Log: Complete

[good-and-proper.livejournal.com]

When; January 23, night
Rating; PG-13
Who; Aizen so_very_good and Itachi crimsonmangekyo
Summary; Aizen and Itachi have a long talk about ambition.
Log;
Fast. Soft footsteps touched down with the barest of sounds, alighting on one rooftop, then the next as the cloaked figure traveled, veiled in the mists of his own illusions. Illusion upon illusion, veil of deceit enshrouding yet another veil of deceit to conceal the truth that lay within their midst.

Uchiha Itachi. Murderer, Akatsuki, liar and betrayer. All these things could be ascribed to the figure shrouded within the black and red silk, but there was one thing that could not be. Wounded. Since the earlier encounter with Ingram, the sharingan-user was fully whole again. Not that Itachi intended anyone to find out. After all, an imagined weakness could be quite a useful card to have in play. And so yet another genjutsu wrapped around the slight form with the red eyes. A simple one. Simple yet powerful, lending the facade of the gaping chest wound that Archer had dealt with the cursed Gae Bulga. Spattering illusory crimson droplets across the snowy landscape as he stepped, crouched, and waited.

Aizen had been idly scanning the rooftops for his quarry when a sudden small spike in energy came from his right side. He turned and focused his gaze, looking for the source.

"Ah, there you are," he said quietly to himself.

He took a leisurely pace, dashing from roof to roof, gaining ground on the S-class criminal. After getting within 150 feet, he called out.

"Excuse me, Mr. Uchiha. I believe that we have met previously. I was wondering if I might take the liberty of removing your head?"

There was a faint shudder of the atmosphere and the outermost layers of the genjutsu melted away to reveal the crouching form of the Uchiha. He glanced up from where he was surveying the City streets, red eyes whirling slowly as they narrowed beneath the wide brim of the hat. Standing up, the only sound the rustling of his cloak and the thin tinkling chime of the bell that hung with the white strips of linen, he nodded once to Aizen.

"Aizen-san. Indeed I believe that we have met once or twice. As to the removing of my head, I do believe I shall have to decline that request."

Aizen smiled at the flamboyantly dressed shinobi and folded his hands in his sleeves. With one flash step, he was 7 feet from him.

"Well then, Itachi-san, perhaps I can dispense with niceties and tell you that you don't have a choice?"

A few quick hand gestures preceded a low level fire spell, which Aizen fired at Itachi's form. He wasted no time, quickly moving to three other locations and firing the same spell from each of them. Arcs of flames lashed out at the other man, searing the earth as they moved.

A slight smirk and a whirl and Itachi's form vanished, reappearing behind Aizen. "Foolish. You should know better then to think that a wounded and hunted man would be so quick to reveal his true location so easily." Hands moved together into a series of seals and his form split, spreading out to ring a circle around Aizen.

Aizen dodged out of the circle and gained some distance, then used a lightning fast sword-strike, sending a large wave of air pressure at the ninja.

"I do. I simply enjoy seeing what you can do, Itachi-san."

Aizen sent two more waves, rushing in after the third. He sliced low, aiming to take out an ankle, then followed up with a vertical cut.

As Aizen's waves of air pressure cut down one of the bunshin, the other shifted around towards him. The one who's ankle he had attacked vanished in a puff of smoke as the smooth blade of the sword glissaded through it's shape. Laughter echoed across the roof from the real Itachi, remaining hidden for the time. Then there was a whisper of sound and motion, a flurry of black and a faint chime before a single word slipped through the snowswept landscape.

"Amaterasu". A torrent of black flame erupted from the side of Aizen, headed straight towards him in a gout of fury.


Aizen barely had time to utter a sound of surprise before the flames enveloped his form. For several minutes, he stood and burned, his body obscured by the black fire. A sudden burst of reiatsu exploded from within the conglagration, disappating most of the spells effect.

"Interesting," Aizen said, stepping forward out of the pyre, "That's a spell of yours, eh? Very effective."

There were still some small fires burning on him, but they were soon being snuffed out by his spirit. His uniform was tattered and slightly burnt, as well as the few small black marks on his skin.

"I should have raised my defenses earlier, I see. My mistake. One I will not make again."

He disappeared, and reappeared quickly, taking strikes at all of the different Itachi's and trying to force them into an ever tightening circle.

Aizen stopped just a foot from the main mass of Itachi's and held out his hand.

"BLACK..COFFIN!"

A massive, rectangular pillar of black flames rose from the ground in front of Aizen, reaching 30 feet into the sky. Aizen stepped back and prepared for the next attacks. He held his zanpakutou crosswise ahead of his body.

