Bleach Hanashi

Title: Observing His Children

List: Alpha

Number: 1

Prompt: Comfort

Word Count: 854

Rating: T

Characters: Aizen, Gin, Various Espada and Arrancar

Warnings: Alcohol, Implied yaoi

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did you would know.

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"Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are – chaff and grain together- certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away…"

- Dinah Mulock

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Most would think that Sousuke Aizen thought of his Arrancar as merely pawns in his army. In the beginning this was true, he had only thought of them as his pawns. But as each new arrancar was created and melded into the fabric of society in Las Noches he started to feel something akin to parental affection toward his arrancar.

Aizen noticed that each Arrancar was unique. They had their own personality, their own drives, and each brought something that enriched the culture of Las Noches. They each had their own way of finding comfort as well, when their pasts were in danger of overwhelming them.

Aizen observed his children when they sought their comfort with the detachment of a king, but hidden beneath this detachment was parental curiosity.

For Barragan, he found his comfort in being with his Fracciones, and in turn his Fracciones found comfort in being with each other. He had observed rare smiles on Barragan's gruff face when the antics of his Fracciones amused him.

For Stark, it was Lilinette. Just having her near him was enough for a smile to grace his lips. When Lilinette was happy, he was happy and Lilinette knew this. But she didn't tell him that she knew. Instead she just kept smiling for his smiles were her own comfort.

Halibel would somehow find some sake and drink it with Apache, Sun Sun, and Mira Rose. Though she never allowed herself to get plastered, she would instead release herself from her usually stoic personality and just laugh, enjoying and reveling in the things she had.

The first time Aizen had discovered Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's form of comfort he had been shocked to say the least. Up to that point he had thought that the two hated each other to the core. But after seeing the two Espada making love – and it was gentle lovemaking not the violent sex he would've imagined the two having – he knew that the hate had hid the love. So he simply smiled when Ulquiorra would come to see him with a slight limp to his steps and felt joy that his children knew love.

Unfortunately that joy would disappear when he spotted Nnoitra looking at the vast ocean of sand that stretched from the base of Las Noches to the horizon. The Espada had lost his comfort and he had done it to himself. But then Tesla would join him and Nnoitra would seem a little less unhappy. Aizen would then hope that Tesla would fill the gap Neliel had left in Nnoitra.

Szayel found his comfort when he worked on his machines. Endless streams of codes and intricate machinery were calming to the pink-haired espada and sometimes he became so relaxed that his body worked automatically while his mind slept. But Aizen also noticed the glances Szayel would send Stark across the table when he called meetings of the espada and knew that his Octava needed the comfort of love as much as he needed the comfort of his technology.

Aaroniero was different from the rest of the espada, more than likely because he had been a Gillian when he had become an arrancar. He sought no comfort, seemed to have no reason to. Maybe it was because of this that Aizen could not think of the Novena Espada as a being possessing human qualities like the rest of his espada.

Zommari had a very simple comfort. He only needed quiet meditation to soothe the worries of his soul.

Out of all of his espada, aizen thought of Yammy as the one who reminded him most of a child. Whenever the Decimo Espada needed to find peace for his would he would go find Ulquiorra. Once he did he stuck close to the Cuarta, following him wherever he went, neither saying anything about it. It seemed the Cuarta's presence was enough to comfort Yammy.

Aizen was glad that his children had found some sort of comfort. But he saddened when he realized he did not have a source of comfort. A king gets lonely and a god even lonelier.

"Watcha thinkin' 'bout, taicho?" Gin's voice broke Aizen out of his reflective state, " 'snot somethin' good cuz yer lookin' all sad."

Aizen looked at Gin who wore his usual fox-like smile which seemed to stretch impossibly from eye to eye. It was the first time he noticed how relieved he felt whenever he saw that smile. It was then that Aizen found his comfort.

"Gin, will you always smile like that for me whenever I ask you?" Aizen asked Gin instead of answering the silver-haired man's question.

"O' course, taicho! I'd do it fer ya even if ya didn't ask me to." Gin moved to straddle Aizen as he sat in his throne. He quickly leaned forward and captured the auburn-haired man's lips with his own, letting the other dominate the kiss when his tongue sought entrance to his mouth. The two broke the kiss to fill their lungs with air and Aizen took that moment to speak.

"Thank you, Gin."

Gin smiled.

Aizen went back to savoring his comfort.