It has been four days since Ran went back to Las Noches. She spent another normal days with Aizen and the others, as well with Ren. She was sitting in the couch in her room staring at the silent scenery. Staring at emptiness. Since that day, after her mother died and having the dream about Aizen and the woman in pink who was like Ran, she couldn't bring a normal conversation anymore with Aizen. She wanted to ask him about the dream but she was scared too. Scared if she will knew something that she didn't want to hear it. In the middle of her daydreaming, someone was knocking the door, interrupting her mind. The door was opened, by...
"...Ran?"
"Ren-kun? What's wrong?" She asked and then Ren closed the door and walked towards her.
"Is something wrong?" He asked, causing Ran confused of his question. "I know you're shock because of your mother's death, but... I think there's something else bothering you. What's wrong?" Ran looked at him, to her it was obvious for Ren to know what she was thinking because they already been together for quiet time. But for now, she didn't want to tell him what she was worrying about.
"I'm okay, Ren-kun" She smiled.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Don't worry about me"
"Well, if you said so. By the way, dinner's ready. Aizen and the others already there" Mentioning his name already made Ran twitched her body. But, she better obeyed or he will gave her punishment. In her experiences, whenever Aizen giving punishment to his subordinates, it was really harsh and almost made themselves got killed.
"Okay" She stood up from her couch and headed to the main hall.
***
Main Hall
"Oh! Finally the little princess came. Ran-chan! Have a seat beside me!" Ichimaru requested her. As Ren said, Aizen and Tosen also Ichimaru already there. Ichimaru said to have a seat beside him, it was also implying to let her...sitting beside Aizen too. Both of them walked towards the table and as Ichimaru requested to, she took a seat beside her while Ren taking the opposite of her. Once they were complete, they began to ate their food, except for Ran.
"Do you dislike the food?" Aizen asked.
"Eh? N-No! Not at all. I was just..." She was trying to find a reason. She couldn't said that she felt very uncomfortable around him for now.
"Oh my, Ran-chan? Are you all right? Are you sick?" Ichimaru asked while touching her forehead. "Hmm... There's no sign of fever. What's wrong, Ran-chan?"
"I'm okay. Itadakimasu" She started to eat the food. It was good, but Ran just didn't have any appetite. She could only manage five spoons to entered her stomach. When she began her sixth one, suddenly a strong grip grabbed her hand, surprising her causing Ran fell the spoon to the plate. She looked at the owner and then...
"You do not have to push yourself if you do not have any appetite" Aizen said. He wiped his mouth with napkin. Ran glanced towards his food and surprisingly, he already finished. She's also realized Ren and Tosen already finished too. Ichimaru was almost done. Aizen then stood up and pulled Ran to his direction.
"Wa--! Aizen-san!" Despite her protests, Ran still followed him obediently and both of them exit the hall.
"Is something wrong with Ran-chan?" Ichimaru asked while eating his meal.
"Finished your chewing then speak" Tosen scolded him.
"Geez~ Tosen-san you're too strict"
"Well, she said nothing's wrong. But, I think there's something bothering her" Ren explained.
"Hmm... About her mother?"
"I don't know. She won't talk to me. I think there's something else"
***
Aizen's Room
When Aizen and Ran reached a room, Aizen opened the door and let Ran entered first followed by him. She looked around and realized she's in his room. She's wondering whether Aizen mad at her for not eating properly at dinner. She's still standing in front of him with her back facing him. She could feel Aizen was walking towards her as she could only shut her eyes, afraid something was coming to her and then... She heard the footsteps were walking passed her and she opened her eyes and looked at Aizen already take a seat in his usual long couch. He raised his hand to her...
"Come. Have a seat with me" She walked towards him and hesitantly taking his hand. When she touched his hand, Aizen immediately pulling her to him with her back facing him. Ran realized she was sitting between his legs and that made her blushing furiously and that made her felt uncomfortable.
"Um...Aizen-san... Ano..."
"Hm? Are you feel uncomfortable for sitting in this position?"
"N-No, it was just... I, uh...I never been sitting like this before so...um, this is the first for me" She said timidly.
"I see. Well, it's a pleasure for having your first time. I do recalled some of your romantic experiences, you were experienced it with me. Holding hand, hugging, caressing your hair, even...kissing" He whispered the last words in her ears, making Ran's face became redder uncontrollably. He chuckled at her reaction. "How adorable" He caressed her hair.
"Uuh... Stop teasing me" She requested as Aizen pulled his hand from her hair and embraced her from behind. "Um, Aizen-san?"
"Are you going to tell me what's going on on your mind?" His question hit her hard. She was confuse of how to tell him. About the dream she has. About him and with that woman. About the promise.
