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Scenario: Reader is Aizenâs partner and has arrived at Hueco Mundo. She is feeling lonely and sad and her ice Zanpakuto manifests all those emotions into physical symptoms, putting her in danger.
Warning/TRIGGERS: sfw, angst, fluff, mention of death, despair, sadness, grief, depression, bullying, fluff ending.
a/n: This was a specific request by @kirasousuke Thank you for trusting me on this! I hope it was somewhat to your satisfaction.
Those unspoken vows echoed through your grieving soul, a bond and a commitment to a man who was now regarded as a traitor. Although those words were never uttered, the red string of fate is what kept you anchored to this relationship.Â
You looked ill, your body stiff like a block of ice and vigorless. You sat at the dining table, and arrancar servants were serving you the evening dinner. The coming and going of the Arrancars, as they piled food onto the table, was nothing more than a blur in the background. Your eyes were locked onto the empty seat in front of you. That empty seat belonged to your husbandâ the man who you barely saw since your arrival. The man who you barely left before your departure.Â
It felt like only yesterday when you were writing poetry in his Captainâs quarters, reading aloud as he quietly listened to each carefully chosen word. Your soft voice calmed his racing thoughts.Â
You do not blame him for the decisions he made. The betrayal was already written in his books. However, he only chose to share his plans at the right momentâ the day before the departure. It did not give you enough time to prepare; physically, mentally and emotionally. And so, you were left with a deep wound in your heartâand the only way your body knew to heal it was to freeze it over with a thin layer of ice.
You heard footsteps from behind you, recognizing them instantly. Actually, no. They did not sound like your husband's footsteps. At least not the version you fell in love with in the Soul Society.Â
His footsteps held more authority. Each strike of his heel sent ripples of fear through the Arrancar servants, who hastily stepped aside to allow his entrance.
âLord Aizenâ, you heard the weak voices shaking with fear. Why did they fear your dear beloved husband? Oh yes. He was not the same sweet innocent Captain of the fifth squad anymore. He instilled fear among his creations and demanded respect like never before.Â
You watch him take a seat across from you. You could hear some whispers and gossip stir amongst the idling arrancars.
âShe dare not stand up and greet Lord Aizen!â
âEven if she is the wife, respect is still demanded!â
âShe thinks all high and mighty of herselfâ.Â
Aizen paid no attention to the brewing whispers as it was all beneath him. But underneath all that facade, it fed his pride.
And as a supportive wife, you were proud of the man he had become. Unfortunately, you lost the man you once knew in the process.
He gave the arrancars a quick side glance. The chatter disappeared as they all cleared the room but their haunting whispers remained inside your head.
âNot hungry?â, he asked, noticing you did not touch the food that was so generously offered.
You weakly nod your head. This was your first dinner together in Hueco Mundo, so you could have shown more enthusiasm but you had no energy and no appetite.Â
âNeither am Iâ. He leaned back, grabbing his cup of tea and giving it a gentle sip. Now that was a familiar sound that wrapped around you like a memory, steeped in nostalgia. Sadly, that warm feeling didnât linger long enough to melt the growing sheet of ice slowly enveloping you in despair.
He was interrupted by the piercing voice of a small female arrancar. She had made her entrance and offered a deep bow.Â
It annoyed Aizen to have this rare, peaceful moment with his wife interrupted, though he was the one who had made the summons.
You looked down at the petite and fragile-looking arrancar. Looks can be deceiving and you know better than to judge someone's status based on their appearance. You are suddenly reminded of Captain Hitsugaya, who looked like a young child yet he had so much wisdom to offer regarding your ice Zanpakuto.Â
You felt the heavy burden of memories wash over you as you sat in silence, reminiscing with a heavy heart. Though you wore a stoic facade with practiced ease, it did little to fool your beloved.
âYouâve seemed lonely since our arrival,â he observed, his eyes drifting toward the small Arrancars. âLoneliness can be either a blessingâ, his gaze lingered, âor a curse. I can tell that youâre not faring well. Perhaps what you need is company.â
Did he not see that you yearned for your dear friends and family that you left behind in the Soul Society? Did he truly believe that what you felt was loneliness and that anyone could easily replace those precious bonds that were shattered as soon as the sky split open?Â
âI can't be entertaining you as often. Time is slipping away. But I have gathered a few who will be of some use to youâ.Â
The girl, Loly, remained kneeling, not daring to lift her head in his presence. Even Aizen could sense the hesitationâthe barely concealed hostilityâradiating from Loly. And yet, he was confident that no one would dare hurt his wife. Unfortunately, he underestimated the jealous storm that raged amongst his female army.Â
âStuck babysitting his whoreâ, Loly mumbled under her breath while walking down the maze-like hallways of the grand fortress.
You followed your husbandâs adviceâdespite your better judgmentâand decided to walk with the younger Arrancar. âShow my wife around,â was his suggestion. Loly didnât protest at the time, but it was obvious she loathed you.
âHurry the hell up! I can't hold your hand. If you get lost, it's on you whose room you end up inâ, she yelled while you lagged behind, taking cautious footsteps. You kept your distance, leaving enough space in case you had to react to an unexpected attack. You were guarded, but nothing could have prepared you for what she had schemed.
