Disclaimer: Kubo Tite-sensei owns Bleach. Ohba Tsugumi-sensei owns Death Note. Both these series own me.

--

As Tanaka Akemi landed lightly on the sand of Hueco Mundo, she chuckled to herself. Sakura would hate it here. No trees, no sun, no flowers. Sakura had always hated sand; she even hated beaches. Deserts were pretty much like giant beaches anyway, just without the water, which made them that much more annoying. Yes, she knew her "little sister"'s train of thought very well. The polar opposite of Sakura, Akemi was optimistic, bright, and an all-around happy person. Sakura had never been, in the six years Akemi had known her- it had just gotten worse after she hit middle school.

"Ne, senpai, d'you think that's it?" Mizuki's comment tore the older girl out of her thoughts. She followed Mizuki's gaze to the giant building in the distance.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it, Mizuki-chan." Akemi remarked.

"Okay then, let's go." Mizuki said, beginning to run.

"Mi-mizuki-chan! Slow down! We're not all stars on the track team, ya know!" Akemi cried as she attempted to catch up.

"I'm not gonna slow down." Mizuki called. "I didn't like the way Urahara-san talked about that Aizen guy. I don't want to leave Sakura alone with him longer than necessary."

She didn't need to say any more; Akemi instantly quieted, her face darkening with determination, and quickened her pace. Mizuki was right; they had to reach her before anything happened to her.

--

Sakura sat gently on the bed, dressed in a simple white kimono that she had been given to sleep in. She gently coaxed the alastics out of her short hair, then unbraided it, wondering what to do. She stood up and wandered to the desk; there was paper, along with a few pencils.

She began to sketch.

After a while, the candles were burning low, but as she had no clock, Sakura had been unable to tell how late it had gotten. She heard her door open; her head snapped up and she turned to face the door.

"Who's there?" she asked, not allowing the terror the was pumping adrenaline through her body to show itself in her voice.

"Just me." She recognized Aizen's smooth voice instantly. He stepped out of the shadows, two cups in his hand; he passed one to her as she put down her drawing pencil and turned to face him, tugging on the bottom of her kimono. Why is this thing so freaking short?! she thought angrily as she put on a smile.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Aizen-sama?" she asked, sipping her tea and sounding overly formal even to herself.

"Nothing." he said, smirking. "I saw candles lit and assumed you were still awake. I wanted some tea and assumed you would to." he said simply, leaning nonchalantly against the wall.

She stared at him over the rim of her teacup, trying to analyze this. She still didn't understand that much about the situation. All she really had gotten was that Aizen was some kind of power-hungry idiot and that he could make her strong. She decided to test her luck.

"Aizen-sama?" she asked, her expression innocent.

"What is it?"

"Uhm... can I ask you something...?"

"Why of course, Sakura-chan." he said, a seemingly sweet smile crossing his face. Sakura saw right through it; after all, how many times had she seen that kind of smile after Sayuri's death...? Still, she kept up her facade.

"I was just wondering... what is it exactly that you are trying to do here?"

Her question surprised him, but that did not stop him from answering.

"You see, Sakura-chan, since the beginning of time, no one person has occupied heaven- not me, no shinigami, or even God himself." Her fists clenched; her faith in her religion was strong. Still she kept a straight face as he continued. "So you see, one day... I will stand in heaven."

She raised her eyebrows skeptically, but proceeded to finish off her tea. She set the cup down on the desk with a sigh. Talk about a God complex here. How thick could you get?

"Tell me about the Arrancar." she said, not bothering to make it a question while knowing she was pushing her luck.

Again, she was met with curiosity, but was still had things explained to her.

"Arrancar are basically Hollows that have had their masks ripped off. Inside of them, the boundary between shinigami and hollow may have potentially been destroyed. This is the key to limitless power."

"Limitless power?"

"Yes." He hadn't missed the faint glint of desire in her eyes at the mention of that.

"...So where does that put me?" she asked bluntly.

"You?"

"You said that you could make me strong, Aizen-sama." Her stare was harsh.

This time, a sick, awful smile spread across his face. "There is a device called Hougyoku which is used to turn Hollows into Arrancar." he said. "I have yet to see how it would affect a human, a human with an incredibly high reiatsu."

"In other words, someone like me. You're planning on turning me into an Arrancar."

She was incredibly smart, and her manner of speaking was crazily direct. He liked this. For too long, he had been surrounded by people who had to constantly have things explained to them. However, it seemed that Sakura could connect Point A and Point B in her mind, without being told. It was a relief.

"It seems you already comprehend the situation."

She stared sadly at the floor. "How much time do I have?" The question was so quiet that he almost missed it.

"How much do you want?" he asked, kneeling down so that he was eye level with her.

"I don't know. I don't care."

Gently taking her chin in his hand, he turned her face so that he could look into her eyes. How beautiful they were; a deep, warm amber.

"Has your life taken such a horrible turn that you would really throw it all away?" his voice was gentle, but she knew better. She knew guys like him, who used kind words and a smile that could bring nations to their knees to get inside your head...

Angry, she smacked his hand away from her face. "Get out." she muttered, suddenly enraged. He sensed her reiatsu fluctuating, but continued to stay where he was.

"What did you say?" he asked, almost teasingly.

"Get out." she said, louder, stronger.

"Get out, what?"

