Eight Months Ago

Curiosity was an awful thing. Although Yumichika had figured this out years ago, he still couldn't help but let it take over him. As he continued to walk he thought back to the previous night and mulled over what had happened. A particularly odd thing actually, it went something like this;

Last night during an evening stroll with Gin..

"It's a whoooole lot better Aya-see-gaw-a-kun" Ichimaru crooned and butted Yumichika's cheek with his own. The fifth seat let out a haughty laugh and waved him away.

"If watersports suits your fancy then so be it Gin. In fact, have fun. I'm sure Sosuke would enjoy it" Ichimaru's smile beamed down at him and Yumichika's heart warmed. Over these last few days Ichimaru had been so interesting to be around, actually a fun person; then there was the bedroom which was a completely different matter. Yumichika's bedroom had become a sacred place for sneaking around in the dead of night. It became a place where magic happened. Literally, they had been making magic.

There was something so strange about the way it configured. It was in the room but never spread. Yumichika knew Aizen had something to do with it but a man with no proof is a man with nothing to say. Such as a soothsayer with the ability to see the future without the power to do anything about it. But there was something so strange, something that he still couldn't put his finger on. He only knew one thing about this phenomenon, it had something to do with Aizen's reatsu.

Yumichika could tell Aizen was like him. They were wand less magicians, Aizen and he. When the wavy haired man would leave so would all presence of him. It was so peculiar, it beckoned his sense of wonder and power. Now all he wanted to see was what was in his lovers arsenal.

Yumichika and Ichimaru continued to walk in the darkness of the night. In their silence, the fifth seats mind began to wander. No one ever asked him anything about Gin or Aizen, which was such an odd thing. The eleventh division wasn't exactly the place where you could date a man, a captain man at that, and get away without even the slightest jibe against your manhood. It was natural to pick fights there, even as afraid as they were, the eleventh division sure knew how to take an ass beating in stride. But there was nothing. Not even a hint of anything from Ikkaku or Yachiru who would usually have been stalking Aizen or Gin to figure out 'Why feathers anyway?' like they were known to do.

The soul reaper thought of a million things that the man could do.

Out of the corner of his eye Yumichika watched as Shuuhei Hisagi approached. He was about to stop and say something to his friend but Gin interrupted him.

"What ya thinking about?" Yumichika turned his head and looked up at the man who had been fixated on his face. He tilted his head and stopped.

"Did you do something Gin?" He asked as he made sure not to look too obvious when watching Shuuhei. The lieutenant was muttering to himself almost mindlessly as if he was the only one on the street.

"Something?" he questioned back with a wide grin. The purple haired shinigami watched as his friend walked away. Shuuhei didn't even look in their direction; it was as if he hadn't seen them at all.

"Why did-" he began before turning and seeing that same wide grin on Gin's face. He let out a small huff and turned to continue walking. No, he was not going to ask Gin about that.

"Hm?" Gin asked with his eyes open, which was an extreme emotion for the usually placid captain. Yumichika now considered 'Mind Control' on the list of abilities seeing the look on Gin's face. It was like the man knew exactly what he had been thinking. Gin glanced at Shuuhei's retreating back then back at Yumichika quickly.

"Oh nothing" he said, slipping into his sultry voice to distract the captain from what he may have thought he saw.

Yumichika walked into his room and bit the side of his lip as he spotted the object that may just help him knock a few things off his list. He had ruled out hiding in the shadows, time travel and maybe even mind reading which he wasn't completely sure of just yet. He picked up the object and squinted. It was his secret weapon to detect deception. This is an urn. He thought to himself and looked down at the unopened box. After taking his time in getting ready, Yumichika focused on the object and felt it out. He walked back out and pulled out his Rui'iro Kujaku to lightly tap the lid with the hilt. This is an urn.

The fifth seat felt the reatsu take a different shape and his bones shook. One thing that he knew he had the potential to be good at was matter manipulation. No matter that he was so far away from his bankai, this could be achieved by any trickster in the Rukongai. It was a semi-complex Santerian spell to see if one's reality had been corrupted. If one's mind or beliefs were not theirs then the contents of the box would remain the same. Thus, Yumichika would come to the conclusion that whatever he was experiencing was not what was actually happening.

A person puts the object in the box and simply believes it is something else. That's the trick. Someone under the influence of a deceptive zanpakto would pull out an urn (in this case) because that is what would have been seen in the box. Yumichika lifted up the lid and picked up the iron to give it a good look before putting it back. If Yumichika's reality was untouched then he would find a scarf because that's what was actually in the box. A mind reader might take a look in his head but all Yumichika had to do was remember nothing but the urn, the kido engrained box would do the rest for him. The will of protection of the mind, this was the one and only thing he could ever remember his father had taught him.

