-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Yuzu stood and stared after where he'd gone followed by the taller man. She turned and looked at her father, eyes wide and teary still. "But...what…why…" she stammered.
"Hush, it's okay, Nnoitra will get him out, give him a minute," Isshin said, smiling at them.
"Who is that?" Karin asked, narrowing her eyes and looking the direction that her brother had disappeared.
Isshin sighed. "He's the person that found him after he ran away from Ryūken. Ichigo…is rather attached to him, and he seems to be one of the few people he trusts right now," he said with glance back to the bedroom, hoping that Nnoitra didn't have any issues getting him out.
"Why is he here now that you're here?" Karin asked, turning back to her father. "He should go, and leave Ichigo to us," she said, suspicious of this person that was involved somehow.
"It's not that easy," Kisuke said, coming into the living area from the kitchen, and setting down some snacks before dinner. "I'm Kisuke, I was friends with your father in college, I'm a doctor and professor of chemistry at SU," he said, nodding to them when they looked at him curiously. "I have been…ah, helping with Ichigo's medical care."
Karin glared at him as well. "What do you mean it isn't that easy? Ichigo has his family now, he doesn't need other people besides us."
Kisuke sighed. "Someone that is as severely traumatized as he has been sometimes has to have focal point. He's suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, and its amplified by the most recent assaults he's endured over the last few months. He's attached Nnoitra to safety, because he was the first person to offer him that. Not to mention he's having trouble adjusting to the fact that your father doesn't hate him, and he's still somewhat scared of what Isshin will do," Kisuke said with a sigh, hearing the light thumping on the door where Nnoitra was trying to rouse Ichigo from his hiding place. "He hides in the bathroom when he is upset," Kisuke explained, going back to the kitchen for the drinks he had set out.
Karin sat down slowly, grabbing a chip from the bowl Kisuke had sat down. She wasn't sure what to think. Yuzu sat beside her, watching the other direction with a great deal of trepidation.
Nnoitra was trying his best, honestly, but Ichigo's reactions were beginning to grate on his nerves. He was going to have to give him another instruction and make him come out. He was beginning to get used to doing it, though, and it seemed natural in a way.
He knocked again several times. "Chiquito, come out of there, now," he said, emphasizing the last word, his voice taking a harder edge than before. "If you don't come out, I swear, Ichigo, I'm going to…" he growled. He closed his eyes, biting his lip. "You're being a brat."
Finally, the door opened a crack and he looked up at Nnoitra with wide eyes. "I…I'm sorry, are you mad?" he whispered at him.
Nnoitra sighed. "I'm not mad, Chiquito, but you are going to have to stop hiding like this. I don't like not being able to get to you and help you when you feel bad. If you lock yourself in there, and something happens to you, I couldn't deal with that, okay?" he said, running a hand over his dark hair and shaking his head. "I know you have to get away from people, okay? I do. But you have to stop locking yourself in. It just isn't safe."
Ichigo nodded. "Okay, I won't…I won't lock it," he said, swallowing and looking up at him. "I just…she…and I didn't…and I can't explain…it was…" he said, biting hard on his lip and stopping the anxious flood of words.
Nnoitra knelt, because when he sat on his knees he was about eye to eye with Ichigo. "I know, Chiquito, okay? Now, come on, tus hermanitas want to see you."
"But I'm…I'm messed up, Papi," he said, swallowing hard and looking toward the door. "Why…why would anyone…I just…"
Nnoitra put a hand against his cheek. "Chiquito, hush that nonsense. You just need to be yourself, and they'll learn to accept it and deal with it because they care about you. They are your sisters, Ichi-baby, okay?"
Ichigo nodded. "But…you'll stay with me?" he asked.
"You know I will, Chiquito," he said, smiling at him as he stood up, wincing at the pain in his knees. Sometimes he felt like such an old man for being in his twenties. "Come on," he said, taking Ichigo's hand and leading him back out into the living room.
As they came into the room, the two girls watched. Nnoitra sat down on the smaller loveseat and Ichigo crawled up beside him, squeezing himself into a very tight space against him. "Oi, Chiquito," Nnoitra said, trying to push him over a bit. "I have to breathe," he muttered, peeling his hand off his ribs where he'd grabbed around him. "Calm down," he said, glancing at him. Ichigo looked up and he managed it, after a moment.
