Chapter 9:

It was morning in the Soul Society because of the time difference. At this hour, many of the Soul Reapers had their morning meal and were tending to their work for the day. Ichigo went straight to the Department of Research and Development. He slipped inside when someone opened the doors to let themselves in. He wandered around, looking for Akon. Where he was, Veneno would surely be.

After going up and down the many halls, he reached a room where Akon was handing Veneno a stack of things to do. They were both very busy by the look of things. Ichigo stepped forward and gave a small wave of his hand to get their attention. Veneno looked up and smiled.

"Hi, Ichigo!"

Akon turned around. He didn't look surprised or happy to see Ichigo. He looked rather indifferent. He set some things on a cart and started to wheel it out the door. "Come on, Veneno. We have things to deliver."

"Right."

Ichigo followed after them. Every now and then, Akon would stop and hand something to Veneno who would take it somewhere and deliver it. Then they would get going and do it all over again. Most Soul Reapers didn't look up from what they were doing. Some said 'thank you' but most said nothing or grunted.

Ichigo leaned down to whisper to Akon. "How are things going with him?"

"Fine." He handed Veneno a file to take with him. "It's a pain in the ass to bathe him. He can't take a bath when there are people around. They might see his horn or his hole."

"A hole is kind of hard to miss."

"Especially when it's in the middle of your chest like his." Veneno came back and he handed him another file to take. "So far, everything's going ok. He helped the women out before. They were making a banner. He's never been around women before like that. His face was pink most of the time."

"Oh, really?" He looked over at Veneno who was scratching his head just below where his mask was located. His moving finger brushed his brown hair aside. His horn poked out for only a second then was covered up again by his hair. He turned his head and handed a man the file in his other hand. "Has anyone noticed anything yet?"

"No. So far no one has any idea." Akon shifted things on the cart around, looking for another file. "As long as no one sees his mask or his hole, we're safe."

"Shouldn't you invest in a hat or something?" Ichigo asked.

Akon didn't answer him. He handed Veneno another file. "Room 11, got it?"

"Yup. Got it." He took the file and went over to another room with an 11 hanging above the door.

"No one has any idea that he's different. However, I think he's beginning to realize it himself."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he told me." Akon looked at Ichigo. "He's realized that he's missing his memory. He never questioned it before now. But we were talking before and it had him concerned. He also noticed that he has a hole in his chest and I do not. He noticed that I have two more horns than he does and that his look different. He's starting to question things."

"What'd you tell him?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"That's right." Akon picked up a folder, stuffing papers inside of it. "I'm not going to jeopardize anything in this experiment. Mayuri never said that I could tell him. And if I do tell him, he might freak out. It might also make him regain his lost memories. There's no telling what would happen."

"So you're just going to leave him in the dark about it?"

Akon looked at him again. "So you want me to tell him?"

"I…" Ichigo stopped. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do just yet.

"That's what I thought." Veneno returned and Akon handed him another file. "This one goes to the end of the hall. Then we go down to the next floor."

"Ok."

While they made their deliveries, Ichigo followed along silently. He kept getting a bad feeling in his chest about all this. Something wasn't right.

They went to the next floor with a single file left to deliver. This one was going to the Communications Department.

"You know," Ichigo began again. "Eventually someone is going to figure this out."

"Hey, you were the one who wanted me to get him out of the lab in the first place."

"What I'm trying to say is that something is bound to happen. I have a bad feeling about all this. I think keeping him in the dark is going to come back to bite you in the end."

Akon opened the door to the department. "Ichigo, I'm sure I've told you this before. No one remembers being Hollow Reapers. Most of them had no idea that an Arrancar was involved. I didn't even know and I was infected and the Arrancar was in the lab with us. As long as those two things on his body remain hidden, no one is going to know. It's not like anyone saw him in the lab or anything."

Veneno took the file from Akon and went over to a boy with brown hair by a computer built right into his small desk. He tapped him on the shoulder with the corner of the file. "I have a delivery for you."

