Hey again! Well, I must say I feel like an idiot for not fully exploring all the options of my account. What I was asking about in the last chapter was right at the bottom of the list. I feel too embarrassed to even mention it again :/

Although, that does present another problem. Now that I know how many people actually view my story, (Thanks if you did!) I'm left wondering why I can't average 5 reviews a chapter :(

Ok, I should stop wallowing right now. What matters most is that you guys enjoy the story. Although, reviews would be good too :). So without further ado, here's Chapter 9 of Strawberry Fix. Read, enjoy, and - Review! -

Disclaimer:I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. Neither do i own the series my story is based on or any group, place or organization mentioned in my story.

Strawberry Fix

Chapter 9: Say You'll Haunt Me

Past

0830 hrs

Corporal Iba hauled out the second jar and began carrying it where the first jar sat. Captain Ginrei and the last soldier on the surface, Lance Corporal Ayasegawa, peered down the cavern as those below began securing a third pot to the rope.

Suddenly, a horrible, bone-chilling sound echoed through the entire hall. The old man and woman had begun to sing, and it was a dreadful, chaotic sound that had absolutely no rhythm or melody to it.

The sound seemed to eat right at Ginrei's soul and he was uncertain of whether to stop them or concentrate on their task.

Before he could come to a decision, a voice echoed from the cavern. "Ugh, what is that disgusting smell?" Confused, Ginrei turned back to the grate; then the smell hit him, and it took all he had to prevent himself from vomiting. It was a horrible rancid odor that smelled so bad Ginrei could almost feel it melting his skin.

"Hey, there's something down here," Ginrei heard Private Enjoji say. He was standing closest to the dark tunnel, some ways away from the other two soldiers, who had stopped and were looking at him. Ginrei looked towards the dark tunnel. It was completely dark, and he couldn't see anything. In fact, it looked darker than even the blackest night Ginrei could remember. He couldn't even see the ground beyond the mouth of the tunnel. Meanwhile, the elderly pair was still wailing and the smell still invaded the air.

He noticed that Private Enjoji had taken a step back. "Shit, I think something's coming." He turned round and said, "Guys, I think we'd better-" he never finished his sentence as his legs were suddenly swept from underneath him, his rifle clattering to the floor.

"What the…" Ginrei said to himself, but was cut off as Enjoji began screaming in pure terror.

"Shit, Shit! Something's holding on to my leg! Help, I can't get up, HELP!" The terror in his voice flooded through Ginrei as well as he watched. The only problem was, there seemed to be nothing holding on to him. LCP Omaeda was the closest and he sprang over to grab Enjoji's hands. Corporal Sasakibe moved over, rifle trained into the darkness, the gems all but forgotten. "PULL DAMN IT, PULL!" Enjoji screamed.

"I'm trying," Omaeda said as he strained, but Enjoji didn't budge. Suddenly, the thing that was holding his legs gave a hard pull, and Enjoji was pulled screaming from Omaeda's grasp. The scream dissolved into a gurgle for a second before vanishing completely.

"Oh shit, more are coming!" Sasakibe said and began backing away and firing at the same time. "Omaeda, get up and shoot! Let's get out of here!" Ginrei watched as his men began shooting into the darkness, but he couldn't see what they were shooting at.

Then, he saw it. A dark shadow came flowing out of the darkness like some liquid. It was as black as the darkness in the tunnel, making it seem as if the darkness was extending its reach. The two soldiers were now firing at the shadow, but it kept on advancing. Then, as Ginrei watched, more shadows came pouring out the tunnel.

"It's not working! Let's get the hell out of here!" Sasakibe shouted as he dove for the rope and began climbing. Omaeda grabbed the rope, but a dark shadow suddenly pounced on him and he only had time to let out a scream before it got cut off and he disappeared completely.

"Hurry up Sasakibe!" LCP Ayasegawa shouted, but he didn't need to be told. Sasakibe climbed as fast as he could, completely wet in cold sweat and whimpering in terror. The darkness had now engulfed most of the cavern floor, such that Ginrei could see nothing but a bottomless pit. Sasakibe had cleared more than three-quarters of the rope and was starting to relax some.

