Forbidden Love

Chapter 18 - Common Courtesy

Shiro's POV

Knock knock knock

The loud sound awoke me from my deep sleep and I grumbled, rolling onto my stomach and tugging the thick blankets over my head to block out the incessant banging on the bedroom door. I pushed my face into the soft pillow beneath my head, scowling at how the lack of air made blood pulse in my ears.

"Make it stop, Ichi." I moaned loudly, my hands diving beneath the pillow to press each side against my ears. I sucked in a deep breath and ignored the itching in my throat from breathing in the dust on top of the soft pillow cover.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I whined, pressing my face harder into the pillow and covering my ears with my hands. My fingers turned white from the tight grip around the back of head. I yelled into the pillow, too tired to left my pounding skull.

"Go 'way, Pops! 'M sleepin'" The knocking didn't stop, and this time I heard a foreign voice from outside the door.

"Kurosaki-sama! It's time to wake up. There's an Espada meeting in an hour." Espada? What?

Blinking open my eyes, I sat up straight and threw the covers back. My gold eyes narrowed when I saw my surroundings. The monotonous feel of the room reminded me of where I was.

"Excuse my intrusion, Kurosaki-sama! I've been given orders to wake you, make sure you are properly dressed, and escort you to the throne room. You must be there early for Aizen-sama." A young servant entered, already bent over in an apologetic bow. The door slowly shut behind me, closing with a click. Due to his tension, the sound made him jump slightly and he shivered with fear. I leaned down to look at him. His face was covered in a bright red blush that spread over the bridge of his upturned nose, across his high, freckled cheeks, and right up to the tips of his ears. Strawberry blonde locks cascaded over his shoulders, shrouding his dark eyes in shadows.

I yawned and stretched before glancing at him again. He slowly stood up, fidgeting nervously and tugging on a few strands of his long hair. Dark eyes were locked onto me as he peeked through the hair covering his face. Catching his eye, I smirked as he turned red again and stuttered as he swiftly looked down.

"Well?" He jumped, startled. I quirked an eyebrow up. "Ya said you had ta make sure I was dressed. Do I look dressed ta ya?" I gestured with my free hand at my body and chuckled when he shook his head quickly. "Then help me pick somethin' out." I motioned towards the closet and he glanced at it with skittish eyes. I snorted as I climbed of the bed and began to strip off my clothing.

"K-k-kurosaki-sama?" Humming a tune under my breath, I looked up at him noticing how his eyes were wide as dinner plates.

"What, kid?" He blushed and waved his hand at me. I looked down before scrunching up my brow and looking back at him curiously. The kid sighed and spoke up.

"Umm, can't you do that after?"

"Do what?" He gestured towards me wildly, making a sound in his throat. I pursed my lips and tilted my head, waiting for my answer.

"Well... You know..." I chuckled.

"No, I don't. Do ya think ya could explain?" The kid looked towards me, locking eyes with mine. I noticed the spreading blush on his face as his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"Well, don't you t-think you could... You know, wait u-until you have c-clothes before changing?" I stared at him for a moment before I threw my head back, laughing at his nervousness.

"Yeah, I guess I could." He nodded curtly and thankfully before disappearing into my closet. When he came back out, he had a set of black and white clothes folded neatly in his out-stretched arms. Bowing on one knee, he handed them to me. Frowning, I pushed his folded knee with the flat of my foot. Wobbling, he just barely caught his balance before he fell onto the carpeted floor. I snorted as he looked up at me with wide, scared eyes. As he stood slowly, he brushed dust of his clothing.

"Don't bow."

"But-" I cut him off as I headed towards the bathroom to change.

"Don't. Bow. I'm not yer 'Aizen-sama', kid." I spat out the name, growling low in my throat. I sent him a glare over the corner of my shoulder. He furrowed his brows and tucked a lock of hair behind his ear, standing up straight once again.

