Chapter Two

A Doll's Life

"Excuse me?" came a voice that startled Gin awake in the hallway. He looked up to see a nurse standing there staring at him.

"What?" he said, rubbing his eyes and looking up.

"I'm just coming on shift, it's seven, and the other nurse said that this patient was rather violent, I thought I'd ask you to come in with me. I'm rather non-confrontational…" she said timidly. She was a small thing, with huge breasts and a set of big gray eyes. He nodded.

"Orihime Inoue," she said quietly, smiling as he stood up.

"Captain Ichimaru," he said with a smile.

She smiled and pushed the door open. Gin followed her into the room and was glad to see that Ichigo was sleeping. He was still on an IV drip, and they would get back the bloodwork to see how things were looking overall later in the day. They, of course, had sent off everything for every sexually transmitted disease known, as well as HIV and other communicable diseases. So far that the doctors could tell, none of the boys appeared to have any sort of STD. He looked at the nurse.

"What will you be doing?" he asked quietly.

"I need bloodwork again, and his vitals of course," she said. "Mandy said that you were able to help last night. Considering what he's been through, Dr. Ishida doesn't want the victims restrained if at all possible. He is coming off a heavy dose of drugs. Viagra and Phenobarbital, with trace amounts of several other sedatives. Everything is on the report, but it was amazing he could even walk," she said moving toward him. She smiled softly. "He's cute," she said with a blush rising to her cheeks.

Gin smiled. "Don't get too attached, dear, these type of victims are often a handful," he said as he moved forward to try and wake him as gently as possible.

It turned out that gently as possible concluded with a fist connecting with his nose in short order. He stumbled back with a grunt and the nurse gasped out loud. Gin waved at her to stay back as he straightened his jacket and sighed. It was expected. It wasn't the worst he'd gotten, to be honest. He blinked away the tears as he looked at him, and as expected he was glaring at him from under deeply knitted brows. In opposition to the furious look upon his face, though, he was clutching the stuffed lion to his chest still. Gin nodded to himself. The lion wasn't just a product of his drugged condition. It actually was a significant item to him.

"Ah, Ichigo, you've got a mean right hook," Gin said, rubbing his nose. "You remember me?"

Ichigo looked back and forth between the frightened nurse and the man in the long white coat and nodded. "You…you were there last night. You brought me here."

Gin nodded, moving to stand by the side of the bed again. "I did. The rest of the team brought the others as well."

Ichigo nodded, looking around and clenching his jaw. "I want out of here. I want to leave."

"I'm afraid you can't leave just yet, you're going to need medical care…" Gin started.

"I don't fucking care. I want out. I want to leave. I want to get away, now," he said. "I just want to be left alone, I don't want anyone to touch me, I don't want any fucking medical care, I just want to be left alone."

Gin sighed. "Ichigo, I'll see what I can do. But for now, would you at least let the nurse here take your vitals? She's just doing her job."

Ichigo nodded, looking away as she stepped forward and did her checks. He didn't flinch or move when she took blood. She nodded to Gin and headed out the door with the blood samples and the chart.

Ichigo turned over and lay on his side, facing away from the door and then looked back at Gin who was standing by the bed still. "Are you fucking stupid? Leave."

Gin nodded and bowed slightly and stepped out the door. He waved at Kira. "Hey, stay by his door. He's aggressive, more than the rest from what I've heard. I'm going to see what's going on with the others."

"Yeah, boss, hey, the one with the pink hair, Szayel, his name is, keeps asking if Ichigo is okay. I told him I didn't know anything, but he's pretty insistent and frantic about it. Turns out one of the others, Illfordt, one of the blondes, is his brother, so they've been put in the same room, you might want to talk to him, then," Kira said, taking a seat outside the door.

Gin nodded and went to the room across the hall and knocked on the door gently. "Enter," came a voice from inside. He pushed open the door to find the two brothers, the blonde and the one with dyed pink hair, sitting on one of the beds together. Szayel was sitting against the head with Illfordt sitting between his legs and was brushing out his hair while the blonde flipped through a magazine. Szayel patted his shoulder and Illfordt got up and flopped back onto his bed.

