Free Talk- I guess you could say this is the 3rd Division chapter, because the first half is focused on Gin and second half is focused on Izuru. Have I ever mentioned that I really love Izuru? He's so adorably neurotic. I actually sneaked two bad words into this chapter, so consider yourselves warned. It's not very offensive, though. I find it interesting that this story has, in 5 chapters, already gotten more hits than my X fanfiction. I guess that really goes to show that Bleach is a much more prominent fandom. I wish more people would comment though. I know that's a selfish outlook, but I worry that maybe people are just reading so they can make fun of how terrible it is. I suppose if that's the case, I would rather they didn't comment… Hahahah… I'm paranoid like this about everything I write. I really love the comments I have gotten. The compliments, insights, and constructive criticism make me feel like someone out there actually cares about what I write. And it means a lot to me if even just a couple of people care. I hope I don't disappoint anyone. Please comment and tell me what you think… but please don't be mean.
Sympathy
For the Devil
By Miss
Angel Maxwell
sixth chapter
YOU ARE CAUGHT THINKING ABOUT KILLING ANYONE YOU WANT
Ichimaru Gin folded his slender arms across his chest as he scanned the main atrium through his slit-like eyes. The eternal smile affixed to his face belied his current irritation. Master Aizen had not yet arrived at morning assembly and his horde of minions was growing impatient and agitated. Only Gin was privy to the truth. Only Gin knew why their leader was tardy.
"Good morning, my friends," a polished voice announced over the din. The room fell silent save for the sound of footsteps as Aizen took his place on his thrown. His appearance was flawless, as always, and showed no evidence of any illicit activity the night before. When he addressed his subordinates, his voice sounded just like it did every morning, cool and confident. "I must say, I am a bit surprised to see you all here when there is so much work to be done. I thought everyone would be quite busy by now. Ah, but it seems I forgot that you are all completely incompetent without my guidance. So you may all go and do your jobs now. Continue to prepare the army, my friends. And in the future, do so without me having to tell you."
As the Menos Grande and Arrancar silently exited to go about their various duties, Gin shuffled calmly towards Aizen. He was eager to confront the overlord, but wanted to appear as unruffled about it as possible. "Hello, Master," he said slyly. "I see you didn't bring your little concubine with you this morning. Is she sleeping in then?"
An amused expression crossed Aizen's face, but he didn't seem at all surprised. It was almost as if he'd expected such a comment. "I had a feeling you would be spying on me last night," he replied. "Indeed, Miss Hinamori is still asleep in my private quarters. I've asked Kaname to continue keeping an eye on her for me. You know I would have asked you to do it if only you didn't scare her so much. She seems to trust Mr. Tousen, though."
The silver-haired man knew that this was a typical reaction from Aizen, to answer any questions as smoothly and concisely as possible, with no extraneous details or explanations. "I'm actually quite glad that I wasn't put in charge of watching the girl," Gin said. "As you well know, I advised against letting her come here. If the decision were mine to make, the girl would have been executed by now. Keeping her here is just too risky and I don't want to be held responsible if she causes any trouble."
"My dear Gin," Aizen said with mock sympathy. "Your words express concern for our cause, but when I look at you, I just see a little boy whose father has brought home a new girlfriend. You're not jealous of Miss Hinamori, are you?"
"Of course not," Gin hissed through smiling lips. He continued to think the statement over and over in his head until he was fully convinced that it was true. He wasn't jealous of the young girl, just worried about the effect she had on his leader.
"You knew that this was going to happen," Aizen reminded. "It was all according to my plan. You knew that she was going to wind up in my bed."
"Yes," Gin replied. "I just didn't expect her to wind up there so soon."
After hearing this, Aizen closed his eyes and tilted his neck back, smiling as he drew in a deep, satisfied breath. "I was actually rather surprised by that myself. I really wasn't expecting the young lady to display such initiative. She didn't even need to be seduced… Though I believe she thought it was all she could do to save her own life. Heh… quite an interesting creature, that girl… But logically I couldn't reject her advances and then try to initiate the same sort of interaction myself a few weeks later. It just wouldn't be gentlemanly. Besides, you should be pleased by this development, Gin. She keeps me in a good mood. And when I'm in a good mood everyone reaps the benefits."
"Just don't let her distract you from more important things, Master," Gin purred.
