Free Talk- New chapter… I don't really have any special comments for this one. I can say that if the story had a different rating, this chapter might have turned out a bit longer. Still, I hope it is well received. Please, comment and tell me what you think. It means a lot to me.

Sympathy For the Devil
By Miss Angel Maxwell

fifth chapter

HANDS ON YOUR BREAST CAN KEEP YOUR HEART BEATING

The mental and emotional trembling started long before she began to physically shake. From the moment that Captain Aizen told Momo what her task was she had been in a strange ghostlike state. She knew that in order to carry out the assassination of her best friend she would have to be completely detached from her own feelings. Still, she thought she could do it, thought she could do anything if it would save her Captain. He had even used his own powers to enhance her strength and increase the likelihood that she would succeed. And oh how she tried to do it. With all her being, Momo tried to complete the grisly mission, launching fiery attacks at the boy who was dearer than a brother to her.

But then, out of nowhere, Kira Izuru had appeared on the scene and taken upon himself the attack that was meant for Shiro. Now, as she stared at his scorched and blistered skin, Momo knew that she had done something terrible. The smell of burnt flesh stung her nostrils and caused a gagging reflex in the back of her throat. What was he doing here? Now she would have to kill two of her friends instead of just one. With raised blade, she tried to use the bankai that Tobiume promised her, but it was impossible. There was no way that she could force her body to continue attacking her friends, not now that she knew how it felt to actually hurt one of them and leave him writhing on the ground in agony.

So she collapsed, shaking and crying and feeling like she might vomit at any moment, knowing that Captain would punish her for her lack of faith. What would happen to her now? What would he do to her? She knew it would be horrible, but it was her fate and she had to accept it. When Captain Tousen hoisted her up in his strong, dark arms she offered up no resistance and just melted against him. The sound of his heartbeat filtering through layers of clothes lulled her, at least temporarily, into a state of impassive resignation.

Though she didn't open her eyes, she knew when they had arrived back in Hueco Mundo by the sound of Ichimaru's slippery voice. "Oh dear," he said. Though his words expressed concern for her, his tone was laced with restrained glee. "Is the young girl dead? How dreadful. I really didn't think the Hitsugaya kid would fight back against her."

"She's not dead," Tousen replied, his low voice and vibrating. "Just a bit shaken."

"Well, how did it go?" Gin asked. "You watched the whole thing… Or rather, you listened to the whole thing. I'm still not sure how reliable a witness you could be, but I had more important business to attend to and unfortunately could not see it for myself. In any case, did she complete Master Aizen's task"

"No," said Tousen. "She could not do it. It was not for lack of skill, though. Her heart just wouldn't allow her to do it, particularly after your former Vice Captain entered the fray and was accidentally wounded. Miss Hinamori could not handle the sight of an injured friend. There is no way she could have slain Hitsugaya."

"Izuru was there?" said Gin incredulously. He paused for a moment and then began snorting with soft, sardonic laughter. "That amusing little coward. He certainly is the type who would get hurt by a little girl like Hinamori… I assume it was she who got him? Such a wimp… Ah, but he always was good for a laugh. The idiot actually thought he could help her."

The shinigami holding Momo cleared his throat sternly. "That is quite enough, Ichimaru. Where is Master Aizen? Although I'm sure he watched the whole thing transpire, I am required to give him my official report and return Miss Hinamori to his custody."

"Yes, yes," Gin chortled. "Master is in his private quarters. I'm sure he will be eager to carry out the girl's execution right away… or perhaps she'll just be tortured… After all, she failed her test of loyalty. Maybe Master will even let me do the honors. Gruesome work, yes, but such an honor… Oh I would hate to be in her position right now." He could barely contain the excitement in his voice.

"Actually, I plan to have a talk with him," said Tousen. "Perhaps I can persuade him to be lenient on the young woman. I do not believe she deserves such severe punishment."

"Oh, well… Good luck then, Kaname," Gin hissed.