"Captain Ichimaru, yes?" he said with a soft smile.

"Yes, and you are…" he picked up the clipboard. "Szayel Granz. It says here you weren't drugged like the other boys."

Szayel shook his head, taking the brush to his own hair and pulling it back in a ponytail on top of his head. "No, I was not. I did not wish to lose my faculties. I had to take care of the boys, after all. It was a sacrifice on my part, and sometimes I dearly wished for the drugs, but if I had them, I couldn't have taken care of them."

Gin nodded. "Take care of them?" he asked.

"I was in the Dollhouse for four years. The only one there when I and my brother were taken from our home in Germany was Ichigo. He was so alone and angry, and I knew then I couldn't fight them. I watched what the drugs did to Ichigo and Illfordt, and it was a blessing and a curse. So instead I told them I'd acquiesce to their requests without argument if I was allowed to be their caretaker. You see, I'm a nurse by profession. My brother and I were taken from outside our apartment building. They were going to kill me at first, because I appeared to be a woman, but my brother told them I wasn't, and to let me live. Because of that, they took me as well. I'm actually transgender, and four years ago I had just started hormone therapy in preparation for gender reassignment," he said. "So I actually prefer to be referred to as a woman, but for now, we'll forego that preference. I would rather see to Ichigo. My guess is, by the blackening on your face, he is in his usual mood when he comes down off the drugs."

Gin smiled. "I take it he is usually a violent person?"

Szayel shook his head. "No matter what I try with that child, I cannot quell his anger and violence. He reacts to pain with fury. Tears rarely fall from his eyes, even when they should flow in rivers."

Gin looked skeptical. "Okay, you can come see him for a little while," he said with a nod. He could come up with no good reason to deny his request. There were shinigami officers all over the place, and of course there was their own division there as well.

Szayel nodded and stood. He looked back to Illfordt. "Will you be fine while I'm seeing to him?"

"Sure, sis, have at," he said, waving a hand over his shoulder at him, absorbed in the magazine in front of him.

"Okay, kiddo, stay here," he said, ruffling the blonde's hair as he followed Gin, wrapping the hospital gown tightly around him as they came to the door. Szayel turned to Gin as they walked. "I was nineteen when our parents were killed in a car accident. I pretty much raised Illfordt from then on. Someone my age, raising a nine year old, it wasn't easy. We made due, though," he said with a soft smile.

Kira looked up and smiled as they approached. Gin opened the door and went in while Szayel leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, eyes locked on the fluff of bright orange hair sticking up over the edge of the covers.

Ichigo growled from the bed. "I told you all to stay the hell out," he groused, pulling the covers tighter over his body, but Szayel could see the tremble in his fingers as he fumbled with the covers. "Leave me the fuck alone."

Szayel sighed. "Honey, I swear, you are the most foul mouthed creature when you aren't doped out of your head," he said, a light smile crossing his face.

Ichigo immediately rolled over and blinked at him, and Gin thought for a second he might actually cry. Ichigo swallowed noisily and watched as Szayel slowly went over to him and smiled. Ichigo swung over and sat up on the bed and grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Szay, oh gods, Szay, I thought they were lying, they…they said everyone was here…and I…I didn't…" Ichigo said, hands clutching at him desperately. "I can't trust anyone…you know…Szay, oh you're here, I'm so glad…are you okay? Is Illfordt okay? The others? Who's missing? Someone's missing. They said someone was missing."

"Hush, honey, hush, I'm here, we're all here. Everyone but Luppi, but he's somewhere safe if what I heard is true," he said softly, hugging the orangette to him tightly. "So don't worry, okay?" he said softly and sat down beside him stroking his head softly.

"Szay, are we really free?" he said, still clinging to the other man with his head buried in his shoulder. "Please, tell me it…it isn't another dream…or like…Hong Kong…" he said, and Gin knew that he heard the boy choking back tears that time, but his face was buried in Szayel's neck.

