Adult-FanFiction.org : Bleach

Stand in the Rain	By : ShadowedEcho Category: Bleach > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 2047 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, no money is being made by me, this was written purely for entertainment purposes

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
"Well my Pet, how are we today?" The voice was soft and calming, the hand stroking down his back was heavy and possessive, total opposites of each other.
He growled at his captor, rushing at him and trying to get his hands around the man's neck, only to be jerked back roughly by the short chain. He felt something rip in his back with the force of the recoil, and gasped harshly at the pain. "Get your hands off me!" He ordered through the stabbing pain, he must have ripped a tendon or tore a muscle with that move.
Aizen stared down at the growling and gasping Visored, "Well now, that wasn't nice." He cuffed his Pet harshly on the back of the head, only to caress his check once his head snapped back up. "I'm being nice to you Pet, shouldn't you be nice to me?"
"Go fuck yourself!" Ichigo defied, working up the courage to spit at Aizen.
The Ex-Captain slowly reached up and wiped the warm saliva off his check, "You shouldn't have done that Pet," He warned softly, "Now you will see what happens to Pets who disobey. Yami!" The last word was a shouted order for the 10th Espada to present himself to Aizen.
The large bodied Hollow plodded up and made an ungainly bow to Aizen, "Yes Lord Aizen?" His voice was putrid and sluggish, not in the least bit pleasing.
"Escort Pet to the training yard, put him through his paces until he can no longer work up the energy to stay upright. Drag him back here when you're done. You still may not Release, but should Pet become a problem you may recruit any Espada rank five or below to assist you. I do not want the others bothered for a minor disciplinary lesson. Understood?" Aizen ordered, knowing despite his ugly body and bad disposition, Yami wasn't stupid, he would fulfill the request unerringly.
"Understood," Yami grunted, approaching Aizen's throne, while the Shinigami reached down and unfastened the chain from his chair, using a key kept around his own neck at all times, even while he slept.
Yami accepted the end of the heavy chain, hauling Ichigo to his feet abruptly, Ichigo's stiffened muscles and wounded back causing him to reel as Yami drug him out of the hall not waiting for him to get his balance. It was a long journey to the Espada's training yard, it had to be further away from the main complex to avoid unnecessary damage to Las Noches, and even then, the top level Espada still had restrictions on releasing their Zanpakuto. Ichigo was stumbling and issuing a string of curses all through the journey, but Yami might as well have been a brick wall for all the response his resistance stirred.
In the middle of the training ground a heavy stone column was buried deeply in the ground, the thin but sturdy pole had a long metal chain wrapped around its' length, and it was to the end of this chain that Yami secured Ichigo's current chain to. It gave him a wider range of movement than the ridiculously short length that had kept him trapped at Aizen's feet, but helped keep the possibility of his escape to an even more infinitesimal prospect than it was before.
Ichigo was not stupid, he knew he would never make it out of a complex filled with ten Espada, various Fraccion, an unknown amount of Numeros Arrancar, and three Captain level Shinigami. Even if he managed to make it out of Las Noches itself there were still the Hollows of the desert and forest to contend with, on top of the problem of he had no clue how to open any kind of portal to get him back to the Living World or Soul Society. He definitely couldn't do it without Zangetsu, or even clothing of any sort. In short, Ichigo was captured, utterly and completely stuck under Aizen's control. Didn't stop him from trying to break the damn chain at night, but that was at 'night' the only point he felt it might be remotely safe to attempt to escape, broad daylight under the sharp gaze of one or more of Aizen's finest warriors was a totally different story.
That's when his Hell started, fighting bare handed against a sword while chained to one point in the yard was not a fair fight to anyone's standards, well with the possible exception of Soi Fon and her black ops, but even they had their limits where they drew their swords. Ichigo wouldn't go down without a fight though, he threw all his strength into battling the Espada. He knew that was exactly what Aizen wanted, but he wanted to get some satisfaction from beating up a member of his army since he didn't have much other means of getting one over on the man who held him captive.
Yami was big, and strong, and his skill with his blade was nothing to sneeze at, but he did have a disadvantage. His body was built for endurance, not speed, but Ichigo had both. Especially with his Hollow rising to fight off the mutual threat like he had during their excursion into Soul Society as a Ryoka. Yami was soon panting and sweating as much as Ichigo was. His sword wasn't doing much good if he couldn't catch the Visored, even with his handicaps Ichigo was still too fast for him.
His anger rising, he felt his power threatening to Release at his frustration, but that would go against Aizen's orders. He had no choice but to act on Aizen's permission to approach another Espada. Wanting to get his revenge on the Visored making a fool out of him, he made a beeline for Nnoitra, the toughest Espada Aizen had allowed him to contact.
