Six days after Aizen's escape:
Waking up in pain was not fun, but waking up in pain and under guard was even less so, Gin decided. At first all he had been aware of was the burning, pins and needles sensation in the bottoms of his feet. It felt something like the feeling returning to your feet after you'd sat on them too long—if that made you want to claw your way out of your own skin. Honestly, the pain wasn't nearly as bad as it had been. His back ached only faintly, not enough that he even noticed unless he thought about it, and breathing, well, it wasn't comfortable, but it was no longer panic inducing.
He supposed that the reduction of pain was why he finally noticed the absurd number of barriers on his room. He couldn't really concentrate well enough to work out exactly what they were, what with really wanting to claw his way out of his own skin, but he did think the presence of a lieutenant--even through the barriers he could pick up on the reiatsu of one standing just outside the door--seemed like overkill.
Hadn't Toshiro said they'd decided they were going let bygones be bygones anyway? What did he need a guard for then? Maybe they'd changed their minds; it's not like that never happened. And where was Shiro anyway? He'd been around before, every time Gin had woken up. He'd been such a good boy, sitting by his poor, injured father's side. Strange.
Honestly, the kid had been acting completely out of character. Even when Shiro'd been furious and threatened him it hadn't been like it had been before. Gin supposed it was his own fault. He'd really messed up their dynamic by stepping in front of Aizen's blade. They were probably going to have to figure out a whole new way to talk to each other, like family that loved each other or something. That was going to be awkward.
There was more than one strong reiatsu, now, outside the door. He could hear voices, too, arguing, it sounded like. He wished they'd come inside and talk to him. Being mortally wounded was boring as hell, when one was conscious, anyway. One might take up moaning in agony just for something to do--it was probably just whimpering but moaning sounded better.
"Oi!" he tried to call out, but shouting appeared to be beyond him. His voice was no longer a pitiful whisper, but there was no way someone on the other side of a door was going to hear him.
His eyes shifted to the bedside table. There was a glass of water with a straw that he hadn't been able to lift yesterday sitting near the edge. Today was a new day, and it seemed worth a try.
He lifted his hand and felt quite proud of the fact that it no longer trembled as he reached for the glass. He smiled when he lifted the glass; it was nice to see his strength was coming back as quickly as promised. Then the slick, wet glass slipped through his fingers and shattered on the floor.
"I meant to do that," he told himself as the door was flung open.
"Captain, you're awake!" Kira exclaimed as he burst into the room.
"Good morning!" Gin grinned back at him. He loved his lieutenant. Kira was positively glowing. He had to be the first person Gin had seen who looked genuinely and completely happy to see he'd survived. Even Shiro had had some clear reservations.
"Ah, he's awake," Kurotsuchi said as he pushed past Kira into the room followed by his silent lieutenant. "He will be able to answer my questions now—you will leave." He ended by waving Kira out of the room.
But, for once, Kira was not in the mood to be pushed around.
"I was ordered to stay here," Kira said, backing up when the painted captain leaned toward him, but still refusing to give in. "Captain Ichimaru Toshiro told me I am not to leave my captain alone with anyone, no exceptions."
Gin thought that really was awfully nice of Shiro, leaving him a bodyguard, especially since he must have realized Kurotsuchi would drop by eventually. Gin had once tried to get Kurotsuchi banned from the Fourth entirely—it had been a dull meeting in definite need of livening up—and his motion probably would have passed if Yamaji wasn't such a spoilsport and hadn't allowed them to vote on it.
"Don't be ridiculous," Kurotsuchi answered. "What do you think I am going to do? I am here to question Ichimaru. You will only be in the way. You do not even have clearance to hear some of these questions."
"What about her?" Kira said, gesturing toward Nemu, who had already taken a seat in the corner with a notepad and pen. "She's a lieutenant too. If she can hear it so can I."
"Nemu doesn't count," Kurotsuchi answered. "She does not require clearance as anything I command her not to repeat she cannot share. You however—"
"Oh, let him stay," Gin interrupted. "I really would appreciate having an illusion of safety if I have to talk to you. I can always imagine you'll stick to the truth serums without serious side effects while he's watching."
"Truth serums?" Kurotsuchi repeated, trying and failing to look innocent. "Why would I use a truth serum on an ally?"
"My mistake," Gin answered. "I noticed that needle you keep fiddling with in your pocket and assumed it was a truth serum. It wouldn't be a poison, would it? Because I'd hate to spoil your fun, but I'm fairly sure I'm up to date on your antitoxins."
"You've been dosing yourself with my antitoxins?" Kurotsuchi demanded.
"Hasn't everyone?" Gin asked. "It really seems like the only thing to do, considering how fond you are of poison—now, do you have anything with you that causes numbness in the extremities because the pins and needles has reached my ankles, and I'm not sure I'll be able to answer any of your questions very well, even with a truth serum, if it keeps at it much longer."
"Are you in pain, Captain?" Kira asked, looking concerned. "Should I get Captain Unohana?"
