'I had that dream again. The one where I was scared and confused. Do you remember that dream? That time? I do. It was when I first got my name. Since then, I've extended it. I'm now "The Red Confession" to my enemies. You named me "sweep" because of the day's winds.'
She closed her eyes.
---flashback---
He swung and destroyed the Hallow that had decided to come at him and sent it back far enough so his vice-captain could deal with it.
"Shoot him down, Shinsô!" Ichimaru Gin's blade pieced through the air and destroyed the Hallow.
Aizen's knee hit the ground as his wounded shoulder began to bleed even more. His eyes were squeezed shut. He couldn't bare the pain for very long, but this was starting to be a very complicated thing for a simple mission. He suddenly heard a soft whimper.
He whipped around and stared at the broken wall that had collapsed and saw a girl struggling to get free of the rubble. Aizen forgot about his pain and charged towards the wall as more of it began to crumble. He braced it enough so she could get free. He kicked aside the rubble that was atop her and she crawled away. When she was clear, Aizen jumped away and watched the wall crumble to dust. He breathed deep and then saw her hiding behind a fallen pieces of the roof. She was peeking out from behind it, watching him closely with fearful eyes.
He dropped his sword and slowly came forward, his hand out to her. He gave that kind smile he would wear for the next ten years of his life and that kindness in his heart would freeze over in those ten years. He slowly came down a few feet away from her.
She slowly came out and touched his hand. She slowly leaned forward and rested her head on his open palm and she closed her eyes. She began to glow softly and it was almost like her hair was becoming weightless. His ripped open arm healed and all his wounds and all the pain evaporated. He gasped and stared at her and she smiled her kind smile at him. She gave him a soft laugh and then stood up to reveal her ripped cloths and her famished body. She suddenly ran to Gin and grabbed his swinging arm and healed the wound across his eye and slashed open back. She gave a short laugh and then ran back to Aizen and was hugging him from behind.
"Hey, do you have a name?" Gin asked, swinging his arms to check his back.
She suddenly looked very sad and she slid off Aizen's back and ran off to hide again. Aizen and Gin looked at each other and then chased after her. She was leading them somewhere. She finally stopped in a graveyard a few blocks from her house. She stood stock-still behind a grave with a name on it. They stared at it and then saw her pale little hand sticking out. She quietly watched them.
"Are these your siblings?" Aizen asked, quietly.
She nodded.
"Kaien, Saien, and Umi?" Gin asked, reading the three names written across the tomb. He went up and knelt beside the grave. "Pretty names. What's yours?"
She shook her head. She seemed to be saying she didn't want to tell him.
A wind swept by and Aizen suddenly had an idea. He knelt beside Gin and held his hand out. "How about we name you Haku? Is that okay?"
Her eyes lit up and she jumped and hugged him. "Haku! Haku! Haku!!" She laughed and smiled at Gin and hugged him as well. "Haku!" She pointed to herself.
---end---
'And I named myself "The Red Confession". Because that's what I want from you. The bloodiest confession you have...'
The door opened and her eyes opened. She looked like she was dying there, lying with her hands clasped on her stomach, over her dirty little secret, and her body in perfect line. She slowly turned her head and then got up to sit properly. She saw Jûshirô-taichô.
"iie. You don't have to." He smiled at her and slowly put his hand down on the seal. It flared bright blue and then faded away, along with the seal. "C'mon, Tôsen and the others have agreed to let you out." He held out his hand to her, a kind smile in his eyes and on his lips, but sorrow lurking just beneath the surface.
"What?" she demanded. "I can tell something's wrong." She stood on her own. She looked down at him with cold eyes. "I don't trust any of you now. Why should I believe you?"
"You don't."
She was surprised and took a step back. Her cold eyes remained cold. "What's this all about?!" She stomped her foot to get him to look at her. "What do you mean 'you don't'?!" She sounded upset and confused. "What're you talking about?!"
"You don't have to trust me." Jûshirô smiled as he stood up. "You just have to trust yourself. Whatever you decide to trust is because you trust yourself." He smiled. "My vice-captain used to preach that before he died and he was a very nice man. Trust yourself, then you can trust or believe in me." He put his hand on her shoulder. "C'mon. I'm pretty sure the cooks won't mind making you something to eat." He smiled.
'I guess the confession I'll never have will be fine. I think I'll be okay without you, father, since you don't care. You know I'm still alive.' She watched Jûshirô walk out. 'This is my time to shine, and you won't hang over my head any longer.' She ran out and slid around the corner. "Race you!" She was already ahead by about ten feet. "Last one there eats a rotten egg!" She didn't even crack a smile.
Jûshirô smiled and ran after her. He felt like he was with an old friend when he chased her down the hall. 'Give me your confession, Akajihaku, and I'll give you mine. Trust me, just once. Trust someone, Akajihaku, and I'm sure no one will reject you. Just open up.' "You won't beat me!!"
She slid around a corner and almost ran into Byakuya. She had a split-second stop and then twisted around and her feet left the ground for seven seconds as she rebounded off the wall. She looked like a Ninja when her foot hit the wall. She jumped back down and landed behind Byakuya. "gomen!" She ran down the hall. Byakuya watched her go. 'I hope Jûshirô will be the father I wanted. I'll try to learn to trust him first. He doesn't seem bad... goodbye, father, papa, Aizen Sôsuke.'
