Response to reviews!

herRhi-chan: Well, how did you rate it? You said you rate it from either nail biting or tossing cookies. XD And yes, I am a sick bitch. XD

Tiana Misoro: I'm glad I sent shivers down your spine…and before Halloween! XD

Miszxbrii: Glad you…uh, enjoyed it…

Wolfdragonful: whoa, slow down! I can only take so many questions at once! -_-'

Yukiko and Chibiussa: I don't think she does… ^_^'

Aya-ItaLover: Very descriptive aren't we? XD Kidding.

BonneNuit: O.o? I is confused by this one….what do ya mean? No, this is a HichigoXIchigo! The kissing scenes weren't enough proof?

BN998: No, I make the devil look like Kon. XD

Raicheru: Glad I got those points! ^_^ And, as for Ichigo…you'll have to wait and see~!

Strawberry-Ringo: It is…you wanna visit? XD

SinfulNekoRose: I do that to a lot of people, so you ain't alone! XD

Avgirl10: I did put up a warning, didn't you read the top? O.O

Athina Dark-Angel of Death: Thank you! *bows*

HannahGee13: You ain't sick, I'm sick for writing it! XD

Ok, I know. Even though they've been going through hell here, I betcha y'all are wondering where the smex is, right? Well, I'll get some in, no doubt! It just wouldn't really be a HichigoXIchigo by me if I didn't put some in there, neh? Well, it'll be soon, not quite yet…we still need to check up on poor Ichigo here! So…here's Chapter 11!

XxxxxX

Chapter 11: Still sane…

Dion's POV

12 days ago…

It took me a whole day to clean up. The room smelled, Ichigo was constantly bleeding all over the floor, and the body was practically fused with the wall. Ichigo's state hasn't improved at all, but what do you expect? Whatever he saw…it had to be horrifying. He was still shaking on the floor, eyes staring blankly at the wall. He had started mumbling something, but I was too far away to hear. Oh god, I need to hurry up here…I may be an arrancar and hate Soul Reapers, but this…this was insane. It seemed wrong for some reason, and it was bothering me as to what it was. I threw the mop down and lifted Ichigo up by one arm and dragged him out of the room, his blood causing a trail as we left.

"Where do ya think you're going, Novia?" I froze as Grimmjow walked up from behind me. He walked in front of me, hands in his pockets.

"Master Grimmjow, I can not clean the room out with this…baggage in there." I replied. "It continues to leak, if you get what I mean." I could hear Ichigo's whispers now, and froze every time I heard them.

"No…stop it…I didn't mean to…quit tearing me up…please…" he continued to babble the same words, and I was afraid that he'd burst out in screams any moment.

I have to get him back to his room…I thought.

"So what? You're also messing up the halls. Although red does look good on white, Aizen won't be pleased to see this mess."

"And I assure you master, I will clean it up. However, it will never be clean unless I take him back to his room. Lord Aizen also said to make sure that the Soul Reaper doesn't die, at least, until we don't need him anymore." I replied calmly. Yeah, it takes a lot of guts to reply like that calmly, especially to the Sexta Espada. But, seeing as I was right, he held back the urge to blow my head off with a Bala, but only barely.

"Fine then. But come back here and finish up when you're done, ya hear me?" he said. I nodded.

"Yes Master Grimmjow." I said and began walking back, but not before his hand fell on my shoulder. It felt cold, heartless, and filled with malice.

"You'd be wise…to not mouth off like that again, Novia. If the 'baggage' as you put it weren't here now, I'd blow you into a bloody smear on the wall." He hissed.

"Then you would have to deal with Lord Ichimaru. Not only that, I wouldn't be here to clean up my own mess." I said. I walked away as he removed from his hand from my shoulder. God, sometimes I do have a death wish, but it felt good to voice my opinion!

