The hectic day had finally come to an end as the light from the moon filled the small room that Aizen and Amaya had been given to use located in the Squad 12 barracks. She had finished her meal and even shared some of it with him enjoying his reactions as he tasted the flavors of the rich foods once again. She was thankful that her body had seemed to acclimate to the medication and her moments of feeling so vulnerable had passed. She had taken the final step and admitted to Sosuke that she was in fact in love with him out loud and she couldn't remember ever feeling happier than the moment she heard him whisper the words back to her. Her thoughts had been filled with the ever pressing issue at hand and she let out a deep breath as she mentally told herself that she had made up her mind. Sosuke stood in front of the open window staring up at the moon and stars, something she was sure he had not seen in many years. She smiled to herself as it reminded her of Linake and the way she would always turn her head up to the sky and smile. Amaya understood her friend's hesitation and fear for her, and she herself still felt anxious when she really thought about the possible outcome of her decision but she knew she couldn't live in fear or constant worry.
"I support your decision." Sosuke silently commented as he turned his head and met her gaze.
Amaya smiled up at him from the chair she was sitting in.
"I know." She answered him.
"Ikkaku is a strong Soul Reaper in his own right. His Reiatsu is not going to be easy for you to handle, you should prepare for that." He continued speaking to her telepathically.
"I just hope I don't feel too much pain." She admitted.
Aizen sighed as her reply filled his mind and he couldn't help the feelings that bombarded him at the thought of her being in any kind of pain. He did support her choice and he would go forward with her wishes no matter how much it made his chest ache. He loved her, and even though it was a different sensation for him he wasn't going to avoid it.
"I'll speak with Ikkaku and Captain Zaraki in the morning, for now I just want to be with you." She replied as she stood from the chair and walked over to him.
They had both been given a new shihakusho to wear after they had finished their bath earlier. Linake had softly knocked on the door and Sosuke had answered it wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Her friend had kept her gaze forward as she slipped inside the room holding the clothing in her arms and by the redness of the older woman eyes Amaya knew she had been crying and as she probed her inner thoughts she realized just how much her friend had been holding back.
"Captain Kurotsuchi sent me with these and also told me to tell you that a room had been prepared for the two of you." Linake had explained.
Linake hadn't given her any time to speak with her as she laid the clothing down on the counter and turned away from them walking back out of the bathroom. Amaya could hear that her friend didn't want to impose on any of her time now that she was awake, she had wanted Amaya to spend as much time with Sosuke as she could and Amaya understood her reasoning was because a part of Linake already suspected that she would accept Ikkaku's offer and deep down Linake feared that Amaya would not survive.
"She is just scared for you, Amaya. Captain Kurotsuchi is not someone to take these things lightly, you will be fine. If not he would take it as a personal insult to his research." Aizen replied to her inner thoughts.
"She is afraid that Captain Zaraki will want her to do the same." She admitted the information she had siphoned from her friends mind.
Aizen laughed softly.
"She is worried for nothing, Zaraki will not ask her to risk her life when she has no reason too. He knows as well as I do with proper training she will come into her abilities on her own, the same way you would if we were willing to let you sleep for however long it would take. I would be willing to wait for you if that is something you wanted to consider." He replied.
Amaya cringed at the thought of being stuck in-between consciousness again. Being able to hear and feel the people around you, yet being paralyzed with no way of interacting was a frightening experience and she had a feeling if she were to let her body acclimate to her power naturally she would sleep for a lot longer than just a couple days and she really didn't want to spend a chunk of her life in a coma.
"I understand." He replied without her having to explain herself to him.
The connection they shared was magical to her, she knew that his abilities had changed a little after becoming immortal and depending on who the person was he had the ability to read them, it seemed that his only worked on those who didn't have high enough Spiritual Pressure to block him out and he had explained to her that she allowed the connection between the two of them and if she wished she could cut him out of her mind at any time, her ability to read people's minds greatly surpassed his own. Amaya stepped in close to him and wrapped her arms around him as she leaned her head against him. He brought his arm up and loosely draped it around her shoulders as they both looked up at the night's sky.