Isshin had sat down beside the girls. "Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu were very happy to hear you were here," he said, trying to keep a neutral face. "They are going to school here this fall," he said, smiling. "They're both very good at studies."
Ichigo nodded. "We…we did a lot today," he said, glancing up at Nnoitra and continued when he smiled and nodded at him. "I…I did a test to see what I remembered," he said, fingers twisting together again. "But…but it wasn't great," he said sadly.
"Nonsense, Chiquito," Nnoitra said. "I told you, it was very good, you still remember most of your school from before. You are very smart, and it won't take you long to catch back up. I had to pry you off the computer earlier," he said, ruffling Ichigo's hair with a smirk. "What was it you were looking at? Anatomy and Physiology, yeah?"
Ichigo nodded. "I…I thought it was interesting," he said, smiling. "Uncle didn't let me have books, so I don't have a lot of good reading skills," he said, frowning. "But Uryū sometimes showed me his, if Uncle was gone," he said, glancing over at Isshin. "He always had funny books and sometimes he had comic books. I couldn't read all the words, but I liked them. I liked the superheroes, and…and that's why…oh…" he said, frowning and almost looking tearful all of a sudden.
Nnoitra looked at him. "What is it, Chiquito?"
"Ah, just…something Uncle had given me…after…after…" he said, sighing. "I…left my gifts behind," he said glancing up at Nnoitra.
Nnoitra bit his lip. "Ah, Chiquito, we do not need those things, we'll find you new things, that aren't given to you because that fucking bastard felt guilty for a brief second," he said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
Karin and Yuzu exchanged a glance. "Is Uryū here?" Karin asked finally.
"Yes, I'll see if he feels like coming out to talk before dinner," he said, standing and disappearing for a moment.
Yuzu swallowed and smiled at him. "I'm sorry, Ichigo, I didn't mean to…"
Ichigo shook his head. "It…it's okay…I just…I don't like to be surprised. It always meant something bad," he said, glancing around the room. "I just…I haven't been around anyone for a long time, and it…it's just kind of scary," he said, starting to chew on his thumbnail without thinking.
Isshin came back with Uryū, who looked somewhat rested, but his face was drawn a bit. He looked at the twins and smiled. "Hi, you two grew up a lot," he said, looking between them. "Karin," he said, nodding at the dark-haired twin. "And Yuzu, I'm so sorry," he said, tears starting immediately.
Karin and Yuzu frowned and glanced at each other before looking back at Uryū. "What…what are you sorry for?"
Ichigo spoke up, glancing at Uryū. "He thinks he should have done something before, but he couldn't, he couldn't do anything because Uncle would have done to him what he did to me, and I wouldn't have liked that," he said, smiling at Uryū. "I'm glad he didn't do anything before I could find Papi, anyway," he said, sighing and leaning into Nnoitra again with a soft look on his face.
Uryū swallowed, shaking his head. "Ichi, don't say that…if…if I'd done something before…before…"
Ichigo got up and went to Uryū, putting his arms around him and smiling as he hugged him. "No, don't do that, I love you, and I would have been so much sadder if he'd hurt you," he said, smiling at him. "I would have been sad. I was always so sad when he hurt you, and I would have been sadder if he'd put you in the closet."
"Closet?" Karin said before she thought about her response.
Uryū put an arm around Ichigo and steered him back beside Nnoitra, sitting him down between them. Uryū put his head in his hands, sighing. "This is so fucked up," he whispered.
Ichigo sighed, leaning back into Nnoitra and closing his eyes. "I didn't want to see you cry," he said, glancing at Uryū. "So, it was okay."
Uryū nearly lost it then, but he heard Chad's voice from behind him. "We are ready for dinner," he said, his deep voice loud in the silent room.
Ichigo nodded, jumping up and grabbing Nnoitra by the hand. "Come on," he said, smiling at him. "You said you were hungry, come on," he said tugging on him.
"Oi, brat, stop that," he muttered, standing up, following him.
