Capítulo 301: Before the confrontation
---(Moments after saving Rukia)---
(Ryoto's pov)
Did I need to be such a show-off? No.
Was it fun to do it? Yes.
Will this bite me in the ass in the near future? Possibly.
You need a little bit of fun in life. Especially in tough times, otherwise, you'll just be depressed the whole time. Been there, done that, but now that I'm done with my show, my allies distracted the opposition. I don't want to say enemies because it's just not true. We are just two sides, and the other side is unaware of what's going on or is manipulated, so we are forced to fight.
As planned, Jushiro-senpai and Shunsui-senpai took care of Yama-jii. Of course, our teacher could kill all of us if he used his Bankai, but it is for emergencies only. That or he is confident in defeating them with just Shikai, and, scarily enough, that is also a possibility.
Little Byakuya was yoinked by Yukima. The expression on his face was priceless, and I bet when this is over, she won't let him forget how she managed to get a jump on him.
That left the youngest Captain present and, overall, Toshiro Hitsugaya. Not for long, of course, as before he had time to question anything, he was grabbed and, I would even say, kidnapped by Harribel. There is an Ara Ara joke somewhere about busty Onee-san kidnapping a Shota, but I'm not going to make it. I feel it's just too easy. Maybe some other time.
Now, everyone but me, Rin, and freshly saved Rukia, who was still hanging in the air, were left on the hill. Right. I should probably get her down, and that's precisely what I did.
One simple Shunpo later, Rukia was finally on the ground. She was still in shock at everything that happened and probably, for the first time, noticed my missing arm. She wasn't exactly paying attention to all the details; she was mostly focusing on her adoptive brother. I also could look like I was keeping my left arm inside my clothes, but from up close, there was no mistaking it.
"Don't worry, Rukia. I'm right-handed."
I reassured Rukia, who looked worried, but before she could even feel flabbergasted, I threw her to my right, where Starrk appeared, looking as bored as always. I knew that he was serious about what we were doing, and the sole reason for that was that I was serious about it. I really appreciated that about him.
"Please keep her safe."
I knew that Rukia would be the safest, with arguably the strongest Arrancar. At my request, he nodded his head, but before he left, I raised my fist. Starrk looked at it for a bit until he understood what I wanted, and with a small smile, he bumped it with his own fist and left with Rukia.
Now, I was left alone with Rin. Somehow, despite being ready to fight to the death in a few moments, both of us were calm.
"Are you ready?" My question may not have been needed, as I knew the answer already.
"I was ready for a long time. Since the day we got together, I was prepared for a day like that, and I was hoping that I would be strong enough to be at your side and not be weak enough for you to protect me."
Despite a simple question, Rin gave me a heartfelt response that just melted my heart.
"...If we weren't about to fight our enemy, I would literally start making out with you."
At my comment, she smirked as she took out a hairband and started gathering her hair into her old hairstyle, which she hadn't worn in ages.
"Then let's survive it so we can do that later on." She can be such a tease when she wants to, but I love that part of her just as much as everything else about her. "Also, on another note, what happened to your glasses?" she asked curiously. I hadn't worn them for a few days now.
"I got bored of them. Also, fighting with them was annoying. I just did it as a joke." I explained myself, but I got a raised eyebrow from Rin.
"You had them for decades now."
"I was dedicated to a bit."
"So it would seem, but I prefer your look without them. They didn't suit you."
I tried to look as betrayed as I could. "And you didn't tell me all this time!?"
And that earned me an eye roll.
"As if you cared about others' opinions of you. If that was the case, you would at least try to pretend to work hard."
Ah... she knows me so well.
"To be honest, while you look stunning with your hair down, there is something else about your ponytail."
As they say. You can't beat the classic.
Now prepared, I decided to call our opponent out.
"Hey, Aizen! Come out, or I'm releasing embarrassing pictures with you as a main attraction!"
"You are aware that it isn't necessary to threaten my image for me to come out like that."
Aizen, who came out of the nearby woods, questioned my ways of doing things.
"But it is of no matter. I suppose, as you still haven't rushed at me, you would like to talk first."
I didn't bother hiding my eyes. He knew about it, and I would rather have them battle-ready while talking with him. Meanwhile, Rin tensed slightly and narrowed her eyes. She was acting calmly, but knowing her for a long time, I knew that she was furious. There were many reasons for that, but two main ones were Aizen manipulating Akio and him threatening her whole family by doing what he wanted to do.
That's why I'm the one who mainly does the talking.
"You would be correct. I tried to reach you before, but you were... unavailable."
"Ah, yes. I must apologize. My intentions weren't to make your life more difficult, truly. However, I was afraid that you would try to stop my attempt at what I'm doing." Without even looking at my missing arm, he added, "My condolences about your arm. I would be more than happy to help, but I'm busy with something else, as you probably are aware. I was even forced to change my hiding place as you would most certainly find me otherwise, and I was correct in my assumption."
As usual, Aizen just loves the sound of his voice. He always thinks that he is above everyone else, and to be fair, he usually is, but that doesn't mean that he's not annoying.
"Stop that fake attitude of yours. I don't have the patience to listen to your voice today. Right now, there are more important matters to discuss. Aizen, the Quincy King is back. Your whole plan is at risk."
"I'm well aware of this. After all, this is the reason why I sped up my plans that much. While the Quincies may destroy Sereitei, it is of no matter. Once I'm finished with my plan, it will become a non-issue. So, as much as I appreciate you worrying about my well-being, it is, in the end, unnecessary."
Aizen answered me as if he prepared his answer before I even started talking.
"Even if they could attack today?" I challenged his view despite knowing that it wouldn't work. His mind was already set, but that didn't mean I couldn't try. Looking back to this in 10 years, I don't want to think that I could try harder to avoid whatever will happen. I don't want to have even more regrets.
"Then it's even more of a reason to hurry up. Don't you think?" He smirked, probably knowing that I knew that my argument was too weak to work on him. "On the other hand, I must commend you, Captain Rin." That made Rin raise her eyebrow, and I was equally confused. "Captain Ryoto is coming back injured, which must have stirred some bad memories." And that was said with a sadistic smile. I quickly turned to Rin to check on her and used Haki in case I missed something, but it seemed that I worried for nothing. Except for a quick spike in anger and guilt, her emotions normalized just as quickly.
"Was that everything you wanted to say, Aizen? If that poor attempt at getting a raise out of me was your goal, then you would need to try harder. I've lived with Ryoto for years, and his pranks are more maddening than whatever you'll do with your words."
Yeah, I should have expected it. To be honest, I sometimes forget that I'm not the only one who matured here despite Rin continuously showing me that it isn't the case. Rin did as well, and she isn't as weak as I sometimes think. I don't doubt her strength. She is still a Captain despite everything that I may believe, but I guess just as much as she feels guilty about her weakness, I feel guilty about dragging her here, to begin with, and I may be a bit overprotective at times. With time, however, I mellowed down, but the feeling of protecting her never died off.
"Then I must apologize. I took you for the more hot-headed of you two, but as you have proven, I've been mistaken. Forgive me for this little test of your character. Now, do you have any more questions? Maybe a few more attempts to stop me with your arguments. Or some surprise that I couldn't predict. You have always had a knack for surpassing my exceptions. And please make it quick if possible. I have a criminal on the loose to catch and retrieve something that will be of great use to me."
"No, I think we are done here." I said as all of us unsheathed our weapons.
It was time to finish this charade before an even bigger enemy arrived.
---
END
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