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Normal POV

Grimmjow stood in the hallway, looking at the blood streak that the cut up teen was leaving as he was dragged down the hall by Dion. "Oh, I can't wait to blow him to pieces…"

"Do not whisper words like that here, Grimmjow. Not while 'they' are watching." He turned to see Ulquiorra walking down the hall towards him. He looked into the Kurai Heya and stared at it blankly. "I was going to do that first, but you got to it before me. It looks like I will have to rethink on what to do…"

"Aww, what? Upset that I actually did something to scar him mentally?" Grimmjow teased, leaning against the wall. Ulquiorra said nothing, still staring into the room. "Well, no response, eh? How odd."

"I was just thinking about when you said that raping the teen would do that." Grimmjow's face turned red with anger. "It seems that when you fail once, you try something else."

"What, so you're the all mighty king of torture now?" Grimmjow hissed. "I did what I felt like, ok? Besides, I know I was this close to getting him to screaming its name…" Ulquiorra sighed and stared into Grimmjow's furious teal eyes calmly.

"It doesn't matter now. He is under my possession now, so you need not worry." He replied coolly. As he started walking away, Grimmjow gripped his wrist tightly.

"Just remember, Ulquiorra; we still need it." He whispered. Ulquiorra nodded and Grimmjow released his hand from the 4th Espada's wrist. Grimmjow watched him walk away, a nasty grin on his face. Boy…you're in for a ride through hell, Soul Reaper…

XxxxxX

Shiro's POV

There was a loud kicking noise at the door. "Hichigo! Open the door, quickly!" I recognized Dion's voice from the other side. I ran up and opened the door and he quickly shot in, carrying Ichigo on his back. The first thing I noticed before even looking at Ichigo was the smell. The entire room was now filled with the stench of blood and sick.

Ugh…it smells like rotten flesh… I turned around…and then took in the sight of Ichigo. He had horrible wounds all over his body, flesh buried in his nails. His eyes were half open, and staring at the wall, one was swollen and turning red and yellow. His body twitched every now and then, and his hair was sticky with blood. I couldn't handle seeing him like this…I instantly ran to the bathroom and puked. I have no clue how long I did, and leaving Ichigo alone in there…I felt bad about it, but I couldn't help it.

"Are you ok?" Dion asked, patting my back. I threw his arm off, staring him in the eyes.

"Ok? Did you just ask me if I was ok?" I snapped. I stormed into the room, sitting down on the bed and holding Ichigo in my arms. I was still keeping my cover; I wasn't holding him too close, but I wanted to so badly. Dion had bandaged him up some, but that was it. He still smelled, blood sticking all over his body. "He could've died in that fucking room!"

"I assure you, they won't kill him. They made the gas vent out in time." He told me, but I just shook my head.

"You said it kills arrancar! So why would they put Ichigo in there? He's…he's a…"

"A Soul Reaper, I know. I don't exactly agree with all of this, but he was able to handle it." Dion said. I laughed, in light of the dark situation. "What do you find so funny?"

"You are sadly kept in the dark, Dion. " I shook my head, staring at Ichigo. His eyes had closed now, and by the feel of his mind, he was in his inner world. "Ichigo's…a human." I looked back down at Ichigo, stroking his hair softly. "He's in his inner world now…I need to see him." I told him. When I looked back up, Dion's dark eyes were wide with shock. He quickly shook his head and sighed.

"I…I thought you couldn't go in his mind when they...you know, separated you." He said.

"We aren't fully separated. In fact, if I'm in his mind for any amount of time, his wounds will heal quicker. I need to go and see him…and the state of his mind." Dion nodded and walked towards the door.

"I have to clean the hallway and Kurai Heya out. When I get back, we'll clean him up, ok?" he said. He left before I could answer but I didn't care. I buried my face in Ichigo's orange hair, which was slowly losing its luster.

He needs to eat…I thought. I sighed and closed my eyes, focusing on his mind.

XxxxxX

Dion's POV

I had no idea…I kept repeating what Hichigo had told me the entire trip down back to the Kurai Heya. He's a human…Ichigo's a human… I'm surprised he's still alive! Depending on what kind of being you are, your soul can only handle so much. Humans are the lowest on that chart, followed by Soul Reapers, then arrancars. So…the fact he's alive…I sent shivers down my spine.

