Free Talk- New chapter, new chapter… By the way, if anyone is wondering why I've been coming out with new chapters so quickly, it's because I am at a very boring place in my life right now. Also, I don't know if anyone was surprised at all by the ending of the last chapter… But anyone who knows me in real life would just be rolling their eyes and thinking, 'that's typical Angel.' In a story written by Miss Angel Maxwell, it's never a surprise if someone winds up pregnant. Consequently, there might be sporadic warm n' fuzzy moments from now on… sorry… And like I said I would, I have broken my previous pattern. But it doesn't really matter. Today we have Aizen being suspiciously tender and Gin being typically naughty. I hope people enjoy it. Please comment and tell me what you think. It means a lot to me.
Sympathy
For the Devil
By Miss
Angel Maxwell
eighth chapter
SAVOR KINDNESS BECAUSE CRUELTY IS POSSIBLE LATER
"Sousuke, I'm pregnant."
Momo said the words softly and cautiously, unsure of how Captain Aizen would react. It was hard for her to believe that he would be angry or violent. He was always patient and always kind to her when they were Captain and Vice Captain of 5th Division, even at the most stressful times. Now that she was his lover, he was even sweeter to her, albeit in a much more physical way. But she also knew that her Captain was a man ruled by ambition, and having a baby would definitely complicate his plans for universal dominion. To her this was a good thing, but she doubted that Captain would feel the same way. And there was also the dubious fact that he once pierced her body with his sword and left her close to death. He was indeed capable of violence. But would this news trigger it?
She stared up at his face, searching desperately for any indication of what he was thinking. His expression was unreadable. He didn't look surprised, but he didn't look like he was expecting this announcement either. If anything, he seemed to be in a state of silent contemplation. Momo smiled and stroked Aizen's cheek, hoping to coax a response out of him. "Well, what do you think?" she asked. "You're not mad, are you?"
"My dear Miss Hinamori," he said sympathetically. "You didn't really think I'd be mad that you are carrying my child? This is good news. But are you absolutely sure?"
"I'm sure," the young woman replied, sounding genuinely relieved. "I've actually had some of the symptoms for weeks, but I just ignored them. It wasn't until Tobiume told me that I knew for certain. Now it all makes sense."
"Ah yes, your darling zanpakutou," Captain said. "She's quite perceptive, no? In any case, I think this is cause for celebration."
As Aizen began nuzzling her neck, Momo realized exactly what his idea of a celebration was. It was pretty much the same thing they did every night. To him nothing had changed, her news made no real difference to him. But, as Tobiume said, things had to change, and Momo was going to make sure that they did.
"W-wait," she said to Aizen, who was now nipping at the corner of her jaw. Her small hands pushed him away from her and he looked down at her with such a possessive gaze, she found it very difficult to resist his advances. She had to look away as she continued. "Captain… Do you think tonight you could just… hold me?"
The silence that followed was almost more than the girl could handle. Captain's ragged breathing was a clear indication that he was already in the mood to do a lot more than just hold her, and she could feel further evidence pressing against her thigh. Momo had never told him to stop before and she found herself wondering, as she had done just minutes before, what her lover's reaction would be. For the first time, she realized that ever since he attacked her back in Soul Society, there was a tiny part of her that was afraid of Aizen Sousuke and she hated it. She wanted to trust him with every ounce of her being, but as he moved his head and his hands down lower on her body and began to loosen the sash of her kimono, she couldn't stop her pulse from quickening. She opened her lips to protest, but no sound came out, and now he was peeling back the sides of her robe to reveal her pale, trembling flesh.
"I will do whatever will make you happy, my little sparrow," he said. Then he leaned over and pressed a tender kiss to her belly, just below her navel.
As he wrapped her back up snuggly and pulled her little frame against his chest, Momo thought her heart might explode. How could she possibly have been scared of this man? He had kissed their unborn child, which could only mean that he was happy with the situation. He even said that he would do anything to make her happy. In that moment, however, she didn't need anything else. She was completely in love, and happier than she'd ever been before.
It wasn't just Captain she was in love with. When he kissed her tummy, the reality that she was going to have an actual baby finally sunk in and it was indescribably exciting. She was going to be somebody's mother. There was a tiny person growing inside her. The little world would no longer be a world of two, but a world of three. The very thought made her too excited to sleep, and even after Aizen had fallen asleep wrapped around her, Momo was wide awake and thinking about the child she would eventually give birth to. She pictured a little boy or girl with fluffy brown hair and bright coppery eyes, just like Sousuke's. The image came to mind so easily that, as she was finally starting to fall asleep, Momo wondered if she'd subconsciously wanted to have his baby since the first time she saw him.
The next day, Captain stayed with her from the time they both woke up until the time they both went to bed. She didn't mind putting off her next conversation with Mr. Tousen. Her trip to the Living World could wait just a little bit longer.
Gin was pacing by himself in the main atrium. All of Aizen's other nightmare soldiers were off working towards conquest, too afraid of their master's retribution to slack off. The man with fox's eyes was the only one bold enough to wait for his arrival. He had done this every day this week, waited bitterly for a leader who never showed up. Today his bitterness had finally changed over into silent, seething rage. Of course, Gin had long ago mastered the art of the perpetual smile, so no matter how upset he got it never showed on his face. But right now he was beginning to doubt this talent of his as the hours crept by with no sign of Aizen.
"That man will have a lot to answer for… that is, if he ever shows his face," Gin muttered to himself.
"You wouldn't be talking about me now, would you?" a silky voice spoke from behind him.
