A/N:I'm really sorry about the short chapter! :O I have more work over the summer than I expected. God, I feel like a broke my back rushing around at the daycare. The kids are really cute you know? They just need to learn not to climb on desks, stop biting people and to sit still for a few minutes. Still looking for a Beta. This story is rated M so if anyone can help me? By the way, I'm trying to experiment with first POV so please forgive me if I make a mistake.
Warning: This is a very short and non-eventful chapter so if not satisfied, guarenteed money back. *Joking, Joking!* I'm not making money out of this!
Disclaimer: The day I own Bleach is the day Aizen surrenders and stops being evil. Lol, it's like the next day Aizen does surrender, haha, but that would never happen. Kubo-sama isn't that twisted.
Ichigo glowered sullenly at the man before him, knowing that he could do nothing to hurt the traitor who betrayed Soul society and tricked everyone to believe Urahara was evil. If only he had his sword with him. He smiled grimly to himself thinking about all the ways he could torture the smiling guy standing in front of him.
"Are you enjoying your stay here Kurosaki-san?" Whilst smiling serenely and coldly at the same time, Aizen managed to pull off a look of fake concern with his eyes.
"Fuck you," Ichigo spat, thinking about what Grimmjow did to him…almost did to him.
"I prefer that profanity is not used in my presence." Aizen walked to Ichigo who flinched involuntarily.
Aizen chuckled. "I'm not going to hurt you Mr. Kurosaki; I just have a proposal to make. It's up to you whether or not you take it." The leader of the arrancars gave the teen a piercing look as though looking through Ichigo's soul.
"What proposal would that be…?" Ichigo asked cautiously. If it meant he could stop the war or at least stall it, he would do what it takes.
Aizen didn't answer the question right away. He continued to walk in large circles around the vaizard, like a predator cornering prey.
"I wish for you to join my army." Ichigo froze at that. Aizen continued to stride around him. The boy watched the other shinigami's eyes for signs of mockery but there was no emotion in the dark brown eyes.
"Are you screwing with me?" Ichigo finally choked out. "Join you? Yeah right, go to hell Aizen."
The traitorous shinigami stopped suddenly.
"What if I include some…ah lets see, extras?" Ichigo just stared.
"What the hell does that mean?"
Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly at his tone.
"What if I told you that I will send no more arrancars to the human world for at least three months? I will never bother Ms. Orihime Inoue again and I'll decrease the amount of hollows (1) that appear in the human world." He stated, watching his prisoner for a reaction.
Ichigo pondered hard. Joining Aizen's army was fine; it just means the he's going to train with the other arrancars. He doesn't have to necessarily fight alongside the army, just join it. He knew it was dishonest but he wasn't really lying. Three months time, a lot can happen then; Soul Society will have more than enough time to prepare. Inoue would be safe and as for less hollows in the world of living…it would be less nuisance for everyone to train for battle. He looked up at Aizen who cocked his head for an answer.
"Fine, I'll join army." Ichigo tried not to put too much emphasis on the "join". He also tried not to look to content either.
"Excellent," Aizen replied, satisfied before walking in circles again.
Ichigo stared, had he really fooled the man who tricked Soul Society?
"How's your relationship with Grimmjow going?" Aizen asked suddenly.
"We're getting along swimmingly." The vaizard snorted sarcastically. "Are all your minions a creep like him?"
Aizen's spiritual pressure came down heavily as a warning, making Ichigo gasp for breath.
"I prefer—"
"I don't fucking care what you prefer!" Ichigo yelled, annoyance and fatigue flashed across his eyes. "You and your fake manners are really getting on my nerves!"
Without warning, a fist snagged his orange hair painfully. Ichigo yelped in pain as his head was forced up at a sharp angle, focusing to discover Aizen peering at him through frosty eyes.
"Perhaps you are getting too comfortable here. Please let me remind you that you are a prisoner here and nothing more. Your status has not changed so I rather you talk more respectfully to your superiors."
Ichigo bit back at retort about the subject of superiors but seeing as his hair was being yanked out like a child grabbing at grass, he decided to close him mouth.
"Fine," he growled, "let me go now.
Surprisingly, Aizen let go. Ichigo staggered backwards but was pulled back again by his collar.
"Your attitude never ceases to amaze me," Aizen mused, "you always seem so confident even when you are in a tight situation." The older man's breath fanned his face lightly. "I wonder…What would you be if we take away that confidence?"
Heavy spirit pressure made Ichigo stiffen.
He could do nothing as the powerful leader pulled him closer. He couldn't do anything either when a pair of lips lightly descended on his own.
**
Ichigo staggered back to his room. He had no idea where it was though but he didn't really care. All he wanted was to get away from the bastard that stole his first kiss. Even Grimmjow didn't get that from him yet. He felt dizzy as he relived the memory.
--Ichigo's POV
Whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck!? What the hell is happening?! I tried pulling away but a hand grabbed my chin tightly. Dammit, why is this happening?
I panicked when a tongue licked at my sealed lips. Get him off! I thought desperately.
I tried opening my mouth to yell at him only to choke as a something wet slipped past my lips.
This was not enjoyable. He kept on pushing his disgusting tongue down my throat while I was slowly choking to death. Saliva coated my own tongue and I realized, while gagging, that it wasn't from my mouth.