The grin on the over grown Mantis could make demons run for the hills.
Fighting two Espada at once while completely unarmed caused Ichigo to use the only weapon left to him, his Hollow. Junichi flew into control, and for the three minutes he had total control Ichigo could take a step back and catch his breath. He paid little attention to his alter ego as he concentrated on searching out Zangetsu and seeing if the blade was alright. He could feel the spirit's presence in his head, but it grew dimmer by the hour.
When Ichigo was eventually dragged back to Aizen he was dazed, bruised, and bloody. With only minor damage to Yami, and absolutely no marks left on Nnoitra, he was definitely the worse off of the day.
Aizen smiled down at him, and stroked his cheek once more, Ichigo could do nothing but glare as he spoke, "That was part one of your punishment Pet, time for part two." Aizen didn't bother explaining, he just acted. Running his hands over every exposed bit of flesh he could find, even the wounds, but avoiding Ichigo's most sensitive of areas.
Ichigo didn't have the strength to resist, just as Aizen wanted, he could do nothing but take it. The hands soon stroking him to a shuddering, shaking, mess. He hated the feeling of the hands on his tortured flesh, but at the same time, they awoke something in him he had buried so deeply he wasn't even sure he wanted to admit it to himself.
Aizen's purred words were like poisoned honey, they were sweet and almost caring, but they had a burn to them that was determined to kill the spark of life that made Ichigo himself, and if lost would turn him into Pet. "See my little Pet, I can be good to you, so good. You would never have to worry, or hunger, or care, or even think ever again. What do you think of that? No more responsibility, you won't have to protect anyone, no one will be counting on you to do anything more than sit at my feet and allow me to take my pleasure. You would be freer than you have ever been if you just submit and let me care for you my Pet." The litany continued over and over and over again. Aizen choosing different words but all had the same meaning. Ichigo should just give up fighting and allow himself to become Aizen's toy.
Ichigo would have protested if he had the strength, instead he was forced to listen. The words kept coming on and on, until they started to distort and fade, causing confusion to wash through his tired mind and body.
A different voice floated into his mind, overriding Aizen's toxic words, "Wake up King!" Junichi commanded sharply.
At the shouted command, Ichigo snapped awake and flung himself upright on his bed, the covers sliding down to pool in his lap, his racing heart and rapid breathing calming slowly as he took in his surroundings. A simple room, with a low futon, a hook for a spare uniform, a small desk with a chair, and Zangetsu propped prominently against the wall just off to the side of his futon, within reaching distance if he found himself attacked in bed. This was the room he had been assigned once he had arrived at Squad Thirteen the day before. There was light shining in through his window, the steel grey color of predawn, which was a comfort in of itself. In Las Noches, it had been either light or dark, no dusk or dawn.
"It was a dream King," Junichi's sudden proclamation brought him that much further back to reality.
Ichigo slumped back down on the bed, wide awake, knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, "I noticed." He replied, once it hit him that odd feeling he was picking up from his Hollow might just be concern.
Junichi settled against the side of a building, sliding his sopping wet hair off his face, it was still raining in Ichigo's inner world. "You were tempted by Aizen, weren't you King?" The Hollow wondered just how far he could push Ichigo, the King needed to talk about this, keeping everything locked up was rapidly drowning everything on the inside, and neither Junichi nor Zangetsu liked it when it rained.
Ichigo huffed, and thought about refusing to answer, but if he couldn't be honest with Junichi, than he would never find anyone he would be willing to talk to. It wasn't as if the Hollow could go blabbing all their secrets to anyone, at least not without Ichigo knowing about it. "Not at first, I hated the thought of him at first, but it went on for so long. Every time the Espada brought me back half dead to him, he would touch me like that, and whisper those things. After awhile I wondered if, since I had done such a horrible job up to that point of protecting everyone, if I just gave in then maybe the Hell would stop."
"What made you keep fighting him?" Junichi didn't have to ask, he already knew, but he wanted his King to admit it. Ichigo was surprisingly good at denying any part of himself he thought would keep him from protecting those close, if they pushed him away over his secrets he might not be able to get to them in time if they needed help.
Ichigo scowled deeply, not liking the part of himself Junichi was making him bring up, "I couldn't let everyone down. I am supposed to protect them. It is what I do. If I don't who will? I would go through Hell and back for my friends, I have always said that, now I know I wasn't just talking when I said that."
