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Prisoner of War	By : horrorgal Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 57808 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, nor the characters. I do not profit from this story.

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Chapter 38

It was a pulsing pain that came and went like a ocean's wave against a shore. It was nothing that Urahara couldn't handle, but it was interrupting his concentration just enough to set back his progress with Benihime and the seal lock that imprisoned the zanpakuto. The wounds in his wrists were the worst of them, the ache peaking up if he moved his hands a certain way. Uryu had not been lying. He did know what hurt.

Aizen had been kind enough to send a arrancar that knew little of healing, but enough to clean and bandage his wounds to keep them from getting infected. Kind. Too gracious of a word to describe the murderer of millions. A mockery in fact. It was ridiculously obvious he was being kept alive for a reason, and not just to find out why Gin miraculously brought him in along with Grimmjow. Something about that made his imprisoned situation more bearable. Even in this cell, perhaps he had a hand to play. It was just finding out what the game was.

Urahara moved gently and stretched out his legs. Hueco Mundo was not the ideal place to be, but at least out there he had the freedom of movement. He wasn't sure how well he would move in his current condition, and he had no idea when the chance would come again, if ever, but he had come here willingly, knowing what it could mean. The gauze wrapped around his wounds were stained with blood, but there was nothing to be done for it. He wasn't expecting a visit from Orihime either, and he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction by asking.

He never spoke to any of the guards that kept watch over him. They had little to no interest in him as far as he could tell. They brought him water and a minimal amount of food twice a day. More than he had on the run most days, but with strong reiatsu, one didn't need a lot to survive. He thought of Isshin's daughters and how much they had grown. They had adjusted to Hueco Mundo rather well. Urahara knew that if not for their family lineage, they would surely be dead by now from this exposure to a world of the dead.

It was possible Uryu would return to question him again. The harsh reality was, the young man was being manipulated somehow to do so. With every puncture and twist of the sharp tool he used, his eyes had grown more distant, as if trying to hide from what he was doing. In the end, when Urahara finally uttered something for him to go tell Aizen, something unimportant that the man probably already knew, his focus had come back and sadness had replaced it. In a hushed, shaky voice, he said one agonized word. Sorry. Through blurred vision, Urahara watched him stagger from the cell, covered in blood, shoulders slumped as if he'd lost something.

It was over then, his reiatsu slowly retreating upward to report to Aizen. The arrancar that helped Uryu gave him a look over before he stepped out of the cell as well, then locked the door, putting the seal back in place. He didn't speak, just took his position back up to guard over him as if nothing happened. Everything back in order. Urahara looked out and saw a different guard was there today. They switched out sometimes. The passing of time was a odd thing in Hueco Mundo, and it was even harder to grasp when locked in a dungeon. So he used the switch out of the guards and meals to determine how many days had passed since Uryu had tortured him. His best guess was four.

Aizen would come to see him for another talk. He wasn't sure when, but he knew it was coming. He wanted a chance to talk to Ichigo, but he had yet to appear again since his initial visit. Aizen was probably the reason for that, but it wasn't surprising. It was to be expected and he couldn't concern himself with it. Grimmjow and Gin were on their own as well for that matter. His minor confession really hadn't revealed anything in their involvement, but it was out of his hands now. He was here for one reason. With a grimace he folded his legs and rested his arms on them, taking a long relaxing breath before he closed his eyes. With strong will he called to her, reaching to make the connection only a shinigami could with their zanpakuto.

His body relaxed until he felt he was adrift on a calm sea, warmth filling his body as his mind connected to her. When his eyes opened, her smile and the glory of their inner world greeted him. Blue sky and sunshine, natural, unlike the false light that covered Las Noches. Mountains and trees surrounded them, as if to guard them from what might lay beyond. The bubbling flow of the river was a melody that he had only ever heard in this sacred place. It was all enough to make him want to stay here forever, but each time he knew he could not. He found it even harder to leave nowadays.

"Shall we begin again, Urahara?"

"Yes, Benihime. Time is a luxury that keeps slipping away." He walked with her, the injuries nonexistent here, but he was still aware of the ache in his physical body. It wasn't bad. He could work through it easily enough. There was no other choice given to him. They approached a small alcove in the mountain wall. A bluish glow penetrated through the rock in the shape of seal symbols inside a perfect circle. Some were not as bright as others, dulled from being previously broken during his earlier visits. There were many more to go. He pressed his hands to the stone, so hot that it felt like it should sear his flesh, but it did not. It was only an illusion, that within minutes he had obliterated the first time he had come in contact with the seal.

