Chapter four up! Sorry for the wait but I've been distracted with my other stories! Mainly Chained to You a new Aizen/Ichigo AU fic, check it out if you have time!
Anyway hope you all enjoy!
Silverfox XD
~Chapter Four: Denial Shattered, Disturbing Truth~
The next two days seemed to crawl by with excruciating slowness; nothing remarkable happened it was just the same old routine. Everything appeared to be so peaceful in comparison to two years ago, the others felt it was some kind of sign but Ichigo felt it was more like the calm before the storm. Something was going to happen but what?
Ichigo was mulling over it as he did some much needed studying for the exams in a couple of days, not to mention he needed to catch up his homework. His increasingly common bursts of Spiritual Pressure as his power had slowly eroded away a few months ago, had left him out of commission for several days each time, the last being a month so he was considerably behind but thankfully he only had one assignment to catch up on now.
Ichigo was honestly surprised it took his powers so long to disappear after all it had only taken him a few seconds to obtain his power and only three days to regain it after he lost it the first time so for it to take so long on the second try was somewhat baffling to Ichigo but it was no less painful.
Zangetsu he missed dearly, the old man and recently Tensa Zangetsu, despite only meeting him briefly his spirits bankai form was still apart of him. His hollow…well that little bundle of hell was apart of him to and some where along the lines when they were fighting the rouge zanpakuto they had come to a grudging truce to fight Muramasa, so yes Ichigo grudgingly missed his hollow also.
Sighing Ichigo mentally slapped himself for getting distracted by his thoughts and diligently and determinedly returned to his homework. Minutes ticked by and turned into hours, a headache forming between his eyebrows from staring at words for too long.
Groaning Ichigo rubbed the pain in his forehead about ready to call it a night but a sudden pain stabbed at his left arm currently cradling his head. Jerking back with a small hiss Ichigo lowered his arm, his right hand automatically clapping over the source of the pain.
"What the hell?" Ichigo demanded of the empty room through clenched teeth. The pain was still there but it was…moving along his arm making him hiss out a breath. It felt hot and sharp like some kind of heated blade cutting his flesh and to top matters off perfectly his headache had gotten worse it was now an all out migraine.
Soon he was panting for breath, doubled over in his chair, forehead resting on the cool wood that did precious little to ease the pain there. Then the pain in his arm was suddenly gone, like it never happened. Breathing out a sigh of relief Ichigo sat back and removed his right hand to hang over the armrest of his chair.
He sat there for a minute not moving, that was until he became conscious of the slow sliding of liquid down his fingers. Paling slightly, instinctively know what he was going to find but wishing he was wrong to recognize the feeling as blood sliding over his skin but he had felt it too many times to delude himself. Indeed when Ichigo looked at his raised hand it was stained a gruesome red.
"What the…? Where did that come from?" Ichigo shakily questioned the air, his right hand shaking slightly. Then as if he was being controlled like some puppet Ichigo turned his head and looked at his left forearm eyes going wide.
It was completely covered in blood.
"Wha…what is going on?" Eyes on his blood soaked appendage Ichigo was seriously considering slapping himself just to make sure he wasn't dreaming but the sudden burst of pain in his temples proved that it was very real.
"Ahh!" Letting out a cry Ichigo's hands flew to his head, clutching at his now bloodied orange locks before his eyes rolled back in his head and he hit the floor with a thud, unconscious.
It was dark…again. Ichigo was getting tired of all this darkness and waited impatiently for the expected scene to appear but after a minute it was still dark. That wasn't surprising or unexpected it was the sudden searing pain that dragged across his right arm, it was the same feeling as before.
"Ahh!" Unable to keep his silence Ichigo cried out or he thought he did at least. His mouth was open but no sound came out and he couldn't move, he tried to thrash but he couldn't move a single inch. It was only then Ichigo recognized the feeling of being tied down in a sitting position.
It was the same feeling he felt the last time briefly before he woke up again. Only this time it was much sharper and clearer. He could feel the unforgiving hardness of the chairs arms and the high back. He appeared to be bound from head to toe in restraints, cloth restraints.
What the hell is going on now? Ichigo wondered exasperatedly as another pain ripped across his arm. He couldn't see anything but he could hear it when the blade was run across his flesh. Shuddering Ichigo realized someone was laughing and it was sadistic and dreadfully familiar.
"So how does it feel eh?" Ichigo would recognize the voice of the deranged Twelfth Division Captain anywhere. "Not so high now are you Aizen." Ichigo's mind suddenly went into lockdown.
