Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. I am not getting any money for writing this.
Warning: Just in case you missed summary. This fic has mild Aizen/Gin.
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Ichimaru Gin was afraid of a lot of things. He was afraid of death, cold floors, really ugly Arrancar, and Rangiku when she'd been drinking. But more than anything Gin was afraid of losing Aizen.
They made an odd pair: Aizen who feared nothing and Gin who feared so much, but it didn't matter. In Gin's mind Aizen wasn't the center of the universe, Aizen was the universe. In Gin's opinion Aizen didn't need to sit in the heavens to be a god, but it was what Aizen wanted so Gin would do anything to make it happen.
Gin curled into a tight ball under piles of blankets, his fear of cold floors and ugly Arrancar delaying his rising. He'd felt Aizen leave for the day earlier and had regretted the loss of the warmth the man took with him.
Suddenly Gin sat bolt upright, the covers falling away from him. He sprang from the futon, warm bare feet hitting frozen bare floor, but Gin didn't notice. He grabbed Shisou and raced from the room clad only in a lose pair of white pants. Somewhere Aizen was in danger, and he didn't have the sense to be afraid.
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Orihime Inoue walked down the brilliant white halls of Los Noches. In this world of endless night being inside Aizen colorless palace was like being inside the moon. It was a romantic idea that Orihime sometime entertained to make the living in this heart of darkness not seem so bad, but tonight she had no time for romantic ideas. Tonight she was going to re-write history and the consequences be damned.
She passed many arranacar, but none dare stop her or even speak with her. Their precious Aizen-sama had taken a personal interest in her and it would be dangerous to appear too interested in what clearly belonged to their master. It was all the better for Orimime, what she was about to do would make their existence impossible and erase them from the memory of the world getting to know them personally would only bring her unnecessary pain and regret.
Carefully she slid open the doors that lead to the balcony were she had last seen the Hougyoku. The doors opened soundlessly revealing the breathless night of land of Aizen's domain. She walked towards Aizen's white chair, unoccupied now, and counted the tiles. Three tiles to the left of the chair, if she remembered correctly and she had to remember correctly because this was the world's, and more specifically her hometown's, last hope.
Now how had he done it? Just reach out his hand over the floor and…
"I thought you would come Orihime, though I'll admit I didn't think you'd come so soon. I suppose the knowledge that even your most faithful friends believe you've betrayed them must be painful. Particularly Ichigo, you're rather found of him aren't you, the thought that he must hate you is probably ripping you to pieces." Orihime's heart nearly stopped and she turned on her heel to come face to face with the Lord of Los Noches. He smiled lazily at her.
Aizen didn't bother to draw his zanpato or set up a fancy copy of himself. In fact he didn't even have his sword on his person. He was positive that Orihime offered no threat and as is most of the case with people who are 100% sure of something he was wrong.
"Sōten Kisshun" Aizen's eyes widened in shock and the soft glow of the orange shield settled around him.
"I reject." The words uttered fell upon the world and shattered. Orihime screamed as she watched time unravel itself around her.
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The peace of the early morning was broken as Captain Ichimaru Gin of the fifth division woke with a startled cry on his lips. The cry had been a name, a name that Gin couldn't recall.
Gin rubbed his temples as he tried to remember the rest of the dream; it came back in bits and pieces. It was a strange and twisted reality and it had been centered around the man's whose name had been on his lips as he jolted from bed. The knowledge that this man had never really existed left a deep sadness at the bottom of Gin's heart. He shook his head, why should a dream about a man whose name he couldn't remember leaving him so down spirited?
It didn't matter, he was awake now and he had to get up at start his day. He dressed as normal, but when he bent to pick up his zanpakuto his heart nearly stopped, because there lying next to Shinsou was the sword of the man from his dream, the man that had never existed.
"Aizen. Aizen-taicho."
He ran his fingers down the length of the sheathed sword.
"Kyōka Suigetsu." The name of the blade slipped from his mouth, "Impossible." He closed his hand around the scabbard, but quickly withdrew it as if burned. The pieces memories that had been just a foggy dream jumped to life as though he had actually lived them. Aizen's hands. Aizen's voice. Aizen's lips. Gin reached for the zanpakuto again, perhaps he had lived them.
Gin tried to reject the thought as impossible hewas the fifth captain not the third and so far as he knew there had never been a shinigami named Aizen Sōsuke let alone a captain by that name. It would have been easy to dismiss the dream as nothing more than just that, a dream, if it hadn't been for the sword that lay so innocently next to his. There was no one in existence that had the power to make it so a person never existed. Or was there?
"Orihime Inoue." The name rang out like a death sentence. Gin stood, he had to find the girl, and if his dream granted memory served he knew just where she'd be.
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Orihime awoke in her own clothes, in her own bed, in her own room, in her own house. She sat there for a few moments realizing just what that meant. She couldn't have been kidnapped by Ulquiorra, because Aizen had never existed to create him.
Suddenly she felt light. There was no brilliant manipulative power-crazed captain-class shinigami out to destroy her town anymore, life was wonderful. And it got better! She knew all the answers to the test that she was suppose to take today, having already taken it!
But her light happy world was shattered as she walked through the doors of the classroom.
"Good morning Kurosaki-kun." She called, but all she got in response was a cool sort of nodded. A quick glance around the room found Rukia which meant that Ichigo was a shinigami so why was he acting like they had never been friends. She gasped softly and sat down hard in her chair tears welded up in her eyes. They had never gone to the Soul Society together to save Rukia, they hadn't fought the Bound together, and he had never come to Hueco Mundo to save her. Their friendship, like Aizen, had never been. She watched Keigo attempt to tackle Ichigo and shook her head.
"I feel like I've received something wonderful today!" Keigo cried happy clasping his hands and swinging around ignoring the weird looks he was receiving
"Is something wrong Orihime?" She snapped her head to see Tatsuki. She smiled brightly fighting back her tears.
"No, I was just remembering a dream I had." Tatsuki looked as though she wanted to press the subject but the starting of class called her to her seat. The day went by slowly and horridly. Knowing all the answers to a test pales considerably next to knowing your best friends probably don't remember your name.
It was in a dark mood that Orihime entered her house. She kicked off her shoes and made her way to the kitchen to have some ice-cream and jalapeños to make it better. As she entered the darkening room her breath caught. There in her kitchen sat Ichimaru Gin, a steaming cup of tea cradled in his long pale hands, smiling dangerously at her.
"Good afta'noon, Orihime-chan."