Word count: about 1500

Status: complete, part 1/1

Ships: background Gin x Ran, but only if you squint

Notes: oh god i strike again

The next update for faraway is a little too short for me to post with a clear conscience, so you guys get this instead.

—

Aizen's war is a game.

Gin likes games, which is the only thing that keeps him from stabbing the pompous bastard in the back with Shinso. And this game is fun, too. Gin and Aizen as the two players, Grimmjow and Ulquiorra and Urahara and the Kuchiki siblings and even Kurosaki the game pieces. It's like chess, really. A version of chess where Aizen doesn't even know who his opponent is.

Aizen is smart, Gin will give him that. But Gin has spent his entire life lying, and even Aizen can't tell that Gin is not truly his ally. Every game has a winning strategy, see, and that is Gin's.

Gin steps inside of Aizen's horribly lavish private quarters, keeping his smile plastered on his face. Aizen looks up from his chess board, a Western version that Gin has quickly grown to love. The King, the most important piece, being the weakest? Well - Gin finds that to be a bit of a prophecy.

"Ah, Gin," says Aizen, hair slicked away from his face. Gin finds the hairstyle to look rather stupid, but that isn't his place to say. "Welcome."

Careful to keep his eyes narrow enough that Aizen can't see the hatred in them, Gin steps across the room with quick, graceful movements, kneeling on the ground across from Aizen. "Nice of ya ta set up," he says cheerily. "Your move first?" It's a stupid question, one that Gin just asks to keep up appearances. Aizen will always let Gin go first in some mockery of courtesy.

"No, no," says Aizen, sitting cross-legged with his hands folded in his lap. His smile is familiar, the sort of look he used when he was still the good 'ol Aizen-taicho, but the cool detatchment in his brown eyes sort of ruins the benevolent effect. "It would be impolite of me to take the first turn, Gin."

Gin's smile stays put on his face, and he reaches forward to move forward a Knight. "You're too kind, Aizen-sama," he says, even as Shinso thrums his displeasure at the polite honorific. "Gotta say, m'thinkin' this is the time that I beat ya."

Aizen's eyebrows raise. "Truly?" He scoots a Pawn to the next square, in true Aizen fashion. He'd always liked using his Pawns to their fullest potential. (Gin hides a chuckle; chess certainly has its parallels and uses.) "You have not beat me yet, Gin. Do not hold yourself above your station."

It's an obvious threat, and Gin's smile turns to a pout. "Aizen-sama, d'ya not trust me?" His face twists back into a grin. "An' after all I've done for ya..." Gin tips his head to the side, watching Aizen through narrowed eyes. It's hard to tell if Aizen is truly suspicious of Gin; Aizen likes to lord his power over his subordinates, and this might be yet another power play. On the other hand, it wouldn't do to underestimate this challenge. "I'm hurt, Aizen-sama. Truly hurt."

Rolling his eyes, Aizen taps the tips of his fingers together. "I trust you more than I trust anyone else," he says simply. "There's no need for dramatics."

Trust Gin more than anyone else, eh? Gin snorts. Oh, Aizen's a manipulative bastard.

"But drama just makes everythin' so much more fun!" Gin says cheerily, moving a Pawn forward two spaces. "Ya wouldn' want me ta be bored, ey?"

"I suppose not," Aizen concedes, but there's a warning hidden in his dark eyes. Gin happily ignores it. "There," he adds, sliding a Bishop into the empty space where his Pawn had resided. "Your turn."

Gin taps his fingers against his chin. "Oooh, my turn? Finally, Aizen-sama. Took ya long enough." Contrasting with his words, he doesn't move, smiling down at the chess board. Gin knows all of Aizen's ticks and pet peeves, and if he makes it a habit to piss off Aizen, well, that's nobody else's business. "Hm. I could move...there." He scoots a Pawn forward, but doesn't take his fingers off of it. "Or...maybe not, eh?" The Pawn slides back into its spot, and Gin pushes forward the Pawn directly next to it. "Let's do that, shall we?"