Loly had suddenly come up with a diabolical plan. It was hard for her to contain her excitement or suppress the grin tugging at her lips. From your position behind her, all you could see was her tiny figure, playfully skipping through the eerie, shadowy hallways. Suddenly, she took a sharp turn and disappeared.
The wide corridor was dimly lit by candles, your flickering shadows dancing against the walls. Silence took overâ just the sound of your racing heartbeat and soft shuffling footsteps. Unexpected danger lay ahead. Your instincts had given you plenty of warnings from the start, yet you proceeded without hesitation.
You place a firm hand on the hilt of your Zanpakuto and press forward. The farther you walked down the empty corridor, the darker it became. A heaviness settled over you, pressing against your body. It worsened with every stepâthe air thickened, slowing you down. An evil presence churned your stomach.
What made it more revolting was knowing these were all Aizenâs creations.
What you failed to realize was that you were walking directly into the heart of a den where several of the Espada lay in wait. You hadnât yet made their acquaintance, but you were about to.
You heard a whisper and a giggle. It was Loly. She was taunting you, hiding amongst the shadows, her smaller body easy to conceal.Â
You could blindly swing your weapon around but that would do you no good. That was what Loly was counting on. Unfortunately for her, you were more level-headed than she had anticipated.Â
So she turned it up a notch and released a bala directly at your face. âMess that pretty little face of yoursâ, she said out loud with a tiny giggle.Â
You were quick to dodge her attack. She tried again. Predictability was your defence. Her actions were nothing more than a spoiled child throwing a tantrum and tossing balls at you.Â
After several attempts, the attacks had stopped. Shattered glass and collapsed walls left a thin layer of smoky haze and the rising dust further obstructed your view.Â
The silence took over again. There was not a stir of movement. However, from deep within, danger had gathered. Through the murky fog, you suddenly noticed several pairs of eyes. Blue, gold, green, etc
The spiritual pressure was rising and you knew these spectators were of a different level. You embraced danger with open arms, ready to strike, your pride as a fighter was instilled to your core. You once belonged to Squad 11 and you had that inherent desire to seek out danger.Â
Before the situation could turn ugly, a long blade intervened, plunging through the air like a pole to separate you from the chaos hidden behind the cloud of dust.
The owner of the Zanpaktuo slowly stepped forward, his weapon slowly retracting as he got closer to you.Â
âQuite the party here. Pity I wasn't invitedâ, Gin revealed himself with a smirk you did not trust.
âI was walking the hallways and came acrossâŠâ, you looked back at the shadows but they had all disappeared as soon as Gin showed up.
âThere is nothing here. I think you are just bored. If you needed some company, all you had to do was askâ. He took a few more steps towards you but stopped, realizing your hand was still resting on the hilt of your Zanpakuto.Â
He knew better than to trigger your icy rage. Especially when he was trying to gain some Aizen points.
You had made your escape. And that particular day was never mentioned again. You were surprised that his second in command, Gin, did not rat you or Loly out. Actually, you weren't surprised at all. That snake had an agenda and you had already become his pawn.Â
Despite her actions, Loly continued to serve Aizen, putting on an innocent demeanour that honestly fooled no one.Â
You did not tell Aizen what had happened that day. You felt like you would be tattling on her. It was childish and you would be stooping to her level. You did not want to win favours. But you also did not want to make enemies in a den of lions.
You kept your emotions suppressed, the sadness and anger were collecting deep inside you, and ice slowly numbed the emotional pain. Unbeknownst to you, a sheet of ice was slowly settling around your organs and starting to cause actual physical damage.Â
Loly continued to torment youâ mentally, emotionally and physically. She would be sneaky about it, sly enough to slip under Aizenâs radar.Â
Aizen was too hyper-focused and fixated on his lifelong dream. You did not want to be a burden. Your petty problems did not belong in his grand scheme of things.Â
You became homesick and isolated. You felt useless when he would include his army of arrancars in his plans while you were asked to simply sit and watch. Look beautiful for him, and donât get your hands dirty. You were his wifeâleave the messy work to everyone else.
It made you sick. You were growing sicker every day. You didn't have a fever. Quite the opposite. Your core temperature was dropping. You shivered and wrapped yourself in warm blankets while taking shelter in his bed chambers. Little by little, your body was becoming an ice statue from the inside out. Sorrow and grief had taken hold of your heart. Your zanpakuto was reacting to your emotions and assumed you were under attack. The ice was an unconscious attempt to protect your body. However, it was making it all worse.
The longer you sat in silence, immersed in your misery and grief, the more you were reminded of the dear friends you had left behind. The image of Captain Unohanaâs face as she watched you ascend into the sky, hand in hand with the traitorâyour husband, Aizenâhaunted you. You never let it show, but in the stillness of night, far from cold, judgmental stares, you wept. Leaving Unohana and your friends, shattered your heart. But leaving him would have completely destroyed you.
You lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as tears traced down your cheeks. Even those tears, cold to the touch, brought no comfort. You had become lost in your delusion. Though no one was there, you spoke to her, feeling Captain Unohanaâs gentle hand rest upon your frost-kissed forehead, checking your temperature, her touch offering a momentary balm to your pain.
