Author's Note: It's here! Sorry for the wait. I went to Myrtle Beach, SC not too long ago and got all sorts of inspiration. This chapter might be kinda slow but I'm building up to the main plot and mystery slowly to get a feel for it and for you guys to understand the characters a little better.
Also follow me on Pinterest: TotallyStoned, for my Maybe Games board so you can see all outfits, accessories, jewelry, houses, locations, and props first hand! Now onto Chapter 2!
Also before this come up, don't expect Aizen too soon. He'll come but first HitsuKarin must be developed, and that will take some time. Also this is a 15 chapter story. Depending on how successful this is by chapter 5 I'll let you know if a sequel or prequel will be in the works. Now enjoy!
Disclaimer: I NEVER own anything Bleach-related. I wish though. I wish.
Maybe Games
"We are all searching for someone whose demons play well with ours." –Anonymous
Chapter 2: The Name of the Game Part 2
Atlantic Palms Apartments, 11:27 PM
North Charleston, South Carolina
"Another solution?" Ichigo couldn't help but hold his head in his hands as he scoffed at the proclamation.
"What happened to the last solution? Or the one before that? Or even the one before that?! All these solutions, and yet your problem still persists." He could feel the rigid icy glare his younger sister was subjecting him to. If he were anyone else, he probably would have cowered under the menacing stare, but he knew her for too long. Living under the same roof as Karin made him quite used to her resentful ways, and no matter what changes Karin went through he still saw her as the adorable soccer-loving fourteen year old. There were times Ichigo wish he could vent to his colleagues, but quite honestly no one could truly understand the troubles he goes through with Karin.
Ever since his start at Charleston Southern University a year ago, Ichigo had a total of 4 roommate transfers. For a while he couldn't understand why his first two roommates, Uryu Ishida and Renji Abarai, slowly withdrew from him in a series of rather odd behaviors before switching dormitories entirely. The same situation happened again with his third roommate, Izuru Kira, and upon his departure Ichigo was starting to wonder if there was something possibly wrong with him. However, he knew he wasn't crazy or malicious to his roommates. He always made an effort to solidify a respectable friendship with his housemates, but they switched over anyways, sometimes without warning. He never figured out what the problem was, until he caught his fourth roommate, Hisagi Shuuhei with Karin in Hisagi's room. The image of the revelation still burned deep within is mind, and ever since then he's been a little weary of his sister, but more so concerned for her well-being. Karin, to say the least, was perturbed in a way that was astoundingly alarming.
When he moved in with Toshiro back in April, he had dreaded when this day would come. He couldn't very well say no to his baby sister, because despite her many faults and nefarious ways she was deeply scarred and he promised himself two years ago that he would always look after her. That didn't stop him from fearing for his roommate's safety. Whether he knew it or not he was already targeted if Ichigo judged correctly from Karin's adamant stare. Toshiro was a really cool guy, and he really didn't want to see him in the same position as his last four friends. Ichigo didn't think he could handle another broken look or another suicide attempt.
"Well I'm sorry that my last four solutions were weak and unmalleable." Ichigo couldn't help but glare at Karin's disparaging remark regarding his friends. A smirk formed on her pretty face in response to further annoy her brother. After all, she couldn't help it if his friendships were languorous. None of it was really her fault. Ichigo scoffed at his sister's indifference before standing up to his full height of 5'11.
"You're not going to get to me this time. You're staying in my room, and there will be no complaints because you're not sleeping anywhere else." He grabbed Karin's forearm before pulling her up to stand then began dragging her down the hallway to his room. A resounding giggle came from Karin's lips.
"Ahhh but why? And aren't you going to introduce me to your new roommate?" Gray eyes lazily navigated over to her object of current curiosity. If it were anybody else she would have thought the white hair would've looked absurd, and she would have laughed heavily at their epic failure. However, he made it work with the spikey hair that looked as soft as snow, and fell a bit over pretty beryl eyes. Pretty indeed, and most men hated that euphemism, but to Karin he was pretty. Pretty like porcelain china that she could toss and toss in the air until she either caught it or let it break. If she decided to let it break she would not do it in her usual way of breaking. No, this guy she could tell was different, and she didn't know exactly what it was that made him disparate, but she really wanted to find out while every hair on her arms was standing at attention. Excitement coursed through her veins, and it made Karin giddy for she hadn't felt this type of excitement in a long while.