Biting down is instinct when something unwanted is in your mouth and is also suffocating you, so of course that's what I did. I bit down. Hard.
Something hard pierced my ribs, effectively stopping me from continuing to bite down. I gasped for air as I was pushed back to the ground.
Aizen simply wiped his lips with the fake smile still in place, but I was satisfied to see blood staining his hands. Heh, payback.
Aizen remained calm but there was a chill in the air that proved he wasn't happy. Still, he paced up and down as though he didn't just molest someone.
Fuck him, right now all I wanted to do was to run away but mangling his body didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"It seems Grimmjow isn't doing a very good job on you." Aizen bored his eyes into mine. "Perhaps someone else could do the job more successfully?" He phrased the sentence like a question.
Anyone but Grimmjow I thought wryly but I would never say it aloud. Doing that would be a weakness.
"Maybe Ulquiorra? Or Nnoitra? Hmmm," He glanced at the ceiling. "Stark may be lazy but he does get a job done quickly if only to get more time to rest.
I was beginning to think that he forgot I was there.
"Go back to your room for now," he spun around to face me, "tell Grimmjow he has a week longer to demonstrate what he can do." Aizen commanded. Then licking his lips sadistically, he turned heel and walked away.
**Third POV
His hollow was growling angrily, merely creating a headache. Ichigo wished bitterly for the sadist to die a brutal death. That would do the world a favor.
He suddenly realized that he had no idea where he was. Reiatsu of different types of arrancars bore on him heavily as he walked. He was starting to lose his breath as he walked farther down this particular hallway. Where the hell am I? Ichigo thought urgently as he realized the reiatsu was getting stronger and stronger.
His neck pricked uncomfortably as paranoia crept up his spine. He had a feeling someone was watching him.
Turn around! His brain commanded but fear made Ichigo freeze. An intense paranormal sense seemed to take over. Something gave him a grave feeling that he was about to make a serious mistake.
Someone was behind him, but who? Was it a weak arrancar or a strong espada? He could usually read the reiatsu of someone standing close to him but he was surrounded by many different arrancars with different amounts of spirit pressure.
Finally, he decided to pretend he noticed nothing. Faking that his lack of movement was to take in his surroundings, he walked on further down the hall. Feigning obliviousness to the obvious sign that someone was indeed following him, he turned right where he hoped was the exit.
No such luck; it was a dead end.
Shit.
Instinct told him to run but where could he possibly run to? Fear and adrenaline raced through his blood.
What do I do?! Ichigo pretended to study the walls around him, still refusing to turn around. Sweat dripped off his forehead. He had trapped himself.
Ichigo glanced up and down, right and left, anywhere but behind. There was a door on either side of him. Should he take the chance and pick a door to run? What's behind those doors?
His pursuer was still standing behind him. Heavy breathing descended close to his neck. Ichigo shivered unintentionally. Damn.
He could no longer pretend that he didn't know someone was following him.
"W-who—" Ichigo cursed himself for stuttering. He coughed slightly to clear his throat then started again. "Who's behind me?"
A low chuckle greeted his ears. "So you aren't as stupid as you seem eh?"
It wasn't Grimmjow. Ichigo's heart actually sank as he realized it wasn't the sexta espada. It couldn't be Ulquiorra; he never laughed. Stark would never go through so much trouble to follow someone.
His stupidity startled him.
It might not even be an espada, it could be a feeble arrancar who couldn't do anything to hurt him. The chances that he could defeat anything right now without his sword were very slim.
Ichigo still refused to turn around. His feet were planted firmly on the floor like they've been superglued.
Fight and flight instincts flooded his brain. He could turn around and fight, risking the fact that it might be a strong espada who could crush him easily. Or he could choose a door. It didn't comfort him that strong reiatsu pulsed from around him, seemingly from the doors next to him.
"Whatcha doing standing there, little guy?" The slightly hoarse voice asked. "Aren't ya gonna turn around to see who I am? Are you scared? Oh yes, I smell fear emitting from you."
A dry chuckle seemed to echo across the hall. At the same time, reiatsu of incredible strength paralyzed him and made his knees buckle painfully.
Apprehension gripped Ichigo's heart as Ichigo hunched over, making it pound harder and faster, as though portraying itself as a target. Strong beats of his heart threw his chest forward, extending his ribs. He calmed himself and tried to think clearly. What should he do? What if there was an espada on either side of the door? Was there an espada behind him?
Run! Run! Run! His brain seemed to scream at him. Where? Where? Where? Ichigo argued back, yelling at himself.
For once, Ichigo wished that Grimmjow was here but as fate would have it, nothing goes the way he wanted it to.
A/N: I seem to be repeating myself an awful lot in this chappy eh? Sorry about that, I have horrible memory. Were there any mistakes I made that stood out?
On the bright side, HURRAH! Guessing game! Who do ya think is stalking Kurosaki-san? Which option should he choose? Fight or Flight?
(1) By hollows, I mean the normal ones. I mean not normal, I mean....the ones that haven't been changed yet to arrancars.
Thank you to all who reviewed and offered their opinions! They make me really happy. I reply to most reviews but if I haven't replied to some, I'm terribly sorry. I feel that replying to reviews is to show that the author is actually acknowledging his/her readers. =)