The rest of the week crawled by, the coming Thursday always on the edge of Kaede's mind. Should she ask Urahara for some sort of allowance for this kind of thing? No, she wasn't even sure how to contact him - he was always the one who sought her out. Besides, she really didn't want to explain why she was asking for money. It was just food. She could get plenty of that in the dining hall.

The idea of letting that fourth-year buy her anything else, however, was completely unacceptable. She already owed him something for the sweets, even if he claimed it was an apology or whatever. She wasn't going to let him tally up more favors.

What did he want, anyway? That question pestered her more than any other. She was trying to write an essay for Kido class, and all she could think about was what the fourth-year was after. She had no social power; her spiritual power was bound up so tightly she could barely perform Kido. Novelty? Some sort of…sex thing?

She was probably overthinking it. Besides…who'd want her anyway, except maybe as a claim to fame?

A pile of books slammed down onto the table in front of her, making her jump. She'd been so tied up in her own thoughts she hadn't even noticed the presence of another person in this wing of the library. Generally, once people saw her sitting at a table, they turned the other direction.

The books were shoved aside, revealing the petite, blond figure of Sarugaki Hiyori - the girl she'd sparred against and then had to clean the dojo with almost a week ago. The blond was scowling as always, taking out a notebook and pencil and grudgingly flipping open a Kido text.

Kaede blinked at the as-of-yet silent girl. "Um…hi?"

Hiyori sneered down at her textbook like it had personally offended her. "You get this whole incantation thing?"

"Sorry, what?"

"The Kido homework," Hiyori said, rolling her eyes. "Those stupid incantations make no sense. It's all a bunch of gibberish!"

"It's actually not," Kaede replied, still wondering why Hiyori was here. "I mean, at first it seems like it, but each part of the incantation invokes a spirit or action related to the spell."

"It still makes no sense," Hiyori grumbled with a pout.

Kaede studied the girl for a moment. Was it her imagination, or… "Do you want some help with the homework?"

"What?" Hiyori pushed away from the table. "No, I just asked if you got it or not!"

Her lack of eye contact told Kaede otherwise. "Uh-huh."

It took exactly three and a half seconds for the blond to groan and say, "Okay, look, I'd ask someone else, but you'retheonlypersonwhodoesn'trunawayfrommeandyouseemsmartcuzyou'reatthelibraryallthetimeand-"

Kaede held up her hands to halt the high-speed verbal train. "Wait - what? Slow down!"

Hiyori gave a big, beleaguered sigh. "I said, you seem to get this stuff, so…" She shrugged.

Kaede bit her cheek to stop from smiling. "That's not what you said."

"Then you heard me just fine!" Hiyori slumped and crossed her arms. "Fine. I'm failing Kido 'cause I can't remember the stupid incantations, 'cause they make absolutely NO sense and why do we even need them anyway?!"

"I don't know how much I could help you," Kaede admitted. "I mean…I know the incantations, but I can barely pull off numbers 1 through 4."

"I'm fine once I've said the damn thing, I just-" Hiyori did a double-take. "Wait, you can't do Kido?"

Kaede's face warmed. "Basically what I said."

"But you're, like…" She trailed off, reconsidering whatever she was about to say. "Huh…"

"What?"

"I dunno," she shrugged again. "I just thought you were, like, some weird genius or something. That's why everyone avoids you."

Kaede had to stop for a second and shake her head. "Wait…you think that's why people don't like me?"

"Sure, why else? You're pretty and smart and stuff," Hiyori added in a begrudging tone. "Doesn't make sense otherwise."

Kaede stared openly at her, mouth opening, then closing, then opening again as she tried to wrap her head around what this meant. "You…haven't heard the stories? About me?"

"What stories?"

There was no guile in the girl's demeanor - Kaede wasn't certain Hiyori was capable of guile. But this couldn't possibly be right.

"About…" She glanced around, casting out her senses to check if there was anyone listening in. Maybe this was a joke…but there was no one else around. "The Catastrophe?"

"What catastrophe?"

"Don't tell me you don't know."

"What catastrophe?!" Hiyori was getting visibly agitated, her eyes widening, arms tightening across her chest. "What's the big deal? Just tell me already!"

Kaede had no idea what to say. This had never happened before. Everyone knew about the Catastrophe to some degree, and everyone she came across had their own preconceptions about her involvement in it.

What if Hiyori was being truthful? Someone who didn't think they knew all about her past…it was too good to be true. Sure, Hiyori was abrasive, rude, and crass…but she was honest.

With a sinking feeling, Kaede realized that even if she didn't know about it yet, Hiyori was bound to find out at some point. There was no point in trying to hide it.