The gathered Itachi clones seemed not to notice the pillar of flame, and simply kept their focus, hands moving faster in the series of seals. There was a slight popping noise, a sizzle, and the clones suddenly vanished. In their place, was a pile of small paper tags with inked symbols on them. With a crackle, the exploding tags erupted, turning the pillar of flame into an angry fireball that raced outwards towards Aizen at frightening speeds.

Aizen reacted from his defensive stance, sending a fierce strike straight forward through the inferno. The resulting power left a vacuum in it's wake, causing the fireball to be deprived of it's oxygen and disappate as it reached him.

"More illusions. Truly, you are a skilled man in this field."

He held his sword in front of him and closed his eyes.

"But your jutsus can't fool me completely. I WILL sense where you are."

A barely-felt brush of air and the cold brush of steel at the base of his skull accompanied the quiet voice. "I don't believe that will be necessary, Aizen-san."

Aizen smiled as he registered the presence at his back.

"Ah, so that's the real you."

He turned to face his opponent.

"It would appear you have me at your mercy, eh?"

With a smirk, the Mangekyo whirled once, and the rest of the world melted away into the red-washed and sterile world of the Tsukuyomi. Stepping back, Itachi slipped the kunai back into his robes as the metal cross erupted from behind Aizen, the wires wrapping around his body and arms to suspend the ex-captain from the structure.

"It would appear so, Aizen-san. However, you also have me in a dilemma. A wounded man, facing an unwounded man. In this labyrinth of your own fears, yet you are said to have no fears for me to exploit. Truly an unusual occurence."

Aizen smirked down at him, unphased by the wires binding him.

"If you're wounded, then I'm the King of the city. Please don't patronize me, Itachi. You and I both know that you aren't wounded."

He assessed his surroundings with a discerning eye and turned his gaze back to Itachi.

"So I suppose your eye induces a hypnosis that controls your opponents sense of reality? Interesting..."

Itachi allowed himself a wry chuckle as he sauntered up to Aizen. "Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps not. The last I recall, Aizen Sousuke, we were very much at odds. If that is indeed the case, give me a good reason why I should not simply kill you here."

Aizen craned his neck down a bit, to better focus on him.

"Probably because...you can't."

He closed his eyes but for a moment, and the fabric of Itachi's "world" started to warp and waver. A pulse of reiatsu went out from Aizen's body, much stronger than what he used to counter Amaterasu. A devastating, crushing force that snapped Aizen out of the illusion.

"Kyouka Suigetsu, I think it is time you got some better exercise. I hope you'll enjoy this show, Itachi. I'll only let you see it once."

His sword came to his hand, after which he charged at the other man, ready for a quick strike, but leaving himself open in the process.

Though he was surprised at Aizen's unravelling of the genjutsu, he didn't let it show. Backstepping, he crouched and slid his hands into a series of familar seals. "Katon Gokyakyu no jutsu!" Sending the gout of flame flying towards Aizen, he took advantage of the slight cover it lent to pull a kunai. Darting forward, he slammed the weapon into Aizen's torso.

The blade went straight through Aizen's midsection, making blood splash on Itachi's arm. He let out a single gasp and fell forward onto the man, only for his body to shatter like glass.

"Did your eyes play a trick on you?" said a voice behind Itachi's left ear.

The real Aizen was behind him, with a palm placed against his back.

"Checkmate. If I used a high-level spell at THIS range, even you wouldn't be able to survive it. However, I am not unreasonable. Would you like to reconsider bringing me into your confidence?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Only a fool reveals all of his tricks at once. However, I do agree that we seem to have reached an impasse, Aizen-san. Shall we reconvene, then? Perhaps it is time we laid our respective cards on the table, compared intel, and reached an arrangement that could be potentially beneficial to us all."

salucci123: "Much like I did with Orochimaru? Very well. I see no problem with that."

He slid his arms back into his sleeves and stepped back.

"At this rate we'd just keep casting illusions, anyway. Until someone's energy ran out, at least. Do you have a place you wish to talk?"

Itachi smiled. "Might I make a somewhat...unconventional suggestion?" With that, the Mangekyo spun, plunging the world around them into Tsukuyomi again. "There really is nowhere better suited to privacy then this, Aizen-san. Unless you would with a different locale."

"I suppose this is the equivalent of 'our own little world', then? I suppose that works."

He cocked his head and smiled at his new co-conspirator.

"It's truly a pleasure to become your business associate, Uchiha-san."

The raven-haired Uchiha nodded his head slightly. "Likewise. And I believe, now that the unpleasantries are out of the way, that this can be discarded." With a slight gesture, the last layers of his illusions faded away, the bloody wound to his chest melting away as though it had never been.

