Chapter 8:
The trailers arrived early the next day behind the hotel. Sick of knowing that his room was a short ten feet from Linnette's and that paparazzi were lurking around every corner of this place, Ichigo fled his room and went back to his trailer. Once inside, he took notice that some things had been changed. He now had even more clothes, fresh food in his fridge and a pink bunny with a purple bow around its neck. No doubt that was from Linnette. There was also a newspaper on the table. He opened it up. Every word of it was in English. He tossed it aside. There wasn't much for him here in this unfamiliar country. It would be easier if he had friends with him who knew something about the way things worked around here. Or at least could read the paper. He took an English class in school for a number of years now, but he still couldn't speak it fluently, nor could he read it very well.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror and took note of the bags under his eyes. Even in a comfy hotel room all to himself, he hadn't been sleeping very well. Perhaps it was stress. Or perhaps it was just unnerving for him to close his eyes around such people. He didn't feel safe here with them. He wanted to go home. He wanted to know how his sisters were doing. Were they wondering where he was? He was sure of it. But were they still looking for him? Was Yuzu crying for him? He knew how worried she got. Ever since their mother died, Yuzu has been afraid of someone else never coming home. Their mother went out and never came back. Now being late in her mind meant that something bad had happened. She must have been hurting. He didn't want to put her through that.
But knowing what he would do to her if he had stayed was even worse. That was another reason why he hadn't been sleeping at night. He had constant nightmares about going Hollow again because of Linnette. They were all very vivid and constant. In his nightmares Linnette was singing and he had gone Hollow. But unlike what happened to him in real life, he was fully aware of what he was doing but couldn't stop himself. He was forced to watch every second of the bloodbath. Yuzu was always the first one to go in his dreams. She was staring at him with those wide fearful eyes, backing away from him. He would grab her by her neck and throw her to the ground where he would start to tear her apart with his bare hands. Screaming and bleeding- he had done that. It was all him. Kirin would go next. Her normal tough attitude, very much like her older brother's, was long gone, eyes showing nothing but fear. She would call his name but he wouldn't answer. She cried for her twin, asking him why he had killed her the way that he did. He would then chase her down and pin her to the ground. She screamed and screamed, begging him to stop and to know why. He bit her throat and tore her neck apart. He ripped off her limbs one by one. After killing off both his sisters, he went after Orihime. He strangled her and pulled her hair. He shattered her hair clips and made her bleed while she whimpered and cried out his name. He couldn't stop no matter how much he wanted to. Then Rukia would come and draw her sword. She gave him a conflicted look and told him to stop. "Don't make me do this," she would say and then he'd attacked. She pulled up her sword and he broke it in half and went for her face. After that he would wake up.
These nightmare were a constant reminder why he was here. If he refused or ran off, that nightmare may become a cruel reality. Remembering those dreams made Ichigo feel sick all over again. He got up and went to the door for some much needed air.
The second his trailer opened, he was blinded by flashing lights and deafened by clamor. Paparazzi swarmed the trailer, taking pictures and bombarding him with questions. He threw up a hand to shield himself from the bright flashing lights. He staggered back into the trailer and slammed the door shut. He cursed loudly and waited for his vision to come back. All this fuss and he wasn't even the star. They must have thought he was the real star's boyfriend or something. Or a young teenaged boy easily paid off with a loud mouth who could tip them off on something juicy. Either way he wanted no part of it.
The clamor started up again signaling to Ichigo that someone else was coming. The door opened and in came Linnette. She locked the door this time and walked over to her pet. "Hi, Ichigo. What are you doing here? I thought you'd be inside enjoying the free stuff."
Just seeing her face was enough to really piss him off. "I don't want it."
"Hm?" She put a hand to her ear. "What was that? You mumbled."
"I don't want it! I don't want any of it!"
She pouted. "Oh? Like what? What do you mean? I thought you'd enjoy the better half of life."
