primer signo de amor
Day six of captivity.
Upon waking and finding that Grimmjow was gone, as per usual, Ichigo yawned and then stretched his limbs. As soon as he remembered what had happened last night, the boy immediately got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to cleanse himself of his shame.
Feeling fresh and clean wouldn't hurt. In fact, it could only be beneficial. Today was a big day for him, after all. He was going to escape from this prison, no matter what it took.
When he got inside the bathroom, he walked over to the tub in the center of it and ran some hot water. Once the tub was filled, he dove into it and swam around a bit. It was a little strange, bathing in the same tub as someone who defeated and violated him on a daily basis, but a hot bath was a hot bath. And he had to admit, this bathroom was one of the most upscale bathrooms he'd ever set foot in.
That was strange though, because while everyone up here in the palace was pampered, the kingdom's working citizens barely seemed to get by on a bare minimum. That was so unfair…
Ichigo wondered if Aizen even cared about the people who united under him as he swam around under the clear water. If he didn't, then was there an Espada who did? If Grimmjow was anything like the rest, then he had his grim answer.
"These people need someone who would care about them, not just someone who wants to rule them. I wonder if there's an Espada who would be willing to make sacrifices for the betterment of the kingdom…" he thought.
Surely, there was a selfless Espada here. There had to be one.
After emerging for air, the boy noticed Pantera standing at the opposite end of the tub, just watching him.
He must have lost interest though, because he left as soon as Ichigo tried swimming over to him.
"It's so hard to tell what he's thinking…" Ichigo said, and then dove under the water once again.
Once he took a careful look at the pretty white tiles lining the bottom of the tub, he admitted that this ordeal was nice. Well… more precisely, it was nice to be atleast held captive by royalty; because that meant he had access to fresh, appetizing food and the living conditions weren't anything to complain about. There were worse places he could have wound up, and worse circumstances he could have been involved in, too. Though, there was no telling what Yamamoto would do once he caught wind of this predicament…
Hopefully it wouldn't trigger a war…
Grimmjow's actions could very well bring about calamities even he probably wouldn't be able to fight his way out of. The selfish fool…
Ichigo resurfaced and then started floating on his back to watch the clouds move about in the sky through the glass ceiling. This bath, this bathroom, this palace… they all seemed far too… perfect…
"I might go crazy from it all… Life just shouldn't be this easy when others have it so hard, especially when there are people struggling who're just outside this place…" he sighed.
Truly, Los Noches needed a worthy and compassionate person to take the throne after Aizen.
…
Once he was done bathing, Ichigo went out to the courtyard to spend a little time there. He sat in the grass under the bright sun and then started watching the townspeople going about their daily routines.
In the market, young women sold fruits and clothing to passersby. Construction workers walked around on the tops of new structures they were building. Old women were selling water to the exhausted children who'd clearly played themselves out for the afternoon. Gypsies danced and sang near the western edge of the kingdom, in peace, with an occasional townsperson joining them.
"Gypsies…" the boy sighed, "I wonder what Nelliel is doing right now…" he commented.
After just spending one night in her company, Ichigo had realized that there was some entertainment to be found in frivolous drinking and partying late into the night.
Not that he hadn't ever partied before… Back home in Seireitei, Matsumoto's house was where someone went on a Firdas* evening to have some fun. Though, she had a usual tendency to overdo it… She was even capable of drinking Ikkaku under the table when she was serious…
He really missed everyone back in Seireitei. Coming here on Unohana's request seemed like the biggest mistake of his young life. If he had just stayed home and dismissed the request, Rukia and Renji would be okay. And he wouldn't need to question whether or not they were alive.
But… if he had stayed home, then he never would have stopped Grimmjow from killing that beggar child.
Despite the decision he had made, it seemed that someone was bound to be taken down by the merciless Sexta Espada.
Regardless of them having been effortlessly defeated by Grimmjow, somewhere out there, Ichigo knew Rukia and Renji were still alive. They just had to be. And when he thought optimistically like that, his coming here seemed to have done more good than he'd expected it to have in his having saved the child and helped the people in the hospital.
When he heard footsteps approaching from behind, the boy turned.
It was Pantera again. The beast stopped as soon as its presence was noticed.
"Hey there." Ichigo said calmly and invitingly.
Pantera stared at him blankly. He merely took a seat and then watched him for a while.
Ichigo grew uncomfortable with those bright blue eyes that seemed to see right through him. It was as if this animal knew he was planning to escape… Or… it was as if he knew he was going to escape and he was offering his goodbye…
Unable to fully trust the animal with his back to it, he turned to keep him in his peripheral. They sat like that for about thirty minutes, but when Pantera yawned, Ichigo turned. He watched as the panther stood up and left the courtyard, retreating back into Grimmjow's quarters.
