Well, seems things are getting interesting between Tatsuki and her strange "roommate". What lies ahead though?

Chapter 3: Shadows of the Onmitsukido

"Say…Rukia, are you alright?"

Rukia looked up at Tatsuki who was staring at her with concern. Damnit, she was so worked up about Kenshin that she had forgotten to keep it inside. With a sigh she shook her head slowly. "No…a really good friend of mine went missing a few days ago…"

Tatsuki frowned and set a hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. When Rukia glanced up, she tried to offer her a reassuring smile. "Well what do they look like?"

What would be the point of describing him to someone that couldn't even see him? Regardless, she had to now since she was in a corner on this. "Well…he's a bit taller then Ichigo…toned…he has sleek, dark brown hair about shoulder length and blue-gray eyes. He usually looks like a bum with how he leaves his face, but he'll never listen to me about fully shaving the scruff off."

Wait…why was that sounding exactly like the guy at her home? In fact, it sounded unquestionably like that man. If he was a shinigami then how did Rukia know him? "What's…his name?"

"Kenshin." Rukia smiled weakly.

Tatsuki did her best to maintain a smile and nodded, "right. I'll make sure to keep an eye out for him and call you if I find him."

"Thank you Tatsuki…"

Both of them were thinking similar thoughts about Kenshin. How could Tatsuki help look? How could Rukia know this guy if others couldn't see him?

That day after school she spent her walk home debating on whether or not she should tell Kenshin she may know his name, but…wouldn't he be curious how she knew and who she had learned it from? Wouldn't that help him recover all of his memories and then mean he'd leave?

She smiled and set her forehead in her hand, letting out an irritated sigh. Why did she care if he left? It wasn't like she wanted him to stay; she was just taking care of him after all…

…right?

"Come on Tatsuki, get it together. Sure he's cute-" Did she really just say that? She never had said or even thought of any guys as cute, not in an attractive way. Was it really wrong for her to think that though? It must be as the guy was supposedly a spirit!

As she rounded the corner to her house she saw a group of large creatures lingering over the roof and froze. Those white masks…those unnatural screams…she's seen those things before…and there…

…standing on, no, above the roof was Kenshin. He had a pair of katanas in hand with six scabbards around his waist, three on each hip. Wait…the black hakamas and those creatures. As if a curtain in her own memory had been drawn away she remembered just who this guy was. He was indeed a shinigami and those things were Hollows. He was just like Ichigo was!

She watched in silence and shock as Kenshin suddenly was standing on the back of one of the hollows, a blade drive through the back of the creature's neck. But…how had he moved so quickly? Before she could even blink he was already standing in front of another, the Hollow splitting in half from head to tail. In mere seconds the group of Hollows was dealt with and with it she ran her house to see if everything was alright inside.

She had barely run into her room when she saw him sheathing his blade. He glanced over at her and blinked in surprise. "Tatsuki, something wrong?"

"What were those things and…I mean…listen…I think I may know your name."

/\/\/\/\

"Kenshin huh?"

"Yeah." She left out that Rukia was looking for him. She wasn't sure why she did.

He rubbed at his chin while rolling the name about in his head. Kenshin…it sounded familiar, but he really wasn't feeling anything come of it. "Well at least now we have something to call me instead of that unseen guy bumming in your room."

She smiled and even laughed some. "Yeah, I guess. So those swords you had…were did they come from?" She eyed the nodaichi in Kenshin's hand curiously.

"Care to see?"

The two walked out to the backyard where Kenshin unsheathed the blade and held it in front of him. "Fortunately I do recall how to do this. Snap down and eviscerate, Tetsu Kiba!"

Tatsuki was a bit lost by the disturbing command but then she felt the air around her whip up and watched as the blade began to glow brightly. The lone nodaichi became enveloped in light and with a roar the light split apart into six streaks that shot to his hips to make the six scabbards she had seen early. The nodaichi in hand had shrunk down to the length of a katana.

"What…what just happened?"

"I told you my blade had a name." He smirked. "All zanpakutö do…within each blade is a spirit that dwells as a part of us and from it we're able to unleash two levels of release…this is shikai. Above this is bankai; although, I won't show you that for safety reasons."

Without so much as a word the blades disappeared back into the nodaichi and he sheathed it as if nothing had happened. She was speechless; there was no doubt in her mind that this guy was just like Ichigo.

She was about to say something when dozens of figures appeared around the two. They were dressed in all black with their faces covered. A pair was standing between her and Kenshin with their cold gaze fixed on her as if she had offended somehow. Past them she saw a woman appear who was wearing a coat just like Kenshin's but on the back was the Kanji for the number two.

Kenshin arched a brow at the sudden intrusion, seeming confused. The woman smiled at him as she approached slowly. "You're…you're alright…"

"And who are you?"

Soifon froze in her tracks with a look on her face as if she had just been stabbed. He was joking, right? How could he not know her? The look on his face, however, stated otherwise. He truly seemed to not recognize her. "Kenshin…it's me, it's your mentor."

Kenshin shifted his stance slightly; keeping a hand hovered over the hilt of his blade. "Sorry, but your face doesn't register with me and I think it would be best to get your friends out of here. It's impolite to barge in where you're not welcomed…"

She recognized that look in his eyes, a look that was no different then a death threat. So be it, if she had to she would take him back to the Seireitei by force. "Stealth force, detain Captain Takeda. Now!"

One of the men standing in front of Tatsuki grabbed her and dragged her to the sliding door leading into the house while the rest of the masked men charged forth at Kenshin…Captain Takeda?