"I thought as much," he said, pacing the area inside the illusion.

"You know, I never thought I'd see humans with this unique an ability. You really are quite gifted. How did your family happen upon such a power?"

"A family trait. A kekkei genkai, passed down through our bloodline for centuries. Although mine is substantially different from that of my little brother." Itachi turned as Aizen moved, red eyes following the man in his pacing.

"Interesting. It is a shame that you lack gene splicing technology in your age. The possibilities are endless, with all the different bloodline abilities your kind possess."

His hand traces along Kyouka Suigetsu, favoring it like an old friend.

"Mine if far different in nature. Kyouka Suigetsu lures the opponent into hypnosis the moment they lock eyes on it. It creates inescapable illusions that fool all of the senses and cannot be broken. Once it is released, my opponents sense of reality is mine to bend. Forever."

"Forever. Truly a powerful thing, then. The Sharingan enables the bearer to see through the workings of all jutsu, as well as the ability to copy and reuse them for their own benefit. It is only by obtaining the advanced level of Mangekyo Sharingan that mastery such as mine over genjutsu is acheived." Itachi studied the sword, respectfully keeping his hands to himself. Though he hadn't seen one up close, his intel had given him plenty of information about how attached to their zanpakuto the shinigami seemed to be.

"So tell me, Itachi. What is your intention for the possessed boy? I highly doubt you wish to remove his Kyuubi out of the goodness of your heart."

Aizen leaned against a nearby tree, making sure to take in everything that was said today.

"And can you even control such an unruly creature?"

"The goodness of my heart? Now THAT would be a true illusion, Aizen-san. No, Akatsuki cares nothing for the jinchuuriki himself. Our goals are much simpler then that."

"What are these goals? One would imagine that the beast would be a great and powerful weapon, but there is no guarantee that it could be controlled."

"Besides, aren't you missing people? I was under the impression that there were more of you."

"We live in a fairly simple world, so our goals might seem somewhat petty to you. However the economic balance of our world is governed by the hidden villages. They are the structure and the scaffolding that holds up our world, upon which everything else rests. Quite simply, we wish to control that structure. To do away with the seperate villages and establish a new order. One where the Akatsuki will control the outflow. With the bijuu in our control, there is no need to utilize the power such as you imply. Merely the fact that we have harnessed it and control the keys to it's release would be enough. Beyond that, I do not know. Perhaps our leader's plans stretch farther. Perhaps not. As to our numbers, there are indeed more of us. We number nine in totaly."

"Interesting. I have heard much of your world. It could benefit from having a strong leader in control. It would actually make things run much smoother by avoiding so many worthless civil wars. Though I must wonder the point of a village that creates warriors if there is no warfare. What if the other nations choose not to utilize you for missions? On top of that, can you even trust one another. Cramming so many powerful ninja into one group certainly must be a task. Are there never power plays or disagreements?"

"If we are the only option left to them, then the nations have no choice but to utilize them. As for power plays, that is seldom a concern among Akatsuki. Our goals are the same, they benefit us all. Thus there is little need for conflict."

"Ah, but you fail to see my point. You NOW have this valid reason to be together. You are all useful cogs in a great machine. But once the goal has been met and the power been consolidated, what then? Do you honestly believe that you can keep the group equal in such a world? My friend, I do believe you have a strangely naive' approximation of human nature. When outward enemies have been stopped, and outside pressures no longer encroach, it is the natural instinct of the strongest to turn amongst themselves and decide who is the most powerful. To trust so completely in your own comrades is a foolish venture. It is more intelligent to form your own schemes just in case. That way, they can be implemented after the inevitable coups from within."

Itachi had to smile at Aizen's words. The man was definitely intelligent. Especially to come to the same conclusion that Itachi himself had drawn some time ago. It was true, indeed. Despite the fact that Akatsuki was a unified organization, it was well known that there was little love lost between many of it's members. The simple fact that they were each quite difficult to kill and even more difficult to adequately replace was really the only thing that kept the group from turning in on itself. With a nod, Itachi smiled at his fellow conspirator.

"And so it seems that we have reached the same conclusions, Aizen-san."

Aizen idly slid down to sit at the tree's base, taking a relaxed pose.

"Of course, I have my co-conspirator's, but we are anything but equals. There is a comfortable gap of power between myself and those I work closely with. I trust you have at least heard of the arrancar in passing. Grimmjow Jaggerjack, Ulqiorra, and Cirucci Thunderwitch are some. Though, only the first two are in my inner circle of 10 Espada. The shinigami Gin is also one of my co horts, but that loyalty has been...tested since he came here. I suppose it doesn't matter, seeing as he isn't from my version of that world. That gets confusing sometimes."

