Chapter 4: Interrogation
Ichigo woke up with a grunt. He wiped his sweaty brow, but he didn't feel hot anymore. The meds must've stopped working while he was asleep. Thankful for that, he sat up and met Uryu's icy glare. The Quincy sat in a corner of the room and looked tense, gauging his reactions. Apparently, he'd managed to get his glasses back from Ichigo's pocket.
"Hey, Ishida. How are you feeling? Are you alright?" Ichigo asked.
The boy scoffed and answered: "Is that a trick question?"
"What do you mean? Of course it's not a trick question?" He growled. No one had the power to piss him off as fast as the Quincy could. "I'm showing some genuine concern here. Seeing as you were beaten up and unconscious last time we spoke, so don't act like-"
"Like what? Like a violent jackass, like you did?" Uryu snapped.
"Hey! I only hit you because I thought that would be the lesser of 2 evils! Besides, I did it to get you some water, you moron!" Ichigo yelled back. Nice. On top of everything else, they were going to have one of their usual arguments right here, it seemed.
"I'm not talking about that. Are you honest to god going to say that you don't remember?" Uryu was rubbing his wrists, which must still hurt from being strung up.
"Remember what?" Ichigo didn't understand where this was going. "Why are you being so nasty? I had to beg that asshole to get you released from those chains. You could at least show a little gratitude!
"Hey! I didn't ask you to beg him! You can't hold that against me!" Uryu shouted.
"What the hell is your problem?" He snapped back.
"Seriously?" Uryu was angry, but Ichigo was completely dumbstruck as to why. Looking at him in confusion made the Quincy growl and give him a cold glare.
"What? What am I missing here?" Asked Ichigo. He was not getting any wiser by the boys defensive attitude.
Uryu sighed in frustration, and ran a hand through his hair. "When I woke up and found you laying in a corner of this room, for a moment I… I feared the worst." The Quincy looked away, his features softening somewhat. "Thankfully, you were only unconscious! Suddenly, you woke up screaming, like you just had a nightmare. I tried to snap you out of it, but…
"But?" Ichigo scooted closer to the other teen and gestured for him to go on.
"You pushed me away, before you accused me of wanting the food for myself." Uryu looked down for a moment.
"What?" The Substitute asked. "Go on." The other teen sighed, but continued with his story.
"I tried to reason with you, as fighting among ourselves is probably what that Espada wants. We struggled for a bit and you managed to shove me against the wall, shouting that you had earned that food. Then… you hit me."
"I hit you?" Ichigo asked incredulously. "For real?" The other boy gave him an angry look.
"Why would I lie about something like this?"
"Sorry, but I… I really don't remember any of that." Ichigo was now sitting in front of the Quincy and could see a fresh bruise darkening his pale face. He hissed and wanted to touch it with his fingertips, but Uryu slapped his hand away. "Did I say something else?"
"When you saw the tray of food in the corner, you let your guard down. I managed to throw you over my shoulder and you hit the wall. But… something was off. Like your senses were dulled." Uryu said while looking at him intently. "You just stayed still and… fell asleep again."
Ichigo was astonished. "You floored me with one move?"
"That's what gets your attention?" The Quincy was clearly not amused. "Really, Kurosaki… You act all weird and then you tell me you don't remember any of that. What is going on? Did they do something to you while I was out?"
Ah yes, a lightbulb went on in Ichigo's head.
"Now that you mention it…." He nodded. "That freak injected me with something. It tingles and makes me feel hot. Oh yeah, and it made me sleepy, too!" Uryu frowned at that and his features shifted into concern rather than annoyance. "Actually… This was the 2nd time they injected me with that stuff." Ichigo continued, sheepishly.
"The 2nd time?" Uryu exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't know what that stuff does, and… you already had so much going on when I found you, so I kinda thought it was better if I kept that to myself."
"I don't know what Szayelaporro's playing at, but… that must be the reason why you got so aggressive." Uryu said, while pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Aggressive?"
"Well yeah… When you were brought in here, you acted weird as well. Did you get those meds then too?" Ichigo nodded. "That can't be good. What is that Espada up to?" Uryu frowned and made a pensive face.
"I don't care what that pink freak want!" Ichigo said, agitated, immediately gaining the other boy's attention again. "The only thing that matters is getting outta here. We gotta try to escape. Or at least, hold on until Rukia and the others come for us."