"Kenshin no!" Soifon watched as three of those in front of Kenshin went down in a haze of a blood mist, their abdomens sliced just below the diaphragms by a single stroke. Flipping the blade over Kenshin turned and brought it crashing down over an offender from behind then spun it and brushed his haori aside, stabbing behind him at the fifth target.

The man let out a gurgled cry before Kenshin twisted the blade with the man and withdrew the blade. The captain brought the blade up from an underhand stroke and took out the sixth offender before slamming his foot into the face of the seventh and driving his blade down to impale the man in the stomach.

Soifon watched in shock as her student flicked the blood away without any real thought or concern. That style of fighting…that was his and his alone; but why then could he kill with such ease of years of practice and yet not remember her? He turned to face her and pointed the blade toward her. "Last chance."

It would be best if she pulled back for now. She already had violated all sorts of protocol in trying to forcefully obtain Kenshin given clear evidence of amnesia, but…

Reluctantly she signaled to the remainder of the stealth force for a retreat and in the cover of a smoke cloud they retreated with the corpses of the fallen. Tatsuki looked at Kenshin in confusion and shock. What had all just transpired?

And why were those eyes so cold now?

/\/\/\/\

"You what?" Yoruichi asked while glaring down at Soifon. "You actually tried to apprehend a captain such as Kenshin when he's suffering from amnesia? You're just damn lucky he let you go. Damn it Soifon I can't believe you actually made such a stupid choice!"

"I'm sorry!" Soifon looked up past tears of anger and frustration. "What else was I suppose to do?"

Yoruichi glanced back down with her arms crossed. "Observe him and wait till he remembers enough to return on his own? I mean seriously Soifon it's not that hard to figure out. Also, why didn't you inform me of this the second you knew he was missing in action?"

"I…wanted to save face before you Lady Yoruichi…"

She felt a twitch of annoyance. "So you wanted to save face over having lost track of your student by ignoring the fact he's my student as well and that I could really give a crap about some nonsense like this? Come on Soifon, would you stop being so damn serious all the time?" Yoruichi sighed loudly to vent her frustration and to try and relieve the growing headache brought on by Soifon's reckless and stupid choices. "So you said he's with some human girl close to where Ichigo Kurosaki lives?"

"Yes…"

"Return back to the Soul Society and leave this to me. I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he stays out of trouble." She noticed that look in Soifon's eyes and sighed softly, "as will I. No faith in me as usual…"

"I wonder why…" Soifon mumbled with spite as she glanced off to the side. "Fine…and thank you Lady Yoruichi."

/\/\/\/\

Later that evening Yoruichi decided to go locate her missing student. The only way Soifon had found Kenshin was because of a Hollow attack that had rather quickly vanished and from it she pin-pointed Kenshin via the reiatsu of his shikai. Surprisingly the coordinates she was given was deathly close to Ichigo's home.

How hadn't that idiot noticed the reiatsu? Kenshin wasn't masking his spiritual pressure even in the slightest. "Oh that's right…that boy can't sense a thing. Then again Rukia stays with him…oh those two must have been too busy to notice." She smirked slyly at her wild accusation of the two.

When she landed she spotted Kenshin in the backyard practicing with his sealed zanpakutö. So if he didn't recognize Soifon then he probably doesn't even remember enough about himself to return to the Soul Society. Why hadn't Soifon bothered to tell her about Kenshin's status sooner? I mean sure, there was a silent bitterness Soifon seemed to have toward Kenshin and herself when it came to situations involving them interacting, but so what? Kenshin had been her student first after all.

It also probably didn't help that Soifon had discovered Kenshin bore the Shihöin family crest. Whatever. That had been her choice to ask Kenshin if he would wear it and his choice to do so; nothing could change that. "Come on Yoruichi, focus."

Her eyes went wide when she felt a blade resting on her shoulder and saw the reflection of the moon shine off the curved tip of the blade. "Makes me wonder why the hell so many people are snooping around me…"

Yoruichi permitted herself a sly smirk and glanced over her shoulder at him, "mmm…could be because it's hard to keep away from such a handsome man."

Kenshin arched a brow as he looked into those golden eyes. Those eyes…suddenly all those memories of that lavender-haired woman had a face to them and…a name.

Yoruichi watched curiously as he drew his blade away from her throat and sheathed it. Kenshin slumped back onto his rear on the roof while running his fingers through his hair. "You…remember?" She asked softly as she moved to sit next to him.

"Yeah…I had remembered the family crest on my back after Tatsuki described it to me but I couldn't place your name to it. The thing I was missing was your eyes."

"Well they are such a lovely color." She went silent when her student shot her a glare from the corner of his eyes. "Anyways…do you remember everything about yourself now?"

"No…I don't understand why I'm here or who I am fully. I remember being your student but…that's about it."

That alone wouldn't be enough for him to safely return to Soul Society on. Until he at least remembered his name and his position as a shinigami he was hopeless. "Well for now, just stay here with this girl, alright? We'll see what can be done to help recover your memories."

"Thank you, Lady Yoruichi."

She ran her fingers through his hair and pulled him close, kissing his forehead. "You know I'd do anything for you."

He noticed her sniffing his hair and arched a brow, "yes?"

"Mmm…why does your hair smell of strawberries?"

"Don't….ask…"

Things are coming back to Kenshin, but seems Soifon has certain doubts about the well-being of Kenshin around Yoruichi. Hmm...

Next Time! Chapter 4: The Wolf and the Mouse