Chapter 7: Excruciating pleasure

Many hours had passed inside the cell where the Shinigami Substitute and Quincy were held captive. The latter was still struggling not to succumb to the poison. Ichigo had no idea how long exactly the other boy had been fighting it off, but he thought it had to be close to 2 days…

Their rice had been eaten, but they kept rationing the water.

Ichigo had been so sure he was not going to comply with the Espada's demands. But… after seeing the Quincy struggle for hours on end, from the blow he took for him, slowly Ichigo's mindset started to change. His occasional witty cheer-up remarks and teasing strokes had slowly made way for the realization that things were getting really serious now. And the resolve that he wouldn't follow up on the orders they'd been given was starting to crumble…

As Szayelaporro had told them, the pain had steadily gotten stronger. The Quincy had tried to hide most of it, but after more than a day, he'd let his guard down a few times to cry out when he was hit by a particularly rough wave of pain. He'd went to lay down on his side in one of the corners for a long time, fighting the poison with everything he got. Ichigo couldn't do anything and it made a hero like him feel utterly helpless, watching the other teen in agony like that. He'd talk to Uryu from time to time, and offer him a sip of water, but that was the extent of his help.

As if that wasn't enough already, the pink-haired freak would activate their collars whenever he felt like it. Probably to urge them to get on with it…

The collars had just stopped buzzing and Uryu couldn't contain a whimpering cry. His defenses had dropped tremendously after suffering for so long. He was lying on the floor, curled into a ball, trembling from the effort and taking ragged breaths. Pain and exhaustion were apparent on his pale face.

The Substitute was sitting against the wall opposite from the Quincy. He had studied the look of the other boy's features for a long time. He looked desperate… How many hours had it been again? That sicko was right. After a while it would become unbearable for anyone. Even for someone as strong-willed as a Quincy. This couldn't continue. He had to do something…

Ichigo stood up and slowly covered the short distance between them. He sat down, cross-legged, next to the other teen and placed an assuring hand on his shoulder. Uryu gazed up at him for a moment, before closing his blue eyes again.

"Ishida, how are you feeling?"

"W-wonderful, Kurosaki. Can't you tell?" There it was again, that snarky attitude. Ichigo let it go this time, as he knew for certain the boy was in great pain. Uryu had always been afraid to let his guards drop. He knew that much about him.

"I'm sorry, Ishida." He started while locking eyes with the Quincy again. "I know you wanted to protect me, but now I feel responsible for putting you through all this pain. I know you didn't ask for this, but I'm going to help you." The raven haired teen gave him a startled look, while still panting hard.

"H-how?" Uryu asked.

"That pink-haired freak said I had to make you…" He trailed of, but as it dawned on the other teen, slowly, his cheeks got a little color again.

"K-Kurosaki… You don't… have to. I don't want you to… feel disgusted by me." He trembled again and tried to fight off the pain with closed eyes.

Although he was certain Uryu would kill him if he vocalized this, but… Ichigo took pity on him. He brushed aside the hair plastered to his face, eliciting a startled gasp from the Quincy, before answering:

"What other option do I have? It's the only solution."

"B-but you'd hate me for it… I-I don't want-"

"I won't hate you, Ishida. It's not like you planned this or anything. It will be awkward, yes, but I think I'll live. It's you I'm worried about. You can't possibly keep this up for much longer."

"T-try me…"

"It's alright, Ishida. You've withstood the poison for a very long time. You can be proud of yourself. Give yourself some credit. You did well. I couldn't have held on as long as you have." He tried to encourage the Quincy into what the Espada had asked from them, but… it was obvious the other boy wasn't used to getting compliments, and wasn't going to yield.

"K-Kurosaki, just… leave me alone… Nnngh. I can… handle this." Uryu weakly tried pushing him away, but Ichigo wouldn't allow him.

The orange-hair teen sighed. "You're lying and you know it."

"Yeah… What do you… want me to do then? Do you think this… is easy for me?" Uryu was getting angry, which made him pant even faster. "You've made it clear… that you had… no intention to… to…" He moaned again, pulling his knees up as high as he could.