Momo's heart was squirming in her chest and her hands were knotted up into sweaty little fists. She could feel that her escort was walking again, taking her, step by step, to Captain Aizen. Even though she tried to stay completely motionless, she somehow knew that she wasn't fooling Captain Tousen. She knew the blind man was perfectly aware that she was wide-awake.

"I suppose you heard all of that," he said calmly. "Do not let Captain Ichimaru's words frighten you too much. Master Aizen has mandated that Gin is not to lay a finger on you or harm you in any way."

Instantly, Momo's eyes flew open and locked onto Tousen's face. There was no expression present, no hint of what was going on behind those sightless white orbs. It was disconcerting. Although there were answers she desperately wanted that he might be able to provide, she could not tell for sure if he was on her side or not, and thus could not ask him anything. She wanted to know why Gin was not allowed near her. Had he expressed some desire to harm her that she did not know about? Was Captain trying to protect her from him? This thought wasn't much, but it made her cheeks feel warm.

"I'm going to set you down now," Tousen spoke gently into her ear. "We've reached our destination. Will you be alright standing on your own two feet?"

"I-I think so," she stuttered nervously. He set her down and, although her legs were a bit wobbly, they were strong enough to walk on. They were in the middle one of those huge, gothic hallways, stopped in front of an enormous double door. "Th-thank you for carrying me," she added. "Um… will you be coming in with me?"

The blind man's mouth was already opened to answer when a thick voice from behind the door interrupted him, Aizen's voice. "I know that you are standing right outside my door, Tousen," he said. "I do not need to hear your report. Please, send the girl in and then go about your business."

One of the huge doors opened a crack, just enough space for little Momo to slip inside. It was back, that cold liquid in her limbs that she'd felt when she first arrived in Hueco Mundo. One last time, she looked up at the shinigami who'd brought her here. He gave a vague, apologetic smile. It was as if he was saying, 'I'm sorry, but this is my Master's will.' She set her sights forward, drew in a shaky breath, and silently stepped through the door. It shut behind her immediately.

What awaited the young woman inside was not at all what she imagined. It wasn't the lavish décor that took her by surprise. That she certainly expected. It was the appearance and attitude of Captain Aizen himself that seemed out of place. In a bedroom festooned with ostentatious furnishings and excessive grandeur, he seemed to personify everything plain and casual. He was sitting quietly in front of a lacquered mahogany desk and reading a book. His clothing was just an ordinary grey kimono and his hair, which looked like it had just been washed, was hanging down on his face, not slicked back. Apparently, he really did need to wear glasses, at least for reading, because he was wearing a pair now. It struck Momo dramatically how much he looked like his old, familiar self.

"Welcome back, Miss Hinamori," he said without looking up from his book.

"Captain," she spoke nervously, but couldn't think of anything else to say.

Just as the silence was about to become unbearable, Aizen finally looked up at her. His brown eyes also seemed a bit more like the Captain she adored. There was hope there. When he spoke, his voice did not seem quite as cold. "My dear Miss Hinamori," he said. "You're shaking. Are you alright?"

At last, the conflicting emotions of fear, hope, and utter confusion became too heavy a weight inside the young woman's chest and tears streaked down her cheeks. "You… You're going to kill me…" she sobbed. "Or torture me… because I couldn't do what you asked. Captain Ichimaru said so."

The handsome man tilted his head and made a sympathetic smile. "Gin does not speak for me," he said.

"But I couldn't kill Toushirou," she went on. "I couldn't do it. And… I think I'm glad I couldn't do it. I… I hurt Izuru and it felt terrible! I hate what I did! He could be dead because of me! I want to serve you, Captain… I do! But I don't want to hurt anybody else! I just can't do it!"