Itachi nodded, leaning against another tree in the scarlet-washed world of the Tsukuyomi.
"Indeed. Of the Akatsuki, those of us in the City number three. And the one, Deidara, has made several "questionable" acquaintances during his time here. As for Kisame, he has remained loyal thus that I can tell. Akatsuki work in pairs, to complement each other's abilities, and he and I have been partnered for some time. I have heard of the Arrancar. The nemesis of the shingami, are they not?"

"Well, the natural enemies of the shinigami are Hollows. I'm sure your afterlife is different from that of the people from my world. I have heard of people being resurrected in your world. In my world it's not possible. When the mortal body dies, that's it. The soul usually either passes on."

"If they stay on earth they have two choices, be purified by a shinigami, or suffer and become a Hollow. Hollows are negative spirits that feed on other souls, living and dead."

"Hollows that draw too much attention are hunted down and dispatched by shinigami. This, too, purifies the soul for it's final destination."

"Hollows are monstrous creatures with masks on their faces. These masks reduce them to their base instinct to feed and shield their true feelings and emotions from the world. Arrancar are Hollows who have had the mask removed. They become stronger and more human shaped as a result, but that does not make them more humane. They are monsters, and they enjoy that fact. I find them simply the means to an end, but I am unto a God to them, due to the fact that I had a major hand in their creation."

The Uchiha nodded. "Indeed, we do not have such things in our world. It would sound as though these Arrancar are useful things indeed. But how, exactly, does one go about creating one from a Hollow. I would hardly think it possible to simply walk up and rip the mask off of the face of such a creature."

"There is more than one technique. The original techinique was long, crude, and painful. The volunteer would be restrained and would then have components of their mask and body forcibly removed. It was done in a manner that prevented it from regrowing on their bodies. One in many would survive the process, but even then the results varied."

"Of course, I did obtain an important component later, but I'll keep that to myself for now. Needless to say, it greatly improved my ability to create arrancar. A near perfect technique. A side effect of the arrancar creation process is that they gain some shinigami powers, you see. Including a different kind of zanpakutou all their own."

"I see. It would seem that this...component, that you have discovered would indeed turn the tide more to your favour. But I wonder one thing, Aizen-san. How to you ensure their loyalty, if they are merely monsters of instinct and nature?"

Aizen chuckled to himself and stood up, walking toward Itachi.

"Because the place where Hollows reside, Hueco Mundo, follows on the most basic law. Survival of the fittest. I am an anomaly to them. A great and powerful flame they can rally around. A man with no fear, no shame, and no chance of losing. I'm the very light of their existence. The only bright and shining thing in that bleak world. They all submit to the fact that their lives and deaths are mine to give and take."

"However, I am neither unreasonable, nor a tyrant. I believe in a fair, balanced system. As long as the hierarchy is followed properly, there are few problems."

Itachi nodded in agreement. "Of course. Any system where one individual tyrannically opposes those beneath him is doomed to fail. If we appease them, keep them believing in the fairness and just nature of the system, then rather then opposing it, they will instead defend it." He paused, offering Aizen a rare smile, though none of the gesture's normal warmth spread to his eyes. "I must say that it is rather a rare treat to meet one so similar to myself, Aizen-san."

"I extend the same greeting and compliment, Itachi. You are clearly well-versed in more than just genjutsu. Power is nothing, after all, if one cannot effectively utilize it. The boy is a perfect example of that. I could sense power in him, but his abilities were quite weak."

He extended a hand to the shinobi.

"So, shall we agree to let bygones be bygones and help one another out?"

"Of course. His abilities themselves are marginal at best. Without the Kyuubi's power, he would be nothing of consequence." With a nod, he extended his own hand, fingers wrapping around Aizen's hand in a firm grip. "Let's. Afterall, it appears that it could be a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Of course. Perhaps we shall reveal more secrets to one another at the proper time. Good day to you, Itachi."

Aizen turned and looked around.

"...After you drop this, of course."

"Of course." A simple twirl of the mangekyo, the slightest twist of a finger, and the redwashed colours faded, the Tsukuyomi melting away into the neutral colours of the real world. The Uchiha bowed slightly to the ex-captain and slid the straw hat back onto his head. "Good day, Aizen-san."

"And to you."

A quick nod, and then the ex-shinigami was gone. Disappeared in the wind.

With a small smile, Itachi turned and surveyed the City. This...would prove to be a most beneficial arrangement. With a swirl of onyx and crimson and the faintest chiming of a bell, the Sharingan-user also vanished as he pulled the layers of illusions around himself once more.