~Legal Stuff~
Disclaimer: Like every other Bleach fanfict writer, I don't own the rights to Bleach nor any Bleach characters. That belongs to Tite Kubo and those people who have legally licensed Bleach such as Viz Media. The story plot and the character "Yuri" are wholly created from my own vivid imagination, so of course, they are copywrited to me.
Though I have written other short stories, this is my first venture into Bleach fan-fiction. I am currently working on my own little manga called "Soul Ties" and the idea for this story struck me as I was thinking of what to put into that plot. So I kinda created a crossover story with some of my fave Bleach characters and those of my own creation. I hope everyone out there who reads this work enjoys it. Comment/reviews will be much appreciated. Thanx! ^-^
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Lone Flower Blooming in an Empty Desert
Gin entered the lounge room looking for Yuri. He spotted her sitting in a quiet corner looking out a window at the vast white desert sands. Yuri, sensing his reiatsu, turned and looked at him looking at her through his slitted eyes.
"Come with me Yuri-chan" he said gesturing with a finger, his ever present grin spread wide across his face.
Yuri continued to look at him with her innocent eyes full of wonder, then got up and approached him slowly. He waited patiently, grinning at her the whole time and Yuri stared at him in awe. She couldn't help feeling weak-kneed whenever she was around Gin. He was the single most fascinating man she'd ever met.
"I wonder what Ichimaru-sama wants with me?" she thought to herself.
"Aizen-dono wishes to speak with you" Gin said as though he had read her thoughts, "Follow me."
Yuri followed in silence behind Gin. As they passed through the white halls of Las Noches, many of the lower ranking arrancar cowered and shied away from Gin as he passed, but glared and hissed under their breath at Yuri. They hated her and she knew it, especially after she'd killed one of their own earlier that morning. But Yuri didn't care. Let them hate her! She could now hold her own against them and she would not belittle herself by showing fear to any of them. She held her head high as she passed them by and glared at them fiercely as they attempted to intimidate her. Gin smiled secretly as he watched out of the corners of his eyes.
Perhaps that was why Aizen wanted to see her. Perhaps he wanted to punish her for killing one of his followers? Yuri pushed the thought out of her mind. That couldn't be it. Aizen wasn't the type of person to care about such losses in his army. The arrancar she killed was only a fracción, a mere pawn. No, that couldn't be the reason for his wanting to see her.
Gin and Yuri rounded a corner and came upon a set of large double doors. Gin stopped in front of them then opened one and gestured for Yuri to enter. She stepped into the humongous room beyond the doors with a lively step. She looked around and saw no one then looked back at Gin questioningly. Gin stepped inside the room, closing the door behind him quietly, then turned to Yuri.
"Aizen-dono will be here shortly."
Gin strolled over to Yuri and stood before her looking down into her innocent eyes. She stood there peering back up at his face and wondered what he looked like with his eyes opened fully. Gin grinned wider. Yuri was lost in her thoughts about Gin and didn't notice at first that he was speaking to her.
"…with you."
"Huh? Wha?"
Yuri shook herself out of her woolgathering and concentrated on what Gin was telling her. He tilted his head to the side and began speaking again.
"I said that Aizen-dono is quite pleased with you."
Yuri immediately cast her eyes downward at the compliment. It was good that she did something to please Aizen, but that also meant that he was going to expect something from her as well. She didn't like the thought and a shiver went down her spine. Aizen was strong and powerful. His presence was felt everywhere here and when the arrancar spoke of him, it was always with the deepest respect. And when Yuri first arrived in Hueco Mundo, it was Aizen and Gin who she met first.
oOoOoOoOo
Though they were quite kind to her upon her sudden and unexpected arrival, if you could call it kindness, Aizen frightened her whereas Gin hadn't. Aizen inspected her with the curiosity of a cold, hard scientist looking at a specimen under a microscope, where Gin had gently spoken to her and calmed her fears. After being in Las Noches for several weeks, she had learned that they were both dangerous in their own rights but Gin's mysterious presence and personality kept her enthralled by him and she had been under his spell ever since.
She learned quickly to keep quiet and obey orders after her first encounter within Hueco Mundo. In her confused and disoriented state, she had made the mistake of lashing out at Aizen and was at once assaulted by several números. Though she fought valiantly against them, she proved to be no match for their combined strength. Aizen merely laughed at her efforts and then bid them to do as they wished with her, but it was Gin who had seen something special about her and stopped the rowdy crowd from killing her and eating her soul.
It was Gin who protected her and took her under his wing, showing her how things worked in Las Noches. And it was Gin who had helped awakened the sleeping power that laid dormant within her. Yuri was grateful for that. She was trapped in a strange and dangerous place. She knew no one and was therefore on her own. With her newly discovered abilities, she at least had a chance at surviving in this place. But she wondered at what price? She soon would know as Aizen took a deep interest in her after she had manifested her first ability.
