A/N: Thanks to Awen Sofer for beta'ing this chapter. Here it is, enjoy! x

Dea Tacita - 2

Lara woke up, confused and slightly frightened. The last thing she remembered was getting into a taxi with the scarred cop. She honestly didn't think her drink would've been spiked, but had she been mistaken? Looking around the room she was resting in, the main feature she could see was the large bed where she slept. Something shiny was placed over the knob of the only door and she recognised it as her dress. Her eyes widened, suddenly seeing a blurred image in her mind of someone taking it off her.

She didn't feel naked and lifted the covers to see she was wearing a shirt; a man's button down shirt. Taking a sniff at the end of the sleeve, Lara could tell it was clean. Did anything happen while her dress was being taken off? Wriggling around, there was nowhere in particular that ached, which was a good sign for her. Getting off the bed, she stumbled back onto it at first and used the wall to get to the one door. Her nose wrinkled when smelling the burning stench coming from somewhere else in the house after leaving the room.

"Who are you?" A young girl with pink candyfloss hair asked. Luckily Lara was still leaning against the wall because the unexpectedness of the girl would've made her fall to the ground. Even though she didn't say anything to answer, the girl's grin grew. "You must be the woman Kenny brought home last night!" The girl thought she was being ignored and started pouting. "Did you help Kenny make the bed squeak? It usually happens every night Kenny brings women home." She lowered her voice as if about to tell a secret. "Sometimes when Kenny isn't home, I sneak into his room and jump on it, the bed squeaks for me too!"

Lara shook her head to try and remove the image from her mind. It wasn't hard to guess exactly what Kenny was doing to these women to make the bed squeak because it certainly wasn't the bed he was jumping.

"Oi, squirt, breakfast is almost ready so come and get it!" She recognised the voice and even though the yell was coming from a distance, it was still loud and clear as if he were standing right next to them.

"Urgh, that's what the yucky smell is." The girl whispered to her with a wink. "I don't want it!" She yelled back.

"Annoying brat! Do as I say or I'm throwing out the candy!"

"No! Stupid Kenny!" The pink haired girl ran off, at a surprisingly fast rate, leaving Lara behind in the hallway.

She tried following the girl but even in such a small space, she lost sight of her quickly. The bickering she heard in a different room was all she could count on as help to get her in the right direction. Soon enough, Lara found herself in the kitchen, the smell of something burning was at its worst in here and even covering her nose didn't stop the unpleasantness from reaching her nostrils. There was no smoke, so at least no one was in danger, unless what was made happened to be inconsumable.

Finally becoming aware of the other two people in the room, she looked over at them as they argued. The girl had jumped on the man's back and seemed to be hanging on for dear life as he tried to get her off. Although his actions were dangerous, Lara could tell there was underlying affection towards the girl. His daughter? She smiled when the girl jumped onto the small table in the room and sat down with her bottom lip sticking out.

"That's Yachiru. Try and ignore her whining because she never shuts up. Usually you have to stuff something in her mouth first."

Lara nodded and for the first time was able to get a good look at the man who took her home. His hair was dampened, a sign that he must've showered. He wasn't wearing an eye patch like the night before and she was surprised to see he had two eyes. What was the eye patch for? It couldn't have been some fashion accessary. Her eyes followed a drop of water that trailed down his muscular chest which had many noticeable scars. The drop stopped its travel when reaching the sweatpants he was wearing which were hanging just below his hips. Her eyes widened when she realised exactly what area she was looking at and quickly moved her head up to his face instead. He stared at her with a toothy grin that was feral, his way of telling her he knew exactly what she had been thinking seconds beforehand. She blushed profusely and he laughed at her reaction.

"Here." Handing her a plate of burnt toast, he gestured to the table for her to eat. "I can't cook as you probably could tell but it should be edible. If it tastes like shit, just chuck it out and make something yourself."

Lara placed a hand over his when he sat down beside her. You can't clean up either, apparently.

