Tite Kubo is the only creator and owner of the characters I use here. I don't get any money for my work.

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I translate my own story into English.

Special thanks to YumeGirl91 who beta this story. :)

A Child's Questions and a Smiling Captain...

Aizen was preparing a nice breakfast for the child who was currently sleeping. He had postponed the morning's meeting of his Squad to take care of his nephew. In the message he had simply used the excuse of not feeling well as a bid for rest-time. His Squad's members were happy with that news. They could have more time away from duties and could party later than usual. Only his Vice-Captain Hinamori Momo worried. Okay, so she did have two guests, her old academy friends, Kira Izuru and Abarai Renji the prior evening but neither could successfully convince her to party. She wanted to stay behind to take care of her Captain. She had a lot to do as her Captain was ill. The Squad was more important than a party after all. She was taking her role as Vice-Captain very seriously. It was a very important job for a Squad. But it was nothing for her since she was doing it for her cherished and beloved Captain.

Aizen Sösuke felt the little one moving on his bed. He was waking up. So he took the plate he had prepared for the child and went to the little one's room. The small child opened his little chocolate eyes. He had been dreaming; it was quite cute. For Aizen it would be a good opportunity. It could be a good explanation. He sighed with hope. He hoped to weave an illusion before the little one's eyes. It wouldn't be easy for him, he felt it. Ichigo moved a little and gazed up at the Captain.

He blinked and asked:

"Who are you? You're not my mum!

"You are in a dream and..." Aizen tried, his voice soothing.

"Not true! When I dream I can't touch anything!" the young Ichigo screamed.

This was quickly becoming terribly complicated. Why did he accept to babysit Ichigo? It was for his sister but... He sighed.

"Listen, I am your uncle. Your mother hadn't spoken to you about me and-"

The little one didn't want to hear anything.

"Mum would have told me!"

This child was very... frustrating...

"Do you want me to show you some pictures from your mum's wedding?"

He knew children loved pictures. He was right. The child's eyes were sparkling. So Aizen went to his office and searched for the pictures. He was glad about that. No one would have the idea to search for something private in his own office. He came back in shunpô to the child's room.

"Why are you so quick?"

Another question. It was getting annoying.

"Because I train a lot."

"Why do you train?" The little one asked.

It was a very difficult question. How to explain who he was exactly? That was the question. Later on the Sôkyoku Hill it would be far easier for him. But he didn't know currently his nephew would have enough power to destroy him sometime in the future. Sadly for him.

"Well, I'm part of an army..."

The little child's eyes widened.

"Why?"

Ichigo's Zanpakutô sighed heavily inside him. He didn't know anything about this world. That's why he couldn't hear his calls. (A certain Zanpakutô is frustrated.)

"I am a Shinigami." Aizen responded patiently.

Bad answer. I think I can let you see what's happening when someone announced you he's a God of Death. So let's see what's happening when you announced that to a four-year-old child. The little one's eyes went wide with fright. He went away from Aizen, snatching up a pillow, Ichigo hid behind it and began to cry.

"You're a villain!" (At this time he already knew who was his so-called main opponent.)

Okay. How to calm a crying child who was frightened by the simple fact you were a Shinigami? That was the question which was running in Azen Sôsuke's head. Aizen Sôsuke was a famous Captain and a great strategist. He was used to teenagers and he knew nothing about younger children. He had read books but not experimented with living fact. He was a great teacher after all. His students feared him and some of them were frightened at the point they couldn't bear his charming smile. Surprisingly the same charming smile was awarded by some magazines. These magazines targeted innocent women. But he didn't know how to calm the small child. He could use a Kidô spell but it was probably a bad idea. Ichigo already had a huge power and he didn't want to break his mind. He was half-human after all. He had to try something else.

"Listen Ichigo. The Shinigami have to watch over the children. They have to watch over their parents and families. We have to make them happy. We have to protect them."

He got him. His name was "The Protector", right? Ichigo should feel deeply inside him he had to listen to him. Things would be far easier for him and he could keep the small child with him longer. He didn't want his sister or his brother-in-law to be against him. They were his best allies. But they didn't know anything about his goals. In fact they were very simple-minded in a way of speaking. He wanted to raise an army of Hollows.

"And you do what?"

"We have swords as the knights and the princes who want to protect the ones they loved. Do you know? It's like that we do!"

The little one watched him quizzically.

"And how do you do it?"

"We have magical powers. We can make fire appear like dragons or great amounts of ice."

"Can I see?"

He hadn't planned it at all. A child was curious of course but he didn't know anything at which point until today. He promised to himself to be more cautious in the future and choose his place with more attention than usual. He didn't want to be watched it would be a very serious problem for him. A child according to what he had heard was more dangerous than a lot of people. They had a bad habit to tell what they thought and told the truth all the time. To conclude: a child couldn't lie. That was impossible for them.

"Watch..."

