Chapter 18 : Vizard

"Time to get your ass out of bed you lazy bum!" The voice echoed a moment in his head until he felt something soft land on his face. Jonouchi groaned and sat up, pulling the angry stuffed toy from his face.

"You again..." Jonouchi growled. The stuffed toy, also know as Kon, had been giving Jonouchi trouble all night long.

"Sorry about how he acts. I can't seem to break him of it." Jonouchi turned and smiled. Ichigo was sitting on the side of his bed, glaring at the stuffed animal. Jonouchi had just come to Karakura town the night before, but the fact that he would need a place to sleep had eluded him. Luckily for him, Ichigo was kind enough to talk his father into letting his friend stay the night.

"Don't worry about it. I find it quite amusing actually." Jonouchi laughed.

"Yeah, you would..."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" There were a few minutes of silence between both Ichigo and Jonouchi as they watched Kon mess around with Ichigo's belongings that he kept on his desk.

"What do you think Aizen's planning?" Ichigo asked, breaking the silence. Jonouchi frowned and thought for a moment before he replied.

"I'm not sure. But seeing as he left for Hueco Mundo, it shouldn't be long before he makes a move."

"Yeah..."

"I'm just happy to be alive." Jonouchi laughed. "If it wasn't for my subordinate, I'd be dead right now." he laughed.

"Well, fighting Zaraki for a second time wasn't a walk in the park either."

"Just be glad he likes ya." Jonouchi laughed again. Ichigo just glared.

"Some way to show it." Jonouchi paused, lost in thought. "What is it?" he asked, noticing Jonouchi's expression.

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about when I was first chased down by Captain Zaraki."

"And you had fun with that?"

"Hell no!" Jonouchi grinned. "I was scarred out of my mind."

The two talked for a bit longer as the sunlight came up, shining through Kurosaki's bedroom window. Soon, Jonouchi had decided to leave. He didn't want to over stay his welcome, and something about Ichigo's father creeped him out. He needed to find a different place to stay. One without talking toys and creepy dads. Again, Jonouchi wandered around for a bit. Eventually, something caught his eye. He looked up at the sign to the Karakura Cafe and grinned. He remembered working there during his first visit to the town. He walked inside smiling. That was, until he noticed something. A blonde server made his way over to the door grinning. "Welcome back, sir. Are you here for lunch?" Jonouchi just stared in amazement. The boy looked just like himself.

"Who are you?" Jonouchi asked.

"Jonouchi Uchiki, sir. Why do you ask?" he answered.

"Come with me." Jonouchi said, grabbing him by the wrist. He pulled the boy outside around the back of the Cafe, into the alleyway. How could he have been so stupid? He had forgotten during his first visit to recover the Gigai and Substitute Soul he had used during the Hollow attack earlier that season. Somehow it had survived. Jonouchi put on a bright red glove and closed his fist. "Sorry to do this." he sighed, placing his palm on the Gigai's head. A small round pill popped out of the back of its head and landed on the ground. Jonouchi placed the pill in his pocket and disposed of the Gigai. He sighed again, leaving the ally. "Don't worry. I'm sure Kon would like to have a friend." As he stepped from the alleyway, he was stopped.

"What do you think you're doing...?" Jonouchi looked over to the person that was talking to him, and smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I-"

"Get back to work. The other cooks are hard at work while you're out here slacking off." he interrupted. There was a certain depressed tone to his voice that Jonouchi quickly picked up on.

"Yes, sir."

"And I've told you before. Just use my name. Don't call me sir."

"I'm sorry, I forgot your name."

"You've worked here how long, and NOW you forget." Jonouchi frowned dropped his eyes. As he did so, he noticed the mans name tag.

"Rajin..."

"Don't play stupid, just get your work done so we can all go home tonight on time."

Jonouchi followed the young man back inside the Cafe. After being directed to the kitchen, he got to work. It was a long night. His Substitute Soul had worked there for so long and had everything memorized. He could just swallow the pill and let him take over. In the end he decided that it wasn't the best choice. The cooks were puzzled at how one of their cooks had forgotten everything in several minutes. But Jonouchi learned fast, and after a long while, the Cafe had closed. He still had one problem. He had no where to stay.

Jonouchi sighed as he left the Cafe. He started down the street, watching the signs as he passed them. He had no idea where he was going to stay. He wandered fifteen minutes or so, until something caught his attention. "Where are you going?" a familiar voice said. Jonouchi turned around and was face to face with Rajin.

"Oh. Um... I guess I'm just wandering around." Jonouchi replied blankly.

"Don't get lost." Rajin replied dryly. "You seem to be forgetting a lot lately. I wouldn't want to have to come after you."

"Why would I expect you to come after me?"