Next to him, Ginrei heard Corporal Iba shout, "Shut up! Shut the hell up!" his gun pointed at the elderly pair. Instead, they began singing even louder and swaying more violently. Ginrei looked back at Corporal Sasakibe, who had almost reached the top. Suddenly, from below him, a shadow jumped. At first, Ginrei thought that Sasakibe was too high up, but the shadow kept sailing through the air before latching onto Sasakibe.

His eyes widened in terror as he began screaming, "AHH, AYASEGAWA, GIVE ME YOUR HAND, GIVE ME YOUR HAND!" Ayasegawa yelled in fright but reached down to grab Sasakibe, but before he could, a huge tug forced the rope out of Sasakibe's hands and he fell back, his scream fading into nothingness.

All three soldiers were gone, but the rope was still twitching vigorously. "THEY'RE CLIMBING THE ROPE!" Ayasegawa yelled, backing away.

Thinking quickly, Ginrei drew his katana and cut the rope in one swing. "Quick!" he shouted at Ayasegawa. "Close the grate!" The frightened soldier didn't need to be told twice, and he scrambled to lock the iron grate. It wasn't a moment too soon; just as the buckle was secured, something slammed against the gratings, rattling it horribly.

Ginrei called out to Corporal Iba, "Iba! Help Ayasegawa!" The Corporal turned and rushed towards the opening while Ginrei pointed his rifle at the elderly pair, who were still singing the same horrible noise. "Don't want to shut up eh?" He said before opening fire. It hit the old man straight in the middle of the neck, launching him backwards and killing him instantly.

The old woman gave a cry of anguish and rushed towards her fallen companion. "Taichou!" Ginrei whirled round at the terrorized voice of his two remaining men. "Taichou, they just keep coming!" The grate was shaking violently now, and it wouldn't be long before it broke.

"It's too late, taichou!" The old woman cackled. "The Hollows are not going to stop and you will regret having ever set foot in this temple!" She said with glee and laughed a shrill laugh.

"We'll see about that," Ginrei said. Rushing over to one of the torches, he shouted to his men, "Iba! Ayasegawa! Grab a jar of oil each. Hurry!"

They both moved faster than any man Ginrei had ever seen, grabbing a jar of oil each before returning. "Quick! Pour it down the cavern! We'll see how your Hollows handle fire," he said, turning to the old woman.

He tossed the torch onto the grating, and the oil-soaked iron bars immediately caught fire, before the shadow closest to the grate ignited as well.

Now, a new sound pierced the air. A huge cacophony of shrill cries pierced the air as one by one the shadows caught fire, engulfing their entire bodies in flames. The flames obstructed Ginrei from seeing what these creatures were; all he saw were numerous writhing bodies of flame. The entire cavern floor was now a burning inferno.

As the three stunned soldiers watched on, a shrill voice suddenly screamed out. "Curse you, Kuchiki-taichou!" He whirled round and pointed his rifle at her. She was pointing her finger at him and had a deranged look on her face. "Curse you, and all your descendants who walk the face of this land. Your clan shall not escape the wrath of the Hollows and your bloodline shall meet its end in blood and terror! Curse you!" It was a malediction. She looked as if she really believed she was setting a curse on him.

But Ginrei had had enough. Taking aim, he fired and hit her in the head, ending her tirade as suddenly as it began.

The shrill cries still echoed throughout the hall, but were beginning to die down. The three remaining soldiers stood there in shock, not believing what they had just experienced.

"Corporal Iba," Ginrei said to the terrified soldier, who jumped violently. "Go get a couple of horses so we can bring back the gems." He croaked, his voice weak and missing its commanding tone. Corporal Iba could only nod as he stumbled out of the hall, knuckles white from gripping his rifle and jumping at shadows.

Once Iba disappeared, Ginrei turned to Ayasegawa and was about to open his mouth when a blade burst out from Ayasegawa's chest!

"Wha-" was all a shocked Ayasegawa could say before the blade was yanked from him, and he collapsed to the floor. Behind him stood a young boy, no more than thirteen, staring at the blade in his hands.

Man and boy locked eyes for a moment, before the boy lunged at Ginrei with a deranged cry. He was momentarily stunned but he drew his blade and managed to parry the boy's wild lunge. He hacked and slashed, but the boy had no skill, no technique, and Ginrei was able to parry the attacks easily.

