Okay, guys, as I promised, here is Chapter 12. Thank you all for reading and reviewing and I'm going to be honest—I was amazed that Chapter 11 was so well liked, but I'm beyond happy. You couldn't see it, but it made my week to know that you guys like it so much.

Chapter 12—Lingering Sensations

Sunlight came into the room through the window, and it warmed Koji's face. For a brief moment, his dream had dominated his senses and he wondered how he'd gone from home to this strange place... This his eyes came upon Captain Hitsugaya and the lieutenants and the memory of the previous day flooded his memory. That strange thing that was so vaguely familiar... Being in its presence had made him think of his father...

Then another question came. Where was his father? He quickly corrected himself and said aloud, "Captain Komamura", but the thought of calling him his father had already played through his mind and it was almost too difficult to shake off. He hurriedly stood and, with one more worried glance at his companions, he stepped out of the room and into the shop. The door had closed as soon as he'd entered and he chased after the person who left, just barely catching them before they could disappear.

"Captain!"

Komamura—in his Gigai—turned, and faced Koji. "Oh, you're awake. I had hoped to return before then."

"Is something wrong?"

"I was just going to investigate the field," Komamura replied. "As I said, it had been my intention to return before you woke up."

"What about Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Kuchiki and Mastumoto?"

"Urahara agreed to take care of them in our absence," Komamura explained.

"Can I come with you?"

The question rang awkwardly in the air, hanging like a pall over them. He hadn't meant for it to sound the way it did—like a child begging to a parent—but it was said and all that remained was Komamura's answer. And the captain considered the question and soon turned away. Koji felt as if he had crossed an invisible boundary, but the captain's voice rang out as he started to walk away.

"Are you coming or not?"

So, what're we looking for, Captain?"

"Something that's out of the ordinary."

They stood off to the side of the soccer field, watching as children played, kicking the black and white ball from one side of the field to the other, laughing as they did so. The rain from the previous night had muddied the ground and soaked the field, making it glisten in the sunlight. Koji watched, expecting to see something, but when they failed to notice anything out of the ordinary, his hope faded.

"Captain, maybe we should—"

"Just a while longer, Shimizu," Komamura stated. "I want to be completely sure."

It was growing hotter, and the children's joy and excitement was starting to wilt in the sudden burst of heat. Their movements gradually became slower and slower until they finally stopped. One of them, a black-haired youth, sighed and said, "I was ice cream."

In unison, they all agreed, and they walked off, oblivious. Koji considered asking Komamura for an ice cream break, but quickly smothered the thought before it escaped him. He could already hear Komamura's sharp reprimands for such a childish thing when they were supposed to be working.

With the children gone, Komamura stepped onto the field and surveyed it once more. His eyes darted back and forth quickly and his nose twitched slightly as he sniffed the air. A small growl escaped him and Koji reached into his pocket for the Gikon.

"Is something wrong?"

"Quite the opposite; the trail's gone cold," Komamura replied. "We won't find it until it finds us."

"That means that it's gone, right?"

"Unlikely, but we can't rule out that it has left," Komamura admitted. "For now, let's return to Urahara's shop."

"We can pick up ice cream on the way," Koji said jokingly as they started to walk away from the soccer field.

"Yes," Komamura said, surprising Koji so much that he stumbled over his own feet. "That does sound refreshing."

The fact that they stopped for ice cream on the way back was surprising; watching Komamura lick at the ice cream atop the waffle cone was amusing. Koji made a mental note: the captain likes vanilla. It was strange to think that Komamura had a taste for anything sweet like ice cream, but perhaps it was simply the heat of the day that had convinced him to stop. But there was something more that seemed to be on his mind than the frozen treat in his hand.

The vendor had said that they looked like a father and son.

Do we really? Koji wondered. He looked up at his captain and thought back to the feeling of the captain's hand on his shoulder... just like his father used to do. He shrugged it off—this was not his father, this was his superior... and yet the feeling had returned to the front of his mind as he licked at the chocolate dessert that had started to melt into his hand. Komamura looked down once and, upon seeing his subordinate's ice cream melt into the cone and overflow, had chuckled. Koji wondered, What does he think?

"Well, I'm glad I found you," said a voice, and they stopped and turned; Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto were standing there, looking for all the world as if they had never been out cold.

"Good to see you up, Captain," Koji said honestly.

"Aw!" Rangiku whined. "They got ice cream! I want some, Captain!"

"Later," Hitsugaya said. "Right now, we've got more important matters to discuss." Rangiku pouted, but she said nothing more. "The creature that attacked us, did you get a good look at it?"

"Not really," Koji said. "It wore a hood and it was dark, so we couldn't see its face. All we know was that it had your zanpakutos."

"I see," Hitsugaya said thoughtfully. "Did it use them?"

"It used Hyourinmaru and Sode no Shirayuki," Komamura replied, "but after that, it abandoned them and left."

Hitsugaya's expression fell.

"It didn't use my Haineko?" Rangiku asked. She sounded jealous.

"No."

"Aw, my poor Haineko," Rangiku mused.