Rin turned around to take it. "Thank-" He froze.

The two stared at each other. Rin's eyes grew wide with horror. He remembered that face. That hair, those eyes. Veneno's temple tingled strangely. Something about seeing that horrified look on Rin's face seemed oddly familiar.

The small Soul Reaper screamed and climbed over the back of his computer, hiding.

Everyone turned to stare at him.

"Oh, crap." Ichigo knew exactly what was going on.

Akon looked at him, confused. "What's wrong?"

"There was someone who saw Veneno in the lab before he became a Hollow Reaper. And that was Rin," Ichigo explained. His heart started racing. "Rin knows what Veneno looks like."

"Oh, crap!"

Rin peered over the top of his station, trembling. Since Rin was known to be pretty skittish, most of the staring Soul Reapers went back to what they were doing, ignoring him. Though he was wearing different clothes, it was definitely Veneno, that horrible Arrancar who turned nearly everyone into Hollow Reapers, including Rin himself. He remembered the pain he was in when Veneno grabbed his throat, choking him. Though his transformation was over quickly, the pain was so intense it felt as if it were happening for an eternity. Non-stop agony. He may not have remembered much during that time, he remembered the man's face clearly. It haunted him. And here he was, standing before him, looking down at him. His posture wasn't threatening, but Rin couldn't help but feel intimidated. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind all at once. What was he doing here? How was this possible? How did he come back? Wasn't he dead? What was he planning to do? Was he going to attack? Was he going to turn everyone into a Hollow Reaper again? Was he going to kill him? Why was he staring at him like that? Wasn't anyone going to help him? What was he going to do?

Veneno took half a step towards him but only to ask if he was alright. No one had ever responded that way before. The moment he moved, Rin screamed again, keeping his body hidden behind this work area. Veneno stopped. Was Rin screaming because of him? What had he done?

He had to warn everyone. He had to stop it before it began. Everyone was in danger. He tired to speak but his voice wasn't working for some reason. He was terrified. When Veneno made another movement, Rin found his voice and scream again. "It- It-s..!" He pointed a trembling finger at Veneno. "It's him! H- he's the..! He's an Arra-"

Akon ran over and threw his hand over Rin's mouth, stopping him. Rin fought back, trying to get his warning out. Akon grabbed Rin and dragged him out of the room, kicking and screaming all the while. Ichigo looked over at Veneno was looking very confused, wearing a look which read 'what did I do?' while he looked at the teenager.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Akon put Rin against the wall, his right hand still covering his mouth as he held him in place. Rin was still screaming into Akon's palm, twisting this way and that. Ignoring the slobber and tears on his hand, Akon shushed him.

"Would you knock it off? Stop yelling."

Rin pulled at Akon's arm, trying to uncover his mouth. He kept trying to speak, his muffled pleas and warnings muffled by his hand.

"Knock it off."

"Mmmn mm mn Mnmmn!"

Akon understood what he was trying to say. "I know he's an Arrancar."

"Mm?!"

"Shut up and listen!" He pushed Rin's head into the wall. Rin kept crying into his hand. "Listen, listen! Stop crying!"

"M mnm mmm mn!" He was trying to say 'I can't help it'. Akon could tell by the pitch.

"That's not the same Arrancar that attacked us before."

"Mm?"

"Mayuri made him. Ok? Do you understand? This guy's different."

Rin kept mumbling into his hand, apparently forgetting that his words were inaudible. Somehow, Akon managed to understand him. Sort of.

"He's different. He doesn't even know he's an Arrancar. He thinks he's a Soul Reaper. He's helping us out, doing chores and whatever else. He's just an experiment and nothing more. He doesn't even have Hollow powers. He's not the same person. Totally different. Not only that, but he also has amnesia."

"MnNmm?"