He hardly wanted to do it, but Ginrei knew that the boy was not going to stop until either one of them lay dead, so on the next opening he found, he drove the blade straight into the boy's stomach.

The boy gave a gasp of pain as Ginrei withdrew his sword, letting the boy crash to the ground, blood pouring out from him wound as he lied there.

"Taichou, I'm ba- oh my goodness!" Corporal Iba exclaimed as he saw Ayasegawa's body, two horses in his steed. "What the hell happened?"

Ginrei gestured to the young boy, who was stretching out a twitching hand, as if reaching for something, the gaping wound from his back leaking out a pool of blood. "Ayasegawa got taken by surprise," was all he could say. They both stood in silence before Ginrei took a deep breath and said. "Well, there's nothing we can do for them. Let's load up the jewels so that our efforts here did not go to waste.

"Sure thing, taichou!" Iba said as he and his Captain transferred the gems into sacks before he attached them to the horses. "I can't believe we had to go through all this…" Iba turned round and his words tapered off as he found himself staring down the barrel of a rifle held by his Captain.

"Sorry, but I can't trust you," Ginrei said. Then without waiting for a plea, he pulled the trigger, and Iba's head burst open and he fell to the floor.

Ginrei holstered his rifle as he looked at the body of his last soldier with only a twinge of regret. He could trust himself to keep quiet about the origin of the gems but the same couldn't be said of his men. They were, after all, just hooligans who could easily have their lips loosened with some sake. Ginrei had long made up his mind. He was going to keep the secret of the temple and the gems with him to his grave.

Turning back towards the boy, he was surprised to see a trail of blood instead. The boy had crawled all the way to the fallen old man. Ginrei watched as the boy reached the old man, rested his hand on the necklace that hung round the old man's neck before he relaxed and moved no longer.

Shrugging, Ginrei mounted the horse and left, not bothering, or daring, to look back once.

Present

1400 hrs

The elevator doors opened to reveal a tense Rukia and a nervous Ichigo. They walked along the corridor, most of the doors closed and only one with a wide open gate. As they got closer, Ichigo saw that the house with the open gate had its door open as well. He guessed this was Rukia's father's house.

"Nii-sama, Nee-san, I've brought my friend along," Rukia called out as she removed her shoes and stepped in. Ichigo did the same, but halted just before he reached the doorway. He was, could you believe it, afraid of what might develop when he stepped through.

Rukia responded by sticking her head through the door and rapping him softly on the head. "Stop wasting time, Ichigo. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you." Without waiting for his answer, she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the door.

Kuchiki Sojun lived alone, so there was no need for him to occupy a huge house all by himself. Still, that didn't change the fact that he was still rich, and it showed in his choice of furniture and décor. His house was a simple four room apartment and was furnished in an antique Victorian setting. Most of his furniture were from the Victorian era and the only things Ichigo could see that were distinctively Japanese were the bottles of different types of Japanese wine stored in a glass cabinet and the ornate katana that was sitting on a drawer, obviously for decorative purposes.

Ichigo's gaze fell on the two people who were sitting by the dining table. They had aged slightly, but he could still recognize them. Hisana strongly resembled Rukia, and her hairstyle, which was almost identical to Rukia's ten years ago, hadn't changed from what Ichigo could remember.

Byakuya on the other hand, was missing the kenseikan he always wore on his head, until Ichigo realized it was now at the back of his head. Ichigo always remarked that he Byakuya was being vain by wearing the kenseikan, although he secretly admitted the look suited him. Still, Ichigo couldn't miss the same calm, stoic expression on his face.

Right now, both of them were staring at him in shock, although Byakuya showed more composure, a slightly widening of his eyes the only indication of his surprise. They, like him, had obviously recognized him the second they saw him. 'It must be my orange hair,' Ichigo mused.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, I do not believe this," Byakuya said as he got up. "You have a lot of nerve coming here after all the pain you've caused Rukia." Ichigo could understand the less than warm welcome Byakuya had given him, but to him, the hostile reaction was quite hurtful. How many times did he have to repeat that he was sorry for running away?

Fortunately, Rukia stepped in front of him at the same time that Hisana placed a hand on Byakuya to stop him. "Nii-sama, let us not rake the past. Ichigo and I have settled our problems and he has kindly offered his help in searching for father."

