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damned_lounge2007-10-25 06:17 pm
burningvigor.livejournal.com) wrote in damned_lounge2007-10-25 06:17 pm
Entry tags:
Oktoberfest '07 Entry, He Enters by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
burningvigor
Title: He Enters
Author:burningvigor
Word Count: 2,419
Rating: PG-13
Character(s): Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, Abarai Renji, Histugaya Toshirou, Kuchiki Rukia, Hinamori Momo, Matsumoto Rangiku, mentions of other Bleach characters
Pairing(s): N/A; perhaps mild Aizen/Gin and Aizen/Momo if you want it to be there
Summary: A quick look at the effects of Aizen showing up at Landel's.
Notes: Since I didn't figure we would be getting an Aizen anytime soon, I wanted to try this out. Gin's dialogue sucks, and I didn't even try to get his accent down, so just a warning of that. This is my first time writing a lot of these characters, too, but I'm proud that I didn't put any of mine in it, at least. :D; Oh, and there are spoilers for most of the series.
When he arrived, there was no question that it was him. It was at breakfast, so there was no chance of it being a mimic like the one Gin and Matsumoto had encountered that one night.
But even more telling than that was simply the way he carried himself. Despite the fact that he was the newest out of all the shinigami, he walked into the cafeteria as if he was the most seasoned veteran, completely at home with the situation and already fitted with a plan for escape.
All of the shinigami quickly turned their gazes to Gin. All had been fine and well when he had been here on his own, as detached from Aizen's plans as the rest of them, but this changed everything.
Hitsugaya and Renji were the most wary, figuring that now was a prime time for them to get stabbed in the back. After all of that work to forge an alliance with Ichimaru, it seemed that it was about to go down the drain.
Rangiku couldn't be as black and white about it. She knew Gin better than all of them, though at times it felt like she was just the one who was being the most fooled. They had gotten so close to how things had been before, and it didn't seem fair for that man to waltz in and tear it all down again.
It was inevitable, however. Gin had chosen Aizen over them once before—there was no reason why he wouldn't do the same thing now, in this place.
And Aizen wouldn't be open to alliances.
--
“I'm gonna fucking tear him apart!” Renji snarled, wresting himself out of his chair and almost knocking over his tray of food in the process.
“Renji!” Rukia snapped, ready to scold.
“Abarai,” Hitsugaya said in a lower tone soon after, obviously not open to an argument.
Renji looked at both of them like they were insane. How could they not want to head straight over to that traitor and beat the living shit out of him? He had been the one orchestrating Rukia's execution, and yet she was sitting there like nothing was wrong.
As Renji opened his mouth to protest, Hitsugaya cut in again. “No one stood a chance against him before. What makes you think that now will be any different? You are not strong enough for this, Abarai.”
“Being stubborn won't get you through this one,” Rukia added gravely.
“Everyone's weakened here!” Renji exclaimed. “We're all basically on the same level here, right? If we all take him on at once, we can overpower him.”
Hitsugaya looked unimpressed, and from an outsider's standpoint it would look like the child was lecturing the adult. “That would land us all in solitary confinement for a week.”
“It would be worth it,” the redhead grumbled, but he fell back into his seat, arms crossed tightly over his chest. There was no arguing with these two and winning, but he could still sulk about it.
He watched the two traitors as they conversed almost pleasantly over their breakfast of waffles. Fuck, he needed to take his anger out on something. He took hold of the edge of the table and crushed his hands against it, trying to imagine that it was Aizen's neck instead.
It didn't work very well, but it was better than nothing.
He averted his gaze from the two, and instead found himself watching Rangiku. She was also observing Gin and Aizen, but instead of angry, she looked downright crushed. It wouldn't have been easy for someone who didn't know her to tell, but Renji knew that she had to be close to losing it.
Hitsugaya had also noticed. “I'm going to speak with my vice captain,” he said calmly. Renji didn't know how he could be calm at a time like this, but the captain must have figured that he had to be the reasonable one in this situation.
