DISCLAIMER: I do not own "BLEACH".

Hi, this is my first time writing a story in FanFiction. I hope you all will like it! ;-D

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– TELL ME, MY FRIEND, YOUR REASONS FOR WAR –

"Why?"

He looked at me, deep in thought. His eyes quite dilated, I wondered if he's even there with me in the first place.

"Hmm?"

"Why even start this war in the first place when you do not want it to get this messy?"

"Why bother asking?" his sentence came almost like a whisper.

"It's obvious that someone should be asking. I didn't came this far, from earthworld to Hueco Mundo, just to say hi, you know, Sosuke. You know what I risked to come to you and try to put some sense into you before all the worlds collapse...and for what? For something that you don't even know why you did. This is so not like you."

Frown. Ah, finally I got a reaction from that stone of a man.

"I had to do it, Hiro... " he paused and took a deep breath. "Because I don't believe in Soul Society anymore. It's a fake world. It's a world where all my hopes and aspirations had died upon. It's a world filled with people who think they're superior than anyone else and lives with daily enthusiasm and belief only the strong wins. All those talk of honesty, bravery and dignity...are just sweet that coats the bitter taste. In fact, their life walks the lane of "Only The Strong". Those who are not strong enough, live their life as if serving the winners is their sole purpose in life. They do not recognize the need for expansion. Nor do they empathize with the real meaning of life."

He clasped his hand behind him and threw his sight on the sea of sand beyond Hueco Mundo. He, the evil one, at that moment, looked as if he hadn't slept in a hundred years and so the weariness of the world had sat upon his shoulders a little longer that most.

"What is the real meaning of life, Sosuke? We are different people living different lives in different worlds. Of course we have different perception on life. How can it be you're saying they don't empathize with the real meaning of life?"

"They don't have a meaningful purpose in life. They eat but they do not taste. They hear but they do not listen. They watch, yet they do not see. Can't you see it? Everyday they woke up, bath, eat and go training to increase power, beat each other to pulp and then go to sleep. This pitiful cycle is only broken when some meetings or emergencies rose. Look at the world of the human, Hiro. They have a far more remarkable life for the weakling they are. Then look at Hueco Mundo. Can you even call this world, a world?"

There's a resignation in his voice. The first, I believed, that ever touched my ears since I knew him 600 human years ago.

"Often, very often, I think Soul Society is vastly unfair. While they take pride in their 'divine calling', they look down on those mindless gruesome hollows not even worth to mention. But, look very very carefully; they're no more better than the hollows themselves. The people of Soul Society is a conceited mass of oversized egos. Instead of bringing a reformed civilization to the spirit world and civilization itself to the world of hollows, they decided to take the easy way by erecting barriers between the worlds and chops anyone – human or hollows – into oblivion if they ever cross the barriers. Makes their job easier, they think. As a result, the evolving hollows starts to rebel uncontrollably and human become increasingly threatened and helpless. But do they care? No, they just sit in the comfort world of Soul Society and go about their daily life like they did since before the beginning of time itself, venturing out to either world only on emergencies, which more often than not, already too late..."

At the end of his speech, his voice seemed to trail. But I wasn't sure. Aizen was always good in hiding things. Even his own agenda, his rebellion, had been hidden from the knowledge of the Gotei 13 extremely well for a stretch of time that spanned over a hundred of years.

"Now you see my reasons, Hiro?"

I looked again into his pale hazel eyes. They seemed to have grown paler since three hundred years ago.

"No, I don't. I understand your dismay, Sosuke. But I don't think it warrants such a rebellious and destructive action. You are my friend. I knew you since we were children and I know this is not you. Sure, Soul Society is made up of conceited fools. But there are still ways to amend whatever you think is wrong here. You should know that a full-scale war would not solve anything; it only make things worse. Perhaps, you could talk with them. Reason with them. Suggest to them that you want reformation in both worlds."

"YOU DON'T KNOW SOUL SOCIETY THE WAY I DO!" His voice boomed. I was shocked. I've never heard that tone of voice coming from him. No, not even once. I managed a composed look.

After a few seconds, Aizen drew another deep breath and said with a weary finality in his voice;

"I tried what I can all these while. I proposed many suggestions that I thought could positively reform Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Ones I had carefully thought. But they refused. They want to leave things just as they are now. We don't need to change, they said. The law, rules and regulations work well. They're perfect, they said. Soul Society is already perfect. Oh, and they also thought that civilizing Hueco Mundo would mean more burden and less authority which also means less power. They do not want to share their authority with some freak from a God-forsaken world, you see."

I heard a jeer in his voice but pretended that I didn't hear it.

"Sosuke...how did you became like this? How could you not think of the casualties war would take? Countless life of innocent souls, humans and hollows alike would perish in a war which can be deemed rash and thoughtless."

Aizen shot me a strange look; one I've never seen before. A look that simultenously far colder than any January winter and more scorching than any June summer. A look that sent chill through my spine then wriggled into my soul. A look that I know would haunt me from thereon. A look that came from someone I never knew before.

"Should I care, Hiro? To reach a greater cause, a great loss must be incurred. An interesting and rather pitiless quote, eh? I read it once, some three hundred years before. It's written in this little black book, in a little black box, in a little black desk." I couldn't see his smirk, but I can imagine it because he sound like it as he turned away towards the door.

Before going through the door, he paused and said, with what's left of the friendship he might still have in him, "It was touching that you did try to stop me, reason with me on compassion for souls, humans and hollows you've never met. I'll try to keep the good feeling with me. But as far as I can say for myself – and you know me only too well to understand that I really mean it – I've waged a war on Soul Society. I won't back off. This war defines my belief, a belief that for so long had been brushed aside by selfish fools I cannot tolerate anymore. This is my purpose in this life: to me a reformation to a world so stuck and rotten. To bring life to life. Though I may walk the valley of the dead to bring it, I would. There is no other way. I do not ask you to put yourself in line for me, Hiro. You're my best friend. One I would never risk losing over my own willful wish. But what I do ask of you, as a friend, is that let me be.."

With those words, Aizen disappeared beyond the gigantic ivory door. Perhaps to the comfort of his hall and many knights or perhaps to the security of his lonely majestic bedroom. I sighed to the thought that this is going to be my hardest battle yet – to win over a friend to the light side when I cant even see or hear him in that darkness he had so willingly venture into.

As I looked toward the horizon of an endless sea of sand, I thought I heard Aizen's voice as the wind passed me by, "Ah, by the way, I read that little black book, in a little black box, in a little black desk...in Captain Yamamoto's study room."

A soft sad chuckle blended into the wind and was carried away into the clear but somewhat lifeless sky of Hueco Mundo...