For some reason, he felt guilty. Just when he was starting to get attention from this otherwise uninterested panther, he was about to abandon it… in a sense…
"But I don't belong here. You'll be fine with Grimmjow." He whispered, his voice being carried away by the light afternoon winds.
Grimmjow…
The thought of the Espada left a bad taste in Ichigo's mouth in every possible way conceivable. The guy was egotistical, unmerciful, dangerous, heartless, and far too selfish for him to ever be able to see in a positive sense.
And thanks to him he'd never, ever be the same…
"I can't believe myself… I can't believe what I've become… I'm nothing but his sex toy, waiting for him to return for me…"
The boy gripped a handful of the green grass beneath him and ripped it up. He was angry. So very angry. After all his training and all he had gone through to become a Court Guard, this was what he'd been reduced to? "Nothing more than a bird in a cage…" he said through gritted teeth.
Even though he was angry, he was also confused. Which also happened to be part of the reason he was angry.
Sure, he was livid about Grimmjow's having attacked his friends and then his having taken him captive, but he was also upset with himself. And that was because of his own actions. At some point during this… experience… he had pretty much surrendered to Grimmjow. Given himself to him willingly because he had been able to feel pleasure in the intercourse they'd been having. And that disgusted him.
The thought of one man submitting to another and having his own will overpowered… it just didn't seem right.
Though unnatural, the Holy Book had taught that there were some men who allowed such a thing to happen. The reason why they did such a thing was not provided, though.
"I can only assume it would be because the one submitting assumed he was in love with the dominating one… But that's just… absurd. One man can't love another man in the same way he could a woman… Humans weren't built to be that way…"
Even as he thought it, Ichigo didn't feel much truth in that simply because it was what one of the ancient predecessors had proscribed as being moral and wholesome a long, long time ago.
The obvious person who he found to be an exception to the rule was his comrade, Yumichika on the Eleventh Court, who had openly admitted to having feelings for Ikkaku of that same court. How could someone condemn him for admitting to what was coming from his heart? And it was a benevolent thing at that! It wasn't like Yumichika aimed to kill someone with his emotions, hopes, and aspirations.
It was cruel and immoral how someone could just say that he was wrong for being human. What he was feeling was invalid because it wasn't normal?
"Who wants to be normal, anyway? Normal never inspired anyone…"
"Oh, kami… What on Earthia am I thinking…?" the boy asked aloud, as if he was losing his mind.
Blasphemous, that's all this was. Even though it was only mentioned about three times in their Holy Book, homosexuality was an abominable thing. Thinking otherwise was outright… well blasphemy.
What he'd been doing here with Grimmjow was sin. And even if he wasn't the most faithful person, he knew sin was sin. And sinners are said to be faced with their sin once they die, suffering to no end for the rest of eternity.
That was the whole reason he couldn't fully find pleasure in sleeping with the Sexta Espada. Even if he'd ejaculated on more than one occasion…
"… Change of subject... I need to find a way to get out of here." the boy spoke calmly.
Brown eyes glanced at the pebbles lying on the ground that he'd tossed at Aizen's forcefield a few days ago. There was no way he could break that barrier. Especially without Zangetsu…
The obvious escape route was back inside the room. If he could somehow destroy Grimmjow's Reiatsu forcefield on the doors, then he would be able to find Rukia and Renji and take them to Inoue.
For the rest of his time in solitude, Ichigo focused on ways he could possibly break the forcefield. Though, he didn't come up with much…
The sun was now setting far off in the west, signaling the end of another day in the desert kingdom of Los Noches.
Grimmjow walked down the halls of the palace, heading to his room for another night of pleasure with his little toy.
After a pitiful sparring session with a few of the lower ranking Arrancar, he decided he needed something a little more challenging to dominate. Who better than his little Court Guard? The battles they engaged in at night were far more pleasurable, anyway.
He entered his quarters and then closed and resealed the doors. His captive was out in the courtyard, he noticed.
The urge to take him now instead of bathing first overcame him. With a smirk, he made to do just that.
Just before he reached the doorway to the courtyard, a tug at his pant leg stopped him.
The man turned to see Pantera standing behind him, "What do you want? I'm about to get a little busy. If you want a bath, you'll have to wait a while." He said tauntingly.
"That's not what I want and you know it…" the panther responded telepathically.