By the time she had gotten all the words out, Momo's breaths were heaving, her face a smeared mess of tears and mucus from her runny nose. But erratic as she was, her crying stopped as soon as she felt Captain Aizen's hand on the top of her head. Just like always. Just like the night before he staged his own murder. Momo closed her eyes and inhaled as deep a breath as she could. Although her nose was stuffed and dripping, she could still catch a hint of Captain's smell. It was the same as always too, like sandalwood and citrus.

"Here, take this," he said, handing her a handkerchief. Then he waited patiently while she cleaned up her face and blew her nose. "Are you finished crying?" he asked. She nodded and he continued. "That's good. And it will probably ease your mind when I tell you that Vice Captain Kira is not dead."

"He's not?" Momo croaked. "He… he's okay?"

"He's hurt," Aizen answered. "But in time he will heal. Now…" His voice suddenly became colder, more serious, and Momo felt a sticky lump forming in the back of her throat. Was Dark Aizen reemerging? "The fact of the matter is that you failed the test I set up for you, Miss Hinamori, and I'm afraid it would set a bad example if I were to let you go unpunished. In a situation such as this, it is difficult to come up with just the right penalty, particularly because you still express a desire to serve. I'm so sorry things could not have been different…"

"I can still serve you!" she blurted out. "I know there is something I can do for you besides fighting!" Her mouth formed the words before her brain could process them and now she had to think fast to fix the situation. Come on Momo, think! Think! You wouldn't have said it if it weren't true! There has to be something you can do for Captain… something you can give him that nobody else can!

But she couldn't think straight, not with his eyes fixed on hers, their clear brown heat warming her whole face. And so, unable to form a rational plan, Momo let her body react without one, purely on instinct. Without a word, she reached out and grabbed the collar of his kimono with her tiny white hands and, rising up on her tiptoes, pulled his face down to where his lips touched her own. His initial shock only lasted a fraction of a second before his body went slack and his mouth melded into hers.

It was her first kiss. Sure, she had kissed Shiro on the forehead many times before, but that was like a sister kissing her little brother. It was nothing like this. Captain's mouth tasted like mandarin oranges with a vague trace of that sparkly sweet alcohol she had had on the day that she graduated from Shinigami Academy. The kiss had the same effect on her that that drink did. Her limbs felt like they were filled with warm honey and she could almost feel the bubbles on her lips.

From the drunken expression on Aizen's face when she finally pulled away, Momo guessed that the experience was similar for him. Neither of them said anything, but both were breathing loud enough for the other to hear. The young woman thought for sure that her Captain could hear her heartbeat as well. How could he not when it was pounding so furiously against her ribcage? It was absolutely intoxicating, yet she needed more, craved more. In a surge of inexplicable desire, she leaned in and kissed him again, not worrying about her disheveled appearance or her current situation. She kissed him again, and this time snaked her hand into the front of his robe to touch the warm skin underneath. His side of the kiss deepened possessively and his large hands crept slowly up the sides of her small body from her hips to the back of her neck. Just like on the day she decided to come to Hueco Mundo, there was no turning back now for Hinamori Momo. She was already gone.


When it was all over, Momo lay nestled into the warm curve of Aizen's Sousuke's body, their naked selves sheathed in red silk sheets. She could feel his arm resting across her hip and the gentle rise and fall of his chest against her back. He was already asleep. With a satisfied sigh, she rolled around, careful not to wake him up, and gazed dreamily at his slumbering form. He didn't look evil at all. She traced the length of his nose with the very tip of her index finger and found it hard to repress a tiny smile as she remembered the first thing he'd said to her after they finished making love.

"My dear Miss Hinamori, if I'd known you had this kind of natural talent, I'd have brought you along from the start."

She snuggled deeper into his sleeping embrace and closed her eyes in perfect contentment. For the first time in her life, she felt like a woman and not a little girl. Maybe this was the answer she was looking for. Maybe love was the one thing that could save Captain Aizen.

She had already drifted off to join him in her dreams when the giant door opened just a few inches. She couldn't possibly have seen a pair of long, thin eyes looking in through the crack and taking in the scene disgustedly.

To be continued…