Meh, it wasn't that long of a wait, was it? Anyhow I had surgery done and a lot of down time, so I got working on a lot of things. So forgive me if the updates seem sporadic! On the bright side I will be writing more as I have more free time! Thanks Yashiru Kusajishi, AngryHitsu, Phantom Claire, and jasdevi secret sissy! Your reviews keep me writing! Onwards to the Disclaimer!
DISCLAIMER I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. ONLY THIS PLOT AND MY OCS!
Ichigo woke up, he felt well rested, but now he was more aware to the grim the covered his body. His already sore muscles were even sorer with how he had been laying all night. A shiver ran up his spine and he curled into himself to protect whatever heat he had left, thought it wasn't easy.
He had a sense of foreboding, though he wasn't entirely sure why. But perhaps it was because of the lack of visitors that he had. Figuring that at least one of his captors would've shown up. Whoever these guys were weren't the typical run of the mill people who wanted to take over soul society because they claimed to be more powerful than the rest.
These guys were playing it smart. Though he couldn't get out of cell they weren't taking the chance to tell him their plans incase he did get out. The group didn't seem to be in a rush either. Thats what was making them so formidable, they were planning every step of the way.
His stomach clenched painfully, it was begging for food, also his mouth was starting to get that sticky feeling. Even with a full nights sleep, he was still mentally exhausted, and whatever energy he got from the rest was going into keeping his organs, which were no doubt starting to fail or at the very least get weaker, going. He knew that the disuse and strain his body was going through would have severe repercussions later.
Ichigo closed his eyes once more. It did him nothing to sit around all the time and wait for the next time he'd be beaten. He would try to get as much rest as he could, for what he did not know.
He closed his eyes, but instead of the gentle cradle of peace that came with sleep, he felt his consciousness being pulled another way. But it was nothing like the feeling he got when he was going to have a nightmare, it was something familiar, and he hadn't felt it in a long time.
When he opened his eyes the first thing he realized was he was no longer in his cell, the second thing was that it was a steady drizzle of rain, the third being that he was in his inner world.
There was a feeling of elation that he was able to return to his inner world, where, as far as he knew, there was nothing to harm him mentally, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't feel an physical pain.
But the air in his inner world had a feeling of melancholy. He couldn't place why, but within the feeling was also a pure relief. Though for some reason he wasn't greeted by Zangetsu like he usual was, nor was there the hollow, some part of him still feared that the dreams were actual visions of his psyche and what's going on.
Having nothing better to do, and an abundance of questions, Ichigo set off to see if he couldn't find his zanpakuto. He wasn't even sure how he was going to start. He should've asked Urahara more about the inner worlds, or Zangetsu. As of right now he was completely lost.
He thought he heard something, so he turned his head towards were the sound was coming from but saw or heard nothing more. He continued leaping from skyscraper to skyscraper. Pleased to find that his physical wounds were nothing but physical, though the scars were a reminder that he in fact had be gravely injured.
It occurred to him that this was the first time he would have scars from his shinigami form. The fourth had always removed all traces of his injury since he would have to explain it to his father and sisters. He shrugged, as long as they didn't see him with his shirt off they'd be fine.
Something was pulling him further into his inner world. It didn't feel dangerous or harmful to him. It felt like a soft caress in all truth. He stopped himself suddenly. His mind reeling back to the time Tadashi did the same thing to him. He was pretty sure it was unknown to the king that he had a late night visitor, Tadashi moved very silently, and Tadashi had leaned down and once again kissed his lips this time however it was a chaste kiss it was a rough kiss that involved tongue. Ichigo tried to fight back, he clawed at Tadashi's chest. The bigger man ignored him and ended nipped and sucked on the teen's neck. Ichigo summoned the strength that he could and kicked the red head in the balls. Tadashi howled in pain and left in a fury.
Though the one thing that was continued throughout the entire time he was alone with Tadashi was the soft caresses, on his face, sides, back, but mostly his face. He fought down the surge of panic that rose up within him. Reminding him that this wasn't Tadashi.
Ichigo pushed himself foreword. Though at a much slower pace than he had been going. The gentle breeze was growing harsher as he drew nearer. From somewhere behind him he thought he heard the screamed word of "Stop!"
He turned around but saw nobody. He shrugged to himself and continued walking, his curiosity piqued. He had been in his inner world so many times but yet he had never felt something like this before.
