Response to reviews~!
ravensterling123: So close, yet so far~!
Fozygirl: Ok then! I own a plushie of Ichigo! Do you~? XP
Nikki Yosida: I found the source of the ticking! It's a pipe bomb! Yay~!
Chelsea Kynn: Where...have...you...been? Update Longing~! DX
krito1389: Lol yippe~!
lemonlimediddies: Yup! And Frozen Love made me cry by the way...I should smack you! DX I haven't done that in forever~!
SOULREAPERHOLLOWESPADA-AJ XD: Lol Glad you like it so much~!
wolfsrainrules: He already feels like one, leave him alone. DX
Yami-no-Tamashii: ?O.o He's a wolf? I'm still recovering from Hichigo in polka dot pajamas! XD You must explain yourself here. XD
Nikotehfox: Aizen is truly a dick, no?
kitsunelover300: That's a lot of OC's...DX
Angelchan2012: Maybe you can get a deal with Itunes. XD
drmona lord: It ain't that simple here...XD
Okami23Kitsune: Long rant forgiven. ^_^
Tiana Misoro: Ah, now what to do with Gin...XD
Cerulean-Guava: Or hit them with a car...XD
fix23: I know~! People need to add more of HichiIchi~! T_T
LittleXCreature: It'll hurt me, so no. XP
narubby23: Idk if you ever did or not, I forgive and forget rather quickly...especially the forget part. X3
kurosaki9: I know, right? XD
FeelTheBeat: Chillax will ya? *holds you down*
Persistence: I wanna know why not? XD
ishala8: That's how I roll. XD
Lunar Tokala: Well glad ya love it so far~!
Alrighty then...next chappie...I'm gonna be kinda mean to Ichigo I think, so just bear with me, ok? Ok...onward to Chapter 26~!
Chapter 26: Losing hope
Kaien stared at the silver haired man in front of him. "Excuse me?"
"I'm taking you to see the boy." He repeated. Kaien just couldn't believe this. It had to be some kind of joke. There was no way Gin was actually caving in to his demands. "I don't want him here either."
"Then why obey that prick and his fuck buddy?" Kaien risked joking, actually receiving a chuckle from the Immortal.
"Ever heard of unofficial undercover work?" Gin asked.
"Nope. You just made it up."
"You bet your ass." Gin smirked. "But I want to help you anyways."
"Why?"
"Because what they're doing is imoral."
"Fair enough." Kaien shrugged. When the finally stopped in the elevator, Kaien was met with a large hallway filled with rooms. "These rooms..."
"They surpress the powers of Immortals, so communicating with him isn't going to be easy." Gin sighed.
"He's technically a werewolf at the moment. I know how to handle that." Kaien replied confidently. Gin just nodded and walked towards one of the other rooms, unlocking it.
"You have an hour. That's all I can give you." Gin said as he opened the door. Kaien nodded and silently walked in. He instalty heard a growl coming from the back of the room.
Great...he's already pissed...he thought. He turned around to see Ichigo curled up in a corner, his orange fur bristling. His paw was cradled in front of him in a splint and he had a snarl on his face. Man, I'd really hate to be at the receiving end of his teeth... "Look, I know you're not happy to see me here." Ichigo snorted at that, as if to say 'That's an understatement'. "But you need to let me explain myself here." Kaien walkd forward slowly, receving a warning growl from the wolf. "Hey, if I'm going to understand you, you have to let me grab onto your scruff here." Ichigo grumbled and Kaien grabbed his scruff gently.
How is he gonna understand me like that? Ichigo's thoughts read loud and clear through his mind and he grinned.
"That's how. Telepathy." Kaien stated. Ichigo gave him a stunned look and he grinned.
How...you can hear my thoughts?
"Yes, but since this room cuts your powers down, I have to be physically touching you." Kaien explained. "So...will you listen to me?"
Do I have a choice?
"Touche." Kaien sighed. "They had kidnapped Rukia and threatened to kill her." Ichigo's wolf eyes grew large, making him almost look like a well drawn wolf chibi. "When I received a call from Grimmjow about you, I rushed over to help. But back then...Rukia was ok."
So...you were actually trying to help me? Ichigo asked, not sure weather to believe him or not. It wasn't all fake?
"Yes. But before the massacre at the college, I received a call from Aizen, telling me to bring you to his office here in Karakura. I refused at first, but then he said he had Rukia..."
You sure she wasn't at home?
"I called her cell and our house phone, and received no reply. I agreed, but only to try and think of a way out of this mess. But the more I stalled for time...the more I tried to work my way around it...the more I realized I had no choice." Kaien admitted. "Shiro's like a brother to me...but I couldn't think of anything else to do but go along and then try to bust you out."
And now you're trapped here like me. Ichigo snorted. It wasn't a question either.
"Yeah...until there done with you." Kaien whispered. He could feel Ichigo shiver and he sighed. Ichigo was scared, hell, he was too. "Look, I know sorry doesn't cover anything, but I am-"
I forgive you. Kaien turned and stared into Ichigo's huge brown eyes. Shiro would have done the same thing if everyone's positions were switched. He doesn't know why you did it yet, so you'll have to earn his forgiveness. But you have mine.
"Ichigo...why are you so damned willing to forgive me?" Kaien growled. He didn't like the fact he was being pitied, even if it was by Shiro's lover.
This is all my fault. Ichigo's thoughts made Kaien freeze. All because of me, people have been hurt...and killed. I...
"Whoa, slow down. This is not your fault." Ichigo shook his head, his ears narowwed and straight.