"N-Nothing"
"Nothing? I'm sure there's something bothering you and I could tell it's not about your mother" He stated. In her mind, just how come Aizen was easy to read her? They're not even know each other long enough for them to guess something in each other head. "Was the arrancars giving you a bad time? Grimmjow perhaps?"
"Eh? N-No, he didn't do anything!"
"Then, what is it?"
"...It's nothing" She wasn't brave enough to asked him. She was scared of getting the answer she didn't want to hear.
"Well, if you do not want to talk about it now, it's fine. But... It's just for today, if I ask you again, better prepare an answer" He said. "For now, please accompany me for a little longer" His hold became tighter and he put his head to her shoulder.
"Eh? Um, Aizen-san?"
"Just a little bit" He said while still maintained his hold. Ran could only sit still while her body trapped in Aizen's hold. She was hoping he will let her go anytime soon until... She heard a constant breath from the older man. She looked to her side and he could see Aizen was closing his eyes and that constant breath...
"Aizen-san? Are you sleeping?" No answer from him. "If you want to sleep, please let me go and sleep in the bed" No answer again. She let out a long sigh as she could only give up and let herself being hold her sleeping abductor. Even though he was sleeping, his hold around her was very tight. It was like hinted he didn't want to let her go.
She looked at him again and the first thing that hit her mind while watching he slept, was of how adorable his sleeping face was. To Ran, Aizen was having a cool aura and...he was pretty much handsome, unlike the men she met in her world. She recalled in the past when she's still in her four or five years old, she told Ren she wanted to marry someone who has a cool appearances, rather than a prince-like type. Her thinking about that kinda made her felt awkward with someone who has a perfect appearances in front of her. Not to mention, now he's hugging her. But of course, there's no way she would like Aizen or vise versa.
In her mind, she wasn't allowed to like him, because he's the enemy, because he's her kidnapper. But... When she looked at his sleeping face again, sometimes she's always wondering whether she could tell her feelings or not. Sometimes he was kind but sometimes he was cruel. She didn't really understand him.
"What am I to you anyway?" She asked to his sleeping figure. She raised her hand and hesitantly touched his face. Just by touching his face made her heart racing like crazy. Since the day she opened herself to him, telling everything about her family to him, she began to feel weird by having him around. Feeling happy but in the same time, feeling sad also. Because she didn't know how he felt about her. "This is not...love, right?" She let go her hand and put both of her hands on the top of her thighs. She began to yawning and slowly closing her eyes.
>> Dream
Ran slowly opened her eyes as she looked around... It was the same place from her last dream. She was in the fifth's division place. She walked few steps as she caught someone familiar again.
"Ren-kun?" Ren was standing a few feet from her but of course, he couldn't see her. She began to suspect that she was in the past. Someone's past. He was wearing the usual shinigami attire with a white haori around him. It has number ten kanji on the back, hinting he was the captain of the tenth's division. It seems Ren caught his gaze in to something, or someone as he began to run towards it or her or him.
"Kiyo!" She glanced towards to someone with named Kiyo and then... Her eyes became wide after she found the person he called for.
"Oh, Ren? What is it?" Kiyo asked him. A beautiful woman with cherry blossom like color hair with emerald green eyes. The same woman she saw in her previous dream. Ran began to wondering if she's related to this Kiyo because she has the same appearances with Ran, but Kiyo was a little bit taller than her and her hair was longer than Ran.
"How's your experiment going? I heard from Aizen you were creating something for him?"
"It's run perfectly as I wanted to. Just a little bit longer and it will be finished in no times"
"Just what exactly are you creating for him anyway? You still remembered the last incident, right? It took Hirako's life and few of the lieutenants and Aizen succeeded made them and also Kisuke to thought that was Aizen's doing"
"...Yeah. I owed him much, that's why this time I won't repeat the same mistake. This time, the Hogyoku is ready. And with Hogyoku, I could create a single life perfectly. Last time, Hogyoku went berserk and causing Hirako taicho and the others became a hollow. I already told Kisuke to use his Hogyoku to them so he can save their soul but I didn't mention about Aizen-taicho was trying to protect me from my mistake" She explained and her face became sad. Ren patted her heard and by watching him, Ran realized Ren always did that whenever Ran is feeling down. To her, she thought whether Ren also saw Ran as Kiyo's replacement.
"It's going to be okay. I'm sure of it" He comforted her while continue to patting her head, which made her smile. An innocent smile. Kiyo was probably a much older than Ran but she has an aura where people wanted to protect her.
"Thank you, Ren..."