"Honey, you're safe, okay? Not a dream, not like Hong Kong. They aren't getting to us again, okay?" he said softly, rocking slightly with him. "Shh, now, you have to promise me to go a bit easier on these guys though, they're trying to help us, you know?"

"But I don't like to be touched, you know that," he said, and Gin was sure this time he heard the sound of choked tears in his voice. "I just want to go away and be alone with you and Illfordt, just us, like you promised," he said thickly.

"Honey, I know, but I'm here, and it is okay, I promise," he said. "And they understand that. When everything is safe, we'll get away, okay? I promised you that, and I don't break my promises, honey, even if it takes years, didn't I say that?"

Ichigo nodded, taking a gasping breath. "Yeah," he said finally, hands flexing against Szayel's back. "But…where's Luppi?"

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry to interrupt, but you mentioned that this Luppi was gone?" Gin said.

Szayel nodded over Ichigo's head. "Yes, there was a buy out a few days ago. It happens sometimes; someone finds one of the dolls of great interest and makes a one-time buyout offer. Usually, it is about ten times their daily price, and only if they're beginning to be a drain on resources. Luppi lately had been unpredictable, several instances of resisting the customers despite the drugs, and I heard the Matron say that he was getting too much to handle. He was always a sensitive thing, and I just think the increase in visits when they raised his price was too much for him."

Gin arched a brow. "Increase in visits?"

Szayel nodded. "The operation was pretty simple. There were eight, no more, at a given time. Usually we were moved between major cities worldwide every six to nine months. We've only been here for two months, so I'm very surprised that you caught wind of the operation this fast. Of course, this is why there were only eight of us. We're ranked according to various things. Obviously, because of my age, I'm ranked lowest. I'm the only one of the boys over twenty, however, I fill a role that they don't have to fill, that of nursemaid and caretaker, so I'm allowed to stay. The new boys are brought in between 14 and 16 usually, and they spend two months being trained," Szayel looked a little pale at the thought. "After that they are moved into the rankings depending on their desirability. The more desirable the boy, the higher they rank and the more money they pull in. If a boy starts pulling more money, they move up, if they start pulling less, they move down. If a boy goes for more than a month without a client, they're…disposed of and a new boy is brought in. We're lucky; most of us have been with the Dollhouse for a while, though Luppi and Ggio are newer, less than a full year."

Gin nodded, having pulled out a notepad while Szayel was speaking. Szayel smiled again and hugged Ichigo against him again. "The drugs are to keep them docile. Phenobarbital, valium, Haldol, tegretol, ketamine, and of course, liberal use of Viagra and Cialis type drugs. One of the pleasures is seeing the boy ejaculate for them. There were other drugs; those are just the bottles I've seen personally on the Matron's tray. Ichigo, he was always a fighter, and always black and blue, I swear," Szayel said, rubbing Ichigo's back as he spoke. "I guess that's what made me want to take care of him. It wasn't long after we were brought on that other boys came in, and I found my place. It was hell, I won't lie, Captain, pure hell. I did my best though for the boys."

"Were the low earners the only ones that left?" Gin asked, jotting notes and looking up.

Szayel shook his head sadly and Gin saw tears misting his golden eyes. "Every six months, the top earner, whoever it was, would disappear for no reason, and we were never told where they went. Buyouts, we knew about. However, when the top earner disappeared, they spoke nothing of it, like they'd never existed." Szayel's hands clenched Ichigo. "Ichigo was made top earner after the last one disappeared five months ago. Six months, that's how long before they disappear once they hit the top earner spot. Around midsummer and midwinter, every year. It would have been next month…midsummer…" he said softly, petting Ichigo's head. "I would have lost him and never known what happened."

Ichigo looked up and Gin could see that his eyes were definitely red. "I wouldn't let them take me, Szay, you know that. I would have fought them," he said softly.

Szayel smiled. "I'm sure you would have, honey. But I didn't want to lose you, you're my baby, you know?"

Ichigo smiled and nodded, putting his head on Szayel again, but not looking at Gin. Gin nodded. "So, what happened to Luppi?" he said. Ichigo turned a questioning eye to Szayel too.

