I DON'T OWN BLEACH

Dedicated to my good friend Tom who gave me some really excellent advice.

Aizen/FemIchi

The Lighthouse

Chapter3; Faith

The morning comes way to fast for Ichigo. Before her eyes can fully adjust to the beaming light on her eyes, she feels the presence of a large male body in her bed next to her. In a rush of memories the evening before comes back to her. "I slept with him..." Careful not to move unnecesarily, she lays on the pillow wedged next to Aizen biting at her lower lip. "Hisagi-san, would you resent me for loving this person too easily when we had to struggle so unbearably to be together?"

Turning on her side, and away from the masculine scent, she tries to pretend to still be asleep. But hands curl around her waist drawing her back towards the heat she wanted to escape. "I never pictured you for a cuddle type."

"I like to be unpredictable." Sosuke chuckles cupping a breast in his palm and squeezing it. The soft skin under his fingers warms to him instantly, reaffirming what he can sense about her. "Your body is so responsive to me." he whispers in her ear moving his mouth to her neck to nuzzle. "Did you enjoy being with me that much?"

"I barely know you." Ichigo responds coldly, her arms chilling under the touch of his fingertips gliding down her stomach to play small circles. "I don't really know anything about you."

"That is why I can trust you, Ichigo."

"Trust?" Her eyes widen, not just from his fingers sliding between her thighs, but the things this man says to her without an ounce of humility. "I don't think I can understand ah-ah!" She moans, curling her hips against his gently stroking finger. The need for release heats up inside her spreading out to her limbs. "I-Ahh! I-I think I'm just a new t-toy to play with!"

"Toy?" he laughs, at her ability to complain and come at the same time. "You are more than just my toy. Your responses to me are honest. I don't have to worry about you pacifying me because of my money or my power." The wetness slicking through his fingers hardens his cock. Suddenly he yanks her under him and with one smooth thrust buries himself deep in her body."You are my secret pleasure."

"S-Secret pleasure?" she mutters clawing at the sheet as his long heavy body begins to move over hers. "I don't want to be a secret to anyone... not anymore."

A few hours later Sosuke slips into town to make a phone call at the local bar. The thick cigarette smoke of the place bothers him, so he decides to ring Ichimaru to leave as soon as possible. Flicking his eyes past a group of odd looking men he plops a handful of coins on the counter and motions for the telephone.

"I ain't seen her." Yumichika says too busy staring at his own reflection in the front window of the bar to really bother looking around town. "She must be hiding from us."

"Ichigo's here." Kenpachi says slamming a boot to the ground and making the table dance. "I can smell her-"

"We really gonna kill her, boss?" Ikkaku asks taking a swig of his whiskey and slamming it back down on the table. "I mean, you just want her back, right?"

"She ain't my woman anymore." Kenpachi growls kicking out his foot and nailing Yumichika in the knee. "Not since that asshole, Hisagi took her away from me."

"She ditches you for some elementary school teacher and expects to just walk away." Ikakku chuckles giving Kenpachi an elbow. "That must have burned."

"Shut up!"

Having heard enough Aizen dials the phone, "Ichimaru... I need you to look into a few things for me."

~/~

"What the hell is this?" Ichigo's eyes narrow at the medium sized box being set into her arms. "You are gone all day and come back with a box from a shop that's impossible to get in this part of the world."

"It's a gift."

"I don't want it." Handing the box back to Aizen she starts to walk away when she hears him laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You don't want any attention, you refuse to go to dinner with me, and don't like my gifts. You might be the first woman to ever do these things to me." Grabbing her hand he pulls her body close to his. "I think I love you."

"That's the sex talking." she replies pushing away his face. "It'll go away in another hour or two."

"I hope not. I plan to keep you." He chuckles biting her fingertip and sucking it into his mouth. "Mmm."

"You want the impossible." Ichigo says, feeling his tongue slip up and down her finger before trying to pull away. "Sosuke..."

The things we want most in life, are also the things we try most to deny ourselves. Deep down, we think it's better to be dissatisfied, then get what we want and then face the possibly that thing we fought to have is a mirage.

"Fall in love with me, Ichigo." Aizen returns the box to Ichigo's arms with a wide smile. "Give me a chance to make you happy."

Reluctantly, she agrees to go to dinner with him. Just a dinner. Nothing more. That is all she really has to offer this man.

~/~

The restarant turned out to be the local bar, which normally wouldn't bother Ichigo if it wasn't for the dress he picked out for her. "I-I feel a little over dressed." she mutters, tugging on the long red glove itching at curve of her elbow. "Maybe we could just get carry out?"

"You are dressed to stand next to me." Sosuke replies flicking his eyes down the red and gold mini cheongsam dress with a high collar and a sexy bit of lace ringing the hem she is wearing. "I knew you would be perfect in a Chinese dress."

"I-It's too short." she grumbles tugging at at the soft fabric fluttering on her thighs. Pausing long enough to point a toe she relenquishes a smile. "But I love the shoes." Made from the exact fabric of the dress, the gold and red silk soft boots compliment her long tan legs perfectly.

