Free Talk- I've been trying to follow the pattern of having every other chapter focus on Momo, though I'm not sure if I will carry it through to the end of the story. I hope people are reading the story and enjoying it. Please, comment and tell me what you think.

Sympathy For the Devil
By Miss Angel Maxwell

seventh chapter

YOU ARE SO COMPLEX THAT YOU DON'T ALWAYS RESPOND TO DANGER

Momo didn't know where Hueco Mundo was, didn't know what location in time or space it occupied. She didn't even know how big it was because she never left Aizen's palace. For all she knew, Hueco Mundo was contained entirely within those shining marble walls. This did not bother her in the least. Everything she wanted, needed, was inside the palace because that's the place where Captain was. The last several weeks with him had been a waking dream. It was as if she'd died in the moment that she kissed him and been reborn into a new life, a new world. When they were together, it was a world with only two people in it, herself and Aizen Sousuke.

"Good morning, my little sparrow," he breathed in her ear. "Did you sleep well?" He always woke up before her. He always greeted her the same way.

"Mmm… Cap'n…" she purred, rolling over and stretching in bed. "I always sleep well when I'm next t' you. An' yer bed is so comfurble…"

He laughed heartily at her drowsy drawl. The sound was like a sunrise, which was delightful as there were no windows in the palace. There probably wasn't even a sun in Hueco Mundo to rise. But Captain made up for it by lighting all the lamps in the bedroom just before Momo awoke and by giving free reign to that laugh that let her know that another day was just beginning. She stretched once more, sat up, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Captain was already out of bed, still clad in just his shorts, and looked like he was about to get dressed and leave. This was always the worst part of Momo's day.

"Do you really have to go?" she asked pleadingly. "You always leave so early in the morning, and time goes so much slower when you're gone… Couldn't you spend a little bit longer here with me? Please?"

The smile he flashed her next made her heart beat a little faster, but she was very careful to maintain her wide-eyed plea. The best way to appeal to a man like him was persistence. Her effort was rewarded when she saw him close his eyes and sigh.

"I was going to take a shower," he said. "But I suppose if you wanted to join me I could take a bath instead. The kids won't like my being late, but they'll live. How does that sound, Miss Hinamori?"

"That sounds wonderful, Captain!" she chirped enthusiastically. She had gotten her way.

The defeated man chuckled softly. "You know, you really don't have any reason to call me Captain anymore."

Momo smiled. "I know, Captain." Then she followed him to the bath without another word.

At first Momo had felt so nervous and shy getting undressed in front of the person she admired more than anyone else. It didn't take long, however, for the young woman to discover that even though she was insecure about her tiny body, Captain Aizen seemed to enjoy it very much. For this reason, Momo slipped out of her pajamas as slowly as possible and posed gracefully in front of the bathtub completely nude. She'd never felt sexy like this before. But no matter how potent this made her feel, Captain always had her beat.

"Are you waiting for me?" he asked coyly, removing the single article of clothing that covered him and standing before her naked.

Momo could feel her face turning bright red. She waited until after he had gotten into the bath and his nakedness was safely covered in bubbles before she joined him. It wasn't that she didn't like his naked body. She liked it very much, loved it, and it embarrassed her just how much pleasure she got from it. True, the first few times had hurt her small, inexperienced body, but the good feelings far outweighed the bad, and now all she felt when they made love was mind-numbing pleasure. With his handsome, perfect body Captain Aizen could strip away every drop of power she had.

"You look cute in bubbles, Miss Hinamori," he said.

Her blush deepened. His words weakened her even further. But she knew she wasn't completely powerless. After all, he was here sharing a bubble bath with her instead of addressing his precious minions. It was all a part of her master plan. Every day she pleaded with Captain, straining to make the best use of her charms and keep him with her just an hour longer, just thirty minutes longer. Even though their relationship now seemed to be built around sex, she was determined to show him how much she really did love him, how the life she could give him would be so much better than any evil conquest. Yes, she was being manipulative, but if she could bring Captain back to the light she would forgive herself.

The water was perfect, just warm enough to coat their faces with a shiny film of steam. Beneath the water their bodies mingled, skin sliding against skin. It was difficult to hold someone with wet, slippery arms, but somehow Aizen managed to fold Momo deeply into his embrace. Hugging turned to kissing, and from there it soon became a steamy blur. By the time they finished, the water was lukewarm and the bubbles were all dissolved.

