Straitjacket Feeling

 

It was... odd to say the least with the fourth subject.

There was nothing wrong with her, she was just as skittish as the others; just as nervous and unprepared for the whole experiment; just as... childish almost when it came down to introductions and starting things. Her skin had the scent of vanilla and lavender; out of the others, she had the softest touch and her fingers were able to make bold movements despite her hesitation. He could still feel her body against him as she moved in sync above him; her slender hips almost felt loose in his hands as he kept a tighter grip against her but cautioned himself not to seem too aggressive. She seemed almost virginal but her body handled every penetration with ease and towards the end of it, she was able to keep up with him; he could almost still feel her legs pressing into his waist and her hands baring into his already sore shoulders. Her kisses were sweeter and that hesitant nature played well on his part as he guided her through every embrace and listened to every moan that echoed against his lips.

It was like calming a gentle wildfire.

The 'odd' part of it was the fact that she had once been... Aizen's partner. Dear little Hinamori he had mentioned maybe once or twice, maybe never... maybe he had overheard that somewhere from someone else.

It wasn't something to bother himself with now.

A long, draw out sigh escaped him as he tilted his head back and let the rush of cold water stream down along his throat; it was addictingly refreshing to feel the freezing water against his heated, damaged skin. It felt like it mentally wiped away every single event that had transpassed throughout the day; it cleaned away every touch and kiss from opposing mouths; every little scratch from nails, whether they were intentional or not. That first subject had riddled him with bruises, cuts and enough marks to take over the rest of the testing; the other three didn't even do as much damage as she did- jeez, he hoped she didn't come back.

Fingers pushed through his pink locks that felt as though they had been tortured for a good part of the day; feeling each strand become heavier with every pass of water. The chill of the ceramic tiles felt comforting against his bruised back as he pressed into them to try and ease the tension from his tight muscles. The events so far had nearly depleted him of energy; bringing him to the point where he found it far more rewarding to just sit in the wide shower case and let the water rinse over him. He couldn't remember the last time he wasted this much energy before... on these kind of activities. Well, there was that one time.

It didn't matter that mere hours seemed to separate each woman while the sessions varied on their own preferences; it didn't matter that they were the more recent images to strike his eyes; they were the more recent flesh that burned in his hands. All he could think about was her. The other women didn't have her black hair braided neatly in a symmetrical pattern. They didn't have those empty, green eyes that made her all the more interesting to observe; theirs didn't seem to evolve like hers had been doing. They certainly lacked her body type as well; he could still feel her legs in his hands; her wide hips pressed against his own; the way her lips were silent and forced him to make the greatest of efforts just to get the smallest of sounds. It was like a challenge to see how much he could push her over her boundary line with every encounter, with every session.

The other women weren't her.

Carefully rolling his neck, he let his head dip forward and felt the small sting of water rushing over his raw flesh; fingertips gently tended to the torn flesh and sought out to see if the one physical connection to his past was still there. The raw flesh pulled together just enough to give away the different texture of his skin; marking where the black ink was permanently injected into him. He didn't think the damages were enough for scars, which meant the tattoo could remain intact for now. Normally, he wouldn't be so attentive to it but... he remembered the way she liked to drag her fingertips lazily against it; tracing out the number again and again until she was satisfied.

To think... the one woman who enjoyed it most was the one he had destroyed.

Fingers carefully came together to massage the throbbing behind his temples before they slowly moved to rub the patch of skin between his eyes. The waste of energy was beginning to get to him now as a headache began it's revengeful tread through his head. At this point, he didn't even want to bother with any other subjects; he didn't... he just wanted to rest and ease the marks he already had.

He tried to convince himself the possible creaking noise he heard was just a figment of his mind; it was just a part of the headache sounding off mirages for him to hear instead of see. If he ignored it, then it was possible that it wouldn't come back. And if it did, he just had to further his own illusion of it.

"I saw the last subject leave; I'm assuming you... fulfilled your duties to her."

"You know, it really wouldn't kill you to knock." he replied; not even bothering to tell if the man could hear him over the water or not. "I do like a little privacy every now and then; you should make a note of that."

Akon shook his head lightly before he looked back to the clipboard in hand. A list of subjects were clipped on top of other papers with names crossed out and notes scribbled on the side as they switched people in and out of test groups. The first group had already been crossed off which left some prepping time for them to gather the second group together within the next few days. "The first group of subjects has already completed then; I must remark... you finished them in quite a smaller time frame than we expected."