"I don't want to burst your bubble, but neither of those options are going to be easy." The Quincy sighed and rubbed his wrists again. "When they took us, Szayelaporro told me there was an anti-spiritual pressure shield surrounding his lab. They others can't feel us in here as our spiritual pressure is masked." Uryu licked his dry lips before continuing. "That's why no one came to help us that day on the graveyard. He'd managed to put up his shield there too, and after we got in there, the others couldn't sense us anymore."
"Dammit!" Ichigo fell silent for a moment, thinking it over. Then he got a determined look on his face and said: "But if there is a shield activated, it means we can deactivate it, right?"
"I suppose, but-"
"We'll work something out. Somehow. But right now, I could use a sip of water. Have you taken your share yet?" He asked the other boy.
Uryu looked away. "No, I was waiting for you to wake up."
"Really? You didn't have to. You must be so thirsty right now."
The raven-haired teen nodded. "Yes, but seeing as you got all violent on me, I didn't know what to do. I don't want to piss you off…" He looked down at his wrists but Ichigo caught a glimpse of distress in his eyes.
"Are… are you afraid I will turn on you?" He blurted out. The Quincy locked eyes with him, visibly taken aback by that direct question, before he averted his gaze again.
"Of course not, you idiot." He scoffed. "But… We've never been in a situation like this before, and…"
"True…" Ichigo rubbed the back of his head. He had a bad feeling about this, as the words Uryu didn't tell him spoke volumes.
"How about that food right now?" Uryu gave Ichigo a soft smile.
"Hell yeah!" answered the Substitute cheerfully. The raven-haired teen got up and wanted to get across to the other corner to get the tray when suddenly his body swayed and he collapsed. "Fuck! What's wrong, Ishida?" Ichigo was beside him in a heartbeat and helped the other into a sitting position.
"I'm okay, Kurosaki." Uryu said while resting his forehead in one of his hands.
"Sure. Collapsing is just a newfound hobby or yours."
"No, it's… my blood pressure. I just got dizzy from getting up too fast." He pushed Ichigo away and sat down on his knees.
"Your blood pressure? I didn't know you had a condition like that."
"Yes, I have low blood pressure, but usually, I have it under control." Ichigo looked at him questioningly, so he growled and added. "Don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm helpless or disabled!"
"Hey! I didn't say that."
"No, but you thought I was weak, didn't you?"
"Of course not!" Ichigo shouted. "Don't act like I've never seen you fight! Is it abnormal to be worried about one of my friends?" That shut the Quincy up, like he had just said something outrageous. "It's just…. Why haven't you said anything about this before?"
"I didn't know it would be relevant, alright!" Uryu answered a bit vexed. "Like I said, I usually have it under control, but-"
"Oh, I get it!" Ichigo exclaimed. "You thought I'd use this against you somehow, didn'tcha?" Uryu got a little color on his cheeks at that.
"No, it's nothing like that!" He yelled back.
"Yeah right!" Ichigo was getting frustrated. "I can't believe this! After everything we've been through already, you still don't trust me because I'm a Shinigami, right?"
"No, I tell you-"
"We're imprisoned together, Ishida! You'd sure as hell better start trusting me now, or-"
"You've never asked me anything personal before, alright!" The Quincy yelled at him.
Ichigo fell silent at that, because he realized it was true. An involuntary blush spread across his cheeks. Here he was, giving the other teen a lecture about not trusting him, while he had indeed never felt the urge to ask him personal questions.
"Sorry… You're right." He muttered, feeling dumb. "I shouldn't have doubted you. I-"
"It's okay." Uryu assured him. "I'm used to people keeping their distance around me."
The teen looked down again, and the Substitute realized he didn't really know that much about the other boy. He'd never really bothered talking to him besides when they were hunting Hollows. Suddenly, he felt bad about that, as the Quincy had always been willing to lend a hand to whatever cause he was fighting for. A hero like him couldn't wish for a more trustworthy companion.
"You just made me feel stupid for not knowing something important like that." Ichigo blurted out, and ran a hand through his hair "Why is it not under control right now?"
"I got dizzy because my blood pressure has dropped. Sometimes it happens due to stress, but normally I can handle it when I fight. Right now, it must be because I'm dehydrated. I must make sure to drink enough, but…" Ichigo didn't know what to say to that. This was going to be bothersome for the Quincy… "So if I can have my share of water, I'll feel a little better already."