"Then I'll get back with you in a bit. Let me get on with my entertainment." Grimmjow stated dismissively, and then continued on his way to his prey.
"He's planning to overpower you and destroy your barrier, you know."
The Espada stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at Pantera. How laughable a thought an attempt like that would be. "That'll never happen." He said confidently.
"I can… feel it… Something's going to happen before the end of the day… I think you should keep your wits about you and leave the boy alone for tonight…"
"I don't have time for your chit chat at the moment. I'm horny as hell, and you're not helping me solve my problem."
"Grimmjow. Heed my advice or you will definitely regret it…"
The bluenette stared at the panther seriously. He wasn't usually the type to joke around, especially about something like this. He then turned to stare at Ichigo's backside as he sat in the grass, basking in the orange glow of the sunset. Against his own powerful sexual needs, Grimmjow bit his lower lip and gave in... a little… "Fine… I'll bathe first and then get down to business."
Pantera turned and headed up the stairs. That wasn't what he'd meant by 'leave the boy alone'… But if Grimmjow was going to be stubborn, then come what may to him.
"He had to go and ruin my fun…" Grimmjow stated irritably.
After standing his sword against the wall next to his bed and stripping out of his clothes, he entered the bathroom and filled the tub with steaming hot water. Immediately, he canonballed into it then came up and shouted out excitedly. He was excited because with the Court Guard, unlike the Arrancar, he didn't have to hold back considering the battle they would have was of a different kind.
Eagerly, the man lathered some soap onto a washcloth and then scrubbed himself all over. As he did, for just a curious moment, the Espada wondered how Pantera felt when he got bathed by the Court Guard. He'd seemed not to mind, which was pretty unexpected. Pushing those pointless thoughts to the back of his mind, Grimmjow ducked under the water to get rid of the soap, then came back up and floated around on his backside, letting the calmness of the evening sky above consume his thoughts.
There was only so much he could take, though.
"Enough of this… I've waited long enough…" he said impatiently, and then swam over to the steps.
Fervently, he dried himself off. Without hesitation, he walked over to and opened the doors, then left the bathroom, letting the steam follow him into his bedroom.
And then he saw him. The Court Guard. Kurosaki.
Sitting patiently on the bed and reading a book.
With an eager grin, he spoke. "Get out of your clothes."
Ichigo stared nervously at Grimmjow as he stalked over to him, his heartbeat increasing with each step the man took. This was his chance. Between now and tomorrow morning, he had to make his great escape, somehow...
Near shivering with anxiety, he slowly disrobed, laid back on the pillows, and then closed his eyes.
After a few moments of nothing happening, he grew impatient. And he actually started blushing when he realized that Grimmjow was looking him over.
"G- get on with it already!"
Again, he waited for something to happen. It took a second, and he was about to open his eyes and say or do something, but a finger at his rear end stopped him.
"I see you're becoming more and more obedient… I don't know if that warrants me cutting off your head or keeping you around to torture you some more for it." He heard the man above him breathe out.
"Just… get on with it… I'm tired and ready to go to sleep…"
"Oh it's definitely coming, kid." Grimmjow said, and then removed his finger from the boy's tight hole.
Ichigo opened his eyes slightly when he felt the familiar head of Grimmjow's penis entering him. He could see that the man was looking down the whole time, paying close attention as he made his way inside of him. He looked so… so concentrated and…
"No… he's not handsome! I won't try to-"
"Gonna try to kiss me again, Court Guard?" Grimmjow asked, and then stared straight into the boy's barely open eyes, "You know what'll happen if you do."
"How did he know I was looking at him…?!"
Along with his shock at Grimmjow's unexpected perception, Ichigo was slightly appalled. The thought of him thinking he wanted to kiss him again… It was so true the boy turned away to hide the embarrassment shown on his flustered cheeks.
It was then that he saw it.
Grimmjow's sword, leaning against the wall on the other side of the bed. That was it! That was his ticket out of here, he just knew it!
If only he could reach it!
Quickly, he pushed Grimmjow off of him and crawled closer to the other side of the bed. Trying to keep his true intentions hidden, he made it seem as if he was challenging Grimmjow to catch him.
It appeared to work because the Espada looked at him curiously for a second, and then quickly crawled over to him. He gripped the smaller boy by the neck and spoke heavily, "There's nowhere you can run to. Just lay back and take it like you always do."
"Let go of me!" Ichigo shouted, and then started grabbing at the larger man's arms. This all had to seem real, otherwise, who knew what the consequences of him being found out would be…
"… Wanna bathe me sometime? Wait, that wasn't a question… it was an order."
