Angina/Symphony

Chapter 21

Unexpected Saviour

Leave all behind now to watch her crawl

Through our dark gardens of insanity

She'll be the light to guide you back home

Just give her a kiss worth dying for

And open your arms.

-Venus Doom, H.I.M.

He'd seen the whole thing.

Of course, Szayel's first instinct hadn't been to come and rescue Amane Rei when he'd seen Loli and Menoly accost her on screen. He knew - or so he thought - that no matter how much they personally disliked her, no Arrancar would dare to harm a hair on the human's head. Besides that, Szayel had wanted to see how it would play out. Like everyone else in Hueco Mundo, including Aizen, he knew very little about the girl. He knew what her body looked like on the inside, and that was about it.

He'd wanted to see the girl's reaction to the situation, which hadn't been staged like the 'fight' with the Demi-Hollow. Szayel had actually been the one to suggest that idea to Aizen, and from the Octava's point of view, it hadn't been much of a success. He'd set the video feed to record, hoping it would turn up something useful.

But then Loli had fired a Cero point-blank at Amane. That wasn't something it was possible to do without either intent to kill, or blind stupidity. Szayel strongly suspected it had been the latter.

Even if stupidity was emotionally provoked - and he could tell it had been by the flush in Loli's cheeks, the tightening of her fists and the white sheen on her knuckles when she looked at Amane - it was still stupidity.

As a scientist, intelligence and information were the things Szayel prized above all others. Stupidity was a violation of intellect, and as such it personally offended him, disgusted him even. And stupidity with emotion involved -

Emotion was pointless, and only served as an inhibitor. Szayel shared that philosophy with Lord Aizen.

He allowed a steady measure of disdain to show in his face as he surveyed Loli, and to a lesser extent Menoly.

'It's common knowledge that any Arrancar - even an Espada - can only fire so many Cero before his or her spiritual energy is depleted.' Szayel pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with one gloved finger. 'I'm surprised you hadn't realised yet. Thought you had an infinite supply, did you? Apparently you need to be told that you can't hide fifty or so Cero up your sleeve like so many cheap card tricks, Fracción.'

Loli reddened further. 'Szayel.' Her mouth twisted as she said his name.

'You're speaking as if you're awfully familiar with me. Have you forgotten that I'm an Espada?' Szayel let his fingers rest on Fornicaràs' hilt delicately, watching the Arrancar's eyes bulge as he did it. 'Do I have to refresh your memory, Fracción?'

'No, Szayel-sama.' Menoly stepped forward, shooting Loli a hard look as she did so. 'We don't want any trouble.'

'It seems you're unaware of something else that I thought was common knowledge,' Szayel continued, ignoring her. 'You've already gotten yourself into trouble by allowing me to see this.'

'What do you mean?' Loli's eyes were still wide. 'You've seen n-nothing!'

'Really? I think the cameras I installed here on Lord Aizen's orders would beg to differ.' Szayel watched the girl's face go a deathly white, and smiled in amusement. 'I have the recording in my personal rooms. I'm sure he'll want to see it. After all, he'll probably be curious once I tell him that the two of you looked suspiciously like you were harassing Miss Amane.' He glanced at the human girl. She was still standing tense inside her spherical shield. Obviously his arrival had done nothing to relax her.

'What do you want from us?' Menoly looked panicky. 'We'll do whatever you want.'

'Bribery?' Szayel looked down at her through the lenses of his glasses, watching her squirm. 'You can offer me whatever you like to try and buy my silence, although I doubt it will work. But what can you offer Miss Amane?'

'They don't need to offer me anything.'

Szayel looked at Amane, who stared back at him. He had no idea what she was thinking, and that set him on edge.

'I don't want Aizen-sama to have to worry about me. He has more important things to concern himself with.' The human paused. 'That is my decision. Whether or not you choose to tell Aizen-sama is up to you, Szayel-san.'

