第27章: Taking the Risk

Time trickles by, marked only by those changing numerals. Her mind is blank; where there should be dreams is a heavy blackness. Her eyes are as stationary as they stare at the silhouette of the moving leaves, on the tree which where they rest. When the silver glow of the moon above it becomes white, she knows her night is almost over. She close her eyes and they almost sting, maybe because it was open for too long. After some moments she recalls Aizen's words in her head. Her craving for rest that she feels -a hunger and thirst- it's unimaginable. For seven long days, since their talk, her mind has been a whirlpool, swift, unprogressive and incessant, a torrent of thoughts leading nowhere, spinning round swift and steady,she turned and stared at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh.

She sat straight up, her legs crossed in front of her and her hands rested a over her thighs, her eyes closed. Breathe in. Breathe out. Talking to herself "Know your surroundings as you know yourself. Feel the feeling of breath entering and leaving your lungs. Feel the life circulating within and without, the energy of a calm breeze, a gentle sun, echoing through your heart-space. Know you are not alone. Know you are loved. Know the universe, vast as it is, recognizes you and cherishes you. Know you are worth living for." She opened her eyes changed to her shihakusho and grabbed her zanpakutō and went straight to the training grounds.

She stood there at the center, unsheathed her zanpakutō and felt its weight as she slightly swings it side by side and twisted and turned and went to her fighting stance. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and pictured an enemy in front of her. She lunged forward, stabbing, slashing, swinging around. She twists and turned as her weight rested at the balls of her feet. In every movement her hair flows in the air. Her mind is concentrated to the image of the enemy in her head never opening her eyes. She somersaulted as if avoiding an enemy attack. Her body was reacting on its own, her muscles working in patterns buried deep in her brain, ingrained in her from childhood, full of caution, no  hesitations, and full of focus. Her movement was like of that of a war goddess full of valor and victory. She stopped and sheathed her sword as the dust began to settle she opened her eyes to find Gin clapping at her with a silly grin as the students gathered around the training grounds looking at her watching in awe as the other shinigami can be heard chit chatting about how awesome her swordsmanship is. Erza kept an stoic expression as she exits the area making Gin ran after her.

Aizen Sousuke observed carefully from a distance. He adjusted his glasses slightly. He felt the strands of Erza's reiatsu, sensing them like his hand roaming across a silk scarf, so raw and untempered- yet so much improved compared to when he first had seen it, a barely contained ball of energy, blazing away at its surroundings with neither restraint nor control. She really has improved and is now stronger, he thought as he gazed out on her- he had chosen her as a pawn or maybe something much more. He tried to dismiss her- but his mind became too chaotic, for some reason whenever it comes to the red head he can't think straight or maybe she is just really is so beautiful that she messes up with his brilliant mind.

For him Erza, as much as he wanted to just use her as his puppet- there was something to her beside just power, a sort of drive, an integrity of a kind that Aizen had found was generally very exploitable. Ideology was the single most useful tool a manipulator could ask for; using that, a virtuous man like Kaname Tosen had turned into his loyal servant, prepared to kill anyone and do anything in the name of his cause. But it was more than that. Judging by his subtle observations, saw what he had once seen, what Kaname had been made to see: a corrupt society, ruling over the weak and poor with cruel indifference. Erza interested him in a small, bemused way, and he wants to bring her to his side. He would have to be cautious, of course- she trusted him already; he had a reasonable chance.

Erza bumped into a familiar figure, nearly knocking him over, making her and Gin stop seemingly- of course- by complete coincidence.  looked at Aizen knowing what he has in mind and looked at Erza. He kept his eyes slitted and wide grin hiding his worry for the girl. Deep down he somehow wished she could notice him and if possible run away with him.

"Aizen taichō sorry- I should have watched where I was going." She said as Gin touched her shoulder gently.

"Please, there is no need to apologize." Aizen said, smiling gently. Erza blinked as she blushed seeing his smile "Yeah... sure. Well, I won't keep you any longer-" she said looking away.

"I'm not in a hurry," Aizen replied, "Care to join me for a walk?"

"I have things to do in the 13th division office" Erza mumbled.

"I can walk you back to the 13th and I can help you get your duties done" he added. "Okay taichō, you can walk me back but you don't have to help me with my work" she said sheepishly.

"Taichō?, Erza I think I know you well enough to be more familiar than that. Of course, I have been busy... I wish you can just call me by my name" he said a little annoyed.

"It's how you address a superior." Erza mumbled, as Aizen walked alongside her.

"Of all the people, you're the one who ignores positions and power." Aizen said confidently. "Guess what? Neither am I- but when you're in my position, you need to act like it. And besides, I love the way you call my name when we're alone" he said boldy.

"Sōsuke kun." She said, frowning. "Is there a particular reason for this... walk?"

She was a little stiff and her face is red, Aizen noticed and smiled.

"My office was killing me," he lied, Erza chuckled. "I don't expect that to come from you Sōsuke kun" she teased.

"So, Erza, have you thought about what I said?" Aizen asked. "I don't think that's simple" she answered. Aizen chuckled in a friendly way. "I'm sorry to hurry you, I just really want things to change"

"If..." Erza said hesitantly, taking a quick breath, "if I join you to try and make a difference. Not just slaying hollows, preserving the peace, but... I'd want to try and make the afterlife a better place" She stopped walking, and looked him in the eye. "Will you promise me that we'll do this for the sake of protecting everyone? Promise me that there will be no senseless deaths" she said with determination in her eyes.

Aizen nodded. "You are so fierce, and so strangely virtuous- but this world, I have seen, is not virtuous. You are truly amazing in many ways" He smiled. "You remind me of myself when I was younger" he added "And what happened to that younger you?" She looked at him quizzically "He's still there, but he isn't burning anymore." He explained. Erza took his hand, smiling at him.

"If you could change the entire world and make it better for everyone, I would take that chance and stand alongside you" Erza said determinedly.

"I agree." Aizen said, nodding and smiling. Erza laughed, and mockingly snapped a salute, before leaving.

Aizen watched her walk away. he realized that she was beautiful, in a totally new and different way- not for her figure or her face, but for her fire- and her simplemindedness, which would make her either very useful, or very troublesome. Either way, he knows he needed her not only to be his pawn but to be with him, beside him as his queen.

"You made her agree with you, well done, as always expected of you" Gin said from behind, his arms crossed as he leaned on the wall. "Yes, everything is happening according to plan" he said with an evil smirk.