Chapter 12: Do I creep you out?

I got back to the warehouse and found that Shinji had managed to crawl out of bed and get dressed. He was currently on the couch irritating Hiyori. As I walked into the kitchen, I heard a crack and the familiar scream of pain. Shinji walked in and I cleaned his bloody nose.

"You only have yourself to blame, so don't bother whining to me," I said.

He pouted. "How was your trip to the store?"

"Kind of weird. There was a creepy guy that kept following me. He knew my name, but I never introduced myself."

Shinji stiffened. "What did he look like?"

"Rather strange. He was about a foot taller than me with silver hair. He smiled the entire time. But the weirdest part was that not once did he open his eyes. When he spoke, he made my skin crawl."

Shinji turned away and stood thinking for a minute. "From now on, you're not to leave the warehouse."

"Why?"

"Because I said so," he said, looking over his shoulder.

I rolled my eyes and looked away. "Since when has that worked? You're not doing me any favors by lying to me."

He turned and grabbed my chin, making me look at him. "I am not playing. That was Ichimaru Gin. He's Aizen's right-hand man. That he knows you means Aizen knows you. If he has an interest then you're not leaving the warehouse."

I sighed, turning my back to him. "Fine, but I don't like it."

"I know, but you'll get over it."

"Not likely."

He slid his hands down my sides and put his lips to my ear. "I know a way to get it off your mind."

I started pulling away. "Forget it. I'm not in the mood."

He pulled me back and bit my neck. I bit back a moan. As we'd discovered, I'd do pretty much anything he said when he went for my neck.

"Cheater," I breathed out.

He smirked against my neck. "What of it?" He started sliding his hand up my skirt. I slapped his hand away.

"We can't do that here!"

"Yes, we can. No one's around. They're all in the basement."

He turned me around and backed me up to the table. He slid my skirt up to my waist, and pulled my panties down and off my legs completely. Then he set me on the table's edge and pushed me onto my back, hoisting my ankles up to his shoulders. He kissed his way down the inside of my right leg. "You have fantastic legs," Shinji whispered at the top of said leg.

I ran my fingers through his hair as his lips memorized my hip. He reached my lower belly and suckled the area below my belly button. My hands fisted his hair as I arched and moaned. He growled against the area and kneaded the backs of my thighs, making me writhe even more. I pulled Shinji's head up and crashed his lips to mine. I scratched my nails down his clothed chest, earning a hard nip to my bottom lip. I reached his pants and made quick work of them, as well as his boxers. I stroked him until he gave a growl and pulled me off the table. He bent me over, kicked my feet apart and shoved himself inside me. I gave a choked gasp and thrust back. He grabbed my hips and held me still as he pounded into me.

With each thrust, that wonderful heat started to build and spread. Just as it was about to burst, Shinji pulled out and turned me around, forcing me onto my back as he re-entered me. He hitched my knees up around his waist and everything else around me disappeared. There was only he and I. The heat of our bodies. His groaning, my screaming. And the look in his eyes as he climaxed. It was something primal and hot. It was MY look. A look he wouldn't give any other female. A look of ownership. No other man would ever touch me like this and he'd make sure of that.

Shinji leaned his forehead against mine. "See, being inside the warehouse won't be so bad."

"We can't have sex 24 hours a day."

"Why not?"

"Well, being de facto leader means you get to do fun things like scheme, strategize, and in general, do everything you can to throw a wrench in Aizen's plans."

He sighed. "Sometimes it sucks to be on top."

"Like you would be anywhere else."

"True enough. The others don't have my magnetic personality, dashing good looks, or amazing leadership skills."

"They also don't have your massive ego." He stuck his tongue out and got off of me.

When we had gotten ourselves into some semblance of decency, Shinji and I trudged up the stairs to bed. We didn't bother to get undressed. It was too much of a hassle. I nuzzled into the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms around me and held me to him. I drifted off to sleep content. I should've known the feeling wouldn't last.

I dreamt I was in the middle of a white hall. There were large doors lining it. I could hear "Lilium" playing from one of the rooms. It was my favorite tune, so I followed. I came to the door, which was cracked slightly. I opened it a little more and stuck my head inside. There, sitting on a chair, was the man I had seen in the store. Ichimaru Gin. He was reclining, listening to a record player.

"You can come in, Reiko-chan. I'm not going to bite. Have a seat."

I entered to room and took a seat across from him.

"I wouldn't try to read my mind if I were you."

"Trust me, I won't. Something tells me I don't want to know your thoughts."

His smile widened a fraction. "No. You probably don't."

"What do you want with me, Ichimaru-san?"

"What does any man want with a beautiful girl?"

"I belong to someone else."

"Not for long. The war's coming."

"You won't beat him."

"Maybe not, but Aizen will. Then, you'll be a war bride."

"To Aizen maybe. You know what they say, to the victor go the spoils."

"Aizen doesn't have such… needs. I, on the other hand, do."

"Why me? Why not fill your needs, such as they are, with someone stronger? An arrancar, perhaps?"

He opened his eyes. They were the palest blue. If I hadn't been nervous before, I was now. He cocked his head to the side, smile never slipping.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

I felt a pin-prick and looked over. There was an arrancar male. He had shoulder length pink hair and scared me more than Ichimaru did. He drew some of my blood, then extracted the needle.

"I've collected the sample, Ichimaru-sama."

"Thank you, Szayel. Be sure to get me her work up as soon as possible."

I turned and found Ichimaru standing in front of me. I pressed myself as far back into the chair as I could. He followed, unsmiling. He pressed a kiss to my forehead.

"I'll see you soon, my pet," he whispered.

I sat up sweating and breathing hard. Shinji sat up next to me, rubbing my back trying to calm me down.

"What's wrong? You're crying."

"War bride," I whispered.

"What?"

"Ichimaru wants me as a war bride. I don't know why, though. He wouldn't tell me."

Shinji coaxed me to lie back down and kissed the top of my head.

"Don't worry. He won't touch you."

"He already did. He kissed my forehead and said he'd see me soon. He called me his pet."

I looked up at Shinji. He was looking over my head, out the window. He had a very dark look on his face. I cupped his jaw and ran my thumb over his cheek. He looked at me and his face softened. He leaned into my hand.

"Go to sleep, my love. I'll keep the fox at bay."

I snuggled into him and closed my eyes. And for that moment, I believed him. For that moment, I let myself believe that it was going to be that simple. But I knew, deep down, that it wasn't that simple. Nothing ever was.