A cold shudder shot up the young man's spine and the silver hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. When he turned around to face his master, he was appalled by what he saw. Aizen was not dressed in crisp, perfect robes as usual, but in a casual black kimono. Worse still, his hair, normally slicked back, was hanging in his face just like he wore it when he was a Soul Society captain. "Ah, so you are still alive," Gin said. "I was beginning to think you had died… Or run away with your little whore…"
Aizen smiled and slapped his subordinate playfully on the cheek. "Oh Ichimaru, must you always be so melodramatic? I'm here now and very much alive. You really shouldn't have doubted me."
"I hope you will forgive my lack of faith, Sir," Gin replied. "But in all fairness, nobody has seen or heard from you in over a week. And when you finally do show up you're acting as if nothing happened. And look at you… your clothes… your hair… This is not like you."
"You think so?" Aizen replied, running his fingers through his brown hair. "Well, my appearance is certainly nobody's business but my own, and it happens to be a matter of comfort. But as for my absence, it was completely necessary… There's been a new development that I simply did not foresee…"
Gin cocked his head to the side, very intrigued. "Oh?" he cooed. "What sort of development would that be?"
The grin that appeared on Aizen's face made Gin uneasy and he couldn't stand the laid-back tone his boss used when he answered. "It appears I'm going to be a father. Miss Hinamori is pregnant."
"What!" Gin spat viciously. This was not at all what he was expecting to hear from his mentor. "Are you serious? You knocked her up? And you say this so casually! Like it's no big deal!"
"It really is no big deal," Aizen replied. "At least not for you. For me this is quite an opportunity… to have a fresh, untainted mind to mold according to my will… and of my own flesh and blood… This could prove quite interesting… But it doesn't affect you in the least, dear Ichimaru. So there is no need to fret."
"Doesn't affect me?" Gin hissed. "This affects all of us! While you're off training this kid to be your twisted little heir, who will be commandeering your apocalypse? We're already weeks behind schedule, and the brat's not even born yet. Say whatever you want, Sir, I know this wasn't a part of your plan."
"What are you talking about, Gin?" he asked, annoyingly nonchalant. "Our work is progressing beautifully. By the time the baby comes, I will already be the unquestioned King of the universe."
The fox-eyed shinigami felt his stomach clench in disgust. "With a little prince or princess?" he sneered. "And that Hinamori girl as your queen? I've known you for years, Sir, and you've never been a man who would share his kingdom."
Aizen scratched his chin thoughtfully and flashed a devious smile at his subordinate. "I see what's going on," he said slyly. "Just as I suspected before. You're jealous, aren't you? You're afraid that once a legitimate heir comes along, you won't be my favorite anymore."
"Actually," Gin hissed. "I'm much more concerned about the girl than the baby. I have suspected for some time that Miss Hinamori is trying to manipulate you, and now I'm more convinced than ever. Since the day she arrived you've been spending less and less time on our mission. She could have been sent by Soul Society to distract you. It wouldn't surprise me if she got pregnant on purpose. Though I can't imagine that you didn't see this as a possibility, what with all the humping you two were… Hey, where are you going?"
Midway through Gin's sentence, Aizen had started to unceremoniously walk away. "I've had quite enough of your paranoia for one day," he said. "You know, Ichimaru, you can be quite a bore sometimes. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an empire to raise."
Gin glared through narrow, slit-like eyes as Aizen went off to check on his Arrancar. There was so much anger and frustration inside him, he could almost feel his blood pressure rising. He saw what his boss was blind to. Their organization was being corroded from the inside and there was only one shinigami to blame. Gin had made up his mind, the girl had to go.
But Master Aizen is so attached to her, he pondered to himself. If I were to kill her now, he would flay me alive and I would never get my fair share of the prize we've worked so hard for. No, I have to be smart about this. I have to find a way to eliminate Hinamori and stay in Master's good graces. What I need is evidence… evidence that she has betrayed his trust. Then he will not only allow me to assassinate her, he will request it. But where do I find the ammunition I need? That doe-eyed wench is like some mindlessly devoted puppy when it comes to Aizen. I'll have to dig deeper if I'm going to find something I can use against her. Hmm… Maybe Mr. Tousen knows something. He is the one that Master ordered to be friendly with her.
His plan was to use his peerless cunning to ease the information he wanted out of his more principled colleague without him even knowing. There was minimal risk involved, but it was not guaranteed to produce any useful results. Still, it was the best plan Gin had right now and he was going to go through with it. When he got to Tousen's door, however, he was surprised to hear muffled voices coming from inside. Being a talented spy, he was able to push the door open a few inches without being detected and listen in to what they were saying. He was quite shocked when the voice that accompanied the blind man's was none other than that of Hinamori Momo.
"So you'll open a path for me to enter the Living World in Karakura?" she asked nervously.
"I will," Tousen answered. "But you will only have three hours to carry out your business before I come to retrieve you. And I have it on your honor that you will not discuss anything that goes on here."
"Cross my heart and hope to die," she said.
"Very well, then. Good luck Miss Hinamori."
The crack in the door where Gin was eavesdropping was suddenly filled with light as the fabric of space split open, and he stared in amazement as the sweet little shinigami stepped through the portal.
So the little puppy is sneaking around behind her master's back. And the noble Mr. Tousen is helping her do it. This is even better than I had hoped for. This alone could be enough to get rid of them both. But I still can't prove their intentions. Dammit! I'll have to follow the girl to Karakura and find out exactly what is going on. Who knows? This could actually be a lot of fun.
To be continued…
