The Challenge – Chap. 4

by Sariniste

A/N: Thanks to everyone for your detailed reviews and great response to this story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All characters in this story are 18 years or older.

(Originally posted 10/25/2010; edited 7/22/2011.)

"Why doesn't the wind blow the candles out?" Orihime asked in a puzzled voice. They were finishing dinner on the wide balcony open to the night sky of Hueco Mundo. There was a faint breeze, but the candle flames were straight, thin vertical ribbons, untouched by a single ripple or flicker.

"Hmmm?" asked Aizen, slightly distracted, as he savored the last few bites of the very delicious meal. The food was always excellent. His chefs put a great deal of effort into preparing his meals. Perhaps they suspected what might happen to them if they did not. "Oh." He smiled at Orihime. "It's kidou. Magic. One places a spell around each flame that immobilizes a cylinder of air in place, as though they were in a glass that protects them from the breeze. Here." He took her hand and gently brought it close to the candle flame so she could touch the slick barrier of frozen air molecules.

"You should be able to sense the workings of the spell too," he added. "Can you detect the reiatsu holding it in place?"

She closed her eyes, and after a moment, nodded.

"You could perform a spell like that," he said. "It's not too hard."

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I don't think my power is like that."

"Nonsense. You have sufficient spiritual pressure, and all kidou is a manipulation of spiritual energy. I know you materialize your power as your Shun Shun Rikka, but that is only a focus for your more advanced abilities, the way a zanpakutou is for shinigami. The basic spells require only simple direction of the energies." He smiled at her. "I could teach you, if you like."

Her eyes grew wide. "Oh, you don't have to do that."

"Orihime," he said in his rich voice, "you need to stop thinking you're not worthwhile." He stroked her hand again. "You are worthy." She blushed again. He bent a kindly gaze on her with just a hint of heat in his eyes, inwardly calculating the effect his attentions during dinner would have had on her by now.

Throughout the meal he had been subtly caressing her with his reiatsu. Not only was his innate level of spiritual pressure extraordinarily high, he also had very fine-grained control of the energies, something that was often neglected at the Shinigami Academy with their emphasis on raw power and strength. It was a mistake, he believed, and he taught all his students fine control in addition to the development of strength and high reiatsu density. It was evidence of the superiority of his technique that it had been well-known throughout Soul Society that the fifth division was the place to be assigned if you wanted to advance your career.

The same subtlety used while holding a calligraphy brush could also be used in the handling of reiatsu; indeed, that was one of the lessons he used to teach as an instructor in the academy, and one of the reasons his calligraphy classes were so popular. His demonstrations that fine control could lead to strength and power always drew a crowd, with students sitting on the floor and clustering outside the door.

He used that fine control now for a different purpose, sending many tendrils of energy running over her skin, touching her deep within her core with a vibrating pressure that undoubtedly was sending her hormones raging. He could see it in her blushes, in the way her body relaxed and opened during dinner, how she licked her lips unconsciously, how she tried to avoid his gaze but failed. The food and wine had relaxed her as well, all the tension of the day's events draining out of her, leaving her slightly sleepy. The reiatsu he sent through her body counteracted the sleepiness, exciting her just enough to keep her alert, while the food and wine took the edge off her tension. It was a careful balance that he needed to maintain, and he did it with the ease of long practice, keeping the strands of energy just out of reach of her clumsy seeking, so that she would not notice what he was doing. Of course, anyone with more experience would have realized what was going on, but he calculated that no one had told her of the possibility of this more subtle manipulation of power.

In addition, whenever he brushed against her with his hand, he enhanced the physical touch with reiatsu, so that it would feel like an electric tingle that started at the point of his touch and spread throughout her body. It was a devastatingly effective procedure even when his partner knew what he was doing. Orihime was doubtless completely confused, questioning her own motivations and desires by now, aware only of how she was reacting to his presence.

To her credit, she was maintaining her composure, making intelligent conversation even as he carried out his subliminal seduction.

"It's always night out here, but daylight inside the palace?" she asked now.

"Yes." He put down his fork. "Why don't I show you?" he said softly. "It's much more interesting that way." He pushed back his chair and stood up gracefully, holding a hand out to her. Somewhat puzzled, she took his hand.

