The Challenge – Chap. 13

A/N: I've been having difficulty with this chapter because I wanted to follow canon, but I didn't want to go through all the details of all the fights Ichigo had during Orihime's rescue, especially because I wanted to focus on Aizen and Orihime's thoughts rather than detailing all those other events. So I finally decided simply to compress those scenes here.

Thus, I'm afraid this chapter suffers from some of the issues that reviewers pointed out about the previous one—because I decided to conform to canon at this point, Orihime really is in the depths of hopelessness and passivity. She's not the feisty, badass!Hime we all know and love.

But remember, she just lost her child here. I don't think she can be blamed for acting passive and helpless. She'll make a comeback later.

And I try to show more of the characters' inner feelings during the canon scenes to make up for cleaving so closely to the Bleach storyline which you all already know. I hope that makes these scenes more interesting.

Part of why I am conforming so meticulously to canon now is because this was the germ of inspiration for my story. I have long wondered why Orihime acted the way she did during these scenes in canon, and why Aizen acted the way he did. Why did he go to all the trouble of having her brought back to him, comparing her to the sun, telling her she needed to smile… if she was truly nothing more than bait to lure the shinigami captains to Hueco Mundo?

This is one possibility that I thought made sense. So I wrote my whole story around these scenes.

Since Aizen and Orihime don't meet again in canon after chapter 314, I will then be free to take my story line in any direction I choose.

Sorry for the long author's note!

Warning: angst.

(Originally posted 8/4/11.)

XxXxXxX

Orihime stood passively in the blond Arrancar's grasp, watching Ichigo and Nnoitra fight, feeling completely numb and empty. Her emotions had been so violent, her grief and fear so deep, that they had burned her out. She felt nothing, could do nothing but stand there, inert, as she watched the fight before her.

Ichigo had come to save her, but she didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve his protection any more. There was nothing left for her. She was an empty shell. Her child was gone. She had been emptied out of everything but grief.

She had watched helplessly as Ichigo fought first with Grimmjow, and then with Nnoitra. The worst part, though, was when to her shock and dismay, Ichigo himself had turned into a Hollow, his eyes inhuman.

She realized then that nothing in her world was as it seemed. Aizen had lied to her. Of course, that was to be expected. But even Ichigo, whom she had believed was good to the core, had an inhuman, vicious side to him. Was the inner core of everything in the world evil? It felt as though the central foundation of her being had been torn asunder.

And now, it felt as though she were standing to one side, watching herself act. She could still use her powers mechanically to protect herself and those around her. But how strong could her powers truly be, when she doubted herself and the world around her so deeply? How strong could she herself be, when the small life that had once nestled within her had been ripped from her soul so abruptly?

When she couldn't defend the one being that truly needed her?

Still, she thought, as she watched the fight before her between two insanely powerful beings, she would not give up. No matter how pitiful her powers were, she would use them to help Ichigo to her last breath. She would fight, regardless of how much she was aching inside.

In Tesla's grasp, she once again tried to reach out to her fairies, to summon her powers to help Ichigo against Nnoitra.

But the blond Arrancar shook her and said, "Don't expect to be able to stop me with your ability. Although your powers are immense, the spiritual container in which they are held is ridiculously fragile." He laughed, the eye without a patch narrowing. "I could easily destroy it. The only reason why I hold back is because of Aizen-sama's orders. Your powers are his property now, and his orders were that we were not to destroy them unless you attacked us." His voice dropped to a whisper. "If you attack me, I will destroy them. Please do not resist."

Orihime sagged in his hold at the mention of Aizen's name. So he had ordered his Espada to destroy her powers if she fought. He truly cared nothing for her. Her last speck of hope evaporated. Everything he had said to her was a lie; everything Ichigo had been to her was false. There was nothing left for her. She could not aid Ichigo. She no longer had any will left to have any action on the world around her.

She could only watch as the horror unfolded around her.

XxXxXxX

Gin lifted a hand to knock on the large double doors of Aizen's personal quarters, but the heavy doors opened before his knuckles had touched the wood. He took a moment to make very certain his signature technique of reiatsu camouflage was in place. Out of all shinigami, Gin was the only one who could hide his true feelings, not just on his face, but in his reiatsu. Even during a fight, when most beings were forced to expose their souls to their opponents in order to attack with the greatest strength, no one could sense Gin's heart. It was a difficult technique, requiring delicate control, but he had perfected it over a hundred years of secretly working for Aizen in the Soul Society.

It would be critical that Aizen not detect an iota of his mood for this meeting.

Smiling enigmatically as always, he passed through the antechamber and into the expansive and elegant sitting room of his lord. Aizen was relaxing on a large armchair at the far end of the room, chin propped on his hand, intently watching a large video screen hanging before him.