Karin and Yuzu got up slowly, walking behind Uryū as he went behind Nnoitra and Ichigo. Isshin sighed, feeling like the night was actually going better than he expected.
They got everyone situated at the table, Kira had said he'd stay in one of the bedrooms while they got together as a family. Kisuke and Chad had cooked, and Gin hadn't come back from wherever he'd gone. Ichigo sat down, pulling his chair close to Nnoitra's so that he could touch him if he wanted. Nnoitra sat down at the end of the table like he usually did, sighing, closing his eyes for a minute. Karin and Yuzu sat down one of the long sides and Isshin took the other end. Ichigo's place had been sat on the other long side, but he'd moved around to the end. Uryū sat down across from the girls, still looking distraught. Kisuke hadn't set a place for him or Chad, intending to take their meals back to the bedrooms to eat.
Kisuke put out the foods on the table and served himself and Chad a plate quickly, then made one for Kira and disappeared with them. Everyone else began to pick out their foods. Ichigo just sat and picked at his silverware while he waited for Nnoitra to get his own food. Nnoitra glanced at him.
"Chiquito, what do you want?" he asked, snagging Ichigo's plate. Ichigo looked at him. Nnoitra rolled his eye, grabbed some of a few things, setting the plate down.
"Um, so, Karin and Yuzu, we're going to be staying here, because we're trying to keep Ichigo and Uryū in a safe place for a bit," Isshin said, nodding at them. "So, I guess you can either stay here, or we can rent the room we're in for a bit longer."
Karin and Yuzu glanced at each other. "I guess that would be good, is there room?" Yuzu said, frowning because she'd counted a lot of people in this place.
"Well, Kisuke can stay with Isshin," Ichigo offered, looking over at him. "He needs someone," he said, looking down at his plate where he was moving bits of food around without eating it.
Isshin glanced at him and cleared his throat. "Yes, that would be fine, and you two can share the room that Kisuke has been in," he said, looking at his daughters with a smile. "A little cramped, but necessary. It…it really isn't good for either Ichigo or Uryū to be alone right now."
"Are you and Ichigo sharing a room?" Karin asked, looking at Uryū. Uryū shook his head. "Chad stays with me," he said, taking a bite of food quickly.
Yuzu looked over at Ichigo. "Where do you stay?" she asked, frowning.
"With…with Papi," he said, looking at them, before looking back down at his plate, still pushing his food around.
"Chiquito, you're doing it again," Nnoitra muttered. "You have to eat, you can't just sit there and play with your food."
Ichigo looked up at him nodding and slowly taking a bite while he watched him. Nnoitra went back to his own food but kept an eye on how much Ichigo was eating.
"Um, so, you said you liked anatomy today?" Isshin asked, seeing Karin's eyes were looking dangerously close to angry.
Ichigo nodded. "Yeah, the inside of people is interesting. When Kisuke said, I had bruised kidneys and a bruised liver, I wanted to see what that meant," he said, eating more now, as though when he stopped thinking he was hungry after all. "And that other stuff," he muttered. "But I think he was worried about nothing, because Uncle didn't break anything this time…"
Uryū didn't respond, just sighed, glancing away from the table. "It's…so odd, now that everything is out, and I'm not hiding anything…" he said finally, looking back. "I…I just have spent so long being terrified of what Ryūken would do to me and Ichi if I tried to get help…" he said, glancing over at Ichigo, realizing that he almost didn't notice his bruises because he was so used to them. "He said he'd kill Ichigo before anyone got into the house to help him," he said morosely. "He said that if anyone found out, he'd just make sure he disappeared for good," he said, chewing his lip for a moment. "It was…so surreal, that when I started school, I just left it, only going back when he called and demanded I come home. I went, knowing if I didn't…something was going to happen. And it still happened, even though I did everything he said," Uryū said, running a hand over his hair. "How…how could someone…how could anyone do what he did…"
Ichigo looked over at Uryū for a minute then frowned. "You still are upset about the bad thing," he said finally.
"Of course, I am, Ichi!" Uryū said, louder than he intended, causing Ichigo to flinch and hide his face in Nnoitra's shoulder. "I'm…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell," he said, sighing. "I…yes, Ichi, I'm…I'm still upset about it."
