A Black Heart

THIS ARC IS ALMOST OVER! I'm excited if you couldn't already tell. The fun's going to start picking up again, but sadly we need to get this chapter over and done with first. Thanks to everyone that continues to support this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"Normal speech"

'Inner speech/thoughts'

"Kido/Zanpakuto Attacks/Quincy Techniques"

"Zanpakuto speech/Inner Power"

"Hollow speech"

XXX

Chapter 11:

An anguished cry echoed through the air of Karakura's industrial sector, specifically from a decrepit warehouse known for housing numerous exchanges of the less than legal kind. In it, a man lay face down on the ground, his wrists tied behind his back. He soon gave another cry as he felt the hardened steel of a crowbar strike his lower back once again. "Please…please just give me…a little…more time," he gasped out, his entire being screaming in pain, as he watched his torturer circle him slowly, tapping the end of the crowbar in his gloved hands.

"You've had over a week to find him Yokochin," Ichigo muttered, raising his arm high and bringing it down on the thug's knee, relishing the sound of the kneecap shattering. "I told you to find the brat Uryu Ishida and you told me no problem." He lashed out once again, this time hitting him right in the gut, causing him to vomit up what little food he had in his stomach. "Yet today you call me and say we have a problem." Walking over his victim's injured torso, he made sure to put as much weight into his footsteps as possible, earning a choked cough as his reward.

"They…they'll find him," Yokochin coughed out, tears pouring down his face to join the puke on his cheeks. "I'll drive them harder…push them to find him even if it kills them," he continued to plead, even as his right hand man cowered in the corner, unwilling to risk the wrath of their orange-haired tormentor.

"But you're the leader Yokochin…the leader I spared when he came after another of my servants," Ichigo said as he continued to circle him. "I spared you when you tried to kill Chad…I crushed other gangs and gave you their territories and all you had to do to keep it, was not fail me." Stooping down, he grabbed the thug by his afro, dragging him to his knees. "Tell me, how should I deal with your failure?"

Unsure where he was going with this, Yokochin replied with the one thing he sorely sought at the moment. "Mercy…please…" he pleaded, causing Ichigo to scowl at him. Raising the crowbar till it was at eye level with Yokochin, Ichigo slowly hooked the curved part of it around the golden chain that was pierced to his ear and nose respectively.

"Mercy is not an option…" Ichigo whispered in his ear, before with a mighty tug, tore the chain out, bits of flesh still clutched to it and causing Yokochin to let out a shrill scream, blood pouring from his nose and ear as he kicked out futilely at him. Raising the crowbar again, Ichigo began to mercilessly pummel him, blood flying through the air and painting the floor red. When Yokochin's screams finally died out and his body grew still, he stopped and took a slow shuddering breath. Seeing the figure still crouched in the corner, he made his way over to him, his steps echoing through the warehouse.

"Stand up Obuto," he muttered to the overweight thug in front of him, pressing the bloodied crowbar to the man's chin and lifting him up. "You're in charge now…and if you don't find that brat, you can join Yokochin. Do I make myself clear?" Getting a nervous whimper in response, Ichigo jerked his head toward the exit, dismissing him. As he listened to the overweight thug stumble out of the warehouse, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the green pill of his mod soul and swallowed it. "Wait for me by the entrance," he muttered, before walking over to his latest corpse, tossing the murder weapon onto it. "Hado no 31, Shakkaho," he intoned, incinerating both the body and the weapon, leaving no evidence behind. Ever since the night of his competition he had found that the fire based kido came more readily him than any of the others, partially he guessed due to the power he used that night to kill the Menos. Unfortunately for him though, that power was once again sealed away behind an impervious barrier and no matter what he did, he couldn't find a way to connect with it, or the voice that seemed to control it.