Toshiro was trying his hardest not to flinch under her intimidating stare. He didn't particularly like the way she was staring at him. He felt scrutinized and paranoid by her stare; it was almost as if she found a brand new toy to play with. Yet beneath that stare was a twinkle similar to that of someone who found a diamond in the rough. It was kind of disconcerting.
He visibly relaxed the moment the two Kurosakis were out of sight. He was very unaware of how tense he really was until he felt all his muscles relax. That girl literally put him on edge as he pushed himself off the kitchen bar and retreated to his own room. Toshiro found it strange that Ichigo didn't really bother to introduce him to his younger sister. He wasn't quite sure how the orangenette felt as he seemed relieved and quite weary of his sister's appearance. The atmosphere between the two was nothing short of strained and uncouth, and it baffled the white haired male to end. To his knowledge he figured that was just how sibling relationships worked since he was an only child and didn't have much sibling like bonds with any friends or relatives. Then again, it wasn't really his business. As long as nothing anarchic happened he didn't really care for the sudden living arrangement. Stifling a yawn, he lay back on his all white comforter and lazily looked out his window to the dark skies above.
Oddly enough, the many values of gray swirled within clouds and stars reminded him of her piercing eyes. Fear is what he should feel the moment he stares deep into the gray abysses. The never-ending depths wanted to pull him in and swallow him whole as he freefall into nothing.
Yet, he figured it wouldn't seem so bad to fall into nullity. Immediately following that train of thought, he reprimanded himself for being so morbid.
After all he already had fell into the dark corners of forever going nothing. He didn't think he could survive a second time.
His arms were on fire. The cramps were starting to set in, but he knew if he complained he was in for another punishment. He would often reflect on his life to escape the current painful predicament, often wonder how he ended up in this position.
A reverse prayer position is what she told him it was called. His arms were bound behind his toned back with his hands meeting between his shoulders and his hands extended with his palms touching each other. His wrists were bound by very bright candy cane striped ropes that held the rest of his limbs together. She had him on his knees which were stained with his previous orgasms, and his amazing eyes blindfolded with satin cloth. It was dark to him, quite dark but the lack of site heightened all of his other neglected senses.
The compelling aroma of peach and vanilla wafted through his nose hairs as she circled around in slow, sensual strides. The rhythmic clacking of her heels resounded in his ears and the savory bitter taste of his Goddess was still swollen deeply within his taste buds. As she circled around him she traced the smooth rounded edge of her specially made cane across his back leaving a trail of goosebumps across his delicate and red skin. She was the huntress, fierce, cold, and calculating always thinking of the most opportune time to strike. She knew he was expecting it so she settled for gentle caresses and traveling kisses over his abdomen and his shoulders.
However it wouldn't last. It never does, because she could not be gentle. Not for long periods of time at least. His suffering, his screams of agony turned her on more than any secret tryst they ever had at last minute notice. The swelling and bruising of his skin gave her visual pleasure and sometime she would like to play connect the dots on the many bruises and scratches she gave him. It made her undeniably wet to see him in the state of distress, soreness, and ultimately arousal, because while his pain got her off it was her getting off on his misery that gave him complete satisfaction. It was a way of viewing his role of control in their relationship. Without his reactions and willingness she could never reach completion so in the end her orgasm was still entirely up to him. At least, he liked to think so.
After all there was no control for him, and he knew it, but part of him actually enjoyed it. He enjoyed the helpless state where fate and decisions were not up to him, because Toshiro, although never admitted, enjoyed not having control for at least one day. His overly controlling nature was sometimes unbearable because he couldn't really trust anyone with any tasks he knew he could handle himself. This would lead to an overload of work and an overload of stress. It was here, all bounded in ropes and blinded, that he could truly let himself go and enjoy the ride.
That was why he agreed to this arrangement between them. There were days where he did regret signing in blue ink his basic rights away, but it was moments like this where he realized why he did it. He needed it, craved it like his lungs craved crisp air, and also he loved her. He loved her with his whole heart so much so that there was no such thing as hard limits when it came to them. The heart wants what the heart wants, but in the end it would get him killed.
SHWACK!