"Yeah, suppose you're right." He snorted, looking around at all the fast food wrappers scattered on the ground.

Kenny, where am I?

"Firstly, don't call me Kenny, I'm no pansy. The name's Kenpachi." He took his hand out from under hers and began eating his own burnt toast, she followed suit. "I don't know how many times I told Yachiru to quit it now that she is older. Guess old habits die hard." His mouth was full as he continued talking and crumbs would fly every which way as he moved his lips. "You're at my place."

She rolled her eyes at his answer to her question. Obviously she knew that, it didn't help her out at all.

"Kenny," Yachiru finally spoke up after being silent for such a long time in her terms. "Have you gone mad?"

He flashed them both a crooked grin. "It does seem like it."

Lara finished off the burnt toast and after washing the plate under the sink, she tried to make her way back into Kenpachi's room. She needed her dress and then was going to get out of there. If she went on the street there should be some signs to tell her where she was since the cop didn't give her a full answer. Holding the dress in her hands, she was surprised that it wasn't crinkly, probably because she had been changed out of it. Normally she would get home and black out as soon as her head touched the pillow, only to wake up a mess.

"Don't worry, I didn't stare." Kenpachi said as he leaned on the door frame. "It's not like you had anything I haven't seen before. If it makes you feel any better, there's nothing special about you."

She glared at him but before she could slap him, he caught her wrist. That doesn't make me feel better at all. He laughed at her feeble attempt to attack him. Soon he was on the ground cringing and holding his ears because she internally screamed. Letting go of her had stopped the force of the scream but it was still echoing in his mind.

"Bitch." Getting to his feet, Kenpachi made sure there was enough space between them, so she wouldn't be able to touch him. "I tried to find out who you were, but you had no identification on you. Did you lose it?" It took him a while to realise that because he was so far away from her, she wasn't going to be able to answer him. "Dammit. No fucking screaming in my head, okay?"

Nodding, Lara reached out her hand along with his and they met in the middle. I didn't have any ID on me.

"I should've kicked you out."

Get mad at the bouncer, not me.

He got changed in front of her without much thought, continuing the conversation. "I've got to go into work. Stay here and look after Yachiru, then I'm taking you to the hospital to get a drug test done. Find out what we were dealing with." Leaving the room he yelled out to the girl. "Oi, Yachiru! Make sure this woman doesn't leave. I'll bring some candy home for you."

"Candy! Okay Kenny!" A distant answer was returned.

Yachiru… where is her mother?

"Dead." They were at the front door and it was the first time he spoke in such a low voice as if he didn't want Yachiru finding out. "She died giving birth." Kenpachi changed the subject so quickly that she didn't have time to ponder what he said. "I'm locking the door from the outside and there will be no way for you to open it until I come back. Make sure she doesn't mess up the place more than it already is."

The door closed and a clicking sound was heard. Lara tried to open it straight away but it stayed shut. The only movement was the rattling door handle. The telephone sounded a few seconds later only to be cut off. Next thing she knew, a blob of pink was rushing towards her.

"Someone on the phone wants to talk to you." Yachiru held up the phone and she tentatively took it, wondering who it could be.

"You were supposed to come home with me last night. I was very lonely."

A laugh followed. It sounded like the man she danced with at the club last night, the one who supplied all of her drinks. How did he get this number? She wanted to ask him a few other questions as well but it was impossible since there was no way to get her thoughts across.

"If you want, I can come and pick you up? All you need to do is say yes."

More laughter was heard across the phone line and Lara almost just hung up on him because she had no way of replying. Curiosity of what he could say next kept her from closing the connection.

"I take that as a no then. You hurt my feelings, Lara."

The sudden noise of the loud dial tone made her flinch, but she was glad it was over. Handing the phone back over to the girl, Lara took her hand to be led somewhere in the house. The only logical way to waste time would be to play with Yachiru. She was bombarded with pink when entering the girl's room. Everything was pink, from the walls to the curtains and duvet. Who was the person to design this room? She was certain it was most definitely not Kenpachi.