"Like I said, a buyout, from what the Matron said. She said something about a little redheaded girl named…um…" Szayel's brow creased. "Oh, what was it? She said it was something that started with an R… I can't remember exactly, but she did say that she lived down in the old Executor Building, a really strange girl, if that makes sense."

Gin nodded, he knew that building. "Okay, I think I can go check it out. Do you know the names of anyone?" he said, looking up.

Szayel shook his head. "I can give you descriptions, but we never knew their names. The Matron was the dark haired woman that brought food, water, and drugs. The Enforcer would hand out punishments and would take away the ones that…well, the ones that didn't last. There was the Cleaner, he came in and fixed up the rooms. And…you see, we knew them by their jobs, and we weren't given names. They didn't hide their faces, though, so perhaps it will help. I just know they went by the name the Sternritter."

Gin nodded. "Okay, if you want to stay in here, go ahead, I'm sure the nurses would appreciate not having their heads taken off, so, I'll go find out who bought this Luppi. You said you thought he was safe? How do you know it wasn't some pervert?" he said, pausing at the door.

Szayel nodded. "The Matron said something about the girl not even caring about sex, something about saving him. It happens, now and then, someone has a conscious."

Gin nodded and left, hearing Ichigo and Szayel talk softly as he left. The whole thing was curious. More and more it was sounding like a very organized operation, and that made him curious and nervous. Organized meant that they had plans and actions in place. He nodded to the officer at the entrance to the ward. He figured he go check the Executor first.

The Executor building was literally next door to the red light district, not more than five blocks from the Dangai love motel. It had been a factory twenty years ago, and now it was divided up into apartments, all relatively spacious, but equipped with the barest essentials. There were no "amenities" in the place. It had concrete floors, spackle coated walls, and thin wall dividers between the rooms. Each apartment had a small bathroom with a shower and a sink, and a kitchen with a stove, refrigerator, and a sink. The places went cheap, and that was about it.

He knew from the Visored about the place. Apparently, the owner made video games and often asked the prostitutes to playtest them. According to everything he'd heard, they were legitimate, and there was nothing kinky going on even though they paid the hookers well for what they did. Gin had never been there, but he knew that other officers had investigated to see if there was anything illegal going on.

He looked up. The building was four stories and each floor was split into four apartments. He guessed he'd start at the top where the couple lived that did the games from what the Visored had mentioned. He headed up the stairs and as he passed rooms he heard locks turn. Well, they certainly didn't seem like a trustworthy lot around here, he thought. As he passed one, he saw a dark haired man peering out at him before the door slammed. A flight later, a nearly shaved headed man did similarly, staring at him until he headed up the stairs again. Finally he got to the top floor where there was a plaque on the door of the first apartment reading Digital Radial Invaders (DRI). He sighed and knocked on it gently.

A few minutes later a woman with hair that was more pink then red opened the door and smiled. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Um, yeah, Captain Gin Ichimaru, Shinigami. I was here about a boy named Luppi?" he said, arching one brow.

"Oh that poor boy?" she said, looking sad. "Please, come in a moment. I'll tell you about what happened."

Gin nodded and followed her into the surprisingly nice looking apartment. There were overly adorable things everywhere, however. He followed her into the living area and sat down across from her. "Yukio is out right now, but he'll be back soon. So, I guess something happened with that awful place?"

Gin nodded. "I can't go into details, of course, but I understand you bought one of the boys that worked at the place?"

She nodded. "Yes, I got an invitation to it, and I thought it was something entirely different," she said, picking up a plain looking envelope and handing it over. Gin opened it and saw an ornate stationary with an invitation to visit the Dollhouse that promised an experience unlike any other. It indicated that they had the loveliest dolls in the world. "My name is Riruka Dokugamine, and what I do is buy and sell toys, dolls, that sort of things. I find hidden treasures, I guess you could say. I don't make a lot off it but I do have fun. I thought it was a doll collector's thing. I couldn't have been more wrong!" she said, sighing.

Gin nodded, pulling out the notepad and jotting down things. "Mah, mah, I bet that was a shock, eh?" he said with a grin.

