Just as Ichigo had thought, the reports weren't bringing any good news with them.
Firstly it seemed that not only stage three S.I.N.'s, that had been hunted for, disappeared, but also ones in the rehab program, who stood under strict surveillance.
As for the mentioned pattern, the disappearances started six month ago in North America, then moved in a snake line, from the south, to Africa over Europe and China to finally reach Australia.
Everywhere the event was recorded for a span of one month.
Ichigo concluded that the responsible factor, be it man or whatever, now reached his own turf and began the finale of his mission.

Shiro was skipping over the reports and from his expression the orangette could see that he came to the same conclusion.
"It seems that our problem is closer than we thought. What are you planning to do now?"
The pale finally asked after putting the reports aside.
"I'm going to train her. She needs to know how to at least defend herself against a S.I.N.."
"You could have done that month ago already. Now it might be to late."
Shiro somewhat scolded him, and Ichigo lowered his head.
"I understand my fault with that already, but I didn't want to think about a human being so close to me then. I was glad that I had to take her on a hunt just once."
The older one didn't reply, instead he rose from his seat and went to leave the conference room.
Before he stepped out though he gently told Ichigo.
"I'll be waiting for you two to come home. Let her live, alright?"
The orangette laughed shortly, before he answered.
"I wasn't planning to do otherwise."

Rukia, who was object of their conversation had followed their verbal exchange silently, until the word was turned to her.
"Follow me. We'll start your training right now."
Ichigo and Rukia went to the elevator and descended to the lower floors of the tower, where the training facilities for V.A.S.T. members were located.
Ichigo had given an order to lock the floor for anyone else, so that disturbances wouldn't be possible.

Now Rukia and him were facing each other, the male in his normal clothing and the female clad in protective gear for sword training.
Both of them had a Shinai in their hands.
The raven haired grabbed hers with both hands while Ichigo held his loosely in one.
She felt out of her element, like that.
"Why are you making me do this? I don't want to use a sword, I'd rather have a gun."
Ichigo stepped two steps forward and let his sword rotate once from his offhand.
"In the future you'll get one, but for now you'll have to learn something and wielding a sword is the most effective way for it."
Ichigo came at her, swinging the Shinai and Rukia barely blocked with her own, clenching her eyes shut in fear.

"Body!"
The Vampire called, before he hit Rukia in the side of her armor.
He stepped back and lowered the Shinai again.
"Don't take your eyes off your opponent and for your life don't ever close them!"
Rukia opened her eyes again to look at Ichigo, there was something about this training that went deeper than just educating.
At least that was the impression she got as she saw the gleam in the orangettes eyes.
"Again."
She asked and they took their stances anew.
Taking Ichigos advice, she followed his every move, defended to her best abilities and tried to attack, but in the end it was her who received a hit after the other.
"You're leaving yourself open too much."
Like that two hours went by, until Ichigo called for a brake, for the females sake.
As Rukia refreshed herself and gathered some strength, he thought about the next step.
The petite woman had gotten the knack of the training and was already good enough for human standards, for Dojo fights at least.
He looked at the woman, just for a second, then hurried to leave the training room.

After an hour he came back and called Rukia for the second stage of the training.
This time he faced her unarmed and Rukia had to take off her protective gear.
"What now? I thought we'd continue where we let off."
"No you understood the basics of the use of the sword, that suffices for the second stage."
He came closer to the female and she backed away for every step he took, unknowing what he was planning on.
"As I said earlier, you only saw a S.I.N. once. So you know nothing about them and their behavior. Since you'll stay with me you'll only face the worst of them. The stage three ones, or Null. They solely run on their instincts, are always thirsting for more blood and use their powers without knowing how, simply instinctive. But they still differ from one to the other, like every person. For example some walk normally like me now."
Ichigo explained as Rukia and him were circling around one another in the training hall.
The woman never took her eyes off him but suddenly he was gone.
"Others are too fast for the human eye to follow and might be even unable for you to sense."
He whispered directly into her ear from behind, before he reappeared in front of her, swaying like a drunk.

Rukia didn't understand at all, was this still training?
Ichigo was acting weird and he even managed to make her feel afraid.
It wasn't like the times when they first had met and he tried to intimidate her, his show offs then had felt like jokes, but now he was different.
His behavior truly scared her.

"And others again move so slow that you might not react until it's to late and they're right in front of you."
Rukia snapped out of her daze as bared fangs greeted her in a smile.
Her eyes widened in shock and she swung her sword, which Ichigo dodged by simply jumping back.
No, this didn't feel like training anymore, but like a predator playing with his prey.
"If you aren't concentrating some might even be able to paralyze you."
Again he was gone and appeared behind her.

She could feel his heat on her back but her body wouldn't move as she wanted, it didn't even budge an inch.
"What did you do?"
"I've grabbed your heart."
He breathed into her ear.
Shocked her eyes darted down to her chest, but she couldn't see a wound or feel any pain for that matter.
"Not the organ, that's beating as fast as a little birds in your chest."
She could feel how he bend down further to her and could see some of his face in the corner of her eye as he rested a hand where her heart sat.
"I've taken control of your soul, your life energy, the Chi if you so will. I evolved my ability of simply seeing it to being able to manipulate it at will, with weaving my own into my targets."
As if to proof his statement, Rukia bared her collar against her will, while Ichigos face wandered closer to it and his fangs grazed her skin.
The hand that rested on her chest wandered up to her throat and stopped under her chin,where it held her head in place, with gentle force.
"I could play you like a marionette now, because you were inattentive. Does that scare you?"

She didn't want to tell.
If she told him it meant that she admitted the fact that she indeed was scared to death.
"Biting your tongue doesn't help you the slightest. I easily can ask your body."
Again his fangs wandered over her skin, but this time they stopped at her carotid.
She could hear Ichigos breathing grow shorter and she immediately knew, he wasn't just playing anymore.
The hand on her chin wandered into her hair, until Ichigo held a few strands in it and took a deep breath.
"You smell so nice. You can't even guess how much you tortured me these past months."
Rukia tried to move and actually managed to lift her hand a bit.
"Ichigo. Snap out of it."
"I've never been out of my senses."
He replied, but the female thought otherwise.
"Then have you already forgotten what you told me the other day? Didn't you want to take care of me? Or was that just a lie?"
Ichigo, who just pierced the skin on Rukias neck a bit, hesitated, slowly he pulled back while growling and clenching his teeth.

Eventually he pushed Rukia away from himself and snarled.
"Get away! Ask someone to bring you to the mansion."
Instead of going she stepped back to the orangette.
"But you need help, right? You're hungry, I understand that. You just surprised me."
Ichigo crouched down, embracing himself as if he tried to fight against something inside his own body.
"No."
He whispered.
"Then I get you something, ok?"
Rukia offered stepping closer again.
"Stay away!"
The orangette suddenly yelled, making Rukia flinch.
"Just leave. I'll be fine in a minute. Tell Shiro to come and pick me up and stay at the mansion. You can't be near me now."
The petite woman gave up.
"Fine I'll tell Shiro to come, so please don't leave here until he's there."
A choked answer, barely reached her ears before she left Ichigo behind, to fight whatever demon possessed him just now.

As she was brought to the mansion she remembered her first encounter with him and what he had yelled at the old geezer who brought her then.
About being a S.I.N. himself.
It seemed that there was more truth in it, then she wanted to believe up until now.
When Ichigos words hadn't been just a spur of the moment, there might be more than just one problem scratching at their porch.

Chapter 12
End