A gasp escaped between his lips as he was struck on the back. Immediately following that hit was an angry red mark that would probably later bruise. It hurt. It hurt like a thousand needles sank deeper into his cornea and was slowly rotating into the affliction until the tender sharp needles poked his frontal lobe. Tears stung the edges of his eyes, but as a man he couldn't let them fall, and crying only induced another punishment. Another hit landed on his back then another on his right side causing him to fall to the floor, unable to catch himself because his hands were incapacitated. His cheek collided with the cold rough hardwood floor, and he had no doubt his cheek would be red for a while.
Slender fingers slinked through his soft blonde tresses before he was yanked up by his hair with a tight grip. He could feel a few strands of hair being ripped out, but he didn't care so long as his Goddess was satisfied.
"Tell me, Shiro. Do you wanna play a game?" Her sweet voice filled his ears as her grip remained tight on his hair. Saying no was not an option.
"Yes ma'am. Whatever you wish." A giggle filled his ears before soft lips met his. The kiss was chaste before she released her grip on him, causing him to fall back on his face onto the floor. She traced the cane along his sore back once more before walking away briefly.
"Well Shiro what is your first thought when you feel this?" A cold metal object was pressed to the back on his head. He wasn't quite sure what the mysterious object was. It felt heavy, even for her, but holdable and cold as ice.
"I'm not sure ma'am. Is it a pipe of sorts?" What was once an innocent giggle turned into a maniacal laugh. This left him even more confused as she rarely laughed this way. His only experiences with this pitch were not good experiences, and more often than not a few bruises were the least of his worries.
"Haha, you're so funny it's too adorable! But wrong guess! Maybe this might help?" Then his heart dropped at the sound that reverberated next. Cocked and loaded. The spin of the barrel haunted him, and for once fear actually struck his heart. He was hailed as a genius, but even a person with an IQ of 58 could identify the weapon currently laid against his head. She pressed it even tighter to the back of his head.
"What about now?" He couldn't say anything. He was torn between disbelief and fear. He was in disbelief that she would even pull a gun out on him and he feared that she would pull the trigger. And if that was the case then she didn't love him like he thought she did, and that scared him more than dying.
"Should I pull it?" Seconds passed and he still couldn't say a word. She pressed it deeper into his temple, and then gave him a quick kiss.
"Bye-bye my sweet angel."
A night terror of that proportion would cause the average man to wake screaming fear. However, Toshiro was not an average man by any means. Upon his awakening he opened his eyes suddenly, but did not scream or cry out. Silent tears leaked from the corner of his eyes instead, and he swiftly brushed them away with his thumb before sitting up on his bed.
He hadn't had that particular dream in a while, and even after all this time it still ended on ambiguous terms. The sound of the shot was prevalent, and he wasn't sure why. The night terror was simply nothing more than a suppressed memory. She never shot the gun; he should know because he was still alive to contemplate this memory. He couldn't explain in terms the plethora of emotions he went through that day, and truth be told he couldn't really understand why his mind tortures his slumber with this insistent drivel. That day she didn't shoot him; she wouldn't have. The scent of his fear was all she needed to pleasure herself, and he would have been no use to her bounded and dead on her floor. Although, he really wasn't much use to her free and alive apparently.
The realization left a bit of bite to his heart, but it only lasted for a second. Years of separation and suppression taught him to be an expert at tossing out pain. He swore to himself he wouldn't feel that way ever again even if it was the last thing he did. Toshiro possibly couldn't expect to piece himself back to together if he kept breaking himself over just mere memories of a time better left buried.
"I really wish this would stop, but I guess even that's too much to ask of her." Toshiro scoffed, before getting up and stretching then made his way to the kitchen. A glass of cold water should do him good. As he took out the pitcher of filtered water, he went to close the refrigerator door and filled his cup with water. As he took a sip, Toshiro involuntarily let a cold shiver run through him. He wasn't quite sure where all this anxiety came from, but it was almost unnerving. He guessed he could attest it to the night terror, but he was so used to its occurrence that he really couldn't say he was all that affected by it. Whatever the case, Toshiro felt that going out on a night drive would do him some good to unwind.