"There's no need for you to worry," his superior replied genially. "Hinamori is just a sport fuck, a little treat for myself. Mmm… and she is quite a treat. In fact, I think I'll go and enjoy her company right now. You'll be fine without me for awhile, right?"
"Oh, I'll be fine," Gin replied, grinning. "Say, if it's all the same to you, Master, may I borrow Miss Hinamori for a night. I could really use that sort of company as well. And if she's as good as you say she is…" He licked his lips and rubbed his hands together.
Aizen's amused laughter as he stood up from his seat filled Gin's ears and made him feel a bit more relaxed. Master wasn't too attached to the girl. If he were, he wouldn't laugh at such a joke. Gin was pleasantly relieved, but the feeling was cut short when Aizen abruptly stopped laughing, turned around and glared at him with eyes as cold as dry ice.
"If you ever lay a finger on her, Ichimaru Gin, I will kill you," he said dead seriously. Then he turned back coldly and stalked out of the room.
Having no reason to stick around in the main atrium, Gin slunk away to find some seedy activity to keep his body occupied and his mind off of the most recent course of events. It was a difficult order to fill, however, as thoughts of that sweet young shinigami and her significance to Aizen Sousuke were cemented into the forefront of his brain. More than anyone else, Aizen seemed invulnerable to outside influences. His will was his and his alone. But Gin knew all too well that even the most cunning and resolute of male minds could fall victim to the charms of a pretty thing like Hinamori Momo.
Gin had experienced it for himself when he was just gangly child living on the streets Rukongai. His singular goal had been to keep himself alive, and even though he was just barely surviving on the food he managed to steal, when he came across a young girl with creamy skin and strawberry blonde hair, he found himself splitting every morsel he got his hands on. Even now, when he thought about Matsumoto Rangiku, he could feel his own weakness, like a cancer inside of him, and it sickened him. That's why he always kept her at arms length. He knew she had the potential to be his downfall. But while Gin played it safe with Rangiku, Aizen took twisted pleasure in taking risks with Momo, keeping her as close to him a possible.
Gin could trace his captain's keen interest in her back to that day they visited the Shinigami Academy, when she had looked up at him in awe, as if he were a king or a god. After that day, Aizen always spoke of her as if she were his pet or some object he wished to possess. Hinamori had actually been slated to become Gin's vice captain, but Aizen had successfully convinced Commander Yamamoto to pair her with him and Gin was given Kira Izuru instead.
Thinking about that nervous little blonde caused a soft, raspy laugh to bubble up in the young man's throat. He was imagining how Izuru would react if he found out what Aizen had done to Miss Hinamori last night. Izuru always did have a tender spot for that girl. From the way his Vice Captain talked about her, Gin got the distinct impression that his feelings went beyond mere friendship. Though a neurotic fool like Kira could never convey such feelings to her or any other female. What a popular girl that Momo was. Her cute face and wide-eyed innocence attracted the hapless blonde and that icy Hitsugaya kid, as well as the most brilliant and deceptive mind in all of Soul Society. Gin never once questioned his master's intentions, but this was a situation he felt he had to keep a close eye on. He wasn't going to let Hinamori Momo undo all the progress their organization had made. If Aizen's interest in her became too much of a distraction, he was fully prepared to get rid of the girl by any means necessary.
Pain, sharp and searing, was the only thing that Kira Izuru felt when he first regained consciousness. The rest of his brain didn't awaken until he opened his eyes and was assaulted by blinding fluorescent light and had to squint and scrunch his nose to try to accommodate and adjust. He was lying on some sort of bed, and although he couldn't yet determine where he was, he was starting to remember more clearly what had happened before he got there. His arm felt like it had been bathed in fire because it had been bathed in fire.
"Momo," he breathed.
"Oh, you're awake," said a man's voice that he didn't recognize.
By now, his vision had returned to normal, and looking around he saw that the strange voice belonged to a tall man with dark, spiky hair and a goat-like beard. Izuru could tell from the man's white lab coat and the cabinets filled with medical equipment that he was in some sort of hospital or clinic. Had Captain Hitsugaya carried him here from the ball field?