"That isn't everything King, and you know it. We both do. Now admit it, why did you keep fighting him, even when it would have been so much easier to submit?" Junichi was commanding again, he just didn't do gentle, it wasn't in his nature. Junichi was the personification of tough love.
"You are not going to drop this until I say it are you?" Ichigo grumbled.
Junichi felt the lowering of his King's hackles, a good sign he would talk soon, "No, so just say it King."
"I didn't give in to Aizen, because he isn't the one I wanted touching me. There were others there that had they made the same offer, we probably wouldn't be here now." Ichigo ground out roughly.
Junichi gave one last shove, "And if they hadn't been there? Those others that drew your eye?"
"Then we would still be chained at Aizen's feet being petted and abused by his army, I probably would have given in. There you happy now?" Ichigo was almost growling at his albino counter part.
"This wasn't about me King," Junichi protested.
"Oh then what was it for?" Ichigo demanded.
Junichi resisted the urge to sigh, that was a very un-Hollow like thing to do, "Would you have admitted it to yourself if I hadn't made you?"
"No, but why should I?" Ichigo didn't see any problem with keeping his secrets firmly hidden away.
Junichi's suppressed sigh turned into a growl, "Did it ever occur to you that it isn't something to be ashamed about? You found a way to beat Aizen. He worked on you day after day and couldn't break you. He came way too close for my comfort, but he didn't manage it. You do realize something significant that his little games managed to slip past don't you?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about," Junichi had confused him with the abrupt change of topic.
"His cat and mouse game with you was done purely by his own power, he didn't use his sword. He thought he had us captured for good and wanted you to submit by your own choice. Grimmjow was right; if we get stronger we can beat him." Junichi was shocked he had to point that out, Ichigo was intelligent enough to figure it out, but he gave his King a bit of break since he was very recently traumatized.
Junichi settled back against the building and let Ichigo slip into thought with that statement. He had pushed hard enough for one conversation. He was sure there would be more, the nightmares would not go away with one session, he had no doubt about that, no matter how strong his King was.
Ichigo for his part had a lot to think about, but nothing he wanted to dwell on, it was hard enough admitting the only reason he hadn't given in to Aizen was because several members of the Espada had caught his attention more. Even Szayel with his forceful, yet healing, hands was a higher draw than Aizen. At least Szayel hadn't covered up his opinions with honeyed words. Grimmjow was at the forefront of his thoughts, but that was because the bluenette loved to draw attention to himself, there were others that were just as intriguing only much quieter personality wise.
Shaking his head abruptly to clear his thoughts he cast about for something else to take up the time between now and when he could safely assume someone else would be awake for him to talk to in order to take his mind off things. The exercise Izuru had set for him was something simple, but required a good bit of his attention, so with that in mind, he sat back up in bed sitting cross-legged on the mattress, and let himself fall into a light trance.
He had done this part several times before during his days at the Fourth, he concentrated on the power he felt flowing inside of him, and attempted to corral it all together. When he called his Bankai it was usually during a fight or flight moment, pure adrenaline helped him collect enough power to awaken Zangetsu's next level of power. Doing it without that shot of energy was a slightly different story but he had managed it with practice. He could only hold it for about ten seconds, but that was better than nothing. He kept doing it, gathering it all, holding it on for a few heartbeats, then being forced to let it go. He even counted the number of beats to see if his time was increasing at all.
He probably spent a good hour doing nothing but that, and in the end he increased the time he could hold it to twenty seconds. His skill was rising quickly now that he had the method down. He felt confidant that by the weekend he would be at the minute mark and ready for the next lesson from Izuru.
The sun was still weak, but it was up now. He decided to get up and move around. He had been shown the training yard for the Thirteenth during his tour the day before, and he had gotten a list of approved stretches and a few katas that Retsu would allow him to do in order to keep him in shape until he was healed enough for full workouts again. So with a destination in mind he rose and dressed quickly, swinging Zangetsu into his usual spot on his back, his familiar weight a welcome addition to his person. He had missed the sword. Zangetsu wasn't as talkative as Junichi, but when he had something to say, it was profound and Ichigo learned a lot from just a few choice statements.
He passed an open door on the way to the training arena, and a voice halted him, "Good morning Ichigo, You're up early." Jyuushiro was already up, lounging with a cup of tea and a scroll of some sort.
"Yeah, good morning to you too, I couldn't go back to sleep so I thought I might get a little practice in." Ichigo was a bit off guard at being addressed when he assumed by the quiet that everyone else was either still asleep, or caught up in personal business.