"So you can smile when something pleases you." he teases pulling out her chair and waiting for her to sit. "My pride was about to suffer."

"I am sorry for being so difficult." Exhaling a sigh she chats with him while the food is being prepared. "I'm just the kind of person who likes to cling to unchanging things. But eventually, everything changes and I feel-"

"Bitter." he gives her a sympathetic glance. That emotion is one he is familiar with. But she is much too important to allow her to become a some sour woman. "Circumstances in the end... do not matter. You are angry at a choice you've made." Grabbing her chin he forces her startled eyes to look at him. "Punishing yourself is too greedy. Deal with this."

"W-What do you-"

But the words are overshadowed by the sound of a hauntingly terrifying laugh filling the air. Bile rises in her throat, her hands begin to tremble before her eyes can even focus on the towering man hovering in the doorway.

Him. The devil himself. Zaraki Kenpachi. Kenpachi... Kenpachi is here.! Those vile lips move exposing the jagged toothy grin. "Ich-i-go..."

"N-No..." Blinking away the tears welling up in her eyes she looks to Aizen. The man is sitting with a cup of tea, and his legs crossed like it's the calmest of summer days. "W-Why did you do this to me?"

"Think of it as tough love.."

"YOU BASTARD! I'm going to-" The glint og metal and the clicking sound of guns cocking make her instincts switch on. Kicking the table to it's side she dives behind in just before the barrage of bullets rain down. Ichigo's mind starts to list the things she needs to survive; a grenade would be nice, some guns, and an escape route. Between the hail of bullets she glances up to find Aizen still sitting in the chair sipping his tea. Dropping open her mouth she yanks him behind the splintering table next to her. "You are insane! Do you want to die?!"

"Nonsense, I have you to protect me." Snatching her hand in his he pulls her soft trembling fingers to his lips. "You will fight for me, won't you Ichigo?"

Blushing head to toe she starts to gripe back at him, but she does like Sosuke and to have him means dealing with this. "You know... I don't reach for stars, Sosuke." she tells him finally letting the painful lump in her throat dissolve. "I'm very skilled at anything in particular. Things like talent, or gifts are lost for someone like me." Grabbing a couple of steak knives on the floor next to her feet she flips them so the blades are between her fingers. "But, I'm good at this..." Popping up from the table she expertly flicks the knives through the air, the two sharp blades find the neck of one of the men firing at her.

Ducking back down in time for another onslaught of bullets she looks at Aizen. Well, there it is. Now, it's time for him to be repulsed by her. However, the man simply hands her a couple more knives and pats her on the head. "I-I just killed someone... and you are patting me on the head like you approve!"

"They started it." Sosuke tilts his head at her so the long strip of bangs falls over his eyes. "Isn't it worth what you might gain?"

Ichigo's eyes grow round and glassy with the gravity of his words weighing on her heart. The future means, no more hiding, and not having to hate herself for living. Maybe having nothing isn't so great after all. No it never felt good. But being with Sosuke even for this short amount of time does feel good. "Yeah... it's worth it, Sosuke." Rising from her crouched position she dives over the table and towards the man she has ran from. "Kenpachi!"

~/~

Three months later;

Waking up to the sound of waves crashing and the warm sunset blazing the horizon with shades of amber and orange, the man lifts up from the lounge chair searching the beach for a woman's silhouette. Not to far away, perched on a blue blanket is the woman Sosuke will ask to marry him tonight. Next to her is a golden retriever dutifully watching over her in his master's absence.

"Ichigo..." his lips open in a whisper, and as if drawn from a sweet dream she turns her head and smiles at him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"I always sleep peacefully with you nearby." Aizen says, walking over to the blanket and curling his body around hers. "I have the best bodyguard in the business."

"That's total prejudice, but I like being your favorite person." Ichigo replies snuggling into his warm bare chest. "Sosuke promise you won't die on me."

"I'm immortal." He says deadly serious, his arms slipping around her waist. "Yes, I will tell you that as many times as you need to hear it."

"You are so cocky when you say it like that." she says relaxing in his embrace. The confidence in his tone spreads a gentle heat through her body. "But I believe it."

"I'll never die... and you will always be mine."

"I believe..."

Ah I couldn't resist a sweet ending. I kinda like it since she still has fears but is now facing things. AFter all fear doesn't just go away because we fall in love we got fight it off everyday.

Now id like to thank all my reviewers for sticking with me for so long. The next few updates are as follows

For my 800th reviewer... Kaiser's Angel; I can't PM you so please pick which pairing you would like the most and PM or review the answer to me! HUGS! and thank you for reviewing me =).

Thirteen; Juu/FemIchi, is on it's way I just have a bit of writers block on it. I swear to finish it my loves!

What the Water gave me; Toshiro/Femichi is in progress!

Yumichika/FemIchi

Byakuya/FemIchi

and many more! Don't forget to send me some love in a review it makes me really happy. I LOVE YOU ALL Fuzzi