"By the way, can I know the single life that you mentioned earlier?"
"Well, like I said, it was a life. This single life will surely made Aizen-taicho's life became more colorful" She stated causing Ren blinked few times, looking confuse but something hit his mind and that made his face became rather disgusted with his own thought and he back away from her a bit.
"He he, don't tell me...you want him to experience...love?"
"What? Are you going to tell me that was something ridiculous?"
"Well, sorry to disappoint you but yeah, that was ridiculous. How come you expect someone like Aizen to be in love with somebody? Let alone caring about others, he didn't even considered his own subordinates as his subordinates. Well...probably just you. Anyway, that will be useless. Don't use your energy to create something that will disappoint you in the end"
"It's not!" She shouted at him, made him surprised. "She won't disappoint me and I'm sure she will saved him"
"Huh? She? You already decided on the genre?"
"Of course! It's for him! I can't send him a male, can I?"
"W-Well, I guess not. Just imagining Aizen with another man, or probably a boy, that was kinda gross"
"Eeeh? But sometimes I pictured him with Gin-chan, you know?" She giggled.
"Please stop it. In any case, when she will be ready?"
"Probably another week. But, when she's ready-she won't become a baby for a period of time. But, I'm pretty much sure you guys will be surprised when she's grown. Seems like Hogyoku knew my wish and even though she was my creation, Hogyoku was the one which decided her appearances"
Hearing that, causing Ren let out a long sigh while scratching his head. "What a bother, huh? Well, I hope your plan is going to work"
"It will!"
"Yeah yeah. In any case, I'll go back now. If I went too long from my division, Rangiku will mad at me again"
"It's because you're always slacking off considering your position as the captain" Kiyo was teasing him.
"I don't like the paper works! It's stressing me out! I'd rather went to the field rather than signing those useless papers!"
"Hehe~ Come on, you better get back. I think I can heard Rangiku's loud voice from here"
"Alright. See ya later, Kiyo!" He parted with him and disappeared in a second. Watching them exchanging words like that, Ran could tell that both of them were so close. And it seems they already knew each other for quiet a long time. She began to suspect whether...the experience that they were talking about-it's about her. She recalled about Aizen told her that her mother was not her real mother. He already knew about Ran before he took her with him. Was it really about her?
In the middle of her thought, the scenery suddenly changed places. She was in...somebody's room. There was someone sitting inside.
"Aizen...san..." He was reading something. He still maintained his appearances when he was still a captain. Suddenly, there were knocks from the door and when the person opened it...
"Excuse me, Aizen-taicho" Kiyo appeared.
"Kiyo, huh? What is it?" He asked while closing his book.
"....Nothing. I was just...came to check on you"
Aizen let out a short sigh and Ran could tell he was rather annoyed. "Kiyo... If you don't have any business with me, please return to your room. It's already late"
"Yes, of course. I was just finished with...her" Hearing that, made Aizen look serious to her.
"It's finished already? That took a while. Well, when I will be able to meet her?"
"Probably...another hundred years" Her statement made Aizen became confuse but Kiyo still maintained her smile. Ran could see he was sweat drop because of her statement.
"You're kidding, right?"
"Nope~ And also, I sent her to the living world"
"Huh? Why did you do that?"
"Oh, don't worry. She won't become a baby anytime soon, so don't worry about her"
"That's not what I meant. Why did you send her to the human world?"
"Because... I'm scared if Soul Society found out about her existence, they will come and killed her. This girl...is special and if Captain-Commander found out about her, I'm sure he will do anything to erase her. That's why, I want you to promise something"
"What is it?"
When Kiyo opened her mouth, she was saying something to him but Ran couldn't heard anything of what she said. The next thing she knew, her head began to hurt just like last time and then...
<< Back to Present
She opened her eyes and looked around her. She's also could feel someone behind her. Aizen still sleeping behind her.
"Again. That dream" She think again. "No. That wasn't a dream, that was...someone's past. Was it...Kiyo-san's past? Why am I seeing that?" She could hear a grunt from her back and looks like Aizen was in the middle of a dream. His expression changed when she looked at him, probably a bad dream. She put her hand to his hair, caressing it slowly. Trying to calmed him down and slowly, he began to relaxed but then... He hold her tightly, surprising her. "Ai...Aizen-san?" Looks like he was still dreaming. Dreaming about...hugging someone? Did he dreaming about Ran? Her own thought made her felt embarrassed and tried to adjusted her position but sleeping Aizen didn't let her be.
"....o..." She heard him let out a voice. Ran patted his head, hoping it will waken him up and then...
