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Sweet Submissive Sixteen
Chapter Four: Escape Routes
It was apparent soon into their trek to the nearby city that none of Ichigo's three captors were particularly loquacious. In fact, they seemed completely content to make the entire trip to their destination without saying a word. Even Shiro was silent, though occasionally from where he rode his horse in the front of the triangular formation the group traveled he sent smouldering stares with his midnight sun eyes the orangette's way.
Ichigo was determined not to react to the vampire's teasing, making a point of looking down or to the side and away from Shiro's seductive gaze. However, he couldn't stop his face from shamefully heating up when he sensed those unnaturally beautiful eyes on him, heart beating far faster than he suspected was healthy. Luckily though, these instances were few during their several hour pilgrimage along the path winding through the eerily silent and barren woods.
The one Ichigo had learned was named Grimmjow rode his rare all-white, blue-eyed Arabian to the submissive male's left, while Renji, the former stable hand at Kuchiki estate, took up the position to his right. Their horses walked so close together that every now and then their stirrups would knock into each other's, too close for the orangette to even think about escaping, let alone actually try to get away.
They underestimated him. He wasn't so daft to make a run for it while they were out in the middle of nowhere, not having a clue which direction the manor was in. Should he even manage to lose the vampires who'd kidnapped him, he would only end up hopelessly lost in the seemingly never-ending woods. Ichigo was a fair bit more clever than he let on and had already begun to think of ways to lose his captors once inside the city's walls.
It would've been ideal if he knew the actual name of their destination so he could draw on his years of geography lessons to further plan for his getaway, but he would just have to wait until they got there to find out.
About three hours after they'd left the shack on horseback, Renji abruptly gave a short whistled command that had all four horses stopping dead in their tracks. An unsuspecting Ichigo had to grab a fistful of Zangetsu's mane to steady himself as inertia pitched him forward in the saddle.
Scowling furiously in indignation, he looked up to see the redhead's burgundy gaze going straight over his head to address Grimmjow and Shiro. Jerking his head in the direction of the side of the dirt path, Renji's face was impassive, like stone, and so very different from the amicable stable hand Ichigo had thanked for saving his beloved horse just the day before.
It seemed like it had happened centuries ago, their short-lived friendship now ancient history.
Ichigo supposed he shouldn't have felt so betrayed that he could practically feel the knife in his back. He'd known the vampire for all of two days in which they conversed a grand total of one time, so his hurt at finding out Renji had been in on this scheme to kidnap and hold him for ransom didn't make any sense.
But, of course, emotions are hardly ever logical.
"Let's rest here for a bit; the horses need water," Renji said, explaining why he'd whistled for their mounts to halt.
To Ichigo's left Grimmjow grunted in agreement, a sound he managed to make appealing, before spurring his mare to head towards the side of the road. Zangetsu had no choice but to follow and the four vampires wandered over to the side of the path, all of them dismounting with ease. However, as Ichigo went to walk around the jet black stallion, wanting to make certain his horse got his fair share of the water from a canteen Renji had produced to let the animals drink from, he nearly collided into a black-clothed, porcelain torso.
Confused, the orangette lifted suspicious toffee brown eyes to gaze into Shiro's ghostly attractive face.
"Sorry 'bout this, Ichi, but ya have ta understand tha' we can't have ya tryin' ta make a run fer it," the albino said in that watery voice of his and before Ichigo could wonder what he possibly meant by that, his wrists were captured in a firm grasp rendering him unable to break away as a thick rope wound around them, binding his hands in front of him.
"You don't have to tie me up, I'm not stupid enough to run away in the middle of a forest," Ichigo protested adamantly, trying to free his wrists from Shiro's iron grip. After he realized what he'd just said, the submissive vampire mentally kicked himself for coming so close to revealing his plans.
"'A course ya ain't," Shiro said, his tone one of an adult reassuring a child of something trivial. "Jus' gotta be on tha safe side. If ya were ta get lost out 'ere, no one would ever fin' ya."
The vampire's last sentence was spoken in his usual coy manner, but the words dripped with hidden meaning; a warning, thoroughly unnerving Ichigo. In that moment, he began to understand why Shiro was in his particular line of work, finally really seeing his captor as the hardened criminal he was. And by association, that would make Grimmjow and Renji equally as much of a threat. They had managed to sneak him out of Kuchiki Manor when most of the dominant male vampire population had been convened there; they were capable, dangerous.
