Chapter Five

A Stunted Bloom

About five years ago

Ichigo had gotten used to the expectations. There was really nothing that happened that he wasn't already prepared for. Perhaps a year or more passed before anything really changed at all. Then, something happened that made everything so much worse in Ichigo's world.

"You're way too lenient, Nii-san," Iho told Ogawa.

Iho took out a pack of cigarettes, something that Ichigo hadn't seen before.

Iho tapped the box and then looked over at where Ichigo was huddled into his corner, watching everyone around him. Iho had brought his "crew" by again. So far, there were three of them, and they were in the dining table area drinking sake and loudly playing cards. Iho had pulled Ogawa into the other room to talk to him. He smirked.

"Time for the dog to learn some tricks," he said as he came toward Ichigo and grabbed his arm, dragging him to the limit of his chain and forcing him to kneel there. He was just at the edge of the table. "So the dog is going to learn a new trick tonight, boys. Ashtray."

Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw Ogawa standing nearby, looking like he wasn't sure of this idea. Iho came over and lifted Ichigo's arms to put his hands palms up in a cupping shape. He then lit his cigarette and sucked down a bit before tapping it on the edge of Ichigo's hands, dropping the hot ash into his hands. Ichigo flinched but he didn't move, too afraid of what he was going to do. He leaned over and put his face even with Ichigo's.

"You move those hands, I'll beat you until you can't stand, then use your face to put out the cigarettes. Understand, dog?" Iho snarled at him.

Ichigo nodded once, knowing better than to speak. Nodding was the only acceptable answer, because there was no telling them no anyway. Nodding just meant that he knew and accepted his task, and that was all there was to it.

At first, the "ashtray" duty wasn't too bad. All four of them smoked, and would tap their ash into his hands. But then, they started to finish their cigarettes and began to put them out on his hands. He tried his best, he really did, not to move but it was so painful to have them crush them out. That first night, he ended up beaten unconscious, and woke up with burns on his face to match those on his hands. Iho never threatened anything he didn't follow up on. Ichigo figured out that Iho and his friends would come on the weekends. The next weekend, the scene was repeated, but this time, Ichigo managed to last almost all night before he broke down and couldn't hold still any longer. The scene was repeated from the last week, until three weeks later, he could sit on his knees, hands cupped, and able to accept whatever they did, even leaving burning cigarettes laying on his palms. He could smell the odor of his own skin burning, but he knew it was nothing compared to having his face and chest used in the same manner. His chest was healing from last week.

Then, another weekend some time later-time didn't seem to matter to Ichigo's brain any longer-Iho came back and said he'd been to a new club, one that dealt with pets and dogs. He said he'd seen them use silent hand signals to instruct their servants and that he liked that idea. So it began then for Ichigo to learn the hand signs of what to do without words.

"We don't have to worry about some," Iho muttered as he looked at the printed sheet he had. "Undress won't be needed…"

"Here, Kanjiro, get your stupid ass over here, watch, and do what I do," Iho said. He pointed one finger up. "Attention. Now, dumb dog, that means you get up on your knees and look at your owner, or whoever giving you the signal, got it?"

Ogawa was very excited over the silent signals. He seemed to enjoy them a lot, and Ichigo knew that he was going to be humiliated by them. Over the next few weeks, he was taught many others that were apparently "common" and then, he learned the signals for his tricks as Iho called them. Cupped hands meant he had to perform his "ashtray trick" though it wasn't really a trick, more of a duty.

Not long after, Iho decided Ichigo needed more tricks. He needed to be able to fetch, so that became a new, and horribly humiliating game, where they would throw things, usually a sex toy of some sort, and Ichigo would have to retrieve it with his mouth while he crawled on all fours. That had become another essential thing from day to day: that he remain on all fours at all times. Then, if he was unlucky, the thing he retrieved would be used mercilessly upon him. He began to hate their "games".

The hand signals were strict and soon if he messed up on any of them, he'd be beaten with the belt or the brush. He noticed that they never used anything that was special to punish him with; it was always something that could be found around a normal house. Ogawa would use newspapers, magazines, or anything he had at hand to slap him. More than once, for no other reason than Ogawa had a bad day at his job, Ichigo would find himself beaten to the point the paper or magazine was completely shredded and dripping blood from the fury with which he used it on him. Generally, it was his back that took the brunt of it, but not always.

