Response to reviews!
WhiteW12-0: Yes, there is…XD
LinkWarriorinGreen: You are forgiven. XD I'm insane cause I know his birthday too!
BonneNuit: Aww, it plays a big part later though! Please keep reading it! DX
BN998: I'm glad you liked it!
Raicheru: Same here! XD Glad you like it.
HannahGee13: Wow, that it's the first 'original' story I've done, according to most people! XD
Adree and Alfredo: No, I don't plan on there being any, but if there are, I will warn ya. XD
Narlth: Well, you need to wait and see, right? XD
SinfulNekoRose: It's ok, my stories have a tendency to get overlooked. XD You aren't alone.
Aya-ItaLover: I have no clue…why the hell am I still writing this? XD
Animelover1993: Believe me, I hate myself for this….somewhat. XD Also, your pic is awesome, for it's His Smexyness~! (my own nickname for Hollow Ichigo. XD)
AvGirl10: As always, lightning up my mood! XD Especially since this fic is uber depressing…
Ok, we're getting dark and scary again. Well, here's Chapter 10! Let's begin from where I left off, neh? Also, may get really gory and bloody, so no eating here, ok?
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Chapter 10: A reason to fear the dark…
Shiro's POV
13 days ago…
Ichigo was still getting sick when a shadow suddenly loomed over the two of us. I looked up just to be lifted up by my arm and tossed out of the bathroom. My head hit the side of the bed painfully and the bathroom door was shut. "Ichigo!" I screamed and tried moving back towards the door, but firm hands on my shoulder forced me to stop. I looked up to see Dion holding onto me, shaking his head.
"Don't be reckless. You'll juts make things worse, for you and him." He said calmly. I glared at him and he flinched a little. A sudden painful scream came from the bathroom and I, shamefully I'll add, gripped onto Dion's pants.
"Wh…what's he doing in there?" I whispered. He looked at me for a second before turning away.
"You honestly don't want to know." He said. There was another scream, followed by a shout.
"Tell me!" I flinched at the venom in Grimmjow's voice. There was a small, hissing whisper before Ichigo screamed again.
Ichigo! Are you… Before I could finish asking him with my mind, the door was flung open, Ichigo dumped onto the floor. There were bruises all over him, but most of them were on his hips and legs. God not again…
D-don't react Shiro…his voice sounded weak in my mind, but otherwise he was ok. His eyes locked with mine briefly and I saw the defiance still there. He wants a reaction…from you this time…
" Master Grimmjow, is this really necessary? You already know what the D-"
"Of course I know!" he snapped at Dion. "Are you questioning me, Novia?" his voice suddenly got dangerous and Dion backed up slightly.
"N-no master, forgive me." He said quickly. Grimmjow nodded and stared at me. It felt like his teal eyes were trying to pierce my soul, trying to see how I felt about this situation.
"Tsk, you really are heatless, ain't cha?" he snickered at me. I didn't get what he meant. "He's laying there bleeding on the floor and you aren't even looking at him. You'll be a handful." I realized that he was talking about Ichigo. I felt my heart clench painfully.
"Fuck you…" I hissed. It hurt, not being able to help him, but I had to keep up this cover. "I don't give a shit about him."
You're beginning to scare me here…Ichigo's voice rang in my head. His voice actually did sound scared and it made me feel bad.
"Tsk." Grimmjow suddenly planted a kick square in Ichigo's chest, sending him across the room. He coughed violently, blood coming from his mouth. I did my best not to cry out.
Ichigo! He suddenly grabbed Ichigo by his hair and dragged him towards the doorway.
"Novia, stay here. You know what you're supposed to do." He snarled. The last thing I see of Ichigo is his frightened eyes as he was dragged out of the room, the door closing with a frightening clang.
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Normal POV
Grimmjow grinned as Ichigo struggled in his grip. He pulled the teen forward by his hair again, causing him to cry out. "Stop your fucking squirming. It's turning me on here…" Ichigo's eyes widened in shock and he smirked. "Good boy…"
"Fuck you to hell…" he hissed. Grimmjow threw him across the hall and into a wall. Ichigo screamed as he collided with the solid rock wall. He was lifted up by his neck painfully. "Ngh…" Grimmjow's hand was tight on his throat. He clawed at it weakly, trying to get the Espada to let go.
"You're a pain in the ass. Good thing this is the last time I have ta deal with ya." He snickered. Ichigo continued to claw at his hand, but his vision was quickly fading, his mind slipping away…
"Ngh…ghh…" he struggled to speak, but nothing came. Grimmjow watched as Ichigo's eyes slid shut, passing out.
"Weak…just plain weak…" he chuckled. He threw Ichigo over his shoulder and continued his trek down the hall.