"It was when a few of the outer districts of South Rukongai were…destroyed," she said, her mouth going dry as she spoke.

"Eh?" Hiyori's brows knit together. "Wait - I mighta heard something about that. Didn't that happen, like, ages ago?"

"Just over two hundred years ago," Kaede corrected. "Going on two hundred and one."

Hiyori eyed her skeptically. "Wow, someone's obsessed with it."

"I'm-" She swallowed. "I'm the one that caused it."

The blond blinked her large, nut-brown eyes at her, completely dumbfounded. Then…she laughed. "Pffft…yeah, right! This is a joke, isn't it? Trying to pull my leg? Please!"

If Kaede had any more doubts about Hiyori's ignorance, they disappeared in that moment. "I'm serious…"

Hiyori slapped the table as she continued laughing. "No way! You made like…three districts just disappear? You just said you can't even do Kido!"

Her laughter slowly died down when she realized Kaede was completely serious. "Wait…"

Kaede looked away with a sigh. "Yep."

"So that means…you…"

She waited for Hiyori to put the pieces together, dread building over every second. Any moment, the blond would realize that she'd been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people - that she was sitting across from perhaps the most prolific mass murderer in Soul Society's recent history.

No, she reminded herself. I'm NOT a murderer.

"I didn't mean for it to happen," Kaede said, her voice cracking a bit. She wanted, needed Hiyori to understand - in that moment, she wanted it more than anything else. Just one person around here who wouldn't look at her with trepidation or disgust. "I never meant for any of it, I swear."

"That day," Hiyori began, "in Hakuda training…what happened?"

Here went nothing. Kaede took a deep breath to fortify herself. "Honda-sensei triggered this Kido seal I have in case I lose control. It's called the 'Failsafe.'"

"Why, were you about to lose it?"

"No," she said, something bitter invading her mouth. She chased it back with a swallow. "But I get it. He didn't know that, he was just trying to make sure everyone was safe-"

"That's bullshit!"

Hiyori's fist came down on the table, making Kaede jump as much as her exclamation. For the first time since starting this confession, Kaede looked at Hiyori's face. The blond looked livid. Here it was - she was about to say something about how Kaede never should've been allowed near the Academy anyway, how she should be locked up or-

"He's an asshole who doesn't know his foot from his balls!" Hiyori continued. "I don't care what you did back whenever, the fact that you're here at the Academy shoulda been enough for that dipshit to know you can handle a little spar! Maybe he was scared, but that didn't mean he had to do - whatever that was! He's the sensei, he's supposed to set a good example!"

Kaede didn't know what to say. She could barely form thoughts. This wasn't how this dance went; Hiyori should be running away, or mocking her, or calling her names. At best, she should be pestering her for morbid details.

Hiyori, meanwhile, was shaking her head in disbelief. "So you're sayin' this is why no one hangs around you? They're, like, scared o'you? Cuz of something that happened a million years ago that you didn't even do on purpose?"

"And you're not? Scared, or…anything?"

She scoffed. "I told you before, I ain't scared of nobody! It's people who should be scared of me! Look, are we done with this? Can we get back to the stupid Kido homework? I'm not flunking out cuz of some stupid poetry-symbolism-incantation bullshit!"

Kaede was still reeling. This girl had just been told that the person sitting across from her had killed hundreds of people…and she was more concerned with her Kido grade?

Kaede had read stories where "friendship" was a factor. Some even began with the two characters fighting each other, like Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Others, like the characters of Journey to the West, combined a set of disparate individuals joined by a common goal. That was something she could almost relate to, at least in terms of mutually beneficial arrangements. There were plenty of those in the Nest, though she was rarely included in them - and she wasn't sure those constituted "friendships." In the stories, those friendships would, over time, deepen from surface-level cooperation to something more lasting and meaningful.

Maybe this had begun as a Gilgamesh situation with their spar, and now was a Journey to the West situation, and the common goal was…their Kido homework? It seemed mundane compared to Tripitaka and the Monkey King journeying to deliver Buddhist scriptures, but the comparison gave her a thrill nonetheless.

Whatever this was, Kaede was glad Hiyori shoved them back into the Kido textbooks. It was far easier to try explaining the theory behind incantations and how to remember the seemingly random verses, than to figure out whatever the hell had just happened.

Still…for the first time since arriving at the Academy, Kaede felt like something was finally going right.

The following Thursday, Kaede approached the west gate of the library with slow steps and a fluttering stomach. She couldn't shake the suspicion that this was a setup of some sort. How interesting could tofu be, anyway? Not that she had any money to buy her own portion. Knowing that, she'd come armed with two onigiri she'd fashioned at lunch in the mess hall. At least this time, her traitorous stomach wouldn't embarrass her, and she wouldn't have to owe anything.