Benihime placed her hand on his shoulder. "Do not push yourself like last time."

"I can't delay any longer. You know this." He looked at her. "You and I may not survive for much longer, even if Aizen may want it differently."

"I only ever cared for what you want."

He laughed and it felt good. "Then why are you so stubborn, hm?"

"You enjoy it. It's as simple as that."

"Only you and Yoruichi can know me so perfectly. Well, she did anyway." He put his attention back on the seal. When Benihime pressed to his back, her arms enveloping his body, the tension left him. "I miss her." His voice was steady, but inside he felt the cold knot of loss. It was always there, and he knew it would never fully leave him.

"I know. Perhaps you will see her again."

"Everything is gone, Benihime. Is there really anywhere to go in death anymore?" He stared at his hands over the seal.

"I guess we won't know until you take your last breath, my brilliant Urahara."

"So mysterious, my beautiful Benihime."

"It's why we make a good pair, you and I. Now, shall we?" she rested her chin on his shoulder, arms warm and powerful around him.

"Lend me your strength," he said and focused, working on the next lock.

~~~

"Not being a good listener I see."

Ichigo stonily looked at Gin over his shoulder. "How so?"

"You're just standing there staring at that sealed door."

"And you've been standing there staring at my back for ten minutes, but I didn't interrupt you," Ichigo informed him.

"You knew I was here the whole time? Impressive. I thought I was hiding my presence well enough."

"If you listen hard enough, you can hear a snake slither."

Gin laughed and approached him, stopping to stand at his side. "Maybe you are learning." He nodded towards the door. "Then again, how is being so near this going to help the situation? Going to break the seal yourself?"

"Maybe. I broke Hichigo out of his prison."

"This is much more complex, I'm afraid."

"Then how is Urahara supposed to do it in the dungeons?" he muttered.

"Questions that shouldn't be asked in the open, even in a whisper," Gin hissed near his ear.

Ichigo did not flinch from the feel of his warm breath on his skin, but disliked him being so close. Luckily, Gin did not linger and moved aside. "Maybe I'm tired of playing it safe," he said in answer to his warning.

"You take too many chances and you will lose your footing and fall. Have you forgotten the risk to the people here that you care about?"

Gin shot his resolve down, bringing him back to a harsh reality. His pride refused to let him tell the man he was right. He just looked away from the impenetrable door, arms folded. Gin kept any quips to himself, but his smile remained. That mask of a smile that hid the true man underneath. Ichigo walked, and Gin followed behind like a shadow.

"You don't have to keep watch over me," Ichigo said as they went.

"Oh, I don't know. I rather like your company." He stepped up in pace with Ichigo. "Perhaps we can spar to keep your mind away from anything dangerous?"

Ichigo gave him a sideways glance. As usual, he could not read his intent, but for once he wasn't bothered by the lack of insight. "Fine," he responded and turned down a corridor that would lead them outside Las Noches. Maybe he needed a good fight to clear his head. He didn't intend to hold back, which led him to wonder if Gin would in fear of Aizen's wrath. "Are you going to give me a real challenge?" he asked as they neared the exit.

"Wholeheartedly," he said, the delight in his voice laced with something akin to lust. He did a quick little step to the door and opened it for Ichigo with a slight bow. "After you, Kurosaki," he said in a way that would have been comical if he had been almost anyone else.

Ichigo ignored his attempt at humor and stepped past him through the door into the unnatural sunlight under the dome of Las Noches. He could still remember real sunshine and sky. He missed it, along with the change of seasons. The fall of snow, to the blooming of the cherry blossom trees; nothing here in Hueco Mundo could compare to the nature of the mortal world. He did not linger on his thoughts when he heard the door shut behind him.

"Ready?" Ichigo asked.

"Not quite yet, though you shouldn't really ask me. You should just be ready for when I strike."

Ichigo watched him walk past and onward. "Where are you going?"

Gin pointed straight ahead. "That way."

"That doesn't tell me much." There was nothing that way except for outside the dome of Las Noches, into the wastes of Hueco Mundo. He had traveled beyond it a few times himself to fight hollows when he was stressed, but he had never went beyond the barrier with anyone else. He watched Gin's back as he moved further away. He wasn't even waiting to see if he was coming. He probably knew he didn't have to. Ichigo followed. "At least give me a clear answer, mystery man," he snapped.

"It should be obvious, boy. We need space to spar without interruption."

