Machinations
The approaching steps of an individual within his laboratory didn't quite draw him out of his fascination with the completed item — an additional assurance to the fruition of his plans even if fate made a mockery of his initial expectations — but it sparked a sense of curiosity since he explicitly ordered solitude unless a ruinous development came to pass.
A glance at his desk showed the unsheathed form of Kyōka Suigetsu, of which he sheathed while also vanishing some of the less false existences.
Of course, cautious as he was, he would never rely solely on the words of his subordinates. No, alternatives upon alternatives have been prepared, the need to twice, even thrice verify the information conveyed or kept.
This was especially so when it came to this troublesome subordinate of his.
No, his goals were too big and important to place trust into beings so easily swayed by words and acts. But he knew the value of it, the power people had given it so he would feign it, even on people who knew of its falsity.
He held the item close to his eyes, swivelling his chair as he presented his frontal view to his dear lieutenant in welcome.
"Gin? What brings you here unannounced, and at such a crucial point in our plans no less?"
He asked quite casually, managing to catch the ongoing fight between the Quincy boy and the vain lieutenant from young Sūi-Fēng's division. Funny how the young boy seemed to have overwhelmed the speedy group with only a few minor injuries to show for it.
More to it, despite the evident specialisation in archery, the boy didn't lack skill with that Seele Schneider of his.
But to Marechiyo's credit, he had reframed from unleashing his zanpakuto. Even if he'd done so to save face in should he suffer defeat.
A scenario that seemed inevitable by the looks of things.
'Interesting, it seems young Kurosaki isn't the only one reinforced by the abundance of reishi within the soul society.'
But his interest within the Quincy was short lived…
Barely a flicker of observation, but one that the ever-watching Gin caught and filed for later review as it was his wont. Aizen didn't mind of course, how could he, when it was so amusing to watch the false hopes of a boy so long consumed by vengeance and desperation.
Then again, perseverance was a strength in itself. Thus the continued closeness, to see what hopeful conclusion the avenger would settle on, and relish in its failure as the futility of it all birthed utter despair.
He found it funny, the lengths he was willing to go to just for a few seconds of relish…and sadistic glee.
But that was the reality he sought to replace.
'The powers that govern it have clearly been stricken with laxity given their lack of influence.'
Let it not be said that Sosuke Aizen wasn't a patient and accommodating man.
"Pardon the interruption, captain Aizen. I merely came to deliver news of the developments outside your confines."
Gin said, feigning the casualness that Aizen actually felt. A flawless thing, that facade of his, Aizen wasn't to arrogant to admit that without context, the boy would have fooled him good.
A natural deceiver.
He hummed. "Do not keep me waiting then, what kind of unexpected disasters have our ryoka brought?"
"Little, I'm afraid. Though it seems their arrival has hastened the 13th division captain's plans. I happen to catch him discussing with captain Shunsui about destroying the Sokyoku."
Aizen merely shrugged at that. The hogyoku's extraction via the Sokyoku was a long shot, and had not been the primary reason why he allowed this.
The truth of the matter was that few people within Seireitei were under his Zanpakuto's influence, especially those outside the Gotei 13.
This was part the reason why he had prevented the early arrival of the ryoka. To better strengthen the fruition of his machinations and place those important few under his control.
The controversy brought by the execution of Rukia Kuchiki served to weaken bonds and raise tension within the divisions. Enough so that the order to place the city under martial law didn't come as a surprise despite how minor the infiltration of a few teenagers was.
He toss the newly forged extraction item towards Gin.
"So this is the alternative? I have to say, it isn't quite what I expected."
He said after giving the cylindrical device a proper look, though as per his mask, he shrouded the inspection with adequate casualness, before throwing it back.
"Indeed, it has quite a deceitful image… Not unlike its creator."
Aizen agreed with the statement.
Urahara had a habit of giving a lot of his creations quite contradictory appearances. Infuriating still, was how he designed them so the appearance played a crucial role in their functionality.
Aizen had of course tried to remodel most of the man's creations in his free time, but this endeavour had seen more failure than success. Producing, in most successful cases, items with poor performance and less efficiency.
Gin walked to an unoccupied seat, relaxing himself as he turned to the numerous monitors that displayed the ongoings of the outside.
"A foreseen development then? But I suspect you have no intention of altering the plans you have laid."
No, it wouldn't do to give an honest answer to the boy's cryptic question, lest he started to suspect omniscience from him, even if he did lack that ability.
"Uncontested reliance on the success of the initial plan of extraction would have been foolish on my part. Much stood in the way of its success, including the arrival of the ryoka. I'm sure Urahara has plans hidden within this naive rescue attempt to deny the Sokyoku proper purchase on the girl's soul."
Not a lie, he did in fact know that this whole infiltration was the genius's guise, even if the nuances of it remained a mystery to him.
But that was fine, the man lacked eyes within the soul society thus he was limited in his interference. Once upon a time, he had been an obstacle, a true threat to his goals despite not knowing what they were. But now, Urahara was little more than a hindrance, a desperate fool fixated on the destruction of his creation.
And as it was common with desperate men, he had become quite predictable and easy to manipulate.
"Alterations will come in accordance with the situation on the surface. But my 'death' will remain, if for nothing else than to create further chaos within the ranks of the Gotei 13."
"You're enjoying this too much, captain Aizen. Oh, before I forget. It seems your little pet project had a run in with the Extra Seat. Ikkaku of the 11th division says that he was looking for a cat before he was taken away by an unknown individual…while in the middle of casting Hadō #88 might I add."
Casting? Aizen would have laughed if he hadn't felt and saw the interaction. Though it was good to gain knowledge on the context the surveillance had failed to capture. Like the spoken words and the blur that snatched Hisayuki.
An interesting character that Extra Seat. A pity he rebuffed all his attempts to recruit him. It would have been quite an opportunity to study the nature of his reiryoku and how he managed such phenomenal control over it.
"A shame that the interaction resulted in little development in our hybrid aside from a scare. I had hoped that the blast, had it been fired, would hasten his growth."
"You think he would have survived?"
With the current suppression on the majority of his powers? No. Unlike the Kidō spells which were penalised for the neglect of the incantation, the Extra Seat's suffered from no limitations.
But the boy was only worth value to him if he continued to grow and paved a path for Aizen to implement in his ascent.
"His hollow would have answered to his desire to survive at the very least."
He would need to secure alternatives should young Ichigo succumb to death. Hmmm, perhaps the triggering of his sisters? They too should have White's hollowfication dormant within them.
A thought for later, he supposed.
"What of Hisayuki? Like Kenpachi he is prone to fits of unpredictability. But unlike Kenpachi, his motives are ever changing."
Aizen waved the curiosity cloaked as concern off. Hisayuki might be a problem, especially with that Shikai of his — the investigations he had conducted on it showed it held a similar effect to Urozakuro's environmental awareness — but if his suspicions were correct…
"I don't think we will be seeing the Extra Seat for a while, at least until the need for secrecy is no longer necessary."
What did worry him was where Yoruichi was keeping him. And what exactly was Urahara's plan for the Hokyoku's destruction…
=======Author's Notes=======
The Saint: And here be the third…and we get the perspective of the big bad. Honestly, it's hard to capture Aizen's personality and genius since, you know, I'm not one myself. But hell if I'm not gonna try…
Again, I would like to remind everyone that perspectives aren't omniscient, so you might find yourself reading contradictions in the future, though most of it will be related to the MC's abilities.
Thoughts, criticism, and ideas, I welcome them all.
Join my pa-atreon to read advanced chapters: pa-atreon.com/BoombaTheSaint
Anyway, that's all from me.
Bye bye