Hichigo chose a random place in the Rukongai to have a couple of drinks.
He had to find out, what was bothering Ichigo.
The albino knew that without a doubt the Captain was acting like someone had violated him.
If he was correct then the culprit should start digging himself a grave.
The albino ordered the 4th cup, when he overheard a conversation between a group of men.
"I heard Kurosaki Taicho had to withdraw from work. I think it hit him really hard."
"What are you worrying about? It's been fun. Don't chicken out now."
"Don't you remember what he told us, before that? About the Vice-Captain. 'Do anything wrong and fear the consequences.' What if he finds out about what happened?"
"Shut it, you dumbfuck! The little Captain is too scared to even talk about it and unless you yell about it for everyone to hear, there is no chance the Hollow gets to know we played with him."
"But-"
"Enough! Come on men it's late. We don't want Hisagi to miss us."
Hichigo left some money on the table and hid deep in the shadows of the tavern, waiting for the men to leave.
When they passed by, he started following.
The albino tracked the men through the streets of Rukongai.
His blood boiled in rage. Those bastards, this filthy scum calling themselves Shinigami, they did something to Ichigo.
Hichigo let his reiatsu flare as high as he could.
The men twitched when they felt the huge pressure and tried to get away from it as fast as they could.
Their fear for the unknown that the huge reiatsu represented led them into a trap:
somehow they ended up in a forest, and when they reached a clearing the reiatsu surrounded them.
The Shinigamis stood back to back in protective formation, watching the shadows between the trees.
"You there. What have you done to the 5th Squad's Captain?"
A voice asked them through the trees.
Yontai barked back at it.
"Nothing! Why do you think we did anything?"
A crash was heard and Yontai was smashed to the ground, his head cracked and the throat torn up.
Now the voice spoke to the remaining two from somewhere else.
"I heard you. Filthy scum."
The two were startled, they hadn't even seen what attacked Yontai, they only felt a breeze and the massive reiatsu.
"Tell me what exactly is this 'game' you played with him?"
Now the owner of the voice stood in front of them, and golden orbs seemed to burn their entire beings.
Hichigo, grabbed one of them by the throat and heaved him off his feet.
"Speak."
The man, it was Ronzei, rattled, trying to answer the question.
A blade was shoved against Hichigos throat from behind.
"What are you trying to do with that toy?"
He let go of the unconscious body, dropping it to the ground and grabbed the blade with his hand, removing it from his throat.
"If you don't want to end up like the other one, you'd better stop right now."
The Hollow broke the sword and the owner stumbled backward. He felt a cut in his calf and turned around, seeing the other man being more or less conscious again, having stabbed him.
"How dare you..."
Hichigo growled.
He kicked the man, ripped the short blade out of his leg and rammed it into Ronzei's chest, piercing the heart. He turned back to the last one still alive.
"Now if you are good and cooperate I'll spare your life, maybe."
Horrified the Shinigami stammered.
"W-we...We d-d-drug-drugged h-him. A-a-and...raped him!"
In an instant the man was lifted into the air.
"Please! You told me you'd spare my life if I told you! I'll go and atone for my crimes! I beg you, don't kill me!"
Hichigo stared daggers at the man.
"You should listen carefully to what others say. I said 'maybe, I'll spare you'."
The Shinigamis eyes widened even more in horror and he struggled and pleaded the Hollow for mercy.
"No! Please I beg you! No...spare me!"
Hichigo pointed a finger at the man and charged a Cero.
His face was a cold stone mask.
When the man saw the impeding death, he struggled even harder.
The moment before Hichigos Cero hit him, his cry cut through the night.
Hichigo threw the body with a hole through the chest in the direction of the other two.
Soon his rage calmed and he was faced with a problem. 3 corpses.
He had killed three men of the Gotei 13. How should he hide his own crime now?
Luck was with him, when he heard the cry of a Hollow nearby.
He shunpoed to it.
"Yo buddy. Mind doing me a favor?"
The Hollow looked at him.
"If you follow me you get a nice meal."
"Why should I trust a Shinigami?"
"You don't need to. But I can imagine that you are really starving if you dare to come to our world."
"So? You seem to have a problem yourself, Shinigami."
"Some dead bodies I can't let stay were they are. If you please let them disappear for me."
"Dead? Why should I eat carrion?"
"If you do, I'll let you eat some of my reiatsu."
The Hollow sniffed and chuckled afterward.
"Well, you do smell delicious."
It agreed and went with Hichigo.
When it ate the three corpses, it left the clothing and weapons over.
Hichigo looked away, while the Hollow had its meal, it was sickening but he had no choice.
"Now, my reward for helping you, Shinigami."
"Right. I'll let you have it. My reiatsu."
He prepared another Cero and shot at the Hollow.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted a Shinigami."
Was all the hollow said before vanishing.
Hichigo collected the remains of the Shinigami and took them back with him.
He could fake a story, with this.
On the way back he tasted the bitterness of his crime even more.
At his barrack Ichigo welcomed him.
"I could feel your reiatsu spreading from the western forest. Did something happen?"
He looked into Ichigos eyes.
"Yeah. I need to hand in a report tomorrow, about it."
"What happened?"
He still looked at Ichigo when he sat down next to him and embraced the man.
"A Hollow killed three men of the 7th Squad. It left only the clothes and weapons behind. I caught it having its meal and killed it."
Lies. Lies. You look him in the eyes. You lie at him and touch him with you blood stained hands. How will you keep up with it?
Hichigo clenched his eyes closed, yelling at the voice in his head to shut up.
Ichigo saw him making a face and tilted his head.
"What's wrong?"
The albino snapped his eyes open again and shock was written on his face for a moment.
"Ah, sorry. I feel a bit sick, when I think about what happened."
The next day he gave his faked report to Yamamoto and soon after Hisagi came with a report that some of his men were missing.
Yamamoto forwarded him
Hichigo's report and Hisagi gave the other Vice-Captain his thanks for avenging them and gave him the names of them.
When the albino came back to Ichigo he told him about what Hisagi had said earlier.
"Those three, huh? I wonder what they did in the forest."
"You knew them?"
Ichigo hesitated, the pain and shame still sat deep within him, but he thought that if he wouldn't face it already he'd never get over it.
"They...were the ones who invited me for a drink. I don't know, but I think they had planned everything."
While he talked he recalled every second that passed that evening.
Hichigo saw that the other man fought with himself and wanted to put him at ease.
"You don't need to push yourself. What ever happened you can tell me when you feel ready for it."
"No. If I won't tell you now, I'll never will."
Ichigo took a deep breath and looked into Hichigo's calm gold-and-black eyes.
"They drugged me with something. And then...they...raped me. They are are to blame that I space out all the time and fear to be touched sometimes."
Hichigo embraced him and said.
"Sorry to sound rude, but I think death is a too gracious punishment, for them
to receive."
"No, it's not rude. I'm glad that they got what they deserve."
"Ichi. I promise I'll always be by your side and I'll help you to return to
your old self again."
Chapter
End
A/N: A huge thanks for the correction of my chapter goes to: mist shadow