"It's different now." Ichigo said, in a determined voice. When the archer looked up at him again with a confused look, he continued with: "I've seen how hard you've tried, Ishida, and I can't let you go on. You haven't had so much as a morsel of food these last few days and I' can't stand it any longer. I know your father taught you never to rely on others, but… you're my friend. You can trust me. I wanna help you get through this." The Quincy had an incredulous look on his face, before averting his gaze. Contemplating on what Ichigo had just said.

"He can… let us do whatever… he wants, but… we don't know… if he'll really bring us… food and water. Nor… give me an antidote."

"You're right." Ichigo said with a sigh again. "But if we don't do anything, he'll definitely make it even worse."

"K-Kurosaki, please… I'm afraid you'll… be disgusted by me… a-and will use this… against me."

Ichigo gave him a soft smile. "Look, Ishida. I know you never wanted this, and I promise I won't make fun of you, but-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as they both felt crackling electricity run through their bodies. Ichigo grunted, but Uryu's sensitivity was heightened because of the poison and he screamed. Having no choice but to wait until the current stopped, they tried to cope as best as they could. When the Substitute Shinigami opened his eyes again and looked into Uryu's half closed ones and noticed the boy was drenched in sweat, he knew he had to take action. Now!

"We don't have time for this-"

"Please, don't." Uryu whimpered. "I… I'll do it myself."

"You can't!" Ichigo argued with him. "You've tried that hours ago and it didn't work! And besides, he said that I had to do it!""

"Y-you saw?" That look of utter shame on Uryu's face tugged at Ichigo's heart. Blushing crimson, the Quincy covered his face with his hands.

"Sorry, I wasn't spying on you, but I thought pretending like I was asleep was a good idea at the time. Besides, if I'd have a painful hard-on for over 2 days, I would have tried that more than once."

Uryu's cheeks color deepened even more. He was silent for a moment. Probably thinking how they'd gotten up to their necks in this… "Why is he… making us do this?" He asked, still blushing furiously. "What could he… possibly gain from this?"

Just when Ichigo wanted to answer that the 8th Espada was just a complete sicko, he felt electricity crackle through him again. It was too fast after the previous attack, and Szayelaporro had upped the strength of the electricity again, which caused the 2 boys difficulties in taking it. Screaming, the substitute watched how Uryu tried to pry the collar off his neck while crying out. The shocks seemed to take longer than before too and Ichigo realized he must be getting impatient. When the current stopped, he looked down at Uryu again, whom had closed his eyes and was taking labored breaths. His whole frame trembled in agony.

"He's… watching us… Ishida." Ichigo panted. When they locked eyes they could both see fear in the other's eyes. "We have… no choice."

"But… I'm telling you… he won't… give me the antidote…. after this." Uryu panted. "He doesn't care. He's playing… with us."

"I don't have another option… Ishida. And he's definitely… zapping us… with more power." They both tried to regain their breath. Ichigo saw droplets of sweat slide down the Quincy's face and his half closed eyes were laced with pain. "I can't let you…. suffer like this. You're almost at…. your limit. Even an idiot like me… can see that. We gotta try… Even if he refuses to cure you… hopefully he'll give us some water, at least."

Uryu just gazed at him for a while, clearly thinking it over, while concentrating on his breathing, before saying: "B-but how… what are you going to-" The question was clear to Ichigo, so he interrupted him.

"He said I had to make you come, right? So, I'll just use my hand."

Uryu blushed again. "But he said… you had to… claim me. He wants you to… sleep with me." The archer's blush intensified and he averted his gaze.

"Don't know about that, but he definitely said something like 'if you don't make him come, the outcome will be much crueler'" Ichigo tried to use that haughty voice of Szayelaporro. "So I'm guessing what's important is that I make you come."

"W-what if… you're wrong?" The Quincy asked, doubt clearly visible on his face.

"One problem at a time, Ishida. For now, we'll start with that. If you're alright with it?" Ichigo looked at him questioningly and saw multiple emotions pass over his features again and he fell silent for a moment. Of course Uryu would be hesitant about something like this, but he just needed to realize they had no other option. This was the only way out…

"O-okay, but… don't look at me… please." His cheeks were bright red by now and his voice faltered with uncertainty.

"If that's what it takes to convince you, then I promise." Ichigo answered.

