The Long Way Home

Part Eight

Maybe.

But not yet. Not now.

Kenpachi blew Ichigo a kiss then walked out of the room, closing the door on his way out.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. The man was a head case. A certified nutter. Ichigo had at one point thought he was going to suggest they have sex simply to live up to the image of the prostitute he was supposed to be. Thank God that had not come up. He'd been ready to rip the Sekkiseki stone from his neck and kill him for real.

Morning had broken and with it Ichigo's patience. Thankfully, Kenpachi had simply gotten dressed and informed him that the spiritual pressure that he had sensed outside had come closer an hour or so after Ichigo had fallen asleep. When it had, Kenpachi had moved closer. Why he felt the need to tell Ichigo that he didn't know. When this week started he had not expected it to include any time in a bed at all with Zuraki, so God alone knew where the rest of his day was going.

There was a little knock on the door and Hiroko peeked round the door.

"Sorry, Ruko. Madam Asami wants you dressed and down stairs in 2 minutes! She's mad so be careful of her."

Ichigo sighed. Now he had to deal with this as well. "Ok, ok. I'll be down." She nodded and left him to get dressed.

"You! In here! Now!"

Ichigo was coming down the stairs and turned to the sound of the voice and saw that Madam Asami was sitting in a small living room. Hiroko sweeping out the fireplace, and a rather large man standing to one side of Asami.

He walked in and tried to look scared, but he was still tired and annoyed so he looked more insolent than anything else.

"What is your name?"

Ichigo sighed. Here we go, he thought. "It's Ruko."

She sounded anything but impressed. She nodded to the man beside her, who raised his hand and back-handed Ichigo in the face, surprising him and knocking him to one side, his glasses falling to the floor.

"You will speak to me with respect! Why did that Captain bring you here last night?"

Ichigo put his hand on his face, glaring at the man who had struck him. You'll pay for that, I promise.

"I was with another Captain. One he hates. So, he's taken me and hid me, just to piss him off."

Madam Asami thought about this for a moment before eyeing Ichigo up carefully. "If you are to stay here, you will work."

At this Ichigo raised his eyebrows. "Captain Kenpachi Zuraki said no one was to have me but him. He gave you plenty of money to assure this. Trust me, the man is a sick bastard. And he will know if anyone else has been near me. I won't have to tell him. He'll take great pleasure in destroying you." It had already been discussed that this might happen so Ichigo was ready. "Slowly."

"Are you threatening the Madam?"
The man beside her spoke slowly and carefully.

"No, idiot. I'm warning her." He turned back to Asami. "You felt his spiritual pressure last night. The man loves nothing more than mayhem and carnage. That's why I can't just run away. He'd find me and make me suffer for it. I'm surprised he bothered to threaten you and didn't just kill you there and then."

Madam Asami nodded at the man who hit Ichigo again. This time Ichigo fell to the floor, on purpose. Let this man think he was weak. Inside Ichigo burned with a rage.

"You will work! You can assist Hiroko with chores. You are and will remain the property of Captain Kenpachi Zuraki, our most noble client until he no longer has any use for you. Then I will decide what becomes of you. Is that understood?"