~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Ichigo's POV)
Something was really wrong here. Ichigo knew Uryuu preferred to spend his time alone, but normally when he was around the group he fought with, he was at least less cold than he normally was at school. While Uryuu was still joining in on the conversation, smiling and laughing with Rukia and Orihime over the ice cream sundaes they'd gotten, Ichigo would catch somber glances sent his direction every now and again out of the corner of his eyes. Still, there wasn't really a chance for Ichigo to say anything, since Uryuu either kept his comments to himself, or lead the conversation in any direction as long as it wasn't toward Ichigo.
He sat across from Uryuu, with Rukia at his left and Orihime on Uryuu's right, his hands folded under his nose as he contemplated the jumpy man while under the guise of deciding on ordering another sundae. Under any normal circumstances, either Rukia or Orihime would have accused Ichigo of being too quiet, and Uryuu of being too talkative, but for some reason, today felt... unnaturally normal.
So Ichigo took it upon himself after watching Uryuu's interactions with the girls to figure out what was wrong. He was about to speak up when an opportunity presented itself. Both women rose from their seats, claiming they were going to head out to their next destination: the amusement park that was set up in town for a few weeks.
"Go on ahead," Ichigo started, catching Uryuu's hitched breath at his words. "We'll catch up here in a bit. I've got a few things to ask Uryuu."
Orihime seemed satisfied with Ichigo's vague explination, but he noticed the pause in Rukia's eyes. He would have some more explaining to do later in the day, but after a few seconds, both were on their way out the door, leaving Ichigo and Uryuu sitting alone at the booth.
~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Uryuu's POV)
This couldn't be happening. Uryuu felt his palms begining to sweat, and he had to try as hard as possible to keep himself from visibly shaking. Watching Rukia and Orihime leave, his tongue trying and sticking to the roof of his mouth, stopping him from begging them to stay was killing him inside. He didn't want to be alone with Ichigo, not now, not after...
"Uryuu."
He jumped, startled out of his panic attack, his eyes flying back to Ichigo and for a second, the only color that filled his vision was the orange of his hair before he closed his eyes to get rid of the image. His brain was quickly turning everything onto its head, especially with flashbacks of what he'd already been put through cropping up for him to experience all over again.
"Uryuu!"
Flinching, Uryuu returned his gaze to Ichigo's questioning glance, coughing to get rid of any shakiness in his voice before he spoke,
"... yeah?"
He watched Ichigo frown in thought, like after Uryuu had hit him with the splintered bedpost... right before he had raped Uryuu in his own bedroom. The thought gave him cold chills as he tried to shut out the images of being helpless to move, forced to watch his body's reaction as he was brutally raped and made to...
"Is something wrong?"
Again, Uryuu's mind snapped back to the conversation happening between him and Ichigo, trying to still his churning head. He was okay; if nothing else, it was a public place, with people around to witness anything that happened, and a table between them. Nothing was going to happen, nothing -
Uryuu started violently when Ichigo's hands came down roughly on the table, the orange hair standing to look down on Uryuu cowering in the booth across from him.
"Dammit, Uryuu, talk to me! What the hell is going on?"
"I-it's just... a lot going on. At home. A-at school. I guess..." Uryuu answered instantly, glued to his seat even as he tried to shrink into its depths.
All he could see in front of him was Ichigo's eyes burrowing into his skull, burning themselves into his brain as he reached across the table, grabbing his arms and throwing him across the table before spreading Uryuu's legs after ripping his trousers off his lower form and exposing him to everyone before taking him roughly in full view of -
Uryuu blinked, fearing for a moment he had a premonition of what was to come, seeing Ichigo standing with his hands upon the table, staring at him strangely, only to have his fears create a thick sheen of sweat across his forehead when Ichigo reached forward for his hand. Uryuu was torn between wanting to tear away and run for his life, and just humor Ichigo so there would be less pain involved, when he heard a gentler voice penatrating through his fearful haze.
"Look, I don't know what's going on, Uryuu. I guess if you want to tell me, you will. Until then, enjoy your day out with friends, okay? Let's catch up to Rukia and Orihime."
The light grip Ichigo had on Uryuu's wrist was at odds with the memories tearing through Uryuu's mask of braveness, but he let his orange haired tormentor lead the way out of the ice cream shoppe and toward the amusement park grounds.
~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~
Slowly, as the day went on, Uryuu felt himself becoming somewhat calmer. Ichigo seemed to genuinely care whether or not Uryuu was having fun, and was going out of his way to include him in the group activities. For a while, Uryuu could almost convince himself that the past was behind him now, and that Ichigo was Ichigo again. As the day turned into night, Uryuu almost had a smile on his face at the antics Orhime pulled at the ring toss, stretching all the way over the fence and still missing every single bottle and managing to almost hit the person working the stand in the face.
