Ichigo mused that dutiful was a good word to describe Rukia.

Her posture was dutiful. She knelt with her hands folded atop her legs; delicate fingers facing forward. She bobbed back and forth dutifully, sucking at an even, unhurried tempo; all to dutifully bringing him to completion.

There was no flush of arousal coloring her cheeks, no sparkle of joy in her eyes. Nothing that hinted at enjoyment. She was here because it was her duty to obey his commands.

His training had taken root as firmly as he had hoped, but despite this, Ichigo felt no pleasure at his success. All that he felt was a familiar thrum of resentment.

This attitude is the one she should have had before she arrived in Kurakara Town, not after. If it had been before, his sisters might not have been in a coma and his family might still have been intact.

Three months prior, on the day that Rukia had been assigned as the protector of this town, she had felt an abnormally powerful spiritual pressure and decided to investigate. She had wandered through Ichigo's window and promptly gotten into an argument with him. She had decided to forgo her duty and instead spend time arguing with a civilian when she should have been hunting the hollow down.

It was his sisters, Karin and Yuzu, that paid the price of her negligence. The Hollow hadn't been idle while they were squabbling. By the time Rukia noticed its presence, the Hollow had sent Karin through a wall and had been choking Yuzu.

Ichigo remembered running towards it, albeit not very fast because Rukia had bound his arms behind his back using Kido. Yet another of her sins.

Ichigo had hit it to no avail. The hollow had been about to retaliate when Rukia intervened and displayed a startling lack of foresight. She cast another Kido, this one launching a red orb. It spooked the hollow, causing its hand to reflexively close and crush Yuzu in its grasp.

The shock of her injuries sent her into a coma, one she still hadn't woken from.

Ichigo didn't remember the rest of the fight. He had spent the immediate aftermath drifting between disbelief and despair, trying to wrap his mind around what had transpired. It was only once Rukia released the kido binding his arms together that he came back to reality.

He recalled that she had been clutching her ribs, blood seeping between her fingers from a bite wound. Rukia had been trying to limp away- and Ichigo stopped her.

Ichigo was a magnet for hollows. They got stronger by consuming spiritual energy and were attracted to large sources of it. Ichigo had an unfortunately large amount of spiritual energy for a human. It was possible that more hollows would attempt to attack him- and if Rukia left there would be no one to stop them.

Yuzu and Karin had survived this attack. There was no guarantee that they would survive the next.

Rukia told him that Soul Society was likely to assign Kurakara a new protector, but Ichigo wasn't having it. Kurakara was a large place, and Hollows were quick. A protector for the entire town might not arrive in time. A personal protector was far more effective.

Ichigo appealed to her sense of duty. Rukia had failed them once. She owed them protection. Rukia disagreed. Back in those days, she had no sense of duty.

An argument broke out, one that came to blows. Under most circumstances, Rukia would have won, but she was already injured. She didn't react to Ichigo's attack in time and by the end of the 'argument,' Rukia was unconscious.

All that had been left to do was contain her so she couldn't run away before Ichigo converted her to his point of view. A few sturdy chains and a gag handled that. Once he kept her from pointing her hands or chanting her spells, she was practically a normal girl.

Winning the argument had been harder but Ichigo won eventually. Every so often, it was necessary to remind her of her lessons, however. It wouldn't do for her to forget.

Ichigo pulled back, the saliva coating his dick rapidly cooling once outside her hot mouth. To stave off the chill, Ichigo pressed the wet organ to Rukia's cheek, letting her body warm it.

Rukia didn't respond as he dick-slapped her. Once she removed his cock, she closed her mouth and bowed her head, waiting in silence for him to speak.

Eventually, Ichigo did. "Do you still intend to leave?"

"No, master," Rukia replied immediately. "Never."

'Never' was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was close enough to the truth that Ichigo let it slide. Soul Reapers were extraordinarily long-lived and measured centuries the way humans did years. As long as Rukia checked in regularly, no one would notice anything amiss. It could be centuries before they thought to rotate protectors or recall her.

By that point, Ichigo would be long dead and it wouldn't matter to him if she did leave.

"You arrived as nothing but a wanton whore. What are you now?"

"Dutiful," Rukia breathed out, reciting the words that he had taught her. "This whore knows her duty and her place. It is to serve and protect; doing all that is required of her to ensure the safety and happiness of her charges."