Ichigo turned his face back out of Nnoitra's shoulder and nodded slowly at him. "I'm sorry," he said to Uryū.
Uryū shook his head, exasperated. "Stop apologizing, Ichi, you didn't do anything," he said quietly.
"But…if I'd been quiet, you wouldn't have known and you wouldn't be upset," he said to him. "You…you just found out because of me."
"Ichigo, don't…you can't be serious?" Uryū said, staring at him. "You seriously would rather me not know than me know and be upset by it? I wouldn't have gone to my teacher if…if…" he said, sighing.
"But Uryū," he said, looking at him. "You don't need to be so sad and upset," Ichigo said. "I don't want you to be upset. So, I wish I could go back before and not make any noise, then you'd still be happy at the school…"
Uryū couldn't take it then, standing and shaking his head, nearly running to the bathroom in his room. Ichigo watched him go and sighed. "I want him to be happy like when he got to go to school," he said looking up at Nnoitra. "If I didn't cry like I did, he wouldn't have heard it, and he wouldn't be sad."
Nnoitra sighed, putting his arm around him. "Chiquito, you are such a…" he stopped, not knowing what to say. Out of everything, Ichigo was more worried about Uryū than himself, putting the blame for Uryū's sadness on himself rather than where it belonged.
"The only one to blame is Ryūken," Isshin said finally, glancing over to the girls who had watched the entire exchange in silence. "He took Ichigo and hid him away, he abused both him and Uryū for twelve years, and then it took this to break Uryū's will. It is no wonder he's barely functional," he said, sighing deeply. "To know that his own father could do something so…wrong."
"What?" Karin asked, staring at her father. "You keep saying the bad thing, this thing, what? What is it that you're not saying?" she asked, glaring at Isshin, then looking at Ichigo who just watched with wide eyes as she grew angry.
"The bad thing," Ichigo said, looking at her. "He gave me gifts when he said he was sorry," he said, looking at her. "He said he was wrong, he said he was sorry, but he did it again, and he told me not to tell Uryū, and I didn't, I didn't want to make Uryū sad, because he wouldn't like it," Ichigo said, glancing between them. "I didn't like the bad thing," he said, shaking his head. "But Uncle said it was because I had taken away Aunt Kanae."
Nnoitra sighed, squeezing his shoulders again. "But when I ran away from him, I found Papi, so it was okay," he said, smiling at Nnoitra with bright eyes. "Even though the bad thing happened, it was okay, and now Uryū is sad, and I wish he didn't know about it. He wasn't jealous like Uncle said," Ichigo said, as though thinking out loud. "But Uncle lied, I know that, I just can't…can't believe what's real, and it's all mixed up in my head, and hard to get right," he said, sighing. "I know…I know…they told me I didn't kill momma and Aunt Kanae, I know that, but he told me I did something bad that made them die, and I just…" he winced, putting his hands over his face. "It's hard," he said, sighing.
Isshin smiled softly. "I know, Ichigo, but you're coming along, you can talk about it now," he said, encouraged by the fact he was getting the thoughts in his head that he'd been lied to a lot.
Ichigo looked up. "He said you didn't want me, and that he was saving me from the jail, and he said so many things, and I just…his voice was the only one in my head for so long." Ichigo, looked at his sisters. "I…I'm sorry I'm not right yet," he said, chewing his lip for a moment. "I want to be, I know that you…you don't want me to be like this, I'm not right…" he said, looking down at his hands.
Karin felt her anger begin to evaporate, and she nodded. "Ichigo, you're our brother, and…it's okay. You don't…you don't have to be sorry. It…will take time," she said, smiling at him. "I just…I wasn't expecting this to be as bad as it has been," she said, looking at Yuzu. "I didn't think…how horrible our own uncle could have been."
"I never…thought he was bad," Ichigo said, looking between them. "I thought…I thought he was supposed to do those things, and that he did it because I couldn't do things right…and I deserved it…" he said looking over at Isshin. "I just…I'm not used to…not being afraid of what someone's gonna do…"
"It's okay, really," Yuzu said, looking at him. "We're going to stay here, and we're going to help you, and we can help you catch up on your school stuff, too."