"Well, I really must get going now," he said as he climbed out and toweled himself off. "As always, you are free to enjoy the library and the sitting room, just stay here on the eastern wing."

"Alright," she panted, still too love drunk to protest. How could he recover so fast? "Don't stay gone for too long," she added.

"So long, my little sparrow," he said as he left to get dressed.

"So long my… big, strong… hawk," she called back. She could hear him laughing at her in the next room as she hung her arms languidly over the side of the bathtub.

This was the part of the day when the little world only contained one person. Momo didn't know exactly what nefarious things Captain did when he was away from her. She had no idea what means he was employing in order to take over Earth and Soul Society alike. Perhaps this was an unhealthy 'ignorance is bliss' attitude, but she just couldn't stand to know. She had to keep on believing that he wasn't irredeemably evil, that if she could save him in time, none of his wicked plans would come to fruition anyways. She would stay the course.

The palace library was the most impressive collection of literature that Momo had ever seen, putting even Soul Society's central library to shame. There was every imaginable tome, and she did love to read. Yet today Momo had no real desire to go there. She felt more tired than usual. The time she spent with Captain was keeping her up late and wearing her out. So she wrapped up in a fresh kimono and crawled back into Aizen's huge bed, pulled the sweet-smelling sheets around her and fell back asleep. Maybe a dream would show her a way to keep that man by her side.

"Momo," the familiar soothing voice echoed through her dark purple dreamscape.

"Tobiume!" she hollered back enthusiastically. It had been so long since she had spoken with her zanpakutou. When she spotted those golden eyes and flawless, translucent skin, she could feel joy spreading through her chest and ran into the beautiful woman's arms. "Tobiume, I've missed you so much! Why didn't you visit me sooner?"

"You've been quite occupied lately," the blade answered. "I didn't think you would want to talk."

"Oh but I do!" Momo said excitedly. "I have to tell you all about my plan to save Captain! It's working, I know it is!"

In one liquid movement, Tobiume raised her hand and pressed an ivory finger to Momo's lips. "Hush," she said gently. "I already know everything. Do not forget that I exist only for you, Momo. I know your heart, inside and out."

"Oh," the young shinigami replied, feeling slightly embarrassed that Tobiume knew everything. "Well, what do you think then? Isn't it brilliant?"

Momo watched her partner's face closely, analyzing the finer details of her expression as she reacted. What she observed was not the cheer of approval she'd been hoping for. Instead, the woman closed her eyes and sighed. "I'm worried about you, Momo," she said.

"What?" the shinigami gasped. "Worried? Why? It's a good plan and… and… I'm so happy when I'm with Captain. Once I get him back, he and I will make our life together. I love him!"

"That's exactly why I'm worried about you," Tobiume sighed. "You're intentions were so pure at the beginning, but now you're trapped in a love bubble and it's polluting you."

Immediately, Momo pushed her zanpakutou away from her. "You know that Captain is the most important thing to me. He has been since the day I became his vice captain."

"I know that," Tobiume continued. "Captain Aizen was always the most important to you, but you had a life of your own. Now he has become the only presence in your life, the only thing you can think about. And it's no longer just a desire to deliver him from evil. You still claim that as your goal, but your truest desire is to have him for yourself. You aren't even concerned about the terrible things he does when he's not with you."

"How can you say that?" Momo stammered. "Of course I'm concerned! I don't want him to be a villain! I want to stop him from doing bad things!"

The blade stared her down with fiery gold eyes. "You're running out of time," she said severely. "The preparations are nearing completion. Aizen's plan to use the souls of Karakura to access and assassinate the King of Soul Society will be carried out very soon. Even if he spares your life because you are his lover, your so-called friends who stand to oppose him will not survive. Do you still care about them?"

The young girl was now on the edge of tears. "Yes!" she cried. "I still care about my friends, I do! I care very much about Shiro and Rukia and Renji and… and Izuru… who I don't even know if he's healed from the wound I gave him… I don't want them to die! I don't want anyone to die!"

"But their lives are in danger," Tobiume said calmly.

"And you're saying it's my fault?" Momo spat. Her voice had now taken on a more angry tone. "Is this why you wanted to talk to me? To make me feel like a terrible person and a worthless friend for staying with Captain?"

Despite the shinigami's belligerence, the zanpakutou pulled her close again and held her in her arms. "Of course that was not my intention," she soothed, stroking the girl's hair gently. "I would never mean to cause you pain or suffering, my sweet Momo. I came to you to tell you that things are going to change. Things have to change. But that isn't a bad thing. There is strength in you that you don't even realize you possess. I see it, and I know that when the time comes you'll see it too."