His tall frame made it easy to find him in a crowd, but luckily there was no one following him. It was noon and even though the streets were bustling with people, there wasn't one who noticed him enter a supposedly closed building. HPYNOSIS. The lettering at this time was dull. Only when the sky was dark would they light up, ready for people to go into the club. The inside was dark and workers long ago cleaned the space, making it prepared for another night.

There was a secret door hidden behind the bar. Pulling a certain whiskey bottle would activate a switch and the whole shelf would swing around, bringing him along with it into a passageway. Lights were on which meant that the person he was looking for was in. It didn't take long for him to be in a vast room located in the building beside the nightclub which was operating as an Adult Selections store. A man sat in the room and appeared to have been waiting but didn't look bored.

"Where is she Gin?" The man's patience was being tested though he made sure not to show anything on the outside. "You were supposed to get her back by now, yet I don't see her."

"Everything is fine Sōsuke. She can't stay away from me forever." He grinned knowing it was impossible to understand what he was thinking. "I don't think we need to wait much longer."

The man stood and walked up to Gin, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You better be right."

Why aren't we at the actual hospital?

"The Director of Karakura Hospital has something against the police force, so we come to the clinic instead. This is Isshin Kurosaki. He will be administering the drug test." Kenpachi explained to Lara. As her eyes widened, he mistook it as fear. "Don't worry, he may be an idiot, but he's good at what he does." She reached out for him, but he moved to the door before she was able to touch him. "She's really shy so don't expect any answers from her."

"So, what's your name?" The man had a five o'clock shadow which she found better to stare at than his eyes. He rolled up one of the sleeves of Kenpachi's shirt. She was still wearing it along with some jagged shorts he'd offered her. Going out during daytime in her revealing sparkling dress wasn't the best idea and she didn't have any other clothes with her. Yachiru's definitely wouldn't fit. "You're really not that talkative huh?"

Lara was left alone with the doctor as Kenpachi left the room and she felt a small sting when the needle entered to collect her blood. She looked away from him and concentrated to not yell out while he was touching her, the last thing she wanted was for him to make a mistake while in shock and have to redo the procedure again. Isshin began humming to fill the silence even after the needle left her. It annoyed her but also calmed her down at the same time.

"I will be running a few tests, so they all should be finished within an hour."

There was nothing to do but wait for the results. Being left alone in the room, she was tempted to search the place. Many closed drawers stared at her and she wanted to open them but stayed sitting on the bed. A ruckus was heard outside the room and the door opened suddenly to show the pink hair of Yachiru with a big smile and a lollipop sticking out of her mouth. Taking it out the girl offered it for her but she shook her head watching a glob of saliva dripping from it and making a tiny puddle on the linoleum floor.

"Talk dammit!" It was the first time Lara saw the girl looking frustrated, and it wasn't hard to tell who the one to teach her such language was. "Kenny! The woman won't talk to me! Make her talk!"

"Oi, leave her alone."

"Why? I don't want to." Yachiru jumped up onto her back, holding on tightly and pulling her hair in rhythm to her shouting. "Talk! Talk! Talk!"

Kenpachi held another lollipop up for the girl. "Get off her and just shut up."

"This can't be right." Isshin muttered to himself, unaware of the people behind him.

"What is it?" Kenpachi asked in a gruff voice, already knowing that the answer wasn't going to be favourable to him.

"I split the blood sample so I could test it for various drugs." Isshin held up one test-tube. "There's only one which came back positive."

"Which drug was it?" Kenpachi was anxious to get something out of the doctor.

"It wasn't a drug, I can tell you that." He gave a strained smile, knowing it wasn't the answer the cop was looking for. "In the last 24 hours, this tells me that she has consumed alcohol, but that is it. The drug tests came back negative."

"That can't be true!" Kenpachi couldn't believe it. Did it pass through her system that quickly? Could there be a newly manufactured drug which made it impossible to detect unless attended to straight away? "I was with her and saw it happen."

