Chapter 10:

The following day was filled with fun and excitement. At least from Linnette's perspective.

It was a cloudy day, the sky a thick layer of grey, making it difficult to tell where the buildings in the distance ended. To the residence of New York, it was common to see the sky a grayish color. Rangiku had gone on part two of her shopping spree in the City with Victor again. They were back by the afternoon. Yumichika didn't come along this time. He chose to stay behind and be with Ikkaku in the yard. Rukia offered to help in the kitchen when Victor returned home to make a late lunch. Cedric was in the yard with Linnette and Ichigo. Per her request, they were playing a game of tag. Cedric playfully patted her on the shoulder and dashed away expecting her to follow. Knowing how fast he was, she ran after Ichigo instead. Ichigo wasn't into the game at first but after a few minutes started to run around the yard laughing with her.

She ran behind Ichigo with her arms outstretched. "I got you! I got you!"

He veered to the left. "No, you don't!"

She tried to tackle him but he moved away before her hands could touch him. Knowing how hard it was to run in sandals, Linnette removed her shoes and left them behind in the grass, giving chase in her bare feet.

"Linnette…" Cedric sighed from across the yard. "Put your shoes back on."

"It's ok! I can run faster this way!" She ran after Ichigo, trying to tag him. In a flash, Cedric appeared beside her and wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off the ground and holding her sideways. She screamed out in joyous surprise.

As Cedric playfully spun her around he said again, "Put your shoes back on."

"No!"

"Get them on your feet."

"I'll trip in them! No!" she laughed.

Cedric stopped spinning her, bent down and picked up one of her sandals and started to slip it back onto her foot. "There we go."

She pushed against his arm, trying to straighten her body, not to get away. "Cedric! No!" She was still laughing.

Once both sandals were back on her feet, he let her go. "There."

She patted his stomach and started to run off. "I tagged you!"

He looked down at his stomach and grinned. "That was a trick, wasn't it?"

"No. I really don't want to wear these." She kicked them off again. "But it worked." She started to run off again towards Ichigo. "Run, Ichigo! Don't let him tag you!"

Cedric gave them a head start, then flashed away and reappeared in front of them, cutting them off.

"That's not fair," said Ichigo. "You've got super speed."

Cedric poked Ichigo in the forehead. "Fine. Then I'll slow down so you can tag me back."

Linnette ran from Ichigo, knowing that he was 'it' now. "Run, Cedric!"

Ichigo chased after Linnette. As soon as he touched her back, he pivoted and ran back the way he came. Linnette chased him down, running as fast as her bare feet would take her. She grabbed Ichigo's shirt and tagged him with her other hand and ran off again, laughing. Ichigo spun and tried to tag her back only to miss.

Seeing the two playing with each other, Cedric moved towards the house to check on things inside. He stepped over the men on the porch watching the two play. They remarked how childish Ichigo was when around Linnette. Most of the time, he wouldn't do certain things on account of his dignity. But seeing him run around the yard playing tag and laughing with her made them both think that he had lost what dignity he had. No matter how many times Linnette asked them, they refused to play with her. No matter the game.

Something wet hit Yumichik'a cheek. Then his hand. He looked up at the grey sky. A drop of water ran down Ikkaku's bald head and he looked up. The pitter-patter of rain was bouncing off the wooden porch. It was starting to fall harder. A downpour was coming. The two stood up and retreated inside before they were soaked.

Ichigo didn't notice the rain until it started pouring. He stopped and looked at the sky. Within seconds, his face was drenched. "It's raining. We should go in."

Linnette stood in the rain unfazed. As a matter of fact, she looked quite happy about it. Her blue and green dress was already soaked and sticking to her thin body. She spread her arms out and faced the sky, letting it pour down on her. She welcomed the rain.

"We should go in," Ichigo repeated, just as soaked as she was.

"Are you kidding? This is perfect. I like playing in the rain. It's not too cold out and it's not thundering. It's the perfect chance."

Ichigo looked back towards the house. Victor was looking out the window at them. Not wanting him to be angry that he let her stay in the rain, Ichigo tried to coax her inside. "Come on, let's go." He reached for her hand. "I'll race you."

At the promise of a new game, Linnette agreed. "Ok, but I go first!" She started running toward the house.

"That's not a fair race!" Ichigo chased after her. The two were side by side. Ichigo could run faster than her, but he wanted to keep up with her pace incase she fell and got hurt. Their footsteps splashed in the wet grass as they ran. Holding hands, they reached the house and climbed the wet wooden steps and onto the porch.

Linnette stood by the door completely soaked from head to toe. She didn't mind at all. She loved it. "That was great!" she beamed. "It's great to spin in and slap the rain drops with your hand. It's fun to play in the puddles, too. Have you ever done that?"