He turned to Rukia. “Watch Renji. I'll see both of you later.”
--
Aizen sat at the table, his chin calmly cupped by his hand as he looked his subordinate over. Gin seemed uneasy, but he could be reined back in without too much effort. They must have all been in this place for a while, judging by how hesitant his vice captain seemed.
“How long has it been?”
Gin's expression smoothed out, back into that smile that most couldn't see through. Aizen knew all facets of it, however, and could still notice some wariness etched out on the edges of his lips.
“A few weeks, give or take,” Gin reported, knowing better than to look away or seem unnerved. They were supposed to be comfortable with each other, after all, and Aizen didn't like the idea of that having changed.
He scanned the room discreetly, taking note of how many shinigami were around. The only one who gave him any manner of pause was Urahara, but he didn't linger on it.
“What of Tousen?” he asked conversationally, gingerly picking up his glass of juice to take a sip.
“He's not here. Seems he got left behind.”
Aizen nodded. That was probably for the best. One of them needed to be back in Hueco Mundo to handle the arrancar. Ichigo was here, which meant that any glimmer of a threat was now gone from the fortress.
With Gin at his side, however, the advantage that Soul Society's members had in numbers didn't really matter. They both outmatched all of them tenfold.
“You know they're all going to be out for your blood, sir. They might be behaving now, but nighttime is very different 'round here.” Gin almost looked concerned beneath the layers of pasted-on expressions.
Aizen's constant smile changed a bit, though it was hard to pinpoint how. “I think we both know that that won't be a problem.” He might not have his zanpakutou, but neither did anyone else. His skill with kidou far surpassed the others', including that Kuchiki girl.
“Can't you sense how weakened you are?”
Aizen stared back at his subordinate, demeanor unchanged. “Which means they'll be weaker.”
Gin didn't seem to have much of a response to that. He already knew well enough that Aizen was all about absolution.
“Now,” Aizen continued calmly, not even sparing further glances at the others he recognized in the cafeteria, “let's not ruin this meal any further. It must be nice to be out of Hueco Mundo for a while.” He knew perfectly well that the hollow world was as bleak as the name implied.
“Hueco Mundo?” Gin asked, though he didn't sound too shocked. “You mean we made it there?”
Aizen tilted his head, watching his subordinate carefully. “Of course we did.” There was a question implied in his statement, and he knew that Gin knew him well enough to catch it.
“I don't remember any of that. Apparently this place can do that sort of thing. It takes us from different times, most likely to cause this sort of confusion.”
Aizen didn't know what to make of that. He had heard of there being time rifts when worlds were crossed, of course, but he didn't like when anything was taken out of his hands. It was obvious that he was not the one in control here, but he could at least exact his power over the other shinigami, in subtle and cutting ways.
“I'll catch you up later,” he assured Gin, since it would be vital for them to be on the same wavelength when they were in such a tumultuous situation.
Gin nodded, not appearing to care either way. That was part of what made him so unnerving to those who didn't know him—nothing every seemed to affect him. Aizen was exactly the same, of course, but he had been able to fool everyone in ways that Gin hadn't.
They complimented in each in that way, however. If they functioned the same way, their betrayal wouldn't have worked nearly as well. They fit together like puzzle pieces, and if the others could only have understood that, they wouldn't have been nearly as shocked by the fact that Gin had returned to him now.
“How about Inoue Orihime? Is she here?” She was perhaps the most important, which was partly why he had left her for last.
He was in no rush.
“The drifter girl?” Gin questioned.
Of course—Gin still had no reason to understand her potential. It would be something of a pleasure to explain, as her role and the damage that had been done when they had taken her was particularly genius.
“She is the key,” he explained, glancing over his waffles. He hadn't eaten them, and seemed content enough with his juice. “She has more power than they realized.”