Yumichika's father had been a kido master with a most powerful zanpakto. The old withering man hadn't had much to say except for the power against kido and control anyway. It may have made the peacock a bit paranoid but that's what these situations called for.

After looking around the room he slipped it into his pocket and walked out.

The youngest shinigami steadied himself before falling back onto his head as he nearly laughed out his own lung. Gin rested his head against his shoulder and drunkenly covered his arm with soft, wet bites. "Get off" he shrieked.

"You asked and this is what happens! I swear it!" Gin then proceeded to let out a very snake-like snicker and continued on. Aizen chuckled from across the table and watched as they play fought with Gin, as always, being the victor and Yumichika ending up on his back.

(**)

Yumichika slipped out of the house without a sound. He knew he couldn't escape but he just had to check on his experiment. The fifth seat was so excited as he knelt in front of Aizen's quarters. Looking at the flamboyant peacock, one may not expect him to actually enjoy digging around in the dirt in your bare hands but it was one of his favorite activities. Flowers were kind of a hobby to him.

Yumichika's confusion came over him like a bucket of cold water and the thoughts in his head swirled viciously. His fingers reached the top of the iron urn and pulled it out, almost in disgust. He wondered just how much of his time with Aizen had been faked. Mind reading was most definitely a possibility; he never thought he would see anything like it. Something that had power, elegance, and confusion. This man was dangerous, he was above potential and much more powerful then Yumichika had expected. He wondered where in the hell he was if it wasn't in his own division, in his room. The disguise of safety is what struck him the hardest.

The fifth seat turned around and walked back into the house. Pausing at the door he wondered what he might say. He couldn't just run in Eleventh Division style with guns blazing and throw a fit. But he was afraid that if he attempted an escape that he wouldn't be able to leave. In the Rukongai his father told him of a medium who lived down the way that was able to charm his doors and bid anyone who entered to stay. If anyone tried to leave they only get as far as the door before they dropped dead. As soon as they crossed the threshold they would die with their faces frozen in a scream. Their hands would curl up against their chest, almost as if they wanted to rip out their own heart to escape whatever they faced in those last few moments of life. Regardless of saying, he never went it.

If the man had done something like this, and for so long, he could certainly do that. Something so sinister could only be done by a very bad man. Yumichika had to get out of here before Aizen found out about Rui'iro Kujaku. The thought of his zanpakto made the peacock queasy. If Sosuke had done all this..all this time..how long? He could have seen me at any time here in the Seireitei..even the Rukongai! He can't be so cruel, not Sosuke. There has to be an explanation for this.

"What do you have there?" asked a soft voice before him. Yumichika closed his eyes and focused on the air around him. The force was so overwhelming that at moment he couldn't even sense his own reatsu.

"It's a scarf" he whispered and concentrated on what was real. "This is a scarf Sosuke" he nodded to himself and clenched his eyes closed to spare himself the irritated gaze of the man who had begun to approach slowly.

The soul reapers arm was grabbed and Aizen pulled him to his chest roughly with a growl. "Stop" he barked and Yumichika's head snapped to the side with the sound of a loud smack. He gasped as he opened his eyes and his entire building was filled with this bright violet light. Yumichika could feel his body soaring back but he was too incredibly shocked by what he saw to feel anything other than this. The rectangle. That day in the fields, this is what I saw. It was no dream! This! An illusion for the dimwitted but now..it's all so clear. This block of energy that's been in the back of my mind isn't my own doing. It is Sosuke Aizen's spiritual pressure!

Everywhere around him Yumichika saw violet. This wasn't real, he was no longer chasing the rectangular block, now he was in it! He looked up at Aizen's flawless figure coming toward him, a sleepy Gin came staggering out of the house behind him. "What might the problem be, Yumichika?" the fifth seat flinched at the harsh tone and scooted away. The man he found himself once taken by looked completely different in this new light. His hair flowed differently, glasses removed, his eyes seemed cold and uncaring.

Yumichika squinted as the violet light attempted to get in through the orifices in his body. The massive power that accompanied the kido ties fastened around his wrists and kept him in place. Yumichika cried out as he held as much of his own reatsu around him as he could. He needed to keep the violet out, there was only one thing important in the world and that was keeping Aizen out of his head.