"And? I did what you wanted. Now can you just, you know, disappear for now? You are one of many people at the top of my list that I'd much rather not see for a long time; that first subject is number one in case you were curious."

"Yes, well Captain Soifon did seem rather... satisfied when she left."

"She better be because I'm not seeing her again." he muttered to himself as he ran his hands through his hair once more; trying to put his focus back in the feel of the water cooling his skin. "How is she doing anyways?"

"Lieutenant Isane is with her right now going over information about the medical team that's been assigned to her." Akon answered. "She's been in her room for a majority of this time but Captain Mayuri has been looking into getting a more discrete location for... security measures, just in case. Captain Unohana and he have been negotiating back and forth over this entire matter-"

"If you go back and review my question, you'll see that I didn't mention them in it; that was supposed to hint that I really couldn't careless about them right now. I asked you about her and you have given me little of an answer."

"There hasn't been much of a change since you last saw her... whenever that was."

"There's always some kind of change." he remarked, once more to himself than the other man. "When can I see her?"

"You phrase that question as though you have the option of a choice."

"Are we really going to play this game? Because I can assure you... it will not end well for either of us."

Akon glanced back up at the remark; almost certain he heard the man chuckling with those words. "I'm not going to question that remark- I've certainly learned my lessons with your responses. As for your question... I'll bring it up with Captain Mayuri and see how he answers it."

"He'll just come back with the same response; the same old theories; the same old attitude as always. You know, when you stop acting like a little bitch for him, maybe I'll start to take you seriously."

"Do you really think you have much of a standing to make a remark like that?"

"That's completely different; I have a reason- you don't. You just sit there and take it. Then again, she used to do that same thing; I'm not sure if she does anymore though, maybe a little bit. Our offspring might've changed that."

"I must ask because as far as I know of, no one has asked you of your thoughts on the entire matter; what exactly do you expect from this experiment?"

He chuckled lightly. "Do you really want to know what I expect?"

"I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

"I expect that, regardless of gender, the eyes are going to be green."

The silence that followed afterwards was as he predicted; it was going to be a rather cold day in hell before he allowed for men like him to really understand how his thoughts worked. After all, it was all the more entertaining to see them fumble about with their guesses and scribbled notes. It was all the more entertaining to see them struggle and not understand why. Putting his hands back against the ceramic tiles behind him, he forced himself to his feet; feeling most of his body ache at the movement. Fingers cut the water short before they grabbed at the pale-tan towel that was draped over one of the glass walls; wrapping the material around his waist before he pushed aside the door.

"Now then, if you will, I'd appreciate it if you removed yourself from my sight; it's been quite a long time since I was able to enjoy some time to myself."

The man only continued to stand there in the doorway for a moment as though to question the words. "Yes, I suppose I will allow for... that request to be made; I was advised to spend some observation time here but that was not a directly given order."

"See, now you're actually supporting your own thinking. Now then, do yourself a favor and leave before I make the decision to lose the towel and walk about naked."

He was pretty certain he had never seen someone move that fast before, while trying to maintain an easy pace as it was. Shaking his head, he waited till he heard the door snap closed before he continued on out of the bathroom and into the chilling adjoined room. For once the silence and absolute solitude was welcoming as he gave his body the desperate stretch it wanted; hearing the snapping of his muscles and bones as they eased out of their cramped poses.

All he wanted to do was sleep.

The sheets were all the more comforting but they carried the scent of the other women on them; they carried those desperate fingers that had twisted wrinkles into the soft fabric; they carried memories he would've been more than willing to let go of now. But it was too early for that. He could just sleep it off and hopefully wake up when those scents and memories weren't as powerful.

XXXX

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XX

A knock at the door ceased their conversation for a moment as both of them looked back towards the obstacle with mixed feelings for who would be on the other side. The door handle simply clicked open and revealed the horned Division member instead; someone was a far greater down step to the people they were both expecting.

"Akon, what are you doing here?" Isane questioned before she slightly caught herself towards the end of it. This was his Division; of course, he had free range to go about where he wanted to- although this end of the wing seemed a bit... off route to wherever else he would've been hanging around. "You know what, never mind that. Is there something that you need? Or is my time here up?"