Byakuya relaxed slightly under Hisana's comforting hand, but his gaze did not leave Ichigo. "That doesn't change anything. What he did to you is unforgivable."

"Ichigo is aware of that, and he has offered his apology to me more than once." Ichigo was surprised to hear Rukia defending him so vehemently, and against Byakuya, of all people. It seemed like living alone had really made her more independent and bold. "I've accepted his apology, and I would request that you do so as well. Besides, now isn't the time for that. Otosan is missing and we need all the help we can get."

Byakuya glanced at Rukia, whose defiant stare seemed to waver slightly, but she did not shrink back. After a few moments, he said, "Very well, we will leave this conversation for another time. Although, I do not believe for one moment that Kurosaki Ichigo will be able to find anything the police have not." With that, Byakuya swept out of the flat, leaving an uncomfortable silence behind.

Hisana walked up to Ichigo and lightly touched his arm. "It's great to see you again, Ichigo. I must say, when Rukia mentioned a private investigator, you were the last person I expected."

"Well, private investigator isn't really a correct term, since I usually don't work with the police. Calling me a fixer would be better," Ichigo said.

"I guess this explains why Rukia was in such a good mood yesterday morning when she arrived at my house."

"She was, was she?" Ichigo asked as he looked at Rukia smugly.

She blushed. "Nee-san, that's not true! I was never an upbeat person and yesterday was no different."

Hisana laughed. "Really? I got the impression that you were feeling much more talkative than usual." She turned back to Ichigo as Rukia attempted to splutter a defence. "Anyway, I apologize for Byakuya's hostility. He's not in a good mood and you can't really blame him. He was quite close with his father. If you'll excuse me, I must go find him and calm him down. Feel free to look around and see if we missed anything. Unfortunately, I agree with Byakuya that you probably won't find anything new. The police searched the flat thoroughly and found nothing to warrant foul play. If you need help, Rukia would be glad to," and she left the flat too.

Not wanting to miss his chance, Ichigo immediately rounded on Rukia. "So you really were happy to see me," he said with a grin.

"Don't you have a job to do?" She replied with a glare. He just laughed it off and began to look around.

Ichigo normally did not like doing missing people jobs, although he took them occasionally, especially with older people. More often than not, they would have run off to some foreign land with their lover or something. With missing kids or teenagers, it was even harder to say, especially with all the scum that liked to prey on the young.

The police had really been thorough, much like how Kuchiki Sojun seemed to be with his cleanliness. Nothing in the living room, dining room, or any other room in the house seemed to be out of place. The only thing that seemed remotely suspicious was the open window in Kuchiki Sojun's bedroom. Then again, Rukia was following him around, and he found her presence distracting. Then, as he returned out into the living room, he'd had enough.

He turned on her. "Rukia could you quit following me? It's extremely distracting to know that you are there watching my every move!"

She huffed in protest. "I'm simply observing what you do! You could always pretend I wasn't there. Nii-sama didn't let me in earlier while he followed the police. I just wanted to have an idea of what the police did."

"And he had good reason to," Ichigo mumbled, but he didn't pursue the matter any longer. He stood in the living room and surveyed the place. True, he couldn't find anything amiss, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right.

He wandered over to the glass cabinet to look at all the bottles of wine on display. Most of them were still sealed, although there was one bottle that was missing its wrapping, exposing the bottle cork. He opened the cabinet and took it out for further investigation.

It was a black tinted wine bottle that had the picture of a tree and the words 'Silver Oak' on it, which Ichigo assumed was the brand of the wine.

He heard Rukia approaching from behind. "Otosan like to sample wine from other countries. He occasionally brought along a bottle of wine whenever we had our reunion. I think this 'Silver Oak' was one of his favorites."

Ichigo stared at the wine inside. It looked like not much was gone; a couple of sips at best. "Doesn't seem like he liked this."

Rukia shrugged. "I don't know if he drank at home, but he usually sampled any wine he brought over to determine if it deserved to be shared."