Then Rukia suggested they take a trip through the Maze O' Mirrors, and Ichigo and Orihime jumped on board. It took a litte encouraging, but Uryuu finally agreed, following them into the maze. Confusing and disorienting to say the least, after everything he had gone through mentally and emotionally the past few weeks, he was easily disoriented and lost, as lost as his friends were. So badly so, that he didn't even notice it until Rukia and Orihime took a wrong turn, and all of a sudden, Uryuu was faced with the image of himself standing next to the man who had raped him several times over.
Despite the cold shiver that went down his spine, Uryuu took a moment to pause, taking a closer look at his own reflection. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his face was pale and almost shrunken in from how little he'd been eating lately. Uryuu grimaced, deciding he needed to try sleeping a little more when he was startled by Ichigo's hand on his shoulders. Transfixed, Uryuu stood rooted in place, watching Ichigo lean into him, breathing into his ear,
"Take your pants off. Right now, no protests."
Uryuu froze, biting back a whimper at the words that brought back the memory of the nights at the library. This couldn't be happening, this wasn't happening, didn't want it, didn't need it -
The hand on his shoulder tightened painfully so, finally bringing the horrified whimper past his lips. He couldn't do this...! His breathing hitched as the fingers at his shoulders dug into his flesh, tighter and tigher every second until he finally, brokenly, let loose a louder sob, yanking away from the hand at his shoulder and heading toward his right, where Rukia and Orihime had turned. If he could managed to make it to a crowd, to witnesses, to someone, maybe...
Uryuu grunted as he crashed head first into a mirror, his eyes widening in surprise and terror as he quickly moved along the mirror, trying desperately to find a way out. After a few long seconds, his stomach began to twist into a knot as his mind betrayed the thought he had gone around in a complete circle with no exit. Slowly, the frightened Uryuu turned around to face Ichigo, only to find him standing where he had been before, in the middle of all the mirrors, with his back to Uryuu, as if there was nothing wrong.
But Uryuu could still see Ichigo's eyes watching him through the mirrors with a bemused glint and a sickening smirk painted on his lips. He knew Uryuu was trapped. Somehow, he'd done it, and all this was a game of cat and mouse. Uryuu could feel his knees trembling, threatening to give way at any second, but he couldn't force himself to move anymore, like he was frozen to the spot.
All he could see was the evil glint in his captors eyes and the shock of orange hair that mocked him every time it raped him. All he could feel was a pure terror flooding his veins with adrenaline, the fear of more pain and humiliation and suffering and debasement and torture and -
"GO AWAY!"
The scream ripped itself from Uryuu's throat before he could stop it, just like the tears welled up in his eyes to slip past his cheeks before he could summon up the willpower to control himself. However, once he had already yelled at the Hollow, he could feel himself breaking piece by piece again until he had his head in his hands, struggling to raise his voice over the tightening in his throat and the choked sobs vying for the spotlight.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
His mind barely registered Ichigo calling his name mockingly as he frantically turned back to the mirrors, banging his fists against them as hard as he could. If he couldn't find a way out, he had to make a way out, or Ichigo would hurt him again. He'd rape him and make his body betray him and -
"Uryuu."
The word floated into Uryuu's ears in Ichigo's sing-song voice. Cat and mouse game; he was toying with him, trying to break him further, but Uryuu couldn't let him do it. Couldn't, wouldn't, didn't want it, didn't need it, have to make a way out, get out/go away/stay away/don't rape me/please I beg of you/oh god it's not working/break already/break/break/BREAK!
Uryuu slammed his fists into the mirror as hard as he could, and felt a satisfying sting in his hands as the mirror shattered into shards of glass that bit into his flesh and scattered around his feet. He was about to take off running when hard hands on his shoulders made a painful cold chill shoot down his spine. In a panic, he dropped to his knees, shards of glass embedding themselves through his trousers into his knees and legs, but Uryuu barely felt any of it. What was a little pain like this, after all, compared to what Ichigo had put him through, and would put him through if he couldn't get away?
Uryuu struggled, trying to shake Ichigo's grip, but Ichigo had a good hold of Uryuu's shirt, and yanked Uryuu back onto his feet, only to spin him around to face the punishment of trying to escape.
~.X.~ ~.X.~ ~.X.~ (Ichigo's POV)
Ichigo's eyes were about a wide and wild as Uryuu's own, but for an entirely different reason. One moment, he'd been perfectly fine, the next, he'd started freaking out, yelling at someone or something and then started hitting the mirrors. It hadn't mattered how many times Ichigo shouted Uryuu's name or tried to catch the man's attention, he'd just kept hitting one of the mirrors until it broke. All over him.
In shock, Ichigo rushed over, trying to calm Uryuu down only to be met with flying fists before Uryuu tried to impale himself on what shards were laying on the ground. With as much force as Ichigo could muster, he'd lifted his friend off the ground and forced him around so they were face to face, but Uryuu wasn't looking at him; he was looking through him, like there was something only he could see, and it was terrorizing him.
With an inward wince, Ichigo did the only thing he could think of.
He slapped Uryuu.