"Would you?" Gin asked, smiling pleasantly. "That would be very nice of you. I hate to be a bother. It's just that I may start screaming in a minute otherwise."
Kira's eyes widened, and he said, "I'll be right back, Captain! Hold on."
"Now, you've got about two minutes before he gets back with Unohana," Gin said. "If there's anything you really needed to ask without witnesses. I'm serious about the numbing though. You can drug me all you'd like if you make this go away."
It didn't help that, despite the increasing pain, not even his toes showed the slightest sign of movement. Being unable to move was severely claustrophobia inducing, and only increased the panicked need to escape that Gin was doing his best to ignore.
"The pain is a sign that your spinal cord is healing. Why would you want to mask it?" Kurotsuchi asked, sounding genuinely puzzled.
Gin wasn't surprised. It had probably been decades since pain had even bothered the freak, if it ever had. His great work had been to move himself steadily away from an existence as any sort of living being. It was interesting that his lieutenant seemed to be moving just as steadily in the opposite direction. It probably really annoyed Kurotsuchi. To his mind she must be rejecting the perfection he had given her.
"Hey, Nemu," Gin said, smiling. "Did you know Ukitake's on Aizen's short list? One of the first to get the axe when Aizen gets down to business. His own fault, of course, having a bankai like that, but I thought you might want to know. No treaties, no deals, and no mercy, not for him, and there are a few others there as well. I suppose I'm probably one now, but you never know. You two aren't. He's considered bringing Kurotsuchi over, and you, you're not much more than one of your captain's limbs, are you? Aizen's never thought of you as much of a threat."
As Gin spoke, the quiet lieutenant had raised her head. She was now staring straight at him, and her bright green eyes glowed with more feeling and more life than he'd ever seen before. He'd never been quite sure, unlike Rangiku, that the girl was really a complete person. It had always seemed to him like Kurotsuchi had made her to contain only the feelings and emotions he found useful; she'd seemed to expand upon them in the past few years, but he'd still not been sure if they were genuine. He'd actually considered the whole thing with Ukitake could be some sort of elaborate experiment, although that had seemed doubtful. But right now, the fury, the fear, and the burning hate she directed at him was something to behold. There was nothing artificial in that look. However she'd begun, she'd certainly filled the gauntlet of human emotion.
"If that is a joke, Captain Ichimaru," she said in her always controlled voice. "I find it to be in very poor taste."
He grinned back at her. "I'm afraid it's nothing but the truth, Nemu. No reason to glare at me for it, though. It's not me who wants your man dead. I'm just letting you know what I know. I'd think you'd be grateful to get a warning."
"Ignore her. I'm sure these emotional outbursts are just a phase. She'll outgrow it. I'm sure you've noticed much the same in your children," Kurotsuchi said.
Gin shrugged. "I don't know. It seems to me that the new habits that really get on your nerves are the ones they decide to keep."
Kurotsuchi looked back at Nemu, thoughtfully. "Do you think so? I may have to take a more active role in guiding her evolution if that is the case. I cannot have my lieutenant permanently weakened by emotions like empathy and pity--although hate can add unexpected levels of strength. I have been trying to do tests on the connection between reiatsu and hate--also love; I have collected many anecdotes suggesting that when a shinigami is fighting to protect a loved one or to destroy a particularly despised enemy their reiatsu grows to levels they had never before achieved, but I cannot make the proper clinical trials. There is simply no cooperation in the Gotei with experiments in the social sciences."
"I can't imagine why not," Gin answered, without the slightest hint of sarcasm. "It seems like an important study. Surely you could persuade a few dozen parents to allow you to place their children in mortal peril so you can gage their reiatsu as they fight to rescue them. I'm sure you wouldn't lose more than one or two children."
Kurotsuchi gazed back at him thoughtfully. "Perhaps I could use you children?"
"Suggest it to Rangiku, and I'm sure you will see that reiatsu explosion you were looking for."
"Do you think so?"
The door opened before Gin could answer and Unohana stepped in, followed by Kira. "Captain Kurotsuchi, what do you think you are doing, interrogating my patient?" she asked immediately.
Gin drew a deep breath as he watched Kurotsuchi argue pointlessly with Unohana. The man was well on his way to being kicked out, and Gin had managed to avoid having to answer any of his questions. It was helpful that he was so distractible, but he would have gotten to them eventually if Kira hadn't fetched Unohana.
It wasn't that Gin was entirely opposed to answering questions. He did want to see the Gotei to beat Aizen if they could--he'd be betting against them if anyone was taking bets, but he would do what he could to help. They were currently his only hope, but if he was going to be answering questions he wanted to do it on his own terms. In other words, he didn't want to be pumped full of half of Kurotsuchi's medicine cabinet and to find himself spilling his soul without even retaining the ability to stop talking. He'd seen what that did to a person. Even he didn't want to know what kind of secrets Kurotsuchi could pull from the black depths of his soul.