"The fact that it didn't keep them is what troubles me," Hitsugaya replied. "How did it use them at all?"

"Actually, it turned you into the zanpakutos," Koji explained. "It didn't just use them. And when it left, you transformed back."

"I see..."

His face was grave.

"Is there something we need to know, Captain Hitsugaya?" Komamura asked.

"We have spoken with Captain Yamamoto... and has given us some... disturbing news," Hitsugaya said.

"Let's walk and talk," Rangiku suggested. She led the way and they followed.

"Where's Rukia?" Koji asked.

"Training back at Urahara's," Rangiku replied simply. "She wants to be in top shape for this."

"As I was saying," Hitsugaya stated, "the issue is not a Soul Reaper or a Hollow, but a hybrid."

"A hybrid? A Vizard or Arrancar?" Komamura asked.

"Neither," Hitsugaya stated. "Do you remember what Kaname Tosen had become during your confrontation? He had not only the powers of Hollowfication, Shikai and Bankai, but also a Ressureccion."

Komamura's face curled into a snarl, but he said, "Yes, I remember."

"This being is the same way, and it's only shown us it's Shikai, if that," Hitsugaya stated. "Captain Yamamoto warned us of a Soul Reaper from Kurotsuchi's Division who had been conducting illegal experiments. Most notably, he had defeated a Hollow known as Mimic. When he discovered, he was discharged and removed from his position as the Twelfth's third seat. Only after he left was it noticed that he had not only defeat Mimic, but also absorbed its power into his own zanpakuto."

"And what is his zanpakuto?"

"It is called 'Namonake'—the Nameless," Hitsugaya explained. "It's power was recorded to be able to imitate another Soul Reaper's or a Hollow's powers. By absorbing Mimic's powers into Namonake, the Soul Reaper made it so that he could absorb more than just one power—he could absorb everything at once and mimic anything he has previously absorbed."

"Who is this Soul Reaper? Why have I never heard of him?"

"His name is not recorded and his records have been tampered with and are unreliable," Hitsugaya said. "Even Kurotsuchi does not know the former Soul Reaper's real name."

"So, how do we defeat someone who can copy our zanpakutos?"

"He can copy Shikai and Bankai, but only at his level," Hitsugaya said. "If our power exceeds his, we can overpower him. The only issue is that he knows our weaknesses just as well as we do. We need to show him a power that he doesn't know and can't easily copy."

"A Kido?"

"Kido is too easy. As a third seat, I don't doubt that his knowledge of Kido is quite formidable."

"What if we attacked at all fronts?" Koji offered. "We don't give him a chance for a counterattack and just keep the pressure on him. Or, better yet, just seal him up until we can deport him back to Central 46 for punishment."

"If it were that easy, he'd be in an ice prison by now," Rangiku said. "Even the captain's zanpakuto wasn't able to freeze him over. He was able to melt it with Kido."

"What if we seal him in something he can't melt?"

"Like what?" Hitsugaya asked.

Koji thought for a moment. "Crystal. A crystal prison. My zanpakuto can create crystals from light particles. If we trap him in crystal, he'll be in a stasis until we move him and, if that doesn't work, you can try to freeze him again."

"He makes it sound so easy," Hitsugaya remarked.

"I just don't want to fail my first mission," Koji explained, "and, what's more, if we have a plan, we can beat him."

"And what if your crystal and my ice fails?"

"Then we use Kido."

"And when that fails?"

"Then we improvise," Rangiku chimed in.

"Enough," Komamura sighed. "It's a conundrum, that's for sure, but we can't continue to debate amongst ourselves. We need a solid plan of action."

"I don't have the seal on me," Koji continued, "so I'm already at full power. And I managed to hold of Lieutenant Abarai during training."

"Training is different than an actual battle," Hitsugaya said, "but you do have a point. Without the restriction seal, he is probably at a lieutenant level, if not slightly higher."

"So, why don't we let him lead the charge and we can fight as backup?" Rangiku suggested. "We keep close, and keep him safe."

"A flawed plan," Komamura noted.

"But still a plan," Rangiku insisted, "and with Rukia, our little team can't fail."

"But—"

"Can we get some ice cream now?" Rangiku said excitedly, pointing. Across the street was the very same ice cream parlor that Komamura and Koji had just left. Koji felt his face burn with slight embarrassment. They had thought Komamura was his father... What would they say if they saw Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya? That the redhead was his mother or the short captain was his brother?

A happily misfit family?

Before anyone could protest, Rangiku was crossing the street and Koji found himself going after her. When he opened the door for her, she said, "I just thought about, but you and him"—she nodded towards Komamura—"look related when he's in his Gigai."

Unsure of if he should reply, he simply nodded and held the door for the two captains. More ice cream—and a painful brain freeze—did little to ease the thought of actually being considered his captain's son...

And he didn't know why, but he did like the prospect of it.

Here you go, Chapter 12, and for Chapter 13, you'll finally get to see the face of the mysterious hybrid...

So, there you go, and for anyone who's interested, draw me a picture of what you think Koji should look like. I'd love to see it because I can't draw at all... Period.

So, enjoy, read, and review if you have the time.