Shuu-mun is a bit derpy lately, so my writing comes and goes. Ya know, depression. v.v -sigh- And thank you to the three people who have reviewed so far~ ^w^ I hope i can keep it interesting for you~ I don't have a beta, and I can't see all that well, so that's why my writing has some bigger mistakes than I plan sometimes. ^.^; Sorry about that.

Shuuhei, when he finally awoke, raised a hand to his head, groaning. Pain pounded through his skull, from what he assumed was hitting his head. The air around him felt damp and heavy, and his clothes clung to his skin. The servant shivered, forcing himself to sit up on weak arms. Sori was lying where his stomach used to be, and his body seemed to be glowing in the darkness. Whether it was from the fog or the hidden moon above, Shuuhei immediately snatched up the slumbering feline and placed him back in the bag; being out in the darkness without a fire was a bad idea.

He thought that Renji and the others would have found him by now, unless he was expecting the brunette to travel all the way to their unknown destination by himself. Sori let out a hiss of annoyance, but a few strokes and the cat was docile again. Shuuhei, rather than risking walking, began to crawl along the darkened ground in pained silence.

It was times like these that he could've slipped away without a trace, but Renji always managed to find him. He wasn't sure how, but the redhead just seemed to know where he was going. The servant never got far, and the only reason he quit trying was to avoid the beating that always came later. That and losing his ability to walk.

Shuddering at the thought, he continued onwards, the fog pressing against him. There was no shelter in the plain, so his only choice of warmth was to keep moving, even if it hurt. A sense of dread began to overcome him, as if he were being watched in the dim world around him. The thought sent a shiver of unease through him, but he felt Sori begin to struggle where he was hidden. Several claws dug into his side and Shuuhei threw the bag away with a cry. The white cat appeared moments later and shot off into the darkness, clearly frantic and terrified. That could only mean one thing; someone or something was stalking them, and Sori had chose the quickest way to escape.

Shuuhei let out a small noise and glanced around, but he saw nothing in the white darkness. But he didn't allow himself to show the fear swirling inside of his body. Using slow, practiced movements, he stood up, not wanting to alert whatever was lurking just beyond his line of sight. Fighting was much easier if you could stand and face your opponent. At least Renji had taught him that much.

Several seconds of trepidation went by, grey eyes scanning for an enemy that he could not see. Shuuhei dared not move, but he knew that nothing would be resolved that way. But just as he went to take a step forwards, a hiss came from the darkness, making him freeze. The hiss grew in volume, shifting from tolerable to an almost unbearable shriek. Shuuhei clasp his hands over his ears, trying to block out the horrible sound. He sank to his knees, forehead hitting the ground in his feeble attempt to get that noise to stop. Fuck, his ears were bleeding; he had felt blood too many times not to believe it.

Abruptly, the sound came to a halt. Shuuhei let out a shaky gasp, resting his elbows against the ground as he fought for air. The brunette reached up to run his fingers gently over the bloody skin by his ears. Fuck, that hurt, and all he could hear was a sharp ringing. He couldn't be . . . deaf, could he? A stricken look overcame his features, but he knew that he couldn't stay there for too long. Shuuhei sat up, letting out laboured breaths as he attempted to stand.

It was then that he gave up all of his efforts.

The brunette sank back, eyes wide with fear and shock. He'd only ever heard stories about the man, for he was quite young when he first saw him, but what he had done was a story that, even though not that old, was whispered in a hushed voice. It was the one who had caused Izuru to go into such a horrible state that not even Renji thought he would come back from it.

Ichimaru Gin, the one who had been ranked third to the king.

The servant scrambled to get out of his line of sight, but the attempts were futile; Ichimaru had already seen him. He had probably been the cause of the fog, too. A sickening smile stretched over the man's features and Shuuhei shrank back in fear, wishing for nothing more than to disappear into the ground. "Well, what do we have 'ere?" His body felt frozen to the spot as Ichimaru drew closer, reaching out to run bony fingers over his forehead.

"Ya know, yer jus' like me," the man said sweetly, in such a voice that it almost made the brunette sick. "Those eyes ah yer's; they're swimmin' with barely concealed violence." Shuuhei's mouth fell open just a fraction and after a moment, he shook his head. "T-there's no way I'm anything like a monster like you!"

"A monster ya say? Not any diff'rent then yer self, little Shuuhei." The servant literally felt the color drain from his features. Ichimaru knew his name. He knew his name. Did that . . . did that mean the man wanted something to do with him? His heartbeat sped up as Ichimaru dropped himself onto the ground, leaning forwards until their noses were barely brushing. "I can' do anythin' tao ya know, but when the time comes, then yer mine," the an said lowly, snickering in his ear.

Ichimaru stood with a feral grace before beginning to retreat into the thick fog. But just before he left Shuuhei's personal space, his hand flew backwards, and for a moment, the brunette caught gleaming white claws and silver fur. Even that was lost to him as the man lashed at the tattoo on his face, leaving four deeply sunk wounds over it. The servant fell backwards at the force of the strike, maybe screaming in pain. But it was muffled by Ichimaru's cold, ghostly fingers as they dug into his cheeks.

"'M gonna have fun breakin' ya," the snake-liked man said before licking his lips. And then he was gone, trotting off into the fog at a leisurely pace.

Shuuhei shuddered, but he didn't allow himself to relax just yet. The fog was still hovering around him, and from his judgement, morning was still two hours away. The boy pulled his bag close to his chest, shivering in the cold air. Whatever warmth he had managed to obtain from earlier had seeped out of him under Ichimaru's presence. He went to move again when he felt a shift in the air. It grew lighter, the fog beginning to break up into rapidly dissolving patches.

The servant sighed shakily as it completely dissipated, as silently as it had appeared. Above him, the moon glowed with harsh white light, and Shuuhei knew that now that he could see, he could no longer stay there.

The moon offered only trouble.

Well, I'm a bit meh with Gin right now. I haven't been feeling much like him lately, so his language and such might be a bit off. Otherwise, this chapter is sort of longer than the others. But anyways, I hope I'm not boring you so far~