A/N: It's here! Sorry for such lengthy gaps between updates. A big THANK YOU to Awen Sofer for beta'ing this chapter. Enjoy! x

Dea Tacita - 4

There was one thought in the forefront of her mind, how does she know my name? The blonde was talking enthusiastically, moving her arms around in wild gestures. She couldn't do anything other than stare at the unfamiliar woman. None of the words coming from her mouth were registering in her brain. Had she met this person at some point? She had no clue. It didn't seem likely since this person was someone you couldn't easily forget. There was something about her made it impossible for Lara not to smile. Looking at Renji's reactions to this lady was humorous as well. Yachiru has finally untangled the scarf from Rangiku's neck and was about to make off with it when a tug from the end not held in her small hands made her fall backwards.

"Has no one ever taught you not to take something which doesn't belong to you?" Although she used a scolding voice, there was no bite to her words.

The child shook her head. There was no sign of her feeling any pain from the fall, the grip of the pink scarf only tightened. "I want it."

"No." The lounge turned into an arena for the tug of war. "It's mine, get your own."

"I don't care. It's pretty!" Lara had to give Yachiru some credit since she was able to withhold the pulling from the older lady now that she was aware of it happening. She wondered if the girl had ever been told no while living with Kenpachi. He seemed like an emotionally inept man, but when it came to his daughter he was probably one of the most caring, spoiling fathers out there.

"I win!" The blonde raised the scarf above her head in victory.

This time Yachiru made no attempt to hide the hurt she was feeling. Tears started to leak from the corners of her eyes and a loud wailing followed. Renji was the only one who seemed to worry at the noise. No matter how he tried to comfort her, it didn't work. Only when he made a promise to buy her exactly the same scarf did her waterworks stop. A large grin followed and Lara had to question whether it had all been an act to get what she wanted out of the redhead.

"You'll look after her right?" Rangiku asked Renji who looked back at her in confusion. "I'm going to take Lara out with me. HYPNOSIS should be opening soon."

Everything after that happened all at once and in quick succession. After Rangiku gave Renji an 'eye-full for free', she was being dragged out of the apartment and the last thing she saw was the dumbfounded look on the redhead's face disappearing behind the corner. The lady then neatly shoved her into the back of a sky blue car with tinted windows. It was a car that people with a normal salary income only dreamed of owning and it didn't take many guesses to tell how she got the money to afford such a luxury.

"Alright, take everything off!" Rangiku announced suddenly.

Lara stared at the lady incredulously. She couldn't possibly be serious. Looking down at her jeans and shirt, she wasn't as flashy as the woman in front of her. Obviously she took too long deciding because she felt a pair of hands doing the work for her. Struggling against the woman was useless. She wouldn't be surprised if it was possible to suffocate between the two large breasts in her eye view. As her clothes left her body, another piece of clothing was thrown at her.

"I wore this years ago but never had the heart to throw it out, it should fit your tiny frame." She wagged a finger at the younger girl. "Hurry up now. You don't want me to dress you as well right? We need to look the part if we are getting into HYPNOSIS."

She couldn't stop the shudder going through her as she remembered what took place there last time. The image of Kenpachi's face flashed in her mind. What would he think if he found out about the place of her next destination? She smiled knowing he wouldn't like the idea, but why did she care. Taking the dress in her hands, she placed it over her head and pulled it down to cover herself. Astonishingly enough, it fit. Lara smiled at the blonde and the small gesture was given back tenfold.

"You sure are quiet, but I'll make enough noise for the both of us." Rangiku pushed her to get into the passenger's seat and quickly left the car to get into the driver's seat. "We're going to have so much fun tonight!"

Gin stared at the empty shot glass in his hand. It had been the third one since the opening of the nightclub ten minutes ago. He hadn't heard anything from Rangiku and wondered how she was going about getting his message across. It shouldn't have taken this long and he should've received a call from her long ago. For a second, he thought he had heard the blonde's loud voice but there was no way she would come to this nightclub. Not when she had a job to do and she certainly wouldn't be stupid enough to bring Lara to a place like this to get his message to her.

Looking over at the entrance, he did see Rangiku and he realised that she was stupid enough. Dragging behind her and holding her hand was the shorter, dark haired girl who was in a dress he suspected didn't even belong to her. He spent the next few minutes watching them from his position at the bar. So far neither noticed him, which made it easier to continue his observation. There was a close call when Lara surveyed the area and just when her eyes would've met his, someone stood in between them. Giving a sigh of relief, he decided it was time to leave. After she received his message, they'd have plenty of time to communicate.

Since it would be too obvious using the hidden door behind the bar, Gin left through the back exit and moved around the buildings until he entered the shop beside the nightclub which had various toys and clothing for the curious as well as those who knew how to use them, and liked it. In here there was a trap door covered by an outdated mat which led into the room he needed to be. Sitting in his throne of a seat, Sōsuke smirked at him as he entered.

