Malum Infectio

summery: Nearly two years later, Ichigo runs into a massive problem which turns the Soul Society into a battle field. What makes matters even worse is that he is forced into his Hollow state by the enemy and not even Linnette's voice can reach him. Maybe she can get Shinji and the others to help save Ichigo before he tries to kill them. Please R&R

Note: This takes place after the Fullbring arc and before the Quincy attack and the war that breaks out afterwords. So this is right between there. Just so you know.

Also, I do not own Bleach or its characters. This is just a fan fiction made for fun and entertainment. I gain nothing but hopefully some positive reviews from fans and passersby.

The only thing I own are my OCs: Victor, Cedric, Linnette and Veneno. Also the Quincy that appear in this are also OCs of mine made up for this fan fiction. These characters are mine and my own creation. The other characters belong to Tite Kubo, the creator of Bleach.

Now onto the story ^-^

Chapter 1:

Lately, things have been quiet around Karakura Town. It had been two days since the last Hollow appearance and no souls had been wandering around in need of help. Since Ichigo had regained his Soul Reaper powers, he had to go back to work, which was always a huge pain. As aggravating it was, he had to admit that he did miss it. Just not out loud. He never thought he would ever have this power again and found it depressing to admit to himself that he actually did care when he lost it. It was a defense maconesium. It was just easier to say that he didn't care and could finally live a normal life when he actually cared very much deep down. True, he never did think he was any better than other people because of his powers, but he did take pride in them. He didn't use his Soul Reaper powers to gloat, but to protect. Especially those who could not protect themselves.

After class, it was his turn to help clean up the classroom along with Keigo and Mizuiro. Chad and Orihime said they were going to wait for him outside, but he told them to go ahead. Knowing them, they were going to wait anyway.

"Have you rented yourself out to anymore sports teams, Ichigo?" asked Mizuiro as he pushed the broom across the floor with both hands. It was a rare time when he didn't have his phone in either of his hands.

"Nah. I kind of got busy again." Ichigo pushed the broom into a corner and out again, trying to get a dust clump from the edge of the wall.

"Ah. Your business, I guess. Am I right?" That was his subtle way of referring to Ichigo's Soul Reaper duties.

It was kind of nice for his friends to know what he was doing. They rarely talked about it, though. Ichigo often wondered how they really felt about what he was and what he did whenever it was brought up. Most of the time, he didn't even think about it.

CLANG! Keigo had hooked his broom between two desk legs and was trying to pull it free.

"You have to turn it to the side, Mr. Asano."

"I know what I'm doing."

Ichigo pushed the broom across the floor, getting every bit of dirt he could find. He glanced out the window at the sky. It was getting even grayer and darker. "It looks like rain."

The others turned and looked out the window as well. "Yeah, it does. We should hurry and get this done."

They finished cleaning in a hurry and put everything back the way it was and gathered their things. They ran down the hall together and down the stairs. All three of them tried to get out the door at once resulting in their shoulders getting squished together rather painfully. They forced themselves out at once, stumbling and rubbing their arms. Sure enough, Orihime and Chad were waiting for them in the yard. The group walked together, talking about class and any plans they had for the rest of the day or for the upcoming weekend.

Ichigo's cheek felt wet. Something touched his forehead and neck. He looked at the sky, more raindrops falling onto his face. It was drizzling. Not even a full minute later, the sky opened up and unleashed a massive downpour. Orihime yelped and hid under her schoolbag. The others did the same, using their bags as umbrellas. They sprinted home getting soaked every step of the way. Soon, everyone had gone their own separate ways, sloshing through puddles and up slippery sidewalks.

Ichigo's whole body was soaked. There was little need for the bag. It was only keeping his head dry. If only he had brought an umbrella with him, but that morning it had been sunny with only a small cloud in the distance. He never expected it to rain so suddenly like this. He stepped into a huge puddle, getting his socks wet. No longer seeing a point, he lowered his schoolbag and welcomed the rain onto his orange head.

When he finally arrived home, every inch of him was soaking wet and cold. He stood on the front step of his home and fumbled for his keys. His sisters should have been home, but he wasn't sure. He stepped inside, leaving his wet shoes by the door and set his bag down beside them. Standing perfectly still, he formed a puddle in front of the door which continued to spread the longer he remained.

"Hello?" he called into the house. "Yuzu? Karin?" No one answered him. No one was home except for him. "Great. I need a towel." With nothing else to do, he stepped inside and went upstairs to dry off.

He liked it when the house was quiet. He could be alone with his thoughts and have peace. He could also watch whatever he wanted on TV. He stripped off his wet clothes and put on dry sweatpants and a T-shirt. He used a towel to dry his hair, then draped it over his shoulders and went into the living room to watch some TV.

"Finally, some peace and quiet." He made himself comfortable on the couch and grabbed the remote. The towel around his neck helped support his head as he relaxed and started flipping through channels.

Off in the distance, he heard the rumbling of thunder. He chose to ignore it, figuring it was too far away to be any real problem. He settled on a channel with a tall thin woman demonstrating how to make a delicious dish packed with flavor and in half the time. Ichigo watched the screen for a while, thinking about dinner. If Yuzu didn't have any ideas, maybe she should try making this tonight. It looked good.