Jyuushiro smiled gently, "Spare a moment for a cup of tea? I like to welcome new members to my squad personally, I'm afraid I didn't get off to a very good start with you." It had bothered him to come back from the Fourth only to be shoved immediately into bed with orders to rest more; Rukia, Sentaro, and Kiyone had given Ichigo his tour.
Ichigo figured it couldn't hurt so he stepped inside the room, "I don't mind, I knew you had been ill." He reassured as Jyuushiro set out another cup and fixed his tea. "Thank you," He said politely as the cup was set in front of him after he sat down.
Jyuushiro got an exasperated look on his face, "Oh I'm always ill these days, if I stopped doing everything the moment I felt a bit off, then nothing would get done."
"Your officers were certainly enthusiastic yesterday, I don't think you have to worry if you're feeling low for a little while." Ichigo didn't know how much the white haired Captain minded talking about his illness, so he did his best not to pry.
He laughed easily, "Those two are nothing if not enthusiastic. They are fully capable of keeping the squad running should something happen to me, but they shouldn't have to. I am still the Captain it should be my duty." He lost a bit of mirth by the end of the statement, but Ichigo didn't think the man could look depressed if he tried, but everyone had their masks.
Something in his words struck a chord in Ichigo, "I'm no Captain, but I understand duty. I made it mine to protect the people around me, and for the last six months, I have failed them. I wasn't there at all. You, even when you are ill, can still be seen and heard. Your experience alone makes you the perfect choice for Captain. Fighting isn't everything, and I have it on very good authority that when you are feeling good you are a force to be reckoned with." He didn't like hearing this man talk like that, Jyuushiro was such a gentle and kind person, he didn't want him to think badly of himself.
A wan smile graced his face, "Thank you, but it is still hard on me. A Captain should take care of their squad, not the other way around."
"I bet they don't think that way at all," Ichigo was quick to protest, "I can see how much they care in how thorough they are in carrying out your orders. I'm willing to bet you have either Sentaro or Kiyone within calling distance right now. Rukia talks about you all the time, and she never had anything bad to say. They want to see you better because this illness is difficult on you, not because they think you can't do your job."
"You sound like Shunsui," Jyuushiro revealed, "He says the same thing, quite often."
Ichigo realized the change of topic was subtle but deliberate, "You should listen to him, he knows what he is saying."
"He usually does," The Captain agreed, "But when did you speak with him to know that? I didn't know the two of you knew each other much at all."
Ichigo shook his head, "We don't know each other well, but I did talk to him a bit while you were sick. Sorry, but Retsu kind of used you as an object lesson."
Jyuushiro didn't look surprised, "Let me guess, you were pushing yourself into training before she cleared you for it?" His voice seemed almost amused with his guess, like he had been expecting it, or it was a common thing for Retsu to do.
"It happens a lot?" Ichigo wasn't sure how to react to that. While using himself in front of his own squad was one thing, did Retsu really do it with complete strangers too?
He nodded, "Yes, unfortunately. Once or twice a year she plops a young Soul Reaper in front of me and scares them into obeying her. I don't mind, I'd rather she do that, than have someone else do what I did." He confirmed what Retsu had claimed the day she brought Ichigo to see him.
"I know why you did it," Ichigo admitted, "I can tell how much you care. You were just trying to get stronger so you could take care of people. I was doing the same thing until she caught me."
"It wasn't all for so noble a reason," Jyuushiro chuckled ruefully, "I was young, and had been gifted with a Zanpakuto so rare there is only one other like it. Of course I wanted to learn to wield them the best I could, and while protecting people grew from that I just plain enjoyed training, and to have to back off because of my weak constitution only made me more frustrated and reckless."
Ichigo looked around furtively, as if he were expecting some sort of attack, "Don't tell Kenpachi, but I enjoy fighting. I use it to help people, I always have since I started learning, but I love it. Fighting is what allows me to do what I like, and I have a vicious side just like any other person, I'm no saint. Ever since I became a Visored, my enjoyment of a good fight has only increased."
"Your secret is safe with me," Jyuushiro agreed, "I'm not surprised you enjoy fighting. With how quickly you have mastered each step, you had to have enjoyed it on some level. A person can excel at something they don't like, but it is much more difficult, and you didn't have that kind of time."
Ichigo nodded along with the assessment, "I didn't have time to think, I only had time to react. If I had to fight myself on top of fighting my opponents I probably would have lost that first fight with Ikkaku. I try not to let a lot of people know about that, because with everyone knowing I have a Hollow, if they knew I liked fighting they might think I am more dangerous than I am. Just because I enjoy it does not mean I am going to let Junichi lose on the general population just to see what would happen."
"But that would be fun!" Junichi protested quickly.