"Yeah." Akon sighed rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand. "Look, even I'm not sure what he did. I don't think that's the real Veneno but maybe a copy of him. Or maybe it is the real him only upgraded or something. He told me nothing. But the guy in that room right now isn't hostile at all."

"Mnm?"

"Really." Akon moved closer. "But listen to me. No one, and I mean no one, is supposed to know about this. Everyone thinks he's one of us and I would like to keep it that way. After all, Mayuri did this experiment illegally. He trusted me to keep it a secret. Now that you know, you have to keep your mouth shut, too. Got it?"

Of all people to find out, why did it have to be Rin? He wasn't the type to keep secrets or to hide them very well. All someone needed to do was look him in the eye for an extended period and he would spill his guts. He was easily intimidated.

"It's Mayuri's order. And you know how the Captain is. Imagine what would happen if word gets out… and if he found out that you were the one responsible for revealing it?"

Rin gulped, looking up at Akon with big frightened eyes.

"So… can I trust you?"

He nodded his head up and down as far as Akon's hand would let him. Akon was his superior. Not to mention the fact that Akon had protected him during that terrifying week. He felt that he owed him a favor. Plus, he was fearful of what would happen to him if Mayuri found out that he knew and spread the word. He wouldn't tell. No way! He'd rather be a Hollow Reaper again than face the Captain's wrath.

Akon removed his wet hand from Rin's mouth, wiping it off on the smaller boy's white lab coat. "Good. Glad you understand." They went back into the room. Rin started backing up the moment he saw Veneno again. "Remember, different person. Blank slate. No danger to us or anyone."

Rin nodded and moved forward slowly. He kept his distance on his way back to his seat. Veneno handed Rin the papers again. "Here's the reports from the upper level." Rin quickly snatched them away, gawking at Veneno. He certainly didn't seem very hostile. He must not have been a threat.

"Come on," Akon patted Veneno's shoulder. "On to our next assignment."

"Sure." Veneno turned, following Akon and Ichigo followed after both of them. They didn't look back to see what Rin was doing but judging from the lack of screams, he must have been doing better.

Akon took them down two floors to the lower labs. Few Soul Reapers were around. Most of them were upstairs dealing with bigger projects. They moved to one of the lab rooms which connected with another. It was empty. A table was piled up with equipment, making it look like the researches had just left. Akon picked up a broom laying against a wall beside a chair.

"Bunch of slackers haven't been keeping up with the cleaning down here. With all the projects going on, no one seems to have time to clean up their other works." Akon turned around, holding the broom at his side as if it were a powerful weapon. "Which leaves us to pick up the slack."

"You guys are going to clean these labs?" Ichigo asked.

"Normally a 3rd Seat wouldn't have to, but in this case I do. I'm also training Veneno so I have to help him out otherwise what kind of teacher would I be?" Akon pushed a chair out of the way. "Lab techs usually clean up their own messes to avoid cross-contamination. These guys were just lazy."

He didn't usually clean up other people's messes but he had little choice in this situation. Akon didn't intend to do a lot of the cleaning. That was Veneno's job. He was just going to supervise. He moved across the room to a door in the back which happened to be a connected lab, slightly smaller than this one.

Ichigo followed behind Veneno who had grown strangely silent. He was usually so comfortable in the lab. But this lab rubbed him the wrong way. Something about it didn't feel right.

Veneno followed Akon to the door. As he got closer, he could feel his body shaking with nervous tension. Why was he so nervous all of a sudden? Was it because he was going into a lab he had never been in before? He didn't feel like himself. Something was wrong.

Akon opened the door and showed him inside. "Ok. I guess we'll turn on the lights and see the damage." Akon flicked up the lights and looked around in disgust. "Damn. These guy don't know how to clean. Leave us with the dirty work, huh? Jerks."

Veneno stayed at the door. He didn't move. He didn't want to go into that room. It sent a shiver down his spine. A new feeling. Fear. He was afraid.

Akon took notice of this and frowned. "What's the matter with you? Get in here."