"Did you have some fun Gin?" He commented. The silver haired man stared at Sōsuke through obscenely narrow eyes. The grin he was giving would've been enough to scare anyone on the streets but this man was used to such an expression that it didn't affect him at all. "You're unusually quiet."

Gin replaced his Cheshire grin with a faux sombre frown. "What, me? I don't know what you're talking about."

"An innocent personality doesn't suit you." Sōsuke stood, and then strode until he was in front of a set of television screens. Gin followed him and saw that the images on the screens showed different parts of the nightclub from hidden cameras. Although it only opened less than an hour ago, it was already buzzing with activity. Sōsuke muted all the screens with a remote and turned towards his right hand man. "So tonight's the night you say?" He snapped his fingers and a steaming cup of tea along with the complimentary saucer were placed in his hand within seconds. The girl bowed lowly before getting dismissed.

"Yes."

Together they watched all of the screens, but Gin's eyes always trailed back to the one which had a clear view of Rangiku and Lara who were still sitting in one of the booths. He saw the blonde handing a piece of paper to the other. The words were too tiny to read from the camera's position and as Sōsuke moved to press a button to zoom the camera in, the note was already folded and dunked into the half drunken drink. By the time anyone got there to retrieve the piece of paper, the letters wouldn't be distinguishable.

"You wouldn't know anything about that note, would you Gin?"

"Of course not." He chuckled. "Rangiku does everything for herself."

"I see..." He pointed to the furthest screen from them. "It looks like the man of the hour has arrived, not long to go now."

That screen had a wide view of the entry point and it showed the police officer, he'd met twice now, walking in. Much like the time in the apartment, he wasn't wearing the eye patch from the first night. It wouldn't be long before he spotted the two and predictably go over to them. He had a feeling Rangiku was able to take Lara away without the permission from this man. Gin turned to leave since he had no reason or desire to watch the exchange.

"Don't forget the plan Gin." Sōsuke reminded, he stayed at the television screens, not wanting to miss a thing.

As soon as he saw the blonde he knew why Renji had let them go so easily. He wouldn't be surprised if she somehow swindled money out of the redhead as well. It wasn't everyday someone saw such a busty beauty, especially in this city and with how she was currently dressed, it also shouted out prostitute. The time it took to put on the clothes would probably be less than the time it took to take them off, with all the strings and straps he could see. Lara was dressed in something which covered more skin but it didn't stop the attention she got either as they danced together.

He was watching them from afar when they made their way to the dance floor but he would have to intervene at some point. That point was in a few seconds because he was right next to Lara in an instant as he saw a hand getting too close to the hem of the dress. The man behind her cried out when Kenpachi's hand tightly wrapped around the wrist, twisting it, but the cry was unheard since the music was loud. Her head turned towards him and her eyes widened with recognition. The blonde was dancing to her own beat and still hadn't noticed the exchange between them. Her eyes were closed and she made no movement to remove the hands which were on her body, it was as if she wanted them there.

Lara reached for him and he waited for her words as she touched his bare arm but they never came. She dragged him away from the dance floor. They were in the way of everyone else who wanted to dance and people started to glare at them for staying still. When they were alone in the corner of the area, which was much quieter and also away from listening ears, she was able to face him. Now that they were alone he trapped her in-between his body and the wall, making her lose control of this situation.

What are you doing here?

"I should be asking you that question. You were supposed to be staying at the apartment, that Ichimaru guy could be anywhere." He leaned in close to her and spoke in her ear. "You're causing me trouble."

She shook her head and tried to push him away. He stayed in the same place and when he moved, it was only to get closer to her. He hasn't tried anything tonight, I haven't even seen him and I haven't accepted any drinks from anyone other than Rangiku.

"So that's her name." Kenpachi mused to himself, he wondered where the blonde came from and how she knew where Lara was or at least how they knew each other. "Who is she?"

I don't know. I just met her.

He felt like slapping himself on the forehead. "You let someone you didn't know kidnap you?"

It's not like she's a serial killer, unless you think it is her which has been kidnapping those girls? She gave up pushing against him and left her hands in place. He could feel the way her fingers would tenderly press his chest as if feeling him through the shirt he was wearing.

"We're getting out of here."

Why? Lara couldn't do anything when he grabbed onto her slim bicep. She wasn't strong enough to resist him forcefully and he could still hear her voice in his mind as she tried to reason with him. Let me say goodbye to Rangiku first if we're leaving.

He shrugged his shoulders at her. As long as they left he didn't mind what sort of detour they took. He also doubted she'd been communicating with the other lady and it was confirmed when all she did was wave and try to signal how she was going to leave. Kenpachi kept close to her otherwise he was sure she would find some way to get away from him. The blonde finally noticed him and started shouting to be heard over the music.

"You and your man should stay for a bit longer! We were having so much fun!" Lara shook her head at the lady who seemed to give up trying to convince her otherwise. "Let's go out the back way, it's easier and faster."