Aizen? What the hell did this have to do…with…Ai…zen…" It suddenly hit Ichigo with the force of an express train. He…he was…was he in Aizen's head? A burning pain in his chest distracted his thoughts.
"My, my, aren't you a tough one to crack, we've be at this for a week now and not one scream." Ichigo's eyes widened or at least metaphorically. A week if what Ichigo was thinking was actually true than Aizen had endured similar pain for an entire week and knowing Kurotsuchi it would have lasted several hours at a time.
This isn't real…is it? Ichigo thought to himself, mind still struggling with the concept. Aizen might have betrayed Soul Society and gone against their rules but he sure as hell never tortured anyone…at least not physically and besides, Orihime came back her usually insane self so maybe it was only Ichigo's head he fucked with.
Then again he did murder Central 46 but from what Toshiro had told him about the incident with Kusaka Ichigo couldn't help but feel that their deaths were entirely justified.
What kind of people would force two friends into a fight to the death, just because they wielded the same power? Not to mention that farce of a trial they gave Kisuke and Tessai, which brings Ichigo back to the hollowfication of the Visoreds, again caused by Aizen. But Central 46 had also ordered their massacre, just like with the Quincy and the Mod Souls.
Not matter how Ichigo looked at it now, he couldn't deny that Soul Society was rotten right to its core. Just look at Rukongai, the way kids were chased down like rats and beaten to within an inch of their life or worse.
And now here is one of Soul Societies torturing a captive. Yes Aizen betrayed and did some heinous acts himself, trying to destroy Karakura town being one of them, Ichigo thought wryly but that didn't mean the man deserved to be torture for 20,000 years or at all, 20,000 years in a prison should be enough of a punishment. Most humans lose their mind after only a few years in solitary confinement, just how did they expect Aizen to come out after such an impossibly long sentence.
Aizen might have a strong and cunning mind but that long would surely have broken him, he would no long be a threat because the stage of utter dangerous craziness would have passed to leave nothing but an emotionless shell.
Geez now that he was thinking like this Ichigo felt like he had turned green. Damn even Aizen doesn't deserve that! Furiously debating with himself through the bouts of burning pain Ichigo decided should he ever lay eyes on Mayuri Kurotsuchi again he was going to kill him, powers or no powers.
No one deserved to be tortured like this.
Clenching his teeth against the pain Aizen was finding it quite hard to resist the weak urge to scream. Kurotsuchi was definitely adapt at torture and coupled with the lack of rest he was granted Aizen was terribly close to the embarrassing act of fainting.
But a sudden determination flooded his system, clamping his mouth shut and pushing away impending unconsciousness. He didn't know where this came from but he was glad for it, he would not give Kurotsuchi the satisfaction of seeing him weaker than he currently was.
While unable to speak Aizen's single visible eye coldly glared at the grinning sadistic Kurotsuchi who held a wicked serrated knife in one white painted hand.
"My what a fine glare you have even in such a state," Kurotsuchi cackled to himself, "That's what makes you so interesting I will tear down this control of yours until you are nothing but a grovelling mess begging for death."
Ichigo winced in Aizen's place at that sentence, instead he felt indignation flowing from Aizen and snorted. Trust the man to get offended and act all lofty in his situation, Ichigo thought to himself with a roll of his eyes but he too couldn't deny it would be far too weird to see Aizen grovel, it was a terrifying thought.
"Well I suppose I'll leave it here for today." Kurotsuchi said to himself after another five minutes of torture with that serrated knife. Then with that single sentence he left locking the door behind himself, sealing the former Captain in the pitch black room.
You will pay for this Kurotsuchi. It wasn't Ichigo's voice that uttered the sentence it was Aizen, his voice seemed to echo in Ichigo's head and he felt himself shiver slightly as he felt his mind slowly returning to his own body, leaving Aizen to wonder at the sudden shiver that wracked his confined body.
Ichigo snapped his eyes open to find himself exactly where he had fallen, a cramp making itself known in his neck.
"Damnit." Ichigo muttered to himself pushing off the floor only for his hands to slip on some kind of liquid making him crash back down.
With a sense of dread Ichigo realized it was blood. Gingerly getting to his feet Ichigo turned looked down at the floor to see it everywhere before gaining the courage to look at himself.
What he found horrified him and made him even more pissed off at Kurotsuchi. He was cover in cuts oozing blood and several burns in the exact places Ichigo recalled them being inflicted upon Aizen.
He wasn't dreaming was he?
And there it is what did you think? Ichigo's having crazy mind trips and Kurotsuchi is a sadistic ass (what else is new) what do you think he will do?
Be sure to let me know what you think!
Cheers
Silverfox