"A good move," says Aizen, sounding rather detached and uninterested. He picks up a Knight and sets it a square beside his Pawn. "Ah, Gin, while I'm thinking about it - there's news from Soul Society. Our friend Szayelapporo picked up on some interesting reiatsu signatures coming from Karakura."

The 'while I'm thinking about it' is completely unnecessary; Gin knows that Aizen must have been waiting for the right moment to bring this up since the game had started. And the nice cliffhanger on the end is, of course, a small bit of revenge for Gin's stalling on his turn.

Gin decides to humor Aizen, though. "News? What sorta news is comin' through?"

Aizen's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly, and Gin gets ready to school his reaction. Whatever news is coming, Aizen's prepared to test Gin's loyalty with it.

No matter, though. Gin is, after all, a liar.

"Your friend Matsumoto has arrived in Karakura with her Hitsugaya-taicho, Abari, and Kuchiki-chan."

Gin's face doesn't even twitch, even as he feels a wave of sudden bloodlust hit him. Of course the bastard would keep using Ran. Shinso thrums with fury matching Gin's, and his fingers ache to draw his zanpakuto and make Aizen sorry.

Not yet, though. It's not time to make Aizen pay yet.

"Aww, the lovely Ran-chan?" Gin's smile now shows a few teeth, and he knows that he looks rather fearsome with his pointed canines. "How sweet of her! I hope she isn' doin' too terribly bad, what with me leavin' 'er and all that." He has to clamp down on his accent, knowing it's an easy way to notice his anger. "Poor girl probably cried herself to sleep, huh?"

Aizen raises his eyebrows. "From what Szayelapporo said, she doesn't seem to be too...distraught."

That hurts even more than the idea of Ran crying over Gin, but Gin just keeps his sharp smile on his face. It's for the best if Ran isn't too upset, even if the thought makes Gin want to stab something.

"Eh." Gin shrugs, sliding his Rook a square to the side. "That sucks. I was hopin' I'd see some tears or somethin'. Gotta be entertaining or it ain't fun."

"Touche," says Aizen, and his eyes are lit with amusement now. "Ahhh, Hinamori-chan was lovely when she cried."

It's Gin's turn to raise an eyebrow now. "The Momo girl, your fukutaicho? She had a nice smile." Gin opens his eyes and flutters his eyelashes in a mimic of Hinamori's old grin. "Pity she's all broken, now. Didn' take your leavin' too well."

"I suppose not," Aizen agrees, moving a different Pawn. It leaves an opening by his Queen, but Gin knows better to go after that; Aizen likes his traps. Maybe if Gin can draw out Aizen's other Bishop he can slip past...but no, Aizen's Pawn sits there in wait. "Part of the game, though. She was too dependent, and she was fun to manipulate. Easy, though."

(Gin doesn't say anything, too busy responding to Shinso's furious Aizen-directed death threats to reply to Aizen himself.)

"Still," Aizen continues, too busy enjoying the sound of his voice to notice Gin, "in hindsight perhaps I should have cut my ties with her better. While I'm sure she still loves me, if her Hitsugaya-taicho manages to help her then she'll be a formidable force."

"Hell hath no fury," says Gin, coming to a decision. If he frees his Bishop, he can make a trap with a Pawn to take Aizen's Knight. "She's pretty well infatuated with ya, though. Your groomin' worked pretty well."

Aizen nods, resting his finger against the top of a Pawn in contemplation. "That, Gin, is the mark of a genius: being able to change people's perception with just a few words. Having power over a mind is to have almost infinite power," and his other hand settles on Kyoka Suigetsu's hilt. "You and I are powerful because of that."

Gin giggles, and Aizen's eyebrow twitches. "Ya flatter me, Aizen-sama. Truly ya do."

Aizen's Pawn scoots forward, and Gin moves his Pawn in answer. "Manipulation," he says, running a hand through his brown hair. "The most beautiful form of combat."

Gin nods, unable to deny his agreement even as he fantasizes about Aizen's lifeless body. "To power," he says, lifting up his King as though toasting a glass of sake. "May we all get what we deserve."

"Indeed," says Aizen, not commenting on Gin's final words, and Gin's smile turns real.

Aizen's war is a game, a game with people as the game pieces. And every game can be cheated at.