Thunder rumbled again, getting closer. The lights dimmed for a moment. Ichigo waited but nothing happened. He continued to watch TV. Then suddenly, in the middle of the program, the lights went out and the screen turned black. Ichigo was in total darkness.

"Damn it." He felt around in the dark, trying to get to the kitchen. He knew they kept a flashlight in there. CLUNK! His shin hit the coffee table. "Damn it!" He moved slowly and carefully.

His hands touched the counter and he slowly felt his way over to the flashlight plugged into the wall. He turned on the fully charged flashlight and pointed it around the room.

"Why is it so dark in here?"

"You think it's a blackout?"

"Or Ichigo was too lazy to turn on the lights."

"Shh! What if he's taking a nap and needs it dark?"

"Then he'll be in his room, Yuzu."

Ichigo pointed the flashlight toward the front door. His sisters had come home. They were just as drenched as he had been, standing by the door, trying not to drip on the floor. "Hey, guys. It's a blackout. Stay put. Let me get you towels."

Ichigo bought them some towels and a pair of flashlights from upstairs. Yuzu dried herself off and looked into the kitchen. "I hope the lights come on soon. How will we make dinner?"

"Taken care of." Karin held up a bag of chips.

"That's not dinner!"

"Works for me." Ichigo took the bag and started eating. "Want some?"

"I want a real dinner, Ichigo. And don't you like the food I make?"

"Yeah, I like it. But you can't cook with no power."

The lights didn't come on for the next several hours. They were stuck in the dark with nothing to do and nothing hot to eat. His sisters changed into their pajamas and all three of them sat in the living room together, waiting for the power to come back. Karin tried to read by flashlight while her twin stared at the sky outside. The thunder had grown louder, rattling the windows and cupboards.

"Remember when we were little and we used to build a fort here in the living room during a thunderstorm?" Yuzu asked.

"Yeah, I remember. We were little back then. It'd be stupid to do it now," said her sister.

"I'm not saying we should. I was asking if you remembered."

"Well, I do and we're not."

Ichigo remembered that well. He helped them build it. Sometimes, for added fun, he pretended to be a monster and attack the pillow fort with growls and mittens on his hands. Sometimes, they would switch and Karin would be the monster and Ichigo and Yuzu would cower in the fort. Sometimes, he would come out swinging a pillow, battling the monster Karin. Remembering such silly things brought a smile to his face. They did have some good times as children. It had been years since they last played those games. Nowadays, the only games that interested Karin involved soccer. Part of him wanted to start playfully attacking them like in the good old days but he knew he would look foolish and didn't want to. Besides, they would probably look at him strange if he did.

"I hope dad comes back soon. He keeps going out a lot lately."

"He's fine. He's like Ichigo and runs off places. It happens with the men in this family."

"I resent that," Ichigo frowned. He changed the subject. "So what did you guys do in school today?"

"You care?"

"I want the time to pass."

Karin might not have cared but Yuzu did and told Ichigo all about her day. She was doing very well in school. So far she had passed every test she took. She told them about one of her classmates teaching them a song during free time. She repeated it back to them. Ichigo listened and nodded his head, acknowledging her while Karin kept her eyes on the book she was no longer reading. Ichigo in turn told her about some of the things she had to watch out for in high school and the strange people he had to go to class with on a regular basis. A boy in her class leading everyone in song suddenly didn't seem that strange anymore.

"When are the lights coming back?" Karin asked the ceiling.

"What's wrong with having a little fun and spending some time together, huh?" Yuzu pouted.

"Nothing. It's just we're older now and shouldn't play kid games and stuff."

"We're just reminiscing," said Ichigo. "Besides, Yuzu started it."

"Hey!"

Karin rolled her eyes. "See what happens with boredom? It makes everyone crazy and weird."

"How am I weird?" Ichigo tilted his head.

"Gee, I wonder."

Ichigo pointed the flashlight under his face, trying to get her to smile. She looked his way and pressed her lips together, trying not to. "I'm not as bad as dad. He's the weird one in this family."

"The apple doesn't drop too far from the tree, Ichigo."

"What about you two?"

"We're fine! At least I am."

Ichigo pointed the flashlight over her shoulder. "Holy crap, what's that?"

She turned. "What?"

He threw a pillow at the back of her head.

"Hey!" She picked it up and threw it back. He caught it and threw it right back. "Stop that! You're so immature!"

"Stop that, you're so immature!" he mocked.

Karin jumped out of her seat and landed on his lap and started beating him with the pillow.

Yuzu was on her feet, calling for peace. They rounded on her and pelted her with pillows. She quickly returned fire. Soon, it was a three-way pillow war. They stocked each other in the dark, attacking with pillows, running, hiding.

No pillow forts were made, but they were put to good use. The lights didn't come on, but they didn't care. By the time they did finally come on, everyone was already in bed and too tired to care.


We're off to a decent start, I think.

Beginnings are often slower, but given what's going to happen in this fiction, I think you'll enjoy the simple and easy going beginning. Action will take place fairly soon so don't worry.

Please review! ^-^ Thank you.