"Indeed, I came right home and told Yukio we had to do something. So I went back with a wad of cash and bought out the one that I could. There was only one boy they would let me buy, and that was Luppi. They refused to let me take the others. I tried to buy them all, but they refused, saying the most they could let go of was one at a time, but come back in a month if I wanted to buy another," she said with a sigh. "The poor dear was a mess; all covered in makeup and was barely coherent. He's not quite over the drugs, but we put him across the hall with Wonderweiss. We figured it was the most restful place we could put him. He keeps the place dark and quiet."

Gin nodded. "And Wonderweiss is?"

"Oh, he helps Yukio with the business. He's the head programmer and helps with debugging the games. He's a dear one to us, like a child of our heart," she said with a smile. "We brought him back from Germany with us, poor thing, he's a nonverbal genius, you know. Such a sad tale, his father was an infamous serial killer, so he couldn't get any peace there. That's why we brought him with us. Of course, Yukio saw how talented he was the moment he saw him."

"I'm sure I'll have more questions on that, but one more, you and Yukio are roommates?" Gin asked.

"Oh, no, well I mean, yes, but we're also together, you know," she said with a slight smile.

He nodded and smiled. "Can I talk to Luppi?" he asked.

"Oh, certainly, if he's up for it," she said, standing and motioning Gin to follow her.

She took him across the hall and smiled as a really tall, dark skinned boy in a Hawaiian looking shirt walked by. "Hey, Sado, how are the birds?"

He nodded slowly. "Good," he said in a deep voice and went into a nearby room.

Riruka knocked and looked at Gin. "He lives in that apartment and has a little aviary on the roof for the pigeons. He adores little animals," she said as the door opened and Gin small a shorter young man with messy blonde hair and bright violet eyes looking back.

"Mind if we see your guest?" she said.

The boy nodded quickly and motioned them in. Riruka kissed him on the top of the head. "We won't bother you, but I hope you remembered lunch," she said.

"Lunch, had lunch," he muttered as he headed back to the large triple monitored computer set up that filled one side of the room. Other than the glow from the computer screens, there were no lights.

Riruka smiled and looked at Gin. "He gets so absorbed in his work he forgets eating and sleeping," she said with a smile and led them to a paper screen to the side. She rapped on it gently and a voice said "Yes?" from inside.

She pushed the screen back and Gin recognized the boy from the third picture from the binder. He was fair skinned with a crown of dark brown pixie cut hair on his head. He was petite and very feminine looking in features, even without the makeup on him. He also looked to be quite frail and thin. It was obvious that he hadn't fared well under the conditions in the Dollhouse. Gin smiled as the boy looked up at him. Riruka kneeled beside the mat he was laying on.

"Sweetie, this is Gin, he's with the shinigami police," she said with a smile.

"Luppi, I'm glad to see you," he said with a smile.

"Why…why are you here?" he said, frowning. "Did something happen to the others?" he said, starting to look worried.

Gin sighed. It was obvious these boys had gotten used to living together and taking care of each other, it was no wonder they wanted to know about each other.

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come down the hospital with me and see them yourself, actually," he said with a soft smile.

Luppi's eyes went wide. "What? They're out? You got them out?"

Gin nodded. "All seven, and they were worried when you weren't there. Szayel helped though, he heard that you'd been bought out."

Luppi smiled and looked at Riruka with a big smile. "I'll go, Riruka, I have to see them," he said softly, tears starting to fall immediately.

Riruka smiled at him. "Of course, I'll go if you want," she said softly.

Luppi nodded. "Yes, of course…I want you to go," he said getting to his feet shakily.

"And of course we'd like to have you checked over as well," Gin said. "Mah, mah, and of course the talking to you about things that happened, but not right away, we wanna make sure you're all healthy, first."

Luppi nodded and together they headed down the stairs with Gin. On the way out, Gin didn't hear any doors slamming or locks clicking. It seemed he'd been someone accepted into their midst.

(Edits) Luppi wearing some of Wonderweiss' clothes, change October to June