A/N: Apologies for the belated update. Online classes have started up again and my mind is a bit busy thinking for school. It seems my mind can only be in so many places at once, and though I may be later in updating, I assure you, I have not once forgotten my readers. I present to you a masterpiece wrought from the depths of my too busy brain. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach... well I do have several Bleach items in possession…:P

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Chapter 4

Byakuya sighed as he sat against the back wall of the cell. The shackle around his wrist certainly made moving difficult, not to mention, it was unbearably uncomfortable.

He was startled from his thoughts when a hollow-like scream echoed all around. The sound sent chills down his spine as he realized who it belonged to. If he had never met the hollow before, he would never have recognized the voice. Silence followed the lone chilling roar, adding to Byakuya's unease. Yesterday it had been a torrent of agonized screams that reached his ears.

Today there had been silence, only broken by a single scream. A scream that didn't belong to only Ichigo. Whatever they were doing to the boy had to be horrific. Byakuya knew he needed to find a way out, or at least a way to alert Soul Society to their location. Ichigo wasn't fooling him with his heroic tough act. He knew the teen had to be terrified, a child of his age could only take so much cruelty before he broke forever.

They needed a way out, before the damage they inflicted became irreparable.

The familiar squeal of the rusty door suddenly filled the air again, and Ichigo was once again deposited on the cold cell floor. This time, however, the boy was writhing uncontrollably, seemingly lost in some nightmarish torture.

"Have fun, princess, You might have a visitor soon, if he hasn't already broken free." One of the men snickered as he slammed the door.

Byakuya waited until the captors left before kneeling beside struggling teen. He had to lean forward a bit before he could reach Ichigo's shaking shoulder. He full intended on infusing what little healing kido he could manage, but as soon as his hand touched Ichigo's shoulder, the boy flinched further away before stilling.

The noble withdrew his hand as the teen slowly got to his hands and knees, his face still hidden from the captain's view. When he finally did turn his head, Byakuya gasped in shock. A white bone mask covered Ichigo's left eye, and his once warm brown eyes were now the black and gold coloring of a hollow. It shocked Byakuya even more when he realized the hollow's expression was that of pure fear, rather than the crazed look from when they first met.

"Why are you here, hollow?" Byakuya asked, drawing further back in case the hollow decided to rampage.

He wasn't answered immediately, instead the hollow looked around himself, taking in the small cell, as well as Ichigo's battered body. Eventually his eyes landed back on the noble. A spark of recognition lit the fear-filled orbs.

He sighed in resignation. "Seems king went and locked me out. Anyway the name's Shiro, not hollow. Nice ta see ya again, oh, and I ain't gonna attack you this time so quit your worrying."

"King?"

Shiro motioned to his body, "Ya know, Ichigo? He's the ruler of our world, therefore king."

"I see. You didn't fully answer my first question. Why are you here?"

Shiro rolled his eyes as he moved to a sitting position against the rear wall, a few feet away from Byakuya. "Usually I just mess with him a bit to teach him lessons, trying to kill him and shit. Last time you and I met, I was a bit excited at getting out, not to mention he was close to dying. Pitiful wimp. Right now, it seems I've been forced to take over. Whatever was in that needle was god-awful. He started dreaming horrible things, then he completely freaked and withdrew into the deeper parts of our inner world. I was seeing the same things, until he pushed me out. So here I be. Good enough answer for ya?"

"Anyway, those fellas said that the effects should wear off in few hours. Guess I'll put up with king being a wimp before I try going back. I'm gonna beat the shit out of him for getting us stuck like this." Though it was a genuine threat, it lacked the bite Shiro intended.

Byakuya looked closer at the hollow before him, noticed how exhausted he seemed. The torture must have been worse than the hollow was letting on for him to look so worn. Every so often a shiver would wrack his body, and he would curl up tighter. The exhaustion eventually took it's toll and the hollow passed out. Looking not at all the fierce creature he normal was.

Byakuya sighed and rest his head against the wall. His eyes closed as he once again wandered in thought. He really needed to find a way out, and fast.

He was once again startled from his thoughts when a weight landed unexpectedly on his lap. He snapped his eyes open and saw that Shiro had fallen over in his sleep, his head resting on Byakuya's thigh. His hand unconsciously went to the boy's forehead, for it was technically Ichigo's body. His skin was warm to the touch, a slight fever. He rubbed his fingers through the orange hair soothingly as he started a light healing kido. The hollow was still part of the boy, and apparently wasn't as hostile as he first thought. He kept the kido, and the soothing action, going until he too drifted off to sleep.

A/N: Poo. Totally forgot to think of an identity for the villain man. Perhaps he'll remain anonymous until Soul Society rescues them and investigates. We shall see. Next chapter has yet to be written, but I'm thinking it's time to dish out the worst of the tortures. I'm sorry, Ichigo! You'll be okay, I think…

If you haven't already, please check out my other stories. "Drunken Nobility" is strictly yaoi, so if you're not into that, avoid it please. The more fluffy stories are "Simple Death" which I have decided to take up again, and "Found You."

Oh! I just discovered a WIP story titled "Broken Hero" in my documents...I will work on that as well and upload it shortly ^.^ Enjoy fellow fanfic fans ^.^