"Kiyo..." He called out. Hearing that made Ran felt there were knifes piercing her heart. Kiyo. Mentioning another woman's name while he was in the middle of hugging somebody else causing Ran felt mad but in the same time, sad too. She immediately pulling herself from him, unknowingly causing Aizen got pushed quiet hard and the assault finally awaken him. He opened his eyes and looked at Ran who already stood in front of him looking...very upset.
"Ran? What is it? Did you have another nightmare?" He asked kindly but right now, to Ran-that tone was making her much more annoyed. Unrealized, she dropped a tears which made Aizen rather surprise.
"I'm not..." She paused a bit. "I'm not her!" She suddenly blurted out. "I'm not her replacement! Don't see me as Kiyo-san! I'm not her!" Hearing Ran mentioned Kiyo's name causing Aizen became shocked.
"Ran... Where did you heard that name? How did you know?" He asked while still keeping his composure. She didn't answer anything. He then stood up and raised his hand to her.
"Don't touch me!" She shouted at him. "If...If you're that kind to me because I'm like Kiyo-san then... I don't need your fake kindness! I---"
"Ran. You're wrong. You're--" He took a step to her with Ran moved backwards from him, refusing him to come closer to her.
"I--! I hate you! I hate you, Aizen-san! Just leave me alone!" She shouted at him again and ran out from his room.
Outside his room, she didn't think clearly and only running towards the corridor, hoping she will found a door leading her to her world, until she bumped in to someone very hard. The figure holding her in his hold, adjusting her standing position.
"Oi! Watch where you were going!" He shouted at her. She knew that rude voice as she raised her head up...
"G--Grimm?"
"Hm? Oi, what's wrong? Are you crying? Hey! Who did this to you?!? I'm gonna smack his face down!" He said but Ran hold his sleeves tightly. "R--Ran? I don't know what's going on, but it'll be a trouble if Aizen found out. I bet he will suspect it was me who made you cried"
"Please..."
"Huh?"
"Please, Grimm? I don't want to see him now, can you please...hide me for a moment?"
"Huh? What do you mean? Him, you mean Aizen? Are you guys having a fight? In any case, if you don't mind with my room..." She shook her head and said she was fine with his room and then he teleported both of them to a new room.
***
Grimmjow's Room
"It's a bit mess. Bear with it, will ya?" Ran didn't said anything. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on between you two? Hora, have a seat here" But, Ran didn't show any sign to move from where she was standing and that made Grimmjow very annoyed. "Oi, Ran!" He walked fast towards her and saw of how much upset she was as she began to drop another tears.
"R--Ran?" And from just a few tears, it flew down uncontrollable as she grabbed his clothes' sleeves.
"...te..."
"Huh? Ran?"
"I...hate him... I hate Aizen-san! If he was doing all of this because of someone, then why he even bother showing how much kind he was to me?!? I hate this!! I don't want any of his fake kindness!! I'm so---hate him!" She blurted it out as Ran continue to said of how much she became this hate to Aizen.
Without saying anything, Grimmjow hesitantly raised both of his hands to her. In his mind, he was scared if he was dare to touch her-he will not be able to stop himself. To stop his feelings. But, hearing of how much Ran saying she hate Aizen-his leader made him thinking that Aizen was doing something unforgivable which made her in this kind of state. He made up his mind and then... He hugged her tightly while Ran continue to cried in his hold. Sobbing so bad. He was hoping with his action, Ran will calm down even though it was just a little bit.
That day, both Ran and Grimmjow finally understand the feelings they had.
Since the day Grimmjow was assigned to watched over Ran by Aizen's order, at first he was annoyed to take care a weak and useless human. But, as they began to spent time together, something was blooming inside of him and every time he saw Ran with Aizen together-he felt mad and hoping that it was him in Aizen's place. Seeing her crying in his hold shown of how much he wanted to protect her and didn't want to let anything or anyone to harm her and only he was the one capable to by her side. A bizarre feeling for an arrancar like him, to be...in love with a human.
To Ran, after experiencing the dream, about Kiyo's past with Aizen made her sad and for the first time...she felt a jealousy inside of her. And after hearing Aizen's calling to Kiyo finally hit her very hard because she finally knew, that Aizen was kind to her because of Kiyo's request. Not because he considered her special to him. She's also realized the painful that she had in her heart was because she's in love...with Aizen.
------------------------------
Fiuh~ Another long chapter. This chapter also the chapter that I was waiting for to write. So, Ran finally realized her feelings to Aizen as well as Grimmjow to Ran-chan. From this chapter, the triangle love will appeared. Aizen vs Grimmjow... Wonder how it will be. Found out on the next chapter or the next XD
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See you in the next chapter! :D