Before long, the fourth-year came out of the library, but he wasn't alone. A few other students were with him, all chatting and laughing with him. The scene was so perfectly normal, she could almost imagine that she was, too: just a normal girl waiting to meet up with her senpai.

She almost slapped herself for thinking such a sappy thing. There was no "normal" for her; to even pretend there could be was an exercise in futility.

Still, as she watched the fourth-year and his friends, her insides fluttered with nervous energy. Would he wait until his friends left before approaching her? Try to introduce her to them? Would he pretend not to see her at all?

As it turned out - none of the above. He caught her eye and nodded openly at her in greeting. With a smile and a pat on some shoulders, he sent his friends off and came down the stairs toward her.

"I'm glad you came," he said when he got within a few feet of her. "I wasn't sure you would."

Me neither, Kaede thought. "Aren't you worried you'll scar your reputation, being seen with me out in public like this?"

"What reputation is that?" he chuckled.

"I don't know," she shrugged, feeling her face grow warm. "Looks like you're pretty popular. Wouldn't want to ruin that for you."

He gave her a bemused smile. "How would being seen with you ruin this popularity you seem to think I have?"

"Nevermind," she muttered. Maybe she shouldn't be feeding him reasons to avoid her just yet. "Oh! Thanks for the, uh-"

Crap! She still didn't know what those sweet things were called!

"The mochi?" he supplied. "My pleasure. I wasn't sure what flavor you'd prefer, so I asked for a selection of their most popular ones."

He'd really put effort into that little box of sweets…and all just to get her to come out and discuss a book? "I…I liked the black sesame. Not too sweet."

"Noted," he grinned. "By the way - I don't think I ever properly introduced myself. I apologize for that. My name is Aizen Sousuke."

"Sorano Kaede," she muttered, though she bet he'd known her name already. At least she didn't have to keep thinking of him as 'that weird fourth-year.'

"Sorano Kaede," he repeated. In his deep timbre, her name sounded like an autumn breeze. "'Maple leaf from the sky,' if I'm not mistaken."

Her cheeks colored. "Yeah…I, um, didn't really have a name at first, so I was given one."

She barely held back a flinch when she realized how weird that sounded. Now he'd probably start asking things about who gave her that name, and why, and that would lead to other questions about her past…

"It's a lovely name," he said. "Whoever gave it to you has good taste. Shall I call you Sorano-san until we get to know each other better?"

Kaede let out a small breath of relief. Whether he was purposely avoiding those questions, or they just didn't occur to him, she didn't care. As to his actual question…she rather preferred how her given name sounded in his voice, but that might make him think he had a better chance at whatever it was he was after.

"Okay," she agreed. "Do I call you Aizen-san? Or -kun?"

"Most people use 'senpai,'" he offered. "But please, I'd rather you called me Sousuke."

"Sousuke," she echoed quietly, testing the syllables out on her tongue. She liked it. "Well, Sousuke, you got me out here. Now what?"

If he took umbrage at her deliberate lack of an honorific for his name, he didn't show it. "Now, you let me fulfill my obligation to you from the other day by buying you dinner."

"I brought my own, thanks."

His brows rose. "You brought your own food?"

She pulled out her handkerchief-wrapped onigiri as proof. "That's what I said."

His lips twitched up in amusement. "Very well. I don't like to share, though."

"Good. Me neither."

She waited for him to buy his meal, unable to chase away her curiosity when he returned with what looked like a translucent wrap around some tofu and vegetables. "What is that?"

"It's an item popular in the lands of southeast Asia in the Human World," Sousuke told her. "I believe they translate to summer rolls.'"

Kaede eyed them dubiously. "They look…gummy."

"They are. But the texture is actually quite pleasant. I'd offer you a bit, but…"

"Not into sharing," she shrugged. Though the strangely translucent wraps had put her off at first, her mouth had started watering when she saw the variety of fresh vegetables inside: crisp lettuce, crunchy radish strips, delicate tofu, and what looked like crushed peanuts…

She took a large bite of her plain, dry, nori-wrapped rice puck and tried not to judge it for being bland.

"That book," Sousuke began. "Have you finished it?"

"Mm-hm."

"And?"

Kaede swallowed, suddenly wishing she'd brought something to drink as well. "It's one interpretation of what some humans call 'alchemy.' The idea that something like a 'philosophers' stone' is a state of mind rather than a physical object…I dunno, it almost seems like an excuse to me."

"How so?"

"If I spent so much of my life trying to create a thing, I'd probably do anything to avoid admitting failure. Seems like that's what the author was doing."

