Hi everybody! I'm baaack! Okay so here's the real story, Crimson and Ebony. (for those of you who haven't read What Once Was this story makes a lot more sense if you read that first.) Just like the other story this one is rated M for swearing, mature content, violence, etc. And it also contains OC pairings and AU situations starting after the beginning of the Hueco Mundo Arc.

So I hope you enjoy, please Read and Review so I know if it's any good.

//

Tatsu awoke with a groan of pain on a cold stone floor. It was dark, but she could see that the walls of the room where she lay were a stark, unforgiving white. Her head throbbed with a deep ache and she grunted as dots of colour swam in her vision. She could remember the battle, remember losing her men. She could even vaguely recall the crash of impact as the Arrancar with the bull horns had knocked her out. Considering that she figured she most likely didn't have any brain damage. But that didn't explain why she was still alive. Or where the Arrancar had taken her...

She breathed in slowly, waiting for the headache to ease itself before she stood up carefully and looked around. There was a door across from her, with a light behind it, but when she moved to go to it she finally noticed the binding chains that were restraining her ankles and her shoulders. She wriggled in their grasp, noting her missing zanpakuto, and tried to summon up the energy to cast a kido spell.

Only to find that she couldn't.

Lethality stone... She thought with disgust, tugging uselessly at her binds. The power-blocking material preventing her from escaping.

She was still struggling with the chains when the door in front of her opened. She immediately stopped her fighting, glaring with narrowed eyes at the shadowy figure in the entryway.

"It's good to see that you are awake, Aoki-san..." The figure said, stepping into the room.

Despite years of training, despite constant discipline and a pristine record of not showing her emotions, Tatsu could not hold back a gasp. Standing before her, smiling like a friendly older brother, was none other than that bastard, that traitor...

None other than Aizen Sousuke...

//

"Bastard!" There was a sharp clang of metal as the blonde shinigami pulled harshly on her binds, teeth bared as she tried to reach the man who'd betrayed Soul Society.

The man in question smiled softly and chuckled at her struggle, watching her as if she were a silly child throwing a tantrum. Which only infuriated her more.

"Release me this instant!" she demanded, growling like a feral dog as she attempted to rip her chains out of the wall by sheer force. "Or I swear I'll-"

"You'll what?" Aizen asked, eyes glinting with obvious amusement. "You cannot harm me, Aoki-san. No matter your ferocity."

She glared at him, and he was reminded of a cornered animal making a last stand against its predator. There was blood staining one half of her pale face, nearly blinding one emerald eye, and her silky hair was matted with the substance, looking saddeningly lank and lifeless despite it's vibrant hue. Her uniform was torn and tattered, revealing bruised and bloody patches of flesh. It was an attractive look on her, he decided.

Aizen turned away from the temptingly vulnerable sight and signalled to one of his men. The Arrancar nodded and stepped forward, grabbing the restrained woman and releasing her from the wall so she could be dragged, biting and kicking, to what Aizen jokingly thought of as his 'throne room'.

Once he was seated above her, the men escorting the blonde tossed her without ceremony at his feet. She glared up at him, continuing to struggle with her restraints as he smiled condescendingly at her.

"Hmm, it's a shame you went into covert work, Aoki-san." Aizen said after a few moments, reaching a hand out. "You are quite a pretty little thing..." He brushed his fingers over her cheek and she snapped her jaws at him, attempting to bite his hand. He chuckled and evaded her teeth, playing with a lock of her hair. She shuddered in disgust at the feel of him touching her, feeling his tainted aura engulf her in his putrid essence.

"Don't touch me, you filth!" she snarled, twisting her head out of his clutches. She was breathing hard, and he could see the intense fury burning in her eyes. So much passion... Even imprisoned, even chained up and at his mercy she still looked at him as though she'd like nothing more than to bite a chunk out of his throat. How fascinating.

"Calm down, Aoki-san, I don't know what you are so worked up about."