"I… I…" Veneno didn't move.

Rolling his eyes, Akon grabbed Veneno's arm and pulled him into the room. He gave Veneno a shove to the left towards a table covered with chemical spills and tools. "We don't have all day. Let's get started. You take that half and I'll take this half. Get started on the table while I sweep up over here."

Veneno wasn't listening. Something about this room made his spine grow cold. He was shaking again. His hair stood on end. Why did he feel as if something were about to jump out and attack him?

To please Akon, he made a move towards the table and froze again. This table… It looked the same as the others in the different labs. The bottles and beakers on the surface looked… different. He was afraid to go near them, as if they would rear up and bite him if he tried. He looked at the other equipment, his eyes widening. These sharp tools… the needles, the saws… the knives. His head started to throb. The longer he looked at them, the worse the pain became.

He looked at the jars and flasks. They looked so dangerous for some reason. He wanted to get out of here. He wanted to leave. As he turned, his eyes fell upon something else. A storage closet in the back of the room. The wooden door was open. Shelves were built right into the wall. Rows of jars and tools and containers. His head started to throb worse.

His body felt hot. His head began to pound. Stinging. There was a stinging sensation in his ribs and chest. Veneno crossed his arms, his nails digging into his arms. His was shaking even worse now. He couldn't stop. The room grew larger. It closed in around him. He started to hyperventilate. He couldn't breathe. He felt as if he were drowning. His body ached. He was in so much pain. He tried to escape but kept hitting a clear glass wall. It surrounded him. Encasing him. Large, sharp needles began to pierce his fresh. The sharp tips scratched his bones. The muscles were tearing and stretching. Pulling, burning, breaking. Veneno held his head as wave upon wave of pain came crashing down on his skull. He felt as if it were going to split if he get go. Holding it was the only thing that could keep his head from breaking open. The pain was also much worse. Such incredible pain.

Ichigo noticed Veneno's strange behavior and stared at him. He was standing in the middle of the lab, looking at a closet in the back, holding his head. "Veneno?"

He watched Veneno's state as he stood there, rigid. He was trembling. His whole body was shaking as if he were having a seizure. His breathing quickened. He started sweating bullets. He wasn't responding to anything Ichigo said.

The stabbing. That horrible stabbing. His body burned. It was like being lit on fire. It grew more intense. It was as if his bare body were placed on a hot stove and unable to remove himself from the red hot burner. White hot blades stabbing his flesh, tearing him apart. Things injecting into his marrow, making him feel nauseous and burned him from the inside out. More burning. More stabbing. More needles. More injections. More knives. More pain. It was too much. He was going to explode. He was going to die. He was scared. So scared. He wanted it to stop. It never ended. More were coming. He could see it. The tips of many more lab equipment heading straight for his face and torso.

"Veneno..?"

"No!"

Akon and Ichigo jumped.

Veneno screamed out, holding his head in his hands. His heart pounded so violently, he was sure it would pop under the pressure. The pain in his head was so intense. It was never this bad before. No matter what he did, all he could feel was that pain. All he could see was a jar and a million needles and knives heading his way. He wanted it to stop. It had to stop! Please make it stop!

Veneno's pupils rapidly contracted and dilated. An unending nightmare. So many tools, so much pain, so many researchers in lab coats. A man with insane eyes and yellow smile. And roaring. Screaming. And then nothing.

Veneno's eyes rolled back in his head and his body became listless. His screaming had finally stopped.

Ichigo rushed forward and threw his arms behind Veneno's shoulders to break his fall. "Veneno?" As Ichigo held the unconscious man in his arms, a wave of fear hit his heart. Though out cold, Veneno's face still held a look of fear and pain. He was silently suffering.

"Is he ok?' Akon came hurrying over. "What happened?"