"Quiet you, no mass murder, we will have plenty of tough opponents to fight once I get training, no need to go looking for trouble now." He quickly reined in the enthusiastic Hollow, before Jyuushiro could notice his distraction.
Junichi grumbled but settled, Ichigo catching some of it, "Better be good battles."
"I don't know why they would think that. I can tell from just this conversation you wouldn't do something like that," Jyuushiro broke off Ichigo's internal debate. "Your friends know you better than that Ichigo. You've gone out of your way to protect them time and again, so why can't you trust them?"
Ichigo chewed a bit on his bottom lip, "I haven't been very open with my friends since my mom died. I don't think they know just how much I do care. I know that most of them would be okay with my secrets, we have all been through a lot together, but what happens if I am wrong? If the secret is more than they can handle, and they don't realize how much rejecting me would hurt, what's to stop them from doing it?"
"You seem to be alright talking to me, can't you do the same with them?" Jyuushiro knew they hadn't really said anything that you could figure out from simple observation, but he was curious about how Ichigo was justifying the exchange.
The orange haired youth just shrugged, "I do talk like this every once and awhile. I just don't usually bring myself into a conversation until I think I could do some good by admitting a few things. You are also very easy to talk to, and that helps a lot."
"Well I had planned on light conversation, and some information on the squad in general, but I don't mind the talk we had." Jyuushiro admitted. Their talk really had gotten away from him, so much for a nice welcome into the squad conversation.
"As long as you weren't upset by what we discussed, I wasn't. To be honest I am not that good at small talk. I usually leave that up to my sisters." He confessed easily. He was an act first, don't have time to stop and think let alone talk, kind of person.
"You are welcome to stop by any time for another. I don't turn people away unless I have an absolute emergency to attend to." He offered freely. It got lonely being cooped up in bed all the time, made him feel even more infirm than he really was.
"I will probably take you up on that every once in a while," Ichigo accepted. "Now I think I interrupted some of your work, so I should probably be heading out."
Jyuushiro looked a bit confused before he realized, "Oh this?" He asked, gesturing to the scroll he had been reading. At Ichigo's nod he explained further, "It's not work, this is some poetry Byakuya sent over for me, he does that whenever I am recovering from a bad attack."
"Wow, he does that?" Ichigo realized Byakuya had just raised a few notches in his opinion of the noble.
Jyuushiro's smile was one that melted Ichigo's heart into a puddle of goo, "Oh yes, since he grew up in a noble family, he spent a lot of time with the Captains of the day. I was one of them. I taught him quite a few tricks in his efforts to catch up to Miss Shihouin, who I do believe you are well acquainted with, in return he does small things to help my recovery go more smoothly."
"It's still odd to think of Byakuya when he was a kid, but I am glad there is more to him than the icy noble." Ichigo figured this was safe enough company to voice his thoughts.
"Everyone had the part of themselves they show the world, and the part they try to keep safe from it. Byakuya is no different. Just look at yourself. How much do people really know about you?" Jyuushiro was turning Ichigo's curiosity into a lesson.
"Not a whole lot," Ichigo admitted. "I probably hide more than I show."
"That's perfectly normal." The older man assured.
The conversation moved from there onto much easier topics, and the two of them spent the remaining time before the squad woke up in pleasant companionship. It was enough that Ichigo almost forgot the nightmare that had caused his early morning excursion, and thus his conversation with Jyuushiro.
Almost.
The images haunted him. He could push them away long enough to talk to this person, or move through that kata, but he couldn't rid himself of them entirely. That dream had come from the first week of being under Aizen's control, when he was still spirited enough to fight back bodily instead of just in his mind.
His conversation with Junichi ran through his head too. He knew the Hollow didn't have to ask, he had access to everything his King thought. He had made him say it because he thought Ichigo needed to do it. Why? What possible good could admitting it have? Junichi could have saved him a lot of effort if he had just come out and said he had figured out Aizen hadn't used his sword, so they still had a shot, instead he was lead around by the nose.
What was Junichi's motive?
Finally his King's rampant thoughts became too loud for Junichi to keep quiet. "King stop that! You will learn why I did what I did. Stop chasing your own tail, its not going to help, you'd do more good practicing that Kido of yours, or better yet find an open field to practice our cero."
Ichigo had a feeling that wouldn't be the first time Junichi would be needed to stop the runaway train his thoughts had become. He couldn't do anything about it though, accept scowl, and follow his advice.
Junichi might be a Hollow, but he was his Hollow. He trusted his dark side to know what his light side needed.
- 3
- 4
- 5
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Stand in the Rain