Ichigo nodded, smiling at them. "Okay," he said. "I know…I know I don't act like people should, but…but I don't know what to do…I stayed in a closet or a bathroom, and I sometimes made games up in my head, and then I had my superheroes but he gave them to me because he felt like he shouldn't have done the bad thing…" he said, sighing. "I liked to pretend with them…" he said, looking away. "Like I was gonna fly away, you know," he said, smiling at the memory. "But I guess I can't…can't do that because…because I'm not…I'm not…I'm grown up and grownups don't do those things. I looked at things and I know I shouldn't want to do the things I got used to doing," he said, sighing deeply again.
Nnoitra realized finally what some of the things Szayel had been talking about meant when he tried to explain what he meant about being a caregiver. It wasn't just about sex; it was about something more. It was giving someone the chance to be loved, nurtured, and be the child they never got a chance to be. He would wait and see what happened, but if things developed, he'd discuss it with Ichigo. He'd do what he needed to do.
He was about to say something when he heard the door open and looked up to see Gin come in with a woman in a dark suit with silvery short hair and a blond-haired man in a similarly dark suit. He looked over and saw that they were in the middle of a dinner.
"Hey," he said, smiling and leaving the woman and man at the door as he headed over. "I…I guess I need to tell you something, Isshin," he said, sighing. "Um, the man that shot Masaki and Kanae was picked up by the FBI."
Isshin stood slowly. "What?"
Gin nodded. "He told them why he'd done it. He was ordered to do the hit by his boss, because…Ryūken had refused to pay for his drugs in full that he was buying from this guy. They…they wanted to kill his wife, as retaliation, but the guy didn't know which woman was Ryūken's wife, so he shot them both."
Isshin sat down heavily and stared at Gin for a long time. "You mean…you mean, he was the reason they were murdered, and then he put the blame on my son for some reason?"
"I don't know why," Gin said slowly. "He apparently has been addicted to prescriptions since he was in college."
Isshin's eyes widened a bit. "When he had that surgery on his wrist…" he said, frowning. "That's…that's when it started," he said.
Gin nodded. "Yeah, so the FBI is willing to help with surveillance and allowing Ichigo and Uryū to stay here, as long as there's a presence nearby. So, Isane Kotetsu and Findorr Calius here will be lead on their detail. They'll be rooming in another cabin, so they'll be near, and there will be a couple other agents in Las Noches until Ryūken can be picked up."
Ichigo stared at him. "I didn't do anything," he said, frowning and looking at the private investigator.
Gin shook his head at him sadly. "No, Ichigo, you didn't do anything, you were a little boy, and something terrible happened, and you shouldn't have been treated the way you were. He had no right to abuse you in any of the ways he did. He shouldn't have kept you captive, and he wasn't doing it for any reason other than some warped sense of spite. You and Uryū were convenient targets of his anger and rage, and he used you both."
Ichigo stared at the table then back to him. "So…so…it wasn't…it wasn't…he didn't do those things…because…I deserved them…" he said finally. "Why would he do those things?" he said finally, looking at Isshin and back to Gin. "If…if no one should do what he did…why did he?"
Gin didn't have an answer. "I…Ichigo, I can't answer that. He's a bad person and he did horrible things."
"He…he made Uryū hit me," he said, glancing over toward the room Uryū had gone into. "He made him do things like that, and then…and then…he…he…how could he? I…I…" Ichigo stood, shaking his head. "If…if I didn't do anything…if he did the bad things and not me…why…why would he…"
Nnoitra saw it coming, a sudden crashing wave that was about to slam into him. He stood slowly, knowing that at some point he was going to have to get hold of him in case he tried to run again. He couldn't let him.
"But I didn't do anything," he said, looking at Gin. "How could…why would someone…I didn't…" he said, and his hands went to his hair and started pulling at it. "If…if he was just bad…then he was wrong…and when he did that…when he said he was wrong…he was even worse!" he said, looking at Nnoitra. "He would make me hurt and hit my head so I couldn't…I couldn't fight him, so…so…he knew he was wrong! He knew…he knew…he did it anyway!"