"Hell, no!" Ichigo started to rant, unable to hold it back any longer. "I don't want to live like this! Expensive isn't always better! As far as the expensive food, I'd be happier with a burger from a fast food place. As far as fancy clothes are concerned, I was a lot happier in slacks and a worn out t-shirt. Herbal bath soaps and a Jacuzzi? Just give me hot water and soap you could find at a convenient store and I'll get just as clean. A fancy hotel suite? Please! I was happier living at home with my father's sneak attacks every morning and Kon slamming into my face whenever he was in the mood. I miss my sister calling me down for breakfast and her twin asking me to play soccer with her. I miss my friends. I miss those hectic mornings and loud afternoons. I want to go back to that life. That life I knew. That life I wanted. That life is better suited for me. I want that one. I want to go home!"
She stood there and stared at him. "I'm sorry that you feel that way." She shut her eyes and folded her arms. "But I can't let you go. You're going to stay here with me forever."
Ichigo caught his breath from his rant and clenched his fists.
"I don't really care if you're happy or not. It's just better if you are. All I care about is my own happiness and the things I want. And I want you to stay. I don't care if you miss your friends or family. We're your family now so get used to it."
Losing his temper, Ichigo lunged at her. His body was frozen in place. But her bodyguards were nowhere in sight, so what had stopped him? The answer was simple: Linnette's humming. She was humming her song, stopping Ichigo in his tracks. Even after she had stopped, Ichigo still couldn't move.
She walked up to him and stroked his face lovingly. "You're my pet, Ichigo. Now be a good little doggy and stay."
The feeling came back to his limbs and he fell to the floor. He only had to hear one note of her song and that was it. Any more and his Hollow really would come out. He couldn't do anything. He really was powerless here.
She smiled at him and bent down to his level. "All I'm asking is that you be by my side. Is that really so hard? You're not my slave, just my pet. And a good pet gets treats. But a bad one gets punished. Now would you like to hear my song again?"
He shook his head.
"Now then…" She opened her arms wide. "… give us a hug."
He glared at her. No power in this world would make him do that! But her humming had woken his sleeping Hollow inside and he was in a cuddling mood.
"Oh, sweet girl… My little princess… I'll be happy to give you a hug… Come on, King. Do it. Be nice… If you don't, I will…"
That's right. He would. If he ticked her off, she would truly sing and then what? What would she have him do then? Swallowing his pride, Ichigo leaned forward keeping his hands on his knees and allowed her arms to snake around his body. He shut his eyes and held his breath.
Stick to the plan. All he had to do to make it through this was stick to the plan. He had forgotten himself for a moment there. If he wanted this to work, he would have to try harder to make her put her guard down.
X
In her gigai, Rukia went back to Ichigo's school to attend class. As attendance was taken, everyone including to teacher noticed that Ichigo had been missing for nearly a week but all his friends were here. That was very unusual. Normally if he was missing, so were the rest of them. However, Keigo was missing. Either that or he was just running late. This was a little strange.
As the teacher was about to start class, the door came flying open and in came the missing student. Keigo burst through the door like a bat out of Hell and waving a magazine in his hand. "It's Ichigo!"
The students jumped up to take a peek at the page he was trying to show off to the class. Finally he slammed it down on Rukia's desk and pointed at a picture is the bottom left corner. Everyone crowded around. The title took up two pages and the picture of Linnette filled the entire right hand margin. The title read: Rising Star Takes Spotlight In New York.
But Rukia wasn't looking at that as much as she was the photo Keigo had pointed out to her at the bottom. Almost as an after thought, a tiny photo of an orange-haired teenaged boy coming out of a trailer, shielding his eyes from the cameras was placed way at the bottom of the page. It was Ichigo. The column beneath the photo read: Rising Star takes along unnamed Japanese teen for the tour. Possible boyfriend or new agent? Still waiting on word from the diva herself. But love may be blooming like her singing career.
"He ran off with some girl?"
"I can't believe Ichigo would do something like that."
