Angina/Symphony
Chapter 28
Devil's Chess Game
Part III:
Weak and Powerless
Recall the deeds as if they're all someone else's
Atrocious stories;
Now you stand reborn
Before us all;
So glad to see you well.
Your halo slipping down
…
But I'm more than just a little curious
How you're planning to go about making your amends
To the dead.
-The Noose, A Perfect Circle
Grimmjow followed Ichimaru Gin in silence.
Of course the idea had occurred to him. He could have refused to go to Aizen. He could have said no. As soon as the thought had entered his head, Grimmjow had wanted to laugh.
Even Szayel had said it. No one said no to Aizen. Grimmjow was as helpless as Tia Harribel had been that night. Thou hast been summoned, he thought to himself, and wanted to laugh again.
There was nothing remotely funny about this situation. Of course it was entirely possible that Aizen had just decided to call all the Espada together for a meeting or something.
But no, Grimmjow couldn't kid himself. He'd seen Aizen carrying the human woman back to her room.
She had been curled up in his arms, sleeping. To anyone who didn't know Aizen, it would look as though the Shinigami actually fucking cared about her. He had opened the door to her room with Grimmjow standing a few metres back. He had stopped to brush a strand of hair away from the woman's cheek, and that simple motion had made Grimmjow's insides twist.
Grimmjow had been close enough to the door to see inside Amane's room, to see when Aizen lay the sleeping girl down on her bed. He had pulled the blanket over her, positioned her head on the pillow. Then he had turned to leave the room, and Grimmjow had seen the gleam in his eyes, that possessive smile on his face.
You don't give a shit about her, he'd thought. You just want her under your thumb, like everything else in here.
And then the rage had returned, that irrational, helpless anger which screamed to be released in the form of a Cero. Aizen had nodded to Grimmjow upon walking away, and Grimmjow had felt cold, sharp eyes like the tip of a knife dissecting his thoughts. He had known then that his hatred and revulsion for the Shinigami had been showing in his reiatsu, and had been unable to hide it.
It was too late to take Szayel's advice now. Grimmjow had just barely held on to his temper, and now he was going to pay the price.
Ichimaru entered the throne room ahead of him, and Grimmjow unwillingly followed his lead. He felt like a death row prisoner heading to an execution. And the only crime he'd committed was to disapprove of Lord Aizen the Almighty.
Speak of the devil, he thought sourly, looking up at the throne and its occupant.
'You don't look very happy to see me, Grimmjow.' The tone of Aizen's voice was light, conversational almost. 'What's preoccupying you, if you'll permit me to ask?'
'Nothing, Aizen-sama,' Grimmjow grated out.
Aizen chuckled. 'Clearly that's not the case. You always were one to wear your heart on your sleeve, Grimmjow.'
Grimmjow scowled. 'I'm an Arrancar,' he spat, letting his arms fall down to leave the hole in his abdomen exposed. 'I don't have a fuckin' heart, and you know it.'
'Is that so, Grimmjow?' Aizen stood, pacing backwards and forwards in front of his throne. He stopped, looking directly into the Espada's eyes. 'Then that is unfortunate for you.'
Grimmjow said nothing. He knew it was part of Aizen's fucked-up game. He wanted Grimmjow to ask what he meant. It would make him feel clever, and Grimmjow wasn't in any mood to stroke the Shinigami's ego.
'I know I can come across as being rather cold at times,' Aizen said, in a tone of voice that was obviously meant to be reassuring. 'But I am not uncompassionate.' He walked towards Grimmjow, moving slowly. 'I am also not unobservant. It wasn't difficult for me to notice that you have developed feelings for Miss Amane.'
'I haven't.' The denial was automatic. Grimmjow could tell already that there was no point in trying to lie, but he was damned if he was going to admit anything to Aizen Sousuke.
But was there really anything to admit?
I'm protective of her. That's all it is. Those had been his words to Harribel and the other Espada. Grimmjow had been convinced then, as well, that there was no point in lying. They'd all been able to sense his reiatsu, so he'd told them the first thing that had come into his head.
Was that really all there was to it?
No. When he'd seen Aizen kiss Amane, stroke her cheek, the anger boiling inside Grimmjow's chest hadn't just been protectiveness. It had been part jealousy as well.
For just a moment, he had wanted to be Aizen Sousuke, not because he wanted the Shinigami's power or authority, but because he'd wanted to be the only one who was allowed to get that close to Amane.
'You are wasting your time, Grimmjow.' Aizen stopped in front of him, and Grimmjow felt the Shinigami's fingers curl around his chin. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to move away. 'You cannot lie to me.' Aizen's hand was a few degrees cooler than Grimmjow's own skin. Inexorably, Aizen tilted his chin up, forcing Grimmjow to look him in the eyes.
'I can see you think I'm going to punish you, Grimmjow,' he continued. 'But that would be rather insensitive of me, wouldn't it? After all, you can't help what you feel.'
Grimmjow remained silent.