It was in his interest to be able to control his reiatsu otherwise Yamamoto would be able to sense it. He had an extraordinary control of his own strength. It was due to his long life and his long experience. Of course. He made appear a small reiatsu ball as the young students in the Academy were supposed to at their studies' start. Some of them could do it after years of practice. The child watched it with sparkling eyes. It was as if the small ball was a wonderful new toy. The small ball floated from his uncle's hand. That was magic! He watched it travel the length of the room's space. It was like a bird in the way it whizzed about. Indeed Aizen had built a bird with the ball. Then the bird flew around Ichigo and it landed itself on his uncle's hand.

Aizen watched his young nephew become more and more tired. He couldn't bear the power here at the Soul Society. It was far too much for a Human like him. So he watched less, closing more and more his eyes. Soon he slept on his uncle's lap.

He stood and put the blankets on the small child's body. He smiled at his cuteness. He leaned to kiss his forehead and stroked his hairs. The little one moved but he didn't wake up. He left the room. He opened the door and closed it silently. He didn't want to wake the child and begin again the whole work. It would ruin all the kind words he had said to him.

Close to noon...

A man with silver hair and slit eyes was surprised to find himself wishing to see his own beloved Captain. He had closed eyes to act as if he were the cutest possible. Indeed he possessed almost strange red orbs and it would be difficult for him to show them. It would frighten some people here. He knew as well that it would make some Shinigami ill at ease too.

He smiled when he wandered closer to his ever-charming Captain's private area. According to some people he had the most charming smile ever seen in the Soul Society. He was incredibly attractive according to a lot of women and even some men. These men were gays in fact. The other ones were simply jealous of his appeal with women. His soldiers admired him but they weren't gays at all. He was the Captain after all. He was the most cherished and beloved with the exception of Ukitake Jûshirô perhaps. Plus Aizen Sösuke was known to have almost reached his own limits. He had mastered almost all fighting skills. He was one the most powerful. But for the moment no one did know his true power. This power was frightening all by itself. Somewhere in his mind Ichimaru Gin grinned evilly, a day they would all know.

So he wandered with no real thoughts close to the windows. He wanted to know what was inside the area. It was always interesting. There were a lot of books, some offices and a small angel. The said angel wanted only one thing: going out and musing. The silver-haired Captain came in the private area. He found very quickly the child's room thanks to his incredible reiatsu.

He smiled: the prey was ready. (At this time he knew already to make Aizen suffer, he should snatch away and destroy what's the most precious thing for him.) He gazed down at the little boy in waking slumber until the child dared to watch him in return. Ichimaru Gin was here for him after all. He had made him an immense honor. He was Captain too just like Aizen.

"You are?"

Ichimaru Gin grinned:

"A friend of Captain Aizen's."

"The man with brown hair and dark glasses?"

Very observant and he had a good way of speaking for someone of his age. Good. Things would be easier for him in this way.

"Yes! Do you want to play?"

The child smiled.

"What do we play?"

Ichimaru Gin smiled more: it was far too easy for him.

Hours later, Gin and the little one had wandered around the Seireitei just by playing. They were playing hide-and-seek. Gin had taken care to choose not well-know areas to play. So few knew about these places. When he had been a little child Gin had always found it amusing to run everywhere. As a result, he had got lost a lot and he had come back very late to his Squad. Hirako Shinji hadn't liked it at all so had Aizen. But he had succeeded to remember correctly all the places he had visited. It was quite nice for the current moment.

He had taken care to put Ichigo farther and farther from the Fifth Squad's area. He heard already Aizen's angry yells. In fact he did that by pure sadism. He loved to see other ones suffering. It was incredibly pleasant to see other ones crying and groaning under his hands. It was one of the main reasons Aizen had chosen him that time.

Indeed Aizen was searching for the little one. He feared for the little one. Where did he go? He had closed the door after his departure...

Ichigo... Where are you?

Then he had a sudden explanation: Ichimaru Gin had come here. He had most likely felt the wish to muse a little as he said... He could see the problem coming. His sister would never make him babysit the young boy again! His heart pounded. He had to find him now!

Ichimaru Gin was smiling... He was playing with the little child... He was joking with the child... He was laughing with the child... He should forget Aizen very soon. He shouldn't recognize him anymore. He should do that for Rangiku...

Aizen took the most unlikely road for him. He took the direction of derelict neighborhoods. He took Kyôka Suigetsu and ran in shunpô. It would be the fastest way to find Ichigo.

Ichimaru Gin felt soon Aizen's arrival. He shunpo'd far away, afraid of facing Aizen's wrath. His goal was to save himself. He had to do it for Rangiku and her smile. She had lost it.

Aizen found Ichigo. He was safe and healthy. He sighed deeply. He decided to forget Gin for the moment... He would pay later.

Later, Aizen watched the young and small angel sleeping. He could see the moon's rays of light touching Ichigo's head. It was quite wonderful.

Then he paid a visit to a sleeping Ichimaru Gin. He whispered some words to his ear and went back to his area.

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