"He wouldn't. It's unreal."
"But look at the photo."
"I see it. But you know how these magazine people stretch the truth."
"I know. It just doesn't seem like something he'd do. Besides, he doesn't even know her."
"So you're saying he was kidnapped and held against his will?"
"Well, look at his face in the picture. He doesn't look happy."
"Yeah, he looks kinda pissed."
"You would be too with all those lights in your face."
"Pissed? That's normal for him."
"Sounds like love to me."
Rukia held onto the magazine while the rest of the class sat back down in their seats. She was reading what the article had to say. So she's going to New York City, huh? And if Ichigo's with her, that means he's going, too. She folded up the magazine and left the class room just as class began. I know where he is!
X
Ichigo was just about to lay down for a nap when his door opened. "Don't you people ever knock?"
Victor stood in the doorway, deadly serious. "Come with me. I wish to show you something."
Curious, Ichigo followed him out the door, putting on a pair of sunglasses just in case the paparazzi were lurking nearby with their cameras. Victor led him into another trailer. This one was enormous. There were bookcases welded into the walls and large tables everywhere, making it look a lot like a hospital. There were boxes and cupboards and chairs and sinks and papers every which way he turned. It looked more like a small laboratory than a trailer you would take on a tour.
"This way." Victor led him into a back room. Unlike Ichigo's trailer, this one had actual doors rather than the drape he was forced to use for privacy. He was led over to a large white table and told to stay put. There was a CD player with speakers on the desk. The red light told Ichigo that it was already on and the music was simply paused. No doubt a CD of Linnette's singing to stop him in his tracks should something go wrong during this visit. Ichigo had a bad feeling about this.
"What's all this?"
Victor pulled on something behind the table and the surface opened up revealing a hidden compartment. "I want to show you something." He took out a box from the compartment and reached inside, taking out a small wrapped candy bar. "Do you know what this is?"
Ichigo recognized it after a moment. "Yeah. It's one of those free sample things they were handing out at the park that day. Why?"
Victor smiled. "You don't have any idea what it is, do you?"
Now he was concerned.
"This common candy bar is possibly my greatest achievement for our young diva. Let me explain. I'm sure you're aware of her past. She's told you, yes? Well, back when I first heard her sing, I was very taken with her. I loved that voice so very much. I wanted to share it with the world. And so she sang. It was small at first. We did performances at fairs and festivals. Small things. She was popular with the crowd. But sadly, not everyone cared for her song as much as I did. Her style isn't to everyone's taste. And some rude people prefer to listen to their ipods rather than her voice."
Ichigo stood still, listening to every word the man had to say in this windowless backroom.
"But then I noticed something interesting. During one of our outdoor concerts, a couple Hollows showed up. Once they heard her song, they calmed and listened. They loved her voice. All they wanted to do was hear her song. They were a much better captive audience than the humans who would lose interest or just not listen. That had me thinking. I wondered if I could do something to make the humans adore her as much as the Hollows did. But it wasn't until last year when we came to your town and met the Vizards that I had an idea of how to go about it. I noticed that the Vizards would start to change when they heard her sing."
"Because they're part Hollow?"
"Very good, Ichigo, yes. So I started working on a kind of potion that would turn the humans into Hollows and become Vizard-like in a sense."
"What?"
Victor smiled at him. "Unfortunately, it didn't work the way I had intended. Things failed and others wouldn't turn out right. The serum would have to go into the blood in order to be effective. A dart was the only way at the time to do it, but then I came up with this." He held up the candy bar. "After all, who doesn't like candy? At first it was going to be a drink, but the toxin I invented turned the liquid a displeasing green color and it had a strange smell to it. No one would drink it. But in candy form, the taste and smell were nullified. No one noticed anything amiss. Once eaten, the toxin spreads into the bloodstream beginning the transformation."
Victor sighed and turned the candy over again in his hand.