It happened one afternoon while she was following Gin and Tousen like a lost little puppy. She was trying to absorb all the information she could about her new surroundings so as to try and adapt. She was left to sit outside the conference room while Aizen and his espada conducted a meeting. While she was sitting there looking about, some fracción happened upon her and decided to try and terrorize the newcomer. She tried to ignore them at first, but when one of them laid their hands on her she snapped. In a burst of intense anger, she had released a tremendous amount of reiatsu like that she had been sensing from Gin. It blew the fracción back away from her causing them to crash into the nearby walls. Immediately Gin and Tousen burst from the conference room to see what was going on while Aizen calmly strolled up behind them smiling enigmatically at Yuri.
Gin approached Yuri with his ever present grin. Her reiatsu was growing and becoming dangerous. Yuri was confused and tried desperately to control it, but it was no use. She had no clue as to what she was supposed to do. Then she heard his voice. It was soft and soothing like fine silk. She turned to him, her eyes full of despair, and tried to speak. But her voice wouldn't sound, so she simply held out her arms in an attempt to communicate that she needed help. Gin stepped closer to her, his reiatsu overshadowing her own. He spoke to her again in that smooth, soothing tone and all at once she felt herself calm. Her reiatsu began to dissipate and then she felt herself slip into blessed unconsciousness. The last thing she remembered was falling into Gin's arms and looking up at that grin, then all was dark and silent.
After that, Yuri began training with Gin and Tousen. They taught her how to call forth her reiatsu and to control it. Soon she had perfect control over her ability and then new ones began to surface one by one. Aizen began to show more interest in her. Every now and then he would come to watch her for a bit. It was usually when she was in training and when she was through he would come to her and praise her hard work. Yuri tried her hardest not to tremble in front of him or show any fear whatsoever. But she knew that he knew he was intimidating her to her core. He seemed to derive pleasure out of it at times. But still, she was determined to defy his inept ability to instill disquiet into her soul. That too seemed to please him. She shuddered inwardly every time he gazed at her with those piercing eyes of his. She had caught wind before of rumors that he had plans for her and that's when she truly began to fear him. For she knew in the moment that those words she heard had sunk in the implications it had meant. She would never again be allowed to leave this place and go home. In a sense it had disheartened her, but later she came to realize it wouldn't be so bad if she would be allowed to remain by Gin's side. After all, what did she care for Aizen's enemies? She didn't know them and as long as she didn't, she could care less to. As long as she could remain with her "Ichimaru-sama", she would remain obedient and comply with Aizen's wishes.
But to Yuri's dismay, her newfound power caused her grief among the residents of Las Noches. The arrancar hated her for it and looked down upon her for having Aizen's favor. They tormented her whenever they could sneak the chance and when one particularly jealous fracción took it upon himself to try and kill her, she had manifested and new, never-seen-before ability. It was with that ability, she had seen to it that the fracción was completely obliterated from existence. And that particular incident is what brought her now to this room, Aizen's room.
oOoOoOoOo
Gin gently lifted Yuri's chin with two fingers and forced her to once again looked upon his face.
"What's the matter my little nezumi?" Gin cooed as he looked into Yuri's eyes, "Why are you looking away? Are you not happy that Aizen-dono has summoned you?"
"Iie. Betsu ni kudasai, Ichimaru-sama." Yuri replied as she focused on the lock of hair that fell in the center of Gin's forehead, "It's nothing of concern really."
"Sou desu ne?"
"Hai, sou desu yo."
Yuri could barely stand it. Gin rarely came this close to her except during their training sessions, and even then he never touched her so intimately. She felt herself becoming weak-kneed again. If he didn't stop, she was going to faint. But that wouldn't exactly be a bad thing. If she did, then it would mean that he would catch her and she would once again be held in those strong arms of his. Yuri quickly thrust this thought out of her head. It was impossible. She couldn't be thinking such things. Not here, not now. Not with Aizen on his way in at any moment to speak with her. If he saw her swooning over his right hand man, then he would think her a silly, weak woman and she just couldn't have that. If Aizen thought she was weak and of no use to him then he would take her away from Gin. No, she just couldn't show any signs of weakness in front of Aizen nor Gin.
oOoOoOoOo
Gin began to chuckle as he watched Yuri. She was fidgeting and flustered. He knew that she was thinking of him again. But this was a good thing. He liked Yuri a lot. She was different from a lot of the women he'd ever met and she reminded him a bit of Rangiku. Not physically of course, but a bit of Yuri's personality was reminiscent of Matsumoto's and he missed his dear friend. He slipped his fingers through Yuri's hair and his grin widened as she became still and her eyes widen ever so slightly. It was time, he needed to try and prepare her for what was to come. As much as he wanted to keep Yuri all to himself, Aizen had other things in mind and he had no choice but to share her with him. In the least, Aizen would allow him that privilege.