Growling in frustration at both his failure to gain that power and that of his minions to find Uryu, he re-joined his body and started to make his way back into the respectable part of town. Thinking of possible ways to vent his frustrations other than through violence, he ruled out Ryo, since she was out of town visiting some family and he sure as hell didn't want to visit Tomoko tonight. That left…Rukia and Tatsuki. 'NO, I refuse to!' he thought, shaking his head as indecent thoughts filled his head about his adoptive sister. The soul reaper though, well she may have been way, way older than him, she was at least physically close enough to his age for them to do it. Feeling a shiver run down his spine, he shuddered at how desperate he was beginning to sound. 'You know what…fuck it, we'll see what happens tonight when I take them to the Circle,' he thought, just as he stopped at a convenience store to stock up on some things they needed.

XXX

Within the Soul Society though, Aizen's pleased expression was clear for all to see. "The boy seems to have finally hit a stumbling block Kaname," he spoke, barely paying attention to his subordinate at his side. "I believe that now is the time to force Kisuke Urahara into action and I have just the two people in mind to do it."

XXX

Back at their shared apartment, ignorant of the part they played in a madman's game, Rukia lay on the couch, dressed in a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt that they had bought her, her lips pursed as she played through the events of the last week in her head.

One, the Quincy Uryu Ishida was missing and neither she nor Ichigo could detect his presence, much to the latter's frustration and her relief.

Two, when she had informed Ichigo of who the Quincy were, she was surprised at his callous disregard to their fate, or how close he came to causing their extinction. Even now his words cut through her moral barriers.

"It doesn't matter what reason your superiors chose to justify committing genocide Rukia. Our world is ruled by a universal truth, the strong make the rules and the weak abide by them," he murmured as she treated him, his face contorting in an odd grimace every now and then. "If the Quincy were weak enough that they were almost wiped out, then it's up to the survivors to decide how they will live out the rest of their lives. That bastard had to have known what would happen if you soul reapers found out what he did, so why should I care about whether he lives or dies, when death might've already been his punishment. In the end, he's lucky to still be alive and as far as I'm concerned, he's living on borrowed time."

Sighing she rolled onto her side, closing her eyes as she debated his words for the thousandth time. There was an element of truth to his words, the Captains were the strongest fighters in Soul Society, but they themselves were still ruled by the Central 46, a council of supposedly wise sages and judges, but more often than not, proved that their decisions were made to their benefit and theirs alone. In a way, she longed for the freedom that Ichigo seemed to have, his perfect obedience a mask to hide his absolute disobedience from the world. Was this why she continued to help him, despite the one side of her that protested against his actions? Was there a part of her that enjoyed seeing him dominate others? That believed that each word he spoke and craved more? Was this new voice in her head that side of her that she had suppressed for so long, but under these conditions, was finally free to make itself known?

"I'm home!" Ichigo's called, his voice shaking Rukia out of her thoughts, as she cracked her eyes open to see him kicking his shoes off in the entryway, several shopping bags in his hands. Getting up off the couch, she joined him in the kitchen to put away the groceries.

"Where's Tatsuki?" he asked in slight confusion, since she was normally the first one to reply when he got back.

"She said something about a sleepover at Orihime's," Rukia replied, frowning at the packet of instant noodles in her hands. Really now, what else did the Living World think up to aid their laziness.

"You gotta be kidding me," Ichigo groaned as he pressed his head against the cupboard door. "You mean to tell me it's Friday night and my only company is you?"

"I'm so pleased to hear that you value my company so highly," she muttered sarcastically as she put away the last few items. "You can be glad that I didn't go, otherwise you'd have been on your own."

"True, but I could just call up anyone else and they'd jump at the chance to hang out with me," he said with a shrug. "Well guess we should get going then, tonight's party is a quite a distance away."

"Tonight's party? Oh no, I refuse!" she said vehemently, holding her hands up and shaking her head. "I can barely remember the first time you dragged me out and the last time we did go, you ended up having a grudge match with a near extinct race. I'm safer staying here!"

"First off, so you over indulged that first time, you still got home safely didn't you?" he asked, conveniently forgetting what actually happened that evening. "Second, it's not like I got into that fight, the Quincy came looking for me. None of that is my fault."

"Even so, you can't deny that you're a magnet for trouble. Where and what is this place that you want to go to called anyway?"

"Nope, that's a surprise," he said with a smirk. "Now put on some shoes, you'll be glad that you're wearing shorts when we get there."