"However, the potion only worked halfway. The humans never fully transformed. They only got the mind and instinct of a Hollow. Not the body. I guess you would have to be a soul in order for it to work all the way. And the potion's effects only last for as long as she's singing, very much like the Hollow's themselves. Once she stops, the humans go back to the way they were without a memory of what had happened."
"Why?" Ichigo took a step towards Victor and he put his hand on the CD player. Ichigo stopped in his tracks. He would turn it on if he came any closer. "Why would you do that?"
"Why? So that the people could love her the way Hollows do. I wanted her to be famous. And aside from that. I wanted to see if I could. I wanted to see if I could turn people into Hollows and to see if her voice would have the same effect on them as the real thing."
"That's your only reason? That's crap! You're just-"
"You didn't hear the best part, yet." Victor put the candy back in the box and sealed it back into the table's compartment. "I've been working on a new one that could, in theory, turn them one hundred percent into Hollows. It hasn't been tested, yet. I was waiting to do it when we got to Central Park. That way when they change we won't be destroying a beautiful theater. There will be plenty of room."
Ichigo clenched his fists. "So that's it, huh? That's what you've been doing? All those people back there… You turned them into Hollows? They were attacking their families, damn it! Look at all the damage you caused! And for what? Just to make her more famous? For fun?"
"I don't see what you're so upset about, Ichigo. This is a good thing. I'm not doing any permanent damage. It's only effective while she sings. That's it."
"But what happens when those people hear her voice on TV or in stores on CDs? Then what?"
Victor frowned. "Well, at the time, I hadn't thought of that."
"I won't let you get away with it, damn it!"
The tall man's smile returned. "And just how do you intend to stop me? You're in no position to talk or make threats. I know what you're doing. You're trying to pull a fast one, aren't you? Playing pet while you secretly plot your escape."
Ichigo didn't speak. Had Victor figured him out already? Was it that obvious?
"But you haven't thought it through yet, have you?" He smirked. "Even if you do manage to get away from us, that would be breaking your deal. Linnette will sing and your family will die. Your friends will suffer. And just what do you plan to do to stop her from singing? Cut her throat? Make her sick so she'll be unable to sing? Please… That won't be enough to stop us from coming after your sorry ass. Besides, it's as you said. There are CDs out there with her voice on them. There really is no escape. Your little plan is folly."
Ichigo wanted so much to punch him in the face, but he kept his eye on Victor's finger hovering over the play button on the stereo. One false move and her song would stop him in his tracks. Victor was right. There were too many things stopping him. And him without his powers. At least then is Hollow rampage would be somewhat controlled. Stuck in a human body there wasn't much he could do.
Victor smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "Ichigo… You haven't even seen what we could do yet. Stop wasting your time. You may be able to fool Linnette if you try hard enough, but you won't fool us. You're still a threat to her. We've got our eye on you."
Ichigo forced himself to smile, but it was anything but charming. "What are you talking about? I'm not planning anything."
Victor stopped smiling. "What's with that sneer?"
"What sneer? It's a grin. I think it's funny that you think I'm up to something. I'm not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. What would make you think that?"
"The fact that you had to be persuaded to come. It was not of your own accord. That alone leaves plenty of room for doubt."
Ichigo kept up his smile. "No. You've got it all wrong. I've made my bed, now I'll sleep in it. It's like you said, I can't escape. So why should I try? I'm still here aren't I? And it's not because I'm waiting for my chance to run off. Where would I go? I have no money and I'm in unfamiliar territory. I've never been to this country before. And I have a bad sense of direction."
Victor wasn't buying it. "If so, then why the outburst moments ago?"
"That didn't mean anything. I was just upset at hearing how you plan to turn everyone into Hollows. That has nothing to do with the girl. That's between you and me."
Unable to think of a comeback or any further questions, Victor pointed out the door. "You may leave anytime you please."
