, something stirred- she could hear something rattle at the bars, then a crack as if from lightning, and a clanking as they dropped to the floor. Quickly, somebody hurried into her cell.

"Li-Lisanna?" Erza said, recognizing the presence at last.

"Your hands!" Lisanna said. Clumsily, her limbs stiff from having been still so long, Erza held them out. With a quick swipe from her claws, the sekki-sekki cuffs were ripped away.

"Thanks- thank you so much!" Erza murmured.

"No talking!" Lisanna hissed. "Come on, this way! Go! Go!"

Momo felt uneasy. Erza had been something special to her- a best friend, an older sister, a teacher… she had looked out for her, given her hope in her darkest hour and saved her life. Now, they said she was… a traitor. The way everyone had just turned around, one day adoring the heroic vice-captain and the next calling her a treasonous whore, it sickened her to the core. Under any other circumstance, being called to the captain's office, where she was now, would have been something she had approached with excitement, anticipation… but now, she could barely focus. She stood to attention, although she felt like she might cry at any moment.

"…as I am sure you understand better than anybody else, we were all shocked." Aizen said. "I personally had never expected she was anything but a model vice-captain. Brave, loyal, strong…" He sighed deeply, looking weary, a little sad. "The evidence has spoken for itself." He looked broken down, crushed. "Whatever comes next is out of our hands."

"She's innocent, captain!" Momo burst out, unable to hold herself back. "She'd never turn her back on us like this, she never would! She's innocent, and I'll prove it!"

Aizen gave her a warm smile. "Your loyalty warms my heart, Hinamori. But like I said, it is out of our hands… and for your own good, you ought not to do anything rash." Momo opened her mouth, as if to protest again, but Aizen held up his hand. "Whether rightly or wrongfully, I am robbed of a vice-captain. This division needs leadership, especially in these trying times- which is why effective immediately, I am promoting you to vice-captain."

"…" Momo gave him a blank stare, in disbelief. "No," she said at last.

"No?" Aizen said gently.

"It- it's her spot." Momo mumbled. "And I'm not- I'm not-"

"I would not offer you this if I did not believe you worthy." Aizen said. "I have no choice in the matter- Erza is not coming back any time soon. In the meantime… we need help. I need help. Will you not be there for those who need you? Is that not what the friend you so love would do?"

Momo looked hesitant. "I… of course I will accept." But there was a bit of steel in her eyes, as she said, "But one day, I'll prove she is innocent. I swear it."

"I have no doubt you will do your best." Aizen said warmly. "For now, you are dismissed… vice-captain."

Momo nodded, and Aizen felt content as he watched her walk out. Erza had been a pet project. Her belief had always made her a bit of an X factor… and look how easily he had disposed of her once she rebelled. Hinamori Momo, that pitiful, weak-willed little girl, would make a desirable replacement- competent enough for the position, but lacking the will and initiative to be anything but a good little servant. He would mold her with time, put his mark on her… the plan proceeded as it should. This little speed bump would be meaningless in the long run. And one day, he would make Erza see it, his vision made real, and she would either see his genius or be horrified. Either one was sufficient.

Momo walked into the night, her heart on fire. Erza was everything she had ever wanted to be- strong, responsible, confident, caring, pure… she was the older sister she never had. This was not over, not for as long as she lived. One day, she would see Erza set free. One day, they would be together again- her, Erza, Renji, Hisagi, Kira, the others…

No matter what it took.

It was strange how life worked. Less than two weeks ago, she had ran to Karakura, life being… normal. Comparatively speaking. Now, after having been rushed out of prison by Lisanna, with no time for anything more than a quick good-bye, she was once again descending through the air, Tetsu no Tama at her side. Rod had had his hand in this, she knew- Lisanna was not the break-into-prison type, she had to have help.

It hurt. It hurt more than she could describe. The betrayal hurt, the realization that she had been a pawn to a wicked scheme hurt, that she had been used and thrown away like a tool. But most of anything, it hurt to leave them all behind. She had left Isane, Rangiku, Lisanna, Momo, Rukia, Renji, Kira, Hisagi, Nemu… she had made so many friends, and now they were all gone from her life, perhaps forever, as sure as if they were dead. She had not even got to say good bye. And if they ever saw her again, they would be duty bound to hunt her down, to subdue or even kill her.

What did they all think, she wondered? Did they believe her a traitor? Did all of them hate her now, feeling as betrayed and angry as she did?

It was all she could do not to cry. Loneliness was ahead of her, and it was a hellish prison worse than any Aizen could have devised. All by her lonesome, she stared into the night, as she landed on top of a building in Karakura. From Fairy Tail to the afterlife, to once again in the world of the living- another world, with everything she had built since she died now gone.

She sat there, not quite sure for how long, very near despair. But then, her isolation was broken, a presence having snuck up on her- she had been too busy wallowing in misery to even notice it. Tiredly, Erza raised her head to face it. Let it be a hollow about to attack her, she didn't care. In fact, beating something senseless would probably help about now.

It was no hollow, though. As Erza raised her head, she saw in the moonlight a familiar figure- a young woman, the very same that had helped her back then.

"Hi." She said. "We um, we never got introduced back then."

"Mmh." Erza said, barely responding.

"I am Kurosaki Masaki." The quincy said sweetly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"…Erza Scarlet. Formerly fifth division." Erza said sullenly.

"Formerly?" Masaki said? "Well… you look like you need a place to stay. Why don't you come with me?"

Well, to hell with it. Going somewhere, with somebody, even if it was somebody she didn't know, that was better than staying here, alone with her thoughts. Erza nodded, and the quincy smiled, and nodded back. Quickly, she dashed off into the night, and Erza followed suit. The future was uncertain and the past was painful, but she would keep going.

There we go, end of chapter 20. That sure was something now wasn't it? Lets address a few things first though.

1. Isshin being effected by the hollow. I wanted to do something different than cannon, but keep it the same somewhat. Greatkingrat88 came up with the idea of this simply happening to Isshin instead. Seeing as how something similar (similar not the same) happened with Kain, it only stands to reason it could happen. And yes, that does mean Ichigo will still have his inner hollow. I love that psycho.

2. Erza being cast out into Karakura town. This was ALWAYS planned, not some last minute decisions. When I say in the description of this story "What does her presence change? More than one would think." I'm very serious when I say that. All kinds of changes will follow once we get things going. What kind of changes? I'm not telling.

3. Momo. Yes, she still has faith in Erza. Her other friends do too, to be sure, but out of ALL of them, its Momo who has the most faith. This event right here is a turning point for her. How so? I'll leave it up to your mind.

Thank you all so much for reading with us for 20 chapters once again! Please feel free to leave any reviews you want. Be they positive or critical critisim, I welcome both!