"Wh-what…?!"
Where the hell did that come from? It was so out of place Ichigo couldn't help but feel that it held a bit of humor. This Espada was clearly not a people person, his conversational skills proved that. He grinned, forgetting his plan for a second, until the other opened his mouth again.
"You seem so good at doing useless shit like that. I might as well get the most use out of you as possible." Grimmjow said with a grin, and then moved in a little closer.
"Uh-! F- Fuck you, Grimmjow!" the smaller boy shouted, and then reached out to grab the sheathed sword. Upon obtaining it, he made to draw it. But the immediate expression of pure confusion all over the other's face caused him to halt his actions.
His arms actually trembled a bit from the thought of killing Grimmjow in such a quick and merciless way, which made him release the white sword. It was at that exact moment he realized that he wasn't going to be able to do it. No matter how much Grimmjow hurt him, he realized he probably wouldn't ever be able to kill him. And with that in mind, Ichigo readied himself for his punishment-
*CRASH*
"YO, GRIMMJOW! I got a bone to pick with you! And Tousen has called us for a meeting, so get your ass up!"
Both Ichigo and Grimmjow immediately looked to the doorway where the heavy doors crashed noisily to the ground.
Pantera came inside from the terrace and stared down at the person who had caused the commotion in his master's room.
"Oh! What's this!? In the middle of gettin' your freak on, I see!"
"Yammy, you fucking bastard!" Grimmjow shouted crossly.
"Give the girl to me and I'll show her just how inadequate a man you are!" Yammy said, and then stepped inside the room.
Ichigo was surprised when Grimmjow put his arm around him protectively and pulled him closer. So close in fact, his nose and lips pressed against the other's warm chest. This was so unexpected. And so was what he did in response.
Against his earlier convictions about this Espada, he lifted his hands and gingerly rested them on Grimmjow's back.
The man felt so nice to the touch as he caressed his tan skin. This felt so… so good… being this close to him like this.
But he was no fool, and the feelings he was currently having did not sway him from his objective.
"This is my chance!" he thought, realizing that this distraction was a miracle among miracles.
Inwardly, he apologized for what he was about to do. Then, without hesitation, he kneed Grimmjow square in the groin.
The larger man's blue eyes widened and he doubled over in pain on top of the boy, "Fucking bastaaard…!" he hissed.
Ichigo used all his strength to lift Grimmjow's heavy frame up and saw that he was near blue in the face from the intense pain. With the time he was allowed, Ichigo did something completely irrational and startling. He leaned up and pressed his lips to the man's for a brief goodbye kiss. Then he pushed him off, hopped out of the bed, picked up some clothes, and then made a break for the exit.
He slowed down when he noticed how large the boisterous man who had broken into the room was.
"I can't take this guy without a weapon…!" he thought anxiously.
"A- A MAN?! Grimmjow, you were bedding another man?!" Yammy shouted. He was so shocked he didn't know what to do. So he did nothing.
Ichigo saw his chance and dashed past him through the doorway, and then he ran straight down the dark hallway.
…
In a hall of pillars, Ichigo stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He decided it would probably be best to put on the clothes he had swiped on his way out of Grimmjow's room.
After doing that, he started to step out from behind the pillars, but when he saw a man with orange ties around his neck and shoulder across the hall, he stopped.
Heart racing a mile a second, Ichigo felt like all hope was lost. There were probably more Espada around if they were about to meet like the large one had said.
"I'll never get out of here!" he lamented.
"I- Ichigo?!" a girl's voice whispered uncertainly from a ways behind him.
Said boy turned and stared down the row of pillars that he was on. It was a bit dark, but once he saw that the person who had called him was none other than Nelliel, the gypsy girl, his brown eyes widened.
When she saw that it was indeed Ichigo, she ran over to him and grabbed him in a tight hug.
"Oh I'm so glad you're okay!" she squealed.
"Nelliel! What are you doing here?!" the orange-head asked in a lowered yell.
"I came to find you, duh…!"
"Find… me…?!"
"Mhm!"
"H- how did you know I was here?"
The teal-haired girl smiled and pulled from behind her his prized sword that she had strung over her shoulder.
"Z- Zangetsu!?"
"Oh, that's its name? I suppose that fits… It's a beautiful sword, y'know."
Ichigo was near speechless. With his sword, he could escape for sure!
"You're my saving grace, Nelliel!"
Said girl gave him the sword and sighed exhaustedly, "You have no idea how much work I've been doing for the past six days! So much travelling!"
"Nel… if… if you found my sword… did you… find my friends, too?"
