Chapter 10 --------

'Hitsugaya? Hitsugaya-san?'

Toshiro scrunches his eyes up, resisting the temptation to open them to see the owner of that familiar voice. He just isn't in the mood to see anyone right now.

'Toshiro?'

A hand gently turns him from his side so he faced upwards. Feeling guilty for ignoring her, he turns his head to face her and gives her a half smile.

'Hi, Kneeka,' he croaks.

She gives him a sympathetic look and looks at him critically. Despite having slept for so long, his face exudes exhaustion. His eyes are puffy and tinged red from crying while a hickey is visible on his collarbone and still quite fresh. Other than being covered in sweat, semen and blood, he seems to be in good condition.

Kneeka, on the other hand, has bruises and half-healed wounds tattooed all over her body. As Toshiro sweeps an eye over her, he reaches out a shaky hand to touch her face.

'You're hurt,' he begins to say when a sudden tingling of his jaw sends him retching over the side of the bed, narrowly missing Kneeka. Before he knows it, he's throwing up the rest of his stomach into a basin which Kneeka has produced out of nowhere.

'Looks like I'm gonna have to clean you up,' Kneeka comments with a wicked grin. Toshiro just groans.

'Hey, Toshiro?'

She carefully streams water down his back and he closes his eyes, quite relaxed and not like when Gin did it. The memory causes goose bumps to rise up on his arms and legs. He rubs them to ease the fear and panic surfacing within him.

'What is it, Kneeka?'

'Why'd you save me?'

A pause. 'It's what I do.'

'If I remember correctly, you gave me the impression that you don't like us Arrancars. Come on out now. You need to dry yourself.'

'I don't detest all Arrancars,' he says slowly as he dries his hair and then looks into a mirror to finger-comb his hair. He feels her push his hand aside and begins raking his hair with a wide-toothed comb. He lets her. 'Just…some.'

She hesitates for a millisecond before continuing to brush his damp mane. 'Meaning?'

'The other Arrancars are pawns of Aizen's. It's not their fault they have to obey him. Like yourself. It's why I wanted to save you. You defied him to save me. I couldn't just let you suffer because of me.'

He smiles in the mirror. She tries to force a smile too. She wants to be grateful for how much he cares for her. Like him, she has never met anyone who would care to save her. But something was nagging her at the back of her mind…

'So when you mean some that you don't like, do you mean the…'

'Espada? Isn't it obvious, Kneeka?' His smile disappears and turns into a scowl. 'They're worse than Aizen. They give in to their instincts. They aren't afraid to defy him and strive for what they want. And they can't be more dangerous. If it weren't for you, I'd be…'

He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. Kneeka makes to pat his head but then pulls her hand away.

'Come. You gotta have something to eat, Toshiro,' she says, eager to change the subject.

'I can't leave the room, Kneeka.'

'No worries! I brought it hear just in case you'd be too tired to walk.'

Toshiro gratefully accepts the bowl of vegetable chow mien and digs in.

'I have another question,' Kneeka says carefully. 'How did you convince Ichimaru-sama to come and save me?'

Toshiro almost chokes on his meal and contemplates on whether he should tell her or not. Vivid images of the intercourse flash across his mind and he swallows back a wave of nausea. Did he actually enjoy it? He can't remember. All he can recall is the pain and disgust he felt about the entire act. About himself going through with it. He actually feels like a whore, selling himself like that to Gin. He looks at Kneeka's earnest face. How can he have the guts to tell her that he promised to have sex with Gin whenever he asked just so that she can live?

He clears his throat and resumes eating like nothing had perturbed him.

'That's between me and Ichimaru,' he says casually as he finishes his meal and reaches for a glass of water. 'I basically agreed to help them in infiltrating Soul Society.'

'I don't remember Ichimaru-sama mentioning that in their conversation at the throne room,' she says, perplexed. 'But then again, I was too out of it to even hear half the things they were discussing back then. But, Toshiro, you wouldn't sell out Soul Society just because of me?!'

'Soul Society isn't a walk in the park,' he says with a hint of pride. 'It's always prepared for surprise attacks, especially after Aizen's betrayal. Security has gotten heavier. So they're in for a surprise when they even think of attacking the Seireitiei.'

Kneeka whistles.

'You still gonna try and escape this place?'

'Naturally.'

'Can I…can I come with you?'

Toshiro pauses in taking a sip from his glass. He fixes her with a sardonic smile and chuckles.

'Sure, Kneeka. Whatever you say.'

She grins widely and continues to do so as he lies leans against a wall, hands jammed in his jean pockets. He looks in her direction and scowls.

'Will you stop smiling?!'

'Ya know, this is the first time you're calling me 'Kneeka' since we met,' she smirks. 'It's kinda funny since you didn't want to create friendship bonds and yet here we are, ya know what I'm saying?'

'Yes….well….um…..shut up!'

She laughs wickedly. Well, at least she knows he's still the same Toshiro. Time passes as they chat about their life before they met. Toshiro didn't want to admit it, but he was enjoying the company of this spunky Arrancar. Just when things were looking up for him, the air tenses as the sound of the door opening diffuses into the room. As the door slams, the duo look up and feel an identical chill stop them in their tracks as Gin grins at them haughtily.

'Having fun catching up, hm?' he asks pleasantly as he approaches Toshiro, who Kneeka notices is quivering in his pants. 'Kneeka, you may leave. It is late and I want to sleep peacefully with my pet.'

Kneeka hesitates before bowing and retreating to the door. She smiles reassuringly to Toshiro before departing, leaving him all alone with the monster.

Gin opens his eyes, which seem to be glittering with malice. Toshiro presses himself against the wall. If there is such a thing as a devil, he's standing right in front of him.