Szayel hid his astonishment. 'Then it seems the two of you have only me to convince,' he said, turning back to Loli and Menoly. 'I'll tell you something for nothing. You're free to enter my rooms and take the recording, since you want it so badly.'

The emotion in Loli's face changed rapidly from relief to suspicion. 'I don't believe you.'

'Really? That's a shame.' Szayel allowed himself to smile suggestively at her. 'It's quite easy to find. It's sitting on my bed. Take the recording, and it's yours. All you need to do after that is keep me occupied somehow…'

Both Loli and Menoly's faces showed twin expressions of disgust. Szayel guessed they'd filled in the blanks.

'Ew,' Loli spat.

'It's not like we have a choice,' Menoly muttered, taking Loli by the arm and pulling her away in the direction of the Octava's palace.

Once they'd gone, Szayel looked at Amane again. 'You can release your shield, you know.'

Her eyes flashed at him, silver and mistrusting, but the shield gradually dissipated, spirit particles merging with the air

'What reason could you have for wanting to protect the likes of them?' he asked. 'They won't thank you for it.'

'You shouldn't have come here, Szayel-san,' she replied, ignoring his question.

Szayel adjusted his glasses. 'May I ask why not?'

'Those girls will just try and pick on me again. They'll think I can't defend myself.' Amane looked away. Szayel could see what was going on behind her face this time. 'I appreciate that you helped me, but I would have preferred to handle it alone.'

'Handle it alone?' Szayel scoffed. 'You were bluffing. You couldn't have kept up that shield all day.'

'I know that!' For the first time since he'd seen her, Amane looked angry, and impatient with it. 'I've spent my whole life being told I can't take care of myself. I'm sick of being shut away in an ivory tower!' She fell silent, and looked ashamed again. 'I'm sorry, Szayel-san. I didn't mean to be rude.'

Szayel waved her apology aside. 'You're incorrect.'

Amane looked puzzled. 'What do you mean?'

'They won't try to attack you again. Even those two, with their limited mental capacity, should be able to recognise a lost cause when they see it.' Szayel folded his arms.

'I'm not stupid, Szayel-san.' Amane's voice was soft, her eyes no longer meeting his. 'I know you don't think much of me. And I know they won't do me any favours for not telling Aizen-sama what they did to me. What I said was the truth. I don't want Aizen-sama to think he needs to watch over me.'

But he does, Szayel thought. Lord Aizen watches over everyone. And you're no exception.

'I suppose that pride of yours is admirable in its own way,' he replied. 'But there's a fine line between pride and stupidity. You'd do well to remember that. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to.'

'Szayel-san?' The girl's hesitant voice made the Octava Espada stop, even as he'd half-turned away from her.

'What?' he said, feigning impatience.

'You said you have cameras installed along this corridor.'

'There's none in your room itself, if that's why you're asking. I have no interest in invading your privacy.' That in itself was a lie, but Aizen had chosen to allow the girl the luxury of a room - and bathroom - without surveillance.

'No. I just wanted to know if you saw Aizen-sama walking me back to my room last night.' The girl blushed.

Of course he had. Szayel wasn't one to pass up an opportunity to spy on any of Las Noches' inhabitants. He knew all about the seemingly friendly kiss Lord Aizen had planted on the girl's cheek. Although he wasn't privy to Aizen's plans for the girl, Szayel could guess all too easily what his master was up to.

'Obviously, foolish girl.' Szayel paused. He was well aware that he was currently under the watchful eyes of his own cameras, and the Espada had long suspected that his surveillance system wasn't the only one set up throughout Las Noches. The Lord of Hueco Mundo wasn't a trusting man. He was unlikely to rely on Szayel's eyes and ears alone.

Szayel remembered the dissection table, the bloody loop of aorta protruding from Aizen's closed fist, the fingerprints on the door. If Aizen ordered her destruction, she was doomed, and Szayel would do well to keep clear of her.

'Aizen-sama doesn't suffer fools,' he said. 'Watch yourself, girl.' And with that, he walked away, silence ringing dully in his ears.