XXX

Unlike other times that they had gone out, Rukia found herself slightly worried as Ichigo hailed a taxi. As they drove, the suburban landscape gave way to open plains of grass. Glancing at Ichigo as he sat on the other side of the backseat, she found him reclining back against the headrest, his eyes closed. She was jolted out of her reverie though as the taxi slowed down, turning off the paved road and heading down a dirt path.

"We're here," Ichigo said with a grin, his eyes alight with excitement as they came to a stop. Pulling a wad of bills out of his inner jacket pocket, he tossed them at the driver, before dragging her out.

Confused at what he meant by here, Rukia could just make out a pebble-stone trail lit by flaming lanterns to their left, as well as the faint sound of drum beats in the distance. Yelping as Ichigo pulled on her arm to get her to follow him; she felt her curiosity grow as they followed the path, before finding herself at the top of a small hill. When she looked down though, she was stunned to see a massive man-made, multi-tiered pit below them, with people seated in it, each playing a drum, while in the centre was what she considered a raging inferno. As they drew closer, she was able to pick out several smaller groups of people clustered around the pit in a haphazard fashion, smoking and drinking, or eating pizza and brownies.

"If anyone offers you a brownie, deny it immediately!" Ichigo shouted in her ear, the booming of the drums drowning out his voice. "And I haven't seen you do it before, but don't accept anything they're smoking either. Now come on, I want to get a drum too."

Still stunned at the spectacle before them, Rukia allowed herself to be dragged over to a little cottage on the opposite side of the pit, where they found a kiosk was renting out drums to several others. Grabbing one half his size and a smaller one for her, Ichigo quickly paid for it and slung his over his shoulder, before dragging them back to the fire pit. Even being on the tier furthest away from the fire, Rukia soon found herself sweating profusely from the heat. Hearing a zip being undone, she held back a blush as Ichigo stripped off his jacket, leaving him in a black tank top that showed off his muscular physique. Looking at the others around them, she found that some were also in similar states of undress, with some men being completely topless, while the women at least kept their bras on.

Turning back to Ichigo, she watched him slowly bob his head in time with the music, before picking up the beat on his own drum. Even as she listened, the music began to hypnotise her, the sheer power of at least 50 drums echoing through both her body and soul.

"HOLD!" a sudden voice yelled out, bringing the session to a dramatic halt. Seeing that nobody was looking at the man below them with irritation or surprise, she guessed that he must've been someone significant. As the man departed though, his place was taken by two men and women, the four of them dressed in little more than swimwear, while their skin was painted in an array of tribal markings. They slowly circled the fire, their eyes boring into the crowd, silently judging them if she was to guess. Moments later though, they all froze in their steps, their positions exactly across from one another. With a single synchronised movement, they raised their right foot and slammed it into the ground, the dull thud echoing through the clearing. As they prepared to repeat the movement again, they were joined by everyone else joining in with a single beat on their drums, the pace being kept by the four of them as they danced towards their respective partner.

It was…to sum it up in one word…intense, she thought, the others around her ignored in favour of watching the scene play out between the four below. When the dancers finally did meet up though, the beat seemed to kick into an entirely different gear, as they began to dance as one. Unlike the overly sexual vibes she got from seeing similar scenes at other clubs though, she could almost sense the primal love displayed in front of her. She was so enraptured in her analysis of their dance though, that she failed to notice when one of the men was suddenly in front of her, his imposing build towering over her. Silently holding his hand out to her, she glanced to her side looking for support, only to find Ichigo's spot vacant.

Looking around in a panic, she looked down into the pit to find him dancing with one of the woman, his first few steps ungainly as he tried to learn the steps. Glancing back to the man in front of her, she hesitantly took his hand and followed without protest. When they reached the centre of the pit, she glanced briefly at Ichigo and his partner, before turning back to her own. Seeing him gesture for her to follow his movements, she hesitantly did so, stretching her arms and pounding her feet into the ground like he did. Slowly, but surely, she found herself beginning to understand the steps and dare she say it…enjoy them. As the heat begin to overwhelm her though and feeling particularly brave, she stripped off her own top, exposing the lacy black number she wore underneath. No one seemed to notice though, their own minds too consumed by the music and the feelings it was evoking in each of them. Sensing more than feeling the man move behind her, she gave into her instincts as they directed her to swing her arms one way, or sway her hips the other, her body only ever ghosting across that of her partner's.