Ichigo swallowed, but not so hard as to raise suspicion of the Quincy. He'd gotten him right where he wanted, but… Trying to convince the other boy into doing this, hadn't calmed his own nerves one bit. He had never done this before… Nor had he ever thought about doing something like this with another guy. It made his heartbeat speed up just thinking about it! But admitting that to Uryu, whom was already dying from embarrassment and whatnot, was something he refused to do. Before he'd started this conversation, he'd agreed with himself to try and act cool and mature about this, as to spare the other boy. Uryu didn't need his lack of confidence about this situation, as that would surely strengthen his own. So he took a deep breath and continued with the 'mature and confident act', steeling his nerves, even though he had at least as much reservations as the Quincy had.

"Do you want me to lay down behind you or…" Ichigo asked, tentatively.

The archer stared up at him, unsure of what to do. "I…. I don't know, Kurosaki… These camera's and all… I don't know if I'll be able to…" He trailed off, but the Substitute understood, nodding.

"I get it. You're afraid it won't work while he's watching." He mulled over it for a second before asking: "Can you sit up?"

"I-I can try." Groaning, Uryu tried to move his body, assisted by Ichigo, as he clearly felt dizzy after laying down for a long time.

The Substitute propped the archer up against the wall and scooted in front of him. He proceeded to sit crossed-legged again and carefully urged the Quincy to bracket his legs over his so he could scoot even closer. Uryu was obviously weakened, not only by the poison, but due lack of food and water, and he fell forward. Ichigo grabbed his shoulders and steadied him.

"Just lean against me, Ishida. It'll be easier for you." He felt the other teen stiffen up completely.

"Y-yes, but this is… an intimate position." The archer gasped. "A-are you sure-"

"We can do this, Ishida.. I know I'm not the girl of your dreams and you'll probably find this very disturbing, being touched like that by another guy, but I'll help you through this. Trust me." Uryu locked eyes with him and the Substitute saw a tad of wonder there, like he was astonished to hear these words coming out of his mouth. Uryu gave a soft nod, still completely flushed. Ichigo felt a bit of heat rise to his cheeks as well, but given in this kind of situation, he probably could get away with it... He swallowed again, before continuing.

"Now, If you use my shoulder to support your forehead, we won't see each other."

Uryu just looked at him for the longest moment and swallowed hard. "Are… are you really sure about this, Kurosaki?" He stuttered. "We can… never take this back…"

"Yes." Ichigo answered, determinedly and made a gesture for him to proceed.

Hesitantly, Uryu buried his face in the Substitute's shihakusho, when suddenly, Ichigo put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer. "Don't panic," he whispered, "like this they won't be able to see everything and you'll have a sense of privacy."

"T-Thanks…" Uryu whispered back on a ragged breath. He was really, really nervous, Ichigo could tell.

"I won't do anything 'till you're ready. Try to calm down a little." To emphasize his words, he started rubbing the raven-haired teen's shoulders and back, and felt a shiver run up Uryu's spine. He groaned, his body going completely rigid. "Shit. Is it another attack?" Ichigo asked, but he didn't need to wait for the answer as it was clear.

Uryu took elaborate breaths, while grabbing fistfuls of the Substitute's shihakusho. The latter just looked at him, feeling helpless for not being able to help him. Now he understood why that pink freak had made a poison with this particular side-effect. There was no way a man could get hard in a situation like this, consumed by pain. It wasn't a side-effect at all! He purposefully must've designed it this way. The Quincy had probably figured that out, too.

"Kurosaki, I…" Uryu stammered. Ichigo could feel the other boy's heart throb loudly in his chest, as he held him close, and prayed Uryu wouldn't notice his own had sped up quite a lot, too.

"It's okay…" Ichigo said. "I'm gonna start touching you again." He felt Uryu tense up. "Relax. As I said, I'll wait for you to be ready. Just close your eyes and forget it's me. Focus on the sensation." He thanked whatever gods were listening that he managed to make that come out confident.

Ichigo put his palms on the Quincy's back, leisurely drawing circles from his shoulders to his waist. When Uryu didn't fight that, he started doing the same with his lower back until the Quincy stopped shivering there. Ichigo slowly went over his hips towards his legs and softly rubbed up and down. Ever so lightly, he brushed the sensitive skin of the archer's inner thighs and felt him tremble.

