Archive of Our Own ^beta

Disclaimer: I do not own any material belonging to the creators of Inuyasha or Bleach.

She huddled closer to the top of the bed, continuing to stare at the door. She knew he would come soon, because he always did. He always came, no matter how much she wished that day might be different.

The slight creak of the door crushed her hope once again. Still, she silently hoped that someone else would step into the room to tell her that he would not be coming. That today would be the first day he could not see her. That today would be the day he would not venture beyond the threshold of her door, trying to twist her mind into seeing things his way.

However, she was not surprised when he moved into the room.

He smiled, appearing as polite as he always did. She could not be fooled, though; especially by someone who wanted power. Power they craved, and found easy methods to obtain it—another person that did not wish to work for it. Another person that did not deserve an ounce of the power they craved for, yet they constantly sought after it.

"Hello, Kagome-san," he said.

"I can't give it to you," she replied. It was the same way every time, but she was not stupid. She knew his patience was quickly wearing thin.

Instead of his normal response, he stepped closer to the bed. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, watching his slow, steady pace. He would not fool her, no matter how hard he tried, as long as she watched.

"Are you not tired?" he asked. "Having to keep such a thing secret must be so hard on you. Surely you would rather have a life free of it?"

Kagome remained silent.

"All you have to do is tell me where it is, Kagome-san, and you can be free," Aizen continued. His eyes were calculating, watching her, but he would not win. As long as she watched him, she knew his next move.

If only he could comprehend that. Perhaps then he might obtain what he wanted. She would never give away her secrets, though, so he would never know. No matter how much he offered or threatened, he would never know. And that was how she wished it to be, because she would not allow him to obtain the power he so wished for.

"I can't give it to you," Kagome repeated.

"Can't or won't?" His voice was hard and controlled, but his frustration was seen clearly in his eyes and movement. She saw it with ease, even when he tried to hide it beneath the surface. When he tried to cover it up with that smile, so pleasant and polite, yet never really doing much to contain the irritation building underneath his flesh.

"Both." She replied in an even tone, never trying to push him. Yes, she wished to escape, but at the moment it was impossible. She would be captured and locked up once more, unable to escape again.

Because Aizen, too, was not a fool.

He moved with such speed that she lost sight of him for a moment. Her blue eyes quickly focused once more when his strong fingers wrapped around her chin. Kagome made no protest as he pulled her toward him, forcing her from her position.

"I grow tired of your games," he growled.

"I can't give it to you, Aizen."

He looked ready to hit her, cold fury burning deep in his hazel eyes. Aizen resisted the urge, while she continued to watch. She knew that any action on her part would end in injury, so she settled with reading him quietly. Watching for a move that might try to bring her demise.

His fingers tightened slightly. After a moment of discomfort, she spoke quietly. "I won't give it to you."

"So now we have the truth," he stated.

She said nothing.

His eyes spoke for a moment, and he changed his tactic. His eyes narrowed, and as he spoke, she had no doubt that he would do such a thing. "Grimmjow and Ulquiorra have taken quite an interest in you, Kagome-san. If you do not like my presence or my desire, I am sure they would be willing to keep you company."

Again, she said nothing.

"Perhaps that is what you want, though. To be roughly loved by those two. Is that what you wish for, Kagome-san?" Aizen taunted. "Is that what turns you on? The thought of laying with two Arrancars and being torn apart as they fuck you?"

He was tense, easily signaling to her what he was feeling. He knew that no woman in their right mind would wish to be torn apart in such a way. He knew she would say 'no', but the very thought had left him angry.

Jealous.

"I won't give it to you," she said. "And I won't lay with them, either."

He laughed, his desire for power overriding whatever he felt. After a moment, he said, "I do not think you'd have much of a choice, Kagome-san. You seem to forget that I know your secret—that you are forever bound to protect and hide the whereabouts of the Shikon no Tama. Your powers have shifted, changed, to make sure you will live forever to keep that secret. You can no longer purify, and are basically defenseless—even if you will always regenerate."

"I won't." She hissed a little to make her point. She tried to rub in that she would not give away the whereabouts of the Shikon no Tama. She would not hand him an item that could bring about the destruction of the world. She would not help him in his quest for power.

For as long as she lived, she would make sure that he never obtained the Shikon. He could put her through torture, kill her time and again, but never would she give up the information.

He twisted her face from side to side, staring at her with a raw emotion. One that sent a shiver down her spine, for she did not wish to see what it would bring. She knew, she did, but she did not want such a thing to happen. Ever. And it appeared that he knew, because a smile slowly worked its way over his face. "You do not seem frightened at all by the thought of sleeping with Grimmjow and Ulquiorra. Perhaps that is the reason they are drawn to you? I had not dismissed the thought that you had some power left, but I did not think that it was powerful enough to manipulate someone else."

Damn.

"Even if only on a subconscious level," he added.

Damn, damn, damn.

He pushed her away, and Kagome only barely managed to keep her eyes on him. Watching him as silently as she could. Trying to make sure that he did not realize that by watching him she knew what he felt, what he thought, and what he planned to do. And, in the same instance, she managed to manipulate him just enough that she knew she was in control.

"Is that the reason you always keep your pretty eyes on the person with you?" Aizen pressed. "Is that how you managed to release your power? Oh, don't give me that look, Kagome-san. It was so easy to see once I realized you never take your eyes off me."

"I still won't give you the Shikon no Tama," she growled.

"You see, Kagome-san," Aizen's voice was polite once more, "there is a little problem with your plan. I know your secret now, and we're going to start over. You'll no longer manipulate me, and I will do whatever I have to in order to get what I want. But, I would not expect it to be pleasant for you."

"I will never give you what you want, Aizen!" she yelled. Her hand flew, but he caught it with ease. She cursed his speed, and the knowledge that he had just gained. For she could see the pleasure he would gain from blinding her and making sure that she could do nothing to stop him from making her scream. And that lust made her shiver with the intensity of it.

"I think you'll be surprised with what I can get out of a person when I am determined," Aizen replied. He squeezed her wrist enough to hurt, causing her to whimper a little, and Kagome saw the pleasure it gave him. He enjoyed it, but no matter the pain he put her through, she refused to give him the information he wanted.

The Shikon no Tama was her responsibility. She was the guardian it had chosen. The souls inside trusted her to keep it a secret, buried deep enough that no one would ever gain power from it again. They had trusted her since the moment she was born, and she was not going to disappoint them again by allowing another to taint it.

She was never going to give it to Aizen.

-Fin