Bleach Fan Fiction

Shackled

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter Two

Tia Halibel had an objective. It was not a very good objective, she would candidly admit. It was not ambitious, nor was it inspired, nor after consideration a very productive use of her time. But as long as she was locked up in a Shinigami prison cell with her power sealed in a reiatsu collar, and with absolutely nothing to do, she might as well do something to amuse herself. And having an objective was better than having nothing at all. It gave her focus. It gave her drive. It gave her something to…sink her teeth into, so to speak.

She would defeat Hitsugaya.

Not by killing him. Not by any physical means, at least in terms of combat. Nothing she could ever do to him in her current state would hurt him enough physically so as to reverse their roles as prisoner and warden. But he had humiliated her. And she would not stand for that. She was the Tres Espada, Tia Halibel, in spirit if no longer in body. No one got the better of her. No one made a fool of her the way he had. So she would humiliate him in return.

No, not just humiliate – she would disgrace him. She would shame him!

Not right away; she didn't know enough about what made him tick yet to properly take advantage of him, though she did know a surprising bit already. She knew he was close to his Lieutenant, a ginger woman with a sword made of ash who filled her robes even fuller than she herself could, Halibel admitted grudgingly. This might have something to do with the boy's seeming resistance to Halibel's…abundant charms. She also knew that there was another girl to whom he was close, a younger girl of raven hair, who seemed the complete opposite of the redhead. Halibel didn't know what that indicated about the boy's preferences, but that he was close with two such opposites spoke volumes in and of itself.

So far, he was the only Shinigami, besides that flamboyant drunkard who defeated Stark, who had displayed any interest in her, and the former was far too old to fall for any tricks or traps that she could lay in her current state, not to mention far too powerful. But the boy…he was just young enough for her to ensnare. Let him think she was a helpless little girl, in need of rescuing. Let him imagine that she had seen the light, been misguided, and wanted to repent. Let him believe that she saw him as her shot at a second chance for a better life. Let him think he could be the one she would turn to in her time of need, who she would bare her deepest, most personal secrets to, and be allowed to touch her ice cold heart.

She would play along with his little game. And then, when the time was just right, she would throw it all back in his face. Let him see how pathetic his efforts had been, how gullible he had been to trust an Espada. Let him feel the remorse of losing a confidence he thought he had gained in her. Let him weep as he felt the barest taste of the misery she had been subjected to. His suffering would be hers to cherish.

So was her mind decided, that she awaited his arrival the next day. As weakened as she was, her reiatsu senses were still on par with any Shinigami, and now that she was expecting him, could sense him coming as soon as he entered the prison. When he opened the door, she was sitting up with her collar loosened, leaning back on her hands with her legs crossed, a catlike smirk on her uncovered face.

"I wondered how long you'd keep me waiting…" she said in a husky voice, dangling one leg invitingly over the other.

He would have had to have been dense not to hear what her voice implied. "Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here for that."

"So you say…" she said languidly, peering at him beneath long, golden lashes.

Hitsugaya wrinkled his nose. "All I'm offering is some polite conversation…if there's something else you need, find someone else."

She leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand, her elbow on her knee. "But Captain Hitsugaya…" she said in a mocking tone. "You're the only Shinigami to have graced my quarters. Surely, that must mean something about me has caught your interest…"

As she said that, she leaned back, folding her arms beneath her generous chest.

Even the stoic captain of the 10th Division couldn't prevent his cheeks from reddening as she squeezed her breasts together, her loosened collar revealing much of the cleavage underneath. He swallowed and took a step closer, and leaned forward to peer into her eyes. She responded by leaning forward, so that her breath tickled his face.

His eyes really were a nice shade of green. It was a pity he hadn't been reborn as an Espada. He would have made a truly handsome one.

His hand came up to touch her cheek. She did not stop him as he leaned forward as if to kiss her…and then he suddenly shoved her rudely onto her back, and turned to leave.

"Ahh!" she gasped, surprised by the action. "What…?"

"I didn't come here to see you put on a show," Hitsugaya huffed as he stepped towards the door. "When you feel like taking off that mask, let me know. Maybe one night wasn't long enough for you to make a decision."

He opened the door and stepped through it.

"Wait!" she gasped, putting all her despair into her voice.

He turned to see her leap into his arms, burying her face against his captain's jacket. Having been on the receiving end of such similar attacks from Matsumoto, he didn't topple over as her weight hit him full in the chest, his hands coming up instinctively to hold her up.

"I thought that was what you wanted," she said, her voice sounding desperate, even muffled within his robes. "It's all anyone ever wants from me! I thought if I gave myself to you, you wouldn't leave me alone in this dark place…"

He stared down at the former Espada, surprised at how quickly she had opened up to him. He thought he would have to spend weeks, even months trying to get past her walls to see the real her.

Unless…

He took her by the shoulders, lifting her up to look into her eyes. They were sodden with real tears, though not as much as yesterday. But she didn't look away as she looked at him. He didn't see the shame on her face that he had seen when he had caught her off guard.

She wanted him to see this.

"You're a very good actress," Hitsugaya commented blandly.

Halibel froze. How…?

"You think this is just a game?" he asked, crossing his arms. "I can play too, you know. If you want to play dress up next, maybe I should bring my lieutenant along. She'd be happy to play with you."

