Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Secrets Of An Unworthy Heart ❯ A Pact With the Devil ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: Langus

Aizen was there from the beginning, or so he said. Lurking in the shadows he'd waited, biding his time until the moment was right.

He was calculating and meticulous - traits which irritated Gin's laid back nature endlessly. He had no use for Aizen, no need to seek control and supreme power the way he so desperately seemed to need it, but in the end he hadn't had a choice. In the end none of them had really had a choice, but no one seems to take a minute to consider that when they've already branded you a traitor.

That was nothing new either. He'd never made any secret as to where his loyalties laid. So it was no surprise that the moment Soul Society started to crumble it was him the others turned on with their narrowed eyes and razor sharp accusations.

It was no use trying to defend himself. He was hardly innocent and even if he were, the very fact he was from Area 78 alone was enough to condemn him. Somehow the others - Rangiku, Kenpachi, Renji, Hitsugaya - had managed to overcome their origins, but not him.

It was because of the whispers and the shifting eyes that followed him as he walked through the halls of the Shinigami Academy that he trained harder than he had ever thought possible. They may not trust him, they may openly dislike him and sneer at his face, but never would he give them cause to call him weak. He'd made a promise to himself and to Rangiku once and he would not break it.

When they were caught, Aizen proudly announced that he'd been working towards that moment from the very beginning. Being the egotist that he was he'd elaborated on that point slightly. It hadn't been from the beginning, but very nearly so.

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Gin relaxed beneath the shade of one of the large oak trees that crested the hill on the edge of the Academy's training grounds. With one knee tucked into his chest, he casually rested his arm overtop and watched the dozen or so students sparring below.

There were many promising individuals, but his eyes settled on one in particular. Her face was determined as she blocked her opponent's strike and then landed one of her own across his shoulder. The boy cried out and clutched his shoulder while his arm hung limp at his side. Beaming, Rangiku cheered and turned to face him. Gin flipped his hand at her in a small wave and leaned his head back against the tree.

She was improving faster than he'd expected. She worked harder than many in her class but she made it seem effortless. The smile that constantly brightened her face was rarely absent and he was glad for it.

He'd been worried at first about how she would adapt to life at the Academy, but he realized now that his concerns were unfounded. Rangiku had taken to Soul Society like a fish to water, immediately warming the hearts of everyone she met and quickly making a name for herself. She was always cheerful, always eager and determined to prove herself.

He, on the other hand, had quickly earned himself a reputation for being quiet, sullen, and untrustworthy. He was motivated by nothing beyond his burning desire to prove himself to her. He needed Rangiku to know that he could and would protect her. The incident that had happened so many years ago, the one that brought them to where they were now, would never happen again.

Perhaps it was his selfish nature, or maybe it was just an overactive sense of pride, whatever the cause it drove him to excel where he'd once failed. He'd become strong where he once was weak. One day he knew she would stand in awe of his power. One day she would look upon him with those sapphire eyes and know that everything he had achieved, everything he had become, was for her.

Never again would the fear of death pass through the soulful seas of her eyes. He would sacrifice himself and everything he had before letting that happen. This was the promise he'd made all those years ago and he intended to keep it.

But life in the Academy hadn't started out easily for either of them. Within hours their arrival, they'd been separated into different classes. Impressed by his abilities at the entrance exam, the instructors had placed him in a higher class alongside the sons of the noble families - the 'future leaders of Soul Society' they called themselves. They turned their noses up the moment he entered the room, as if they were trying to avoid the reeking stench of his humble origins. The worst offender was Byakuya Kuchiki who refused to even look at him unless it was absolutely necessary.

Rangiku, though strong, had not trained her powers as he had and was put in a lower class. Thus, while he was working towards landing a placement as a Vice-Captain she was still training to develop her zanpakto. They hardly saw one another after that, separated into the different classes as they were, but he made an effort to watch her train whenever he had a spare moment. She seemed to appreciate his company, even though it was always from a distance, and made sure to wave or send a smile his way when she noticed him watching.

From the beginning they'd been forced into separate sleeping quarters which had been a new and wholly uncomfortable adjustment for them both. He hadn't realized how reliant he'd become on her until the first achingly quiet night he'd spent alone. In those first weeks he could hardly sleep for the lack of her presence. At night he tossed and turned endlessly, finding himself staring at the floor ahead of him, envisioning the smouldering remains of a fire and Rangiku's body curled up next to it.

He tried to tell himself that he was being ridiculous, that he didn't need her quite so much as he thought he did, but a small voice always reminded him that he was wrong. She'd become a part of him without his ever realizing it and now with her noted absence he felt the void more strongly than he ever thought possible. He was…incomplete, like a Shinigami without his zanpakto.

It wasn't until he'd been appointed to the Third Squad that she finally came to him. One night after hours of staring into space as his body fought sleep, the door to his room had quietly slid open. Sitting up he'd stared at her through the shadows.