He donned a black pullover and gray cargo shorts along with his gray/white VLADO Atlas II's before silently closing the front door behind him. He locked it then descended down the staircase in leisure. The wind was chilled, but not enough to become freezing. It rustled his white tendrils, and he inhaled a deep breath to savor the freshness of the outdoors and bitter smell of chlorine from the residential pool. Silently, he approached his car, an all-white 2014 Scion FR-S, but within the darkness he could make out a rather feminine figure sitting on top of a rather impressive looking Lexus, at least he believed so. The closer he got the more details became vivid. Long dark locks fell over a white racer back tank and were partly covered by a red beanie with a white "K" initialed in the middle. As his eyes scanned further down he could see a peek of toned abdomen between where the beginning of her Polo Ralph Lauren boy shorts began and where her tank ended. A diamond belly button piercing could vaguely be seen. Her elongated legs were covered by grey sweats and red Nikes. Grey eyes noted his presence and squinted a little in concentration before a low laugh sounded from between red lips. Toshiro, who was quite unaware he was moving closer to her, stopped right before the girl who he instantly recognized as Karin Kurosaki.
"Can't sleep either?" She said sultrily as leaned further back on her car. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this girl. A large part of him was weary of her, but such distrust was a bit unwarranted. Her insistent gazes were a bit weird, but he couldn't understand why that would put him on edge for some reason. Although she seemed predatorial, she was still a bit intriguing. After all, she was his type of pretty, and he couldn't possibly call himself a man if he denied a pretty lady at least one civil conversation.
"You can say that." He said in his rugged voice. Karin twirled her car keys on her ring clad index finger, and smiled a little at his response. Her smile tugged at something blocked within him for a fleeting moment. It was quick; coming and going, but he was certain it was there for a second.
"What are you doing out here? I thought Ichigo told you leaving were impermissible?" Toshiro inquired.
"He said I couldn't sleep anywhere but his room, not that I couldn't leave. I'm an adult now, he can't tell me what curfew to have, or who to date, or any fucking thing actually." Karin quipped back condescendingly. Her cynical answer made him chuckle a little, as he saw a little of himself inside of her. He didn't like being told what to do either, unless a contract was involved.
"He's probably just looking out for you." Karin narrowed her eyes a little at his remark.
"Maybe, but the sooner he realizes he can't fix everything, the sooner he could truly help." Toshiro wasn't quite sure what to say that, seeing as it seemingly got a bit personal for Karin. He didn't want to cross the boundaries into personal drama land, so he was just going to let this conversation go.
"Why are you aren't here anyways?" He asked again, seeing how she didn't answer him the first time.
"Persistent aren't you? If you really must know," She got off her car to stand on the sidewalk beside him, "I was thinking of going out for a drive. Maybe hit up Mount Pleasant and walk the shores of Isle of Palms, you know to get some fresh air and to contemplate." She gazed at him with her pretty eyes, and the scent of oranges and ocean breeze wafted past his nostrils making his nerves go slightly haywire.
"That sounds good actually. I was thinking of going for a drive myself, but I had no real destination in mind." It honestly did sound good. He hadn't been to the beach since August, and with moderate temperatures and a full moon the beach was bound to be beautiful.
"Well then why don't you ride along with me?" Karin held up her car keys with her index finger, and smirked in anticipation. Her sudden giddiness caused him to smirk, and despite the warnings going off within his mind, he ignored them for the greater feeling surrounding his heart and stomach.
"Sure. Only if you promise not to be a rapist."
"Since when can woman rape men?! And why would you think I'm a rapist? Does my face scream rapist to you?" He laughed a little at her remark before settling her down with his response.
"Women can rape men. It happens, but I was honestly messing with you. But can you blame me? You stare at me like I'm some Grade A sirloin steak you can't wait to chew on." She smirked before flipping one side of her hair over her shoulders.
"Maybe I just see something I like on your face. It isn't too implausible. But then again, maybe I see something I like inside here." She placed the tips of her fingers on the middle of his chest. The action confused Toshiro, but before he could respond she pulled back then walked to the driver's side of the red and white gold Lexus LF-LS.
"Enough talk though. We can talk on the way there." She pressed the automatic button on her car keys to open both suicide doors. "But first, you have to tell me your name." He was still planted on the sidewalk, but even without consultation his feet moved of its own accord before stopping at the passenger side.
"Toshiro. Toshiro Hitsugaya." He said without a second thought, before climbing into the sleek beige matte interior. Karin saddled in with him in the driver's seat and closed both doors before putting her key in the ignition. She looked at him with a smile.
"Well Toshiro, it's nice to meet you. You should buckle up cause this is going to be a very fast ride." With that line, the engine came life with a soft purr and she gave him one last smile before pulling out the parking space.