"That's quite a harsh assessment," he said, though he did so with an amused smile. "So you think this 'philosophers' stone' could actually exist?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "So far, every person who's tried to make one - well, everyone I've read about - has failed. It's possible it just doesn't exist except as a pipe dream."

"Were you hoping to make one yourself?"

"Me? No." At his inquiring glance, she clarified: "I wasn't reading that because I want to make one myself. I was reading it because Urahara-san thought I'd find it interesting that the idea of it exists."

"Urahara-san?" Sousuke repeated. "The man who gave you the book?"

"Yeah," she answered, wishing she hadn't brought the name up. Explaining who Urahara was would lead to questions about how she knew him, where they'd met… At least it was easy to change subjects. "If you look around enough at human religion and philosophy, most societies have some version of a philosophers' stone. I just think that's kind of fascinating, like there are some unifying ideas throughout the human race. It's not always a stone or jewel, either; sometimes it's a cup, or a tablet, but the basic idea of it is the same. Like - in Hindu and Buddhist beliefs, there's a thing called…shoot, I always forget its name…"

"The 'Chintamani.'"

"That's it!" Kaede looked at him in surprise. "You've heard of it?"

"Reading that book reminded me of it," Sousuke said with a nod. "There isn't much to find at the Academy, but the district I came from had many Souls who carried over some of their religious beliefs from life. Many of their deities were shown holding a Chintamani; it was said to be an item that could grant wishes - though I think they usually meant things like food or riches."

"Yeah, ironic, isn't it?" Kaede smiled. "So much of Buddhism - well, about a lot of religions, really - is about rejecting materialism, yet even they want an easy way to get rich. Or at least fulfill their immediate needs."

"Must be a fundamental human trait," Sousuke mused, gazing up toward the sky. "Seeking to push and break the limits of reality."

"Guess so." Kaede's smile started to fade. "I kind of wonder at how smart that is…pushing limits, I mean. Maybe some limits aren't meant to be pushed. Maybe that's why no human has ever succeeded in making a philosophers' stone, why things like the Chintamani only exist in stories."

"I don't believe that."

Kaede glanced up at Sousuke, who continued to gaze up at the darkening sky.

"Laws exist because we are capable of breaking them," he said. "If no one ever stole or murdered, there'd be no need for laws against such acts. The fact that limits exist, to me, seems like another type of law: something that only exists because we are capable of going beyond them."

"Laws keep us safe though," Kaede pointed out, drawing her knees into her chest. "They keep things peaceful."

"They create complacency," Sousuke argued, a frown tugging at his lips. "And the longer people live in that state, the less they grow. Without growth, there is only stagnation. These alchemists - these philosophers we read about: they understood this. It is why, even after so many failures, they continued to strive for this ideal thing, wouldn't you say?"

"I guess."

He contemplated her for a moment. "Let me ask you this: Why did you come to the Academy?"

Kaede's heart began to pound faster. This…was getting too close to home. They'd just been talking about some writings of old men who had little better to do with their lives. What did it have to do with her?

That was a stupid question. She'd gotten interested in this subject because it had something to do with her, or more specifically, her power.

Urahara once told her that, upon examining some samples from the site of the Catastrophe, he'd found that she hadn't simply disintegrated matter; if she had, there would've been debris, ashes, dust…something tangible. Instead, all that seemed to remain were spirit particles. His theory was that whatever she'd released had reduced her surroundings to their most basic, fundamental component.

It didn't get rid of her nightmares, but it did provide something akin to an explanation. She'd been obsessed with the idea of 'fundamental components' ever since, and Urahara was only too happy to lend her reading material from his personal collection on the topic.

But if that's what her 'power,' whatever it was, did…she needed to learn control. That's why she was here.

It wasn't really an explanation she wanted to give to someone whose name she'd only just learned.

"I came…" What was an honest, but vague, way to answer that? "…to learn."

She inwardly flinched at how obvious that sounded. It was a school. Of course she was here to learn.

To his credit, Sousuke didn't seem to find her answer lacking in any way; he nodded encouragingly. "In other words, you wanted to grow in some way - in knowledge, in skill, in power. Otherwise, you wouldn't have left…well, wherever it is you came from."

Kaede pulled her knees in closer to her chest without even realizing it. She really didn't like where this conversation was heading, but she wasn't sure how to stop or redirect it. "So?"

"Pushing boundaries is what creates progress," he insisted. "Whether it's a scientist mixing volatile elements or an individual pushing themselves to exhaustion - we must go to the edge of our limits in order to grow. That's why you came to the Academy - why any of us did. We all have one thing in common: our spirit energy. It's something we were born with, but unless it's used and trained, it can't grow."