Ichigo tried not to gulp as he was astonished by his own behavior. He'd tried to convince the other teen into doing this, as he was in desperate need of water, if not the antidote, but he hadn't imagined he would go so careful about it. Uryu's vulnerability was a thing he'd hardly imagined ever seeing, and it brought out his caring, chivalrous nature. He'd meant what he said that he wanted to get the other teen through this, but his stomach made some weird, anxious flips.

Suddenly the Quincy tensed up again. Ichigo, too, felt the tingle of the collar, indicating another shockwave was going to hit them again.

"Fuck!" He shouted, startling the other boy. "Give us a minute, dammit! We're doing what you want!" He felt the electricity crackling and gripped Uryu tight as he braced himself, cursing with everything he got. They both cried out in pain and Ichigo held on that much tighter. When the current stopped, the archer was heaving. His eyes were almost completely closed and he was pale as a sheet. His glasses had slid down and he gasped when Ichigo pushed them back up his nose.

"Kurosaki… my blood pressure…" Uryu rasped. "I-I can't-"

"Fuck!" Ichigo interrupted him and quickly went to fetch their bowl of water. There was only enough left for a sip. "Can you assholes at least give us some water?" He shouted at the camera's. "How is he supposed to perform like this?"

He went back to the Quincy and gasped when he saw the teen had slouched against the wall, lying completely still. His arms and legs stretched out beside him and his head resting on his right shoulder. He had his eyes closed and was taking labored breaths. Ichigo cursed under his breath. He couldn't afford to fail. Uryu was counting on him.

"Here, Ishida, have some water." Ichigo said while kneeling down beside him.

"T-thank you." The other teen took the bowl with trembling hands and gulped it down. It wasn't nearly enough to help him, Ichigo knew that, but he couldn't offer any other support right now.

Frustrated, Ichigo ran a hand through his short, spikey hair. "That's why that douchebag wanted us to do this..." He was thinking out loud. "Not only is there no way you could get hard in this state, without the assistance of his shitty poison, but he's counting on you not being able to do this, in your condition. I mean, come on!"

Uryu was just watching him, trying to regain his breath. "That's… what I figured, too. It will be… really difficult… Kurosaki. Do you… still want-"

"I'm not backing down now! But that freak's not giving me any time to take this slow, Ishida." Ichigo felt his heart drop, but they'll just have to go with the 'remove the band aid' thing. "I'm sorry, but-"

"Do it!" The other boy said, still heaving. "There's… no other way."

"But in your condition, I don't know-"

"I'll manage, somehow…"

The Quincy gestured for Ichigo to resume their previous position. The orange-haired boy moved their legs so Uryu was just short of sitting in his lap. Ichigo gave him a determined look, before staring at the wall to honor his promise not to look at him. Still fighting off the poison, Uryu leaned forward against him. When Ichigo moved his hand slowly onto the Quincy's legs, he felt a shiver run through the other teen.

"Don't freak out." Ichigo whispered to him. "It's just me, but close your eyes and think of anyone you want." He heard the archer hum in agreement.

Slowly, Ichigo moved his hand towards the other teen's groin and by doing so, he felt Uryu tense up a lot. He could feel his own heart race. If he already felt this way, he couldn't even imagine what it must be like for the Quincy…

"Try to relax." Ichigo said, meaning both himself and Uryu. He wasn't letting up. Then, gently, he placed his hand over his targeted location and he could tell the poison had made the other teen extremely sensitive. "Relax…" he repeated, but he knew he couldn't take this slow. His hand hesitated for a moment as he tried to brace himself for what he was about to do, as it was making awkward sensations in his gut. The Quincy trembled beneath his fingers and he could tell the erection he'd sustained for 2 days had become nearly unbearable for him. So Ichigo swallowed his insecurities and proceeded as planned. He felt how Uryu grasped fistfuls of his robes, producing a muffled whimper.

Now that they'd made it this far, Ichigo stopped thinking and instinct took over and without further restraint he reached into Uryu's pants so he could get this over with, drawing a muffled sound from the archer who was obviously afraid to make any noises. Ichigo couldn't contain a surprised gasp, but the other teen didn't notice, as he had too much going on already. He felt heat rise to his own cheeks and was probably as flushed as the other boy by now. It felt a bit strange, doing this to another guy, but he tried to shut those thoughts out, as neither of them could deal with that now. His stomach churned again, but he didn't know if it was out of anxiety, or empathy.

