Lost in the Darkness
Summary: "Lost in the darkness, silence surrounds you. Once, there was morning. Now, endless night. If I could reach you, I'd guide you and teach you to walk from this darkness back into the light."
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do not own "A New Life."
Warning: This is rated M for a reason. There will be language, gore, and sex. If you are not 18 and do not have parental permission, DO NOT READ.
A/N: This was a completely random story that I chose for absolutely no reason. I wouldn't ask how this came about, but listening to the Jekyll and Hyde musical had something to do with this. Also, I am in the midst of writing my original story (send me a pm with your email on it if you're interested in what it looks like) and I want to work on that and this at the same time. Bad idea, huh? Anyway, halfway through this first chapter, I erased the whole thing and rewrote it, thus the reason it took so long. So, without further ado, chapter 1 of Lost in the Darkness!
Chapter 1
In His Eyes
"One thing I have learned as I go through life: Nothing is for free along the way."
- I -
Never in a million years did Aizen Sousuke Aizen believe that he would be going to a seer. Especially not in Rukongai. He had heard many things, however, about this seer. They could see all, and yet they could see nothing. That was a confusing riddle, but Aizen supposed it would be fun to figure out, as well as to see what this idiot seer had to say about his future. He wound through the streets, several people shying away from him. His uniform was daunting enough to most people, but the armband signifying his Fukutaichou position did nothing to help. He was at ease, not feeling the need to be stiff. He smiled at the people, making children want to talk to him. He knelt down in front of one child with odd dark violet hair. "Hello," he said, as she had been talking to him the longest. She giggled nervously, obviously the shy type. "What's your name?" He continued to smile at her, looking at her over the rims of his black glasses.
"N-Natsuk-ki…M-Mas-sam-m-mi…" She stuttered quietly. Her gaze was trained on the ground. Although she was shy, she also seemed to be a curious individual. However, Aizen could also sense something in this Natsuki Masami. She had strong reiatsu, which surprised him. He smiled at her warmly. "Well, Masami-Kun," he said, putting a hand on her head. "If you train hard, you can be like me." He took his hand from her head to tap his arm band. She nodded and Aizen could see a slight fire of determination light her eyes. He smiled at her mysteriously. "Good luck, Masami-Kun. I will see you soon," he said quietly, getting up to walk away. He had spoken to her quietly, so the other children crowded around her to ask her what they were talking about. He chuckled at the curious children, listening to them shout questions, trying to top each other and get their question answered first.
Now, to find the seer. Evidently, there would be a way of telling the hut—ah. He'd found it. It was a bright pink color and had purple writing—Teller of Fate. Aizen was pretty sure this was what he was looking for. He placed on his smile and walked in. "Hello?" He called. There was movement in the back and a curtain was moved aside, revealing an elderly man. Immediately, Aizen's smile fell and he looked upon the person with shock. Their eyes were closed and crosses were sliced into eyelids, making him completely blind. He had various tattoos of eyes on his wrinkled skin and a pale, gnarled hand searched the walls as he found his seat. "You must be Aizen Sousuke…" The elderly man rasped.
"How did…?"
"I see all and I see nothing. I see all that will be, yet I cannot see what it looks like. I can tell you what will occur, but I can never show it to you as I cannot see it myself," he rasped hastily. He motioned for Aizen to sit, which the lieutenant did. Maybe this seer was worth something. He held out a hand. "Give me your hand," he rasped. Aizen did as asked and suppressed his disgust as the man started pressing his calloused fingers to his skin. The man's hands ran along the lines and he seemed to be distant. "You will be saved in the near future, and you will find true love with the one who saved you. You will rule their kingdom with an iron fist and enter into a war, which will only be won with the acceptance of your love of this individual."
Aizen held back a scoff. That was absolutely ridiculous! Him? Be saved? Fall in love? A lieutenant would not need to be saved, he knew! He listened to the old man continue to rasp. "You do not believe me. Come back when it happens, and I shall again take your fortune," the seer said.
"Alright, I will. You will probably never see me again," Aizen replied. As he left, he did not hear the seer's reply.