"Fair enough, but don't call me boy. I'm not that fifteen year old kid anymore."

"Good, then you can prove it to me." Gin kept walking, his pace uninterrupted.

Proving anything to Gin wasn't something Ichigo felt he needed to do, but if it was a fight he wanted, he would get one. He walked alongside him without speaking again. Gin was just as happy to keep quiet as they neared the outer edge that transitioned into Hueco Mundo. Bright sky went to darkness in a few steps and Ichigo was already pulling Zangetsu from his back. He blocked just as Gin brought his own sword down in a fierce attack, the strength of it furious enough to spark the steel of their blades.

Ichigo shoved him back, mindful that the length of Gin's zanpakuto was far greater than what his eyes could see when it's master wielded it. He had fought him before during the war and remembered his technique well. Gin bound back and landed across from him, the sand barely shifting under his feet. His smile was decisively colder with his sword held before him, the position of the blade both threatening and defensive at once. Ichigo caught the delicate movement of his wrist and tilted his head to avoid the attack coming at him. He felt the kiss of the steel along his cheek and the warm flow of blood just before he swung Zangetsu up to knock the blade away.

If Gin wasn't trying to kill him, he was doing a good job of pretending to. Ichigo moved forward with skilled speed, his own strike just missing his opponent as he ducked and spun his blade around to clash against his. They struck and blocked in a flurry of attacks in what felt like a even match of strength. In this, Ichigo was troubled. Was this the limit of his strength, that he could be at even odds with Aizen's right hand and no higher? He felt a jolt of anger that he could not fathom and delved harder into Gin's defenses, the man's constant antagonizing smile only fueling him onward. He wanted to win. They clashed back and forth, neither of them bothered by the passing of time.

"Your skill has improved since we last fought, Kurosaki," Gin said, sword braced against his, ignoring the blood running down his forehead and over one closed eyelid. "I must wonder, will it be enough to do what needs to be done, or do you even have the passion to follow through with it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he said, grunting, pushing Gin back to attack once more. Every strike was avoided by nimble steps and dance like shifts of his body. The last, Gin blocked and pushed towards him.

"Can you kill?"

"What?!" Ichigo spat with strained exasperation.

"Wait, I know what you are probably thinking," Gin said, dancing back again, blocking the attacks that followed him. "You're thinking, or course I can kill. I killed that moron Yammy. I took his head clean off. It was as easy as breathing."

"Then you just answered your own question," Ichigo said roughly over the sound of their clashing swords.

"No. Can you kill when it really matters, boy?" he asked, blocking hard against his attacks once more, pushing his face so near that it was dangerously close to both of their blades. "Could you kill me, right here, right now?"

"Don't test me!" Ichigo growled, staggering back a few steps as Gin put the pressure on.

"Is hate enough? Do you have the drive to put your blade through me?"

"Son of a bitch!" Ichigo raised his sword, about to bring down his growing fury. He saw a flash of light as Gin's zanpakuto extended to impale him. He used shunpo to avoid the bite to his flesh, bringing his own blade around, the tip piercing Gin's back and through his belly. Gin didn't make a sound until he pulled Zangetsu free. He did not yell, but expelled a pained grunt and fell to his knees. Ichigo stood behind him, Zangetsu held at his side, dripping blood.

"Very good," Gin said, panting through the pain, crimson spreading over his white clothes. "Finish it."

Ichigo walked cautiously around him to see his face. Even in his pain, he was smiling. "Are you insane?" he asked.

"Are you?" Gin asked in return, head tilted up. His eyes cracked open to observe the man that stood victoriously above him.

"Just give me a straight answer. What is it you are trying to do here?!"

"That should be obvious," Gin insisted, spitting blood onto the sand, coughing.

"Now you are tempting me to kill you," Ichigo muttered and sheathed Zangetsu on his back before he leaned down and pulled Gin up. "Come on before you bleed out." Ichigo lifted him in his arms and headed back for Las Noches.

"You can't do it after all," Gin said, sounding way too regretful for a man whose life was just spared.

"I just don't understand you," Ichigo said, running steadily. "Do you want to die that much?"

"I'm a dead man already, Kurosaki. I have been since I joined myself with Aizen. I failed. I was hoping you would not." He gripped the front of Ichigo's jacket with a bloody hand, his smile faded and exposed to sadness. "If you can't bring yourself to kill a man you hate, how are you going to kill one that you love?"

