Hello everyone! Happy New Year!

I know it's been over six months since I last updated, but I still haven't forgotten this fic! I won't lie, it took me a long time to start writing this chapter because I had no idea how to even begin but the amazing plumegrise on AO3 (hi Elie!) created some AMAZING art for this fic that left me completely speechless with how pretty it was and inspired me to sit down and finally write this! :)

You all should check her work on tumblr! It's beautiful! You can find her under the username butterflyinrags !

So thank you so much Elie for your beautiful art! And thanks everyone who're still being so patient with my slow and irregular updates! I know it's been a long ride but I still smile every time I read your reviews! :D

Kisses,

RedVoid


Bleach's physical recovery was happening at a steady pace. Warm, well-fed, and with Namid's healing Nen sweeping into her flesh and bones every step of the way, the thief was making strides in recovering her body's physical skills. It was a matter of days before she was back on her feet, joining Amane and Ginza in almost daily training sessions, and resuming her weekly stealth-practice with Kalluto. By the end of the week most of her wounds had healed, however some things remained to remind her of Gemia and Secir.

Just like Namid had warned her, the words carved in her back didn't disappear completely, turning into fine lines of too-pale skin that spelled out her greatest insecurities. For now, she was dealing with them like she dealt with all her other scars: by not looking at herself too long in the mirror and religiously avoiding crop-tops, tank-tops or any sort of shirt that revealed an ounce of skin from her back. However, as soon as she had her phone in her hands again, Bleach created a PinPinPin account and began saving lots of full-back tattoo ideas in a folder for later. She enjoyed going through her selections. It reminded her there was a way out of the self-deprecation that came whenever she glimpsed the offenses marred into her skin when she got out of the shower.

However, there was another injury that would stay with her for the rest of her life, and unfortunately there was no way to cover it up and pretend it wasn't there, because it was in everything she saw. Or, more specifically, in what she did not see. Her left eye had grown back thanks to Namid's outstanding powers, but it never recovered its function, nor its colour. Instead of showing the combination of seven colours Bleach had grown used to seeing in the mirror every morning, her left iris was now milky-white, barely discernible from her sclera.

Despite all the pain and anxiety her eyes had caused her during her lifetime, Bleach cried terribly whenever she saw the discoloured orb staring back at her in the mirror and quickly developed the habit of wrapping a thin layer of bandages around her skull to cover the defective organ from others' sight.

In the beginning, Illumi remained silent about the whole thing. The first few times he tried to play the part of the outwardly supportive boyfriend had backfired in his face and ended up with Bleach crying even harder than she was before. So, as he usually did when it came to the thief, he took a step back and gave her space. Instead of directly trying to comfort her, Illumi would silently pull her away from mirrors whenever he noticed her eyes tearing up. Instead of saying he didn't mind her scars - he never had before, why would he now? - he'd whisper in her ear how lovely she was. And instead of saying she didn't need to wear bandages around her eye, he brought her a box of familiar brown contact lenses.

Those strategies seemed to work wonders for both of them. A couple of weeks had passed by since Bleach began living with the Zoldycks, sharing Illumi's bed every night, and, despite not having sex since she came back, Illumi had never felt more intimate with a person than he did with her. It came to a point where both agreed to assume the relationship for what it really was; not a casual thing, not a physical thing, but the whole damn thing. It sounded silly in their ears, but there was no way around it: they were dating.

Illumi found he rather enjoyed the concept of dating. While manipulation came naturally to him and he took great pleasure in it, there was something to be said about the easy satisfaction that came from being able to relax in front of someone and lower your guards, even if just partially. He wondered if that was what his parents shared with one another, if that was what kept his mother sane for all these years despite the innumerous machinations and schemes she played around the globe.

However, there was one thing he didn't quite like in his newfound "healthy relationship", and it was the idea of giving Bleach freedom to move around without his eyes on her. The assassin found he despised whenever the thief took time for herself, wandering around the Zoldyck compound without bringing him or one of his butlers with her, or going to her apartment in Padokea for a day or two so she could be alone for a while.

But he had promised he'd give her space and stop keeping tabs on her for the sake of manipulation and games. And he'd follow his promise.

At least for a little while.


It was close to dusk when Bleach found herself alone on the top of her apartment building, sitting on the floor with her right, multi-coloured eye fixed on the blood-stained coat thrown in front of her. It was Gemia's coat, the one he had used to cover her bruised body once they had run from Secir, the one stained with her blood and his.

"You're sure about this?" Namid asked inside her head. "You can take your time. No one would resent you."

"No," Bleach said, shaking her head. "It'll only get harder with time. Iadbo?"

The shadows around Bleach drew together, mixing and matching in a dark whirlwind that slowly breached the floor's flat surface and grew until they moulded into the Guardian's tall shape. With a wry grin, the thief looked over her shoulder to him. "I'd like to start with you, to ask if you're absolutely sure you want to stick here in this dimension, with me."

