Chapter 4: Ghost of You
(Just barely have time to publish before rushing off to work. I hardly have time to breathe lately. But I have received numerous pleas to update and wanted to get this out before going off this morning. Have a lovely day, and happy reading while Spunky slaves away in boring mundane-ville! Please excuse any errors. I will fix later.)
Gin woke well before dawn to find himself having been moved to the bed in Aizen's bedroom, but curiously alone and wrapped warmly in soft blankets. It might have been the most comfortable he had ever felt, but the sensation ended quickly as nausea welled up suddenly, sending him charging, still naked, from the bed and into the bathroom, where he dropped onto his knees and emptied his stomach violently. He gasped and heaved a few times, holding his belly with one hand and rubbing gently, his head swimming and spots dancing in front of his eyes. His body went numb and everything seemed to disappear for a while. He thought he might have heard Aizen's voice and felt himself lifted, but his mind remained in a haze and he didn't resist as darkness wrapped around him and his awareness faded again. He woke to feel warm hands caressing his abdomen and cracked open an eye very slightly to find Aizen fully dressed and leaned over him, infusing his belly with reiatsu that seemed to make the feeling of sickness go away. He kept his body limp and pretended to sleep while Aizen finished the infusion, then rose and left him alone in the room.
Gin waited for several minutes, then sat up in the bed and looked around. He found that a tray of food had been placed at his bedside, and a soft growl sounded in his empty abdomen. Sighing in resignation, he took the tray onto his lap and ate, looking out through the sliding glass door, into the gardens behind the house. Finding himself still alone when he finished eating, he slipped out of the bed and walked to the closet, where he found a yukata and robe his size and slowly dressed his mind unusually aimless. He unlocked the sliding glass door and made a little sound of surprise as it opened.
But it's not completely surprising, he chided himself, Sousuke knows I have nowhere to go, and I can feel that there is a strong barrier keeping me from leaving the property. Letting me into the gardens will just give me fresh air and a place to walk a little. It's to keep me healthy while I play guinea pig...carrying whatever this really is inside me. Yes, Kurotsuchi Mayuri is a man almost as monstrous as Sousuke. He wouldn't just enable Sousuke and me to have a child. There is something else going on, and I am sure Sousuke knows it.
None of that matters to me...
He tried briefly to close his eyes and reach out to sense Rangiku's reiatsu, but found nothing familiar except Aizen's presence somewhere on the other side of the precipice world.
He's gone back to Soul Society? I wonder why. He's probably learning the situation there and looking for more information about what Kurotsuchi Mayuri did to me. It makes sense, I suppose.
Gin walked slowly around the gardens, breathing in deeply and feeling much improved as the food he had eaten warmed him inside and the sight and smell of the bright flowers cheered him slightly.
I can't feel completely at ease because I know that, even though I can't see it right now, Soul Society has been destroyed. I know I felt Yamamoto soutaichou's death. It must be horrid there. I wonder if it bothers Sousuke even a little. I doubt it. He is only focused on what he can take from the situation. He already said it. He wants to be king. With the Gotei 13 in ruins, he may get what he wants without a fight...although, there is one person who will fight him for it...
He felt a genuine shiver inside as he remembered meeting Ywach.
The quincy king is the only one I've ever met who was darker at heart than Sousuke. While Sousuke always wanted control of the three worlds, Ywach wanted to put everything in a cycle of creation and destruction so that he could constantly have a collection of souls to eat to sustain himself. Yes, that man is scarier than Sousuke.
A little shiver went through Gin as he heard a small sound somewhere inside the house. Sensing that Aizen was in Soul Society, he crept back to the sliding glass door and went inside.
There are barriers all around this place, he reminded himself, Sousuke doesn't want me dead. He's too curious to find out exactly what that mad scientist was trying to grow inside me. My imagination is just getting away with me.
But as he entered the house, he heard another sound he was sure had to be a soft footstep in the area of the kitchen.
How could anyone get inside here? he wondered, And who would want to? Who would know we're here? Could Kurotsuchi have placed a tracking device on me?
Gin swallowed hard, looking around for anything that could be used as a weapon. Finding nothing, he slipped back out into the gardens, closing the door behind him, and climbed up into one of the trees. He concealed himself as best he could and waited. His heart skipped and beat faster as he heard voices and saw two men in white uniforms step out into the gardens.
"He should be here," one of the men said, "The king foresaw that Aizen would bring him here."
"Then, if his majesty saw him here, he is here. We have to find him unless we want to meet with his majesty's extreme displeasure."
"He is slippery. Look carefully."
Gin waited until the two returned to the house, then moved around to the back side of the tall tree that faced away from the house.
Thank kami I have no reiatsu flow right now, or they would already have had me! Why do the quincies want me? Did they learn about Kurotsuchi's experiment?
He felt another jolt inside as the door into the gardens opened again, and the two men walked outside. They searched the area methodically, poring over every inch that laid within the boundaries Aizen had set.