It is though, Kaien. He insisted. If I weren't here, then none of this would have-
"If you weren't here, Shiro would never have gotten over his past." Ichigo turned to lock his huge eyes with Kaien's green ones. "Ichigo...I've known him for a long time. He may never had shown it, but his past was still haunting him. The fact he led Tenza to his death, all the people he's harmed...it's haunted him for so long." Kaien smiled, showing his fangs. "Did I ever tell you who turned me?"
Umm...not that I recall. Ichigo answered.
"Shiro Turned me." Ichigo stared at him, trying to see if the black haired vampire was joking. He wasn't. He fiddled with his ponytail as Ichigo continued to stare.
He...he never said...
"It's because he doesn't remember." Kaien explained. "When your turned like he was, you temporarily lose your sense of self, go insane. He ran staright to my place and tried to tell me what happened. I was scared for him, and even more so when he began screaming in pain."
He went frenzy...Ichigo concluded.
"And Turned me by attacking me." Kaien finished. "When he woke up, I had taken him somewhere else. I felt bad, but I was still scared, not for him anymore, but of him. Over time, I learned what had transpired and sought him out." There was a loud knocking on the door.
"We need to go Kaien! Someone's coming!" Kaien nodded and stood up to leave. Ichigo raised himself up as well, so he could keep the contact.
"Ichigo, no matter what, don't lose hope. Fight as best as you can. I'll do my best to get us out of here."
I'll hold you to that Kaien...and thanks.
"For what?"
For explaning everything...and giving me back my hope. He answered. Kaien smiled and ruffled the fur on Ichigo's head before closing the door. The last thing he would hear from Ichigo for a long time was the soft, whimpering howl coming from the room.
Ulquiorra paced back and forth in front of Shiro's closed up room. After they had returned from the train station, Shiro had locked himself up in his room, refusing to talk. He feels so guilty...Ulquiorra thought.
"Sure he does." Ulquiorra turned around to see Renji walking up the stairs, two cups of coffee in his hands. "Sorry, but you said that out loud." Renji handed one cup to Ulquiorra, which he took greatfully. Although the taste was bitter, it matched how he felt and he took another hot sip. "So...any word from him?" Ulquiorra looked at the door and sighed.
"Not a word. He refuses to let me, or anyone for that matter, inside. I'm just praying he isn't pulling a Jocasta or an Oedipus on us here." Ulquiorra whispered. Although it wasn't really funny, Renji laughed anyways.
"Believe me, he'll kill that bastard before he kills himself. And that's only if Ichigo ends up dying." He replied. "If we find him and he's alive-"
"You know how badly Shiro feels about this." Ulquiorra hissed under his breath. "He may just kill himself for putting Ichigo through this!"
"But it isn't his fault!"
"And I tried telling him that." Ulquiorra glanced at the door and sighed. "Alright, I'm tired of this." He closed his eyes and focused on his shadow, sneaking it under the door and unlocking it from the other side.
"Why didn't you do that before?" Renji asked.
"I wanted to let him do it on his own, when he felt ready to come out, but obviously, he wasn't going to." Ulquiorra stated simply. He gave Renji a look that basically said 'leave'.
"Alright, but be careful in there, ok? God knows what kinda mood he's in." Renji warned. Ulquiorra nodded and breathed in and out slowly.
Here I go into the dragon's lair...he thought.
Shiro stared at the map of Karakura Town on the wall, practically trying to burn holes in it. Where the fuck did you take him, you bastard? He cursed in his mind. The room was dark, the only light coming from his now open door.
"Staring at it for hours on end is not going to help." He turned around swiftly and glared at Ulquiorra.
"Fuck off Ulquiorra, I'm busy." He growled, a sound that sent shivers up the albino's spine. He had never heard Shiro this angry before.
"Doing what, staring at a map and wallowing in self guilt?" Ulquiorra replied, receiving a snarl in response.
"I said fuck off. I'll find him if I have to tear this fucking, goddamned town apart!" He all but roared. Ulquiorra was scared, but it was then he noticed something in the raging albino vampire's voice. He was scared...and no doubt for the Mortal. But he was also upset. Ulquiorra sighed and shook his head.
"This isn't your fault, Shiro." He said, getting straight to the point. He was surprised when Shiro collapsed on his bed, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking.
"It is though, Ulquiorra. If I never brought him here...if we never had met-"
"Then he would have been in the claws of the Demons instead." Ulquiorra pointed out. "None of us knew what Kaien was up to, alright?"
"He trusted me, Ulquiorra." Ulquiorra continued to listen. "He trusted me to keep him safe, but I sent him straight to the people that want him dead. I try my best not to think of what they could be doing to him, but I can't help it...he trusted me with his life and I-"
"Will you fucking stop it?" Ulquiorra snapped. Hew had never heard Shiro sound so defeated in his life, and it was driving him nuts. "We have time! They're not going to kill him right away! We can still help him, but you need to get off your ass and help us!" When shiro didn't respond, Ulquiorra ran over and shoved Shiro to try and get his attention. When he got a good look at him, he froze. His nromally shining golden eyes looked dull and lifeless, dark circles making themselves at home underneath them. His hair was sticking out everywhere, as if he had been pulling at it. Ulquiorra felt slightly guilty. He had tried to make the situation better, but he only made it worse. "Shiro..."
"Leave me alone, Ulquiorra. Please..." Ulquiorra didn't respond, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. The vampire was only a shell of his former self, lost in the sea of despair and guilt.
We need to find Ichigo...before Shiro loses himself...he thought. He leaned against the door, the srgument now draining him of his own strength. He fell asleep to the vampire's muffled sobs.
Chapter 26 end
Yeah I know, uber OOC'd, but this is my story and I don't give a shit. XD It was kinda sad, yeah, but this is nothing comapred to Nightstalkers at the moment. I'm debating on sparing all of you what they put Ichigo through or not...it just depends I suppose. ^_^ Well, reviews are welcomed and flames are shunned. XP