When Gin seemed to falter at that, Aizen couldn't blame him. It had been unexpected, even for him, to have her turn out to be so important. “She can reject a state of being, revert it back to what it was before. Wounds that could never be healed normally—she makes it as if they were never there in the first place.”
He watched as his vice captain thought it over, piecing through every way such a power could be helpful to their cause. He was missing some important information that would help him answer the question, however.
“The hougyoku was not at its full potential when I extracted it from Kuchiki Rukia. I sent one of the arrancar I created to collect Inoue Orihime in hopes that she would be able to revert it to its original state.”
Gin nodded in understanding. “She is here,” he said. “So you were really able to create them...”
“Even with the hougyoku in its weakened state, it could still be persuaded to make them.” It didn't seem like any of the arrancar were here, however. There was no reason to get into all the details of that now, though. First, he needed to establish himself in this place so he could start working his way out, along with anyone he deemed useful. “We need to get her back in place. Find her, and speak with her about it. Once she's ready, bring her to me.”
It was his first order, and Gin wouldn't fail to follow it. Even though he was behind in the events, he understood how this worked and would undoubtedly bring the girl to him. “I suppose it's obvious what her weakness is,” he added, just to get the point across. Orihime had no choice—she would be on their side again, if she wanted her friends to live.
“Looks like you're already settled here, sir,” Gin said with a smirk that Aizen knew to be genuine. “I'll get the girl. Just keep in mind—we're not as strong here as we're supposed to be, and the night is a lot more dangerous than you'd expect.” With that, the ex-captain moved away, out on the prowl for Inoue Orihime.
--
For some reason, Aizen hadn't expected for Hinamori Momo to be here. She didn't seem noteworthy enough to even be taken in the first place. The other shinigami he had seen around at least had some promise, but he had picked her as his vice captain for a very specific reason—she could be used, she was weak.
She found him during the lunch hour.
“Aizen-sama!” she exclaimed, running up to him with her eyes shining and her hands clasped together. “I can't believe you're here. Are you okay?”
“Of course,” he responded quietly, his tone as steady as always. He had to weigh the situation carefully. After what Gin had told him about people being from different times, it was difficult to judge what she knew.
“I'm glad to hear it, sir! I knew that everyone was wrong! I knew that Ichimaru had to be the one controlling you, and making you do all those horrible things!” She looked hopeful. Even though she had been crushed by him already, she was coming back for more.
It was quite remarkable, but only in that it was so pathetic. He almost wanted to laugh at her, but laughing could be seen as a loss of control, an involuntary response.
“I don't think that the captain of the Tenth Division would want you speaking with me, Hinamori,” he said, even going far enough to offer her a small, admonishing smile.
Hitsugaya was watching, and he looked torn between anger and sympathy. Aizen couldn't understand how someone so strict could actually take pity on a girl that was so hopeless. It didn't make sense, but mortals rarely did.
Hinamori had noticed her friend watching as well, but the message didn't seem to be getting through to her. After sending Hitsugaya a glance, she turned back to Aizen. “But you're my captain! I have to see things through, and make them right. Then we can all take Ichimaru down together...”
There was an option here. He could bring her over to his side—it would be a simple enough process, and she would have no way of resisting. She was already his, but the fact of the matter was that he didn't want her anymore. She had served her purpose well enough, but the betrayal had already been a success and she was no longer any help to him. After all, a system was only as strong as its weakest link, which meant that having her among his ranks would only be detrimental.
She was not like Orihime—that girl had unbelievable strength, but was also easy to manipulate. It made her an asset, but a controllable one, which was what he needed.
Hinamori Momo, however, was nothing to him.
He seized her wrist and stared her down—while his eyes changed, his smile didn't. “I think you'd better remove yourself from my presence now.”
All of the hope that had tried to seem so bold in her eyes was stamped out with just a few words. She crumpled away from him, and went back to her friend so that he could pick up the pieces for her.