A very, very small part of Ichigo shuddered in pleasure. He'd never tasted danger before, having been locked away in the manor for the past decade, and its flavor was much sweeter than he could've imagined.
Ichigo remained silent as Shiro fastened the end of the rope binding his wrists to the reins of the white mare with blue eyes to match her owner's. The white-haired vampire didn't say another word before ambling off to join where his blunette and redheaded co-conspirators were standing a few yards away, heads bowed as they spoke in whispers too quiet for the orangette to hear.
The mare he was tethered to tossed her head, training her unusually colored eyes on Ichigo before nudging his hands with her nose. He knew from experience caring for Zangetsu this action translated to 'pet me, now' and so he tore his gaze away from where the three males were discussing unknown matters to make eye contact with the female horse and run his bound hands over the silky coat on her neck the best he could. Ichigo's heart normally would've warmed at the content whinny the mare gave, but instead under the circumstances barely heard it.
"Ichigo," a deep voice said and the orangette looked up from the white horse's hooves to see the one who deigned to directly address him was none other than the crimson-haired backstabber himself. Ichigo absentmindedly noticed that Renji was wearing a black bandana wrapped around his head, covering his tattooed eyebrows, and before he could help himself, thought if Renji were to free his scarlet hair of its messy ponytail and let it lay loose over his shoulders he'd be beyond stunning.
Ignoring that last thought, the submissive vampire silently raged that Renji dared to call him by his first name. He'd only allowed it before because he'd naively believed the male had only been a stable hand brave enough to stand up to his manager for the sake of an innocent animal.
Ha, Ichigo now wouldn't it put it past the other to have staged that little scene in order to gain his trust.
"Here," Renji said once it was evident Ichigo was giving him the silent treatment, holding up a tin canister with an opening at the top to sip from. When the slighter male pursed his lips and turned his head to the side childishly, the redhead sighed, proffering the canister. "Drink some or you'll pass out, and there's no one around here for miles..."
Ichigo glared at the crimson-haired vampire with burning ochre eyes, hoping he managed to come across as angry instead of coquettishly pouty, the former now common since his Inheritance. Nevertheless, he was convinced by Renji's reasoning and went to grab the canister, forgetting his hands were bound until the rope cut into his skin. He immediately let them drop back to his front.
The two of them stood there for a long moment, the orangette considering refusing the sustenance altogether and faint for the second time in the past three days in the presence of his three kidnappers because he definitely didn't relish the idea of his only other option.
"Just drink it," Renji finally said, exasperated, thrusting the canister in front of Ichigo's face.
Mentally cursing up a storm, the teenager lowered his head to press his lips to the opening of the tin vessel, cheeks flushing as the redhead holding the canister tipped it so that the tangy, delicious liquid inside flooded Ichigo's mouth. The submissive could only imagine what any passerby would've thought had they caught a glimpse of him, bound with rope drinking the cherry red blood while the larger male held the canister to his lips.
Ichigo couldn't believe he'd forgotten how utterly heavenly the life-sustaining blood tasted. Instinctively his eyelids fluttered as a small, blissful moan escaped his parted lips and only just managed to stop himself from whining pathetically when Renji pulled the canister away The vampire's expression was unreadable as he stored the thing away in his overcoat for safekeeping.
Ichigo thought back to what Rangiku had informed him of the day before, how vampires had to make sure to drink precisely enough blood to satiate their thirst. Drinking too much, she'd said, was just as bad as drinking too little.
"Good now?" Renji said and the teenager nodded once, staring back down to the ground, a serene, content feeling washing over him in the wake of his daily feeding.
His toothsome captor didn't say anything else before returning to where the other dominant vampires conversed out of earshot. Ichigo let his eyes subtly follow the male, clandestinely watching the ones who held him against his will as they discussed something on which they clearly couldn't agree. Grimmjow's handsome face twisted into a snarl while the other two appeared to hiss at each other, agitated.
A tiny bud of hope blossomed in the orangette's chest. Animosity among the three was a good sign, especially if it grew to the point where they no longer communicated effectively or outright fought with each other. If they continued to argue like this, there would inevitably be some kind of mistake made in Ichigo's favor.
When the three dominants evidently came to some kind of tentative agreement and stalked back to where the horses and captive were, the submissive vampire made sure to keep his eyes on the ground like it was the most interesting thing in the world to hide how closely he'd been observing them.