"So we will see, Goubantai-Fukutaichou, Aizen Sousuke. So we will see…"
- II -
"Aizen-Fukutaichou, assistance required in sector R with several Menos!" A familiar voice on his soul pager shouted. He sighed. "Understood," he said to the third-seat officer, putting away his soul pager and using his fast Shunpo to get to his comrades' location quickly. Menos Grande were tricky to kill. Though they were probably the idiotic Gillian, it would be no surprise that the lower Shinigami needed assistance. He arrived not too far from the five Menos and was correct. They were Gillian. Drawing Kyouka Suigetsu, he could feel his partner's cry for bloodshed. He would grant its wish. Taking up a common stance, Aizen used his Shunpo to assist his momentum and pierced the mask of one Menos, followed by three of the others. As he was about to get the fifth, a Negación came down, surrounding him and the Gillian. He was surprised, to say the least, as he was pulled up and away from his comrades and into the Garganta. The disoriented feeling made him lightheaded and he arrived in a hot, desert. He looked at the sky. It was nighttime. What had just happened? As he tried to take a step, the negative reiatsu affected his Shinigami reiatsu greatly and he collapsed, black closing around the edge of his vision.
- III -
To say I was surprised was quite an understatement. No, I was not surprised that he had passed out due to our reiatsu overpowering his. There are reasons why Hollows and Shinigami don't visit each other's worlds unless in groups or as Vizards, and I haven't seen either for a long time. I was surprised that a being with a polar opposite in reiatsu had made it into my Negación. Especially since his reiatsu was so strong. It was suppressed, so perhaps if he'd gotten authorization for a Gentei Kaijou, he wouldn't have passed out. Either way, I couldn't let a Shinigami die. It had been a while since there was any sort of authority in Hueco Mundo and Las Noches, as the king had lost all respect and was pretty useless. However, most Hollows still obeyed the Arrancar, including myself. I leaned down, telling most of the Hollows to back off and leave the Shinigami be. They shied away from me as I picked up the Shinigami around the shoulders and under his knees. His head rolled limply against my shoulder and I felt his warm breath against my bare skin. Of course I was clothed, but my torso only had an obi-like sash around my breasts. I glanced at him. He was pale, but perhaps that was normal for him? In any case, Las Noches was more sheltered to the harsh negative reiatsu of Hollows. I used my Sonido to get there. After all, I'd been around for many years. I could easily use any of the several abilities available to an advanced Arrancar.
As I arrived at the large, white castle known as Las Noches, I waited. The gates were opened by several large Hollows, as they held the brawn to open the gates. I walked inside and through the many hallways. I was, thankfully, one of the most powerful and respected Arrancar. Therefore, no one questioned my guest. I made my way to my room, which was the only one not white. I had, after all, paid visits to the Soul Society. There were red and black highlights to stop the room from being a bland white. The wood of her futon was black, the sheets a crimson color. I had paintings on the bland walls, and all of the paintings were of random animals. Lions, bats, wolves. Any fabric was red, any wood was black, and any random pillows or carpets were also black. I had items that were all silk. I had positioned things in the room to maximize the space. On a dais was the futon, where I laid the Shinigami. Directly beside the futon was a three-drawer bed stand. A lamp sat on the bed stand. Across the room were two shoji sliding doors, both with a design of different waterfalls. One led to the bathroom, and the other led to a large walk-in closet, not that this closet was used much. There was also a dresser next to the closet door, which stored many things that I held dear. It was mostly stones that I considered of interest upon trips to Karakura Town and the Seireitei, not to mention some jewelry that I liked from Karakura Town. The jewelry would have been out of place, so I normally just hid it in the drawer to call it done. As I continued my inspection of the room to be sure none had been in it, I spotted the other dais in the center of the room which had a low, square table with one black pillow on any side of the medium-sized table. There were some other lamps in the corners of the room to provide significant light when I needed my writing desk, which was currently clear as any supplies I needed were in the drawers. I strode near the heavy white door and locked it, looking at the writing desk next to me and sighing before I went back over to the futon. I pulled apart his Kosode and spotted the black marking. "Whether authorized or not, he needs this gone…" I mumbled, waving a hand over it. It glowed and evaporated and I fell backwards from the sheer weight of his reiatsu. This man was certainly something to fear when he awoke. He was still breathing evenly, so I went to the sliding glass doors behind heavy white curtains and stood upon my balcony, looking over the many Hollows and few Arrancar that were wandering nearby. I may need to rest soon, but that was no worry for the near future.
