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TO BE KING
by: Riseha
Prologue
It was just a passing, offhanded comment.
"Aizen-taicho, you'd definitely make a good father!"
Ah, Hinamori. She complimented Sosuke at least thrice a day. And the blush that accompanied her words... she was too easy. Somehow, her words stuck.
"I haven't found anyone yet," he'd replied, laughing. "But I do like children."
True. But not for the reasons Hinamori might think. Children were like free guinea pigs; a blank canvas for him to paint. Hinamori was a piece of work that he hadn't molded since she was in her infant-hood. And surely a child of his would be more exceptional when it came to withstanding Hollowfication?
Hirako-taicho and his group had been disappointing.
Raising a child would take time, patience and resources—and he wouldn't even know how he or she would turn out.
Fortunately, Aizen Sosuke had never lacked any of those.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Aizen-taicho was up to something.
Gin knew this with absolute certainty. He noticed that the man was gone more frequently—most likely to his private lab. Gin was privy to the location of a few of his labs but he was sure there were other labs Aizen kept hidden from him.
Gin kept grinning; he was only a tad uneasy.
Perhaps Aizen sensed his restlessness; Gin didn't ask him about it but Aizen had given him permission. Not in words, no, but if Aizen didn't bother concealing his reiatsu then that meant that Gin was allowed to follow him. Indeed, it was a new (to Gin) lab but smaller, dustier and cramped.
Gin would've greeted his taicho cheerfully if it wasn't for the fact that he sensed something else.
Aizen's reiatsu split in two. Even though the other one was tiny, weak and flickering uncertainly.
He tensed. What had Aizen done?
Aizen turned from the sealed incubator and smiled at him. "Gin, now you come." Gin took that as the cue to approach. He wandered over to Aizen, peering over his shoulder.
"Wha's tis'?"
"Nothing complicated, merely a part-time project of mine."
His grin faltered slightly. "...It's a kid."
"A fetus, Gin." Aizen smiled. "And it's mine."
Gin could instantly deduce that the fetus had no mother. Well, Aizen-taicho must have used someone else's DNA; but Gin meant mother in the maternal sense, as in the woman who comforted you when you were sick and stuff.
Wonderful. Now Gin had another Aizen to deal with.
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Tosen was notified by Gin; he didn't seem displeased by the fact that he was the last one to know. Neither did Tosen inquire as to how the fetus came to be. It was so obvious that Aizen wasn't one for the natural way. Gin wasn't even sure Aizen came the natural way.
How could anyone be that smart to know everything?
Well, Gin wouldn't mind that genius intellect; how was he going to smash this incubator the little "pet" project and coming off as an innocent man who lost his balance?
Whatever spawn of Aizen was bound to be an abomination.
That didn't seem to be happening anytime soon.
Aizen was here nearly every hour he wasn't needed in his barracks. Or he just used Kyoka Suigetsu to charm everyone into thinking he was there when in truth, he was here all along.
You could only stare at a developing fetus for so long. Gin hated to admit it but he couldn't keep track of Aizen's every single action and right now, he was at loss as to where the man was. He wasn't in the lab his "kid" was "napping" but that could be because he was hiding his reiatsu.
Gin would be hard-pressed to find a reason as to why he was lurking around there since he made it clear that looking at the kid was boring since it did nothing but sleep.
"Ichimaru-taicho."
"Hm?" Gin glanced up from his paperwork.
"Tosen-taicho sent for you," announced Kira. "He said the baby's coming—what does that mean—"
Gin didn't have a kid before but he was pretty sure no baby came into the world after only six months—and expect to be healthy and strong.
"'m goin'."
Gin was the last to arrive; Tosen was already there, standing awkwardly and wishing he could see. There was the sound of tiny sniffling and, as Gin had half-expected (he was half-expecting for the thing to be dead), the baby looked as healthy as one nursed in a mother's womb.
Albeit a little pale.
Like, sheet-white.
Was it wrong for Gin to hope it was dying?
"Suou," said Aizen, smiling—lacking any warmth or paternal love. "To become king, it's a fitting name, is it not?"
Gin unstuck his throat and grinned, masking his eyes as slits. "Whateva' ya say, taicho."
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[A/N]: Short, but the next chap will be longer; this is the prologue after all. This is set about forty to fifty years before the start of the series.
Question: What will the child's gender be? Boy or girl? Your choice!
Review!