So we meet again.
This is the sequel to "Age of Innocence." Making a sequel gives me the ability to skip a whole lot of years and start this about a year before the Soul Society arc. The last story was about Kira's fall from innocence and how he got to be in this relationship in the first place. This is about how it comes to an end, a little but more from Gin's point of view, because he's the one who knows that it's ending. It's going to be a lot of in-between what we already know happened.
Also, there's probably going to be more implications of . . . other relationships. Most likely GinxRangiku (sorry) and ByakuyaxRenji (I'm not going in too deep with this one. It's extremely complicated.) And obviously, GinxKira, which is still semi-one-sided.
This chapter in particular was the original chapter 17 of the last story, so i wrote this ages ago.
Enjoy!
It was moving towards early evening when a tall silver-haired figure approached the Fifth Squad building, Captain's robe billowing behind him in the cool wind. The shinigami were slowly filtering out of the grounds as day wore on, and though at the moment the area was partially crowded, no one even gave him a second glance. He was a shadow to them, a creeping being, slinking along nearby, but it was not keen to waste your energy paying it any mind. With one movement of a hand, the shadow pushed open the door to the Captain's office and, before anyone could tell he had moved, he stepped inside.
As he heard the door scrape closed behind him, the building's occupant shifted his attention to the fact that there was another in the room, having a good guess as to who it was before he turned to look. And when he did, facing his black bespectacled eyes to view the newcomer, he could tell exactly what the intruder wanted. Even as aversive as the upcoming conversation was certain to be, he greeted his guest with a welcoming smile.
"Good evening, Captain Ichimaru," Aizen said formally. "This is highly unexpected. To what do I owe such a visit?"
"I got a proposition," said the silver-haired man quietly. "Are ya available ta talk?"
"I am alone at the current moment, if that's what you mean," Aizen replied. "But it's best to make it quick. She could be back at anytime. What is it you wish to talk about?"
"I was wonderin' somethin'," Gin said carefully. He combed a lock of thick hair behind his ear habitually. "'Bout . . . when we leave."
"Go on," Aizen said, stopping himself before he crossed his arms. So far, this was going as he thought it would.
"I was thinkin' . . ." and Gin combed his hair again, "we could bring another person along. Ya know. Four's always better than three."
Aizen's smile faded slightly at these words. This was, indeed, what he had dreaded. The boy. Gin wanted to bring the boy. But that, of course, was out of the question. "Ah, I thought this might come up at some point," he said, still in light humor. "And the answer is no, I'm afraid."
"Why?"
"He's too loyal to the Soul Society," Aizen said obviously. "If we suddenly tell him what we're doing, he's not going to go along with it. All the work you've done on him to trust you will be for naught."
"Well, I wasn't exactly plannin' on tellin' him," Gin continued. "Jus' takin' him along when the time came."
"Absolutely not," Aizen said evenly. "It's going to complicate everything. There isn't time to deal with it."
"Every man on our side counts," Gin argued.
Aizen sighed. Gin didn't seem to understand that there was simply no real use for the boy. It was very unlike him to argue so thoroughly against what he knew to be greater judgment; something in the plan had gone wrong. "No," Aizen said, his voice rising, "we need him only here. What's his use to us otherwise? He's not strong. He's not a leader. He'll only be a handicap." As was this. Human emotion was only slowing them down, blinding Gin to what he was supposed to be here for.
"I can condition him to be--"
"I'm sure you can," Aizen interrupted, "but that's not the point. The point is that he is not necessary, and he will not give us an advantage. You know this. You just choose not to acknowledge it."
"He is use to us, if I can--"
"He is certainly use to you," Aizen cut him off, his humor and calm now completely abandoned. "But not to the cause."
Gin frowned. "Let me talk, will ya?"
"I don't need to hear any more. I should have known this would happen." Aizen stood up and began to pace back and forth slowly while recalling his story, now and then looking up at Gin. "I wanted to put him under Kaname when we decided upon the underlings," he began, "because you could deal with the rebellious one, Abarai. I knew you wanted the blonde . . . but neither Kaname nor myself would openly be able to counter Abarai's insolence. But the boy had taken a liking to you, which gave us an early advantage . . . and so you had your way."