After just a few tentative strokes, he felt the Quincy tense up even more, still trying to mute himself, even if it were sounds sprung from pain. His whole body trembled and he slouched forward, even though Ichigo was already supporting him. The Substitute halted his movements and waited for the attack to pass. He could tell by the way Uryu regulated his breathing. He didn't retrieve his hand, out of fear either of them didn't dare continue, if he did. Apparently, it was quite a nasty attack this time and it left the archer breathless and limp against Ichigo's chest. Uryu was biting so hard on his lower lip, his teeth had pierced it and a few droplets of blood rose to the surface, while he fought to contain a hoarse cry.

"I-I can't do this… Kurosaki…" The Quincy whimpered, while clutching the other's shihakusho again. "The pain… It's too much..."

Ichigo shut his eyes for a moment and tried to reign in his frustration. They'd already made it this far. There was no way he'd give up now! But he also knew the Quincy wasn't one to give up easily, so he must be in even more agony than he thought. He'd have to encourage him again and hope he would buy it.

"You got this, Ishida. I know we can do this." Uryu whimpered again and clutched his stomach. If not for Ichigo's arm supporting him, he'd have fallen sideways.

"I-I can't…"

"Dammit, Ishida! I never dreamt about jerking another guy off, but I'm giving it my all here! That sicko is counting on us to fail, so don't be such a virgin and try to work with me here!"

Shit. That came out harsher than he had intended and he felt Uryu freeze completely.

"S-Sorry, I…I'm… trying…" The Quincy stammered with quivering voice. He sounded hurt and ashamed.

Suddenly, realization dawned on Ichigo and he felt like an idiot.

"Oh my god…" He gasped. "You really are a v-"

"S-shut up, Kurosaki!" Uryu snapped "This is really… nnngh… difficult for me…"

"Fuck…." Ichigo muttered.

Of course it was difficult for him! Besides the agony Uryu was going through, he was so incredibly nervous because this really was his first sexual experience. Ichigo hadn't thought about that earlier, because he was stressing over how he'd imagined his first encounter with sex to be like… And it hadn't been anything like this. The same probably went for Uryu. Gasping, he realized his mistake. He'd only caused the archer to tense up even more! He cursed under his breath again.

"I'm sorry, Ishida." Ichigo tried, "That came out all wrong. I know you're doing your best. Hold on for a little longer. I'll get you through this."

"Just continue…" Uryu rasped. "Please…" He sounded exhausted. The tension of having to do something like this in front of these camera's, with a person he didn't even like, another boy nonetheless, while he was feeling this bad, must indeed make it very hard.

Ichigo felt his stomach churn in sympathy, but he had no other choice but to finish what they'd started. Slowly, he started pumping again and when Uryu didn't object, he established a tentative rhythm. He felt Uryu burying his face flush against his shoulder to smother any embarrassing sound that could slip past his tightly clenched jaws.

The substitute looked at the wall again, giving the Quincy the privacy he needed, and picked up his pace. The teen gripped Ichigo's shihakusho really hard and let out a muffled whimper. Realizing that the archer wouldn't be able to relax with all those elements piled on top of another, while enduring a lot of pain, Ichigo decided to just make it go hard and fast. Trying to overrule everything else with pleasure.

Uryu let out another muffled sound, before grasping Ichigo's robes in a death grip. Wound up from the poison for hours, it shouldn't take that long, Ichigo guessed. He got exactly what he bargained for. After only a few rough strokes he felt the Quincy stiffen up completely, and knew he was close. It was probably weird of him to want to say something encouraging, but he did so anyway as it felt appropriate at that time.

"Just let go, Uryu." He whispered.

That was the first time he'd ever used his given name, and apparently it didn't miss it's effect. A muffled moan escaped the too tightly clenched jaws of the archer, before he quickly smothered himself on Ichigo's shoulder again. Suddenly, he froze completely and gripped the substitute tight, while making muffled sounds, body shuddering. Ichigo let out a long gasp and felt relief bloom in his throbbing chest. They had succeeded! He let Uryu come down for a few moments until he felt his body start to relax a bit before whispering:

"We made it, Ishida."

Ichigo felt his friend tremble while he slowly removed his arm from around his shoulders. The raven-haired teen was panting hard and slouched forward again on a groan. The Substitute grabbed hold of him and carefully propped him up against the wall. Too ashamed to look at Ichigo, the Quincy let his head drop so his hair fell in front of his face, shielding his features from the other's curious stare.