She got to her feet, turning away, red-faced and furious. "…Shut up."

"Are we done playing now, Halibel?" Hitsugaya demanded. "This is the rest of your life we're talking about. Are you going to keep everyone around you at arms length?"

"Just…go away!" Halibel growled, marching back to her bench and lying down with her back to him again. Real tears were threatening her eyes once again.

The young captain wouldn't be assuaged. "Is this the real you, then? Someone who's too proud and too scared to face the only person who's ever offered her kindness?"

"Get the fuck out of here!" she screamed, her voice echoing off the walls.

One of the Shinigami guards came to the door to peer in, but Hitsugaya put his hand up and shook his head. The guard nodded, but remained just outside.

"I'm not an Espada," Hitsugaya said, kneeling by her bed. She had expended what little energy she had, and was weeping as silently as she could, as if licking her wounds. "I don't know what your world is like. I don't know what you had to become in order to survive it."

He rested his hand on her shoulder, and she flinched at his touch, but made no movement to push him away.

"But I'm willing to listen…if you're willing to tell me…"

The woman lying before him only shivered and shook, in shame, anger, self-loathing, and frustration. Shame for being made a fool, yet again. Anger at the boy for getting the better of her – again! Self-loathing for being too weak, of both body and spirit, to stand up to him. And frustration for being in this position at all!

She sniffed back more tears. Why was she crying so much? She never shed a single tear as in Hueco Mundo. It must be this human soul of hers! That was it! Her soul, which before had been buried under layers and layers of rock, ice and bone, and didn't have free reign over her actions, nor had it been available for all who gazed at her to see.

And perhaps most humiliating of all was the way she enjoyed his touch just now just as much as she wanted him to leave.

"Get some rest," he said, and she swore he was deliberately patronizing her. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She squeezed her eyes shut as he left, and once the door closed, she curled her legs up to her chest.

What was it about this boy?

xxxxx

When Hitsugaya got back to his office, Matsumoto was lounging in her usual spot on the couch, a bottle of sake in hand.

"How's our resident Espada?" she asked, congenially.

Hitsugaya didn't bother pointing out that there were still loads of paperwork she should be doing, and sat down at his desk to get to it himself.

"I don't think she's adjusting very well…" Hitsugaya shrugged, not wanting to reveal too much of what had gone on. His lieutenant knew from the get-go that her captain had thought Soul Society had been less than civil with the former Espada, and in fact, had been the one to suggest the idea that he pay her a visit, if just to get out of the office for a little while. But if she learned how close he had come to giving into her invitation…

"Well, what do you expect?" Matsumoto stretched, letting her sleeves bunch up around her shoulders. "She's a prisoner to an enemy she's only ever known hatred for. Even if Captain Mayuri's little doohicky works on her, and she is no more than a regular soul now, she still has the mindset of an Espada after all."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm not sure what I expected. I just hate to see her struggling through such obviously self-destructive behavior."

Matsumoto watched her captain with the eyes of a cat. She might as well have sprouted a pair of ears as she sipped her sake coyly.

"So…you put the moves on her yet?"

The young captain, who had been in the midst of pouring himself some tea, promptly spilled the hot liquid all over his uniform.

"Wha-? Owwww!"

Matsumoto giggled like a schoolgirl as the young man leapt out of his seat, holding the damp part of his robe away from his skin.

"Damnit, Matsumoto!" he growled, red in the face. "That wasn't funny!"

"I found it quite funny," his lieutenant smiled, offering him a towel.

Hitsugaya took the towel grudgingly and tried to soak the tea out of his robe. He'd have to change it. "Look, it's not like that, alright? I just feel kind of sorry for her."

Matsumoto raised an eyebrow at that. "Sorry for her? This is the same Espada that would have cut you in half if you hadn't been prepared for it, you know."

Hitsugaya finished cleaning his robe and went back to his tea. "And I froze her in a mountain of ice. We were both doing our duty. Now, that responsibility is over."

"You don't know that," Matsumoto gave her hair a toss. "Hueco Mundo is still riddled with Arrancar. Just because they're scattered to the four winds doesn't mean they're no longer our enemies."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "She's not a hollow anymore, Matsumoto…her human soul has been stripped of its armor. But she hasn't been human for centuries, maybe millennia. She has no idea how to be one anymore."

The redhead laid her arms on the back of the couch, resting her head against her arms so she could look at him. "And you're the one who's going to teach her how to be human again?"

Hitsugaya poured himself a fresh cup of tea and took a sip. "Something like that…"

Matsumoto watched her captain for a moment. He may have been one of the most mature people in his age group, but he still had a lot to learn. As skeptical as he was, at his core, he was an idealist. He did in fact believe that there was a bit of good in everyone, and that those who chose not to show it were merely laden with baggage. One day, she knew, he was going to find out the truth. And if his visits with the Espada were any indication, he would be finding out the hard way. She only hoped she could be there for him when he did.

Matsumoto gave up on that line of thought and went to stand by his desk. "So whose are bigger?" she asked innocently, hefting her sizeable assets, appraisingly. "Halibel's or mine?"

Tea and spittle showered the day's paperwork.

"Matsumoto!"