"I… I think he fainted." Ichigo looked around the lab. There must have been a reason why he would react that way. They were in a lab. That shouldn't matter. This building held multiple labs. Why would this one matter so much? What difference did it make? A lab with tools and shelves and tables and a closet in the back with shelves containing jars…

Ichigo's eyes widened with realization. This wasn't just any lab. This was Veneno's lab. The one the Arrancar was born in. This was where his painful experimentations occurred. They were standing in his torture chamber.

Akon poked Veneno's face with his middle finger. "Why would he faint? I've never seen him flip out like that."

Taking Veneno into his arms, Ichigo began to carry him out the door. "We have to get him out of here."

"What? Why?"

Ichigo gestured to the room with his eyes. "It's this lab! This is where he started out in the first place. This is the room Mayuri used when he experimented on Veneno and turned him into an Arrancar."

"So what? Why would he react like that? It's not like he remembers." Unless a part of him was subconsciously having a reaction to his surroundings. Though he may not consciously remember, being around something so traumatic might have sparked something in Veneno, making him relive his tortures in his mind and causing him to pass out from the stress.

Ichigo carried Veneno out of the room and back the way they came. "I think we should get him checked out."

Akon ran in front of Ichigo to block him. "Whoa! Red flag! Red flag! You cannot do that. No one can find out about him, remember? Or have you forgotten?"

"He needs help! You're just going to leave him?"

"He'll be fine when he wakes up. As long as we don't go in that lab again, he'll be fine."

"I think he needs to be looked at."

"And what, give him a physical? Hello! There are a couple things on his body I'm sure a medic is bound to notice… like the gapping hole in his chest! Dead giveaway! We are not doing that. We can handle this on our own."

Ichigo stood there, holding the limp Veneno bridal style. "Then what do you suggest we do about this? He's not well! People shouldn't just pass out like that!"

"He fainted. That's it. Let's not make a big deal out of this."

"Usually you don't faint unless there's a reason."

"And the reason was the lab. Now that he's out of there, he'll be fine. How many times do I have to say it?"

Ichigo looked down at the unresponsive Veneno. They needed to do something about this. Things were not going well. Not at all.

Ichigo and Akon took Veneno back to his room and lay him in bed. He lay there motionless. By this time, his tortured expression had dissipated, leaving him looking like he had merely fallen asleep.

The boy with orange hair hunched over the bed on the floor, looking at the Arrancar. Veneno was clearly in pain. Being brought back to that room must have jarred something in his mind. His screams of agony were proof enough of that. Nothing had touched him, but Veneno could feel the pain he experienced in the past. This wasn't good. Ichigo didn't want Veneno to experience pain but being in that lab was causing it.

"He can't go back there again."

Akon looked up from his open notebook. After laying Veneno in bed, he had taken out the notebook and jotted down some notes on Veneno's condition. "Fine. I won't take him back to that room again. Not if he's going to act like this."

"I don't think he should be in the lab at all," Ichigo said.

The book closed. "What? Need I remind you that he wasn't supposed to leave the lab at all? You don't call the shots here."

"I just think that he would be better off if he didn't go back. It's causing him pain."

"And? This is more information we didn't have before. More data for the experiment."

"So that's all he is to you, isn't he? Just an experiment?" No wonder Veneno hated Soul Reapers. If this was how they thought… "The guy's in pain and all you can think about is data? Try helping him."

"Hey, if I didn't care, I wouldn't have gotten him this room or any of this crap he didn't have before."

"Only because I twisted your arm."

Akon put the notebook back in his pocket. "Why the hell do you care so much, anyway? Mayuri did this. He brought him back. He's here and you're there. Why does any of this concern you?"

"Because I don't want a repeat of what happened the last time. With the Hollow Reapers and him running amuck in the Soul Society." He looked down at Veneno for a moment, remembering everything he had done in the past. Everything he believed. "You've got to show him a little compassion, you know? Back then he believed that Soul Reapers were evil. Coldhearted and not understanding at all and only cared about themselves. You want him to revert back to how he was before because you confirmed everything he believed by treating him as nothing more than an experiment?"