When contact was finally made, by virtue of her partner's fingers sliding effortlessly down her side to rest on her waist, she unconsciously leaned back into his chest, feeling his own heated skin pressing against her own. Reaching back to grab his neck, she turned her head just enough to look up at him, surprised instead to find Ichigo in her instructor's place. Ignoring the fact that she had at first despised and feared the teen behind her, she gave in to the intoxicating feel of the music and ground her rear into his crotch, feeling his own arousal grow with her own, as they danced the night away.

When the beat finally reached its climax and died away, she found herself pinned against Ichigo's body, the cheers and sounds of applause faint to her ears, despite their close proximity. Blindly accepting her shirt from a spectator, she and Ichigo calmly made their way to the refreshments kiosk, where he was kind enough to get her a bottle of water down. Even as the cool liquid sated her thirst from the exertion, she still felt the lust clawing its way within her, begging to be sated.

"Well that was fun," Ichigo said as he lead them to a secluded patch of grass, away from the rest of the patrons and collapsed onto the soft turf. "God in all the time I've been coming here, I've never been selected to join them like that. What did you think of it?" he asked, turning to face her, only to fall silent as she fell atop of him, her lips assaulting his own. Casting his surprise away, he quickly gave in to his lust, wrapping his arms around her to roll them over and giving him the upper hand. Breaking the kiss, he leaned his head back and took her in, from her flushed face and lidded eyes, to her sweat soaked hair and hypersensitive skin. In a way he considered himself insane for not considering her at least as a friend with benefits.

Running his fingers down her side, he heard her breath hitch as they slipped under the waistband of her shorts and soon after her panties, their own mission laid out for them as he captured her lips in yet another heated kiss. Finally finding their goal, he toyed with her womanhood briefly, grinning at the mewls that escaped her lips. Knowing that she was ready and unable to deny himself much longer, he quickly pulled the zip down of his own pants and fought to release his erection from its tight confines. His task complete, he watched for any trace of reluctance on her part as he worked her shorts and panties off, exposing his prize to the cool night air.

With both the final physical and mental barrier discarded, Ichigo slowly sheathed himself in her depths, groaning at the sensation, even as she cried out in rapture below him. Knowing that neither of them cared to prolong the experience, he set a steady pace, thrusting into her willing body with practiced ease. That did not mean that he neglected the rest of her body though, as his right hand snaked under the fabric of her bra to tease her breast, while his lips lavished her neck and lips with gentle kisses. Minutes later, it came as no surprise to either of them when their climaxes rippled through them, Rukia biting into his shoulder to muffle her shriek, while he hissed at the feeling, as well as her clamping down on his member.

As they came down from their respective highs, they froze at the sound of chuckling behind them. "Well ain't this a compromising position to find ya in, ne Rukia-chan?" a suave voice spoke, sending chills down Rukia's spine as she recognised the owner. Glancing fearfully over Ichigo's shoulder, she felt her breath stolen away as she stared up at a tall, thin man with silver hair, dressed in a black shihakusho and white Captain's haori, his eyes narrowed to slits and a mocking grin on his face. Behind him, staring off into the distance so as to not take in the scene they found the pair of them in, stood another man a few inches shorter, his dull blond hair shading his one eye from view.

"Captain Ichimaru…Lieutenant Kira," she whispered, her panic rising with each second as the Captain continued to stare down at her, his grin growing larger by the second.

"Long time no see Rukia-chan and my oh my aren't you being a bad girl at the moment."

XXX

Well, this is probably going to end badly for them, kudos to those that sort of guessed that I wasn't going to use Byakuya and Renji as in canon. Now my apologies, but for the life of me I really can't write a lime, but I hope it was at least good enough to not break the rhythm too badly. Hope you enjoyed it boys and girls and I'll see you all next time.