'It's only natural that you'd grow close to Miss Amane after spending so much time with her,' Aizen said, each word feeling like the tip of a blade trailing down Grimmjow's spine. 'She's certainly had that effect on me.' He laughed at that.
Grimmjow wanted to run the bastard through with Pantera, run him through until there was no blood left to drain out of the holes.
'Perhaps you think of her as a younger sister.' Aizen was dangling the chance of a reprieve in front of Grimmjow's nose, waiting for him to take the bait. 'Although I think perhaps you think of her as more than that. In either case, it would certainly be unjust of me to punish you. I am not without a heart. How can I punish you for having one?'
He paused. 'But you said it yourself, Grimmjow. You have no heart.' The Shinigami smiled. 'I cannot have you becoming involved with Miss Amane. Her welfare is very - shall we say important? - to me. It would hurt me deeply if she was led on by someone who is incapable of caring for her.'
Grimmjow lost his hold on his tongue then.
'Fuckin' reptile!' he bellowed, wrenching his face away from Aizen's grip. His hand went straight to Pantera. 'Like hell you give a shit about her -'
There was pain then - solid, tangible, crimson pain. Grimmjow gasped, sinking to the floor, hands clutching the bloody steel protruding out of his lower ribs as if it were a lifeline.
'Sorry 'bout that, Aizen-sama. Seems I forgot ta talk ta Grimmjow 'bout his manners before coming here.' Ichimaru's voice echoed through the throne room behind him, sounding almost ghostly.
'That's quite all right, Gin. I'm sure you've managed to teach Grimmjow his lesson about interrupting while others are talking.' Aizen's voice still had that soft-spoken, polite cadence to it.
Grimmjow fell on his knees when Ichimaru withdrew Shinsou, still struggling to breathe. 'Are you going to kill me, motherfucker?' he snarled, looking up at Aizen's silhouette. The light in the throne room seemed to glare off every available surface.
Aizen laughed again, sounding amused. 'That remains to be seen. You've provided me with many years of faithful service, Grimmjow. I won't forget that when I decide your fate.' He turned away, walking back to his throne. 'But I certainly cannot allow you to remain as one of my Espada with that attitude. Luppi, you may come in.'
Footsteps echoed through the throne room, moving towards Grimmjow. Grimmjow looked up, trying to see through the red haze of pain. The newcomer was dressed in white, like himself and everyone else in Las Noches.
'Grimmjow, I would like you to meet Luppi Antenor. He is my Sexta Espada. I created him using the Hougyoku some time ago. I anticipated that I would have need of a new Espada soon. He will take over all your duties, including the care of Miss Amane.'
Grimmjow blinked, tasting metallic blood in his throat, and saw the figure above him adjust his uniform, showing a tattooed number six on his hipbone.
'Bastard,' he snarled. 'Fuckin' asshole.'
'That's a very rude way of addressing your new superior.' Aizen's voice was lightly reproving. 'Would you like me to ask Lieutenant Ichimaru to provide you with further instruction as to how to behave in the presence of your betters, Grimmjow?'
The new Espada laughed, a high girlish giggle.
'I wasn't talking to him!' Grimmjow somehow managed to force the words out. He glared at the Shinigami, mustering all the hatred in him. 'Fuck you, Aizen,' he snarled, with as much venom as he could.
'Do ya want me ta give him a little more educatin', Aizen-sama?'
'Thank you for your offer, Gin, but that will be unnecessary.' Far above him, Aizen raised a hand. 'Right now, he is merely injured. He is not fatally wounded. It would vex me if he were to die before I decide upon a proper punishment for him.'
The blood on the floor in front of Grimmjow seemed impossibly stark, crimson staining white marble. It was hard to believe that all of it belonged to him.
Punishment? he thought. Of course this isn't punishment enough. This is Aizen we're talking about.
'Tell me, Grimmjow, are you familiar with the religions of the human world, primitive as they are?' Aizen lowered his hand. 'Have you ever heard of the ten commandments? Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother. Thou shalt not covet what is thy neighbour's. Thou shalt not commit adultery.' His voice grew cold. 'I am your father and your mother, and Amane Rei belongs to me. You have coveted what is mine, Grimmjow, and that cannot be forgiven. Be thankful I chose now to teach you the error of your ways. Be thankful you never had a chance to breach the last commandment I mentioned.' He leaned forward. 'Please remove him, Gin. And tell Kaname I have granted his request to cut out Grimmjow's tattoo.'
Grimmjow felt himself flickering in and out of consciousness, feeling Ichimaru perform some kind of Shinigami trick on his arm, binding it behind his back. Whatever Aizen had said about not being mortally wounded, he'd lost a lot of blood.
He'd joined a cast of thousands. He'd been fucked over by Aizen, just like Soul Society, just like Barragan, just like Harribel. Grimmjow wasn't sure if he was going to survive the experience.
And it was all because of Amane Rei.
He should hate the human, Grimmjow knew that. But he was incapable of doing it.