"You're late, Novia!" I flinched slightly at the venom in Grimmjow's words as I approached the Kurai Heya. The huge obsidian door was already shut.

"Forgive me, Master Grimmjow, but it took me awhile to get him down there. Despite his skinny shape, he is still quite heavy." Grimmjow shrugged and I sighed.

"Don't give a shit anymore. He's not mine to… 'play' with anymore." He walked past me and stopped mid step. "Oh, you don't have to worry about cleaning the Kurai Heya." I could feel my blood freeze in my veins.

"Wh…whatever for, Master Grimmjow?" I asked, already fearing the answer.

"AHHH!" A sharp cry came from the room, causing both of us to flinch.

"It has a new roommate." He said as he walked away. I grabbed the mop leaning against the wall and continued scrubbing, forced to listen to the cries of the unfortunate arrancar in the Kurai Heya.

XxxxxX

Shiro's POV

When I finally entered his mind, I stood in horror. The sky was dark, thunder clouds looming over head, rain pelting my skin. The buildings around me were in bad shape, most had cracks running through them, the windows shattered. I looked around frantically, trying to find him. "Ichigo! Where are you?" I called, but no one replied. I began running, the rain stinging my face like sharp needles. I stopped and looked around again…then I saw him…but only just.

One of the buildings had crumbled slightly, and he was underneath it, sheltering from the harsh rain. I quickly ran up to him. He was in the fetal position, staring out blankly at his inner world as it crumbled. I got down on my knees and shook his shoulder. "Ichigo?" He turned and looked at me, horror in his eyes. He backed away from me, holding his arms in front of his chest.

"N-no! Don't do it again! Please!" he cried, his entire body shaking. "I-I didn't mean it!"

"Ichigo…" the way he was staring at me, it filled my new found heart with sadness. "It's me…I'm here and I'm not going to hurt you…" I reached for him, and he slapped my hand away, his eyes still filled with fear.

"I-I'm sorry! Just…please leave me…don't hurt me anymore…" he whimpered.

"Ichigo, it's really me. You were hallucinating." I told him. The fear in his eyes wavered a little. I reached for him again, but when he slapped me, it was a weak smack. I finally managed to wrap my arms around him, holding his cold, wet body to my chest. He quickly latched onto my shihakusho, and began sobbing.

"Oh Shiro…I…I…"

"Shh…it's ok now…it's over." I whispered. I began rocking him back and forth, stroking his hair and humming softly. Slowly, his inner world began to fix itself around us and in a matter of minutes, it was back to normal, save for the cracked windows and rain. But the rain was falling softer now, making small puddles on the windows. "It's all right Ichigo…"

"Shiro…I'm sorry. It's just…the things I saw…I could've sworn they were all real…" he said, his voice growing a little firmer.

"No, Dion told me they were hallucinations, nothing more." I said.

"But the pain, the feelings, they-"

"All the wounds were self-inflicted…" I told him. He took a minute and sighed.

"They take delight in making me suffer by forcing me to torment myself, don't they?" he chuckled softly. I sighed and smiled into his soft hair. The old Ichigo was already shining through again. "So…do you trust Dion now or something?" he asked me.

"Not really, but he's all we have when it comes to information. Not to mention he did bandage you up when I was puking my guts out into the toilet." He chuckled and lifted a hand up around my neck. He pulled his head back, staring me in the eyes.

"I'm that bad looking huh?" he asked. I leaned in teasingly close, my smile almost causing our lips to touch.

"Without the scars, blood and grime…you look just fine to me…" I whispered to him. He leaned in closer and our lips met in a much needed kiss. I felt lost in it…and I enjoyed every second of that feeling. We parted for air and he smiled at me.

"Good, and this time…I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Shiro…" he whispered. I smiled. I knew exactly what he wanted. And may god damn me if I didn't give it to him; I wanted it too…

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Chapter 11 end

MWAHAHAHAHAHA! Evil cliffhanger! Well, I guess y'all know what comes next chapter~! Until then…review! XD