That's what she had believed before coming to the Academy - that it was the place where she would finally get to grow and leave the Catastrophe behind. But what had she actually learned so far, aside from how to raise her hand in class?

"What is it?" Sousuke asked, jolting her out of her thoughts. "You seem…pensive."

"Oh…" Was he actually concerned, or was he annoyed because she wasn't playing along with whatever game this was? "It's nothing."

Sousuke let out a small sigh. "I understand your reluctance. You think I'm a - what did you call it? A 'bullshit artist.' And you're probably right."

Kaede's brows rose at the admission, but she stayed silent, letting him fill in the gaps himself.

"Those people you saw me with before," he said, "I suppose you could call them 'friends,' but I see them more as…necessary acquaintances. I don't particularly enjoy spending time with them. To be honest, most of them are very dull company, more interested in chasing the opposite sex than they are in anything else."

"Not something you're into, I take it?" she asked dryly.

He smiled again - but from the corner of her eye, it seemed different from his usual, a bit darker. "I have many interests…including physical ones."

She stiffened even as his tone sent shivers under her skin. The idea that Sousuke might be interested in her for such "physical" pursuits made her wilt a little inside. She'd hoped for…she wasn't even sure what, but for something more than that from him. At the same time…she felt a tingling curiosity blossom to life. If he really was interested…would that be so bad?

"Though," he continued, "I have yet to find anyone who's captured my attention for long."

Kaede almost laughed. Maybe she should have been a bit insulted at the insinuation that she didn't attract his attention, but if anything, it was a relief to hear him say that.

"High standards," she asked, "or delusions of grandeur?"

Again, he laughed a little, low and rumbling in a way that she felt more than heard - and very different from the lighter, more showy variety he'd employed earlier. "Perhaps both."

"Be careful there," Kaede advised. "I hear that it's awfully lonely up on such a high pedestal. Usually only has room for one."

"Then I'll try not to crush the ants I see down below," he replied solemnly. "Lest I rid myself of my only companions."

She smiled, automatically ducking her head to hide her amusement. This was actually kind of fun. The only other person she'd ever really bantered with was Urahara. It was surprisingly easy with Sousuke, and a bit thrilling because she genuinely couldn't predict his responses.

She wanted more of this.

"If you don't actually like them," she said, referring to his so-called 'friends,' "why were you with them in the first place?"

He thought for a moment, though Kaede wondered if he was trying to come up with his own reasons, or just the ones he wanted to share. "Each has a potential use. One, for example, is a member of a prominent noble house; another is his closest childhood companion. It would be nearly impossible to have any meaningful interactions with one without the other getting involved. The third…he is from one of the outer districts, very hungry to climb the ranks but utterly lacking in talent. However, he has his own connections, the type that can provide entertainment that is usually frowned upon by nobility."

Kaede was a little surprised at his candidness, though everything he said supported her impression of him as a type of con-artist. He didn't care about these people's personalities, didn't seem to share some common goal with them - yet he involved himself with them anyway. "And where do you fit in?"

"Aside from having tutored both parties at one point or another? I brought them together. The noble frequently gets bored; his companion attempts to reel him in. The Rukongai student has something to offer them, and in return, he can ask for favors, money - whatever he could need from such a connection. It seemed an astute match."

"But what do you get out of it?"

He gave her an innocent look - though he didn't bother to hide the amused glint in his eyes. "Why would I need to 'get' something? Perhaps I enjoy helping others."

Kaede snorted. "People don't do things for others unless they expect something in return. You just admitted to helping a rich kid get his kicks through probably illegal and definitely immoral means - that's not exactly what a 'good' person would do."

"Very well," he chuckled. "For them, it's immediate gratification. For me, it's an investment."

"Obviously. But for what?"

"As it is with any investment," he said. "For the future."

Kaede rolled her eyes. "That still doesn't answer my question."

"Considering you have yet to elaborate on certain points, I'd say I'm within my rights to withhold some things."

Kaede eyed him warily. "You are not a 'nice' person, are you?"

"Where did you get that idea?"

"Which one? That you're nice, or that you're not?"

"Either."

"You act polite," she began. "And I'd bet this rice ball that any teacher in this Academy would call you a model student. I mean, you've clearly tutored a pretty wide spectrum of students, if that bunch was anything to go on, and you've obviously read a lot. People here, I've noticed, like smart kids, but only if they fit a certain mold."

"Or if they have powerful enough connections to cover their less savory behavior," Sousuke added.