Ichigo noted with satisfaction that she wouldn't be arguing with civilians anymore. She most certainly wouldn't be doing it while there was a hollow on the loose. He didn't stop the smile from curling onto his lips. Only one thing left to do- "Is there anything you wish to say to me?"

Rukia knelt lower, dropping her waist and prostrating herself before him. "This whore thanks you for the time and energy you have spent on educating this whore. It is this whores wish that she may continue to learn her place and duty at your feet so that one day, she isn't such a useless whore."

The words- and the belief underlying them- sent a thrill through Ichigo's spine.

Rukia was more powerful than him. Stripped of any clothing, it was easy to see that the gaping wound that had once been so prominent on her left ribs had disappeared entirely. At this point, if Rukia wished to escape- or to retaliate- Ichigo wouldn't be able to do anything to stop her.

The only way for Ichigo to continue to control Rukia is if she let him, and the only way that was going to happen is if she internalized the lessons he was trying to teach her. It was here that Ichigo found his greatest success. Not only had he managed to convince her that he was making her more dutiful, but he had also managed to make her grateful to him for doing it.

It was delicious. His smile widened. "If you truly wish to thank me, you know how."

She rose back to her old kneeling position. Her hands shifted, clasping behind her back and thrusting her small chest out. The motion caused the chains attached to her nipples to jiggle, drawing an involuntary reaction from her.

A soft gasp escaped her.

Ichigo was confident that even that reaction would disappear in time. The nipple clamps were a new addition; a replacement for the heavier iron chains of yesterday. Once he no longer needed to restrain her, new opportunities to torment her appeared- opportunities Ichigo happily took.

A hand reached out to grab the front of her chain before pulling slowly, forcing her to rise. A few soft whimpers escaped her throat as she did. Ichigo didn't punish her for it- punishing her for progress was a good way to get her to regress. A month ago, when he had first done this, Rukia had screamed. Whimpering wasn't optimal, but it was progress. As long as she continued to make progress, Ichigo was willing to give her time to acclimate.

As she got to her feet, the rest of her body came into view. Thin silver bands were wrapped around her wrists and ankles; spots for chains that had since become obsolete. Ichigo left them as a reminder. More silver chains dangled around her shapely hips, this time connecting to her clit.

Without his bidding, Rukia climbed to her feet and slowly turned around, making sure to give him the best show possible. She had been about to bend forward over his bed to give him the normal thank you- letting him fuck her from behind.

Ichigo had something else in mind today, however. Taking hold of her by the waist, Ichigo pulled her back onto his lap.

Rukia stilled for a second, unsure of what he wanted. Ichigo noted her confusion and decided to help. A hand guided his cock into her cunt. Then he leaned forward and growled, "Ride me."

It took another second for Rukia to process the order and start bouncing. Her movements were unpracticed but enthusiastic- the first sign of enthusiasm in this session. They both knew that giving Rukia initiative in this manner was a sign of trust; of increased agency.

It hadn't been too long ago that Rukia had been bent over a pillory, hands and feet bound, with an o-ring gag forcing her mouth open and keeping her from biting down. From that abysmal position, Rukia had slowly been carving out more privileges for herself.

Rukia was a smart girl- had always been a smart girl. It hadn't taken her long to realize that things would go better for her if she complied. Once she stopped trying to bite down, Ichigo stopped being as rough when face fucking her. Once she started participating, sucking and licking at him, he took the gag off.

The same lesson applied to other aspects of sex. When Rukia had tried to lean forward on the pillory, away from Ichigo's thrusts, she had failed to accomplish anything. When she pushed back into his thrusts, she was let off her pillory and given more agency.

Being allowed to ride him- to set the pace at which they fucked- was progress. It was an honor and privilege; one that showed that she had crossed yet another milestone. Rukia wasn't able to completely hide her excitement behind her stoic mask. "Thank you," she said, the words honest and unpracticed.

Below her, Ichigo came with a grunt, his sticky white semen liberally coating her insides. "You're welcome whore. You're welcome."

The two traded a smile as Rukia fell just a bit further into the abyss.

This story is going to be cross-posted to my hentai-foundry.com account under the same name.

All characters in this story are at least 18 years old.

This chapter was commissioned by Arakater.

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