Before he could answer, someone reached out with a towel and pulled Linnette inside. Ichigo moved closer to the door. The porch didn't have a roof so he had to stand as close as he could to the house to avoid getting rained on any further. Victor had thrown a towel over Linnette's head and was rubbing her down with both hands. "Gotcha!"

Cedric came with a second towel, handing it to Ichigo. "She's dripping on the floor, Victor."

"Easily cleaned." The dining room carpet was very thin. Linnette's wet body had already formed a dark circle beneath her and made a squishing sound when she moved her feet. Victor moved the towel down her body, letting her head poke out. "Sweetie, you're sopping wet."

"I know. I was playing in the rain."

"Honey…"

"Victor…" she mocked his weary tone.

Chuckling, Victor stood up. "You'll have to change clothes. Cedric, take her to her room, please. I'll handle this."

Cedric scooped Linnette into his arms and carried her through the crowd of curious Soul Reapers and up the stairs.

Ichigo removed his wet shirt and tossed it onto the railing. He didn't want to add to the puddle on the floor. It was already soaked so the rain wasn't going to damage it any further than it already was. He rubbed the warm towel against his bare skin, drying himself. "I tried to get her to come in, but she was stubborn. She wanted to play. So I raced her inside."

"Good strategy." Victor stood in front of Ichigo. "You do have spare clothes, do you not?"

Ichigo frowned. "No. We left in such a hurry and I wasn't told anything so…" He never had a chance to pack anything. This was his only outfit.

Victor nodded and stepped aside. "You can get some new outfits in the city later. We'll get you something to wear in the meantime. Dry off in the bathroom. I'll find you something."

"Thanks." Ichigo left his wet shoes by the door and walked through the house to the stairs.

He closed the bathroom door and started to remove his wet pants tossing them into the bathtub. He used the towel to dry the rest of his body and waited. If only he was given a little more warning, he could have at least packed a spare outfit. He was wearing the same thing for days. Maybe the rain would help.

There was a knock and Ichigo opened the door ajar. "Yeah?"

Victor handed him something. "This is all we have that's close to your size."

Ichigo looked down at the white suit in Victor's hand. "Are you kidding me?"

"Cedric's too large and you cannot wear Linnette's clothing. The only other person in the house with a wardrobe is Yumichika and you'll never fit into those either… not that he'd let you in the first place. This is the only other option unless we go shopping."

"Fine. Gimme that." Ichigo snatched the clothes out of his hand and closed the door. He unfolded the white suit with a grimace. "Crap…" He couldn't remember the last time he put on a suit. The last thing he wanted was to look like Victor's twin. There was nothing he could do.

Ichigo put on the light blue shirt, white pants and matching jacket, leaving it unbuttoned. Ichigo and Victor were roughly the same size. Even the pants fit him without the need for a belt. He opened the bathroom door and peered out into the hall. Everyone was still downstairs. He would have to face them at some point. Dreading what was bound to come, Ichigo slowly walked down the stairs onto the first level. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen, even Linnette now dressed in a pink skirt and blue T-shirt with a heart on the front. Victor looked up when Ichigo walked further into the kitchen.

"Good. Its fits."

That statement caused everyone to turn around. Ichigo shut his eyes in horror. The comments were sure to come any moment now.

"Jeez, Ichigo…" Ikkaku walked in a complete circle around him, looking him over. "I knew that guy was going to rub off on you, but this…"

"Shut up."

Yumichika started laughing. "Well… That's one way to get in his pants."

"Shut up!"

"I think he looks nice," said Rangiku. "They're like twins now. But where's the tie?"

"I didn't want it." Ichigo kept his eyes down. "I'm only dressed this way so I wouldn't be naked."

Linnette balanced herself on the edge of the sink, looking out into the yard. "Victor! The rain's lighting up."

"Letting up," he corrected. "It's letting up, sweetie. And it is, indeed. Good observation." The rain had turned into a light drizzle, hardly making a sound at all. Victor bent down so that his body formed over hers, looking out the window as well. "Aren't your sandals still in the yard? They're bound to be ruined by now."

"It's ok. They were cheap flip-flops. I have another pair."

"I know, but still…"

"They'll dry."

"But they'll make that squishing sound. They soak up water like sponges." Victor turned away from the window and looked at Ichigo. "Since the rain is letting up, would you like to find some clothes now?"

"I'm not going out looking like this." Ichigo didn't want to be seen in a matching suit with Victor. "Besides, I hadn't planned on going shopping."

"Alright." Victor turned. "Cedric."

"I'm on it." Without having to be told, Cedric understood what Victor wanted and went into the dining room and then onto the porch. He picked up Ichigo's wet shirt and wrung it out. He turned the collar inside-out and the brought the shirt inside. "I'll put it in the wash."

"My pants are in the tub upstairs," Ichigo told him as he passed. "Thanks for washing them but…" He would only have one outfit still. It would take a while for it to dry which meant they wouldn't be able to get him any extra clothing until the evening or tomorrow. He would have to stay in the suit anyway."