He shouted out, still battling fiercely against his restraints. Yumichika focused on reality, but Aizen was the strongest thing he'd ever experienced. He knew he couldn't keep up with this, just as he knew Aizen was just toying with him.

"I've already told you to stop, I wouldn't want to repeat myself"

Yumichika screamed as the captain suddenly appeared beside him and began to stroke his hair soothingly. He felt hot tears streaming down the side of his face but still began to calm.

Manipulate me Sosuke. He should know I would be better alive, but not in my head. Don't come! You're not welcome here. Give me strength. Give me strength, you will not win this one Aizen! You will never win my mind, not like everything else that I have so carelessly let you take. You will not have me too! Yumichika gasped as the green light exploded from him and Rui'iro's reatsu made its way through his veins.

When Yumichika came to, he was alone. There was no more overwhelming light, no feeling of being intensely drunk on power, no anything. The fifth seat sat up and wiped the tears away still hadn't stopped falling.

"Ah, finally awake are we sleepy head?" came a familiar soothing voice from the corner. Yumichika huffed and looked over in anger.

"Aizen"

"Yumichika" The fifth seat had to clench his hands to stop himself from shaking. In the moonlight he saw a head tilt away from the blackness and there came a smirk. The glint of the frame of Aizen's glasses shook Yumichika to his core and he was frightened. This man could kill him with the thought, he could take his life without a care and walk away like nothing was wrong. "You have been very bad"

Yumichika quirked an eyebrow and looked at the man in astonishment. Punishment? This simply couldn't be. That seemed incredibly strange for a man who just had his zanpakto revealed as a lying, manipulative, hidden annoyance. An annoyance that Yumichika could now see, so why wasn't he dead? He asked himself in wonder. He could have sworn he felt his life leave him when he had gotten hit by the violet, but then again as his now recovered memory observed, he thought he had been dead that first time too. The fifth seat wondered why Aizen had kept him alive if all he was going to do is pretend like he killed him every couple of months.

"You've got to be fucking with me" he growled and attempted an escape but was quickly grabbed by the throat from behind. Yumichika choked as his back found a hard chest. From the corner of his eye he saw the highlighted silver hair beside him. The captain behind him grabbed his arms and held them tightly behind his back.

"Obscenities? Now, now let's do away with that before you end up getting yourself into more trouble"

"You know he owns you don't you Gin?" Yumichika rasped out as he tried to free his arms. "This isn't real is it, Sosuke? You devil. Most literally" he said flippantly but cried out in pain as his wrists were twisted harshly.

"Ah, and I thought we could get through today's lesson with your mouth. I do apologize, it is my own mistake" Sosuke smiled politely before raising a hand and Yumichika found himself being bound by a long rope. The kido hold fastened around the sides of his chest and connected around the neck to his wrists. His wrists were then looped around his head and he was pulled to spread his arms out wide. A band appeared around his shoulders, lower back, and ankles all fastening around the bed to ensure he could not move. Another appeared around the bottom of his balls to resemble a cock ring then went around and nestled deep inside of him but not far enough for him to be worried. Yumichika couldn't move away from the blue bindings. He felt Gin sitting on his back and his hair was pulled to fit a very large plug that kept his mouth wide open.

"MHMMM" he tried but all hopes of escape was worthless. Aizen wasn't going to let him out anytime soon.

"This-" Aizen held up the small scarf and showed him. "is positively brilliant Yumichika. I gave you much less credit than this" Yumichika moaned out his response and pushed up to try to bounce Gin off of his back. He heard the slashes through his air at the same time of the pain. Screaming into the plug, the peacock shook at the sting of four metal filled tattles quickly piercing his skin.

"EEEENNNN" He cried into the plug and the captain's chuckled from above him.

"Feeling feisty today are we?" Aizen said as he picked up his paper from the table that stood beside him. Yumichika watched through blurry eyes as the captain crossed his leg over the other and began to read like nothing had happened. "Now, you lay there and think about your actions Yumichika. You better think of a very good excuse for this as well as your best apology for causing such a rukus. Until then, I'm going to think of something more productive you can do with your time then be an annoyance. Do you understand?" Yumichika snarled over at the smug captain and tested out the kido ropes, he learned quickly that he was too weak. He had released almost all of himself to keep Aizen out that he wasn't sure if he even had anything left in him at all.

Several strikes began to hit him at once and pain radiated throughout his whole being. A strike hit him and he screamed out against his bonds. To his inner thighs, another to the side of his head, one to his feet, another on his ass, his back. This lasted only a few minutes as his body radiated in objection, it was when a hint of blood splashed on the bench that he decided he had enough of his arrogance.