The dim moonlight haloed around her body in the dark, blotting out her face and the large sapphire orbs he knew where peering at him. It wasn't until she closed the door that he finally made out her features; the smile on her lips, the dimple in her left cheek and the ever present gleam in her eye, and knew that this was no dream. She'd found him and she'd come back to him. He breathed a sigh of relief knowing that his fears of losing her were unfounded.

Rangiku stepped barefoot across the floor, her feet hardly making a sound against the tatami mats, before slipping beneath his covers. He wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled into his chest, her body cold from the night air.

Neither of them spoke since no words were necessary. They understood one another completely and it was finally on that night that Gin was able to let go and allowed his weary body to rest. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so peacefully.

When he awoke she was, of course, gone but he was still thankful. In the soft light of the dawn he'd lain stretched out on his back and reconciled how he would reunite with her. Only one possible plan came to mind and he grasped at it naively, certain that it was the only answer.

He would train harder and become a Captain and she would become his Vice. In his mind it was a perfect plan, but Fate had a different story in mind. He couldn't know it yet though, and as he reminisced a smile graced his lips.

Gin was slowly drawn from his thoughts by the nagging touch of a powerful reiatsu. Turning, he glanced over his shoulder and his eyebrows lifted with surprise to see Captain Aizen standing next to him.

"Ah Ichimaru, might I join you?" he inquired, inclining his head towards him.

With a nod of his head Gin motioned to the grass next to him before turning his attention back to the practise field. He'd heard many people speak of this Captain Aizen. They praised him as if he could walk on water but he didn't understand why. He had yet to see anything to convince him of the Captain's greatness, much less give him a reason to respect him for anything other than the fact that he was a superior officer.

Just as the thought left his mind a suffocating wave of the Captain's reiatsu washed over him and he knew that it was akin to a slap on the wrist. He was being punished for his indifference but he refused to bow down like a meek whelp. Swallowing the lump that had formed in the back of his throat, he kept his eyes stubbornly glued to the horizon.

"I understand you're training to become a Vice-Captain." Aizen's voice was smooth and rich. His words washed over Gin and drew him in the way a rattlesnake teases its prey before striking.

Glancing at the Captain he nodded swiftly and allowed the placid smile to cross his features. He had grown so accustomed to that smile that it'd nearly become second nature. Though the rest of Soul Society may look down upon him, he kept the lazy grin on his face at all times just to spite them. He would never allow them to think that their words had been strong enough to break him. One day he would outshine them all and it was this thought which kept his crafty smile in place.

This was the smile he gave Aizen now and with a gentle flip of his wrist and a shrug of his shoulders he brushed off the comment.

"Who isn't? We've all got somethin' to gain from bein' here Captain."

Aizen nodded his head and chuckled at this comment, though Gin didn't fully understand why. His chest still rumbling with laughter, the Captain removed his glasses and slowly cleaned them with the hem of his uniform.

"How right you are. Tell me, have you had a chance to see my zanpakto?"

"Sorry no, and no thanks. The only zanpakto I'm interested in at the moment is my own."

Aizen's brows drew together at the finality in the Shinigami's words but he hid the expression by bowing his head to put his glasses on once more. This was going to be more difficult than he'd anticipated. He'd known from the start that Ichimaru Gin wouldn't be like the others, but now he realized just how different he truly was. The boy couldn't possibly know what he was planning, but the calculating gleam in his eyes unsettled him. He would have to use an entirely different line of reasoning with him.

Following Gin's gaze he watched the figure of Rangiku Matsumoto on the practise field below them. From what he understood, the two had arrived together from Area 78 a few years prior. Apparently they'd lived together outside the walls of Soul Society, but apart from that he understood very little about the parameters of their relationship.

The intensity of the young Shinigami's gaze as he watched the girl told him more than enough. Gesturing casually to the field he watched him intently.

"My, that Matsumoto certainly has done well for herself. I hear the other Captains speak very highly of her."

With satisfaction he saw the lines around Ichimaru Gin's mouth tighten almost imperceptibly, though his lazy smile did not falter. With a casual shrug he continued, "I hope she realizes just how hazardous being a full-fledged Shinigami can be. It's dangerous out there in the real world for one so young. She possesses such a bright light. It'd be a shame for it to be extinguished."

At those words Gin's ever present smile faltered and he turned a dark glare on Aizen. Though his words appeared innocent enough he had a feeling that there was more to it than that. Aizen's gaze shifted and he caught Gin's eye.

"Wouldn't you agree?"

The tone of his words sent a chill down the Shinigami's spine. The breath stalled in his lungs as his mind raced. He had to be jumping to conclusions. It was his overprotective feelings towards Rangiku that were making him think now that the Captain's words were anything more than a casual, offhanded and totally valid observation.

But no…he knew better. The world had taught him better and the smirk on Aizen's lips was enough to quell any further questions he might have had about the intent behind his words.

Gin's fingers tightened around the scabbard of his zanpakto and he moved to stand only to find his body paralyzed. He hadn't even seen Aizen cast a spell, hadn't even noticed a change in the atmosphere around him and yet it held him fast, stronger than any real restraints could be.