"Are you trying to get rid of me so soon?" Iadbo asked, floating around her until they were face to face and she had to crane her neck to look into his eyes. "I thought you loved me."

Bleach's smile softened into something real. "I guess I do… which is why I need to be sure. I don't want to trap you. Not again."

The Guardian's deep purple eyes focused on her as a corner of his lips pulled up, showing a sharp canine. "I think you got it the other way around. You are trapped with me, my own. And I'm afraid there's no way out for you."

Bleach let out a little sound that was a half nervous and half relieved. "Well then," she began, summoning all of her weapons in front of her. They dropped on top of the stained coat with a dry thump. "Let's get started."

"Would you like me to remain here, in case they decide to try anything?" Iadbo asked, to which Bleach shook her head.

"They won't hurt me, Iadbo. Also, I think it would be better to do this one-on-one."

Iadbo nodded, already morphing out of her dimension. "If you need me-"

"I know," Bleach said with a smile. "Thank you."

Bleach thought better to start with the Guardian who disliked her the most, so she pulled Eglo's bow from the pile of weapons before raising her free hand to her mouth, so she could bite into her thumb and draw a few drops of blood, which she smeared gently over the bow's cool wood. With a deep breath, Bleach settled the weapon back on the floor, apart from the others, and draped the dirty coat over it. Then she closed her eyes and called forth her Nen, basking in the warmth that spread throughout her body and to her hands, where they pooled and dripped over the fabric and the weapon it concealed.

Bleach's Aura seeped into the wood and mixed with Eglo's before bubbling up in the air, moulding and folding onto itself, until Eglo's tall and slim figure was standing before her, wide-eyed and tense.

"Told you I'd get you out, didn't I?" Bleach said with a smirk. "Eglo, I release you from your oath to me and my family. You are free to go."

Eglo stared at her, then she looked down at herself, icy hands floating over the skin of her arms, neck and face. Bleach watched the Guardian explore her own flesh with sympathy, for she could understand what it was like being unable to fully possess your own body.

"I never thought I'd live to see the day a Castere would willingly let go of power," Eglo whispered in a trembling voice as she raised her ice-blue eyes to Bleach. "Is this for real? Are you truly setting me free?"

Bleach nodded, feeling something in her Nen come undone as the contract that bounded Eglo was no more.

The Guardian rewarded her with a smile so bright it looked like a field of fresh snow reflecting warm sunlight. Without another word, Eglo disappeared in a puff of Nen and snowflakes, leaving Bleach with a strange sensation of emptiness in her heart and a burning in her eyes.

"Didn't expect it to feel this… sad," Bleach whispered to herself as she rubbed unshed tears from her right eye. "It's weird, missing something I never had."

With a sad sigh, she looked West, taking a moment to bask in the beautiful sunset before her. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes again, the one rainbow iris in her right eye was missing its blue tint.

"Well, let's keep going."


Bleach was ready to let all of her Guardians go free, even if it cost her heart a piece every time one of them disappeared in front of her eyes. It pained her to admit, but she had grown attached to her Guardians, even the ones that didn't care for her much. Letting them go would put tears in her eyes - or, well, eye - but she vowed to do so, and her words still held value.

So she released them one at a time, knowing she'd be all the more alone for it. Still, she took solace in knowing that when all was said and done, Iadbo and Namid would stay by her side, always.

After Eglo left, Foog was next. Then came Runvle, Iaro and, last but not least, Trera; every goodbye bringing its own particular blend of sorrow and longing. Foog left her with burning hot hugs and promises that they would see each other again, and despite his booming voice, his words sounded as immaterial as his fire's smoke. Runvle rubbed his cheek against hers, before tucking his head under her chin as he let out sad little noises that reminded her of a kitten. Iaro, so full of electricity, had no comforting touches for her, but his softly spoken farewell still felt like a punch in her heart.

Then Trera… Trera didn't leave.


"Are you sure?" Bleach asked, fearful of letting herself hope too much. "You've been trapped inside those bracelets for so long."

"And now I'm not," Trera spoke, letting his heavy, gigantic body fall in a sitting position by her side as his green eyes lazily fell on the beautiful sunset. "Thanks to you I'm here, feeling the sun's warmth and soft breeze on my body, side by side with my master and friend. I know who to blame for my imprisonment, and I know you're nothing like them. I trust you, Bleach."

The woman smiled as a couple of tears escaped. Nen bounds ran deeper than anything she had ever known, so the pact with her Guardians made the couple of years she had spent with them feel like lifelong marriages. And she was so thrilled she wouldn't need to say another last goodbye.

"Thank you, Trera," she said, standing on her tip-toes so she could wrap her arms around her guardian's thick neck.

Trera chuckled, gently laying a wide hand on Bleach's back. "No need for that now. I'm not doing this as a favour. It's my choice."