"The obnoxious redheaded guy and the short girl? Yup."
"Oh kami! Thank you!" Ichigo inwardly shouted.
"You seem like you're trying to get out of here… Am I right? Why don't I take you to the exit and I'll tell you all about what happened."
"Y- yeah! Good idea."
It didn't take long for the two of them to reach the palace gates. Ichigo held Zangetsu tight in his hands, allowing himself the pleasure of smiling a smile of relief.
Rukia and Renji… they were okay!
"… But how…? What happened, Nel?"
"Ichigo, did you fight with that Espada?"
"Yes, that's why there was so much destruction around the area where you found my friends and my sword."
"Oh… uhm, that's not really what I meant, but that explains that part."
"Where are Rukia and Renji now?!"
Nelliel grinned confidently, "I took them in the direction your sword showed me. Which was to another kingdom, surprisingly."
"S- Seireitei?!"
"Yeah! That was the name of it! Your sword shot out a barely visible Reiatsu trail which led me there. I took your friends to a girl it pointed me to, and she healed them up. That was about… um, three days ago…?"
"Did my sword lead you back to me?" Ichigo asked. He never knew it was capable of such things.
"It did. But when I got close, it stopped guiding me… That was near the palace, so I knew you must have been in here. I think it stopped because of that unfamiliar Reiatsu laced with yours. It must not fully recognize you."
"Reiatsu laced with mine…? What are you-"
"Hey! I know that Reiatsu, actually! It's the Sexta Espada's!"
"WHAT?! HIS REIATSU IS MIXED WITH MINE?!"
"Yeah… it's… not as unusual as you might think, Ichigo. The fact that you couldn't tell says something important…"
Said boy stared down at his hands in order to try and see if he could make out the difference in Reiatsu, but he couldn't. What was Nelliel on?
"I don't feel anything different…" he said in a voice full of uncertainty.
"Oh kami… That's… Oh Ichigo!" Nelliel shouted, and then hugged him tightly again.
"Nel… I can't… breathe…!"
"Ichigo! It's the primer signo de amor!"
The boy pulled himself free and fell onto his rear end to catch his breath. Once he did, he looked up at the other questionably, "What the hell does that mean?"
"First sign of love, you fool!"
"L- love?! Grimmjow!? Are you out of your mind?! You've been drinking, haven't you!?"
"I'm serious as a heart attack! When two people's Reiatsu mingle and linger on one another, it means their bound by fate to each other. It's not usually considered love, but I think that's what it means if the two cannot detect the mingling, being the optimist I am. If there is a bonding, which I can see that there is, then that only means you were meant to meet more than once and will eventually fall in love! This bonding strengthens during intense physical contact between the two involved, so it's obvious you've fought with, and most likely, did the nasty with the mean ol' Sexta. Love will conquer all, Ichigo!"
After staring at her and seeing that she was firm and serious in this belief of hers, Ichigo erupted in a fit of laughter, "PFFFFFT! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAAA!" He had to hold his sides from the foolishness of that idea. His cheeks grew warm, extremely warm. He felt like he would explode from the pure absurdity he'd just heard.
"It's not funny! Nobody ever listens to gypsies until what has been foretold comes to fruition. You'll see!"
Once he had calmed himself down to a level at which he could speak, Ichigo responded, "You're- heh- a great comedian, but- heheh- I don't really have time for jokes right now, Nelliel. I have to go. Grimmjow won't take long to recover, and he'll probably come after me if I'm still here."
"I'm telling you! Don't doubt me, Ichigo!"
"Nel, I'll drop by here again sometime to visit and joke around with you. But now I have to go back home."
"You're going to regret laughing at me."
"Thanks for all the help." Ichigo smiled and then grabbed the short girl into a warm hug.
"Wait, you're leaving now? As in right now? All alone? This late in the day? There are so many dangers out in the desert! Take me with you, I can help!"
"I'll be fine with Zangetsu at my side. Besides, you've done enough for me already, so stay here and relax for a while. I will definitely see you again, I promise."
"Ichigo...!"
"Take care of yourself, Nel."
With that, Ichigo Flash Stepped out of the palace and headed straight for the exit of Los Noches kingdom. Seeing his friends again was his top priority right now.
"TAKE SOME WATER WITH YOU! AND BE CAREFUL!" Nelliel shouted after him.
With a smile on his face, Ichigo felt like Seireitei was pulling him back to it as the desert winds whipped past him. He was finally going home!
"Wait for me, everyone!" he shouted excitedly.
*Firdas – Earthia's Friday.