- IV -
The first thing that Aizen realized was that he was in a very unfamiliar surrounding. He couldn't place any of the smells, nor any of the reiatsu signatures. He remembered being in the Negación and wondered if this place he was in—was it the home of the Hollows? There was a low reiatsu quite near to his, so he assumed it was his guard, making sure he couldn't leave. Really, he didn't want to. He was quite comfortable. However, he knew he needed to. Opening his eyes, he leapt to his feet, intense gaze not concealed behind his glasses as he drew Kyouka Suigetsu and faced his captor.
…A curled up girl, who was fast asleep.
Caught quite off-guard—he'd been expecting pretty much anything other than that—he blinked at the girl, Kyouka Suigetsu pointed at her back. He walked around her slowly, making sure she was really asleep. He felt a slight breeze on his chest and looked down, surprised to find he'd completed Gentei Kaijou. But how? He picked up the girl and put her on the futon, standing next to the futon as she stirred with his sword pointed at her. He studied her, though. She had short blue hair with bangs that came down in what seemed to be an arch over her face. There was a white mask on her face with a diamond in the center of the top. A circle was in the center of that diamond and lines were around the circle, pointing at each point of the diamond. Another diamond that was plain was lower, where her nose started. On the left side of her face, from where he was standing, was a black line that slightly curved until it reached her hairline. On the right side was a dark blue line that was nearly black. It arched into a curve that, although the other one started where her mask stopped—at the base of her forehead—it stopped in the middle of her forehead, above her eyebrow. The mask itself had red markings around the eyes, curling marks like those of a hollow mask. Her skin seemed slightly tanned and she had a rather exaggerated body with large breasts, a tiny waist, and large hips. She wore white hakama with a black obi, and an obi-like sash that concealed her breasts. She had black tabi on her feet with silver sandals, which was quite interesting to Aizen how they were almost the polar opposite in uniform colors.
As her golden eyes opened, a bit hazed from her sleepy stupor, he couldn't help but think she was a girl of interest. He was surprised as he was drawn back to the seer's words. "You will be saved in the near future, and you will find true love with the one who saved you." He shook his head and waited a moment before saying, "You, girl, who are you?" He didn't have his warm smile on, and the girl looked up at him, pushing herself up to sit. She crossed her legs and yawned slightly, not bothering to answer at first. "I am the Arrancar who took you from the dunes of Hueco Mundo here to Las Noches, so that you would not die of either Hollows attacking or of our negative reiatsu. I removed your limiter to counter-balance the reiatsu. I am Adara Eldora Alcibiades."
So this Arrancar had the ability to perform a Gentei Kaijou on someone else? Aizen wondered what other abilities she had. She was certainly a very strange Arrancar, since she had saved him, a Shinigami, the Hollows' polar opposite and mortal enemy. There was a knock on the door and Aizen tightened his grip on Kyouka Suigetsu. Adara got up, stretching languidly. It reminded him of a cat. She smiled at him, taking his hand and using her own to guide Kyouka Suigetsu back into the sheath. Aizen was a bit surprised, but he didn't fight her. Adara walked over to the door and opened it, holding it for several Hollows and Arrancar that were carrying trays. Aizen had no clue what the trays were. The Arrancar cleared out after setting the trays on the table, and Aizen walked over with curiosity. The trays were covered. Adara pulled one of the covers from a tray, and a delicious aroma filled the room. Aizen wasn't entirely aware of the fact that he hadn't eaten in a while until Adara had presented the food. His stomach made an uncomfortable noise and he stared at Adara silently. He sat down on one of the black cushions, in front of the food, hesitantly taking the offered chopsticks and testing the food. Adara sat across from him. She didn't eat food often, but she felt that the Shinigami should have some, so she took her small bowl of rice. She'd eaten recently, so she wasn't in the mood to eat. Especially when she saw the famished Shinigami devouring as much of the food as he could as quick as he could without choking or making a mess. She ate slowly, watching the handsome Shinigami. Adara, considerate as she was, had made sure all of the food was filling so he would get more from less.
