He did not let me go until I was at my building. I insisted. Hell, begged for him to drop me off at the Kurosaki Clinic. But, damn, he was pretty insistent. And this man tried to strike a conversation by asking, "Have anything new happen to you recently?"

I had nothing worthy to share with him. Wh-What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, I'm dating your ex-captain.' 'I can float now, sir!' 'I got beat up by one of your test subjects.'

So I told him, "Just getting injuries," I laughed. A forced laugh.

I closed the door behind me. Taking a few breaths as I leaned on the door. "I'm back!" I announced, walking to the living room. Renji slowly sat up from the couch, "That Reiatsu just now..." he turned his head to me, "It isn't who I think it is, right...?"

"You didn't tell me he was an insistent bastard," I placed my bag by the side of the couch, "I know Orihime is the one we're protecting, but gosh, I don't want to be alone with that creep ever again," I sank into the couch. Renji poked the cotton on my forehead, "Ow!"

"If you don't get yourself in so much trouble he wouldn't use that as an excuse," he crossed his arms, sounding like my mum a little, "What happened to you anyway?" I patted my forehead gently, "I got beat up by one of the Visored. It was a short battle but she gave me one hell of a kick."

"Why were you battling a Visored?" he looked over to me, "I told you about them, didn't I?"

"I know. But she was annoying everyone about it," I rubbed my face, "If I didn't do it, Kuna-San would have whined the whole day and Kensei would get worked up about it. I swear he looked like a volcano ready to burst."

He sighed, "Mashiro? Yeah, I've met her," he slumped into the couch, "Pretty annoying kid."

"See? You get my problem," I got off the couch, "I'm gonna study for a bit."

"What are we eating for dinner?"

"Leftovers are in the fridge," I gestured to the refrigerator, "If you ate those already, your fault."

***

I sighed. Class always seemed forever. While his brown eyes kept looking over to me, I kept averting mine away from him. His gaze burning through my very soul. I indeed did not like it. Not even an inch. It went on forever. Every single day. Not only in class, but in hallways too. Even the club room sometimes. He would walk by the club room and linger by the door as he passes me a smile.

And I thought he would have eyes for Orihime.

He was attractive, I admit. But that feeling seemed to disappear after meeting Shinji. And I felt better, at least I wasn't drooling over a villain anymore. The stalking bugged me to no ends. Ever since that night happened, I insisted Shinji on sending me back when it gets dark. I would get so paranoid, we would just air-walked back.

The incident was two days ago. I was overreacting, right?

When the club meeting ended, I immediately head for the exit. Afraid if I lingered, I would bump into Aizen. And I didn't want that. I stepped out of the club room. "Neddy-San, wait!" A hand wrapped around my wrist. "Oh, Monika-San," I looked over to the familiar-looking girl. I swear, I've seen her somewhere, but I couldn't put my finger in it

Her hand moved from my wrist to my hand, "Let's walk home together," she squeezed my hand as her emerald eyes went to mine. I smiled at her, "Sure!" She was the president of the literature club, though I had never hung out with her. I did a few times with the rest of the club. But never alone.

Now, it was just Monika.

We held hands as we walked. Her coral brown ponytail swayed side to side as she walked. An elegant pink taint on her cheeks. Her features were highlighted by the shade of orange from the setting sun. Her uwabaki slippers tapped against the white tile, the sound echoed through the hallway.

"Neddy," she spoke in a hushed tone, "I'd like to tell you something."

"What is it?" I asked, looking over to her.

"Ned...um...I...I..." her hand squeezed my hand tighter, she bit her lip as she spoke. Her eyes averting away from me. She took a deep breath, "I'm--."

"Ned," another voice spoke. A voice I truly despise. I looked over to the direction of the voice, "Could I see you for a moment?"

I looked down, nodding. I looked over to Monika, "I'm so sorry," I muttered, letting go of her hand, "You can go ahead, Monika." I patted her shoulder, "You can tell me tomorrow, okay?"

Monika looked at Aizen and looked over to me. "Its okay, Neddy," she answered, sounding a little sad. She gave me a sad smile before walking away. My insides begged her to turn around and take me with her. I watched her ponytail swayed behind her as she slowly disappeared into the distance.

I turned to Aizen, "Yes, sir?" I fiddled with my fingers, taking a few steps closer to him. He gestured me to follow him. So I walked behind him. Both of us silent. The air felt different. But I couldn't describe it. It somehow felt threatening and thick. More than usual. As if he just increased his Reiatsu.

We walked into the office. It was empty. Uneasiness settled in my stomach. I stood right behind him as he stood by his desk. The silence made my stomach turn. Only the sounds of the fan spinning in the air conditioner were heard. And my uneven breathing. "Ned," his voice broke the silence causing me to jump a little, "You've always been my favourite student."

The feeling my stomach intensified, "Y-You shouldn't say a thing like that, sir!" I squeaked out, sounding a little weaker than I expected. He turned around, facing me. He took a few steps closer to me. I involuntarily took a step back. With his height, he was towering me.

He was close to the point I could smell sandalwood, which surprised me that the man had time to pick a scent for his cologne. Though sandalwood scent was supposed to make you feel calm, I began to panic even more. "I'm only stating an honest statement," his tone of voice change. Or was it me?

I was too distressed to even know the difference.

His hand grasped my wrist. My eyes widened and I looked at him. My hand squirmed against his grip. But, damn, he was surprisingly stronger than he looked. "That is why," he paused, for the sake of the suspense, "You are going to follow me." The air starts pushing me down.

He's doing this with his Reiatsu.

It was so powerful. I had trouble breathing. My mind went blank all of a sudden. My limbs went limp and I fell right into him. He held me by my shoulders. Gosh, I wanted to scream as loud as I could but none of my senses was responding. My eyes slowly fluttered close.

I cursed at Aizen and myself right before the world went black.