They are too good at this, Gin reasoned, They are going to find me. But it doesn't sound like they want to kill me. I don't have much time left before they find me on their own, so I think, perhaps, the better thing to do would be to give them something they aren't expecting.
A sly smile crawled onto Gin's face, and he slid down to the lowest branch of the tree, waiting until the men were nearly beneath it, then dropping down in front of the two and greeting the men with an amused grin.
"Ah," he sighed resignedly, "It looks like you boys have found me. Tell me, did you enjoy our little game of hide and seek?"
"We aren't here to play games," the darker haired of the two said sternly, "I am Officer Arnell of the Sternritter army and we have been sent to bring you back to his majesty, King Ywach!"
"Is that so?" Gin said, frowning, "Ywach-sama wants to see me? How does he even know I am alive? Did he find the information in Kurotsuchi's files? And even if he did know I was alive, how did he know I was here?"
The lighter haired quincy spat on the ground.
"His majesty doesn't need to sneak around looking for files."
"No," Gin agreed, smirking, "he has little dogs like you to do that, doesn't he?"
Gin gasped as the darker haired quincy surged forward and grabbed him by the throat, shoving him roughly back against the tree.
"Y-you know, you really shouldn't damage m-me," Gin chided the man, "Doesn't your king want to take me as his prisoner?"
"Arnell!" the second man snapped, "Release him now!"
Gin coughed and panted for a few moments, recovering as the angry quincy released him and stepped back.
"Ichimaru Gin," said the lighter haired officer, "You are hereby claimed as King Ywach's property! You will submit at once and accompany us back to Silbern to await removal to the royal realm!"
"The royal realm?" Gin mused, "You mean, he has already killed the king and taken control? That is quite a feat, isn't it?"
"Shut up and come with us!" Arnell said angrily.
"Very well," Gin said, making the two quincies pause and stare at him curiously.
Gin laughed.
"Well, didn't your king also know that Aizen Sousuke was keeping me prisoner here?" he asked, grinning more widely, "I appreciate Ywach-sama freeing me, and I would be pleased to accompany you to Silbern."
"Y-you...really?" Arnell stammered, looking confused, "You are coming willingly?"
"Why wouldn't I?" Gin asked the stunned men, "I am obviously without powers and I know that Soul Society has fallen. Aizen is a beast who is trying to use me for some foul experiment. I have no reason to stay with him. Of course I will go with you. You only needed to ask."
"Ahem," the lighter haired man said, recovering himself, "then come this way."
Gin sucked in a surprised breath as the man made an odd motion with his hand, and a swirl of blackness began to well up around it.
"I do hope there is plenty to eat where we are going and not just military rations," Gin commented, stepping forward with the two, "I am starving!"
"Eh, Aizen has been mistreating you?" the lighter haired man asked, frowning, "Were you injured? We have good healers at Silbern."
"Oh, he didn't want me physically injured," Gin chuckled, "He just found a way to impregnate me and I can't seem to get enough to eat. He's also a terrible cook!"
"Ah, I see. Well, we will see you are comfortable and well fed. Come along now. His majesty is busy with the war, but we have been ordered to take you to Silbern and make sure you are kept well."
"Oh good. I was getting awfully bored here. Thank you, boys."
The three started forward, then skidded to a stop as a bright light flashed and Aizen appeared suddenly in front of them. The quincy officers reacted immediately, Arnell grabbing Gin roughly around the throat and the lighter haired man attacking instantly. The two quincies gasped in dismay as Aizen seemed not to move, but a moment later, disappeared and reappeared behind the attacking quincy and cutting his body cleanly in half.
"Brennan!" screamed Arnell, backing away and pulling a knife that he placed against Gin's throat, "Don't come any closer! I will kill him! I swear I will!"
"Erm," Gin managed, choking slightly, "what do you think your king w-will have to say about th-that? By whose hand do you want to die?"
Gin felt the small swell of Aizen's power and then a wrenching feeling. He found himself suddenly gripped tightly in Aizen's arms, watching as the quincy backed away, dragging a copy of Gin with him.
"I'm taking him to the king!" Arnell hissed, "I don't know how you managed to be in two places at once, but know this. His majesty is about to reach the royal realm, and when he does, his powers will be completely released. He will see everything!"
Arnell made a sound of surprise and pain as Aizen's sword sank into his body from behind. He gave a guttural laugh and dragged his knife across the throat of the copy of Gin he held, making blood spurt from the illusion-Gin's slender throat. The copy's legs collapsed and he fell with the quincy onto the ground.
"Well, they sure made a mess," Gin commented, his heart still pounding, "Too bad. I rather liked walking out here."
"Did they hurt you?" Aizen asked in a strangely stiff tone.
"Um, no," Gin said, shaking his head and looking on in confusion as Aizen moved around him, loosening his clothing to examine him more closely, "They didn't want to kill me. They only wanted to take me back to their king. They knew who I am...and that I survived. They knew where I was. How did they know, Sousuke? Were they watching Kurotsuchi taichou that closely?"
