A Heart Stripped Bare

When I woke up that morning, I got into the shower and quickly washed. My lower body was sore, but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. I dried off, got dressed, and went downstairs for breakfast. 1 of the maids told me that Byakuya had left already. I wasn’t surprised. As far as he was concerned, if he wasn’t horny, I didn’t exist.



After eating I left for school, making it just in time. I entered my first class, feeling a little nervous. I’ve had a serious crush on a classmate for a long time, and he sat right next to me during first period. I never told him how I felt about him, because I was afraid he would reject me. He’s been 1 of my best friends since 6th grade, and I couldn’t face losing him.



“Yo Ichigo! How are ya? Did you miss me? Cause I sure missed you,” a menacing voice suddenly says.



I look up to see Grimmjow, the blue-haired school bully, looming over my desk. He hates my guts and is always looking for an excuse to start a fight. He’s hated me ever since I beat him up 2 years ago.



“Well hey there, Grimmy,” I said calmly. “I see you’re off suspension. How many times do you think you have left before your ass is expelled altogether?”



“Oh, that’s very funny carrot-top,” he growls. “Bet I have at least 1 more time. Care to help me find out?” He pops his knuckles to try to intimidate me.



“Knock it off guys. Class is about to start,” a gentle but firm voice interjected.

I froze in place, my heartbeat doubling. I knew that voice. I’ve heard it in my dreams millions of times. It was the voice of my crush, Hanatarou Yamada. I swallow nervously, hoping that no one noticed.



“Back off Yamada! This don’t concern you!” Grimmjow tells him.



“Enough Grimm,” Hanatarou said sternly. “You just got back in school. Do you really want to risk getting in trouble again?”



Grimmjow glares at him, before turning around and storming away. Hana sighs in relief and slides into his seat, giving me a soft smile. I swallow again, feeling a light blush on my cheeks. I couldn’t help it. There was something about him that made my knees feel weak. Hanatarou was so quiet and gentle, not a mean bone in his body. But he was determined and much braver than he seemed.



“Well that was close, huh Ichigo?” he says, chuckling. “He really doesn’t like you at all, does he?”



“Grimmjow? No, he doesn’t,” I said, giving myself a mental shake. “He’s a nutcase. I don’t know why they keep letting him back in school. I mean, he’s been suspended 15 times.”



“16 times actually. And I think his dad’s super rich.”



“That would explain it. Bet his dad’s psycho too. You know what they say, the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.”



Hanatarou laughs at this, and my blush returns even stronger. Luckily for me class starts, and he doesn’t realize my face is red. I try to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. But I’m not doing a very good job of it. I keep getting distracted by the dark-haired boy sitting beside me.



I give up on listening to the teacher and watch Hana out of the corner of my eye. I bite my lip as he brushes his bangs out of his dark, expressive eyes. He’s intent on taking notes, and doesn’t see me staring. He nibbles his bottom lip as he concentrates, and I couldn’t help squirming a bit.



As I watch him write, my mind starts to daydream. I see him lying on my bed, naked and panting. I climb over him and kiss him deeply, my tongue exploring that hot wet cavern. He groans and wraps his legs around my waist, pulling himself close. So close, so close that I’m inside him and he’s inside me.



A crush. Who was I kidding? I love Hanatarou Yamada more than anything in the world. I just wish I had the guts to tell him.



I’m brought out of my daydream as the bell rings. Second period is free for Hana and me. We held to the library like we always do, so we can talk. As we walked, I made a decision. Today I would finally tell him that I loved him. I just hope he loved me back.



“So Ichigo,” Hana said, startling me out of my thoughts. “Do you have any plans for tonight? There’s a movie I’ve been wanting to see, and I was wondering if you wanted to come.”



“A movie? Yeah sure, I’ll come.”



“Great! The movie starts at 6, so meet me at the theater at 5:30. That way we have time to get food and drinks before it starts.”



“No problem. Well, I’ll see you later Hana,” I said as the bell rings to end free period.



Hanatorou grins and waves slightly as we part to go to our respective classes. I spent the rest of the day as a mass of nerves. I was trying to figure out how to confess my feeling to Hana without scaring him off or making a fool of myself. I ran through several tries through my mind, but each 1 sounded lame, too embarrassing, or too aggressive. The last thing I wanted was to lose the friend Hanatarou and I shared.



As soon as school let out, I raced home to get ready. But I had no idea what to wear. The closest thing to a date that I have ever done was Byakuya taking me to a hotel. I had worn my school uniform then, which was ripped off me moments after we got there.



Oh god, Byakuya. How was I gonna explain this to him? There was no way he was just going to sit back and let me be with Hana. Byakuya was a possessive man, and I had been his sex slave for the last 7 years. He’d never hand over his favorite toy without a fight.



I groaned to myself and reached for my cell phone. I needed some good advice, and I knew just the person to get it from. Renji Abarai, 1 of my co-workers at the strip club. He had been like an older brother to me since I started working there. I knew I could always count on the guy when I was in trouble.



“Hello?” a slightly grumpy voice answered.



“Renji? It’s me,” I said. “I need some advice.”



“Ichigo? You sound worried. What’s on your mind kiddo?”



“I’m going to the movies with Hanatarou tonight, and I’ve decided to tell him how I feel about him. But I’m not sure how to do it without making him uncomfortable. Plus I’m worried about how Byakuya’s gonna react when he finds out,” I said in a single breath.



There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Renji laughed. I could just see the 25-year-old man, red hair pulled into a short ponytail, tattooed eyebrows scrunched together as he chuckled, and a wolfish grin on his face.



“Relax Ichigo,” he told me, still laughing. “You sound like you’re about to burst. Just stay calm and be honest with the little guy. I’m sure he’ll understand, and I doubt that he’ll stop being your friend because of this. I’m just glad that you’re finally going to tell him. That longing look in your eyes when you talk about him makes you look like a puppy.”



“I do not look like a puppy!” I yell. “And what am I supposed to do about Byakuya? You and I both know that he’s not gonna be happy.”



“Forget about Kuchiki,” Renji said sternly. “He doesn’t own you. You have to live your own life kid.”



“It’s not that easy,” I complain. “He’s been controlling me for a long time. I don’t think I can say no to him. And he did take me in after my parents died.”



“A fact he uses to keep you under his thumb. He manipulates your gratitude so you won’t leave. But you can’t let him control you forever.”



“I guess you’re right,” I say, sighing. “Thanks Renji. I call you later to tell you how it went with Hana.”



“You do that. Good luck Ichigo.”



I hung up the phone, and got dressed. I knew that Renji was right, I couldn’t let Byakuya control me forever. I was gonna stand up to him no matter what. I left the house with a confident grin on my face. I was no longer going to be a rich man’s plaything, and I was gonna tell my love how I felt. Nothing could bring me down.