Ichigo retrieved his sticky hand and said: "Just rest for a while." He wanted to get up, but when Uryu made a sound that resembled a sob and quivering breath combined, he felt a stab through his heart.

"P-please, don't hold this… against me… Kurosaki." Ichigo couldn't see his eyes, but his lower lip was trembling due to his sensory overload.

"It's alright, Ishida. I won't." Ichigo whispered. If only the other boy realized how Ichigo had kinda manipulated him into doing this. Uryu could hold this against him, too….

Ichigo got up, turned around and heard the soft rustling of clothing, which indicated Uryu was making himself presentable again.

The Substitute went to stand close to one of the camera's and held his sticky hand in the air. The proof of what they'd done.

"Ta-daaa!" He shouted. "Szayelaporro! I did what you asked!. Now, give him the antidote!" He couldn't help but smirk triumphantly into one of the camera's, before wiping his hand on a piece of fabric he'd torn from his hem.

A sharp intake of breath drew his attention. He glanced over at Uryu and had expected him to be beet red again and snarl that he shouldn't be bragging over this or shout another kind of snarky remark, but… The Quincy had crumpled into a heap on the floor, lying on his side. He must've had another attack while Ichigo had been occupied. He was clearly at his limit, having spent his last shred of energy on the release Ichigo just gave him, and was taking ragged, stilted breaths. Hands gripping his throat, he was hyperventilating.

"Shit!" The Substitute quickly knelt beside him and gently grabbed his shoulders while hovering over him. "Ishida! Try to take a deep breath with me." Ichigo took a long breath in and out, in the hopes the other boy would follow his lead. Having a doctor as a father came in handy sometimes… "Just breathe, Ishida! Do what I do." Slowly, Uryu opened his eyes and tried to do as he was told. "That's it, Ishida." Ichigo encouraged him. "You're doing fine. Try to keep this up." Slowly, the Quincy's breaths regained a normal rhythm. Crisis averted, Ichigo let out a relieved sigh. Unfortunately, Uryu's next words weren't promising either.

"K-Kurosaki…" he rasped. "My blood… pressure…"

"Dammit." Ichigo got up and yelled: "He needs water! We did what you asked!" Nothing happened… "Fuck!" Ichigo yelled in frustration and punched into the wall next to him.

Running a hand through his hair, the Substitute let his back slide down the wall and went to sit down next to Uryu. Had the archer been right about this? Had he just put the other boy through all that for nothing? Ichigo lowered his face into his hands and sighed. Then he addressed the Quincy:

"You get some rest." He locked eyes with him. "They'll bring us water, soon." He could read in the raven haired teen's eyes that he didn't believe that, but there was nothing he could do. Suddenly he felt the telltale tingle of the collar again. Uryu's eyes went wide and he tried to lift his head up from the floor.

"K-Kurosaki..." was all he managed to say before the shockwave hit them. Uryu screamed while his body tried to curl in on itself. At the same time, Ichigo gripped his collar and fell sideways on the floor, next to his friend.

"Hold on… Ishida." He yelled during the painful bolt of electricity while stretching out his hand towards him, but Uryu couldn't do anything. Ichigo saw how his eyes turned white and he lost consciousness. Having no other option but to ride out the shockwave, he cursed loudly. Ichigo was panting rapidly by the time the electricity stopped. He rolled over on his stomach and propped himself on to all-fours. He moved closer to check on the Quincy. His face was very pale, but he was breathing. Angry, he got up and yelled:

"You're killing him, you asshole! Stop electrocuting us and give us some water!"

Suddenly, a few small compartments low on the wall opened up and the room started filling up with pink gas.

"Oh fuck, no!" Ichigo went to lay down on the floor to escape its reach. However, the gas kept on filling the room until it had the substitute coughing and feeling dizzy. It felt different from the last time, somehow, like it wasn't meant to make him sleep, but just to immobilize him.

Five guards with gas masks stepped in while the gas stopped. Ichigo lay flat on his back, grasping for breath while he felt his head spin. Two guards came towards him with their spears in hand, to electrocute him if he resisted. Two others immediately went over to Uryu, grabbing him by the arms and started dragging him towards the door.