"So, I get to meet another shinigami," the doctor commented nonchalantly. Izuru blinked in shock as the man casually continued. "I started to clean your burn while you were asleep. It's actually a bit unfortunate that you've woken up, because this is going to hurt pretty badly. I have to remove all the dead skin before your wound can heal. But I suppose you're used to getting injuries, so you can handle it. The name's Kurosaki Isshin, by the way. Yo…"
Having propped himself up with his good arm, Izuru stared at the man's hand, which had been extended for shaking. The patient shook it, still a bit stunned. "I'm Kira Izuru," he replied. "Nice to meet you. Kurosaki… So that means you must be…"
"He's Kurosaki Ichigo's father," another voice interrupted. It was Hitsugaya Toushirou, leaning calmly against the doorframe. "That's how he knows about shinigami. Don't worry though, he really is a doctor. You're at his in-home clinic."
Izuru wasn't at all concerned about the qualifications of the man who was now injecting him full of painkillers. As soon as he spotted Hitsugaya, there was only one thing that mattered to him. "Momo?" he asked urgently. "She's not with you! Is she okay? Is she here?"
Before Toushirou could answer, Ichigo's dad interrupted. "I think I'll step out and give the analgesic a few minutes to really kick in. So you and your friend here have some time to talk without me getting in the way." As he left the room, Izuru was amused that he had referred to Hitsugaya as his friend. This man had no idea that the two shinigami barely knew each other.
The young captain stepped fully into the room with his head carried low. Izuru felt his throat grow tense. He could tell that the news was not good. "She got away," Hitsugaya replied. "I tried to go after her, but Aizen's henchman, Tousen showed up and carried her off. Back to Hueco Mundo, I'm certain."
The blonde looked down guiltily. He knew that he'd played a critical role in delivering Momo into the enemy's hands. "So she really did go there to find Aizen… and I aided her… You must really hate me right now, Captain."
"Hmph," Toushirou snorted, though it sounded more like a stifled laugh than an annoyed grunt. "If I hated you, I wouldn't have bothered to drag you all the way back here for medical treatment. After all, you did save my life back there… So, uh… thank you."
"It was nothing, really," the older boy uttered, surprised by the young captain's humble thanks. "I'm not sure I really saved your life though. That attack I took for you wasn't a kill shot, otherwise I'd be dead. It seemed to me like she was trying to kill you but couldn't put her heart into it to summon a strong enough attack. But I wonder… If she was really being brainwashed by Aizen to do his dirty work, why wasn't she completely under his will? And why go after just you? Does he really see you as that big a threat?"
"It was a test," replied Hitsugaya. "Momo was in control of her own mind when she attacked me, I could see it in her eyes. I think Aizen was testing her mettle, making her fight me."
"That certainly would prove her loyalty to him," Izuru responded. "You are her best friend after all." He was very careful not to let any traces of jealousy seep into his tone.
Hitsugaya's reaction was typically cold. "If it was a test, she didn't pass it. And that means Aizen is going to punish her."
Izuru's right arm had already gone completely numb, but now he felt as if his whole body had turned into lead. There were an infinite number of grotesque, cruel things that a man like Aizen could do to punish Momo, and the blonde's imagination was playing out each of them graphically, one-by-one. The physical and mental torture could be prolonged for weeks, months even, before he actually killed her. Then an even more loathsome thought came into the poor man's brain and he wondered why he didn't think of it right away. It was a thought that made his stomach churn as if he were about to throw up.
"Captain Histugaya," he cautiously shared. "What if he's found another use for Momo? I mean, besides making her fight… She's a very pretty girl… and an evil man would probably see no reason to keep his hands off of her."
The injured man watched in awe as the white-haired boy's expression immediately turned from cool and analytical to smoldering with fury. "If that bastard puts his dick in Momo," he growled. "I will personally cut it off."
"That's why we have to get her back as soon as possible," Izuru said, sounding remarkably calm compared to his supposed friend. He hated the idea just as much as Toushirou did, but where Hitsugaya reacted with anger, he reacted with despair. Still, he tried to hold out hope. He had come to the Living World for the sole purpose of recovering Miss Hinamori, and he wasn't completely unprepared.
"I brought something with me that might help," he said. "I caused a lot of trouble by going into the central library and sneaking books out to Momo. But I figured that since I already broke the rules for her, one more time wouldn't hurt. So I went back and started doing some research of my own. I think I might have found something that could allow us to catch Aizen and get Momo back."
"What?" Hitsugaya gasped.
"It's pretty complicated Demon Arts, though," Izuru continued. "It will take a long time to prepare, and we'll probably need help from that Urahara guy to pull it off. But at least it's a plan."
A curiously confident smile spread over Captain Hitsugaya's features as he looked down at the enfeebled Vice Captain Kira. "Tell me all about it."
To be continued…