Something that reminded him of Getsuga Tensho came flying at him. As he was trying to figure out what happened he was push awake. His body was shaking now, its energy completely spent. He began coughing, this spell was harsher than any he had thus far. He started to feel something rise up at the back of his throat, trying to expel the unpleasant feeling from his body he started to retch. He was using up to much energy and he was aware of it. He spat up bile.
His arms were shaking under the weight of his body, before his arms completely gave out on him he used the last of his strength to shove himself further away from his own bile so he wasn't laying in it, instead he was about a foot away from it. His insides were screaming. He began to cough once more, but lacked the energy to sit himself up.
As his coughing fit grew more and more severe, he began to also gasp for air. He coughed up something with a metallic taste and smell and without a doubt he knew that it was blood.
With his energy spent, more than he even had, he couldn't even move his hand to wipe away the blood. So he lay there, feeling as the blood trickled down his face and onto his neck before dropping off onto the floor.
Enyo had walked into the observation room just as Ichigo's coughing fit began. A frown perched itself on her face. She walked closer to the window. Wincing as she heard the intensity of the coughs.
She tilted her head inquisitively. His body is failing. He'll need to make his choice soon. Or is it he has and isn't able to?
Enyo's dark eyes widened as she saw the young male cough up blood. She was disgusted with the scene, yet she couldn't look away. The teen wasn't attempting to wipe away the blood.
She waited a few more seconds. Perhaps he is catching his breath? When he still made no attempt to wipe away the blood, Enyo sighed. She spun on her heel and left the observation area.
Her second-in command, another Grecian, was waiting for her. He bowed down gracefully. His hair was a light brown but his skin was a darker olive colors than her's. In his hand he held out her sword. She took it from him.
"Epistrophà stin ptériga mas." She ordered.
Strephon, as he was called, bowed once more and left the Grecian premier alone. She headed in the opposite direction. As much as she thought a beautiful figure such as herself shouldn't do physical labor, it would seem she would have to this one time.
She turned another corner and she was at the cell door holding their guest.
She walked silently and swiftly towards in. Without much thought she uttered the incantation and walked through the screaming door and continued until she was a foot away from the teenager.
"Entrap Suneeku Chixeen." She said as she pulled out her sword. The sword glowed gold and transformed into the whip.
She saw the young man's brown eyes look at her, fear had made his pupils dilate making the brown of his eyes scare. It was a shame, the color of his eyes was actually very stunning. Enyo hadn't been blind to the fact that the light brown that they used to be was now mud brown, the light had literally faded from his eyes. The fear had darkened it even more so.
She could tell his entire body was convulsing on a minor scale. She was no doctor, they used to have Saika for that, but they'd have to manage on their own now, but she could tell that the boy's end was drawing nearer if was kept in that situation.
Her exact orders were to keep him alive, but they didn't specify how. She raised the whip and cracked it to her side. "Bankai."
Her reiatsu swelled and the whip, slid up her arms and across her back down to her other hand, the snake emblem slowly slithering into place. "Kokoro no Rensa."
Ichigo looked at her, amazement showing on his weary face. "I have in fact reached bankai." She said with a shrug.
She kneeled down, her face contorting into a look of disgust as she knelt down onto the dirty floor. Her dark eyes met with his brown ones. "Do not fight me, neoi mia."
The teenage looked confused at the words that finished her sentence. He was still tense. She sighed placing her hand in her lap.
She tried again. "If you fight me your pain will only last. You'll die."
Ichigo's face was set in a determined line. Enyo had to smile at the boys defiance. "My zanpakuto has an interesting power. If you fight me you'll be struggling to survive, you shall be in a comatose state. But if you do not, we can heal you. There will no longer be any pain that you have to endure."
Ichigo gritted his teeth, he choked out a reply. "Like hell I'll let you do whatever to me willingly."
Enyo's face fell into a frown but straightened it back up. "Do not say I did not warn you."
She mover her hand, they rubbed his bare chest artfully dodging his wounds, they smelled putrid, she almost gagged from the barest proximity of them. Under her fingertips she could feel Ichigo's will getting ready to resist, he was planning to fight.
"The spirits within you are strong." She stated. "Perhaps they are your previous lives. Maybe you've been to Elysium. You could obtain the Isle of the Blessed!"