"Did you find somewhere else to stay?" Rajin asked, avoiding eye contact.

"Um... Where have I been staying?" Jonouchi asked, realizing how dumb he had just sounded.

"You're being such a fucking dumbass today." he replied. "You've been staying in my spare room. Almost two months it's been now and you can't remember?"

"Oh... Right... I guess I just forgot."

"Hurry up or I'm locking you out." Rajin replied, entering the building to his left. Jonouchi did as he was told. He felt very uncomfortable about it. Maybe it was how Rajin seemed to have been treating him. He seemed to have a grudge against him. He stepped into the building but froze. He gasped as he tried to breathe. He felt a strong spiritual pressure. It was a few miles off, but he could try to get there so Ichigo didn't have to deal with it. He turned quickly and instantly felt several other large spirit pressures. One, two... six in all. He knew one was Ichigo's. But the others he wasn't sure. He took off to head off the closest one. Rajin watched and frowned as Jonouchi ran off without even giving a hint. He just turned and closed the door behind him.

Jonouchi jumped from rooftop to rooftop, trying to find the source of the closest pressure. He could feel it was close. In fact, he should be able to see it by now. He stopped and began to look around. Nothing.

"I'm up here, dick face." a female voice called. Jonouchi looked up and jumped back as a sword swung down on him. He successfully evaded and drew his Zanpakuto. His attacker stood there glaring at him. The girl was fairly short. She had blonde hair worn in pigtails, and wore a red jogging outfit. A tiny fang on the left side of her mouth was also noticeable.

"What do you want with me?" Jonouchi asked, taking a step back.

"You're coming with me, Captain Pisshead."

"I'm not going anywhere." Jonouchi replied. He didn't like this girl's smug attitude.

"I ain't askin ya, pisshead. I'm tellin ya." She flash stepped to Jonouchi's rear, bringing down her sword. Jonouchi defended easily and smirked.

"You're really slow." Jonouchi got into a fighting stance, running his finger along his blade. "Bare your fangs, O'kamitoku!" he shouted. The air around them grew cold. The girl had her back turned to Jonouchi. He didn't like the feeling it gave him. He felt something different about her reiatsu. She held her hand over her face and turned to him, smirking. "You done yet?" Jonouchi asked.

"Not by a long shot, pisshead." As she spoke, a black reiatsu gathered around her hand. The reiatsu covered her face and took form. Jonouchi froze when he saw it. A hollow-like mask now covered her face. It had a single large horn extending from the forehead.

Jonouchi had barely any time to react. She vanished as he brought his sword up to defend. Instantly, her sword rapidly smashed against his. She continued her attack, swinging so fast that Jonouchi couldn't even see her blade. He was helpless as he felt her blade make contact with his, pushing him back. He suddenly felt a great pain in his shoulder. His blade had been shattered, and he'd been cut. He jumped backwards, clasping the hilt of his sword. The blade that had broken had still not hit the ground after her barrage. Jonouchi was amazed. It all happened that fast. He glared, holding the hilt to his side. He wasn't going to hold back. "Banka-"

"Too late." she scoffed. He hadn't even seen her move. She now stood next to him, blade to his throat. Jonouchi stood in fear. "There's no way a pisshead like you can't beat me. Not at your level."

"What do you want?" Jonouchi asked.

"You're going to join us." she glared. Just the sound of that seemed to piss her off.

"And you expect me to say yes after all of that?"

"I'm gonna tell you again. I ain't askin, I'm tellin. At your level right now, that power of yours is just goin to waste."

"What power?" Jonouchi glared. He remembered back to Koukeisha and her 'power'. And the power she gave to him. "You're a Vizard." he said.

"So you know about us already do ya?" the girl asked as the mask dissipated.

"Yeah, I've heard of you. I was told you could teach me how to control this hollow I have inside me."

"If ya come with me, I might consider it."

"I'm not going anywhere. I've had no trouble with it so far. Why should I come with you if I don't need the training?"

"It's still early, pisshead. It's still growin. But you can bet your ass that the next difficult situation you find yourself in, he's gonna make himself known." She paused for a moment, and a high pitched tune began to play. She scowled, reaching into her pocket. She removed her hand, revealing a tiny cell phone. "Shinji, you dickhead." she whispered.

She turned around, sheathing her Zanpakuto. "Where are you going?" Jonouchi asked, taking a step forward.

"I've got some business I have to take care of." the girl replied. "If ya change your mind, come find me. But don't think I'm giving you a whole lot of time, you fucking pisshead." She glared.

"Wait, what's your –" Jonouchi started, but it was too late. She had flash stepped away. "name…" He sighed, sheathing his broken Zanpakuto. Jonouchi turned away and began walking back to Rajin's place. He knew he shouldn't worry. She'd find him again soon enough.