Chapter 6: Confusion

Ichigo didn't get a chance to explain herself when all the questions came up. It was getting harder for her to breathe with everyone wanting to know different things at once that eventually she just cracked. She disappeared from the room much to everyone's shock and made her way back to the rooftop like before. She sat down on the ledge and slowed her breathing as best as she could. Why would they all ask her different things like that? They don't know how hard those three years were for her or how she was hurt most of the time. It took her an exhaustive amount of time to even be able to summon her zanpakuto in that place, for crying out loud, and it was mainly all due to stress from the beatings and torture sessions. How could they just go off on her like that? Don't they care about how this all makes her feel?

As Ichigo wrestled with her emotions right now, everyone else was still at the training grounds. They hadn't left to get Ichigo or find out if she was okay. Most likely they already figured it out without saying anything, so they decided to check on Ichigo a little later. Since she had those 'reflexes', it was probably a horrible idea to send any of the guys up there to check on her. As far as they all knew, only Yoruichi could even come in physical contact with the strawberry. After a few minutes of just standing around, Yoruichi took a deep breath and flashed to the top of the roof that Ichigo was at. She saw that the strawberry was clutching onto the shark tooth tightly with no intention of letting it go.

"Ichigo." Yoruichi started, startling the girl in front of her.

Ichigo turned around and had a look of despair on her face. She quickly looked away from the purple haired beauty and continued to look out into the city at night.

Yoruichi didn't know what to say about this right now. She wanted to apologize, but a part of her said no to the notion of defending Ichigo's kidnapper. She wanted to bash the very woman who stole Ichigo, but a part of her knew that right now that woman was on Ichigo's already fragile mind. Yoruichi just didn't know what to do. Her heart said to comfort Ichigo, but her soul and her guilt told her that she had done enough. Yoruichi gritted her teeth as she tried to fight back tears and turned to leave Ichigo to her musing.

"She was the only one." Ichigo suddenly started, causing the flash goddess to turn around to her to listen to more. "She was the only one. The one thing that kept me going, Yoruichi." Her voice was cracked from sobbing but she was still able to get her point across. "You have no idea what it was like over there. What I went through on a near daily basis. How much I begged them to stop and let me be for just a single day of peace. How many times I begged for all of you to try and save me." Yoruichi gained a solemn look at hearing that last part. "But none of you did. Aizen told me about the barrier to crush my will into nothing, and he would've succeeded if wasn't for her."

Yoruichi decided to take a chance and moved closer to the strawberry as she poured her heart out.

"Halibel may be a lot of things." Ichigo continued. "But she was there for me."

Yoruichi moved again.

"Every time my body was on the verge of collapse, she was there to pick me back up."

Closer.

"Every time I was raped by those animals, she would destroy them all just to reassure me."

Closer.

"Every time I thought I'd lose my sanity to that place, she would just hold me in her arms and sing to me in the soothing and beautiful voice."

By this point Yoruichi was right next to Ichigo and decided to sit down next to her.

"We made love so many times." Ichigo continued as a small smile graced her face at the memory. "She was the only person I ever let touch me that way."

Yoruichi cautiously raised her arm to wrap around the sobbing girls shoulder, but just couldn't find the will to do so. She knew that Ichigo's will and spirit now came from that woman that took her three years ago. And that nothing would change that. Her chance came and went like a leaf in the wind. A lost cause.

Yoruichi lowered her arm and stood up to leave, but that was when Ichigo grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle and almost pleading squeeze. Yoruichi looked down to her in shock.

"Ichigo?"

"Please don't leave." Ichigo started in a frail tone. "I don't want to be alone. Please."

Yoruichi, nearly heartbroken, sat down next to the strawberry. Ichigo laid her head on the flash goddess' lap and closed her eyes as she drifted off to sleep.

"I'm so sorry Ichigo." Yoruichi said softly as she leaned in and gave the sleeping girl a quick kiss on the cheek.

Las Noches

Sitting on a medical table with a deep slash along her left shoulder was a very antsy third espada. She knew where her strawberry was heading to, and she knew that she had to get her back. Ichigo was hers, and she would kill anyone to get her back.

I'm back. Taking souls, and diggin' holes. LOL.

I'm back after some writers block and will probably be making these stories shorter chapter wise.

Ya'll know what to do. And as always, stay sexy out there.

PEACE!