"We can't cater to his every whim because you're afraid that something might happen. It might not. We can't live in fear of this guy throwing a tantrum."

"That tantrum caused half of Karakura Town and most of the Soul Society to turn into Hollows!" Akon had no retort for that. He kept staring into Ichigo's unwavering eyes. "I want to do this right this time around. I want him to see that Soul Reapers aren't as evil as he thinks and that he can be friends with them. I don't want him to suffer."

With those words, Akon understood him. "You're just doing this because you feel guilty about killing him so this is your way to make amends."

Ichigo flinched. "Th- that's not…"

"Then you don't feel guilty?"

"No. It's just… That's only part of it. I don't…" He still wanted to save him.

Veneno made a small noise and the two looked down. His eyelids fluttered. Then snapped wide open. He jolted awake, grabbing the sides of his sheets and looking wildly around as if someone were about to attack him.

"Relax. Calm down."

Veneno calmed down when he saw the two familiar faces looking down at him. "What happened to me?"

"You fainted. It's alright, we took you back to your room."

"I fainted?" Veneno rested his head back onto the pillow, looking up at the ceiling. "I… don't think I ever did that before. Is that normal?"

"Normally people don't do that unless there's a reason. Like if you were scared or something," said Akon.

"Scared?" Veneno kept his eyes fixed on the ceiling over his head. Something must have scared him but he couldn't remember. "I was… I was in the lab and then I…" That was as far back as he could think. He was used to lapses in memory. He only possessed memories of one week of his entire life. Considering how many years he must have been missing, what difference did an hour here or there make? Memory must have been more complicated than he thought.

Ichigo reached over Veneno's face. His green eyes watched his hand move over him and come to rest on his forehead. Veneno shut his eyes, unsure of what Ichigo was going to do. His warmth felt good on his cool forehead. He felt Ichigo's fingertips gently touch his mask fragment, but didn't mind. "You don't have a fever or anything. You were sweating before. You've cooled down." Ichigo removed his hand and moved it down to Veneno's hand. Ichigo's middle finger checked the heart rate on Veneno's wrist. Veneno remained quiet during these tests. "Your heart's not racing anymore, either. Glad to see you've calmed down."

After seeing Veneno's reaction to the lab, Ichigo had worried that it might have caused some sort of trauma in him, be it physical or mental. Despite all the positive results, Veneno was still shaking. He started to sit up. Ichigo put an arm behind him in case he fell.

Veneno was looking at Akon. "Am I ok? I'm not sick am I?"

"Nah. You're good." Akon seemed to dismiss this incident as nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Akon exchanged looks with Ichigo, then rolled his eyes and looked back at Veneno. "Did you want to return to work in the lab or did you want to take it easy for a while and rest?"

"I get to pick?" Veneno looked surprised. For the longest time, everything was decided for him. He could choose if he wanted to work or not or when?

"We don't want you fainting again. Normally everyone has to work but if you're not feeling well…"

Veneno sat on the edge of his bed looking at them with determanation. "I don't want to be left alone. I'm feeling fine now. I want to work."

"You do?" This question came from Ichigo.

"Yeah. I'd get bored if I stayed here. There's nothing to do. And I want to help. Everyone's so overworked in the lab. I'd feel bad if I was slacking off and laying in bed while everyone's stressed out over there."

After a bewildered stare down with the eager Arrancar, Ichigo gave him a smile. "Alright. Good for you. That's compassionate thinking…" Ichigo helped him stand up. "If you want, I can bring you a gift the next time I visit."

"A gift?" Veneno looked confused.

"Yeah. Kind of a get-well sort of thing… or a way of saying nice job for going back to work so soon to help people. Like a reward."

Veneno still looked unsure. "I don't think I've gotten a gift before. Have I?"

Akon shrugged. "You can consider this new room of yours and the clothes a gift. Or the cake Ichigo gave you before."

"That's a gift?"

