Work Text:
It was the rain that had woke him, lashing against the covered windows of the high-rise penthouse he now called ‘home’. The room itself was dim, only lit by the periodic flashes of lightning coming from outside. It used to frighten him, having a storm be so close to him, he used to cling, trembling, to his master. Eventually he’d gotten used to the nearness of the volatile weather, and though it still startled him from time to time, he could live with it.
Glancing around the room, Ichigo determined that his master was not present in the penthouse at all. Otherwise, he would have been either in the bed with him, or the dark-haired man would have wakened him long ago and called him downstairs. He could only guess as to where Ulquiorra was. The apathetic pale skinned male was practically nonexistent when Aizen wasn’t in the residence, unless he’d been ordered to perform a specific task while their master was gone. Grimmjow stopped by only rarely, and it was only to check up on Ulquiorra (for whatever reason), or to hand in something to the brown haired lord.
Chances were he was alone for the time being.
“The world is trying to bring about the end
And no one is trying to stop it.
---It's starting.
The symphony of destruction echoes out.
The rain that falls sounds almost like the tone of tears.”
The sudden sound of a voice singing made him jump. It was undoubtedly a woman’s voice, which automatically made his instincts scream in alarm. He didn’t know any women who were authorized to be up here . . . he didn’t even know any woman other than the other Pets he’d met, who even lived in the same tower. Hesitantly, cautiously, he got out of bed, and eased his way towards the bedroom door. Glancing out the entryway, he spotted a dimly illuminated figure standing on the floor below, in front of the long wall of floor-to-ceiling windows that normally overlooked the rest of the shining city of Tanagura.
“Tell me.”
He crept out of the bedroom further, coming to stand against the stainless steel railing that guarded the walkway until it gave way to the stairs downward, watching warily, but helplessly curious and interested in both the sound of her voice, and the words of her song.
The voice that left the thin lips was unlike anything he’d ever heard before. Her singing voice was different than his older brother, Hichigo’s was. It was . . . completely smooth, like gently flowing wind, or ripples through water, somehow resonating. It was the kind of sound that could be trapped in glass. It was fascinating, but also haunting, in a way.
“Do people who control and are controlled
One day forget what it means to love
Because of the hatred in their hearts,
And attack others?”
The first thing he noticed about her, was that she was extremely beautiful, in a sort of aloof, intimidating way. She was clad in dark purple shimmersilk robes, which clung closely to her body, but swirled around her arms in long, flowing layers that all paled in color until they became a creamy white near the ends. The same effect had been applied to her long skirt, which trailed behind her for several feet. She was tall as well, long-limbed, with a sort of fluid grace about her that Ichigo couldn’t quite find an explanation for.
Her hair was long, pin-straight, and dark brown in color, like dark chocolate or ebony wood, flowing down her exposed back like a curtain, ending around her shapely thighs. The long earth-colored strands were left unadorned, apart from a thin gold chain that seemed to serve as a sort of headband, keeping the hairs from falling over her face. In a flash of lightning on the other side of the windows and shields that kept the storm from damaging the building, he saw that her eyes were a lurid green, like jade.
For a moment, Ichigo felt as though he should know her, but when he tried to think of who she might be, nothing came to mind.
“I can hear this song coming to me.
All you who have life,
The truth is inside your heart
Because even in times in which I must go to the stormy ocean,
It gives you strength
That never hesitates.”
“However, the further we move ahead, the stronger the wind gets,
And so the flame of hope starts to go out.
"Hand over the light!" The people scramble for it,
And once it comes to this, people kill each other,
Their tears dried.”
It was the kind of song that he got the feeling that it’d had been sung many times before, and that it was nothing new for this woman. Like a song from a dream, or something passed down through the generations, or a long lost lullaby from some unknown time.
“Notice it.”
He still didn’t feel at ease with the situation, but since she hadn’t done anything that could be interpreted as a threat, he decided to just let her be for the time being. Besides . . . if it really was someone who wasn’t supposed to be there, Ulquiorra would have called security by now. Even if he was practically emotionless, the man was still sensible, as well as responsible.
“Your eyes are for acknowledging each other.
Your voice is to convey your feelings.
Your hand is to hold with the one who is precious to you.”
Her gaze on the storming outside was steadfast and unflinching, even as lightning flashed and thunder crashed on the opposite side of the transparent barrier, never once glancing up his way, so he was unsure if she knew he was there. The only thing that moved were her lips, and occasionally, she would blink, but the motion almost seemed unnaturally slow, even though it really wasn’t.
“I can hear this song coming to me.
All of you who have nowhere to go,
Hope is in your hearts
Because even in blazing flames,
It gives you a strength
That will never be scathed.”
He thought of his brother, who had sang to give him strength . . . and a pang of loneliness ran through him just then.
“Are those things you tried to protect
The things you truly loved?
You gaze at your hand dyed in crimson
And finally realize the foolishness you have committed,
Admit it to be a mistake, and
Cry without an end for your sins.”