After Shiro freed him from his bindings, Ichigo mounted Zangetsu to return to his former position as dead center in the foursome. A quick look to the sky confirmed it was high noon, meaning the city was still half a day's travel away. But that didn't discourage the orange-haired youth one bit; that gave him more time in which to think of possible escape routes. The three males had underestimated him and his ability to be cunning, and a petulant part of Ichigo couldn't wait to shove it in their faces when he slipped right through their fingers.
However, in his mental tirade on how his captors had underestimated him, Ichigo failed to wonder whether he'd in fact underestimated them. Especially the one he knew the least about, Grimmjow. And it wouldn't be until later that evening that he would regret that dearly.
The city's name turned out to be Hokutan and Ichigo was surprised to see even from a distance as they approached the gated entrance that it looked every inch the picture perfect, clean, safe city the human aristocrats made their stomping ground during their social season.
As the sun set over the horizon they drew closer to the city's main gates, guarded by several men in unfamiliar red uniforms, the teenager wondered how the other three intended to pass through. They were just the kind of riffraff cities like this one built walls to keep out.
Wordlessly, Shiro threw a dark traveling cloak over Ichigo, hiding his fine clothes from sight before securing a newsboy cap over his head, tucking in the submissive's long strands of tangerine hair so it couldn't be seen either. Ichigo bristled at being manhandled by the albino but refrained from pushing the other away from him, knowing he definitely wouldn't win that fight. Not to mention, it was clear Shiro didn't want him to be recognized and there weren't too many male sixteen year-olds with shoulder-blade length hair the color of sunshine.
"Halt!" one of the guards called from his position by the gate, holding up a lantern in one hand and lifting his free palm to signal them to stop. "State your business," he said, peering at the trio of males with equally eye-catching heads of hair, completely ignoring Ichigo who faded into background with his new attire.
"We're just passing through on our way to Seireitei," Grimmjow said, urging his mare to take a few steps before retrieving something from the inside of his overcoat to show the guard, whose eyes widened upon seeing whatever it was, demeanor switching from confident to jittery instantly. Ichigo craned his neck in an effort to see for himself what this thing was, but only managed to spot a glint of something metallic before it disappeared back into the blunette's inside pocket.
"Yes, yes of course," the guard said, stammering as he frantically motioned behind him for the others by the entrance to open the gates. "Go on ahead, gentlemen."
Ichigo was intrigued to say the least, and not just by what Grimmjow could've potentially shown to the guard but also if he'd been telling the truth when he said they were on their way to Seireitei, Rukongai's capital city said to be so lavish and orderly it made cities like Hokutan look like the slums in comparison. In short, not exactly where one would expect to be taken upon being kidnapped.
The entrance led directly to the city's main street, almost entirely deserted now that it was dark and there weren't any miscreants lurking about. In fact, the cobblestone street lined with small businesses, shops, and the occasional townhouse would've come across as abandoned had it not been for the group of red-uniformed human men patrolling individual sections.
It was a strange sight in Ichigo's eyes. He'd lived the last ten years in the country and could barely remember his time in another city's orphanage before then, so when he asked what the men in red were doing he felt all three of his captor's answering laughter uncalled for.
"Ya mean ya've never heard 'a tha Watchmen?"
"No, I haven't," Ichigo said, scowling in both confusion and irritation from being laughed at. It wasn't his fault he'd never heard of these 'Watchmen', but... why hadn't he?
"You been living under a rock or something?" Grimmjow snorted under his breath and shook his head disbelievingly.
"No." The teenager huffed, not daring to say what he really wanted as long as those pistols were secured to the blunette's belt.
Every last one of the men in red uniform faced their party as they traveled up the street, their horses shoes' clacking against the cobblestone sounding thunderous in the otherwise silent atmosphere. Ichigo could make out their distrustful expressions with the help of the tall gas lamps, a relatively new invention.
"Watchmen are the Parliament's law enforcers," Renji said to his right. "And they hate our kind, so watch your back."
Ichigo knew he was acting childish by not thanking or even responding to the redhead, but he wasn't about to try and patch things up with the vampire who helped to kidnap him so he figured it didn't really matter how he treated his captors. He just had to make sure not to piss any of them off so badly they decided to cut their losses and kill him.
Strange though, what Renji had said about these Watchmen. To Ichigo's knowledge, there weren't any groups of humans that straight out despised their kind, and vice versa.
"Ah, 'ere we are," Shiro said, reigning his horse to a stop. The submissive male followed the man's gaze to their right where one of the few buildings burning candles in its windows was located, a sign above its doorway declaring it to be the 'Hokutan Inn.'
Not the most creative name, but Ichigo didn't care, much more focused on scouting out the place for possible exits.