Always, though, the signals. The ones that Ogawa used were so different from those his brother enjoyed. Ogawa wanted services. He wanted Ichigo to suck him, or he wanted to use Ichigo to sate himself. A closed fist meant to service him by sucking him off, and a circle made with the hand meant to lie down to be used. Eventually, there was no thought to the motions, they just became second nature. Anything becomes second nature after nearly five years of repetition.

Iho came less and less as time went on, as it seemed his interest began to fade with time. This caused arguments between Iho and Ogawa. Ogawa would get angry and yell after Iho left, then beat Ichigo until he couldn't stand. The worst nights came after the worst fights. Ichigo began to expect pain when they argued.

One evening, after a long and rough fight between the brothers, and Ichigo lay with a bleeding back, Ogawa smiled and petted his head.

"Dogs that service are the best ones, you know. And just so you know, if you are ever without use, if you ever stop being useful, I'll throw you way, out to the world, and you'll be alone."

Everything became rote, by memory and nothing else. He followed the hand signals. He did what he was told. And inside his soul, something burned hot now and then. His mind was so centered on the current situation, though, he didn't dare give that burning sensation any thought. Now and then, a near incapacitating vertigo would overcome him, but he made every effort not to let it bother him. He had to ignore such a thing. That wasn't a concern. Being a good dog for his owner was his only concern, his only path to survival. That, in the end, was what everything was about. It was all a path to survival.

As he curled into a ball beside Ogawa, he wondered at how he had become violent lately. Ichigo by this point, six years down his path as being nothing more than this man's dog, couldn't really remember what it was like to not be like this. He had become comfortable, even, in this existence. He knew what to expect. He knew consequences. But then, lately, his owner had become odd and been unpredictable. He would show up at random times angry, or crying, or excited. There was no way for Ichigo to know how to act around him. Some days he did nothing but fall into the futon with Ichigo and sob. Other days, he would come in and began beating him until he was gasping for breath on the floor. And still other days, he would bring him treats, telling him what a good dog he was for putting up with him so well. Ichigo didn't know what to think, he just huddled into his corner and waited.

Then, the dark night came. The night that everything that Ichigo knew was shattered.

Ichigo had been asleep when the inner door banged open and Ogawa had come into the room, stumbling slightly. He had been drinking with some work friends. This was not an unusual occurrence lately. Iho and his buddies hadn't been there in months, and honestly, it had been nearly peaceful for Ichigo. Something, though, was off tonight as Ogawa wandered about the place and muttered. Ichigo watched desperately for some sign, a signal, anything, but nothing came. He didn't do anything he usually did.

Ichigo felt the dizziness wash over him and the world seemed to fade out for a second. Lately, that sensation had become frightening. It started out as a burning, a yearning in his soul, but now, something burned. He yelped when the world came to clarity and Ogawa had his hands around his neck shaking him.

"What the fuck was that?" he screamed in Ichigo's face.

Ichigo gasped because he couldn't answer even if he wanted to with his fingers digging in underneath the welded metal collar around his neck. He was clutching to his throat and Ichigo was beginning to see some black patches and felt spittle spraying his face. He was incensed and completely uncontrolled right then. It was scary for the first time in a long time.

"You are some sort of freak, those eyes, those eyes that haunt my dreams!" he screamed and slammed Ichigo's head into the floor several times until the dizziness came back, though this time it wasn't because of whatever burning sensation there was inside of him. "I'll kill it, whatever it is!" he screamed, and Ichigo almost cried out as he started pressing his thumbs into his eyes.

There was no sensation, really, just a strange popping feeling and there was a blinding flash of light. The strange, oozing sensation as he felt something down his face as the world spun into complete darkness. But something made Ogawa scream, and Ichigo didn't realize that he screamed as well because his fingers were still digging into the sockets of his eyes and that did hurt.

Something slammed into his head and he was being drug now, skittering his hands and knees on the floor for purchase. He felt the thump as he was dumped over the edge and into the bathtub.

"Stay, dog. You stay there."