Of course, he still devoured everything. Adara supposed it was because of his immense reiatsu level, which became steadier and stronger of a pulse as he grew less and less hungry. Adara set down her empty bowl as he finished up. She stared at him, then at the dirty dishes that he was stacking onto the trays so the lids would fit over them neatly. She offered him a smile. "I suppose your glasses are a ruse?" She questioned. "They don't seem to be required for eyesight and vision," she elaborated, speaking to him as though he were an equal, which did not make him very happy. However, he put a hand to his face and found that he was, indeed, without his glasses. He cursed internally and cast his gaze about for them. The Arrancar held them up. "I noticed that your reiatsu swelled when you took them off, so I suppose it hides and lowers your reiatsu. I wouldn't put them on until you are in a Garganta or the Dangai."
"The Dangai? Of the Seireitei?"
"No, of Hueco Mundo. Any place between worlds has a Dangai. Seireitei to Transient, Transient to Hueco Mundo, or Hueco Mundo to Seireitei. Of course, going to the Seireitei is quite perilous for me, so I will just lead you to the Transient Realm." Aizen took this in. "And what is a Garganta?"
"Have you ever watched a Hollow enter the Transient Realm?" Aizen nodded. "There is a giant rip from when we have to tear our way through. The portal is called the Garganta, and it's similar to a Shinigami's Senkaimon. Except the only difference is in the Dangai. Any Dangai from Hueco Mundo is easy to get lost in, which is why you must always have a Hollow or Arrancar with you that you believe will guide you through to the other end." Aizen studied the knowledgeable Arrancar, putting his elbow on the table and resting his chin on the back of his hand. "Now, where exactly am I?"
"You are in Hueco Mundo. However, to be specific, you are in my room of Las Noches."
"Las Noches?"
"Yes. It's the castle where most of the Arrancar reside."
"A castle? As in…Royalty could use it?"
"I suppose," the Arrancar replied hesitantly. She could see a fire burning in his eyes, and it startled her. He leaned forward with a smirk. "And you have no leaders here?"
"That's right…"
"So…How would one go about conquering this world?"
"Erm…You'll have to earn the respect of the Arrancar here, but I would spend time doing that between the Seireitei and Hueco Mundo. If you stay here too long and show up at the Seireitei, it wouldn't look too good, would it?" She was more intelligent that he had thought originally. Aizen shrugged. "I suppose so. When should I come back?"
"I will contact you. It appears as though you are squad 5. I can find you."
"Very well. I wouldn't come looking like that, though. It would be too odd."
"I have Shinigami uniforms."
"Very well, Adara. Lead me out of here."
Adara made sure he had everything he had come with. His Soul Pager was not functioning properly, which wasn't overly odd. The Arrancar walked slowly through the halls, the other Arrancar getting out of her way. Aizen studied their responses and found himself wanting to garner the same response. He wondered if the Arrancar leading him through Las Noches would help him. He was annoyed at the hallways, though. They were white. They were all the same. Adara noticed his agitation and said, "They are not the same. Each room has a different reiatsu so that people know who resides there. It's a very minute difference that intruders don't normally pick up on, but it should help you in the future." As Aizen was told, he did notice tiny differences in the rooms that were maddeningly small. He nodded. Adara finally got to the front gate, wishing she had just used Sonido. However, that could not be changed. She snapped her fingers, a ripping sound making itself clear in the silence of Hueco Mundo. A gust of wind from inside the Garganta surprised Aizen, making him step back. Adara caught his arm, pulling him even with her. "This is a Garganta. This will take us into the Dangai of Hueco Mundo." Adara stepped through first, Aizen following. The hole behind them closed, blocking off Hueco Mundo. Adara stepped forward exactly three steps, holding her hands at her sides. Aizen's hung at his own. The hole began to rip in front of them. Aizen glanced at Adara before nodding his head and leaping through it to go to the Transient realm.
- V -
I watched him go with an unfamiliar pain in my chest. Of course, many feelings were unfamiliar. After being a hollow for so long, it was rare for me to feel anything as far as emotions went other than rage, annoyance, or anger. This pain was very different from anything, but it caused a rage. The hole collapsed itself, closing me into the Dangai once more. I didn't move from my position, staring straight ahead. Were I wise, I would have probably turned and walked away, not holding up on my promise with the Shinigami. However, wisdom was a state of mind. I had thrown caution and wisdom to the wind as I promised the man my loyalty and assistance in his quest to rule in Hueco Mundo. Finally, I turned around and went back to my home, Las Noches.
That man, that Shinigami, was the devil, I was sure. This game that he just started with me…It's certainly quite dangerous.