Ichigo could not answer as he felt icy dread nearly overcome him. He kept quiet, grateful that Gin fell into just as deep a silence. By the time he got him to Orihime, he was unconscious, but still alive. Uryu did not seem happy, but didn't object as Ichigo carried him into their room. Orihime was quick to start healing him, asking no questions as she went to work. It was just her nature, always had been.

"Do you want some tea," Uryu asked, following him out of the bedroom.

Dazed, Ichigo looked at him. "I...."

"I'll go make some," Uryu said, without a clear answer and went into the kitchen. "You should go wash the blood off too!" he called over the sound of running water.

Ichigo went into the bathroom and did as he suggested. Most of it was sticky and dry on his skin by now. He looked in the mirror and cleaned the cut along his cheek as well. The wound was superficial and really didn't require Orihime's talents. He stared at his reflection and felt disgust. What Gin had said would not leave him. He could not even deny the truth of his words, and it made him feel almost ill. He looked away from the confused boy in the mirror and went back out to see Uryu sitting on the sofa, the tea cups sitting ready on the table.

"Maybe now you can tell me why Gin Ichimaru is on my bed, staining my sheets with his blood."

Ichigo took the offered cup of tea as he sat and drank most of it down in one swallow, mindless of the heat burning his tongue. "We were sparring. It just got a little out of hand."

"I see." Uryu sipped his own tea, taking more care than his guest. "Why didn't you just kill him?" he asked, nonchalantly.

Ichigo looked at him, perplexed. "When did you get so comfortable with killing someone helpless and wounded?"

Uryu rasped out a bitter laugh. "Are you seriously asking me that? He's a enemy and you had a chance to get rid of him."

Ichigo rubbed his face tiredly. "I'm not altogether sure he is, Uryu."

"Says the man who is fucking Sosuke Aizen," Uryu snapped.

Ichigo grabbed Uryu's shirtfront and yanked him hard. "What is your problem?!"

Uryu gripped his wrist angrily. "My problem is you brought him here for Orihime to deal with. Do you even realize she is uncomfortable around that bastard? To top that off she shouldn't be using her powers in her condition right now, especially on someone like him!"

"Both of you, stop it!" Orihime stood in the doorway, hands bunched up nervously in her skirt.

Ichigo let go of Uryu and looked away from her sad and horrified expression. He hadn't come here to cause this. "I'm sorry."

"No, I am," Uryu said. The tenseness left his body as he slumped back on the sofa, his anger spent. "I shouldn't have started on you like that. Things have just been hard lately. More than usual."

Ichigo looked at him. "What did you mean by, her condition?"

Orihime said what Uryu struggled to. "I'm pregnant."

"What?"

"Yeah, you heard her right," Uryu said.

"I didn't know.., I'm sorry."

"No one does except for us, Aizen, Gin and now you."

"I'm fine though, really. I can use my power. Uryu, he just worries about me."

"That's understandable," Ichigo said and looked at him. He appeared haggard, slumped on the sofa, and there were dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't noticed how apparent it was until now. He knew not all of it was about his concern over Orihime either, but about Urahara as well. Even if Orihime wasn't there, he couldn't ask him about going in the dungeon and what might have went on down there. It wasn't the time, and he still had Aizen to worry about if he caught wind of him asking about it. Just him being there right now was not a good thing. "Orihime, is Gin okay to move?"

"I've healed him, but he's not quite awake yet."

"Good enough. I'll get him out of here." He went into the bedroom in time to see Gin sitting up. It was obvious his strength had not fully returned, but he was already smiling as if he had not just been run through with his sword less than a hour before. "Come on," Ichigo said and helped him up, "time to give Orihime and Uryu back their privacy."

"Of course," Gin said, sounding drugged, probably from the loss of blood. "Thank you, my dear lady," he said to Orihime as Ichigo walked him along, Gin's arm draped over his shoulder. "Sorry for the intrusion, Uryu, but I did tell him to finish it." His laugh was weak as he hung onto Ichigo like a drunken man. Speechless, Uryu opened the door for them. Ichigo stopped short, his path blocked by the last man he wanted or expected to see. Aizen stood there, his smile far more pleasant than the look in his eyes.

AN: I know, months since a update again. Sorry all. As usual, if there are any typos, I am sorry, and I will fix them as I see them, or go back after the story is finished and do a proper clean up. Thanks to my readers that are still following. It's much appreciated. :D
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Prisoner of War