âCaptain Unohana? I feel coldâ, you whispered to your inner illusions as they danced around you.
She didn't say a word. Her gentle expression and nurturing smile suddenly faded. Her eyebrows lowered and her forehead furrowed. She clenched her jaw and gave you an icy glare, stealing away that warmth she once brought. A chill ran down your spine and you visibly began to shiver. Your internal grief and despair began to take on a physical form.
And there you lay, on the block of ice, as your friends surround you, watching you meet your demise.Â
You heard the door open, but you couldnât turn your head. Your neck was stiff and you felt completely lethargic. Your friends still stared down at you, their piercing glares like needles driving into your numb flesh.
The footsteps drew closer with each passing second, each one feeling like the passing of a day. In your frigid state, time itself had slowed. It felt like an eternity before your visitor reached your bedside, dissolving all the illusions and replacing them with a face you most dread.
Lolyâs grin had taken over, her giggles like piercing laughter that was about to shatter the icy glass that enveloped you whole. Your will to fight was also taken down, and all you are now is an empty shell of your former self.
You had to admit itâ some of that coldness in your heart was because of jealousy. You were envious of the arrancars and how much Aizen relied on them while you were left to freeze in your despair and loneliness.Â
If you were to die today, whether a natural death or at the hands of this brat, maybe he could turn you into a useful arrancar? Was that possible? For Aizen, nothing is impossible.Â
But did you want to live that life? At least in your current, pathetic condition, you did not have to fight your former friends and family.Â
Loly continued with her barrage of verbal insults. At some point, you had tuned her outâ her little figure popping up from different angles, spitting incoherent insult after insult until they blurred into mumbles. Your vision grew blurry and her small figure began to multiply around youâ first doubling, then tripling, until eventually it was all you could see.Â
The obnoxious brat extended her arms, daggers in her many hands, their tips glistening with venom.
âJust a small slit across your throat would do the trickâ, she mused, almost sweetly. It would be enough to end your misery â the cold, suffocating coffin you were already being buried within.
You closed your heavy eyelids, knowing they would be frozen shut forever. You brace for the sharp, wet tip of her dagger to pierce through your skin. But what you got instead was a ray of heat penetrating deep through your heart, gradually cracking the surface of the ice that had taken hold of your soul.Â
Your body felt warm and light, the heaviness slowly melting away from within. You opened your eyes, wondering if you had reached the next phase of your feeble life.Â
As your eyelids fluttered open, you met his protective, concerned gaze. His rich brown eyes pulled you from the depths of despair, and you suddenly found the will to fight.Â
You stood at deathâs doorstep, and once again, he came to your rescue.Â
âMy beloved, why have you abandoned your will to live?â he asked with a soothing voice, genuine confusion on his face.
He gave you everything. Anything you wanted, it was yours. So why were you so ungrateful? That was the meaning you saw behind his words.
You felt ashamed of your weak resolve. How dare you decide to leave the one who risked his plans to bring you to Hueco Mundo.Â
It was his deepest desire to have you at his side as he ascended the throne and finally fulfilled his lifelong dream.
He didnât just want you there â he needed you.
He needed you to cheer him on, to ground him when necessary, to offer comfort at the most crucial moments â and, above all, to witness his triumph.
You werenât just there to witness his greatness. You were part of his plan.Â
âIâm sorryâ. The words came out effortlesslyâ no longer were you stuck in your icy despair.Â
âOnly the weak apologizeâ, he reminded you while gently brushing your hair out of your face. His other hand was resting on your chest, the warmth radiating out from his hand was indescribable.Â
âOh. Iâm sor-â, you cut yourself from repeating the same mistake. That earned you a smile on his perfect face. A genuine smile that was stripped of all illusions. A real smile only you have been blessed and will cherish forever.Â
There was a moment of silenceâ his warm presence comforted you.Â
âNowâŠwill you accompany me to the gates?â He was talking about the garganta that was about to open. The next phase of his plan was already in motion.
âI won't be coming with you?â you asked, disappointment heavy in your voice.
âNot today. I need someone to hold down the fort while I am gone.â
âYou know the arrancars won't listen to me. They don't respect meâ, you explained your hesitation.
âRespect is earned, my dear. Ain't I a perfect example of that?â He paused for a second, leaning forward to plant a tender kiss on your thawing forehead. âBut I wouldn't mind if you used the âLord Aizen is my husbandâ card. You have the power to bring them to your knees with that aloneâ.Â
You let out a soft chuckle and slowly sit up. His arms held you close to his chest. The last sliver of ice finally surrendered to the warmth of his body. Not even your icy Zanpakuto could stand a chance against Sosuke Aizen.Â
Time was ticking, and neither of you wanted to break away from the embrace.Â
You had to be the brave one and let him go. Your selfishness would serve no purpose in the greater cause.
âNow you don't want your enemies to be waiting on you. Go. Be careful. And come back to meâŠ.Sosuke. Come back to me just as you leftâ.Â
Unfortunately, that was a promise he could not fulfill.Â