"Why are you keeping me alive?" she demanded hotly, "Is this one of your sick games? Play with me before you kill me? Well fuck you! Just kill me and get it over with. I'd rather take my chances in the fires of Hell than look at your face a moment longer!"

Aizen just smiled that damnably serene smile and patted her head. She cringed at the placating touch and felt bile rise in her throat.

"I'm afraid you are far too useful to me alive, Aoki-san. So you'll have to forgive me for not granting you that request."

"What makes you think I'd help out a rat like you?" she growled, eyes daring him to touch her again. This time, he wouldn't evade losing a finger.

Aizen's expression never wavered, but he didn't touch her again. He was rather used to having all of his fingers firmly attached.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice. Unless you want everyone in the 2nd Division to have very unfortunate, painful deaths." he said cheerily, like he was discussing the weather.

Tatsu scoffed and scowled at him, "You think you can take on the entire Onmitsukido force? Ha! You would be eaten alive. You and your dumb ass Arrancar!"

Aizen leaned in closer, eyes boring into Tatsu's, the dark malice in them causing a warning shiver to go up her spine.

"What you don't understand, Aoki-san, is that I can choose to take over Seireitei whenever I feel." Her eyes narrowed at him. "I have more than enough Arrancar to destroy every shinigami in Soul Society. But that would be dreadfully boring, wouldn't it?" He chuckled, watching her renewed struggle against the chains. "It's up to you, however. If you aren't going to do as I ask then I may as well begin the attack now. But if you do as I ask... Well, you could buy your friends some time then, couldn't you?"

She looked away from him, unable to look at his face. She felt sick, and she could no longer hide the shivers that racked her body. Her head throbbed and her arms ached from the pressure of the chains. And she knew, she knew, that she had no choice but to do what he told her to. Because the sadistic bastard wouldn't kill her, he'd make her watch while he killed everyone she'd ever cared about. She couldn't let that happen. No matter the cost.

So she gritted her teeth and glared up at him, feeling defeated and disgusted with herself as she uttered the fateful question.

"What do you want me to do?"

Aizen smiled, like a child that had been given his favourite toy, and leaned back in his chair. "You're going to use your skills from the Covert Operations Squad." he said smugly, looking pleased with himself. "You're going to go out amongst my Arrancar and tell me of any plans they may come up with to overthrow me."

"Trouble in paradise?" Tatsu spat sourly, mockingly.

Aizen smiled, "Not yet, but a good leader must be prepared of course." he replied sagely.

"So you want me to spy on your Arrancar for you? What makes you think I won't get caught?" she asked, frowning sharply.

"It would be in your best interests not to. After all, my children will not be happy to find a shinigami in their midst." His smile turned into more of a leer.

"I look and sound nothing like an Arrancar! And my reiatsu is completely different! It's impossible!" Tatsu growled indignantly. The thought of spending her time out amongst those... those... beasts, was her idea of Hell. She'd do anything to avoid a forced existence alongside the very creatures she was meant to destroy.

Aizen just smirked at her excuses, cutting her off before she could list a thousand more reasons why she couldn't do it. "I can disguise your appearance, and your reiatsu. The rest, naturally, will be up to you. But judging by your reputation, a little acting is not outside the range of your abilities."

Tatsu scowled and huffed, "I'm only a 3rd Seat, Aizen. My abilities are not as developed as you might think."

"I doubt that very highly, Aoki-san. You were, after all, a favourite of Soi Fon's. She only picks the best."

Tatsu snorted and looked away again, unable to deny his words, and hating him all the more for it. "So... When do I start?" she muttered bitterly.

"You can have a few days to heal and get used to your new form. Then I will expect you out there." He reached into the folds of his hakama, pulling out a thin chain and a crystal-like pendant. Tatsu blinked as the necklace caught the light, distorting the image behind it and playing tricks with her eyes.

"What the hell is that thing?" she asked, blinking again as the refracted light from the crystal shined on her face.