Grabbing a corkscrew, Ichigo removed the cork. Immediately, the rich smell of the wine invaded Ichigo's nose. Ichigo wasn't experienced in wine tasting, but he could detect the strong flowery and fruity smell, although if you asked him what sort of flowers and fruits, he had absolutely no clue. Although… there was this slightly weird smell that he did detect. It was a slightly salty smell; one that people could associate with salt or soy sauce. He frowned. Was wine supposed to smell salty?

He walked over to the kitchen and rummaged around for a wine glass. It wasn't that hard to find one; Kuchiki Sojun had a whole drawer full of them. He tilted the bottle into the glass, and the dark red liquid came flowing out. He didn't pour much; not even enough for a mouthful.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?" Rukia hissed. "This is no time to be going wine tasting."

"Relax, Rukia. It's just a sip. It's not poison or anything. Besides, I have absolutely no knowledge about wine tasting." Ichigo said, and without waiting for her response, he downed what little he poured out in one gulp. He stood there and let the taste of the wine flow down his throat. He made a face. "Ugh, that tasted sour and a little weird."

Rukia snorted. "Well, that's because you're not supposed to chug it all down at once," she said.

"Well, it's not my fault I have no knowledge on the procedures of wine tasting," he retorted. "Besides, there was something weird about the taste. I know that wines are supposed to have a strong taste, but this tasted somewhat salty."

"Really? Let me try," Rukia said, reaching for the bottle, but Ichigo held it high out of her reach.

"No way, it could be dangerous. I need to send this for testing."

"Testing? For drugs or something?" Rukia asked, a dubious look on her face.

"Yeah well, for all we know, there could be some mind-controlling drug inside or something."

Rukia gaped at him. "Mind-control. Are you serious?"

He grinned. "Well, not about the mind-control part, but I'm being serious when I say that there could be something weird in this wine."

Rukia didn't seem convinced, but she didn't say anything. Just then, Hisana and Byakuya came back. Hisana was smiling, and Byakuya was still his normal, expressionless self.

"We're back. Did you find anything?" Hisana asked Ichigo.

He shrugged. "Nothing much, just this bottle of wine. It may be nothing, but I want to send this for testing," he said, preparing for the inevitable.

"Absolutely not," Byakuya said immediately. And there it was. "I will not allow you to simply cart off with my father's possessions just because you think it is suspicious."

Rukia opened her mouth to argue, but Ichigo held her off. He figured he'd better stand up for himself and prove it to Byakuya. "Look, Byakuya-sama, you may not appreciate my presence, but I have settled missing person cases before. Sure, it may be nothing, but if it's something, I don't want anything happening to Rukia, Hisana-san or you." He paused for a moment to allow Byakuya to say something, but he remained silent, so he continued.

"Look, I'll take the bottle, but I only need just a small sample. If there's nothing wrong with it, I'll return it to you. Is that ok? I promise not to drink it or swap it with something inferior or... something. Or better yet, take my help as a way of making it up to Rukia. Is that ok?"

Ichigo could almost see Byakuya's brain pondering his words as the group stood in silence, awaiting his decision. Eventually, he said, "Very well, but if I think you are impeding any investigations in any way, I will personally ensure your arrest."

"Thank you for your permission, Byakuya-sama, I'll do my best." He turned to Rukia. "Perhaps I'd better get going. The sooner I test this the better. Are you going to stay here or are you going someplace?"

Rukia turned to Hisana, who told her, "Don't worry, we'll stay here awhile longer. We have nothing on today, and Byakuya needs to make some calls."

"In that case," Rukia said, turning to Ichigo. "I need you to drop me off somewhere."

? hrs

He stood on the platform and watched his Hollows. They were moving around with agitation. That meant that they had caught the scent.

That couldn't be right. The target had already been disposed of, and the bait for the next target should only arrive tomorrow. He had done extensive research on his three victims, including their habits, likes, and likely ways to bait them. The chocolates he'd sent for the next victim would paint a bulls-eye on her for his Hollows once she'd taken them.

The only possibility left was the serum-laced wine he had given the homeless. Maybe one had survived getting drunk this long.

Oh well, it didn't make any difference. The fact was the scent had been caught, and he had to send them out to hunt. If it was just a simple, drunk homeless person who had the scent, he wouldn't need to send two. One of the younger ones with experience would be good enough.

2300 hrs

Ichigo had dropped a sample of the wine at a lab one of his contacts had. His contact had promised to get back to him as soon as possible.