Gin walked slowly over the huge Oriental carpet covering the white marble floor. Aizen's beautiful, liquid brown eyes were focused on the screen. His reiatsu was tightly furled, but Gin could tell that he was agitated, concentrating on the images before him. He ignored his second-in-command as Gin moved silently across the thick carpet, moved to stand behind his lord's chair. The images on the screen showed a battle between Kurosaki Ichigo and Nnoitra. Orihime was off to one side, captive in Tesla's grasp.

Aizen's eyes were on the image of the girl.

Gin's eyes could not narrow further, but despite himself, his heart clenched at the sight of his lord so disturbed over the human girl. Once again, he felt the knife twist within him. Even though he knew Aizen was faithless, that he cared nothing for Gin, that he had only used him for a hundred years, Gin could not help the stab of pain in his heart.

He loved Aizen. He could not help himself. No matter how many times he told himself the man was an evil bastard who did not deserve his love, not the way Rangiku deserved it, he still found himself drawn to the man. He was helplessly fascinated by everything about Aizen, his sharp wit, his serenity, his finely crafted features, his graceful movements, the flash of his eyes, his deep and resonant voice, the touch of his reiatsu… and his audacious plans.

It was bitter, so very bitter, to realize that Aizen could be so affected by a human girl's actions, when he was so emotionless toward Gin, even after a hundred years of loyal service. Even after a hundred years of being his lover. He felt the fury build at his core. He wanted to rage at the man. He loved him far more than the human girl did. He could have given him everything.

The fury washed through him and left a profound sadness in its wake. He had long ago admitted to himself that he loved Aizen even though it would never be reciprocated. He had been certain that Aizen could never really love. The man's soul had been utterly twisted at some point in the past, and had become unable to make a true connection with anyone. Or so he had always thought. That had made Gin's unrequited love bearable. Perhaps Aizen did not love him; but then, he was incapable of love, so there was no chance of losing him to someone else.

It could not be possible that a mere human could have affected Aizen in a way that Gin had never been able to. Not after all their history together.

However, he let none of this turmoil show in his face or his reiatsu signature. His immutable grin did not falter. He had not been Aizen's student for a century for nothing. He would say and do whatever it took to advance his own agenda. And this time, Gin would use Aizen's emotions against him, in exactly the same way he knew Aizen had used his own feelings for Rangiku against him.

He reached down to massage Aizen's shoulders, allowing only affection and obedience to flow through his fingertips. The older shinigami sighed and relaxed into his subordinate's strong kneading of his stiff muscles.

"Yer tense, Aizen-sama," Gin drawled as he continued to work on the tight muscles.

"There is much to do before we leave for the world of the living, Gin," Aizen replied in a calm voice, his reiatsu betraying nothing now. "Did you examine the woman's reiatsu?"

Gin nodded. "It's as you suspected, Aizen-sama. There is no sign of the child's reiatsu any longer within her body. She must have used her powers to reject its existence, as there is no evidence of her using physical means to terminate the pregnancy."

Aizen's eyes narrowed. "She dared…" he whispered, "to do that to my child."

Gin did not say anything as he felt Aizen's reiatsu begin building in the room. He usually could withstand it when Aizen raised his spiritual pressure under most conditions. He braced himself, suspecting that this might be higher than usual.

But abruptly, the pressure stopped as Aizen furled his reiatsu tightly. Gin marveled at yet another demonstration of his master's inhuman self-control. The man could stifle his own emotions mercilessly, bring the most intense feelings under complete control. Gin saw his eyes narrow with calculation and a calm expression descend on his face. He had seen that expression dozens of times during the century he had served under Aizen in the Soul Society, when someone challenged Aizen, or crossed him in any way, in a situation where Aizen had to maintain his façade of the good captain. It was the expression that meant that Aizen was already planning to get even with the one who crossed him.

Gin's face expressed only his unchanging grin, but inside he shivered with a dark delight. Indeed, he almost felt sorry for the human girl. He knew that his lord would find the exact, most devastating way to strike against the girl in order to obtain his revenge. And that he would take his time doing it, and he would revel in whatever steps he took to crush the girl's spirit.

Gin continued to grin. His master was a sadistic bastard. He very much hoped that he could witness Aizen's revenge.

XxXxXxX

After taking his leave of his lieutenant, Aizen ascended the stairs to his private study once again, this time with his mind focused and cold. The anger at his core would fuel his power. He had learned long ago the advantages of channeling his emotions into action rather than releasing them where others could see them.

He sat down at his desk and closed his eyes. Then he began assembling the elements of the spell he had attempted before without success. As he focused his intent, he was pleased to see that he was no longer distracted. Instead, his will burned steady and true.

He had been truly surprised by the depth of his reaction to the human girl's actions. He realized he had very nearly made a tremendous mistake, that he had been allowing himself to develop… feelings… for her and even for his unborn child.

He realized he had made the mistake of thinking he might no longer be alone.

The loneliness he had always felt, that he had ruthlessly suppressed over the centuries, had surfaced unexpectedly at the recent developments.

But as he had always believed, it was a weakness to rely on others. He had made a mistake by allowing himself to be distracted by the human girl, to contemplate the possibility of her having his child. Having offspring would be an error for someone like him.