It was both a song of sorrow, and of dreamy wonder, of hope and comfort, while carrying a darkness that Ichigo recognized as the darkness that plagued the world. The words pulled at his heart for some reason, and made him almost want to cry, as images of his sisters, his parents, all the friends he’d left behind in Karakura, who were all so far away, and struggling to survive in a world that denied them even basic human rights. Why was it that because of a few people, thousands suffered in poverty and segregation?
The song brought memories that were both painful, and precious, accompanied by a sick sense of anguished blame that urged him to scream all his rage towards the sky.
Who was she . . . and why could she stir him up so easily . . . ?
“I can hear this song coming to me.
All you who have life,
The truth is inside your heart
The stormy ocean has quieted,
No matter if the things you have lost are countless.”
“I can hear this song coming to me.
All of you who have nowhere to go,
Hope is in your hearts
When you overcome the night of sadness,
I am sure you will come out
Holding the strength to live on.”
Ichigo continued to stare shakily at the woman, even after she’d finished her undeniably emotive song. He was trembling for some reason. He wondered who she was thinking about as her words had flowed from her lips. She either hadn’t noticed him yet, or had noticed, and hadn’t yet bothered to acknowledge him. Either way, she did not turn her pale green gaze his way.
Who was she? What was she doing here? How had she even gotten in here in the first place?
“Kyouka? Is that you?” an unexpected tide of relief washed over Ichigo at that moment, when he heard the familiar sound of his master’s voice, and he turned his honey brown gaze towards the corridor that led into the large main room.
The woman turned towards the sound as well, a startlingly proverbial smile resting on her flawless face, almost identical to the one his master wore when he was mildly amused about something. It sent a chill down Ichigo’s spine. “I’m in here, Sousuke.” She called in reply.
The dark-eyed lord appeared in the doorway, looking slightly surprised, “Kyouka . . .” he murmured, “what are you doing here?”
The woman, Kyouka, apparently, smiled wider, “Do I need a reason to come see you, dear one?”
“No, of course not, it’s just that . . . .” Aizen said, almost looking as though he was about to blush or something, “I thought you were still away on business. I heard nothing of your returning so soon.”
“Things were finished ahead of schedule, and I had them keep my return quiet. I thought I’d surprise you, Sousuke. Surprise~” the woman with the jade green eyes purred.
Without saying anything more, the normally stoic, icy, nearly unapproachable lord of Tanagura went up to the violet-clad woman and pulled her into a close embrace, which she immediately returned, both smiling quite sincerely, as if they were truly happy to see one another.
By now, Ichigo was extremely confused. Clearly, this woman was someone who was very important to his master, someone he actually, genuinely cared about, but . . . how, and why? Was she, dared he even think it, could she be . . . Aizen’s lover . . . ? His true and honest lover . . . ? It actually hurt to think about . . . . Could it really be that . . . his master really only did want him as a Pet . . . ? He lowered his head to hide the tears forming around his eyes with the strands of his hair, a hand coming up to grasp a handful of his shirt, just over his acutely aching heart.
“Ah, Ichigo, there you are. Come down here.”
The orange-haired Pet jumped at the summons, and he quickly obeyed, discreetly wiping away the tears, and putting on a demure face for his master’s . . . guest.
“Kyouka, this is Ichigo.” Aizen said, wrapping an arm around the teen’s slender waist, pulling him close, he and Kyouka having parted already.
“Oh? He’s the cute Pet you’ve told me so much about, ototou?”
Ichigo’s gaze jerked up in astonishment when the familiar title of ‘little brother’ left the elegant, long-haired woman’s mouth, and the knots in his stomach and the throbbing of his heart abruptly eased.
Aizen didn’t seem to notice his Pet’s surprise, and tightened his hold around the orangette’s waist a bit. “Of course, Nee-san.” He glanced down at his wide-eyed Pet then, “Ichigo, this is my elder sister, Kyouka Suigetsu. Tengoku’s Head of Negotiation and Trade. She oversees all of the ambassadors and trade routes our planet has, among a great many other things. She has just returned from opening up a new trade treaty with Krystilos, a planet about a two weeks travel time away from here.”
“I’m afraid my position has kept me off-planet for some time now, otherwise, we would have been introduced a while ago, Ichigo-kun. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. My brother has told me a great deal about you over the past months.” Her jade green eyes gleamed brightly, knowingly, in a way unlike her brother’s. This woman was not burdened with as much as either of them . . . and yet . . . somehow, she understood . . . everything. Her gaze said ‘I know who you are, and what you are going through,’.
The sincere kindness in her voice was gentle, and all the more scathing because of it. It wasn’t fair . . . with just a glance, she understood everything about his situation, his pain, and his uncertainty and his hopeless love of her brother . . . while said brother looked on obliviously, blind to the true depths of the pain he was inflicting on his fragile Pet. It just wasn’t fair!
Nevertheless, he meekly bowed his head, and murmured a greeting, not missing the slight narrowing of her eyes. This woman’s kindness was just as hurtful as her brother’s. Not because it was so rarely offered that it almost seemed fake, but because it was that this was the kindness he longed for, and for whatever cruel reason . . . fate had decided to give it all to the elder sibling, the one who probably could free him, but wouldn’t.
None of it seemed fair. Nothing did. Nothing ever had.