"But we don't have that much water. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Ichigo asked, concerned.
"I don't have a choice, Kurosaki. I'll have to."
The Substitute sighed. Uryu was right. There was nothing they could do but try and make due with whatever little sustenance they got in this prison. As he noticed how Uryu tried to stand up again, he quickly jumped to his feet and got the tray. "That freak said he needed us alive, so he's bound to give us more food later." He took the bowl of water and offered it to Uryu. "Here, you can have most of this. Just leave a little for me."
"No, that's not-"
"Just do it, Ishida. I'm not here in my physical form. You need this more than I do. I can survive on a little water." He held the bowl out for him. The Quincy blinked a few times before grabbing the bowl filled with clear liquid.
"Thanks." Uryu said as he took a first sip. "My throat felt so incredibly dry." He coughed a few times as a reaction. Ichigo looked at him intently. "No, it's fine." Uryu answered. "It's just a reaction to not having drunk anything for over 50 hours."
The Substitute eyed the cup of cooked rice. How on earth would they manage to survive if they didn't get more food than that… "I'll eat a bit of rice first, then I'll leave the rest for you."
Uryu didn't even argue with him on that, which proved to Ichigo that he was indeed not feeling all that great. Without further ado, Ichigo dug into the rice with his hand, as there were no utensils for him to use. As promised, he left a bit more than half for the other teen. He only needed food for his spiritual pressure, unlike the Quincy, who thanked him again and finished the rest of the food. Ichigo went to sit against one of the walls and watched as Uryu, neat as always, put the 2 bowls back onto the tray and placed it next to the door.
"Why do you clean up even in this place?" The Substituted asked.
"It's just a habit of mine. I've been living on my own for a while, and-"
"Now that you mention it, why don't you live with your father?" Ichigo interrupted him.
Uryu went to sit in a corner of the room and flatly stated: "He hates me. Always has."
"Why?"
The other boy let out a scowling sigh. This topic was clearly frustrating for him. "Ever since my mother died when I was 9, he just hated me, like I'm just a thorn in his side. I can't do anything right for him, no matter how hard I try." Uryu fell silent and started rubbing his wrists again.
Ichigo watched him for a moment and let the silence calm down the turmoil this conversation was obviously stirring up in the Quincy. "That must be hard on you. Not having a loving family and all."
Uryu looked up in surprise at that remark, before sighing again. "I can cope. I'm used to being alone. I prefer that over the constant arguing with my father. He's not susceptible to reason in any form and he's… always putting me down."
Trying to lighting the mood, Ichigo blurted out: "Well, just so you know, my father drives me crazy too sometimes."
The other teen scoffed. "I don't think that's the same thing, Kurosaki. At least, you can live with your father. One of the reasons why I don't have a lot of friends is because the only thing my father ever taught me was that relying on others is showing weakness." Ichigo could tell his eyes were filled with suppressed anger. "I know he's wrong, but still-"
"You don't open up to people easily."
"People just don't tend to like me, Kurosaki. Can we please talk about something else?"
"Why? You don't usually talk about yourself and I thought…"
"Thought what?"
"Thought it was interesting." That obviously startled the Quincy and a faint blush appeared on his white features. "There, a little color suits you better." Ichigo chuckled. That only deepened the blush on Uryu's cheeks and he looked away.
"Don't make fun of me like that, Kurosaki." Seeing the embarrassment on the other's face only made Ichigo chuckle harder.
Suddenly they heard the sound of the door opening. They both looked at each other and knew playtime was over. When Ichigo felt a tingle around his neck, he shouted: "Ishida, the collar!" to give the other teen a warning. A few seconds later electricity crackled and they were both buzzed simultaneously. This was the first time the Quincy felt the current, as he had been unconscious the previous time. He screamed and tried to tear the collar of off him.
Six guards stepped in. All armed with their pointy staves. How many of these Fraccionés did that freakshow have? Three of the guards immediately approached him, while the other three went over to his friend. He had been zapped by the current a few times before, and tried to cope the best he could, but the Quincy was having a harder time. He was still frantically trying to pry the collar off his neck, while trying to kick the guards.
"Stay still, you annoying creature!" One of the guards yelled at the archer and directed his staff towards his chest. Uryu got another dose of electricity and screamed again.