"Ywach doesn't have to watch that closely, although he does have spies, and they were watching the Gotei 13 officers closely."
"Then..."
"He has a power that, when it is fully freed, will let him see into the future. Right now, while his vision is obscured, he sees flashes of what will be. That is why he was able to discern you were still alive and where you were."
"You mean, where I was being imprisoned," Gin said skeptically, "You know, I'll be honest with you, Sousuke and just tell you. I wish they had taken me back to their palace! Anything is better than being forced to stay here with you!"
"Oh, but I thought we were beginning to understand each other better," Aizen said, smirking slightly, "You were lovely last night, Gin, crawling all over me and so anxious for me to be inside you. What happened?"
"What happened?" Gin huffed, "All that happened is that I woke up and came to my senses! It doesn't matter what you promise me, Sousuke, it doesn't! You don't intend to keep a single promise. I know that. You play with my heart, dangling the idea that you can somehow save Rangiku! And then, when I have a chance to go and try to save her myself you...!"
Gin sucked in a shocked breath as Aizen's hands grabbed his upper arms, and his furious brown eyes glared down into Gin's widened ones.
"Is that why you were behaving like that?" he seethed, "For her, you would endanger yourself and take the chance of getting killed? Do you care nothing for your own life anymore, Gin?"
"I HAVE NO LIFE!" Gin howled, tearing away from Aizen and backing up a step towards the house, "All I have is her! I have to find her!"
"You have to find her?" Aizen repeated incredulously, "In your condition and with no powers? How in kami's name did you think you were going to do that? How, Gin?"
He flash stepped forward, recapturing him, and stared down into Gin's eyes, watching as unbidden tears welled up in the corners. For a moment, he remained silent, then a soft growl issued from deep in his chest.
"She is dead."
Gin stiffened.
"No..."
"Rangiku is dead," Aizen repeated coldly, "I left here so that I could go back to Soul Society to learn what was happening. While there, I also inquired into her whereabouts."
Gin remained frozen and staring, his body beginning to shake under Aizen's gripping hands.
"She is a zombie, Gin. What you saw is the truth of things. Rangiku is dead. She is beyond help. If you did find her, she would only have killed you."
"I hate you," Gin sobbed, sliding onto his knees and putting his face in his hands, "I really hate you, Sousuke!"
"Come Gin," Aizen said quietly, taking a pale, shaky hand in his and pulling gently, "We have to leave here. The quincy king will reach the royal realm soon, and he will have full use of his abilities."
"I don't care. And if he does, why does running make any difference? He will just figure out where we've gone and send more people to..."
"I think he will know that he can't get past me while I am aware of his plans and actively protecting you."
"Oh," Gin sniffed, wiping his eyes, "this is how you protect me?"
"Enough," Aizen said calmly, wrapping an arm around Gin's shoulders and helping him back onto his feet, "Come with me."
Gin looked back at the collapsed quincies, tears welling up in his eyes again at having failed in his plans to use the men to reach Rangiku.
I don't believe him. She may be a zombie, but if they made her into a zombie, maybe there is still a way...
He blinked, sending another tear sliding down his face. To his surprise, Aizen's fingertip captured it, and he paused and studied Gin more closely.
"I keep thinking it is the pregnancy that is making you so emotional," Aizen commented, "But the more I think about it, the more I see in the past that hinted you had an unnatural affection for that girl. Yet, you claim you're not in love with her?"
"She is just a friend," Gin said wearily, "I told you that."
"You did," Aizen agreed, "I just find your commitment to her unexpected, given how easily you stab other people in the back. I begin to grow jealous and a bit happy she's dead. Tell me, Gin. What did that woman ever do for you that would make you walk unprotected and with no powers into the heart of the quincy seat of power, just to have a chance to save her?"
"Why do you care?" Gin asked defeatedly, "It doesn't matter. You said she's dead."
"Yes, she is," Aizen agreed, "But now that she is, I am wondering if there is actually a heart in you, and if so, if I will someday find a way into it."
Gin frowned and blinked in surprise.
"What? Why? You don't care about me at all. I know that..."
Gin's eyes opened and rounded as Aizen turned suddenly and gathered him in, capturing his mouth in a long, warm kiss that felt nothing like any he had experienced before. Deep in his belly, the chamber hummed and glowed, making the two men look down at the area in surprise.
"What is that?" Gin whispered.
Aizen captured him under the chin and made their eyes meet, then kissed him again.
"It is a sign that we are not completely without hope," he said calmly.
Gin gazed into his eyes for a long moment, then gave a shuddering sigh.
"That was cruel, Sousuke," he said in a choked voice, "You know I have no one now, and you're taking advantage of that."
"Come, Gin," Aizen said, leading him back into the house, "we need to be gone before more of them come here."