Bleach: Children of Traitors

Chapter 1: Congratulations

“Thank you for all your hard work and contributions.”

Hatsu and his comrades have waited so long for this moment of acknowledgment and approval. They weren't insanely powerful or ridiculously skilled as the man on the right and the left of their leader. Still, they worked hard. They may be a mere part of the number, just a cog in the machine to bring forth the new world, but they were proud to take part in the world Lord Aizen would create. Those words coming from their leader were an honor and privilege to hear... or rather it would have been if it wasn't followed by death.

Hatsu’s eyes widened in a mix of horror and disbelief as he watched the spray of blood from several of his brothers-in-arms. He didn't have time to think, hardly a moment to blink as only one captain was performing the slaughter whilst the other two passively observed.

No.

Only Aizen observed, Tōsen  carried out his will, and Gin... something about him seemed off... or rather more off than his usual demeanor.

Hatsu couldn't put his finger on it, nor did he have the time. If he was going to escape with his life, now was the time. He fled opposite the direction of Tōsen , the closest to cut off his escape was Gin. His flash step was intermediate at best, and here is where it counts. Fifty meters, one hundred meters, one hundred fifty meters. The further the man got, the more confidence entered his steps. At this distance, he was almost certain his escape was guaranteed.

!!!

His breath caught. A sharp pain permeated his body. He couldn't even scream. His face contorted, and horror returned to his eyes as he saw the blade protruding from his chest. His life quickly poured out of him. He found himself suddenly back in the presence of his comrades as the blade that impaled him retracted back to its wielder. He fell to the ground with a sloppy plop. Hot tears contrasted the feel of the growing cold spreading through his body as his blood rushed out. His vision blurred before he ceased to see anything at all. He could hear his leader, or rather former leader, speaking. The words were muddled, he couldn't make sense of what was said. He couldn't--

One kidō blast and the bodies were vaporized. Erasing the evidence of what transpired as well as any potential of survivors.

“Gin. You seem a bit distracted. Has another fun rumor about you been circulating again?” Aizen's inquiry was a light jest about the most recent rumors going around about the Third Captain. He doubted something of the like would be enough to shake Gin's focus, but it was fun to tease every now and then.

"And here I thought you enjoyed being at the center of a scandal." Tosen jabbed.

"..." Gin didn't answer, at least not immediately.

His lack of polite yet mocking comebacks seemed off. No, his lack of any response puzzled the other two captains

-

It happened a few days ago... though perhaps the lead-up started several weeks earlier than that. He’d heard from time to time that Rangiku was acting strangely, or rather reacting strangely. The oddest things or slightest inconveniences would make her more irritable than normal if not put her over the edge altogether. Rumor through the grapevine was that she'd stopped drinking all of a sudden. Naturally, he assumed the rumors about her mood swings were related to withdrawals. Of course, that was a situation he'd steer clear of. Sure, he was curious, but not that curious.

The rumor in question didn't occur until one of his usual "friendly" deliveries of dried persimmons.
The dried orange fruit was littered across the ground, and the basket that he was carrying rolled alongside the mess. Gin looked down at his now empty hand. The last thing he’d expected was for Rangiku to have slapped the basket from his hand. He usually reveled in the accusatory glares she shot him, and would tease her in response, but this time, he couldn’t fathom what he did to lead to this sort of reaction. The third captain found himself dumbstruck for a moment as he was usually fully aware of his deeds and in anticipation of how others react, but this caught him a bit off guard. Even with his usual pranks, he didn’t usually get much of a strong reaction from Rangiku other than a fake pout followed by her going along with the game.
“Oi, Ran…chan—”