"Yes, sir." I nodded sharply and closed the bathroom door behind me, changing quickly before emerging once again. The kid was standing by the door, back as straight as a rod and arm held over his chest like a waiter would at a restruant. I sighed before waving my hand at him.

"Where are we goin' again?"

"A-aizen-sama has called on you."

"Oh yeah?" The kid nodded.

"Are you ready then, Kurosaki-sama?"

"Yeah, sure. Go 'head." He almost bowed again in respect but I growled quietly and he caught himself, straightening up and throwing open the door. I followed him down the hallways which were unsually empty. I yawned and stretched, deciding that most of them were probably still sleeping. Large windows allowed sunlight to seep in but it seemed as if the sun was in the same position it had been the last time I had walked down these hallways. I just didn't trust the sense of time here.

We stopped before a pair of large, ceiling-high doors and I recognized them as the doors to the room I had first awoken in. The servant pushed open one door and waved me in. I looked up, spotting Aizen on his throne with ease. The kid slipped past me and bowed before Aizen respectfully.

"Aizen-sama, I've brought Kurosaki-sama like you had asked."

"Thank you, Satoshi-san. You may leave." Satoshi, as I now knew, bowed before exiting, the doors sliding shut behind him. The sound boomed throughout the room and afterword, it was silent for a few, precious moments. Then, I saw Aizen move in his throne out of the corner of my eye.

"Hello there, Shiro-san. Did you sleep well?" His sultry voice echoed in the huge room and I sneered as I walked forward, towards where he was seated. My shoes, a pair of boots that reached to my knees, clicked against the tiled floor, echoing throughout the expansive room. I crossed my arms over my chest as I glared up at him, scowling at him.

"Yes, I slept great, thank ya. 'Ow 'bout you, Aizen-san?" I spat out the words like they were poison and watched as his lips curled up into a smirk. The brunette leaned forward, placing his chin on top of his balled up fist.

"I slept wonderfully, thank you for asking."

"Anytime." I waved my hand through the air dismissively, turning away from his grinning face. "Now why th' hell did ya call me 'ere?" He sat up straighter before standing up, walking slowly and purposefully towards me. I stopped. Aizen came up to me, towering over me by a few inches. The grin on his face spread wider, reaching his sparkling eyes. I scowled as his arm wrapped around my shoulder.

"Well, Shiro-san, I thought it might be common courtesy to show you around."

"Wasn't tha' supposed ta be Grimmy's job?" Aizen chuckled softly as he led me towards the large doors.

"Yes, I suppose so, but I took it into my hands to do it instead. If you want a job done correctly, do it yourself, right?" I gave him a weird look before turning away.

"Sure, whatever." Aizen laughed softly. We walked down the hallway in the opposite direction I came from before coming upon another large set of doors. They opened slowly, revealing a room with a large, long table. A single chair was placed at the opposite end and a bunch of other chairs lined each side. Aizen removed his arm from around my shoulder and strut over to the chair at the end, seating himself. He waved me over and I sighed, pulling out a chair and sitting beside him.

"So, what's th' point of all this? No one is 'ere, ya know." Aizen just grinned at me.

"They'll be here soon, don't worry." I mumbled under my breath as I looked at the doors, watching as they slowly closed once again, "That's not wha' I was worrin' about..."

A/N: Satoshi-san's name is all thanks to Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo, who has really been pushing me to finish this and a little one-shot I wrote based on Chapter 2, Nursing Back to Health. Feel free to check it out!

I apologize for the long break. As I stated in the Author's Note, a lot of things have happened. There will still be a long period of time between updates, but I figured I might as well get this chapter up.

Also, to my last two reviewers: BeyondTheBeautiful and Nameless, I really appreciate you sticking up for me against the anonymous review from 'blerp.' It means a lot. :) If there is ANYTHING I can do for you, please just ask.

And to all my fans who were so patient with me, I thank you. You guys are the best :)

Love,

Sevvy.