As soon as they left the nightclub through the back exit, Kenpachi felt as if something was wrong. He placed an arm around Lara's shoulder, she had started shivering due to the cold bite in the air but it was also to keep her close in case something happened. Noticing that the blonde stopped following them once they were out of the door, he stopped walking any further. There was a black car with tinted windows off to the side and he heard a sudden snickering.

"Are these the two you wanted Ichimaru?" A guy with shocking blue hair, which seemed to glow, came out of the shadows from the building beside the back entrance. He was holding onto a wooden bat with one hand and hitting it into the palm of his other.

"Yes." The voice came from behind him and he knew it was Gin. "Make sure you don't harm the girl. I don't care what you do with the cop."

A taller man came to stand beside the first one. This guy had hair in a similar style to Lara just without the fringe. "I don't like playing nice, let me handle the cop."

"Why should you get all the fun? Leave the cop to me." The blue haired man argued.

"He's big. Are you sure you can handle him?"

"Don't mock me, idiot." He swung the bat around in his hand so that it turned in a full circle. "I have a weapon, this will be easy picking."

He could hear the footsteps around him getting closer as they surrounded them both. Lara was silent and he had no idea what was going through her mind. He looked to the side and she had a frightened expression on her face. It seemed as if she knew these men, but if they were friends of the ex-boyfriend then that wouldn't be surprising. Pulling her closer to him so that she was in front of him, he tightened his grip around her in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. He saw the blue haired one readying his bat.

"Duck." Kenpachi didn't give her any time to react and pushed down on her head instead.

As the bat came towards his right, he blocked it with his adjacent forearm. It made a loud crack and although he could feel the pain of the impact it didn't hinder him from continuing his defence. He had an extra problem of needing to be sure of where Lara was because he knew that Gin would be sly enough to get her away from him so that his lackeys could go full throttle at him. Just as the tall one was going to punch him in the stomach, Lara rose from her crouching spot on the ground holding her hands out in an attempt to stop the blow.

"What are you doing? Get down!" In the heat of the moment, he pushed her out of the way instead and grabbed onto the fist which just stopped before hitting her and he used his injured arm to elbow the tall man in the chin.

"You shouldn't have done that." Gin said, using a tone as if reprimanding a little kid.

Kenpachi turned to see that Lara was no longer at his side and in the arms of the narrow eyed man. "Why you-" A loud thud could be heard as the guy with the bat was forgotten and had a clear shot at the back of his head. The first hit only made his legs buckle. It was the second swing which had him crashing to the ground.

No! Why did you do that? Let go of me! She tried to struggle against Gin even though it was useless. He may be thin but that didn't make him any less strong. He might be dead! Blood was beginning to pool around Kenpachi's head. She didn't know whether it was caused by the wooden bat or when he hit the concrete ground.

"We'll take good care of him since he's coming with us. Stop moving, you are coming too." She felt his hand around the back of her neck. "You'll forgive me when you wake up."

I… The rest of the words were never formed as she lost to the darkness which overtook her.

Luckily he found the correct pressure point to make her unconscious, she was squirming around too much that he was close to paralysing her instead. Lara was much heavier in his arms as a lifeless lump than when she was conscious. Rangiku walked over to him and held out her hand, obviously wanting the payment she had been promised. He smirked at her, taking his time to make sure nothing unexpectedly bad happened and that the girl in his arms was alright. When he finished checking over her body, he looked at the blonde.

"You did well." Gin picked up the limp body bridal style in his arms. He had trouble positioning her while trying to take out the envelope from the back pocket of his jeans. "Here you go." He beckoned the blonde closer, unable to do anything but hold it.

Rangiku took the envelope and flicked through the cash inside. "I thought we agreed on more than this."

"We did. You did do a good job but you placed Lara's life in danger by bringing her to this nightclub. I deducted the necessary amount."

"This is less than half. Not to mention if I'd spent the night working I would've gotten triple what you were going to give me." She looked over at him sternly with her hands on her hips. "I want more."

Gin gave a chuckle. "I'll give you more when you earn it. The night is still young, I'm sure you can acquire some unsuspecting victim if you go back in." He pointed to the backdoor of the nightclub before looking over at the unconscious man on the concrete. "I need to deal with these two." He looked at the two guys standing off to the side. "Grimmjow, Nnoitra, put him in the backseat of the car and then clean up this mess."

He saw that Rangiku had already left, knowing there was no way she would get any more money out of him. He had been completely honest for why he deducted the amount he did from the original figure. As time passed when he held Lara, her unmoving body started to get heavier. He was strong but any longer and he would end up dropping her so he quickly made his way to the car conveniently parked on the road near them. The cop was already stuffed into the back and he carefully placed her in the passenger's seat. Gin would need to drop him off at their base of operations and then he would take the girl back with him to his apartment.