After Dark: Unexpected Blossoming

2: First Names

Yuzu walked with fearful steps beside Aizen, her body shaking from stress as she glanced wearily around her at the vast halls she traveled through. The white around her was almost blinding, but working at the clinic with her father on occasion made it to where her eyes naturally adjusted to the brightness of her surroundings.

Aizen had yet to speak to her since he told her to follow him, which seemed to frighten her more than it reassured her. She didn't know what this man was about, and she had a feeling that she shouldn't want to either. Yet, she can't help that one pinch of curiosity that shows through her fear. She wanted to know why she had been kidnapped and what Ichigo had to do with any of this. Is Aizen the leader of a group of thugs, and they kidnapped her because Ichigo got on their bad side? The thought caused Yuzu to shiver uncomfortably and shake her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

The longer they walked, the more life Yuzu began to see around her. There were more people walking through the halls wearing similar white outfits to the one Aizen and the people who took her wore. Some, as creepy as it was, had holes in their bodies that peeked through their uniforms or were out in the open for display. Some of them did seem friendly enough, but then there were those who glowered at her after bowing towards Aizen. She could feel the threats in their stares, and she unconciously stepped closer to Aizen in fear of someone lashing out at her. At least Aizen wasn't going to let anyone touch her, she hoped.

One in particular seemed quite brutal and really disliked her being there. She saw the wild blue hair first when the male was walking by. He had a nonchalant manner about him when he was walking until his icy blue eyes landed on her and narrowed. He had a large hole in his stomach out on display for those to see. Also, Yuzu noticed that one of his arm were gone, causing her eyes to sadden for a moment in slight pity. She made a sound of discomfort when his eyes landed on her, finally pressing up against Aizen's side. When that happened, the blue haired male stopped walking and turned to face her and Aizen directly. Aizen had stopped walking as well, first glancing down at Yuzu before looking up at the male with wild blue hair.

"Do you need something, Grimmjow?" Aizen asked, his eyes sliding over to look at the espada.

"That girl you have there," Grimmjow started, glaring down hatefully down at Yuzu, "I don't like her."

"Is that so?" Aizen asked. "Can you tell me why?"

Grimmjow looked away, making a sound of slight anger. "Her eyes are so similar to that bastard shinigami it makes me sick." He slid his eyes back over to Yuzu. "Who is she anyway?"

"She is the younger sister of Kurosaki Ichigo," Aizen replied simply.

At the mention of her brother's name, Yuzu saw Grimmjow's glare intensify and his hand clenching tightly into a fist. She felt as if a knife had suddenly been pressed up against her throat and she leaned back farther into Aizen's side to escape the sharp blade.

"Grimmjow," Aizen started, giving the espada a hard look, "you are not to touch this girl. You will eventually be able to get your rematch with Ichigo, but harming his sister will do nothing for you. In fact, you might want to be weary of Tousen from this point on. He will do more than just get rid of your other arm if you disobey orders, and next time he makes a move, I will just sit and watch as it happens."

Grimmjow clicked his tongue, turning away and begining to walk away from Yuzu and Aizen. "Like you did anything last time."

Yuzu sighed in relief as the feeling of death left her and she didn't feel as suffocated where she stood. Noticing that she was leaning into Aizen, she jumped away and bowed quickly.

"I'm sorry sir! I didn't mean to bump into you like that!" Yuzu bit out in a haste. She looked up, surprised when she heard Aizen chuckle.

"It doesn't matter," he replied, waving for her to continue following him as he turned. "There was no harm done and I can promise that you won't be seeing very much of Grimmjow during your stay here unless he disobey orders."