Following the other males' lead, the orangette dismounted to stand beside Zangetsu on the cobblestone street, immediately patting the horse's neck lovingly. He was grateful for the one source of comfort, and that it was transportation he needed to get back to the manor. However, the next second Renji gripped the stallion's reins along with the other three horses' and Ichigo struggled not to rip them right out of the redhead's hands.
"Make sure whatever imbeciles work there don't feed Pantera-"
"Sugar cubes; they're bad for her teeth. I know," Renji said, rolling his eyes after cutting Grimmjow off. The blunette didn't look too pleased, thin blue brows furrowing as his nostrils flared ultramarine eyes glittered dangerously, but turned on his heel to walk up to the inn. Unfairly, he was beautiful even from behind.
Especially from behind, Ichigo thought as his gaze lingered on the dominant male's retreating form.
But after a moment, the reality of what his captor intended to do, leading the four horses away on foot, hit him like a ton of bricks. Dread crept into his heart, mind racing with panicked thoughts of what he was going to do now that Zangetsu was being led away to be put up in one of the city's stables for the night instead of being tethered outside like the teenager had planned on.
He managed to convince himself that everything would be fine; from what he remembered from geography lessons Hokutan was a rather small city. He'd be able to find the stables Zangetsu was being taken to without a problem.
"C'mon now," Shiro said, reaching out to capture Ichigo's wrist with a pale hand before leading the orangette to the inn's doorway where Grimmjow currently stood... talking to himself?
No, Ichigo realized as they got closer, the blue-haired vampire was speaking to another person, only a portion of their face visible through a slot in the door. But when he and Shiro got close enough to hear what was being said, the slot slid closed before the door swung open.
An attractive, dark-skinned woman with aubergine hair and golden eyes stood in the doorway, wearing a coy smile that showed off her pointed canines. She crossed her arms over her chest as her gaze landed on Ichigo, still clad in the hat and traveling cloak.
"Hm," she said, tapping a finger against her lips. "I imagined you being shorter... but you certainly look like a submissive."
The youth was too taken aback by the woman's assessment that he didn't have experience the usual outrage he'd have felt being told he looked 'like a submissive.' Actually, the fact that she'd said those very words meant she knew who he was, and no doubt was at the very least aware of his current predicament, if not in on it just as much as the other three.
Both Grimmjow and Shiro gave a good laugh at the female vampire's words, Ichigo frowning deeply instead of chewing them out for thinking it funny. He was amazed by his own actions, never had he been able to hold his tongue for so long in the presence of such buffoons.
"Come in then. It'll be a while before Renji shows his ugly mug, no doubt," the woman said gaily, stepping to the side to allow the three vampires entry. Grimmjow walked in first, followed by Shiro, and then Ichigo, who surveyed his surroundings eagerly and fast became utterly confused.
The building had looked like an inn from the outside, a sign even saying it was one, but inside it was set up like any upper class family townhouse, a rather nice one at that. Looking back to where the woman was now closing the door behind them, he then noticed how elegantly she was dressed in a dark green bustled gown with a neckline bordering on 'unseemly' even for evening wear. The thing obviously cost a small fortune and the only people with money to buy something so extravagant were the nobility.
Ichigo wondered if his captors were all they seemed, or if this scheme to hold him for ransom was more complicated than he'd thought.
"It's impolite to wear hats indoors, you know," the woman said, swiping the newsboy cap from the submissive's head and letting the mane of wild tangerine hair to spill free around his face. "Surely Byakuya taught you that?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously whilst she cocked her head, waiting for an answer.
"Do you know him?" Ichigo couldn't stop himself from asking, because he didn't think he had heard anyone refer to his guardian so informally besides himself and, when the noble wasn't around, Rangiku.
"Of course I know little Byakuya, I was the one to teach him to control his ability, mine's pretty similar." The female vampire stuck out her satin-gloved hand, Ichigo reflexively grasping it in his own, not expecting the woman to firmly grip and shake his hand just as a man would. "I'm Yoruichi Shihoin."
"I'm-"
"Ichigo Kurosaki, I know," Yoruichi said, interrupting him and then facing the two dominant vampires to, quite unexpectedly, reach up and pull one of their ears harshly. The sight of Grimmjow and Shiro grimacing in pain delighted the more sadistic part of Ichigo that was satisfied to see two of his kidnappers get what was coming to them. "Now do either of you want to tell me why it is I had to hear from Kisuke how you three were planning on getting yourselves killed taking that boy when almost every male of our kind in Rukongai was there with him?"