After that, Ichigo dropped Rukia off at the studio she was working in to pick up her vetted work. It had been getting late after that, so they decided to have dinner together. It was a simple, casual, spur-of-the-moment affair, but Ichigo had enjoyed it. Rukia was still slightly anxious over news about her father but he'd gotten her to lighten up.

That may or may not have been a bad thing, as she started sharing with him some of the plots that her editor had accepted for the cartoon 'The Adventures of Chappy the Bunny'. Still, he had fun teasing and intentionally finding holes in her plot. It was a cartoon after all; it wasn't suppose to emulate real life.

She had retaliated by suggesting that she'd create a new villain; a strawberry, modeled after Ichigo of course. They then had fun laughing about what the new villian's features and characteristics would be. In the end, Ichigo had to draw the line when Rukia wanted to draw a sketch of the villain using the ideas they had thrown out, much to her annoyance.

In the end, it was simple, interactive fun, but they had both enjoyed it immensely.

Then, Ichigo had dropped Rukia off at her apartment with the promise to get in touch as soon as he got the results from the lab.

Now back home, Ichigo was finally able to relax. Today had been mentally draining, having to meet two more people from his past. At least Byakuya did not throw him out the second he saw Ichigo. Although, he probably would have, if Rukia hadn't stepped in. That in itself was quite a surprise. Never once in his teenaged life did he ever remember her standing up to Byakuya. Then again, she had her own life to lead. She couldn't have him making all the decisions for her.

Although he was mentally drained, his body didn't feel like going to sleep just yet. So, on an impulse, Ichigo retrieved his favorite sword; his ko-wazikashi and went up onto the roof of the building he was staying in to practice a few swings.

The roof was fairly plain. It had an old looking cooling tower that looked like it was going to fail at any moment, but it had managed to stay intact for the 4 years Ichigo had stayed here. A few jerry cans of oil were stored next to it, but no one had ever come to retrieve it. To one corner, there were some potted plants placed by one of his neighbors, Ichigo couldn't be sure whom, which was the only proof that anyone other than himself ever came up onto the roof. Also, someone had stuck a flagpole right smack in the middle of the roof, although it had no flag on it.

Ichigo sucked in the cool night air as he stretched his muscles. The moon was full tonight, illuminating the rooftop. Along the way, Ichigo had taken both kendo and kenjutsu lessons, although he only owned short swords that were not suited for kendo.

Unsheathing his sword, Ichigo tapped it twice against the flagpole out of habit. Then, he moved into a fighting stance. He took a deep breath… and gagged. A horrible smell assaulted his nose and Ichigo stumbled against the flagpole. Did something die on the roof? What the hell was creating that awful smell?

Ichigo looked left and right, trying to determine the source of the smell. It seemed to be coming from where the potted plants were. 'If this is some form of fertilizer, I'm taking down the owner of the plants after I destroy the soil,' Ichigo thought.

As he made his way to the potted plants, he froze in shock. Thanks to the illumination from the moon, Ichigo watched in shock as a dark shadow slithered its way from the edge of the building and onto the roof. It was approximately one and a half times the size of an average man, but Ichigo couldn't make out what it was, except for the bluish tinge on its dark skin.

The thing reared its head and Ichigo opened his mouth in horror. Its head was white in color, but instead of shining in the darkness, it seemed to blend in with it, if that was even possible, and the eyes glowed a dark red. It looked familiar, but Ichigo had no time to think why as its glowing red eyes locked on to him.

Well, here you go. Not much of a Byakuya & Ichigo confrontation. But the way I see it, most of the canon animosity between these two was created due to Ichigo's lack of respect and Byakuya's disdain towards Ichigo. Take that away and you'll probably get a Byakuya who disapproves but wouldn't go to the extent of attacking Ichigo.

Wow... This chapter was longer than usual. Anyway, some extra stuff.

Silver Oak Cellars is a wine brand located in Oakville. Not sure which state though. No idea how popular it is though, some survey on some website said it was.

Kenjutsu is a general term that encompasses all forms of Japanese Swordsmanship. It means the method of the sword, as opposed to kendo, which means the way of the sword. I can't see the difference though.

Anyway, read, hope you enjoy, and once more, review! Thanks! See you on the next update!