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He stopped in front of a pitch black door, grinning despite the shiver going through his body. Oh, this is gonna be sweet…he thought. He opened it quickly and tossed the unconscious teen inside it, shutting the door just as quickly. Let's see how he handles this…he thought, laughing as he walked away. No one ever can handle it well…
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Ichigo's POV
When I finally opened my eyes, all I saw was…nothing. I couldn't see a damn thing. Where…where am I? I wondered. It smelled nasty in the room, but that was the last thing on my mind. I struggled to my knees. I placed my hand slowly on my face. It was so damn dark; I couldn't even see it when it touched my nose! As I scrambled around, my hand touched something sticky. I heard something shift next to me. "Is there someone in here?" I asked quietly. I felt something land on my shoulder. It felt like a hand so I grabbed it, but it went limp in my grasp, as if it fell off of something. I reached out, only to have my other hand connect with something squishy and wet. I felt around it…and instantly recognized the shape.
It was a skull…I was in a room with a decaying body… I quickly backed up, my back against a wall. What…what is this room?
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Dion's POV
"Hey, hollow." I had been trying to get his hollow's attention for a few minutes now, but it was proving difficult. He was in deep thought, and the look on his face told me he wasn't afraid of trying to chock me to death. "Hey, hollow!"
"Quit fucking calling me that!" he snarled violently. He glared at me, his eyes burning dangerously. "I have a name!"
"Yeah, and as I told Ichigo, I don't want to know it." I replied, trying to keep my voice calm. His golden eyes still burned violently, but they now shimmered briefly with worry when I mentioned the Soul Reaper's name. He stared at me a moment longer before turning to face the wall.
"Well, think of something else than." He grumbled. I sat there and looked at him. He let out a sad sigh and continued staring out the window.
"You're not doing a very good job of hiding how you feel right now." I told him. He chuckled lightly, but didn't look at me.
"I'm only concerned. If he dies, I do too. We are still connected after all." He told me.
"Don't worry about that one. They don't plan on killing him..." I left the 'yet' off, but I know he noticed it.
"Don't lie to me, arrancar." He said. "I can tell what's going to happen, and it will sooner or later."
"I have a name too, you know." He laughed at me and I felt a little anger rise in my chest. He was mocking me, I knew he was. But…he had every right. I was still holding him against his will, even if all I was doing was recording what I learned. He clicked his tongue.
"Tsk. Call me one and I'll call ya by yours." He challenged. I sighed and tried to think of one. Finally, one came to mind.
"Hichigo." He gave me an odd look.
"What the fuck kind of name is that?" he asked. I smiled at him.
"You're a hollow, yet you look like Ichigo. But Hollow Ichigo is too long, so I shortened it." He snorted at me and rolled his eyes.
"Procrastinator." He said, but flashed me a smile. "Guess I'll get used to it…Dion." I smiled on the inside.
The first step to gaining trust…all you need to do is talk…I thought. He gave me an uneasy look.
"So, where'd they take him?" he asked me. "Ichigo, I mean." I could now hear the worry in his tone.
I guess he realized that it's pointless to hide it now… I told myself. "The Kurai Heya." He gave me a confused look.
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Shiro's POV
"Kurai Heya?" I asked. The way he made it sound, it sent a chill down my spine. He shivered when I asked.
"It's a…punishment for disobedience." He said quietly. "It's…also used for torture. No matter who, or what, the victim is." He locked his dark green eyes with my golden ones. They had a wave a fear in them. He was obviously not ashamed of showing it.
"Is it really…that bad?"
"Are you kidding? Even the Espada fear that room. Hell, the guy that made it torture fears it…" he shivered. "I went in there once…not as punishment, but to clean up…what happened a month before." He had a disgusted look on his face.
"Do I want to know?" I asked him. He shook his head, then sighed.
"You'll want to know…what's going to happen to Ichigo." He said. I really did want to know, but I couldn't let him know what Ichigo was to me…no matter what. But he already knew I was concerned, but my concern to him was just natural. We were still connected, and if he died, so did I.
"Not so much." I shrugged. "But tell me anyways."
"He's…in about an hour, after being thrown into the Kurai Heya, a special gas is sent into the room. It-" There was a loud, ear shattering scream from somewhere in the palace. I knew exactly who it was.
"Ichigo!"
"…it makes you hallucinate…really bad things…" he finished.
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Ichigo's POV
I have no clue how long I've sat in this pitch black room. I know it's a big room, but that's all. Oh wait, I forgot about the dead body in here too. But…there was someone else in here. I could sense their presence, but nothing else. That's when I heard a small, quiet voice.
"I…Ichigo?" I recognized that voice, but I didn't believe it.
"Yuzu?" I asked quietly. No, there was no way in hell she was here. I was hearing things, I had to be.
"Ichigo…" she repeated my name again. I slowly got to my feet and tried to find a wall. I held my hands out in front of me, and they touched something. It moved slightly when I touched it. When I felt my hand brush it again, I grabbed it. It was sticky and warm. "Look up, Ichigo…" she whispered. I couldn't stop myself and I looked up. Right away, I felt the urge to get sick. I saw Yuzu hanging above me…with her arms and one leg completely torn off. I was holding on to her other leg, but it was covered in deep scars and bleeding heavily. Her cold, empty dead eyes were staring straight into mine. I let go instantly.