Linake stood in front of the mirror in Kenpachi's bathroom as she tried to brush out the knots from her thick hair. She still felt so raw even after her emotional outburst, letting out the pent up emotions had given her some relief but now she felt a little awkward around Kenpachi. He had held her while she cried and that was something she hadn't expected from him and it left her feeling out of place. He had dropped her back down to her feet once she had regained enough control over herself and even though she felt like it was an unspoken show of his affection for her she still felt hesitant to reveal how she felt about him. It was a vicious cycle of self-doubt and insecurity that constantly bombarded her. She told herself that the man obviously cared about her or he wouldn't even bother to try and console her but she still wasn't sure if he could ever really love her like she loved him and that fear kept her from revealing her true feelings.
Linake pulled the brush threw her hair roughly as she tried to work out the knots ignoring the slight pain. She hadn't bothered to brush it with all the excitement and had just tossed it up into a ponytail and after sleeping it had decided to act up on her. She caught Kenpachi's reflection in the mirror as he walked up behind her and placed his strong hand on her forearm stopping her from taking her frustrations out on her hair. She looked into the mirror and caught the way he was looking at her. He slid his strong hand down her forearm and took the brush out of her hand and without saying a word he sat the brush down on the counter and started using his fingers to start pulling the knots in her hair loose. Her stomach clinched as she watched his reflection. He kept doing small things like this for her, things that she never would have expected from such a rough man and she didn't know if this was the only way he knew to convey his own feelings for her or if he was just acting on impulse. She kept silent as his skilled fingers managed to work out the knots.
"Thank you." She whispered as she reached for the brush again but his long arms allowed him to beat her to it and her lips parted as he started to brush her hair for her, he made the simple act seem like so much more.
"Kenpachi..." She whispered starting to feel comfortable enough to bring up the ever pressing issue of how he really felt but she was cut off by his next comment.
"You're being transferred to my Squad, starting tomorrow you'll be my 6th seat." He revealed.
Her eyes widened and her jaw fell from the unexpected change.
"I…I'm not even a Soul Reaper." She protested.
Kenpachi lifted his head and met her bewildered gaze using the mirror she stood in front of.
"You think I give a shit about that?" He countered.
"I don't think it would be right to give me a position I don't qualify for." She continued.
She heard his deep chuckle escape from the back of his throat as he sat her brush down on the counter.
"You start the training in a couple days. I'm giving you 6th seat but it will be up to you to keep it." He warned her.
Linake thought back to when she had gone in search for Aizen earlier and she remembered that Kenpachi had been having a conversation with the Head Captain.
"Is this what you and Head Captain Kyoraku were discussing earlier?" She asked.
"Yeah. We both agree it will be the only way to train ya properly." He replied.
Linake couldn't help the sudden rush of agitation that filled her. She already knew that Kenpachi was a dominate man and he would expect her to follow his lead but the thought of actually having a seat within his division didn't sit well with her and she feared that eventually he would just see her as just another member of his Squad.
"I don't get a say in this?" She asked.
Kenpachi narrowed his gaze right before he took ahold of her upper body and turned her around to face him.
"If I gave you a say you would never make any progress, your too busy feeling sorry for yourself." He growled.
Linake couldn't help but take his comment as a jab to her earlier emotional outburst and it stung her deeply but she just pushed the feelings away. She was glad now that he had interrupted her it seemed that she had been right to keep her feelings to herself. She also knew that part of his reasoning was accurate and that was why it stung so much to begin with and she figured he was just trying to toughen her up a little. She chose not to take his comment the way she normally would, as a personal attack, but learn from what he was trying to tell her. She looked up at him with agitation behind her eyes as she replied.
"Fine, you want me to train that badly then I will."
She watched the side of his mouth lift into a cocky grin.
"I just pissed you off a little didn't I, Woman?" He laughed.
Linake felt her agitation spread as she realized he was purposely goading her now trying to get some form of defiant reaction from her and she wanted nothing more than to kick the jackass in the shins but she knew it wouldn't even faze him.
"I like seeing that fire in those pretty blue eyes." He continued.
Linake couldn't help but smile at the mention of fire and she figured if he wanted to taunt her then she would do it right back.
"You've already been scorched by my flames once." She countered.
Zaraki laughed as he brought his hand up to her chin and tilted her head back as he leaned his body down and hovered his lips above hers.
"I'll take my chances." He replied right before his mouth closed over hers and she cursed the man for knowing exactly how to get under her skin.
She actually wanted to become stronger…but she also wanted him to love her.