Ichigo didn't dare move, he just curled into a ball into the side of the tub and panted. He didn't move to wash his face, he didn't move to do anything except "stay" as he'd been told. He said to stay. Stay was all he could do. Stay, that was it. Stay. No matter what, he had to stay. Even after the hunger came. He moved only to drink from the water, and then he moved the shower curtain over him because it got cold as though the chilly night was pressing in on him. He didn't know time, and he slept some of it. Then, he was touching a familiar face and it scared him more than anything in the world. What would owner say?

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

"We cannot even consider that!" Jūshirō hissed loudly at Shunsui.

"Why not? You heard his heart last night. He wishes to be able to please us, and that means doing…" Shunsui trailed off when he saw that Ichigo was kneeling near the door listening to them argue. He gave Jūshirō a look and went and knelt beside him. He reached a hand out and caressed his head. "Oh, hello, Ichi-kun."

"Sh-Shujin, you are fighting with Omo?" he whispered in his hoarse voice.

"Just silly nonsense, right, Jūshirō-kun?" Shunsui said with a smile, glancing at Jūshirō. Jūshirō, to his credit, made an effort to smile. He found himself unable to do so effectively.

"Nothing important, Ichigo, I promise, pet," he said as he came forward, leaning over and ruffling his hair. "You should be asleep still. It is early yet."

Ichigo nodded and turned to crawl back to the bed. Jūshirō turned and hissed at Shunsui. "You are too loud. This is not over. He is not going to be expected to do something like that. That defeats the whole purpose of what we are doing with him. He's been sexually abused. We are not going to reinforce that part of what that man did to him. He had other people rape him, Shunsui. How can you even suggest such a thing, knowing that?"

Shunsui sighed, and neither of them noticed that Ichigo had returned to the partially opened door. When Shunsui had slid it closed, it had popped open a little. "Jūshirō-kun, listen to what I am saying. He needs to make his own choices, and we said at the beginning that this might go down that path. I'm not saying we should force anything on him, of course. But what of his own desires as he starts to find them? We cannot just ignore that part of him. He is going to have feelings of a sexual nature, and he needs to know they are not bad, even after what he's been through," Shunsui was doing a good job of keeping his voice down.

Jūshirō growled under his breath and shook his head, coughing for a second before looking at him. "Why don't you take him to the koi pond, for a while. He's been cooped up inside the house all this time," he said, heaving a breath again.

"Are you having an episode?" Shunsui asked, frowning deeply at him.

"No, just a bit of a cough, please, I'm fine. He needs to get outside a bit. Be careful with his brittle bones," Jūshirō commented as he turned and went into the other part of the house.

Shunsui sighed, seeing the door was cracked and he could see Ichigo's form still on the other side. He swallowed, kneeling down before the door and sliding it open. Ichigo was kneeling on the other side and looked upward with his covered eyes.

"Ichi-kun, let's go outside for a while," Shunsui said as he reached out for Ichigo's hand.

Ichigo felt for Shunsui's hand and then stood up slowly beside him. He wanted to go to his hands and knees all the time, Shunsui noted. He frowned but led him down the step off the deck and to the small koi pond where he helped him sit down. Shunsui fished around in his kimono pocket for his tobacco and rolled a rare cigarette for himself. It wasn't a consistent habit, but one he picked up long ago. Now and then, it was nice to smoke one when he was away from Jūshirō. No matter what the frail man said, he knew an episode of his illness was coming on him. He struck a match and inhaled the rich, heady smoke.

"Shujin?" he heard from beside him and glanced over to see that Ichigo had moved to sit on his knees and held his hands in front of him.

"Ichi-kun?" he asked, noting that his hands were trembling. He leaned closer and looked at his hands and it was with sudden clarity he realized something. Those weren't just any scars on his palms, no, with the other damage to him, they hadn't realized it. He looked at the cigarette in his hand and Ichigo's cupped hands and he came to the crushing realization why he was suddenly sitting that way.

"I…want to serve you, Shujin, please."

"Ichi-kun," Shunsui was feeling exasperated, even though it was in no way Ichigo's fault that this was happening. It was the argument with Jūshirō, and now this. "I won't use your hands as an ashtray. That's what they did, isn't it?"

"I have to be useful," Ichigo said and Shunsui heard the waver to his voice. "I have to be useful, or else, or else…"

"Ichigo, what is the or else? What happens if you aren't useful?" Shunsui asked, dragging off the cigarette and tapping the ash away from them. "What is the worst thing that happens if you are not useful?"