With a smile, he enfolded her in his arms. She gasped as they began to levitate, rising into the night sky, slowly at first, then with more speed. The wind blew her hair away from her face. She looked down below her dangling feet as the buildings receded and they ascended into the cloudless, starry sky. She sighed as his arms tightened around her, and she gradually relaxed in his embrace. He stroked her hair gently, and then, as they continued to ascend, he turned her face to his and kissed her again. He could feel her tense slightly at his kiss, and eased his reiatsu further into her body, relaxing her muscles; then he released her and brushed his lips into her hair.

By now she would be convinced that she was attracted to him, and would be frantically trying to understand why, and perhaps even coming up with justifications for her attraction. She would be telling herself that he was beautiful, powerful, fascinating, and perhaps not as evil as she had been led to believe… and she would be frightened. He smirked into her hair. He would use her fear and her misperception to his advantage.

They were now at the top of one of the citadel towers, and Aizen let them down gently onto the roof. From over the balustrade they had an excellent view of the vast dome of Las Noches, set in the heart of an endless desert that stretched out as far as the eye could see. Aizen pointed out the mechanism that moved the artificial sun within the dome and explained a number of other distinctive features of Las Noches in his kindly professor persona. He kept his arm around her as he spoke; it was cold up here on the exposed roof of the tower. He also noted with satisfaction that Orihime looked around at the immeasurable desert sands surrounding the palace, and an expression of despair slipped across her face. She could see there would be no escape for her.

Aizen smiled and bent to kiss her again, this time deepening the kiss. She resisted, and he drew back and looked at her distraught face. "What's wrong?" he said softly, allowing a trace of hurt to enter his voice. "I – I find myself completely taken by you," he said hesitantly, "and I'm not used to that. But I don't want to do anything you're not ready for." He gazed into her eyes sincerely. "I thought you might be feeling some of the same things I'm feeling. Was I wrong?"

She dropped her eyes. Her thoughts and emotions were in a storm. What should she do now? She was a prisoner, and she had agreed to cooperate in return for her friends' lives. But how far did cooperation go? Allowing Aizen to kiss her was bad enough; the worst part was those odd feelings she had in her core, hot and strange feelings that were different than she had ever felt before, even for Ichigo. How could she be feeling like this about the man who had kidnapped her, who had ordered countless deaths, who was planning to destroy Soul Society… the man who had nearly killed Ichigo right in front of her eyes? But she could not deny the truth of her feelings.

"No…" she whispered. "No, I feel something for you too." As she said it, guilt washed through her. How could she feel this… attraction… to this evil man? Was there something wrong with her? Perhaps it was just genetics; after all, her mother had been a whore. And now she was letting her physical desires overpower her good sense and ethics. But it was all so confusing. If she resisted, what would Aizen do to her friends?

And, was it possible that Aizen was telling the truth? Everything he said had the ring of utter veracity. If he truly believed what he said, and was developing feelings for her… would it be possible that she might have an influence on him, might be able to help put a stop to the bloodshed?

He tightened his arms around her in response to her words and there was gladness in his eyes. She felt a twinge in her heart; he was showing his vulnerability to her as he likely did to no one else. How could she hurt him by rejecting him?

"But," she said, "I've never done anything like this before…" Her voice lowered until it was barely a whisper. "I'm not sure if it's right."

Aizen held her close and stroked her gently. "I won't do anything if you don't think it's right," he promised. "All that matters to me is that you share my feelings. Don't you realize how dangerous it is for me to care for anyone? I am surrounded by enemies who seek to destroy me. I have no friends in Las Noches, only subordinates who would like nothing more than to topple me and take my throne." He stopped and held her at arms' length. "I am so lonely here, Orihime. You don't know… how I need an ally, a companion."

She looked up at him, eyes filled with anguish. He had to be telling the truth. She could see his loneliness in his eyes; and everything he said made sense. Betraying the people he had lived among all his life, coming to this strange place in the lifeless desert, being surrounded by soulless hollows… whom could he truly count on as a friend? But surely he was mistaken in thinking she could be fit for such a position… although it was obviously flattering for someone as powerful as him to take an interest in someone like her.

She shook her head. "What makes you think I could be your companion? I'm … nobody."

"No!" he said firmly, gripping her almost painfully. "Didn't you listen when I told you about your powers? You have the potential to be a god, Orihime."