"Did you?" Isshin question him with a slight look of disbelief.

"What are you trying to say Kurosaki?"

The doctor lowered his head shaking it. A hand went to his chin, scratching the stubble. "You think she was drugged and the results show that she wasn't." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe the signs you saw were just the alcohol. I can only tell you what I see from the tests."

I told you I was just drunk. She tried to keep a straight face when Kenpachi's bulky frame jumped.

"No, it was more than that. Until we find out what, you're staying with me."

Isshin watched the two with an amused expression on his face as they left the clinic. He couldn't help but feel as if he recognised the girl. If only she mentioned a name or he could hear her voice and then he might've had a better chance remembering. He ran a hand through his greying hair and picked up a photo frame which held a picture of his family. His lips turned downwards in a forlorn frown. Everyone he was with in the photograph wasn't with him anymore. His wife had died and his children were missing. Isshin couldn't help the niggling feeling at the back of his mind that the silent girl who was in the clinic was connected somehow.

I just need some clothes. Let me go in by myself.

"No. Not going to happen."

They had been arguing about it on the road in front of the apartment buildings for the last few minutes. She realised if he'd only let her go in, she would've been out by now. His reason for arguing was because he thought that she may have been specifically targeted at the club. Also Kenpachi couldn't forget about how the silver haired man mentioned knowing where she lived. Who knew what danger would be waiting for her in there?

I'll scream again.

Kenpachi grimaced, remembering the last time all too clearly. "Fine, you have five minutes, so be quick."

Lara entered her apartment, glad to find that no one was inside. She remembered the amount of time Kenpachi gave her and quickly went to her bedroom. Grabbing the largest bag she owned, she stuffed all of her practical clothing in it. She stiffened when feeling hands on her hips and shivered when words were whispered into her ear.

"I knew you would come back. Shall we dance again?"

She pushed him away and carried on packing away her things. It was hard to ignore him because it felt as if his slit gaze penetrated her back.

"I do hope those aren't another man's clothes you're wearing." He grabbed her wrist, refusing to let go of her this time. "I should take them off you right now."

Let go of me please.

He had done what she said, but not because of her request. There wasn't a lot that could surprise him and hearing her voice inside his mind did so. "Oh my, she does speak after all." His grin widened, and he could tell by her features that she knew she had made a mistake. "So this is how you've been communicating with the cop. I'm quite jealous." He stalked towards her until the backs of her knees hit the bed, and she fell backwards. He leaned forward, covering her body with his own. "Should I keep your secret? Or should I tell?"

Please, stop this.

He laughed at her. "I'm having so much fun though." His bony finger trailed down the front of the shirt she was wearing, as if to imagine removing each button. "At the moment I gain nothing by keeping your secret."

Lara lifted up a hand and ran her fingers through his hair which was surprisingly silky. Going for a second time, she held on instead, tugging his face closer to her. His grin stayed plastered on, even when he was pulled away from her. Looking up, she saw Kenpachi who was fuming in anger.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" The question wasn't directed at anyone of them in particular.

"Couldn't you tell? Or are you naturally stupid." Lara was in shock at the way such a skinny man was taunting another one packed with muscles. "I was obviously taking advantage of a defenceless girl."

Kenpachi picked Lara up and threw her over his shoulder which didn't happen to be comfortable. Her bag of belongings was held in a different hand. "Who are you?"

"Ichimaru Gin. There's no point remembering my name because even if you search me up, you won't find anything."

"My main priority is to keep her safe. I'll deal with you later." He turned to leave but Gin still called out to them.

"Her? You don't even know her name?" He was able to look at her since she was the only one facing him and he used a scolding tone for what he said next. "Lara, you should always remember your manners and this isn't very nice, going along with him instead of me again."

"Yeah, well, we're leaving." Kenpachi was able to slam the door shut even with both hands full. "Enjoy going home empty handed again." He muttered when entering the elevator to get back to his car. The lady on his shoulder was going to get one huge yelling at when they get back to his place.