Ichigo stared at her duly and Enyo sighed. "Its an old Greek myth. Something easterner would not understand."
Her hands reached his face, she cupped her face, their eyes just locked onto each other. "You should be grateful that I am even offering you this mercy."
She bent down, her lips grazing his. She kissed him.
Ichigo couldn't help but think there were so many things wrong with this kiss. First off Enyo's lips were to soft, and warm. There was something about them that were just not right. Any teenage boy would kill to kiss someone who had a supermodel level body and beauty.
Then he thought about Tadashi's kisses. His lips were chapped and made the kiss rough, he had hot lips. It felt slightly closer to what he liked. When he didn't have his shinigami powers he spent a lot of time figuring out things that most teenagers would know by their last year in high school. During that time he learned that he was bisexual with a preference to men.
But neither of this two very attractive shinigami were what he wanted. He pictured his lover to have smooth, but slightly chapped lips. The kisses would vary from rough and passionate to soft and full of emotion. The kiss would be cool, not warm like Enyo's or hot like Tadashi. He figured it would be like kissing Toshiro.
He paused his thoughts. Why would he think of Toshiro? Maybe it was because he wielded an ice-type zanpakuto, the strongest on no less. He shook his head, Rukia also wielded an ice-type. He had a feeling that her lips would be soft and warm, unlike her brothers.
Toshiro was attractive, he'd give the small captain that much. Ichigo had often found himself staring at the young captain's lips. He didn't know why, maybe it was just the fascination of how the captain could speak without revealing his inner thoughts in his voice.
Enyo pulled back. "Thinking of someone else? Ah well, it did what it was suppose to. It scattered your thoughts so its harder to resist."
Ichigo was just zoning back in when she finished her statement, he had been lost in his thoughts of the white haired captain and hadn't realized that Enyo had been speaking. He ribbons glowed and he felt his mind get cloudy and his body go slack.
Ichigo wasn't sure what was going on. He felt his eyes closing on their own accord. Once they were fully shut, he fell through someplace and ended up in his inner world. He was near the spot where he had been the last time he visited. Only this time there was a woman with him. On closer inspection he saw that it was Enyo. She was wearing a one strapped dress that was entirely silver, it made her look even more like a goddess.
She looked around slightly amused. "Skyscrapers, interesting."
The beautiful woman turned her gaze towards him. She lifted her hand, and splayed the fingers, some sort of wave shot out of them. Ichigo turned to see what it was she had seen. To his surprise he saw Zangetsu and Hichigo frozen mid stride.
"So these are the ones impending my process?" She chuckled. "My, my. What weaklings."
Hichigo attempted to glare, and succeeded but it had no effect on the female.
"Your good hollow? Good weakens the soul." Enyo looked meaningfully at Ichigo. "Your soul is weak but your power great. You are a contradiction."
Ichigo settled for looking at her harshly. She waved her hand. She looked at her hand and saw that she was fading. She strengthened her presence in this inner world. He's using whatever strength he has left to kick me out. No matter.
She remained standing firm tilting her head inquisitively. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
Ichigo gave her a sharp nod. She was bewildered by how his eyes had returned to their light color, and how confident, and unafraid he seemed. She let out a chiming laugh. "You think because we are in your inner world I cannot harm you? That you own the playing field?"
"No. I just know I can beat you." The teen said confidently.
She rolled her eyes. "You know you can beat me? You cannot even grasp my power. Think before you speak or you'll only end up like one of those meatheads that call themselves a squad."
Ichigo glowered. He reached for Zangetsu but he found that it wasn't there. "What?"
"I removed it." Enyo spoke lightly. "Fighting is such a terrible business."
Enyo was getting fed up with the chatter. She wouldn't be able to maintain her presence much longer. She lifted both of her hands. The two of them were transported into a black and white area.
Enyo gritted her teeth she needed to get further into the teen's mind. She did the same motion again and they were further. She summoned her bankai. She kept one hand raised, she was dragging him to the small pinpoint of light that was ahead of her.
No matter how many times she saw this, it was still breathtaking. They were actually seeing the soul itself. She increased her pace tugging her captive along. She nearly stumbled over a crack. She arched an eyebrow.