She shook her head from side to side and looked away. That was ridiculous. She was just Orihime, the impoverished orphan girl of Karakura, who always made sure to keep up a cheerful face so that others wouldn't feel sorry for her. A girl born of parents who were less than worthless, the lowest of the low. Someone no one ever expected much of.

No one had ever believed in her, had ever said she would amount to anything in life. And here this man, her enemy, her friends' enemy… was saying that she could be a god? It was unreal, beyond belief. Of course, it seemed like nothing in her life was believable any more, ever since the strange events surrounding Kurosaki Ichigo had swept her up in the maelstrom. And it was true that her powers and their development still shocked and amazed her. Aizen had been right when he said they were miraculous. If he were telling the truth now, did it mean that she could finally become something more than worthless? Could she actually make a difference in the world?

"Orihime. I can teach you to develop your powers fully. And when you do, you can take your place at my side." He paused, studying her downturned face. "Please, Orihime," he said softly. "I need you."

She gradually turned her face upwards and looked directly into his eyes, an agonized expression on her face. This powerful man— no, shinigami— needed her. He was lowering himself to ask for her help. And she had never refused to help anyone before.

"Please believe me, Orihime," he whispered. His deep brown eyes were full of sincerity. She looked at him, torn. His eyes were so beautiful, and when they looked at her that way they did odd things to her deep inside. If he made her feel this way, it couldn't be so wrong, could it? And he needed her. He said he needed her. It had always been hard for her to resist a request for help, and now he was inciting her compassion. She sighed slightly, and then lowered her eyes. It was a sign of submission.

After all, she thought to herself, she had already agreed to submit to him. What was one thing more, giving her body to him? And it was nothing, nothing compared to the sacrifices her friends were making. They were risking their lives. Giving up her virginity was paltry in comparison. It was only her body.

And… she had to admit she was overwhelmingly attracted to this man with the body and power of a god, yet who spoke so gently to her. Judging by her own body's reactions, her hormones had clearly already made their decision.

He kissed her again, this time gently sliding his tongue between her lips. She did not resist, and he felt her shiver as he spun his reiatsu into her mouth. He unfastened the collar of her outfit and tenderly caressed her throat with his fingertips, sliding them down into the valley between her breasts. She gasped as his touch ignited fireworks within her body. Her mind was so overwhelmed with sensation that she could no longer think clearly.

She shivered as the cold breeze touched her skin. Aizen immediately stopped with a concerned look on his face. "Come," he said quietly. "Let's go someplace warmer."

They lifted off the roof as he carried her up into the starblaze one more time, flying into the sky in a dramatic parabolic arc that left all of Las Noches far beneath them. This time she did not stiffen when he kissed her at the peak of the arc; within a moment, they had turned to descend; with a swiftness that made her gasp, he swept her in through an open window into a large and elegant bedroom.

XxXxXxX

Aizen approached lovemaking the way he did any other important task in his life, applying the same perfectionistic tendencies to each nuance of the procedure. His lovers often found that no other partner, afterwards, could compare to him. It was not only his physical beauty and the perfection of his body. No one else had his sensitivity in lovemaking, his profound understanding of the human body and mind, his ability to give pleasure to an almost unbearable degree. It was whispered that making love with Aizen even once ruined you for anyone else. And it was rare that he took anyone to bed more than a few times… the downside of love with Aizen was that he became bored easily, and when bored, could be lethal. It was playing with fire to go to bed with him. His attention could be deadly.

Orihime did not know any of the rumors whispered about Aizen in the corridors of Las Noches. But she too sensed that he was lethal, dangerous… however, she was too far under his spell for that to mean anything other than a further spice to the encounter. She lay in his bed in his arms, completely naked, and willingly allowed him to do everything he wanted. She had never experienced such delight, such wonder. She realized that even if he did not love her, the experience of making love with him was so amazing that it was worth it for the physical pleasure alone. She was surprised to find that she thought that, for it went against everything she had believed, all her romantic notions of finding a soul mate. But then she stopped thinking and simply gave in to the pure and intense sensations.

Aizen closed his eyes as his reiatsu fountained around them both. He smiled inwardly, knowing the effect he was having on her. Poor Ichigo, he thought, even if she goes to him now, she will always compare him to me… and find him lacking… he'll never have a chance. She is mine now. She'll belong to me forever.