Ichigo shuddered at the deadly tone in which Yoruichi spoke, considering the possibility she might be one of the dominants' mother but then rejecting that theory as they couldn't have looked any different.
"Aw, c'mon Yor', we jus' didn't want ya ta worry," Shiro said, wincing when Yoruichi gave both ears one last pull before letting them go. The blunette and albino immediately stood up straight and rubbed their sore ears, looking properly chastened.
"Please, I wasn't worried. I just couldn't believe you didn't invite me to come along!"
Then Ichigo wondered if the woman was insane. Surely anyone upset over someone not inviting them on what they themselves had said to be a dangerous and likely fatal mission had taken too many blows to the head or something.
"Sorry," Grimmjow said, surprising the orangette when he appeared to actually mean it.
"Yea', we're sorry, but hey- we did it!" Shiro smiled brightly at Yoruichi, whose expression turned from stern to pleasant once more as she placed a hand on their shoulders.
"Yes, you did," she said, grinning proudly up at the two males and leaving Ichigo even more baffled than before. Why was this noblewoman associating with a pair of criminals, let alone beaming over the fact they'd managed to kidnap someone? And why was her house labeled as an inn when it definitely wasn't one? Nothing about the situation made sense.
"You two go ahead into the parlour; Kisuke will be wanting to talk to the three of you." Yoruichi walked past the two vampires to wrap an arm around Ichigo's shoulders, the submissive highly uncomfortable due to her breasts pressing against his side as the dress she wore barely managed to restrain them. "I'll take care of Ichigo here. No doubt he's exhausted from dealing with you brutes all day long," she said, the last part accusatory.
"How's he been?" Grimmjow said, brows drawing together as his expression turned haunted, those sapphire eyes appearing to see what had already past rather than what was right in front of them. It almost made Ichigo pity him a bit. Almost.
"The usual," Yoruichi said somberly, the tone sounding bizarre even though Ichigo barely knew the woman. "He still tries to walk without the cane, but his leg always gives out after a minute or two."
The blunette scowled at the news and immediately turned on his heel to walk down the foyer hallway, shoulders hunched and head bowed.
"Make sure ya keep yer eye on 'im," Shiro said, referring to the captive in their presence, all traces of his earlier smile gone. "Don' want all 'a this ta have been fer nothin'." Then he was walking away too, following Grimmjow's path out of the foyer to presumably where the parlour was. Yoruichi sighed after the two males had disappeared around the corner, dropping her arm from Ichigo's shoulders to grab his wrist so that she could pull him along in the opposite direction.
Ichigo was stewing over how tired he was of being dragged around when it dawned upon him that he was currently only being watched over by a single woman. This was his chance to escape.
Whilst Yoruichi led him down the hallways of her house, the submissive vampire's mind started to race with the possibilities. And as if she knew exactly what he was up to, Yoruichi stopped short and faced Ichigo, staring directly into his toffee brown eyes with her golden orbs.
"I know you have every reason not to trust me, but take my word for it when I say trying to escape would be a very bad idea," she said. It wasn't a threat, the way she warned him. She came off nearly as if she were a mother telling her child not to do something, firm and far from malicious.
He didn't say anything, not even knowing for sure if she was merely telling him not to escape for her own selfish purposes, which, considering the circumstances, had to be why.
Yoruichi continued on, pulling Ichigo along up a set of stairs. When she spoke again, it was in a much more jovial tone.
"You're probably wondering why there's a sign outside saying this place is an inn," she said over her shoulder just as they stopped at a closed door. "Well, the reason's in here." The woman didn't hesitate before flinging the door open and stepping into the room beyond it, hauling the youth in as well.
It was immediately apparent the room was the master bedroom, a massive canopied bed set against the wall furthest from them and a pair of armchairs in front of a fireplace standing out in the exquisitely furnished space. But what really impressed Ichigo was the massive bay window with a view looking down onto the streets of Hokutan and the outlying woods.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Yoruichi said. "I can never get enough of this view, and neither can my husband. So when the district laws were passed, we claimed we were an inn and they couldn't force us to move."
At the orangette's bewildered expression, she arched an eyebrow disbelievingly.
"The district laws? The ones that segregate our kind and humans?"
"There are laws for that?" Ichigo said. He had always thought vampires and humans tended to segregate themselves into different communities; that's what he'd been told for the part of his life he could better remember.