Nnoitra moved a second before Ichigo, thankfully for both of them. Ichigo's eyes had darted toward the door and he twitched before he lunged away from everyone, and Nnoitra grabbed him, pulling his arms into him, holding him from behind as he struggled with him, telling him to let him just go away, let him run away, that he had to leave…
"No, Chiquito, bebé, you can't leave, come on, please," he said, wincing at the amount of pressure he was having to exert. He glanced at Isshin. He nodded to him, going to get Kisuke. He brought him back, and Nnoitra was glad because his grip was going to give soon as Kisuke came over, having pulled out one of the syringes he'd set ready.
"Ichigo, I'm sorry," Kisuke said, pulling the side of his shorts off, causing him to gasp out, and also giving a view of how badly he was bruised to his sisters. He injected him in the hip quickly, pulling back as he started to feel the effects of the valium. He finally got still, his legs struggling to hold him.
"Okay, Chiquito," Nnoitra said, loosening his grip and pulling him up into his arms, tucking him into his chest. "There, now, close your eyes, bebé," he said, feeling Ichigo's hands squeezing his shoulders as he came down from the panic attack.
"Hmm, Papi, I'm tired," he muttered, nuzzling into Nnoitra's neck. "Wanna go to sleep," he said sleepily.
"Okay, Chiquito," Nnoitra said, nodding to Isshin and taking him in the bedroom, laying him down. Before he stood up, Ichigo had fallen into a deep sleep. He sighed, pulling the cover over him, and running a hand over his head. "I know it's hard, but you can't go around it, Chiquito, you have to go through it…" he said, standing up and going back out to see what else Gin had found out.
-oooooo-OOOOOO-oooooo-
Yumichika Ayasegawa and Ikkaku Madarame were not the conventional couple in any sense. Ikkaku ran the local Gym/Dojo, and Yumichika ran the local hair salon. They'd been together since high school, and Yumichika was very much feminine in every way. Ikkaku, on the other hand, was perhaps one of the most macho men around Las Noches. They made an interesting couple, to say the least. They sat in the Fire Cracker Diner at lunch and looked out as another person they didn't recognize walked down the sidewalk with a suit and tie.
"This is a strange thing," Ikkaku said, frowning.
They both jumped when Yumichika's phone rang out. He picked it up, seeing it was a call forwarded from the salon line.
"Yumichika speaking," he said professionally.
"Hey, Yumichika, it's Kisuke," came Dr. Urahara's voice.
"Oh, hi there, love, you needing to come in for a trim again?" he said, smiling. He loved working on Kisuke's fine, blonde hair.
"Well, I actually need a house call," he said, sighing. "A very…um…delicate one."
Yumichika frowned and looked at Ikkaku. "Delicate?"
"Well, I need maybe you and Dordoni. I have two young men that need some cleaning up, and I think a good haircut would go far in helping them recover from some recent issues they've had. Do you think you can come by later today? Harribel's, cabin two," Kisuke said, a pleading sound to his voice that Yumichika couldn't say no to.
"Alright, we'll be there," he said with a sigh. He clicked the phone off and looked at Ikkaku. "Back to the salon, need to do a house call. Want to drive me and Dordoni?" he said, smiling at Ikkaku.
"Sure," he said, standing up and leaving cash for their food and heading over to the salon to pick up the supplies they'd need and grab Dordoni from his house.
A couple hours later, they rang the bell on the cabin. Dordoni hadn't wanted to leave his wife and baby, but he also often did house calls like this for various people in Las Noches. Yumichika usually didn't work outside the salon, but he made an exception now and then. Ikkaku came along to drive them, and also because he was curious.
Kisuke answered the door and smiled at them. "Come on in," he said, letting them into the room. "So, the thing is, these two are in…uh, protective custody I guess, and no one can know they're here," Kisuke said, leading them into the living room where Uryū was sitting nervously on the couch. He looked up at the three new people.
Yumichika arched a bow. Obviously, this was one of the two of them. His hair was atrocious. He looked at Kisuke. "Alright, kitchen?" he asked.
Kisuke nodded. "Come on Uryū, I know you'll feel better once you get your hair a bit trimmed," he said, smiling at him as he led him into the kitchen and settled him into a chair, while Dordoni got out his case. Chad was sitting in the kitchen as well, watching carefully.