"Stop it!" The guards grabbed him by his arms and started dragging him outside. Ichigo wanted to shout something, before he too, was being dragged towards the door. He managed to walk on his own, even if it wasn't fast because of the electricity. They were taking the Quincy in the other direction, and he saw how the other boy half walked, and was half dragged. Their gazes met before they rounded the corner and he shouted.
"Hang in there, Ishida." The other teen could only groan, but gave him a nod in comprehension. Then, Ichigo was pushed into a room. The room was made out of the same material as the cell he was being detained in. The only difference was a surgical table in the middle of the room. Just like the room he had woken up in when he got here. One of the guards motioned for him to go lie down onto the table.
"Up yours!" The Substitute spat and pushed the guard in question away from him.
Szayelaporro stepped inside with an annoyed face. He pressed a button on his remote and the current's volume shot up. Ichigo screamed and fell onto the floor, writhing and gripping his collar.
"You still haven't learned to obey, Kurosaki Ichigo." Then he laughed and showed Ichigo his teeth. "I like that. You sure have spirit."
"Screw you." Ichigo answered.
"Okay, the hard way it is." The Espada said cheerfully. He pressed another button and the power of the current was amplified again. Ichigo cried out while his back arched off the floor from the pain.
"S-stop that, you maniac!"
"But, this is what you wanted right?" Szayelaporro said in a honey-glazed voice. "You want to fight me every inch of the way, don't you?"
"Fuck you!" The Substitute had closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, trying to ride it out.
"Well, that's nice of you and all, but you forgot one crucial thing." He looked at the Espada, but didn't say anything. "If I buzz you with more power, your friend is getting an equal share." The pink-haired man threw his head back and laughed. "You didn't remember, right? Will he be alright with his blood pressure and all? What a weakling." He taunted.
"S-shit…" Ichigo had indeed forgotten about that part. He was pretty sure Uryu wouldn't want him to do what the Espada wanted, judging from how he had acted when that freak had ordered him to beat the other teen, but… now that he knew the Quincy was having some difficulties with his blood pressure, he was a bit worried for the boy. "He's not a weakling, you jackass."
"Is that so?" Szayelaporro crooned. "Well, we'll find out soon enough." He gave Ichigo a toothy smile.
Suddenly, the current stopped and Ichigo panted in relief. At the Espada's command, 2 guards came and grabbed him by his limbs, then dumped him onto the table. The Substitute was momentarily stunned and didn't do anything besides breathe.
"What are you gonna do to me?" He asked.
"Oh, not so much, this time." The pink-haired man said. "I just wanna talk to you." He pulled out a syringe and injected some blue liquid into Ichigo's arm.
"Is that the same stuff as before?" He asked, but Szayelaporro only smiled at him wickedly.
"Wouldn't you like to know. Now, tell me, Substitute Shinigami, how did you turn into that Hollow form on the roof of Las Noches?"
"What?" His head was spinning and for now he was actually grateful that he was lying down on that surgeon table. "What did you give me?"
"When my predecessor was killed by that freak Captain of Soul Society, and I took over, I studied the camera footage of Hueco Mundo thoroughly. And I must admit, what you did to Ulquiorra was some pretty neat trick."
Ichigo just looked at him questioningly and blurted out: "Oh yeah, I was totally kick-ass. If you bend over, I'd gladly kick yours too." Szayelaporro gave him an evil leer before Ichigo felt a fist collide with his jaw.
"I'll get my answers, whether you want it or not, boy."
"Of course, your highness. Right after-" He groaned when the Espada struck him hard in the face again. He was so dizzy right now. What was that stuff he'd been injected with?
"Now," Szayelaporro said, "we'll start over. I ask you something and you'll answer or I'll activate the collars again. Collarssss, as in plural. And I'll make sure your Quincy girlfriend will get some extra attention after I'm done with you."
"You… asshole." Ichigo panted, while he saw the room spinning. "Don't take… it out on him…" He groaned again.
"Cooperate! Then maybe I'll let him off the hook." Ichigo nodded. He knew the Quincy wouldn't want him to give in to the enemy, but he didn't like the thought of the other teen being tortured on his account. "How did you acquire that power to vanquish Ulquiorra?"
"I… don't know. It just happened." He got another blow to the face. "I really don't know! At that time, I was dying and… one of my friends was in danger and screamed for me to help. Then I woke up in that form. I just wanted to help her."