Aizen straightened and closed his eyes for a moment, replicating the look on her face in his mind's eye.
His stay here could prove rather interesting after all.
Author:
burningvigorWord Count: 2,419
Rating: PG-13
Character(s): Aizen Sousuke, Ichimaru Gin, Abarai Renji, Histugaya Toshirou, Kuchiki Rukia, Hinamori Momo, Matsumoto Rangiku, mentions of other Bleach characters
Pairing(s): N/A; perhaps mild Aizen/Gin and Aizen/Momo if you want it to be there
Summary: A quick look at the effects of Aizen showing up at Landel's.
Notes: Since I didn't figure we would be getting an Aizen anytime soon, I wanted to try this out. Gin's dialogue sucks, and I didn't even try to get his accent down, so just a warning of that. This is my first time writing a lot of these characters, too, but I'm proud that I didn't put any of mine in it, at least. :D; Oh, and there are spoilers for most of the series.
When he arrived, there was no question that it was him. It was at breakfast, so there was no chance of it being a mimic like the one Gin and Matsumoto had encountered that one night.
But even more telling than that was simply the way he carried himself. Despite the fact that he was the newest out of all the shinigami, he walked into the cafeteria as if he was the most seasoned veteran, completely at home with the situation and already fitted with a plan for escape.
All of the shinigami quickly turned their gazes to Gin. All had been fine and well when he had been here on his own, as detached from Aizen's plans as the rest of them, but this changed everything.
Hitsugaya and Renji were the most wary, figuring that now was a prime time for them to get stabbed in the back. After all of that work to forge an alliance with Ichimaru, it seemed that it was about to go down the drain.
Rangiku couldn't be as black and white about it. She knew Gin better than all of them, though at times it felt like she was just the one who was being the most fooled. They had gotten so close to how things had been before, and it didn't seem fair for that man to waltz in and tear it all down again.
It was inevitable, however. Gin had chosen Aizen over them once before—there was no reason why he wouldn't do the same thing now, in this place.
And Aizen wouldn't be open to alliances.
--
“I'm gonna fucking tear him apart!” Renji snarled, wresting himself out of his chair and almost knocking over his tray of food in the process.
“Renji!” Rukia snapped, ready to scold.
“Abarai,” Hitsugaya said in a lower tone soon after, obviously not open to an argument.
Renji looked at both of them like they were insane. How could they not want to head straight over to that traitor and beat the living shit out of him? He had been the one orchestrating Rukia's execution, and yet she was sitting there like nothing was wrong.
As Renji opened his mouth to protest, Hitsugaya cut in again. “No one stood a chance against him before. What makes you think that now will be any different? You are not strong enough for this, Abarai.”
“Being stubborn won't get you through this one,” Rukia added gravely.
“Everyone's weakened here!” Renji exclaimed. “We're all basically on the same level here, right? If we all take him on at once, we can overpower him.”
Hitsugaya looked unimpressed, and from an outsider's standpoint it would look like the child was lecturing the adult. “That would land us all in solitary confinement for a week.”
“It would be worth it,” the redhead grumbled, but he fell back into his seat, arms crossed tightly over his chest. There was no arguing with these two and winning, but he could still sulk about it.
He watched the two traitors as they conversed almost pleasantly over their breakfast of waffles. Fuck, he needed to take his anger out on something. He took hold of the edge of the table and crushed his hands against it, trying to imagine that it was Aizen's neck instead.
It didn't work very well, but it was better than nothing.
He averted his gaze from the two, and instead found himself watching Rangiku. She was also observing Gin and Aizen, but instead of angry, she looked downright crushed. It wouldn't have been easy for someone who didn't know her to tell, but Renji knew that she had to be close to losing it.
Hitsugaya had also noticed. “I'm going to speak with my vice captain,” he said calmly. Renji didn't know how he could be calm at a time like this, but the captain must have figured that he had to be the reasonable one in this situation.