Ichigo's hands trembled heavily now. "I'll be thrown away, thrown out without an Owner," he whispered, slipping back into the same word he'd used before. "I won't know what to do if I'm not told."

Shunsui nodded, understanding at least a little why Ichigo felt this need to have a purpose. "Ichigo, I am not going to use you like he did. Or like the others he had come and use you. You are worth more than that."

"But I need to serve someone!" Ichigo's voice was stronger than it had been before and for that Shunsui was glad to hear. That meant that he was starting to speak for himself, and that was a monumental task. Even if the reason he was speaking for himself was to tell him that he needed to be instructed. It was something, though.

"I understand that you are looking for ways to be useful, and I understand that that horrible man made you feel like you had to be useful to him. But that is gone, Ichigo. You aren't required to do those things any longer. You are independent of that life now, Ichigo. And you will never have to do the things he made you do before again. You get to choose."

There was a long silence and Ichigo dropped his hands to his lap. "What if I want to choose to serve someone?"

This had been the exact thing that Shunsui had been trying to discuss with Jūshirō. "Ichi-kun, I don't want you to make a choice like that until you've healed."

"When is that, that?" Ichigo hoarsely whispered. "When they take my soul out of my body and I can see again? If I can see again?"

"I don't know, I really don't," Shunsui said with a sigh as he sucked another drag from the cigarette and blew the smoke into the air above his head. "I wish I did know."

"I know the things that go on, even without eyes, I know," Ichigo muttered, reaching up and touching the cloth that covered his eyes. "I didn't miss them, my eyes, when he gouged them out. I did scream, I know I did because it did hurt a lot. But still, I wasn't scared of being blind. I was scared of being left alone again. I…needed him, no matter how he hurt me, I needed him," he said with a choked sound to his voice. "Why?"

"Why did you need him?" Shunsui wondered as surprised by the question as Ichigo himself was. "Why do we need anyone, Ichigo?" he asked with a heavy sigh.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Kisuke sat and stared at the things he'd compiled before he headed to Soul Society. He looked up as Uryū came into the tearoom.

"Ishida-kun," he said without looking up. "Are you going to check on Ichigo before we start the procedure to separate his soul form?"

Uryū nodded as he sat down, watching as Kisuke shuffled the papers back into the file folder and handed them to Uryū. "I'm taking those with me to help with his treatment. He's been remanded into Shunsui and Jūshirō's care. Unohana-taichou thought that he would do well at Jūshirō's estate. After tomorrow, he may regain his sight, which would be a boon for everyone. Him blind in this condition is difficult on everyone."

"What is this?" Uryū asked, flipping through the pages.

"I did some investigation of my own, well, I gained access to the investigation the police have done. Surprisingly, they were efficient," Kisuke said as he sipped his tea.

"This says that they've arrested Kanjiro's brother, Iho, and several others that they confirmed identity via the videos that were taken. There have been seven other arrests. This guy got eight other people to do these things to Ichigo? This is sick…" Uryū whispered and looked at Kisuke with a horrified expression. "This says that they literally trained him to be a dog. With a shock collar and everything."

Kisuke nodded and pulled out a paper. "This officer condensed the events down to this one neat listing. To think, six years of torture, all on one piece of paper," he said and held it up and sighed.

"Do I want to know what all that piece of paper says?" Uryū pondered but looked at Kisuke expectantly. He did want to know.

"Victim was kidnapped and subjected to use of date rape drug. Multiple instances of sexual assault over the period of captivity. Events transpired that can only be described as sexual torture and physical and emotional abuse. Victim was bound often and with little regard to his well-being. Victim was often beaten with various implements. Implements: hair brush, papers, newspapers, magazines, belts, wooden spoons, bare hand. Victim was forced to remain chained to a central pole. Victim was often left without food for periods of up to four days at a time. Victim was tortured with other objects. Shock collars were used on the victim. Victim was taught hand signals and to do 'tricks' for spectators. Victim was forced to use hands as a receptacle for cigarettes and ash." Kisuke stopped. He wiped tears away from his own eyes. "Ah, sorry, Uryū. It is hard to read this about someone like Ichigo. "Victim was forced to service those who came to see him in a sexual manner. It is obvious through the viewing of the evidence tapes that the perpetrators were grooming the victim to become a human 'dog' for their amusement. Many of the things that were done to the victim were to this end. Victim learned command signals and command words such as 'sit', 'stay', 'come', and 'fetch'. Each command was associated with painful repercussions for the victim if it was not followed through on."