"No…this isn't happening…" I said. "This isn't real…"
"But it is…Ichigo…" I tripped on something as I was backing away and fell into a huge puddle of blood. When I got up, I could feel my eyes widen to the size of plates. Karin was at my feet, a huge, gaping hole in her chest, all of the organs scattered around. "We're trapped…in here with you…" I shook my head violently.
"No, you're not!" I said, crawling backwards. "You're at home! You…you can't be here!" They suddenly began crawling towards me, their eyes dead and emotionless.
"We are…we are here Ichigo…" they whispered to me. I continued backing away, too scared to get up. They began to cling to my legs. I could feel them…their hands cold and sticky. They slowly crawled up my body, trying to get at my face. "We are here…because you failed…to protect us…" the said. I pushed them off and darted to another end of the room.
"No! You…you aren't real!" I screamed. They continued to crawl after me…their eyes the color of dead flesh, but filled with pain. I turned around…only to be met with a dead, golden eye. I felt my entire body shake violently. "N…no…this isn't…" His chest had a huge hole blown through it, his spine showing from within, blood still dripping from the hole, making loud, plopping noises that echoed through the whole room. Half of his face was covered in blood, one eye was missing. His hand had some fingers missing, but the nails were long, almost talon like. His other arm was missing, blood dripping from the wound. Hid throat was slashed, making every word he said sound guttural.
"It is…" Shiro's corpse whispered, a pale hand reaching for me. He took what was left of his hand and dragged his nails down my skin. I yelled as I could feel them dig into my skin, trailing down and tearing me up. I fell to my knees, shaking my head.
"No…no it isn't…" I tried to keep telling myself that, but it…it all felt real. So real… "You…you can't be…"
"You failed…you failed Ichigo…" he whispered in my ear. "We are here…because you failed…" He latched onto me, and the corpses of my sisters came and crawled onto my back. I couldn't move…all I could do was close my eyes and pray that none of this was real. They began digging their nails into my skin, tearing me apart. I tried struggling, but I couldn't move…I was horrified. My sisters then grabbed my legs, and began clawing them up. Shiro lifted my head, a creepy, haunting smile on his face. "We'll…make you pay…for failing Ichigo…" he whispered. My sisters then grabbed my arms, holding them behind me and forcing me to sit up. Shiro then took his hand and shoved it violently into my chest, trying to reach for something inside me. It all felt so real, I could feel his cold, dead hand inside me, moving everything around. He then pulled hard, and I screamed. In his hand…was my heart.
XxxxxX
Normal POV
Shiro flinched as another scream pierced the halls. Even Dion flinched at the noise. "He must be hallucinating now…"
"Hallucinating what?" Shiro asked.
"Something he fears most. The gas searches your brain, finds out what you fear most, and…amplifies it big time." Dion explained. "God know what he's doing to himself." Shiro gave him a shocked look.
"What…what do you mean?"
"Well, if he's being injured, he's most likely doing it to himself. But he's hallucinating, so he doesn't know it. Arrancars have actually killed themselves because of that room. The room itself is all black, no light and all painted black. So when the hallucinations start, it's almost immediately accepted as real…it's the first, and most of the time, last thing they see." Shiro shivered as another ear shattering scream from Ichigo split the halls.
"Ichigo…please be ok…" he whispered so that Dion couldn't hear him. Suddenly, the door crashed open, revealing Grimmjow with a wicked grin on his face.
"Dion, go clean up the Kurai Heya. He's done now. Bring him back when you're done too, got it?" he said. Dion nodded and began to leave. "Oh, one more thing. There's a…recent resident in there you need to clean up too." Shiro felt his stomach clench at those words.
"Yes Master Grimmjow." He said as he left the room. Grimmjow turned towards Shiro and his grin widened.
"Oh, he left quite the sticky mess in there…" he said. He laughed and slammed the door. Shiro sat there, stunned and shivering.
Wha…what happened in that room? He wondered, although fearing the ideas that popped up in his head.
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Dion's POV
The first thing I noticed was the smell. It smelled like blood and rotting flesh in that room. "You may want to hold your nose in there~!" Grimmjow called from where he stood further down the hall. "And clean up, first. I want him to 'stew' in there for awhile." I nodded and walked in…only to instantly feel sick. There was a month dead arrancar in there, flies buzzing around him and his eyes slowly melting out of their sockets. But…that's not what really made me sick…it was Ichigo.
Oh god… He was lying in a huge puddle of blood, his eyes distant and blank, staring at the door. His entire body was covered in scratches, some deeper than others. He had a huge gash in his chest, like he had tried digging into himself. His body was twitching violently, shivering due to blood loss. He had a cut right above his left eye, it was already beginning to swell and fester, flies landing on it. No way in hell…it's like he was trying to claw his eyes out…
"Well? Hurry the hell up, Novia!" Grimmjow snapped from outside the room. I grabbed a mop and began cleaning up the putrid mess. There was one thing I knew as I cleaned the Kurai Heya; this was already going too far…
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Chapter 10 end
Eww~! Nasty stuff, and a cliffy! XD Well, review here! Also, Kurai Heya means Dark Room...sounds cool in japanese, but not in english...XD