He turned to Rukia. “Watch Renji. I'll see both of you later.”
--
Aizen sat at the table, his chin calmly cupped by his hand as he looked his subordinate over. Gin seemed uneasy, but he could be reined back in without too much effort. They must have all been in this place for a while, judging by how hesitant his vice captain seemed.
“How long has it been?”
Gin's expression smoothed out, back into that smile that most couldn't see through. Aizen knew all facets of it, however, and could still notice some wariness etched out on the edges of his lips.
“A few weeks, give or take,” Gin reported, knowing better than to look away or seem unnerved. They were supposed to be comfortable with each other, after all, and Aizen didn't like the idea of that having changed.
He scanned the room discreetly, taking note of how many shinigami were around. The only one who gave him any manner of pause was Urahara, but he didn't linger on it.
“What of Tousen?” he asked conversationally, gingerly picking up his glass of juice to take a sip.
“He's not here. Seems he got left behind.”
Aizen nodded. That was probably for the best. One of them needed to be back in Hueco Mundo to handle the arrancar. Ichigo was here, which meant that any glimmer of a threat was now gone from the fortress.
With Gin at his side, however, the advantage that Soul Society's members had in numbers didn't really matter. They both outmatched all of them tenfold.
“You know they're all going to be out for your blood, sir. They might be behaving now, but nighttime is very different 'round here.” Gin almost looked concerned beneath the layers of pasted-on expressions.
Aizen's constant smile changed a bit, though it was hard to pinpoint how. “I think we both know that that won't be a problem.” He might not have his zanpakutou, but neither did anyone else. His skill with kidou far surpassed the others', including that Kuchiki girl.
“Can't you sense how weakened you are?”
Aizen stared back at his subordinate, demeanor unchanged. “Which means they'll be weaker.”
Gin didn't seem to have much of a response to that. He already knew well enough that Aizen was all about absolution.
“Now,” Aizen continued calmly, not even sparing further glances at the others he recognized in the cafeteria, “let's not ruin this meal any further. It must be nice to be out of Hueco Mundo for a while.” He knew perfectly well that the hollow world was as bleak as the name implied.
“Hueco Mundo?” Gin asked, though he didn't sound too shocked. “You mean we made it there?”
Aizen tilted his head, watching his subordinate carefully. “Of course we did.” There was a question implied in his statement, and he knew that Gin knew him well enough to catch it.
“I don't remember any of that. Apparently this place can do that sort of thing. It takes us from different times, most likely to cause this sort of confusion.”
Aizen didn't know what to make of that. He had heard of there being time rifts when worlds were crossed, of course, but he didn't like when anything was taken out of his hands. It was obvious that he was not the one in control here, but he could at least exact his power over the other shinigami, in subtle and cutting ways.
“I'll catch you up later,” he assured Gin, since it would be vital for them to be on the same wavelength when they were in such a tumultuous situation.
Gin nodded, not appearing to care either way. That was part of what made him so unnerving to those who didn't know him—nothing every seemed to affect him. Aizen was exactly the same, of course, but he had been able to fool everyone in ways that Gin hadn't.
They complimented in each in that way, however. If they functioned the same way, their betrayal wouldn't have worked nearly as well. They fit together like puzzle pieces, and if the others could only have understood that, they wouldn't have been nearly as shocked by the fact that Gin had returned to him now.
“How about Inoue Orihime? Is she here?” She was perhaps the most important, which was partly why he had left her for last.
He was in no rush.
“The drifter girl?” Gin questioned.
Of course—Gin still had no reason to understand her potential. It would be something of a pleasure to explain, as her role and the damage that had been done when they had taken her was particularly genius.
“She is the key,” he explained, glancing over his waffles. He hadn't eaten them, and seemed content enough with his juice. “She has more power than they realized.”
When Gin seemed to falter at that, Aizen couldn't blame him. It had been unexpected, even for him, to have her turn out to be so important. “She can reject a state of being, revert it back to what it was before. Wounds that could never be healed normally—she makes it as if they were never there in the first place.”