"But you're really just an opportunist," she continued. "You don't come with those sorts of connections, do you? You have to make them yourself, so you do it in a way that guarantees a return on investment. You know that noble's vices, so you help fulfill them by putting him in touch with the guy from the Rukongai. That's blackmail material right there, and it gives you access to a whole, secretive inner world in the Seireitei. There's also plenty of use you can get from connections in the outer districts - that's where most of the criminals in Soul Society tend to be."

It was where the majority of the Nest inmates had been from, at least - though they technically weren't criminals.

Rather than appearing affronted or defensive, Sousuke actually smiled appreciatively at her. Kaede ticked another 'check' in her mind for her suspicions about him.

"You make me sound quite Machiavellian." The way he said it made it sound like he was flattered.

"Of course you've read Machiavelli," she sighed. "I'm guessing you're a fan of Sun Tzu as well?"

"Among others."

"Planning to take over Soul Society someday?"

He smirked. "Who knows? It's an astute assessment you've made, though - and it tells me quite a lot about you."

Kaede's mouth went dry, her mind racing to find where she slipped up. "Such as?"

Aizen Sousuke removed his glasses and, taking a small cloth from his pocket, cleaned them as he spoke. "Let me begin with this: Yes, I've heard the rumors of your involvement in the so-called Catastrophe, but I've never been one to put much stock in rumors. I prefer verifiable facts, and there weren't many to be found about you. So I confess that yes, when I first approached you, it was due in large part to curiosity - a hope to separate fact from fiction. Of course, you've hardly been forthcoming, so I've had to make deductions based on our interactions."

Kaede kept listening, tense with apprehension but undeniably curious.

"Given how devastating the Catastrophe was," he said, "and given Soul Society's pattern of response to any disruption of the peace, if you were involved, you should have been executed. That you were not suggests a few other possibilities: You were not involved at all, and your involvement is purely the subject of rumor. You were involved, but are from a noble household, and thus the laws were more easily bent for you. You were involved, but some inner circle of Soul Society was already aware and possibly even orchestrated the event - though that borders heavily on conspiracy. Or…you were involved, but also innocent: in other words, you were a child who couldn't be held accountable for her actions."

Hearing him spell it out so clinically made Kaede feel like she was under a hot spotlight. Every part of her wanted to recede, retreat from that bright light and return to the cool comfort of shadows - or at least to shut out what he was saying. But she forced herself to keep paying attention. She had to know what he knew.

"Most people find the latter explanation dull," he continued, "but I find it makes the most sense, and of course, it also fits with the moniker you've been given. Assuming you were really a child, the next question was where you'd been since. You weren't taken in by a noble house: if you had been, money would be no issue and you'd likely be used to more decadent food than the mess hall provides. If you were some experimental project, you never would have been allowed into the public like this - and frankly, I doubt any official section of the Seireitei would have the stomach for what would have been a highly unethical experiment that wiped out three districts and upset the overall balance of Souls. The only situation in which I can imagine them doing such a thing would be if there'd been a heavy imbalance among the three worlds, as had happened during the last Quincy uprising several centuries ago, but there is no evidence to support that being the case."

She'd heard it all before, but never so coldly and plainly stated. It was unnerving, yet also oddly soothing in the way he spoke: there was no judgment in his assessment, just a simple statement of facts and observations.

"Then there is your behavior. I already knew you to be borderline antisocial; you don't appear to spend time with other students, you seem to prefer solitude, and when confronted with the opportunity to make a personal connection, you seek to escape. Yet you also resist that urge, perhaps out of a sense of politeness…or because you actually do want that connection but don't know how to reconcile that with your instinct to flee."

How did he know all of this? Her first thought was that he'd been watching her, even stalking her - but before she could open her mouth to accuse him, he continued to speak, and she was too invested to stop him.

"My impression is that these traits were born more from circumstance than preference," he stated. "People have not been kind to you, and you've become so accustomed to cruelty or manipulation that you actually reject attempts to befriend you. However, you seem much more comfortable when presented with a transaction. Example: I gave you mochi, and even though I believe I made it clear that they were meant as an apology, you interpreted it as an imbalancing of the scales between us. By coming out here, you seek to regain that perceived balance."

"And what does that tell you about how I'm interpreting this right now?" Kaede shot back, hoping to throw him off in some way. If this was how books felt when being read, she suddenly felt sorry for every volume she'd ever picked up.

His teeth flashed in a brief smile. "That you are uncomfortable right now…which just confirms everything I've said so far, and what I have left to say. Unless you'd prefer I stopped?"

It was strange - she never expected him to ask her permission to keep going, and he certainly didn't strike her as the type to do so. Yet when confronted with the option…she found herself wanting to hear what else he had to say.

She let her silence, and her stubbornly averted eyes, speak for her - and Sousuke listened.