Seeing the smile gone from his face was enough of a win for now. He needed some time to think of a new plan. For now he'll stick to fooling Linnette. Even if these two weren't fooled, she would be more likely to call them off if he got her over to his side. He needed to figure out how to stop those candies from being distributed to all those innocent people. Looks like he would have his hands full for quite a while.
X
The thunderous applause was testimony to Linnette's success. Even after she had left the stage, the audience continued to clap and cheer. Her concert that night had taken place at in indoor theater. It was a first-come first-serve deal, turning away anyone they didn't have a seat for. It was a splendid turnout seeing as how they had a full house. Many of the people in the audience were adults or elderly couples. Very few children showed up, but a few teenagers did, mostly boys attempting to catch a glimpse of the cute singer. She walked straight off the stage when she had finished towards the three men waiting for her. Linnette seemed to have forgotten the crowd calling for an encore and looked instead at the young man with his shoulder clasped by Victor's other hand, punctuating his enthusiastic opinion with a raised thumb.
"How'd you like it, Ichigo?"
He didn't answer right away. He had been hiding out in his soundproof trailer during her performance, coming out only when the two men had fetched him. He had no idea why they had done that and he failed to ask either of them.
"Do you like it?" she repeated.
"How the hell should I know? I wasn't listening."
She pouted. "Aw, too bad."
Victor griped Ichigo's shoulders more tightly, digging in his nails. It was almost as if he were daring him to give her a reason to hear her song and awaken his Hollow self. He didn't flinch, even when the pain became like a pair of claws ripping into his skin. His expression never changed.
"Linnette…" Ichigo tried to keep his voice calm, but inside, he was giving himself a thrashing for what he was about to force himself to say. "You… look… n- nice…"
She turned to him, a little surprised. "Hm? What was that?"
"You look very… pretty… tonight," he said through his teeth.
She paused and then smiled brightly at him. "Why, thank you!" Then she moved in and put a hand to his forehead. "Oh, you seem warm."
It was no wonder. Ichigo could feel his blood boiling inside of him.
Linnette snapped her fingers. "Cedric! A water for Ichigo. Now!"
The man ran off and returned with a bottle of ice water. He handed it to Ichigo. He took a small sip to please her.
Once she took her final bow and the audience had left, everyone returned to their hotel rooms. Apparently complimenting Linnette was good for Ichigo. Cedric was going to spend the night in his room but Linnette told him not to. Ichigo's reward for being nice to her was being allowed total privacy the whole night and a steak dinner in his room. The meal he enjoyed, but it was the privacy that he really wanted. Now he had plenty of time to think and didn't have to worry about being interrupted by one of the men. And he really didn't want to spend the night with Cedric in his room staring at him the whole time.
Ichigo took off his shoes and flopped down on the bed. This would be his last night in this suite. Tomorrow they were packing up and moving to a new hotel called the Waldorf. It was somewhere in New York city, their true destination. And that was when Victor would unleash his experiment on the unsuspecting crowd of people. It would be an all-day trip and one night's rest before the big concert. He had until then to come up with a plan. How was he going to stop them? He hadn't the slightest idea. Everything he came up with wasn't any good.
I need help… He normally didn't ask for help from anyone. But this time he truly needed it.
"Ichigo!"
He jumped at his name called by a very familiar voice. He sat up and looked at his window. Jumping to his feet with a gasp, Ichigo ran to great the Soul Reaper waiting for him out on the balcony.
"Rukia!" He let her inside. He still couldn't believe that it was really her. "What are you doing here? How'd you find me?"
She held up the magazine their classmate had brought in. "Your picture's in here along with all the information I need to find you. It said that Linnette was coming here to perform and since your picture was taken by paparazzi tailing her, I figured that you couldn't be too far behind. I'm no fool, Ichigo. I managed to put two and two together and figured out that you were with her."
He gave a huge sigh of relief. "Rukia… It's great to see you…"
She slapped him with the magazine. "You idiot! Everyone's been looking everywhere for you! You had us worried sick! We thought something had happened to you!"