He moved close to Yuri. He could smell the sweet, flowery scent of her now that so reflected her name. The aroma filled his nostrils as he inhaled. She was like a breath of fresh air in the arid staleness that was Hueco Mundo. How he missed those small details of the Seireitei. When he had departed the place of his birth forevermore, he thought he'd never be able to enjoy such scents again. But when Yuri had come tumbling out of the sky that fateful day, she had brought some pieces of his past down with her and he was once again able to enjoy something of a sweet memory of days long past.
Yuri stared at him completely paralyzed by his actions. He could feel the nervousness she was feeling as her reiatsu began to vibrate and reflect her inner emotions. Though outwardly, she was keeping her composure fairly intact. Gin moved closer to her and it was then that her well kept composure began to break down. He smiled inwardly. Maybe this would be easier than he'd anticipated. He knew he'd be able to calm her enough to endure Aizen's little surprise for her but maybe, just maybe, he could woo her enough to make her completely submit to him. He moved yet closer still to Yuri and placed his left hand on her shoulder then brushed her cheek with his right and traced the curves of her face with his thumb.
"Ichimaru-sama!?!"
"Relax my little nezumi. All is well."
"But-But…What are you doing?"
"Shhhh…Now, now. Nezumi are supposed to be quiet creatures ne? "
"But…But…But…"
Gin circled behind Yuri and gently slipped his arms around her waist. As he did, Yuri felt as though all of the air was being sucked out of the room. She could feel his hot breath on her skin as he nuzzled her neck. Her pulse quicken as she took a sharp intake of breath and let it back out again raggedly. He began to slide a hand over her belly and up her torso, stopping just under her breasts. She had been dreaming of this moment practically since the very moment she laid eyes on Gin, but something seemed all wrong about this. Why here? Why now? Yuri's head began to spin and she felt drunk with desire. She wanted Gin to take her right there, but something in the back of her head kept tugging at her senses, begging her to snap out of it. It was then she heard a familiar voice. She gasped and flinched from fright and Gin protectively tightened his grip on Yuri. She would have bolted through the door if not for the fact that Gin was still holding her firmly in his arms.
"Yare, yare Gin… You just couldn't wait to start without me, could you?" Aizen said walking into the room as he looked at the two with his piercing eyes. "Yuri-chan. How very pleasant it is to be graced with your presence."
Aizen moved over in front of Yuri and looked down at her smiling his usual enigmatic smile. He brushed her face lightly with a hand then held her face still for a moment. She looked back at him intending to rebel against his ever-present will, but faltered immediately when she looked into his eyes. He wasn't just looking at her, he was staring….and hungrily.
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~Author's Note~
For those of you who don't know any Japanese, I'll give you the translations here so you can better understand what I've written.
First off a review of honorifics. Honorifics are word paticles attached to the end of names which denote a particular level of repect. There are quite a few in the Japanese language, but I'll only put the ones I've used plus a few common ones you've might have heard but didn't really get.
1. -san - This is the most common heard in everyday Japan. It basically means Mr., Mrs. or Miss and denotes a polite way to address someone.
2. -sama - This is an honoific used to denote a great respect for a person. It is usually used for elders (Such as parents or grandparents) or people of great importance.
3. -dono - This honorific is higher than -sama and denotes the utmost respect. It basically translates to "lord".
4. -kun - This honorific was originally used with boys and youger men to express familiarity and endearment, though now it is common for girls to use it as well. It is an impolite way to address someone and is only used in situations where one is very familiar with the person to whom they are speaking to.
5. -chan - This honorific is also an impolite way to address someone and is an endearment used mostly towards girls though it can also be used to address young children, pets and sometimes even lovers.
O.k., now for a few basic translations for the words/phrases that I used in the story thus far...
1. Nezumi - Mouse (Can also be translated as "rat", but in this case I'm using it to denote "mouse")
2. Iie - No
3. Betsu ni kudasai - This is a generalized phrase and can be translated a couple of different ways. Here, I'm using it to mean "Please forget it."
4. Sou desu ne? - Is that so? (Another somewhat generalized phrase. it can also mean "Is that right?" The translation I gave is it's literal form.)
5. Hai - Yes
6. Sou desu yo. - It's so. (Also can be translated as "That's right.")
7. Ne - This is a word particle that is usually placed at the end of a sentence and can denote a couple of different things in the Japanese language. Generally when you see it it's like asking "Isn't that right?". Even though the sentence I used it in was in English, it still carries the same meaning.
8. Yare yare - This is another generalized phrase that can mean "Good grief! or What a bother!" It can also translate as "Thank goodness that's over with!" in certain instances.
9. Ichirin No Hana - This is the title I used for this tale, it literally translates to "single flower" but many people choose to translate it as "lone flower". Personally, I like literal translations so that I can better understand the meaning behind why the phrase is chosen.
10. Yuri - This is the Japanese word for "Lilly".