"I'll take that as a 'no,'" he said with a satisfied smirk. "All of this has given me insight into how you grew up. The behavior you've exhibited is much more common among, say, residents of the outer Rukongai districts, where criminal activity is more common…or in prisons."

Kaede kept her face as blank as she could manage, but avoided meeting his gaze when he turned it back to her.

"Prison," he said, "would explain the behavior, the experience with food, and would make sense given the nature of the Catastrophe: you had to be kept away from the public, at least until you were not an immediate danger to anyone. However, Central 46 itself declared some time ago that sentenced inmates of the Central Underground Prison could never be allowed into the Gotei 13 or its affiliate branches - and that includes the Academy. The rulings of C46 being absolute, it is highly unlikely you were sentenced to be there. But you have been held in captivity, much like an animal in a zoo - only without the spectators. Caged, wings clipped, claws removed…allowed into this Academy solely for the purpose of being turned into something Soul Society can use."

"No." Kaede swallowed and cleared her throat. "I'm here to learn control like everyone else. And I want to be useful, thank you very much."

Yet everything else he said was scarily accurate. He'd gotten all of that just from a few conversations, and she still knew barely anything about him.

"What sort of facility did they have you in?" he asked.

"Oh, you mean there's something you haven't figured out already?" she retorted, trying to keep a small tremor out of her voice. "Stop the presses."

Sousuke cocked his head to the side. "You don't like it when people try to get to know you."

"You're trying to figure me out like some sort of puzzle," she grumbled. "Not sure that's the same thing."

"I suppose it's my own way of getting to know a person," he mused, not seeming at all insulted or surprised. "But what are you afraid of, Sorano-san?"

"I'm not."

"You are. No one avoids a thing so adamantly if they aren't in some way afraid of it, and until just now, you've meticulously avoided any talk about your past. So tell me:" His voice became low and almost soothing. "Why are you afraid to let me get to know you?"

Even opening her mouth again was difficult; it felt like her jaw had locked into place. She forced herself to answer, but only after ducking her head so that her hair formed a curtain around her face. "In my experience, people don't want to get to know people like me. They look at me and see the stories - that's all they want to know about, and they'll only hear what they already assume to be true. It doesn't matter what I do or say; they want to see a criminal, or a freak of science or nature, so that's all they see."

"People see what they want to see no matter the situation," he agreed. "But I think you are wrong in one regard."

"Really?" she asked flatly. "And what would that be?"

He reached over, his long fingers starting to brush her hair aside - but she instinctively flinched away and caught his hand in a vice grip. One little twist and she could break his bones…but for now, she settled for glaring like a cornered animal.

Aizen Sousuke merely grinned, a slow, satisfied motion as though he'd just put the final piece of a puzzle in place. "There are no people like you."

He carefully lowered his hand from hers, leaving Kaede's feeling oddly empty. She kept her eyes on his, watching, her body still half-expecting an attack. At the same time, her mind had gone blank at his declaration. Strictly speaking, he wasn't wrong…but the way he said it made it seem like she was special or something. She wasn't normal, but she wasn't special.

"It also seems," he said in the same low, velvety-soft voice, "that I was wrong about something as well: they've hardly removed your claws."

Alarmed, Kaede quickly looked down at his hand. Had she scratched him? She didn't think she'd dug in that hard! But no - other than slight indentations from her nails, he was fine.

"Metaphorically speaking, I mean."

She sneered at his amused smirk even as her shoulders slumped in relief. "Ha, ha."

"Were you so worried that you'd hurt me?"

"Well, as you can probably imagine, I don't exactly have a ton of…" She stopped herself before saying 'friends.' "No, I didn't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Sousuke's face softened a bit. "I apologize for teasing."

"You're not actually sorry."

He dipped his head as though in concession. "Believe what you will. But just as you didn't want to harm me, I'd rather not chase you away just yet. I'm enjoying our conversations too much, Sorano-san."

Kaede's face grew warm, a gentle flutter invading her midsection. She liked this, too. Well, she liked talking about books with him. And as uncomfortable as the rest of this conversation had become, she appreciated that he didn't seem put off by her in any way. His honesty - if that's what it was - was refreshing; his intellect excited her.

Maybe she wanted to 'solve' him now, too.

To her relief, Sousuke resumed eating his summer rolls, seeming in no hurry to leave just yet. Kaede nibbled a bit on her tepid onigiri, its blandness no longer so offensive as her mind hunted for another topic. If he was really as well-read as he seemed to be…this could be interesting. "Have you ever read Shakespeare?"

Sousuke brows rose. "The English author? I didn't know anyone here knew of him."

"You apparently do."