"No, no, nothing of that sort; I'm sure Captain Unohana will return for you when she sees fit." Akon nodded. "I am merely dropping by to say that the first wave of subjects have been successfully treated and we'll be awaiting the results within the next few days."

She wrinkled her nose slightly at the words. "Ah well... I suppose that's good news..." She honestly still cringed at the idea of being one of those 'subjects.' The thought of being used for some kind of sexual-reproductive experiment churned her stomach in the wrong direction. "Is there any word on how the subjects are doing? I imagine something as traumatic as that would seem... pressuring."

"Captain Unohana has already evaluated each of them and says they're each doing well; she's going to be keeping a close eye on them in the passing days. Captain Mayuri wanted them to stay present in the labs to lower the risk of someone... tampering with the experiment but I assume Captain Unohana had her way instead."

"The body does read certain levels of distress and will outright refuse any sort of... conceptive expression." Isane started. "I would think Captain Unohana knew that it would be far more relaxing if each of the subjects were able to return to their Divisions; that would heighten the possible chances of conception within each one... No matter how stressing that alone sounds."

"In time, if this is successful, then the end will justify the means."

"And what if it doesn't?"

"There's one thing to know about Science, Lieutenant Kotetsu; no matter how much something is seen and deemed as a failure... it is normally a success in another matter on a completely different plane. Sometimes it's a good type of success and sometimes... it's not."

"You mean like how some human weapons were made for good and then used to slaughter countless others." she replied.

"Yes, just like that; however, I'm not implying that these possible results will end up becoming super soldiers- although there is a good chance they still may be. We're not sure of anything yet; it's all about waiting to see."

"And patience is becoming more and more like a virtue, isn't it?"

"I apologize for interrupting this conversation but did you speak to him?" Nemu questioned; watching as her fellow Division member put his eyes over in her direction. "How is he doing?"

A light, almost colorful sigh left him. "Yes, I actually finished speaking with him just a few moments ago; he... had some specific words and a colorful opinion on the entire matter. He's doing fine though, maybe a little exhausted when I saw him. I believe a few of the subjects might've done quite a number on him."

"I don't think I want to know what that means." Isane cringed.

"When can I see him?"

"Ah yes, he actually asked that same question about you. As of now though, Captain Mayuri has not released any kind of word on when or if you're going to be able to converse again-"

"Wait, wait, wait... what do you mean 'if?'" Isane interrupted; watching as the man switched his attention to her now. "Do you really think it's... healthy if he just gets cut completely out of this? Don't you understand that a male presence actually helps to relax the woman? The father is supposed to be there for support of any kind and if you just cut that out, things might get unstable and unhealthy."

"But there are plenty of instances where a single, pregnant woman was able to make it through the stages by herself; with little help from supporting males, might I add. In fact, most support comes from other females- ah, perhaps that something to bring up. Although, I suppose if any of the other females become pregnant, then we could create that illusion of support between each subject-"

"Are you even listening to yourself speak right now?" Isane questioned.

"Lieutenant Kotetsu-"

"You must excuse me, Akon, I think this is a matter I need to bring up to my Captain immediately." Isane started as she pushed herself from the bed and onto her feet. "Wait- Nemu, are you-"

"I'll be fine." she assured. "If you have a matter you wish to speak to your Captain about, then I cannot stop you; your duty is to your Captain first."

She nodded and continued on her way out. "I suppose you can look after her for awhile now, Akon. Or leave, it's your choice."

She was almost certain she had never seen the silver-haired woman pull quite a stunt like that; or become ever so passionate about a topic before. She wondered why she became so infused to the matter and acted as though it painfully affected her. A gentle shake of her head carefully pushed the thoughts aside as she pressed back into the headboard behind her; her legs lightly tucked beneath her. Fingers busied themselves with the small tie of sting around her obi sash; subconsciously, she was trying to stop herself from touching the more tender flesh underneath. It was hard not to get attached to the thought of the offspring and even harder to ignore the changing skin of her abdomen. It was a good months' times in and... she wasn't sure if she trusted herself to be taking the entire situation seriously. She wanted to speak to him about it but as of now, that was almost deemed impossible.

"He had a lot to say for a person in his position."