Bleach nodded, tightening her grip even though her arms' wingspan didn't reach more than half of his neck's circumference. When she pulled back and smiled up at him, her visible eye had three colours in it: indigo, purple and green; and the first two were so similar in tone it made her eye look like it had only two colours.

She was fine with that.


After Trera, there was only one Guardian left to free, someone Bleach had been wanting to meet face-to-face ever since she first heard her voice during the Hunter Exams.

"Hello, dumbass."

Bleach didn't even try to hold herself back. As soon as Namid materialised in front of her, she launched herself against the Guardian, arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders as she hid her little sobs against her neck.

"Those brats were right," Namid said, small hands settling awkwardly on Bleach's lower back. "You're such a softy."

Bleach laughed. "I'm a fucking badass."

"Keep telling yourself that."


Illumi knew Bleach had returned from her little solo retreat because he felt her presence; because she let him feel her presence, she wanted him to, and he didn't know if it was a good thing or not. There was something weird in her Aura, as if it was lacking something.

"Bleach?" Illumi called as he marched deeper into his quarters and noticed nervousness taint her Nen like an ink stain. As he rounded the corner into his bathroom, he found the thief in there, back to him as she readied a bath. "What happened?"

Bleach didn't turn to face him as she answered: "I had my tattoo done."

Illumi opened his mouth, but the words got stuck in his throat when Bleach peeled her shirt from her body, pulling the fabric up gently to reveal her back to him. The scars Illumi had traced and kissed so many times before were invisible, hidden by a burst of colourful flowers that bloomed on her left shoulder and spread like a thick bouquet to the rest of her back. Daffodils, sunflowers, hyacinths and other types of flowers Illumi couldn't name occupied the expanse of Bleach's back, all wrapped in a protective layer of plastic film.

"It took three days to finish this. The skin is still tender," Bleach said.

Illumi stepped towards her, reaching up to gently peel off the plastic film. The skin was still red and inflamed, but only barely, with no signs of infection.

"I like it," Illumi said, fisting the plastic in a ball to throw it away before returning his attention to the expanse of skin revealed to him. Gentle, with a feather-soft touch, he ran his fingers over Bleach's back, reverent to the skin he had spent so long without touching. "It's lovely, just like you."

Illumi could spot a pretty shade of red bloom on Bleach's cheeks from over her shoulder and smiled. That was his impetus, and in response he lowered his face to the crook of her neck, planting a languid kiss as he took a deep breath, lungs eager for the scent that was so undoubtedly hers. He felt Bleach shudder at his action as a trembling sigh left her lips and dared to go further, hands lowering to her hips to pull her backside against his crotch so she could feel exactly what a sliver from her affections did to him.

"Illumi… Don't do that," she whined, but melted right into him, pressing further against his hard-on as her head fell to his shoulder, eyes closed in pleasure. "There is something else I need to show you."

"Yeah?" He teased, eyes falling on her exposed chest. He couldn't help reaching up to mould his hands around her breast, enjoying the feel of their soft weight against his palm as his fingers teased her already hard nipples.

"I'm… serious," Bleach tried, letting a moan escape her lips. "Please, give me… a-a moment."

Illumi sighed, burying his face in her neck as he willed his hands to drop back to her hips, where they remained limp and passive, waiting for Bleach to say her piece.

"I'm not sure you'll be… happy about it," she began, slightly out of breath as she twirled around in the cage of his arms so her face hid in his chest. "But there's no really hiding it, so…"

At that, Illumi pulled back slightly, just enough to look down into her eyes. His face didn't as much as twitch at what he saw, but he knew Bleach could see the gears turning in his head in the way his eyes seemed to swirl with darkness.

"You really did it. You let your Guardians go," he said as he turned his back to her. "That was stupid."

"It was the right thing though," Bleach responded, closing the bath's tap. Then she crossed her arms over her chest in a semblance of modesty and walked to him, so he was once again staring into her mismatched eyes. "I promised them."

Illumi felt like throwing his hands in the air at her naïve words. "You sound like Killu."

"Coming from you, that's a high compliment," Bleach said with a smirk.

"Not in this case."

"No need to be like this," Bleach said as she turned to walk back to the bathtub. Illumi followed her with his eyes, and it became harder to focus on berating Bleach when he watched her shed the rest of her clothes. "It won't affect my work with your family, after all I've been a top-thief from way before I ever had them with me. Also, I still have Namid, Iadbo and Trera," she said, throwing her clothes in the hamper before turning to him with that smirk of hers. "Now, I was going to invite you to join me in the bathtub, but if you're too angry-"

Illumi raised an eyebrow at her as his eyes ran up and down her body, blood quickly rushing from his brain to his groin. With a sigh, Illumi undressed. "You know, for someone so adamantly against mind-games you sure know how to manipulate a man."

Bleach grinned, and Illumi didn't miss how both her eyes seemed to shine with the expression.