He was breaking after all. She thought. She glanced at the teen, his jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide. She wondered what the person saw when they looked at their soul. She tugged on the invisible rope. As the drew close she saw that the soul was one of the biggest ones she had ever encountered.
It was situated in a chasm. When she looked down she saw that it was endless. She continued yanking on the rope drawing the carrot top closer. He was starting to resist but it was futile, she was currently queen of this world.
This would be the point where would see whether or not they would get an ally or he would go comatose. If he didn't beg for her not to throw him in the pit she would do it without hesitation, but this would be the first time that it happened that she had to throw them in the pit herself.
Ichigo's strength was waning. He couldn't guess the reason. But he was sure it had something to do with the large sphere in front of him. Without knowing how he knew it but he was certain it was his soul.
It was a stunning view. It was a large white mass of something, with blue laced into it. A white band was orbiting around it. This band wasn't smooth like his soul was, it was rough and had an entirely different feeling to it. He was sure it didn't belong to his soul, it felt familiar, but it was something that he had give permission to reside here. He was reminded of a dragon guarding something precious to it.
It jumped out towards him when he thought it. Like it was welcoming him home. Enyo tugged the invisible bindings and he slid foreword an inch. The band was cooler than his soul as well.
He just couldn't place why it was so familiar to him. He was firm in his belief that it was something important to him. He struggled against the bindings. He wanted to stay here until he figured that band out but Enyo tugged once again and he lost his footing putting him a lot closer to the edge than he would've liked.
Enyo grunted as she yanked on his once more, his lead foot slid over the pit. Enyo stood behind him, a strange glint in her eyes. It was a darkness that he knew was save only for the truly cruel.
"Beauty is pain." She muttered. "Your soul is beautiful, pure, and its causing me pain to know that something like this exists."
She glanced up at his soul. She knew what the band was that was circling it, and it might've been a problem if anyone knew where the teen was at and they rescued him. With a long intake for breath she steeled herself even more. "You've been a royal pain."
With that she shoved him into the pit. He had nothing to stop himself with and was sent tumbling down into the pit. He heard the girl mutter
"Borei Charonta sas kathodigsei."
He didn't know what that meant but it sounded final whatever it was. She vanished and he was falling into the darkness, literally. The air was rushing by him, his hair flying upward. It felt like his fall was slow, he had entered some form of euphoric state. The white band was streaking after him.
Ichigo knew it wasn't going to make it. His eyes were gradually closing the deeper he went into the pit. The fall was long, he had now way of knowing how far he had traveled, but his eyes closed completely. Something wrapped around him but he was feeling a sense of peace that he hadn't felt before and chose to ignore it.
In the physical world
Enyo opened her eyes. Ichigo's face was in a state of absolute bliss. She stood up. Groaning as she saw her dress had been ruined. She used her zanpakuto, which had returned to is unreleased for, to cut off the soiled part of her skirt. It now reached mid thigh.
She sneered and the motionless, and pale form of Ichigo. She tossed the ruined fabric over him. She walked out of her cell, the full intent to tell her king what had happened but he was walking in the hallway just as she emerged from the cell hallway.
He sent her a curious glance. She bowed deeply before launching into her explanation. "He was going to die, infection was spreading, he was losing blood that he couldn't afford to, his organs were beginning to fail. He was convulsing because he no longer had the energy to function. His body was using what it didn't have, which ended up harming itself."
Sachio nodded. "And?"
"It was a matter of hours sir. I used my bankai and came into contact with him and tried to summon the evil side of his hollow to avail. He fell into the pit where the soul is housed. He's in the furthest recesses of his mind. I can no longer reach him. He's comatose. I do not know if he'll come out of it."
"Pity." Sachio sighed. "Oh well. We planned incase something happened to him in the first place. We just move change that part of the plan with plan B."
Enyo nodded and bowed once more. Her king dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Just as she was heading to her wing she heard her king call. "Short dresses suit you!"
She rolled her eyes and blushed but said nothing in return. She continue down the hallway.
Sachio watched the alluring woman as she walked away. His eyes got a sinister gleam in them. Well its your plan B. I was planning to never even use the hollow. I just wanted him gone.
He walked to his throne room. A largely pronounce bounce in his step and a happy smile on his face. All according to plan.
Here we are at the bottom I hoped this chapter was fuffiling enough until my next update. I do hope you tell me your thoughts. I'm off to write something or other! Later! ~IF