"Trust me. You'll like it." Akon opened the door. "We should get back to work, though. And Ichigo should get back to where he belongs." He looked at Ichigo. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Ichigo started to leave in another direction when he noticed that Veneno still seemed tense. His shoulders and legs were still shaking. Though awake, Veneno was still experiencing a nightmare. He was still very upset. He wasn't reassured yet. No one had comforted him. It was right back to work for him the moment he woke up. Ichigo remembered his conversation with Linnette and knew what had to be done. No one else was going to do it so he had to be the one. He had to show him that someone cared enough to comfort him.

Knowing that they were alone, Ichigo walked forward and stood in front of Veneno. "You're still upset, aren't you? You're shaking."

"Uh…" Veneno looked away. He didn't know why his body was behaving this way. It was strange.

Without an answer, Ichigo moved forward and put his arms around Veneno's shoulders and held him. He sensed the surprise in Veneno by the way the muscles in his spine tightened. Ichigo embraced the slender Arrancar's body in an awkward but completely earnest way.

"W… what are you doing?" Veneno squeaked. "What is this?"

"I'm giving you a hug."

Veneno's body remained stiff. "A… hug?"

One of Veneno's regrets from his past was never knowing what a hug felt like. No one had embraced him before. This version was the same way. This was Veneno's first hug.

"You do this to show someone you care about them. It makes them feel better if they're scared or upset." Ichigo wasn't used to doing such a thing to people. He found it awkward. Doing it to another man was even more uncomfortable. But he knew this was what Veneno needed. It worked for Linnette when she was upset. And Ichigo remembered when he was upset, his mother would hold him and tell him that everything was alright.

"So… This is a hug?"

"Yeah. It's supposed to make you feel better." Ichigo held Veneno tighter, his arms crossed behind Veneno's back and shoulders, their chests touching. Ichigo kept his head turned to the side to avoid getting Veneno's hair in his mouth.

Veneno kept his arms at his sides while Ichigo held him. Ichigo's body was warm. He had a unique scent. The way he held him felt strange, but not in a bad way. It was hard for him to put into words but he did feel safer somehow. He felt that as long as Ichigo held him, nothing could hurt him. Veneno started to move his arms. He placed them behind Ichigo, wrapping them around his back, holding him. This wasn't so bad. Like holding a stuffed animal or a pillow. There was something therapeutic about it. It did make him feel better.

Ichigo felt the resistance drain from his body and saw his face relax. The tension was gone and Veneno rested his head on Ichigo, holding him back.

"This isn't so bad," he heard him say. "I like it. It feels kind of nice."

Veneno had stopped shaking, finally put at ease.

After a full minute, Ichigo stepped back, taking his arms off from around Veneno. "Feel better?"

Veneno stepped back as well, nodding. "Yeah." He was smiling like his usual self.

"Good." Ichigo smiled back. "I'd better get going. I'll be seeing you later, ok?"

"Alright. Bye, Ichigo."

He waved and went down the hall to the exit. After being inside for so long, Ichigo was rendered temporarily blind stepping into the bright sunlight. Keeping one eye shut he jogged to the end of the street and turned, almost running into two women. "Whoa! Sorry!"

Nanao and Momo stopped where they stood, taken by surprise. "Ichigo, be more careful. Watch where you're going."

"Yeah, sorry. Sorry."

Nanao adjusted her glasses. "Why are you here anyway? I thought you went on an assignment with Lieutenant Matsumoto and Rukia."

"I was. I mean, I am."

"Then why are you here?"

Ichigo thought quickly. "I was just visiting someone really quick. They weren't feeling the best."

"Oh," said Momo. "Did you mean Captain Ukitake? Well, you won't find him here. He went home. His condition got worse."

"Oh, it did?"

"Yeah. We made him a banner yesterday and tried to give it to him but he wasn't in his office. So we took it to his home instead."

"That's nice of you."