"Come on! I-"
"You could have told us!"
"I would if I could! I'm watched like a hawk here! I can't do anything without them knowing about it. I'm being held prisoner!"
"Oh, yeah. Prisoner…" She looked around his spacious hotel room. "Yeah, they're really torturing you here. What's the matter, the high def TV only has 100 channels on it? Or let me guess. Your food was cold by the time they brought it up for you? Or wasn't the steak as bloody as you wanted it?" Rukia pointed to the half-eaten steak on the plate on his desk. "Yeah, you're really suffering."
"That's not it! Let me explain!"
Ichigo sat her down and told her everything. He told her about Linnette's threats, the two men's protection and the fact that they were always watching him. All the traveling, the hotels, the paparazzi. He even told her about the candy bars that they were planning on distributing to the unsuspecting crowd.
After all was said and done, Rukia nodded her head. "I had a feeling that that was the situation. I knew you wouldn't just up and leave us like that. There must have been something going on." She started to pace the room. "This is a tough situation."
"Tell me about it."
She thought aloud. "Let's see… She's human, so you can't kill her. And with all the witnesses and cameras around, there's no way you wouldn't get caught. And with her two bodyguards and their superhuman skills, they'll take you down before you get even close. But take all that away, you still have to worry about her singing. Not only that, but your family's in danger. Even if you did manage to get away, they'll just hunt you down and bring you back, not to mention hurt your family and friends. Then there's the issue of you being human. But that's the only thing keeping the true power of your Hollow locked up. If you become a Soul Reaper and she starts singing, you'll go all the way. It doesn't look like there's an upside to any of this."
"Thanks for repeating exactly what I already knew. I'm aware that I'm stuck. No need to point that out."
She sat on the bed with him. "You know, Ichigo… I'm here with you. And I've alerted the others. They're on their way now. And Urahara is working on a cure for those candies."
Ichigo looked up. "But how did he..?"
"Hitsugaya and Yumichika ate them before and went Hollow. Then Jinta got his hands on them. He's also trying to find a way around her singing. Just hang in there a little while longer, ok? We're here to help you out, you know. There's no shame in asking for help when you need it. It's more foolish not to ask and rush in without a plan or a way to win."
"I know that." Ichigo wrung his hands as he thought. What was he going to do? He couldn't let them do this alone.
"Ichigo. I've been working on an idea. If you can't touch her, maybe I can. As a Soul Reaper, I can sneak into her room and put a stop to this."
He scoffed. "Weren't you just saying that it's against the Soul Society laws to ever harm a human? It's illegal to kill one of the living. You can't touch her either."
"I never said I would kill her. I could just do something to her voice. Gag her. Then she can't sing."
"But what about her bodyguards? They're always there." He sighed heavily. "No. I can't let you."
"What do you mean you won't let me?" Rukia stood up. "You're not my boss. I don't take orders from you."
"You know what I mean." Ichigo forced himself to smile at her, hinting. "I'm already working on a plan of my own. As long as I serve her and treat her well, she'll allow me certain things. That's enough for me. I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and when she lets her guard down, then you guys can swoop in."
Rukia rolled her eyes. "If you think that'll work… I suppose I can't dismiss it entirely. It just might work. We can give it a shot. In the meantime…" Rukia turned Ichigo's head up towards the light. "You look awful."
"Gee, thanks."
"When was the last time you slept?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been sleeping very well. How can I with them always on my ass?"
"Well, you have bags under your eyes. Before we do anything, I want you to get some rest."
"But-"
Rukia shoved him down onto the bed. "I said get some rest! I'm not leaving until you get some sleep. You're not going to do anything in this condition. You're no use to us exhausted."
Ichigo stayed quiet. He knew that she was right. "Yeah, alright." He climbed under the covers, fully clothed except for his shoes and socks and laid down.
Rukia waited with him on the edge of his bed until he was asleep. Then she got up and paced the room. In truth, she had no idea if any of their plans would work.
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