"Well, as we've established, I have grandiose delusions of superiority, so of course I assume no one else shares my interests. How were you introduced to the bard? Urahara-san again?"

"I…had a lot of time to read growing up," she admitted. It was true enough; Urahara had provided her with a wide variety of material from all over the Human World. Language was no barrier in Soul Society. "I like the comedies best. One day, I'd like to see the plays acted out - I mean, they're plays, there's only so much to get by reading a bunch of words and vague stage directions."

Sousuke hummed thoughtfully. "I must admit, I've only read a few of his tragedies."

"Let me guess," she said, ticking off her fingers. "Hamlet, Macbeth, and…Julius Caesar."

"Do I seem that trite?" he laughed. "Very well. I admit: yes, those three, though the one I found most interesting was Coriolanus."

Kaede let out a low whistle. "The brutal one."

"Revenge fascinates me, I suppose," he mused. "Particularly because I can't see the point of it."

Kaede glanced sidelong at him, studying his reactions. "Because you're such a saint, I take it?"

From the side, his glasses didn't do as much to cover his face and break up his expressions; she could more easily see the twitch of amusement in his lips, the slight narrowing of his eyes. "Hardly. I understand the motivations the characters had - and, I suppose, by extension, the motivations anyone could have for such acts. But it seems to solely be an act of self-destruction."

"I think that was the point," Kaede said. "Cautionary tales and whatnot."

"What do you like so much about the comedies?"

She shrugged. "The word play. The banter, especially between two smart characters trying to one-up each other. It's like a puzzle, trying to figure out what they're actually saying and what the subtext is. Kind of like what we're doing right now."

He turned his gaze on her, a light, almost mocking challenge in his eyes. "And what are we doing, Sorano-san?"

"Playing a game, Sousuke," she answered, meeting his gaze directly. "Though I'm still not sure what you expect to get out of it."

"If it really is a game," he said in a low voice, his head dipping toward hers, "would you really want me to spoil it by telling you outright?"

Kaede's eyes narrowed at him. Part of her wanted him to just spit it out, whatever 'it' happened to be. Get it over with, so she knew what she was dealing with. The other part was enjoying this too much - the tantalizing curl of his lips that invited her to meet his challenge, the way he made her mind race to keep up, the invigorating sense of competition that she'd never felt with anyone else before.

"No," she decided. "Don't ruin it for me just yet."

He seemed satisfied with her answer, his lips stretching into a half-smile. "Then for now, I'll just call in the mochi favor."

Her brows rose in mock-surprise. "Oh? I thought those were an apology, not a favor."

"Consider the black sesame mochi to be the apology," he countered smoothly. "The rest were a favor apiece."

"Uh-uh. They were a package deal - single favor."

"Very well - I only require one, anyway."

"Which is?"

"That book you rather accidentally loaned me," Sousuke began. "I assume you've received others on that subject from this Urahara-san?"

"A few."

"I'd like to borrow them," he stated. "One per mochi piece - or rather, a package of three. I would also like the opportunity to discuss each of those books with you."

Kaede blinked. That…was unexpected. Another chance at a conversation like this? She was ready to jump on it, but she reined herself in. Sousuke had been right in one respect - well, in most respects, but in this particularly: she was more comfortable looking at this like a transaction. It gave her a set of rules and expectations - one of which was to always be specific about terms in an agreement.

"That's overbalancing things," she said, picking at her crumbling onigiri. "You bought the books with the mochi; adding conversation is gonna put you in the red."

"Indeed…" He seemed to think on that for a second, though Kaede had the feeling he'd anticipated this. "Then at the risk of repeating myself, I once again offer a meal in exchange for your company."

That, she could live with - though in her mind, she was getting the better end of the bargain. Well, if those were the terms he wanted, she wasn't about to say so. "Deal."

…

For someone who grew up primarily in isolation, Kaede's proved to be quite perceptive…and now she has two very different possible friends in Aizen and Hiyori.

For the record: Canonically speaking, if you consider the implications of the "Burn the Witch" series, I believe the Soul Society we usually see is geographically specific to Japan. Buuuut that opens up plot holes regarding the Soul King and Hollows and dragons…soooo I'm gonna kinda restrict the story to the Bleach-specific Soul Society, regardless of where one came from in life. So yeah. The afterlife is entirely based on feudal-ish Japan. There you go.

Next Time: Checkup. Kaede and Aizen are getting along quite well when she gets some harsh reality checks - both about how people in general see her, and how tight a leash C46 has her on. Also, Urahara shows up again, along with a couple other familiar faces…

Comments are always appreciated, and they fuel me to keep writing! Let me know what you think, or just say "hi." I like it when people say "hi."