"I had this little necklace developed specifically for this purpose." Aizen told her, swinging the item hypnotically in front of her face. "It has abilities similar to my zanpakuto. It will disguise your appearance and mask your spiritual energy so that you seem like an Arrancar. A handy little device, ne?"

Tatsu frowned and remained silent and Aizen slipped the object over her head. She had a sudden flashback to a dream she'd had a long time ago. Of fiery red hair and dark auburn eyes. She looked up at the ex-captain as he suddenly released her from her binds. She rubbed her sore arms and a glint of crimson caught her eye.

Her hair, as long and lustrous as before, was now a startling shade of red, hauntingly similar to that of a certain vice-captain's, and when she looked down at herself she saw that her hands were now adorned with black, claw-like nails. Further inspection revealed that she had a "hollow hole" nestled between her breasts, and a masquerade style mask of bone around both of her eyes. She looked at Aizen with a frown, feeling dirty when his eyes trailed up and down her form.

"Well, well, Aoki-san. You look quite good like this."

"Shut your mouth!" she snarled, crossing her arms in an attempt to shield herself from his gaze.

He stood, causing her to back away quickly before he could touch her. He kept smiling that chilling, creepy smile as he signalled for her to follow him. He led her to an adjacent room, throwing random bits of clothing at her from a sliding panel in the wall.

"Put those on, and I'll have Gin show you to your new room. You'll be given three days to recover." He said briskly.

A faint pinkish tint dusted across the blonde-turned-redhead's cheeks. "You don't want me to change right now?" she asked incredulously. "I'm not going to strip for your pleasure, you perverted fuck!"

Aizen merely smiled and watched her quietly, seeing her finally give up on modesty and quickly remove her tattered uniform. She pulled the clothes he'd given her on quickly, making sure her back was turned on him so he wouldn't see her nudity. The new clothing didn't cover much, the white material barely stretching across her breasts, and the flowing skirt with it's black sash belt had revealing slits going up both sides. Perverted old traitor... she thought in disgust, tugging awkwardly at the sorry excuse for a shirt. She turned to face him again, expression sour, and bared her teeth at him.

"Happy now, you lech? May I go now? I feel if I have to look at you a moment longer I'll spit bile onto the floor."

Aizen patted her head and waved a hand. Ichimaru Gin seemed to materialize from out of the shadows.

"Ah, Aizen-sama, ya needed me for somethin'?" he said in that overly cheerful drawl.

"Yes, could you please show this new Arrancar to her room?" Aizen said, a wry tone to his voice.

"Of course, Aizen-sama." Gin said, bowing slightly, "And what shall I call this "new Arrancar"?"

Aizen looked Tatsu up and down and she was once again tempted to rip a chunk out of his flesh with her teeth.

"Crimson. Her name is Crimson Rayo." he answered, smirking.

"Well then, Crimson, follow me." Gin said, walking ahead of Tatsu. She followed after him reluctantly, looking back at Aizen with murderous eyes.

And then, when she was finally alone in the room that was to be her new prison, she contemplated the deep hell she'd been forced into. And the sheer weight of the pain and betrayal that clawed at her gut brought her to her knees.

What was she to do now? How could she survive this?

She was a solitary shinigami amongst a thousand Arrancar. She was alone.

She was dead....

//

Whew! First chapter! So, how's it lookin' so far? I think Tatsu sounds a little prissy... But then again, she thinks Aizen's a scumbag so that's not that surprising.

Tatsu: Are, we need to talk...

Are: What now?

Tatsu: I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the readers seeing me all naked, and in such revealing clothing. It's embarrassing!

Are: Well, it's important to show all the gory details. I mean, Aizen can't be shown as an evil pervert if there's nothing about you getting naked and being forced to wear sexy clothes!

Tatsu: ... I hate you...

Are: I love you too, sweetie. Now tell the readers what I said before.

Tatsu: *sigh* Alright... You see the little button just below all this text? If you click it, and write some words, then Are will write more chapters. And hopefully get me some proper clothes... So please, Read and Review!