Chapter 3 --------

'Here we are!' Kneeka sings and bows elaborately as Toshiro enters. He rolls his eyes at her and sweeps his eyes over the vacant kitchen. It's white (no surprises there) and the walls are covered with cabinets while kitchen tables dot the floor, making it look like a black and white maze.

'So what'll it be, little captain? Western? Eastern? Mexican? Asian?'

'Just food will do,' Toshiro grumbles as he slides onto a high stool and pinches the bridge of his nose. Seeing this much white is going to make him go colorblind. Nodding, she bounds across the spacious room to a cabinet and begins ruffling through it. Before he knows it, a steaming meal of rice and chicken teriyaki on a blue china plate is in front of him complete with a set of new chopsticks.

'How'd you -!'

'They don't call me Fast Fingers for nothing, ya know what I'm say'in?' she boasts and props her elbows on the table opposite Toshiro. 'Well, dig in!'

He didn't need to be told twice. He tries to remember that he is a respectable captain but the rumbling of his aching tummy argues otherwise and overtakes his mind. He attacks the food ravenously and is done as fast as Kneeka had brought the food. She gives him a wide smile as he pushes the now empty plate away from himself.

'Can I AT LEAST pull your cheeks?' she asks eagerly. He just gives her a bored glare. 'Not fair! I fed you! Ok how 'bout ONE cheek??'

Toshiro can't help but smile a little. Despite his pitiful situation, he's glad that he met Kneeka. She managed to make him smile where many had failed. Suddenly, the distant sound of a door opening is heard across the other side of the room. Before Toshiro can react, Kneeka has shoved his head under the table and giving him a signal with her eye to keep quiet. He reluctantly obeys. The footsteps of someone huge can be heard clopping towards the table and Toshiro can see long Arabian style shoes under harem pants. He dares not to use his small amount spiritual pressure to sense this person's. Any action could cost him his life, especially when he's so powerless right now.

'Tch! What are you doing here, Kneeka?' leers a male voice spiked with spite and hate. Toshiro is right next to Kneeka's legs and feels them twitch. Whoever this man is, he must have a high position if he's striking such fear in an Arrancar. She mumbles something. 'What?! I can't here you, you miserable worm.'

'Getting a snack, Nnoitra-sama,' she mumbles again. The man snorts and slams hard on the table.

'You better not be lying to me,' he threatens, sending a chill down both Kneeka and Toshiro's body.

'N-N-No, Nnoitra-sama,' she squeaks. Toshiro can see her playing with her fingers nervously in her lap. He holds his breath. The man called Nnoitra seems to be thinking whether to believe her or not. Finally, Toshiro sees the shoes turn around and walk away. Kneeka's body relaxes and he lets his breath out. The next thing that happens sends them both into shock that they don't know what to do.

Nnoitra's feet are back in front of the table and have flung both Kneeka and the table across the room. Kneeka lets out a cry as she crashes through a number of tables before being buried under them. Toshiro watches all of this in horror and when he sees her hurt, he comes to his senses and rushes over to help the wounded Arrancar. But the man behind him grabs his shoulder and smacks him into a cabinet. The handle of the cabinet digs into his back, making him cry out in pain. The man laughs evilly.

'My, my! Don't you have a pretty little scream,' he says mockingly. He digs his nails into the taichou's shoulder, almost breaking through his skin. 'Come to think of it, you're quite pretty to look at too.' He uses his other hand to stroke Toshiro's face and brings his body close to the boy's. Toshiro lifts his feet and places them on Nnoitra's chest.

'Get. Away. From. Me,' Toshiro growls, wincing through the pain in his shoulder. But Nnoitra still advances, compressing his poor body till he can't move a muscle.

'A feisty one, aren't we, shinigami?' the unusually tall Arrancar says gleefully and buries his face in Toshiro's soft hair. 'Good. It means you'll put up a fight. But you see, I don't take orders from my playthings. Especially when I'm about to screw them over so hard they can't walk.'

Toshiro's eyes widen in shock and a gasp escapes his lips as Nnoitra nibbles on his ear. He claws feebly against the iron chest but to no avail. He hears the man snicker. He licks his ear and when he pulls away, Toshiro notices the number '5' etched on his tongue. His heart starts beating faster. This isn't any ordinary Arrancar but the 5th of the Espada, Aizen's most powerful army of Arrancars.

'Yes, now you know what I'm capable of,' Nnoitra states sadistically. 'So either you accept your fate or suffer, little shinigami.'

Toshiro stops struggling as the Espada echoes the words of another lecherous man he knows and hates so well. Nnoitra is slowly undoing Toshiro's jean button but he's in too much of a shock to try and stop him. That's when a delicate hand flies out of nowhere and grips the arm that is pinning the boy to the cabinet. Both turn to see a very battered Kneeka with her head down.

'Nnoitra-sama,' she says softly but Toshiro can sense a hint of severity in her tone which is very unlike her. 'Kindly let done Hitsugaya-san. He is not yours.'

'He's free meat around here, Kneeka,' Nnoitra sneers.

'Not if he belongs to Ichimaru-sama. And he assigned me especially to care for him. So unless you want to create a meaningless fuss out of this, I suggest you go to him directly instead of messing with his property, hm?'

The authority and seriousness grounded in her voice took Nnoitra aback. He snarls as he drops the taichou to the floor. He then spits at Kneeka, who still has her head bowed.

'Don't forget your place, Kneeka,' he mocks as he sweeps past her. 'You cannot throw your weight around like you are still one of us. Nevertheless-' he turns his head to grin maliciously at Toshiro-'if I ever find that boy alone, I can't promise I won't be tempted to fuck him like there's no tomorrow.'

As soon as the 5th Espada disappeared, Kneeka falls to her knees and places her hands in her lap. Toshiro reaches out a hand and places them over hers. She looks up, wearing an utterly lost expression mixed with…hurt? Anger? Longing? He couldn't tell. Seeing her so melancholy made him feel awful for he partly feels it's his fault.

'It's not your fault, Hitsu,' she says quietly, as if she had read his thoughts. 'It's my doing. I shouldn't have lied to Nnoitra-sama. Told him the truth and avoided all of this…humiliation…'

She whispers the last word under her breath but Toshiro manages to catch it. He doesn't want to question her. It's her choice whether she wants him to know or not. All of a sudden, a hand pops out of nowhere and pinches his cheeks.

'YES!' Kneeka cries out in triumph and pumps her fist in the air. Toshiro became is usual short-tempered self.

'KNEEKA!!'

What is it with people and violating his body today??!!