As he fought against Aizen's kido he could feel the air electrifying around him and knew that in his current state he was no match for the Captain.

"What do you want?" he demanded solemnly, knowing that despite Aizen's words, Rangiku was not who he was after. She was merely a pawn, just as they all would be eventually; a pawn in his quest for power, completely expendable and utterly ignorant of what was to come.

Relaxing back onto his elbows Aizen surveyed the view below them, satisfied that he had the lieutenant's undivided attention for the time being. Apparently this wouldn't be so difficult after all. Not when the boy's very existence depended upon one delicate slip of a girl whose giddy laughter floated up to reach their ears.

It was his own fault for making his devotion to her so blatantly obvious. Any idiot could have deduced that she was his Achilles Heel and he felt no remorse about exploiting that weakness to his own ends.

"Urahara is being expelled from Soul Society today. He will be publicly stripped of his rank at noon."

The comment was casual, offhanded, and Gin was completely lost as to its relevance. He remained silent, waiting for Aizen to continue but the only sound between them was the gentle breeze that suddenly picked up to send his hair into his eyes.

Straining his arms he realized that he was still paralyzed and relaxed once more in defeat. Heaving a frustrated sigh he cast his eyes towards Rangiku, if only to reassure himself that she was still alive and well. He would never let the bastard touch her. Judging by the powerful waves of reiatsu that were continually washing over him, no one in Soul Society could challenge Aizen least of all him.

"I don' care 'bout Soul Society's damn politics!" he bit out tersly. "Urahara is before my time. I don' give a damn 'bout him."

"You should," Aizen remarked cryptically.

"Urahara is being banished from Soul Society for his research. He created an untraceable gigai to hide his most impressive creation - the Hogyoku. Its power is unimaginable, far beyond anything you have ever seen, yet it is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand."

To illustrate his point Aizen glanced down at his own hand and opened his palm wide before closing his fingers into a tight fist. His eyes drifted shut momentarily as he imagined the hard shell of Hogyoku in his grasp.

After a moment of silence Aizen turned to his unwilling confidant and confessed his plan without hesitation. There was no need to fear that the boy would speak to anyone else. He made certain Gin knew what was at stake - the girl's life in exchange for his cooperation - it was a fair exchange if he ever saw one.

"I intend to find Hogyoku and use it to destroy Soul Society."

The blood pounded in Gin's ears as the meaning of Aizen's words sank in. Destroy Soul Society? He hardly thought such a thing was possible. And even if it was, why would someone like Aizen want to destroy it? What would it prove? Considering the man's already overwhelming power, he couldn't comprehend how he fit into his plan. What purpose could he possibly serve?

"You are probably wondering why I need you," Aizen interjected suddenly as if reading his thoughts. Gin swallowed hard but made no move to answer.

"For now, you will be my Vice-Captain. All I need from you is your loyalty and your vow to follow my lead until this is over."

With that comment Gin's lazy smile returned and he rested his head back against the trunk of the tree at his back. Cocky bastard.

"My, my Aizen. Even you should understand that loyalty can't be forced. It's gotta be earned," he retorted rather smugly.

Aizen shrugged his shoulders haphazardly and picked up a budding dandelion from the grass. Rolling the small cottony tuft of silver seeds against his palm he considered Gin's words before ruthlessly crushing the flower within his fist. Opening his fingers he let what was left of the seedlings drift shakily into the breeze and wiped the rest against the pristine white cloth of his Captain's robe.

"Yes, but we both know you'll be loyal to me anyway. Anything to keep your pretty young friend out of trouble, am I right?"

Gin tsked and averted his gaze, his jaw working overtime as he clenched and unclenched it. Hate radiated throughout his body until he was practically shaking, but he was powerless to do anything but submit. He couldn't defeat Aizen alone and he doubted anyone would believe him if he did tell them of his plot to destroy Soul Society.

There are times when standing up for what's right is noble and brave, but this was not one of them. He had never been noble and though he was brave he wasn't stupid. If Aizen wanted to destroy Soul Society that was his business, his job was to protect Rangiku. If that meant becoming a part of Aizen's plot then so be it.

"Do you understand what's at stake, Gin?" the Captain demanded coolly as he pushed himself to his feet.

Gin's teeth ground together as he fought against the absolute loathing that coursed through him. He wanted to run the bastard through with a rusty blade for dragging Rangiku into this but he was powerless to stop him.

Swallowing his hatred of the man standing before him, he heard his voice bite out the one word that would seal his fate.

"Perfectly."

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Author's Note: I know it's been forever since I updated this story. Please don't attack me!

I knew I had to bring Aizen in for this chapter and I wanted to get his convo with Gin just right...who knows it's probably all mucked up anyways but at this point I realized that if I didn't post what I had I wouldn't post anything at all and then I'd be stuck with yet another half finished story.

Hopefully you guys like what I wrote. From here the plot thickens. Please let me know what you think and in the meantime I'll do my best to be a little quicker with the updates.

Thanks for continuing to read this. Your reviews are really touching :) Until next time...