Instead, he would focus again on his true goal.

Carefully, Aizen lifted the Hougyoku out of its container and placed it in the center of the glowing reiatsu web he had built. There, he thought with satisfaction, a perfectly constructed spell this time. This time, he felt his customary pleasure and pride at his own skill. No one could assemble and direct the kidou energies the way he could.

At last, he was on the brink of obtaining everything he had truly ever wanted. He lifted a hand to begin the final set of gestures to trap the Hougyoku within his own body, finally subjugate it completely to his will.

There was a signal from the door. Annoyed, he glanced up. He could feel nothing outside the reiatsu shielding in this room; he had constructed it for the purpose of extremely delicate work with very powerful energies. But the signal was in Gin's pattern. His eyes narrowed. His lieutenant knew that he did not wish to be disturbed while he conducted his final work.

He turned back to the spell-casting. Whatever the problem was, Gin could handle it. He had carefully trained Gin and developed his power over a century. The man was extraordinarily powerful and could certainly handle whatever difficulty might have arisen in Las Noches.

One problem with keeping your subordinates deferential was that they tended to lack initiative sometimes. It would be a good lesson for Gin to deal with the problem on his own. Aizen gave a half smile as he turned away from the door and focused his attention on the next delicate piece of the spell.

XxXxXxX

There was a break in the ferocious battle taking place before Orihime, as both Nnoitra and Ichigo lay injured upon the ground. Tesla's grip on Orihime slackened as his eyes went to his fallen master in dismay and he started forward. With a sudden twist, Orihime pulled out of his grasp and ran forward to Ichigo, raising her healing powers as she ran.

But before she could begin the healing, she was grabbed from behind in a grip like a vise. She half-twisted in her captor's grasp to see that it was Nnoitra. He was still alive after all. He clutched her, grinning horribly, his greasy black hair falling limply over her shoulder, an avid light in his eyes.

Tesla raised his sword. "Strike down, Beluga!" he called out, and to Orihime's shock a huge giant appeared behind Ichigo's fallen form, raising a monstrous fist.

Ichigo, bleeding from the mouth, gasping for breath, pushed himself slowly to his hands and knees. Behind him, Tesla readied a blow to finish the severely injured youth. Orihime opened her mouth to cry out, but suddenly a smelly, dirty hand was wrapped around her face, stifling her. Then two filthy fingers were shoved brutally into her mouth.

"Shut up!" rasped Nnoitra. "All you gotta do is shut up and watch." He grinned sadistically. "Watch the guy who came ta save ya get diced into slabs of meat."

He half-turned her body so that she could get a good view of Tesla's huge, monstrous form as it smashed into Ichigo, sending the already injured youth flying.

No! Orihime wanted to scream. Not Ichigo! But she could do nothing but watch helplessly as the ponderous form shuffled forward after Ichigo, preparing the killing blow.

Then Orihime gasped as a new combatant suddenly appeared on the scene. She recognized a captain's haori. A shinigami? But she had thought Soul Society had refused to intervene in this battle. It took a moment more before she recognized Zaraki Kenpachi, the 11th division captain.

Nnoitra dropped her instantly, his attention focused on this new enemy. His lips peeled back in a savage grin.

Tesla immediately jumped in front of Kenpachi. The shinigami captain raised his sword and without breaking a sweat, sliced through the monstrous form in a single blow. Tesla fell dead to the ground.

"Next," Kenpachi drawled casually as he turned to face Nnoitra.

They both completely ignored the dead body on the ground, clashing in a ferocious explosion of powerful reiatsu.

Finally free, Orihime lost no time in running to Ichigo's side. She began healing him rapidly, wondering how much time she had before the attention of the combatants turned to them again. She sat beside her healing shield, watching the process finish on Ichigo. He slowly raised his head.

Then there was a shout from the battlefield. Kenpachi gestured at Ichigo, triumphant and grinning.

"Time to get the hell outta here, substitute shinigami! The woman's outta harm's way, your job's done." He sneered, then narrowed his eyes at Orihime. "Woman!" he hollered. "Heal me now!"

As Orihime ran to obey, another figure appeared in front of her. A tall, handsome man with gray eyes and shoulder-length dark hair stood eying her with a mild, regretful look in his eyes. "Forgive me," he murmured as he clasped Orihime with arms that were gentle but firm as iron. "Truth be told, I abhor such tactics. But I'm afraid none of us here has much say in the matter. Hold on tight!"

With those words he picked her up and suddenly everything disappeared in a rush of speed as the man— no, Espada, she realized— was sonidoing faster than anyone she had seen before.

Then he abruptly stopped. Orihime caught her breath, looking around her. She was within a building she had never seen before, though she recognized the distinctive architectural style of Las Noches.

"Welcome back, Orihime." The deep, familiar voice was cold and mocking. She whirled to see, standing regal and beautiful in his white robes at the top of a long flight of stairs, the one man she least wanted to lay eyes upon.

Aizen.