"Aizen-sama. Get out of my room. Right now." Her amber eyes flashed, and the way her overlong bangs shadowed them made her look plain frightening. He stood, took the cup from the desk, and took his leave, slowly closing the door.

As soon as she heard his footsteps die down, her fist collided with the desk. She stood, shaking. How was it that someone could seem so like him...?! The second she'd been forced to meet his eyes, she'd felt like she was staring at Takahashi-sensei the day that Sayuri had died. Those eyes... that seemingly kind smile...

"Augh!" Her fist collided with the wall, tears streaming down her face as she made a serious effort not to start screaming. Didn't anyone at all see how damaged it had made her? Did anyone even care?

And maybe that was why she'd taken Aizen's hand, deciding to follow blindly. So that maybe, if she became stronger, she could overcome the pain. It was far too late to undo the damage, but it was never too late to heal. Or at least, that was what Izumi-sensei - who had been like her mother after Sayuri's death - had always told her. But maybe the key to healing was knowing that she could protect them...

Still shaking, Sakura crawled into the massive bed, buried her face in the blankets, and curled herself into a ball. She wished she had her oversized Death Note plushie- seeing the little Ryuzaki biting his thumb and staring up at her with those huge grey eyes always made her smile. Tears still coming, she began to sob helplessly into the pillow until she finally fell asleep.

--

Aizen sat on his throne, staring out into the desert with a somewhat blank look. What on Earth had caused Sakura to react that way? She certainly was a complex person... after she had a Hollow in her, he wondered how much of that spunk would remain. The end result certainly would be interesting.

--

Akemi's thoughts drifted to the Ryuzaki plushie in her backpack. She'd taken it from Sakura's room, knowing that it comforted her. Not being a Death Note fan (for she detested anything with the word 'death' in it, aside from the Bible), she couldn't understand why it meant so much. But hey, it was actually darn cute, and it made Sakura happy. Not knowing if she was alright, she had a feeling her "sister" might need it, so she'd gone to her house before going to Urahara Shoten and picked it up.

Mizuki sensed that her thoughts were far away, so she stopped and put her hand on the older girl's shoulder when she caught up.

"So... how do we get in?" Mizuki said after allowing Akemi to catch her breath.

"You think I know?"

"Well, I mean, to we do some badass breaking and entering, or do we just knock on the door and ask to speak to that Aizen guy?"

"Whatever you wanna do."

At that moment, the monstorous doors opened, and a pale black-haired boy went out to greet them.

"Who are you?!" Mizuki demanded.

"That matters not. However, Aizen-sama has requested your presence immediately."

The two girls exchanged a look. Mizuki nodded to Akemi, who stepped forward.

"Lead the way." she said firmly. They followed after him into the castle, wondering fleetingly what would become of them and their friend.

--

"Aizen-sama. The two human females you requested are here." Ulquiorra's tone was, as always, cold and formal.

"Thank you, Ulquiorra. You may leave now."

As the Espada took his leave, Mizuki and Akemi exchanged another look. Already, they didn't like Aizen. There was something too... sweet, too lovely, about the sound of his voice.

Slowly, the chair spun around to reveal the man who had kidnapped their friend. Akemi, a talented actress, appeared to remain completely calm; Mizuki, however, clenched her fists in rage and looked ready to hit him.

"Akemi-san. Mizuki-san." he greeted them with a sick smile. "Welcome to my humble home of Hueco Mundo, and my palace of Las Noches."

A small growl from Mizuki made him raise his eyebrows in amusement; women's emotions were so much fun. Still, he decided to cut to the chase.

"In case you were wondering, Sakura-chan is perfectly fine." That sick smile continued to widen. "For now, that is. I have my own plans for her."

"I don't know what you're planning here, but I won't stand for it!" Mizuki yelled. "I don't know what it is you want from Sakura-chan, but I'm not gonna let you have your way, dammit!"

Aizen sighed. "Gin."

A silver-haired fox-faced man stepped out from the shadows. "What is it, Aizen-sama?"

"Why don't you take our friend..." he gestured to Mizuki, "... downstairs."

"What?!" Mizuki looked outraged and ready to run as Gin locked her arms behind her back. She gasped from the sudden stretch, and Gin proceeded to take her through the door, leaving Akemi alone with Aizen.

"Akemi-san." he said. "How badly would you like to see Sakura-chan?"

"Pretty bad." she choked out, barely able to speak as he rose from the chair and approached her.

"And... would you be willing to do... anything to save her?"

Petrified, Akemi nodded once. "I-I'll do anything you ask." she said. "Just let her go!"

"I'm afraid I can not." he said, staring down at her from his lofty height. "She has already decided to join me. However, Akemi-san... you could do the same..."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Join me, Akemi-san, and I can let you stay here with Sakura-chan for the rest of your lives. I will make you two strong, and together you would be the most feared of all my Arrancar."

"... If... If it'll make Sakura happy." she said, closing her eyes.

His smile was victorious. "Excellent." He turned to face out into the desert. "Kaname."

A dark-skinned man appeared, stepping out from the shadows in the corner.

"Please take Akemi-san to her room."

The dark skinned man nodded, then held the door, showing her the way.

Maybe this was why women were so much fun to mess with. They were just so emotional, so submissive that it was almost funny. Well, to Aizen at least.

He smiled to himself. Now he had two, soon to be three new Arrancar. This certainly would be interesting to watch.