"You're not serious, are you?" Yoruichi crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Hm, but now that I think about it Byakuya would be the type to shelter those in his care from anything he didn't like. You probably don't have a clue about the real world."
"I know enough," Ichigo said icily. He was offended at the woman's assumption that he was utterly naive to the ways of the world outside of the Kuchiki estate despite a small voice in the back of his mind admitting that to be true.
"All right, Ichigo, no need to be hostile," Yoruichi said, waving a hand dismissively. "Now, you'll be wanting to change into some clean clothes, yes?"
"That would be nice," the youth said, remembering he was still wearing the same thing as when he'd been interviewing suitors. Had it really only been a day since? It felt like years.
"I'll get something of my husband's for you, unless you'd rather borrow something of mine?" Yoruichi laughed merrily when Ichigo simultaneously glared and blushed, managing to control his temper with the reminder that soon he'd be making his way back to the manor, the other's warning meaningless.
Yoruichi walked over to an armoire and opened its doors to reveal garments standard to a typical nobleman's wardrobe, though an overwhelmingly number of clothing items were the same shade of dark green. Rifling through the rows of fabric, the female vampire retrieved a few pieces before turning back to her 'houseguest.'
"They'll be a bit too large for you, but these should do," she said, handing over the pile of clothes to Ichigo. When he didn't move to start changing into them, Yoruichi tilted her head in confusion. "Aren't you going to undress?"
"I-I can't with you staring at me!" the teenager cried, flustered that the other may have intended to watch him change his clothes. No one had seen him without any clothes on since he'd learned to dress himself.
"And you were planning on getting married?" Yoruichi covered her mouth with her hand as she laughed at the irony of it all. "You do know any husband you took wouldn't be too pleased to find out you couldn't undress in front of him?"
Ichigo's face paled dramatically he was so mortified. He knew he was acting like an elderly nun, being rattled like so just at the mention of doing something like... that.
"Couldn't you just turn around?" he said, but thought better of it. "You wouldn't peek, right?"
Any sane person would've been insulted that someone would think that of them, but Yoruichi only chuckled some more as she pointed to something behind the young vampire. Following the direction in which it was pointing, Ichigo turned the upper half of his body to see a open door he hadn't noticed before.
"You can use the powder room if you want, but don't even think about locking that door," she said, her tone switching from playful to stern and the orangette wondered if she had any children, because the warning look she was giving him was infamously maternal.
Ichigo nodded and nearly ran into the en suite, shutting the door behind him and leaning his back against it. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply for a moment, trying to gather the energy and willpower he'd need very soon.
Finally he was alone and it presented the golden opportunity he had been waiting for.
Opening his eyes to take in his surroundings, Ichigo found the bathroom was on the small side with a porcelain claw foot tub. And when his gaze landed on the window set on the wall opposite him, he had to clap a hand over his mouth so that he didn't yell triumphantly and tip off the woman on the other side of the door.
Figuring that changing clothes first would take up too much of the precious little time he had, Ichigo unceremoniously dropped the pile of fabric onto the tiled floor. Then he strode right over to the window, seeing that luck was on his side however briefly because the thing had latches to prop it open. Jittery and heart galloping in his chest, he pushed on the glass with caution and, the blessed window it was, gave way easily to tilt outwards and up.
Ichigo peered into the darkness as he propped the window to stay open, leaving an open space he would just barely be able to fit through. He could make out that the bathroom was situated on the side of the townhouse because if he reached out he'd almost be able to touch the neighboring building's brick wall. Between the two structures there was a narrow alley leading to Hokutan's main street, the unnatural light from the gas lamps spilling into the dark space.
But what Ichigo was really interested in were the metal pipes, indoor plumbing being another recent technological advance, mounted onto the wall, running the entire length of the townhouse. It was just too good to be true; the pipes weren't ideal for climbing, yes, but considering everything else, the submissive believed them heaven sent.
Taking one last deep breath and willing his frame to stop trembling with nerves, Ichigo lifted himself onto the windowsill. He looked over his shoulder one last time to confirm no one was behind him and then slid his body as close to the pipes as he could. Then came the difficult part in which the boy had to use all of his strength to only hold on with one arm as he gripped one pipe with his legs, clenching them around the cylindrical thing so that he didn't take a two story dive.
Once he had one arm and both his legs around the pipe, Ichigo screwed his eyes shut instinctively before letting go of his grip on the window sill, second arm desperately joining his other in clinging to the pipe. A few seconds of not falling to his death later, and he sighed in relief.