He watched as his vice captain thought it over, piecing through every way such a power could be helpful to their cause. He was missing some important information that would help him answer the question, however.
“The hougyoku was not at its full potential when I extracted it from Kuchiki Rukia. I sent one of the arrancar I created to collect Inoue Orihime in hopes that she would be able to revert it to its original state.”
Gin nodded in understanding. “She is here,” he said. “So you were really able to create them...”
“Even with the hougyoku in its weakened state, it could still be persuaded to make them.” It didn't seem like any of the arrancar were here, however. There was no reason to get into all the details of that now, though. First, he needed to establish himself in this place so he could start working his way out, along with anyone he deemed useful. “We need to get her back in place. Find her, and speak with her about it. Once she's ready, bring her to me.”
It was his first order, and Gin wouldn't fail to follow it. Even though he was behind in the events, he understood how this worked and would undoubtedly bring the girl to him. “I suppose it's obvious what her weakness is,” he added, just to get the point across. Orihime had no choice—she would be on their side again, if she wanted her friends to live.
“Looks like you're already settled here, sir,” Gin said with a smirk that Aizen knew to be genuine. “I'll get the girl. Just keep in mind—we're not as strong here as we're supposed to be, and the night is a lot more dangerous than you'd expect.” With that, the ex-captain moved away, out on the prowl for Inoue Orihime.
--
For some reason, Aizen hadn't expected for Hinamori Momo to be here. She didn't seem noteworthy enough to even be taken in the first place. The other shinigami he had seen around at least had some promise, but he had picked her as his vice captain for a very specific reason—she could be used, she was weak.
She found him during the lunch hour.
“Aizen-sama!” she exclaimed, running up to him with her eyes shining and her hands clasped together. “I can't believe you're here. Are you okay?”
“Of course,” he responded quietly, his tone as steady as always. He had to weigh the situation carefully. After what Gin had told him about people being from different times, it was difficult to judge what she knew.
“I'm glad to hear it, sir! I knew that everyone was wrong! I knew that Ichimaru had to be the one controlling you, and making you do all those horrible things!” She looked hopeful. Even though she had been crushed by him already, she was coming back for more.
It was quite remarkable, but only in that it was so pathetic. He almost wanted to laugh at her, but laughing could be seen as a loss of control, an involuntary response.
“I don't think that the captain of the Tenth Division would want you speaking with me, Hinamori,” he said, even going far enough to offer her a small, admonishing smile.
Hitsugaya was watching, and he looked torn between anger and sympathy. Aizen couldn't understand how someone so strict could actually take pity on a girl that was so hopeless. It didn't make sense, but mortals rarely did.
Hinamori had noticed her friend watching as well, but the message didn't seem to be getting through to her. After sending Hitsugaya a glance, she turned back to Aizen. “But you're my captain! I have to see things through, and make them right. Then we can all take Ichimaru down together...”
There was an option here. He could bring her over to his side—it would be a simple enough process, and she would have no way of resisting. She was already his, but the fact of the matter was that he didn't want her anymore. She had served her purpose well enough, but the betrayal had already been a success and she was no longer any help to him. After all, a system was only as strong as its weakest link, which meant that having her among his ranks would only be detrimental.
She was not like Orihime—that girl had unbelievable strength, but was also easy to manipulate. It made her an asset, but a controllable one, which was what he needed.
Hinamori Momo, however, was nothing to him.
He seized her wrist and stared her down—while his eyes changed, his smile didn't. “I think you'd better remove yourself from my presence now.”
All of the hope that had tried to seem so bold in her eyes was stamped out with just a few words. She crumpled away from him, and went back to her friend so that he could pick up the pieces for her.
Aizen straightened and closed his eyes for a moment, replicating the look on her face in his mind's eye.
His stay here could prove rather interesting after all.