"YEEEH!" he screeched in agony and shrunk away from the power of the whip. He nodded his head vigorously and looked over at Aizen, hoping that his teary, pleading eyes were enough to at least momentarily stop what was going on.

"Very good"

Yumichika sobbed out as he was hit with the whip again..and again..and again. At least there was no super strength put into it now, not as before anyway. Gin sounded as if he was having so much fun 'painting his back side' as he bragged to Sosuke about the honor of it. Yumichika felt the tears fall out of his eyes, honor. They said it because of him, he doubted that they wouldn't even think about it if they hadn't heard his division raving about it.

For a long time he thought that he would never escape. Yumichika began to believe that Sosuke had trapped him in here and would never let him go. The fifth seat looked up and he knew he watched Aizen's eyes flick back to his paper. He knew the game..Aizen liked to watch. He always had. But he tried anyway, he begged and pleaded but the gag wasn't removed until sometime later. By the end of it the fifth seat truely believed he would never feel pleasure again.

(**)

Last Night

Yumichika waddled as quickly as he could toward the tenth division. It had been so long since he had felt alone and it hurt. The tears streaked down his face and he sat on a random step. The fifth seat couldn't take it anymore, Gin couldn't be trusted and it looked as if Momo had been manipulated into submission as well. Kenny was running around the divisions and Yumichika didn't have the strength to catch him at the moment. But he could always count on Ikkaku being there. He just needed a minute to relax. His bones were heavy and his body screamed in pain off being up for so long. It had only been a few hours that he had run away, he wondered if Aizen had even noticed he was gone yet.

"Hey" a hand touched his arm lightly and he looked up to see Rangiku looking down at him with a smile. Yumichika let out a defeated sigh and turned his head to escape the humiliation of being caught in such a fragile state, adding to the fact that he hadn't even felt her coming. "We're going to find whoever did this Yumi, he's a captain. They can't just-"

"What?" he snapped in horror and looked at her in shock. Had something happened while he had been hiding? Matsumoto's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed quickly, he could see her pondering her options.

"I- I thought you knew-" Yumichika flicked his blade out at lightning speed and held it to her throat, however the lieutenant looked more sorrowful then afraid. She took a deep sigh and nodded.

"Please sit down. I'll tell you, ok" Yumichika squinted his eyes before collapsing back onto the steps and taking deep breaths to attempt to calm his heartbeat. But he knew something was happening, something was always going on.

(**)

Yumichika thread his fingers through his hair and didn't feel the hyperventilation that came over him.

"Sosuke?" he whispered in fear as all the sound in the room disappeared and all was at the moment was the heart beating in his head. It was as if he had nothing left, the only thing that had been was the man on the floor and he was no more. There on the floor was a sight Yumichika thought he would never see. In the back of his mind he had always pictured it as a good way out but had never actually expected it.

"Yumichika? Yumichika!?" the slap to his face woke him from his haze.

"Matsumoto" a heavy voice scolded and he came to looking into the radiant blue eyes of Captain Hitsugaya. "Do you remember anything, Ayasegawa?" Yumichika quirked his head to the side and blinked.

"You have beautiful eyes Captain Hitsugaya" he said dreamily before taking a deep breath. "Is it mascara or wonderful genes?" He asked as he reached out to touch but his hand was gently held and lowered by the captain.

"He's in shock" Histugaya said, clearly choosing to ignore the discomfort that came over him for something more professional. Though, it did not escape Rangiku that a blush had spread across his cheeks. Yumichika looked over to see Rangiku crying beside him and in his confusion he put his arm around her.

"It's okay Ranchan, no need to be so sad"

"Oh god" The lieutenant sighed. Yumichika put his fingers through her hair and his eyes blinked.

"You must have excellent conditioner. So pretty-"

"Alright, this is painful" another voice came from beside him and Yumichika felt himself being lifted up and led toward somewhere else.

"When did I get here Kaku-kun?" he asked with a goofy smile and rubbed his best friends head. For luck of course.

"Take him hom-" Yumichika yawned at the little boy looking man and wondered why everyone around him had instantly frozen. "Take him to the eleventh" he finished quietly and Ikkaku pulled Yumichika away.

"Goodbye little one!" Yumichika said merrily as he continued to fall in line with Ikkaku.