He stopped pacing and leaned against the desk behind him, pausing to push up his square-framed glasses before continuing. "I admit I was reluctant to let you, suspicious of why you were so interested in him. But I was somewhat wrongly reassured of your intentions when we spoke the day before your promotion, as you seemed uncaring enough about his feelings and thought even less about your own deeper ones. As the weeks wore on, I saw you were playing his vulnerability to the book, that you were slowly shaping him to truly trust in you, to bend to your will. But it was HOW you did it that I disapprove of, and it made me realize it was a mistake to let you get close to him. I should have predicted it."
"Predicted wut?" Gin interrupted in slight annoyance.
"That you would become attached."
"I ain't attached."
"Don't bother denying it. I see you dote on him."
"It's jus' the opposite," Gin insisted.
"No. It isn't," Aizen sighed again, folding his arms. "I would have thought that someone as well-versed in psychology as yourself could avoid such a thing. But apparently I was mistaken in this aspect as well."
"I ain't attached, Aizen-sama," Gin repeated. "I got him beggin' at my feet."
Aizen was not convinced. "So I suppose you just want a loyal servant, is that it? You can't tell me that if we didn't take him, you wouldn't miss him?"
". . . I s'pose I would," Gin said quietly, for some reason unable to hide that particular fact. "But it ain't nuthin. He's my assistant, tha's all. I see him every day, I'm jus' used to him bein' 'round. I mean . . . ain't ya gonna miss yer own assistant?"
Aizen considered his former subordinate. And now he was trying to shift the blame? "To an extent," he said harshly, "but I'm not sleeping with her."
A long, uninterrupted silence fell among them, the two of them staring at each other as though meeting for the first time. "It's nothing," Gin muttered finally, pulling his gaze away.
"You have a habit of taking things too far," Aizen noted. "Your methods, Gin, were questionable. You ran a high risk that he would never want to look at you again, let alone obey you. Did you honestly not realize the possible consequences of your actions? And did you really think this would have no effect on your feelings for him?"
"I thought ya said--" Gin interrupted again, but Aizen spoke louder over him.
"I think not," Aizen said, annoyed. "It is more likely that you sacrificed caution to follow your more carnal desires. From the start, Gin, you shouldn't have done what you did and you shouldn't have let yourself be seduced as well. I cannot imagine that you came in here this evening actually expecting me to agree to this, unless this whole affair has left you delusional."
Gin didn't answer, disappointed that Aizen's scolding was reasonable. More disappointed in himself that perhaps, Aizen had made a good point about his methods. He was a bit rash and forward, but he knew, somehow, that his Vice-Captain would eventually turn around. But the second part . . . he didn't feel attached, so why would his actions have made Aizen come to that kind of a conclusion?
"I suppose I wouldn't have minded so much," Aizen went on. "I wouldn't have cared that you scarred him, that you tortured him, that his emotions were being toyed with, as long as there was a favorable outcome, except for the fact that your emotions were toyed with as well. And that was not helpful."
There was no point in arguing with Aizen, even if Gin didn't believe what he was saying. So he swallowed his clawing questions.
"Fear not," Aizen said, noting Gin's distraught expression. "Lucky for you, your conditioning worked. We can use his own attachment to our advantage."
"How d'ya suggest I do that?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something when the time comes. You'd better."
The door slid open again before either of them could turn around, a short brunette girl entered the room, stopping suddenly when she saw the scene before her. Gin looked at her and smiled.
"Hello, Hinamori-chan," he chided.
"Good evening, Ichimaru Taichou," Hinamori said politely, bowing in order to avoid seeing him. She did not much like the way he looked at her. "Forgive me, Aizen Taichou," she continued, flustered. "I didn't know you had company. Was I intruding?"
"Don't worry so much, Hinamori," Aizen said, giving a warm smile. Color flecked her cheeks the moment her name escaped his lips. "You weren't interrupting anything."
"I's jus' as well, I ought ta be goin'," Gin said, raising a hand and reaching towards where she stood. Hinamori winced, but the hand went past her head and touched the door behind her instead. Gin slid open the door and was swallowed into the shadows of the dusk.
It's rather annoying to write about a character that doesn't have visible eyes.