Momo nodded her head, though she looked very worried. "I hope he's alright. He wasn't his usual self."

Before she could go on, Nanao put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from speaking. "I think Ichigo should return to his mission, don't you think? Before he gets in trouble."

Taking the broad hint, Ichigo nodded and continued on his way without saying anything to them.

Momo watched him go and then looked back at Nanao. "I am worried about Captain Ukitake, though. He was acting very strange."

"What do you expect? He's not feeling well. Anyone would behave that way when they're under the weather."

"I know that. But…" Momo looked down. "He wasn't himself. He was just acting weird, you know what I mean?"

"Like I said, the man is sick. If he was out of character, maybe it's because he's on medicaion. Maybe we woke him up. The point is, it's nothing to worry about."

"Ok, if you say so…"

Ichigo kept going, jogging down the street, passing Soul Reapers left and right.

"Hey! Ichigo!" Renji came his way, waving at him. "What are you doing here? Is Rukia with you?"

"No, I'm going back right now. I just came here to see someone."

"Oh." Renji looked disappointed. "Well, that's alright. I was just surprised to see you here. That's all. No big deal. If you're in a hurry, I'll let you go."

"Ok, thanks." Ichigo started to leave when he felt Renji's hand close around his wrist. Held back, Ichigo turned around. Renji was facing the other way, grabbing his arm without looking. "Uh… I thought you said you were gonna let me go. This is kind of ironic, don't you think?"

Renji didn't say anything.

"Renji?"

He didn't move.

"Renji!"

He jumped and turned around. "What?"

"Let go of me."

"Huh?"

"Let go." Ichigo gestured down with his eyes.

Renji looked down and saw his hand wrapped around Ichigo's. "Oh. Sorry." Even seeing this, he didn't relax his grip.

"Let go already."

Renji frowned. His hand wasn't moving.

"Renji."

With great effort, Renji released his hand and backed away. "Sorry about that."

"What did you do that for?"

He looked down at his hand. "I don't know. Reflex, I guess." He looked up again. "Didn't you have somewhere to be?"

Ichigo turned around and continued on his way.

Renji looked down at his hand again. That was strange. It was as if he couldn't control his hand. He wanted to let go, but his hand wouldn't obey. "That was weird." Why did he grab Ichigo like that? It was as if he didn't want him to leave.

When Ichigo returned, it was the middle of the night and everyone was in bed. Well, almost everyone. Victor was in his study and Cedric was in the dining room. Seeing Ichigo in the back yard, he opened the sliding door and let him in.

"Where were you?"

"Sorry. I went to the Soul Society to check on something."

"Linnette thought you had run off."

"Oh. I didn't mean to worry her."

"It's fine. She's in bed now. Try to stay put for a little while, alright?"

He nodded and walked towards the den. Even if it was daytime in the Soul Society, Ichigo's body knew it was night and needed to rest. This time difference was difficult to work with.

Cedric followed him in the dark to make sure he didn't fall or run into anything. The kitchen was free of clutter but it was the island in the middle he was worried about. Ichigo passed it by without a problem, using his hands to feel his way through the dark. Halfway to the den, he stopped. Cedric stopped as well. Ichigo wasn't moving. Did he see something on the floor?

"Ichigo?" he whispered.

He was unresponsive.

"Ichigo?" Cedric put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Ichigo?"

He jumped and turned his head. "Huh?"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah." He brushed Cedric's hand off his shoulder. "Why?"

"You stopped walking."

"Only for a second." Ichigo started walking again.

It was longer than a second. Much longer. Had Ichigo spaced out or something? Was he only saying that to cover it up or did he not realize what he had done? Cedric followed him to the den, showing him to the couch. Ichigo climbed under the covers and placed his head down on the pillow provided for him. Ichigo looked up, seeing Cedric watching him in the dark.

"Good night." Ichigo's tone sounded like an order to get Cedric to leave.

Cedric nodded his head and left the room.

Something strange is going on here.

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