"Did the ones they arrested have any remorse for what they'd done?" Uryū asked, staring at his own hands.

"None," Kisuke said with a sigh. "They were proud to have gotten away with it for so long," Kisuke said as he stood up. Uryū followed him as they left together to go to Soul Society.

-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-

Jūshirō couldn't find Ichigo, and that was going to be a problem. "Kiyone! Kiyone!" he called, looking around for his vice. Where had that brat gone?

Kiyone came through the doorway leading Kisuke and Uryū. Jūshirō looked up and smiled wanly. "Ah, hi, um, I'm looking for Ichigo, if you want to help me find him," he said, pausing to cough for a minute. "I think something earlier might have scared him, and he went to find a place to hide," Jūshirō said as he opened a closet and peeked inside.

"You lost him?" Uryū inquired, but then remembered he'd lost Ichigo once as well in the hospital. "Yeah, he's good at sneaking away when you're doing other things," he muttered as he started looking around as well.

The three began searching the estate. As they went to a new room, Jūshirō glanced at them. "Why are you here today?"

"Tomorrow is the test, to separate Ichigo's soul form, Uryū and I came to check on Ichigo before things happen tomorrow," Kisuke said as they came into the kitchen. Kisuke tilted his head to the side and saw the fabric caught in the pantry door. He gestured toward the door.

Jūshirō sighed and dropped down before he opened it. He slowly pulled open the door to find Ichigo huddled in the small space under the bottom shelf. "Ichigo," he whispered.

"Omo?" Ichigo asked as he lifted his head a little.

"Come out of there, please," he murmured as he put an arm out and pushed a little as he crawled out of it. He moved out and sat on his knees again. "And stop sitting on your knees, that has to hurt so much."

Ichigo looked down with his sightless eyes and shrugged. "It doesn't matter," he mumbled. "Someone is here."

"He's good at smells," Jūshirō said as he glanced at the others. "Um, yes, Uryū and Kusuke came to see you before they do the soul form separation tomorrow."

"Can I service them?" Ichigo asked and tilted his head to the side.

"No, you aren't doing that," Jūshirō said with a sigh as he stood up.

"But if Omo won't let me service him and Shujin, what use can I be?" Ichigo asked, dropping his head down and looking defeated completely.

Jūshirō coughed again and Ichigo's head snapped to look toward him. He stood up slowly and sighed. "Ah, he wants to be useful."

"I've seen the police reports," Kisuke said with a strained smile at Jūshirō. "I've been doing some of my own research. I followed what was happening. They arrested eight others in Ichigo's case. Luckily, the excuse that he isn't fit to stand trial has been enough to keep them from trying to get him to do anything to do with the case. That much has been good, considering the condition that he's in still."

"Rukia is mad at me," Ichigo commented, looking away from them all with his sightless eyes.

"Why would Rukia be mad?" Kisuke said, surprised by that thought.

"Because I'm not who I used to be," Ichigo responded and sighed. He reached up and touched his eyes again. "I never can be who I used to be again. They turned me into something else."

Uryū winced because he knew exactly what it was that was causing that. He moved over and placed a gentle hand on Ichigo's back. "Ichigo, you are always going to be you, that's enough. She may be a little mad right now, but she isn't really mad at you, just at what has happened, you know?"

Ichigo nodded. "I guess," he said in a very dejected voice.

Kisuke pulled Jūshirō to the side. "Why is he hiding from you?"

"Not from me, just…" Jūshirō sighed and glanced at Ichigo and back to Kisuke. "Shunsui has been wanting to let him do some of the things he wants to do, the sexual things. He says that if we prohibit them, that Ichigo will feel like we're saying they're bad things, when they were only bad because he didn't have a choice. But I don't think he's ready," Jūshirō grumbled.

"That's not an easy line to draw," Kisuke said with a concerned look. "To know where he is making his choices and where it is just his conditioning…"

"Will he ever make his own choices?" Jūshirō asked.

"I don't know for sure," Kisuke said with a sigh.

After Kisuke and Uryū left, Jūshirō got Ichigo ready for bed. The next day was going to be a busy, and stressful day for everyone.