"And where's the other one?" he asked, not seeing anyone else.
"Well, I think you'll be able to handle it, but…" Kisuke sighed as Nnoitra finally got Ichigo to come out again. He'd been on the computer almost all day so far, and had a hard time even leaving the bedroom after the night before's events.
Nnoitra had him in front of him, hands on his shoulders, steering him firmly toward the living room. "But I don't…I don't need…" he was arguing with him.
"You do need to have something done with that messy head of yours," Nnoitra said, growling under his breath. "You look like a wet puppy," he muttered.
Yumichika had never seen this boy before, his hair was bright orange and he would have remembered someone with that color. "Oh, honey, what a mess…" he said, eyes wide. "What…in the world," he said, seeing that his hair was knotted and broken in places immediately. "I need to do this in the bathroom, his hair's going to have to be washed out," he said with a frown at him. "I really need him in the salon for this…" he muttered. "But since I can't, we'll make due. Ikkaku, get a chair from the kitchen," he said, nodding toward him.
Ichigo stared at this strange man. Yumichika was wearing a kimono style dress with his hair pulled back at the nape of his neck, and he wore light purple and teal makeup on his eyes and was very pretty, Ichigo thought. "I don't want…I…"
"Ichigo," Kisuke said gently, standing in front of him. "I know this is odd, but this is about getting back to a state of normal. You've spent twelve years not having anything that the rest of us take for granted, and sometimes, it is the simplest acts that can help. So, something as simple as a haircut, or a good shower, it makes you feel better. So that's why it's important for you to get used to having these things, and Yumichika is the gentlest hair stylist I know," he said smiling at him. "If it becomes too much for you, we can stop. But I think it would be good to try.
"Please, Chiquito," Nnoitra said, smiling. "Give it a try."
Ichigo sighed, nodding. Before long, they'd gotten him washed and Yumichika was steadily dealing with what he thought was one of the most awful heads of hair he'd ever dealt with. There were split ends and broken strands, there were places where it had been cut haphazardly, obviously with a pair of regular scissors, and there were areas where pieces had been pulled out in clumps. He swallowed and frowned at Kisuke as he worked. He wanted to know what had gotten this boy's hair in such a condition. He knew what it looked like, but he didn't want to assume something so bad.
"How did your hair get so messy, Ichigo?" he asked, getting close to dealing with the mess.
"Uncle didn't like it being long, so he would cut it with the kitchen scissors. But he wasn't good, and sometimes he cut me too," he said simply.
Yumichika glance down and was sure that this was a case of some sort of abuse because of his hair alone, but also his face was bruised. "Goodness, that's not a way to deal with such lovely hair."
Ichigo was quiet for a moment. "He hated the color of it," he said slowly. "He said it was ugly and he hated it."
"Oh, honey, it is quite lovely," Yumichika said, finishing up and turning the chair a bit so he could see himself.
Ichigo stared at his reflection for a few seconds. His hair was cut in a short look around his head, but because of the damage, it sort of stuck up looked a bit puffed out. The hair was layered a bit, but Yumichika had no choice with the varying lengths.
"What do you think?" he asked, smiling into the mirror at him.
"I…I've never seen it look…like other people's hair," he said, staring. "I…like it," he said, smiling a bit.
Yumichika smiled and took him out where it looked like Dordoni had finished with the other boy who looked much cleaner with his hair cut nicely. Dordoni had a look similar to Yumichika, so he guessed the other boy's hair hadn't been in good condition either.
"Well, I must go, my wife is needing me home!" Dordoni said, glancing up from his phone.
Kisuke looked over. "How is Cirucci? And is Paloma doing well?" he asked, smiling at the new father.
"Yes, they're good, Cirucci is taking Paloma to work in a carrier tomorrow for the first time!" he said smiling proudly.
Yumichika nodded. "Yes, ah, we'll have to talk some, Kisuke," he said to Kisuke as he left with Ikkaku and Dordoni.
After they'd left Ichigo turned to Nnoitra and smiled. "Is it nice?" he asked him.
Nnoitra smiled, ruffling his hair again. "It is very nice, Chiquito," he said, glad to see a smile on his face after the night before.