"But I still don't know what I should do," Momo cried into Tobiume's shoulder. She had let herself go and allowed herself to cry freely. "I want to save Captain and protect my friends. How can I possibly do that?"

"I do not know the answer to that question," the blade sighed. "But I can tell you that things are going to change very quickly for you, Momo, even if you do not do anything…" Then she leaned over and whispered something into the young girl's ear causing her big brown eyes to shoot upwards in awe.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "I mean… do you know for sure?"

As Tobiume's form began to fade away, she was nodding in confirmation.

Momo woke up at that moment, gasping for breath and sticky and with sweat. "I need to get some air," she sighed, holding her head as her breathing calmed down. "I'll go for a walk."

She got dressed in a daze, her mind completely fixated on the things Tobiume had told her, particularly the very last thing. She was too preoccupied even to wonder, as she always did, why Captain had a seemingly endless supply of ladies' clothing that all seemed tailor-made for her. Hastily, she exited the room to go wander the halls aimlessly. As she did, however, she was so distracted that she didn't see the tall figure walking by just outside the bedroom doors and plowed right into him. The collision knocked her to the ground, and once she looked up and saw who she'd hit, she felt even more mortified.

"Are you alright Miss Hinamori?" the blind shinigami asked, offering his hand to help her up.

"Mr. Tousen," she gasped as she got back on her feet. "How did you know it was me?"

Tousen Kaname chuckled slightly before he replied. "You are much smaller than any of the Arrancar. And you are the only person who would be leaving Master Aizen's private quarters."

"Oh," she said awkwardly. "Well I'm very sorry I ran into you. I was just going to… to the library is all. Thought I'd do a little reading." Suddenly, she felt a surge of courage, as if Tobiume were there, urging her on. "Mr. Tousen," she asked. "I was wondering if you might be willing to do a huge favor for me. I understand if this isn't feasible but… I need to go to the Living World, just for a few hours. There's someone I have to talk to. I won't reveal anything that goes on here and I promise to return promptly… This would just really mean a lot to me. Oh, and I don't want Captain to find out because he probably won't be happy about it."

"I see," the man replied. His voice sounded oddly suspicious and his eyes, though sightless, seemed to be staring at her, looking inside of her. "You are right, Master Aizen would not be happy about it. Now, under most circumstances, I do not condone lying in any form… But in this situation I do not believe it will harm anybody. Therefore, I will help you with your request."

"You will?" she replied gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Tousen! Thank you so much! I…"

Before she could finish, the dark-skinned shinigami interrupted her. "I will help you," he said. "But there is something I think you should do first. There is something I think you need to tell Master Aizen about."

Momo froze. She knew immediately what he was talking about. "You can tell, can't you?" she breathed.

He nodded seriously. "Not being able to see gives a shinigami a greatly heightened sense of spiritual pressure. I can tell that yours has changed recently. And I believe I know why. If my intuition is correct, as it almost always is, I think this is something you should speak to Master Aizen about as soon as possible. It is the just thing to do. If you tell him, I will help you visit the Living World."

Unable to think of another way to get her wish fulfilled, Momo answered him. "Alright, I'll do it."

"Then I will see you again soon," Tousen replied. Then he peacefully glided out of sight, to go about doing whatever it was he did here in Hueco Mundo.

The agreement made it even harder for the young woman to concentrate. She went to the library like she said she would, and returned several hours later having retained nothing of what she'd read. It was getting late now, and Aizen would be returning any minute. When he came in through the massive double doors, she was in bed waiting for him, but not to make love.

"The hawk has returned to his nest," he greeted, using the nickname she had coined for him earlier. "Has my sparrow longed to see me?"

"I have," she answered. "I always do. Come to bed, Captain."

"Indeed you are lonely tonight," he said smoothly. He removed most of his clothes on his way to the bed then climbed in and hovered over her, straddling her little body on his hands and knees.

He kissed her on the mouth, but Momo pulled back before he got carried away. Reaching up to him, she laced her fingers into his dense brown hair and pulled it loose so that his bangs fell across his forehead. This was how she liked his hair best. She felt so small and vulnerable beneath him, but she had to speak to him before they did anything else. This is where she would need some of that strength that her zanpakutou described. She cupped his chin gently with her tiny hand and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Sousuke," she said softly, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. She had never called him by his first name before. "I'm pregnant."

To be continued…