Shimmying down the pipe was easier than he expected, gravity doing most of the work for him. All Ichigo had to do was let his grip slacken so he slid down the pipe a few inches and then stop himself by tightening it. Not an incredibly graceful way to descend, but it worked and the orangette soon was at a height he was able to let go completely and land on his feet.
Ichigo didn't allow himself any time for celebration. There was still the matter of finding Zangetsu and acquiring a map he could use to find his way back to the manor.
He hunched over as he broke into a run towards the street, not wanting to be seen through any of the townhouse's windows and realizing Yoruichi would soon discover he was gone. Ichigo cringed to think of what his captors might do with him should they catch him running away but forced those awful thoughts out of his mind as he stepped into the street lamps' artificial light.
After debating with himself for a moment, the teenager headed right and ran down the street, praying that the stables where Zangetsu was momentarily being held weren't too far away, or heavily guarded at that. He didn't want to wind up arrested for attempting to steal his own horse.
"You, stop right there!"
Out of reflex, Ichigo stopped, panting from exertion as his eyes landed on a human man in a red uniform currently approaching him; a Watchman, he realized. He thought back to what Renji had told him about them, how they all hated vampires like himself. Though he decided that to be safe he wouldn't tell this Watchman about his being kidnapped, the orangette figured he could at least ask the human for directions to the stables. No harm in that, right?
"Uh, good evening... officer, I was just looking for the stables. If-"
"Save it, vampire. You know it's against the law to be outside past curfew." The Watchman sneered meanly down at the youth, hand hovering what Ichigo hoped wasn't a pistol.
"Curfew?" he said, wondering when the cities had ever enforced such a thing before noticing out of the corner of his eye more men in red uniforms making their way towards where he stood with the one. Six of them in total, not including the one in front of him.
"Acting innocent won't work, bloodsucker. You broke the law," the Watchman said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a pair of handcuffs, made much thicker and bulkier in order to restrain a dominant male vampire whose strength exceeded their human criminal counterparts. "So you have to face the consequences."
Ichigo took a step backwards, gaze darting around to take in the other Watchmen getting closer and closer. It felt like they were itching for a fight, some reason to attack him. Their eager expressions gave them away. Perhaps what Renji had said about them hating vampires was indeed true; the human had even called him 'bloodsucker', an infamously derogatory term for his kind.
"I didn't know there was a curfew, you can't arrest me when I didn't know!" The submissive was angry, but he was also incredibly uneasy. Obviously he didn't want to go to jail, but there were seven of them and one of him. He was still powerless, not having yet figured out his ability. Ichigo didn't like those odds, not at all.
"If you continue to resist arrest, we'll have to use the neccessary means to subdue you," the Watchman said, clearly hoping that would turn out to be the case.
"I'm not resisting arrest," Ichigo said, resorting to try and reason with the law enforcer. "I didn't-"
"Shut up already. Can't we just get on with it, Cho?" one of the other six Watchmen said from somewhere behind him, addressing the one holding the handcuffs. Right as the latter opened his mouth to reply, no doubt in the affirmative, a deafening boom sounded throughout the street, a blazing explosion of fire consuming one of the buildings the cause.
Ichigo stared wide-eyed as the Watchmen took off towards the fire, cursing and shouting each other as they tried to figure out what had happened and what they should do. The orangette couldn't believe his luck up until hands wrapped themselves around his upper arms from behind in a bruising grip. Somehow, he instantly knew who they belonged to.
Desperately, Ichigo fought against the hold the other had on him, kicking out and thrashing in a frantic manner. He heard a few hissed curses when his heel made contact with the place he knew would cause the most amount of pain, and the hands on his arms did let go, but only so that the other's arms could wind around his torso. Ichigo struggled even harder as he was bodily carried to the mouth of the closest alley, where he was then slammed into a building's brick wall
The action would've knocked the air out of him, if he hadn't already lost his breath looking up into ocean-colored eyes cold and unforgiving as the arctic. He involuntarily shivered as Grimmjow glared down at him in a way that could have struck fear into even the bravest of men.
For several long moments, neither of them said anything, the larger of the two holding Ichigo against the wall with his broad hands on the boy's shoulders. His anger surprised the submissive, it seemed a little overly dramatic, more like the rage one would experience after learning of a loved one's murder or something equally devastating. And the emotion rolled off Grimmjow in waves, totally overwhelming.
"You're really stupid, you know that?" the dominant vampire finally said, causing Ichigo to scowl up at him. His voice was rougher than usual, but still for some reason appealing to listen to.