Her eyes glanced up at the remark; making the assumption that the man was merely trying to make conversation. "He has a lot to say regardless; he's a very vocal person when it comes down to discussions and observations."

"And apparently other things too... deeming from what the subjects had to say."

"... Yes, even in that sense, he is very vocal." she slowly agreed. "What exactly did he have to say?"

"A lot of bickering about the way this is being handled mainly; I suppose we should be content with the fact that he treated the subjects... although he might've only done so he could negotiate a way back to you." Akon answered. "He is a strange man with strange views to say the least. I'm not entirely sure if he really deems himself with the title of being a 'father.'"

"I would like to ask him that myself."

"What do you expect for his answer to be?"

She caught herself hesitating.

"I don't believe I have enough conclusive observation data to support a more reliable answer."

"What if you had to make a choice right now? What would you say?" he pressed.

"I'd say no but that's because I am not concerned with having the correct answer at this present time; I will answer whatever choice is first given because it is not necessarily concrete." she replied swiftly. "Furthermore... that is one of many topics I want to speak to him about."

He stood there for a moment; noting that she never once actually turned to speak to him. "Would other topics concern these subjects of his? And how they almost seemed too satisfied with the experience."

"That is one conversation I'd like to have with him." she slowly nodded. "However, it is not a surprise that those subjects would seem clearly happy with results; it's a trait of his. He is naturally... caring towards that specific action for the sheer fact that it's almost done so in a sadistic way; those subjects walked in with hesitation and maybe hatred for volunteering but he allowed for them to enjoy it to the point of sheer satisfaction; he made them walk away addicted to the acts he put on them and slowly... things will crumble. They'll realize how they gave into him and they won't know how to react to it; how could they have given themselves away and then walk away pleased from the experience? That's how he made it feel the first time; it wasn't something I was necessarily proud of. While I had been the one to initiate it and provoke him; he encouraged it and I fell in too deep. I let him see a side of me that resembled something... human and that weakness stayed with me; no matter how much I deny it, he can still bring it out with just a simple glance in my direction. He's a sadistic man and a sadistic lover when it comes to the mental and emotion aspect of the activities; it's a trait that's hard to ignore. I've embraced it at this point and... that kind of feeling has erased itself from my mind. We both gave up and gave in long before this experiment. I don't feel resentment towards those women; I try not to play on the fact that they were the last people to touch him now. They were only given a sample to play with; I can still embrace it."

"... You really wish to see him again."

"This is not a false matter, Akon; there's nothing that would come from lying about this. He may have been the one person who actually succeeded in destroying the indestructible; he may have been the one who killed me from the inside out; but things are different now. It feels like this whole thing reflects back to that one moment; like this is just a repeat of that moment, only elongated. It's a strange sense of déjà vu but... we've given little thought to it and we've tried to focus on the bigger picture instead."

A harsh sigh seemed to escape his lips as his eyes closed for a moment. "I cannot promise anything but... I can see what I can do for this given request. There may be time later on for a small moment of gathering."

"No, that's quite alright; he'll need his rest for today and I would hate to wake him. Let him sleep and we can discuss this more tomorrow. I myself am a little exhausted as well... Isane said that is common during these months."

"Then perhaps you should be given time to sleep as well; I will speak to Captain Mayuri about this- after all, I'm sure along side Lieutenant Kotetsu, we may be able to persuade another arrangement in this experiment."

She only nodded to him and watched as he moved to excuse himself from the room; allowing for the door to lock tightly behind him.

It would be wasteful to consider sneaking out; she was aware of the guards that had been placed just a few yards from her doorway. They tried to mingle themselves in with the scientist but she knew what their purpose was. Still though... it didn't stop her from at least thinking of it.

All she wanted was just a few minutes. It didn't matter the circumstances, should the conversation be recorded, observed or anything else... she just wanted to speak to him again. Neither of them had taken the time to fully think out every aspect that would happen or even seem to take the situation seriously. It was from the moment of their separation and the outright denial of any possible contact again that she found herself worrying; that she found herself harboring questions to ask him.

It was harmful to think of such things though. She knew, while it wasn't apparent... her body was stressing itself and in turn, it was like squeezing the embryo. They still had a few weeks to go before their chances would rise to a much more suitable and stable number; until then though, she had to watch for herself. But she also wanted to watch for him.

Because she knew no one else would be.