A/N: I just came up with this one night and wrote it down. When I woke up and read it over, it happened to go delightfully well with the t.A.T.u song, "Loves Me Not". I own neither Bleach nor t.A.T.u (lolwut), just this story, I suppose. It'd be much appreciated if you left a review.
As always, it was a perfectly still, dark night in Hueco Mundo. This night was special, though; the moon that hung in the endless sky was casting a thin beam of light in one of the few windows of the palace, Las Noches. The glowing thread crept up the side of the towering building like a snake, and illuminated an equally serpentine man standing at the window.
Ichimaru Gin had been staring at everything and nothing without actually seeing any of it for almost an hour. His absence hadn't gone unnoticed, and soon he was found.
"Gin."
A commanding voice broke the calm silence and Ichimaru turned with a start.
"Aizen-sama?" he inquired, the wistful look on his pointed face leaving, only to be replaced with the eerie grin he was used to. The statuesque man that was standing in the threshold let his face soften slightly, before he strode across the room.
"I thought you'd be here," he said absentmindedly, standing behind Ichimaru who had turned back to the window.
"An' were ya needin' somethin' of me, cap'n?" Ichimaru asked, not able to break the habit of referring to his former captain as such. The moon's pale glow reflected off of his silver hair, giving him a sinister halo.
"We've just missed your company," replied Aizen coolly. Of course, he was referring solely to himself, as the rest of the Espada didn't seem to be nearly as fond of Ichimaru as their leader was, and probably wouldn't mind his leaving.
Neither spoke for what seemed like a long time, until a soft sigh escaped Ichimaru's lips. Instinctively, Aizen wrapped his strong arms around the man's narrow waist and pulled him back against his chest.
"What's on your mind?"
Ichimaru hesitated. It wasn't that this kind of contact from his master was something new (nor was it something he disliked), but at the moment it wasn't what he needed.
"Rangiku-chan," he answered simply, and truthfully. Aizen's muscles tensed upon hearing the name, but he didn't move. He knew that Ichimaru still had feelings for Matsumoto, despite the loyalty he had pledged elsewhere. Ichimaru knew it too, and felt guilty to both her and his master for it. He had meant everything that he'd said to Matsumoto, but at the same time, he'd meant everything he'd said to Aizen as well. It left him feeling confused and all the more full of guilt.
Somewhere, Matsumoto was hoping that he would come back for her, despite herself. And there, in the present, at Las Noches, Aizen was challenging him to stay. In his heart (however diseased it was) Ichimaru loved both of them dearly, though for different reasons, but he had already made a choice. Whether it was the right choice or not was unclear, and, as he turned and rested his cheek on Aizen's broad chest, he hoped that he wouldn't have to make it again.
I complicated our lives
by falling in love with him
I complicated our lives,
now I'm losing my only friend
Nowhere to turn,
No one to help
It's almost like I don't even know myself
Now I have to choose
I don't know what to do
He loves me,
he loves me not
She loves me,
she loves me not...