"Right." The pink-haired man said. "What about-" Ichigo didn't even hear the next question. His head was spinning and he saw all the colors of the room blend together as he groaned. He felt his lips move as he produced sound, but he didn't know what he was saying. It was like he wasn't completely conscious all the time and lived through flashes of what was going on. He lost his connection with time and space and felt himself being swallowed by the darkness. He couldn't fight it, nor did he want to.
Ichigo slowly opened his eyes. He was still tired and disoriented, but it didn't take him too long to realize he was back in his cell. The lights were dimmed. How long had he been out again? He rubbed his eyes a few times then sat up. Uryu wasn't there. What were they doing to him?
He saw there was a tray in a different place where the Quincy had left it and quickly got up to investigate. He felt dumb for doing that though, as the stuff they had previously injected him with was still making him dizzy. Swaying, he held one hand to his head and tried shaking it a few times to wake up better. Then, he managed to get to the tray and found a new bowl of water and 2 hunks of bread.
"Thank god!" Ichigo shouted. "That asshole won't let us starve." He picked a piece of bread and hastily started eating. Had he been out that long to get hungry? Had he used his spiritual pressure? Or was it because of the stuff they injected him with?
Suddenly, the door opened. Ichigo just stopped himself from shouting the Quincy's name to let him know they had food, when the evil leering face of Szayelaporro came into view. The man stepped in right in front of him and snapped his fingers. Two of his Fraccionés dragged Uryu inside and unceremoniously dumped him onto the floor. The teen groaned and locked eyes with Ichigo. He was taking elaborate breaths. His nose was bleeding again and he had a split lip.
"You jackass!" Ichigo shouted at the Espada. "You said you wouldn't take it out on him if I cooperated!"
"No, no, no, dear Shinigami Substitute. I said…. Maybe. But where's the fun in that, right? Your girlfriend has been very good, too. First he didn't want to say anything. We only needed to… persuade him a little." Szayelaporro laughed and threw his head back. Ichigo showed him his teeth and growled. "Now, behave, Kurosaki Ichigo." With that he motioned his Fraccionés to come forth. One of them put Uryu's left wrist in a sturdy, metal shackle with a chain.
"Stop! He's already wearing your collar! Why do you have to chain him up again?" The Substitute shouted angrily.
"Shut up, or I'll activate the collars." The pink-haired man said, making Ichigo growl and look at him defiantly. He wasn't intimidated by the Espada. Nor visa-versa. However, an evil leer appeared on Szayelaporro's face and he said: "Fine, be like that, but… do you think your girlfriend can take it right now?"
Ichigo gasped, but it was too late. The collars buzzed and a high current of electricity shot through him. As he sank to his knees, his gaze fell upon the Quincy who was looking borderline desperate right now. Uryu moaned, as the shackle snapped around his wrist was clearly making it worse. When the buzzing finally stopped, the Substitute still looked defiantly at the Espada, but he shut his mouth.
"Hold out your wrist." Szayelaporro said in a honey-coated voice. Ichigo obeyed. And before he realized what had happened, he found his right wrist shackled up to Uryu's left wrist. When he moved, he made Uryu's left arm fling forwards. There was only about an arm's length between both of the shackles.
"What's the meaning of this?" He asked.
"Wouldn't you like to know." The Espada crooned. He motioned for his Fraccionés to step outside and follow him.
Ichigo kneeled down next to Uryu and turned him over so he could see his face, making the boy moan again.
"Ishida, are you okay?"
"K-kurosaki…. I… I'm… sorry…" The Quincy stuttered, his glazed eyes trying to focus on his face.
"It's okay, Ishida. What did they do to you?"
"They asked me…. questions… and I… I…"
"What kinda questions?" Uryu wasn't acting normally, and if it was anything like his own interrogation, they must have drugged him with something too.
"Things… about you…" The teen closed his eyes for a second, then looked up at Ichigo again and whispered: "I… I…. don't remember." Yeah, Ichigo didn't remember what happened after he got dizzy either. When Uryu held up his hand as if to touch his face to make sure he was real, the Substitute could see there was blood on his fingers. "S-sorry… Kurosaki…" The teen stammered before he went completely limp. His head fell backwards on a moan and he'd lost consciousness.
"Goddamit!" Ichigo cursed. He let Uryu rest onto the floor and proceeded to finish his bread.