They walked silently for a while. Ikkaku looked so anxious while he seemed happy as ever. Yumichika noticed that the taller man hadn't released his arm since they had begun this journey. This continued, until the fifth seat caught sight of something spectacular. It was brilliant neon that he simply had to see himself.

"What are you doing?" his best friend said angrily and attempted to pull Yumichika the right way.

"Come on soldier!" he responded gleefully. As they approached Yumichika saw a pillar and became more excited than ever.

"You're out of it. We're going home, ok?" Ikkaku tried but it wasn't stopping the man who had a mind of his own.

"Everything will be fine Ikkaku" he smiled slightly and continued to pull his friend toward the pillar. The color was so radiant. It was calling to him, it had been so long since he had been beckoned. Now Aizen was dead and Gin was nowhere to be found, but the light was there.

"You're shit at shock, you know that? I am taking you home-"

"Home?" he laughed with a quirked eyebrow. "Who's home is that? Certainly not mine, not anymore" Ikkaku growled and stopped them short of walking up those steps. Yumichika closed his eyes, he was so close.

"No one told you to move to the fifth, you did that all on your own-"

"Ah and look where it got me right?" Ikkaku flinched back and quickly shook his head.

"That's not what I meant"

"Then what is it that you are implying? We've made lives for ourselves Ikkaku, isn't that what we wanted? Isn't this all you could have asked for?" he asked in exasperation. "You wanted a family!"

"Yeah! It was supposed to be together!" Ikkaku shouted but halted abruptly. Brown and purple eyes clashed in anger. Yumichika couldn't help but tear up and stop his glare. Ah! Hormones, what a horrible thing. Ikkaku's eyes softened as well and he took his friends hand back in his own. "Adding four won't do any damage. We're always gonna be together Yumichika. How could you think we would stop that?"

"For you it'll be a breeze wont it. Just as always, everyone gets a happy ending but Yumi. I'm not meant to be this way Ikkaku. Things were supposed to be different. I was- I'm supposed to have someone"

"Stop it Yumichika. You know you always have us. Nothing has changed"

"Everything has changed!" The fifth seat yelled back and pushed his friend away from him. "You have a baby and a wife who loves you. Kenny has Yachiru and Yachiru loves candy so where does that leave me, huh? You want me to constantly have people around me but always feel so alone? How can you want me to go back to that!?" Ikkaku was hit by the force of the statement and he looked at his friend strangely.

"I'm starting to get the feeling that we're not talking about Aizen, are we?" Yumichika's anger faded and he shook his head.

"I need to think"

"I'm not leaving you alone" the third seat growled and grabbed onto his arm and pulling him back. "What is going on? This isn't like you"

"I love you okay" Yumichika said with a smile before flash stepping up the stair.

Ikkaku watched in sorrow as his friend disappeared up the stairs. Ikkaku growled in irritation and followed his friend slowly. "This is ridiculous. You KNOW we won't leave each other. I wouldn't do that Yumichika. No matter who is here now, it'll always be us-" he finished as he got to the top of the stairs and saw nothing.

Ikkaku looked around and still couldn't spot the fifth seat. "Yumichika!?" he yelled again but it was strange, he couldn't feel Yumichika at all.

Ikkaku's heart clenched in his chest as he heard a the unmistakable sound of a strained choke. What he turned around to would be etched into his memory for the rest of time. Ikkaku didn't feel his spiritual pressure release but he assumed that because the building below his feet was shaking and the way his lungs seemed to be releasing all this aggression that it was him. He could feel a pulsing rise from his gut that escaped up his esophagus and out his mouth. He knew his zanpakto had been released but why he didn't know. There was only one thought on Ikkaku's mind.

Lifted above Ikkaku's head, pinned to a wall, was his best friend. His brother, once his everything, the man who was meant for him forver with no exceptions. This man had his own sword pierced through his heart high on the pillar.

"YUMICHIKA!"

Today

Yumichika stretched out his arms above his head and sighed contently. He felt a feather pillow in reach and pulled it to his chest to cuddle. Moving back and forth, the fifth seat attempted to find a warm body to snuggle up to but unfortunately he found none.

Yumichika's eyes opened slowly and he blinked in confusion. He rose to see white. White walls, white floors, white comforter, white vanity. Just white. The panic began to rise in his chest and he heard someone move. Snapping his head to the side, Yumichika's wide eyes met another and they both froze momentarily.

"Ayasegawa, do not be afraid. You are safe. Well, at least for now"

OK! Done. I said sooner didn't I?

Please review so that I know that people are even interested in the continuation of the story.

K thanks! -cole