"W-wait! You assholes! Where are you taking him?" Ichigo tried to stand up, but only made it into a crouching position. "We did what you asked us to do! Leave him the fuck alone!" The Substitute felt rage spread through his body at the sight of his cellmate being taken away and did another attempt to stand up. He succeeded, but the gas had made him wobbly. He tried jabbing one of the guards, only to have the 5th one come over and electrocute him with his staff.

"Fuck!" He yelled and fell back on the ground. The power of the guards' weapons wasn't as hefty as the power of the collars, but combined with the gas and the current state of the teen, it did the trick.

"What are you gonna do with him?!" He shouted as the guards had dragged the Quincy outside. The door closed again and Ichigo cursed loudly. Suddenly, the screen lit up.

"Now, now, Shinigami Substitute." Szayelaporro crooned and Ichigo turned around to face him.

"What are you gonna do to my friend?" He asked, angrily. "We did what you asked us to do!"

The Espada laughed. "Don't be so impatient, dearest Kurosaki Ichigo. First answer my question, then I'll answer yours." Ichigo growled, but the Espada continued. "What did you think of my gas? Nice color, right? I made it like that to match with my hair." To emphasize that, he took a few pink strands between his fingers and rolled them.

Ichigo didn't want to lose any time by listening to that freak, but that comment was so ridiculous that he couldn't help himself but to roll his eyes and yell:

"As if I give a fuck! Make your gas all the colors of the rainbow for all I care! Stupid fruitcake!" He balled his fists, nails digging into his palms as worry spread faster and faster in his chest. "Now tell me, what are you going to do to Ishida?"

The pink-haired man put a finger to his cheek, tilted his head and obviously thought over what the Substitute had just told him. "What a marvelous idea!" He sang, joyfully. "I will implement rainbow colored gas in my future experiments." The Shinigami shot him a disdainful look and rolled his eyes again.

"Goddamit! Tell me where you're taking the Quincy! We did what you wanted!"

"You didn't, actually." Szayelaporro countered. "I asked you to claim him and-"

"You said I had to make him come!" Ichigo shouted back. "I did! You were watching us, weren't you?" Anger fueled his legs and he managed to stand back up.

"Yes, I was watching, and although your performance was mildly entertaining, my instruction has been to claim him, not to get him off." Ichigo growled and balled his fists. "I gave you specific instructions, didn't I?"

"But you said: if you don't make him come-'"

"'The outcome would be much crueler'. Yes, I did say that." He gave the Substitute an evil grin. "Right after I specifically instructed you to claim him. Are you so stupid that you didn't get what I meant?" The Substitute showed him his teeth, but Szayelaporro just laughed at that and continued with a sultry voice: "I believe you humans have quite a few synonyms for that, but 'fuck him' must be the most comprehensible one for you."

"Shit…" Ichigo cursed under his breath. The Quincy had been right about this. He should've known… They'd messed up. They'd messed up and he'd put Uryu through that awkward and painful handjob for nothing. Szayelaporro started laughing at him, as his emotions must've been clearly written on his face. "Goddamit!" Ichigo screamed. "We misunderstood, alright! Let the Quincy go. It was I who fucked this up." Thundering laughter cascaded from the screen.

"You're so hilarious, boy!" The pink-haired man said with an evil leer. Ichigo looked at the floor and clenched his hands so hard his nails cut into his skin.

"Bring Ishida, back and I… I'll…" He closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.

"You'll what? You'll jump at him while he's unconscious? Now where's the fun in that?" Szayelaporro taunted. Ichigo groaned. "Don't worry, Shinigami, you'll get another chance. If you behave, that is."

"What are you gonna do to him?" He was genuinely worried. The way this whole prison was set up, it couldn't be anything good.

"Now, now, little Shinigami, I can't tell you, as that'll ruin the surprise, don'tcha think?" Ichigo's nails dug into his skin again.

"I made a mistake, okay. Don't harm him, please. We'll do what you want." Ichigo didn't want to think about what he said just yet, but at the moment he had to try to convince that evil bastard. More laughter followed.

"Of course you do. But right now, I'm gonna have a bit of fun with that Quincy friend of yours." Before the substitute had the chance to protest, the screen went off again and his cell went dark.

"Dammit!" He yelled. "Don't you hurt him, you asshole!"