"I'm stupid for trying to escape from the people that kidnapped me and go home?"
Grimmjow didn't like his answer apparently, because he growled like an animal before slamming the slighter male against the wall again.
"You don't get it, do you? Once you got back there, they'd pair you off with some ugly bastard who'd control everything you do and make sure you pop out as many kids possible. You're stupid because you're rushing back to that like you can't wait."
Ichigo couldn't speak, he felt so overpowered by his blue-haired captor and how what he'd just said was undeniably true. The boy had only been thinking of Rukia, Rangiku, and Byakuya as the people waiting for him to return, but they weren't. All of those insufferable dominant males were waiting for him too, not one among them he felt comfortable conversing with let alone marrying.
"Why do you want to go back?" Grimmjow said, leaning in so that their faces were but inches apart. "Do you want to lay down for someone that badly? Can't wait for someone to get between those legs?"
The submissive's eyes widened impossibly at those last words, face turning bright red and his entire body tremble with outrage.
"You rotten bastard, get off of me!" Ichigo said, struggling again to free himself of the blunette's grip, but failing miserably as he was held in place against the wall. He snarled as Grimmjow pressed in even closer, their torsos and upper thighs now touching.
"If you want it that much, I'd be more than happy to help you out," the other male said, speaking in almost a purr, voice husky but smooth as it sent shocks of pleasure right to Ichigo's groin. Mortified, the orangette froze right as Grimmjow rocked his hips into him, their most intimate areas grinding against each other. It felt so good, better than anything Ichigo had ever felt before, ever even imagined and he had to bite his lower lip from moaning out loud.
It was so wrong of him to be enjoying this, but he couldn't help it. He felt his member react to the pleasurable sensation and attempted to move away so the other wouldn't be able to feel it, but Grimmjow had him pressed right against the wall and so he failed. The next second the blue-haired dominant chuckled darkly.
"I knew you'd like it," he said, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
"Stop it, please." Ichigo didn't recognize his own voice, it was timid and weak, so soft it was barely audible. Shame was overriding the pleasure now, and as if sensing this Grimmjow obliged and pulled away. The teenager had to lean against the wall for support, knees buckling from under him. However, not a moment later and his captor grabbed him by the wrist and started pulling him down the street.
Dozens of people were in front of the building that was still burning, and Ichigo concluded that the explosion happening right before Grimmjow had shown up was no coincidence. Perhaps it was possibly related to whatever the blunette's ability was. Whilst the submissive was dragged back to the 'Hokutan Inn' like a rag doll, he realized that in a twisted, bizarre kind of way the blunette had done him a favor by distracting those Watchmen who'd been on the verge of descending on him like a pack of wolves.
Yoruichi met them at the door, inexplicably smiling cheerfully and eyes gleaming knowingly. Ichigo expected the woman to at least yell at him if not box his ears or something along those lines, but instead she leaned in close to his face, waving one finger back and forth.
"I told you not to try and escape," she said in a sing-song tone before straightening up and facing Grimmjow. "I hope you're not thinking of tying him up now."
"That won't be neccessary," the vampire said, smirking arrogantly. "I think he's learned his lesson." Then he was gone, no doubt off to join the others to plan out more kidnappings of innocent people to be groped without their consent.
"What lesson would that be?" Yoruichi said, raising one aubergine eyebrow.
"That here or back at the manor, it doesn't matter," Ichigo said, shrugging. "Someone will always have control over me so I may as well get used to it."
The woman's grin fell as she heard the boy's words , lips pressing into a thin line.
"Of course someone will have control over you no matter where you are, that's life, Ichigo. The important thing is whether you gave that power willingly."
"Why would I do that?" Ichigo said bitterly.
"Isn't it obvious? Because you love them."
The submissive vampire didn't respond to that, thinking that the sentiment was nice but he'd never find someone to love or to love him, he couldn't afford to considering as soon as his captors got their money he'd be off to bind himself to essentially his future master.
Grimmjow had been right, he really was stupid for ever wanting to go back.
A/N: Gah, I love writing for this story so much. As you can probably start to see, this fic will be of epic proportions with an actual plot and I am so excited to write it all out! Oh and I know some of you think of the movie or comic when you hear 'Watchmen' but I'm just really bad at coming up with names. ^^'
Thanks so much to everyone for the support on this convoluted story; means the world to me.
This chapter is dedicated to otakufreak32 (I put that smut teaser in there just for you. :3) and KairiSama for their thoughtful birthday gifts. Love you chicas!