When Cedric came back down the stairs, he walked to the front door. "Since you don't want to travel, I'll go."

"Huh?"

"I'll get you something to wear."

Ichigo didn't know how to answer. "Uh… but…"

"You need an outfit. I know your size. I read the tag."

So that was what he was doing.

Cedric looked at his counterpart. "You will stay with them?"

"Of course. You go and hurry back." After Cedric had left, Victor looked at the gathered Soul Reapers. "Now… have we reached a decision for dinner?"

The debate resumed and everyone started to argue over what to eat.

"You say you're fine with anything, Ikkaku, but when we make a suggestion, you turn it down."

"Sorry for thinking they would have something decent in this place."

"We can ask them to cook us something."

"Then why don't they?"

"As the hosts, it's their job to feed us."

"But that involves reaching a decision!"

Tired of the constant arguments, Victor made the decision for them. "Why don't we let Linnette decide?"

"Typical," muttered Ikkaku. "Of course he would suggest that."

"I think it's a good idea," Rukia said louder than necessary, shooting a look at Ikkaku. "Let her pick."

Victor bent down, putting an arm around Linnette's slender shoulders. "So, what would you like, sweetie?"

"Um…" She looked around at all the people in the room. With everyone staying here like this, it was a lot like a slumber party. If it was a party then… "I know! Why don't we order pizza? They'll deliver it to the door so we don't have to go out."

"I think that's a great idea," said Victor.

Ikkaku and Yumichika tilted their heads to the side at once. "What's pizza?"

"You've never had it?" Linnette looked shocked. "Don't they have it in the Soul Society?"

"What is it?" Yumichika repeated.

"Pizza. It's, um…" Linnette tried to think of a way to describe it. "Well, it's usually round. Sometimes it's square. It's about this big…" she held up her hands, showing them the size. "And, um… it's dough with sauce and cheese and whatever else you want to put on it."

"Sounds gross," said Yumichika, wrinkling his nose.

"No, it's really good."

Rangiku turned to the boys. "You know, when we were out shopping, I saw signs for it on just about every block. In big flashing lights. I've never had it either, but with so much of it around and all those long lines, it must be good. We should get it to try. I'm interested."

"Great!" Linnette was very excited now that she had someone on board with the idea. "What kind do you want?"

"There are different kinds?"

"Sure. There's… Um…" Victor handed her a menu from the shelf by the phone which held over 30 different kinds of pizza in its pages. "Oh. Here. They're all in here!"

Rangiku took it from her hands and opened the menu. "I can't read it. Good thing it has pictures."

"Linnette why don't you help them look since you can read in English? I'll write down what everyone wants and order it."

"Ok." She stood besides Rangiku, looking at the pictures. "This part has all the ones with meat on them. These are the super ones over here. This one has no meat on it. The topping list is over here on this side."

"What's this part?" Rangiku asked, pointing.

"Um. That's the…" She moved closer to the paper in Rangiku's hand. "It's veg… veggi-tar,-ron… No, wait. It's… veg…"

"Vegetarian," Victor said, knowing what she was trying to pronounce.

"Thanks. So this doesn't have meat or fish. Just veggies."

"Ah…" Rangiku pointed at something. "This looks interesting. What is this?"

"That's pizza with pineapple on it."

"Oh, so you can put fruit on it, too? That's interesting."

"I like this kind." Linnette pointed. "It's mushroom and sausage. It's really good."

Yumichika leaned over, curious. He looked over Linnette's head at the menu. "These pictures… This is what pizza is? It looks like someone threw up on a plate."

Rangiku stomped on his foot. "Shut up. I think these look neat. I want one. Hey, Linnette, can you pick what you want on it instead on picking one of these ones?"

"Sure you can. You can also pick one of these over here. They're supreme pizzas. They put everything on them."

"Everything?"

"Yeah. And there's these over here. And those…"

"Mm! They all look good. How can I pick?"

Soon everyone was arguing over what to get. Rukia already picked hers, having eaten pizza before with Ichigo. Ichigo picked out what he wanted within a minute. He had never eaten New York pizza before. They had different choices than they had in Japan. The others were still undecided. Victor got them to hurry with a decision by informing them that if they didn't pick within the next two minutes, they would get nothing. When all the orders were tallied, Victor went over to the phone and dialed the number. Linnette was bouncing beside the phone, making sure he ordered everything correctly. She pointed at the paper in his hands, asking him if he remembered certain ones on the list. Victor didn't lose his concentration even with her poking and chattering. He hung up the phone.

"It will be here in half an hour."

Linnette jumped up and down. It was always exciting to have food delivered to the house.

"And they know where to take it?" Rangiku asked. "They know where you live?"

"If you give them the address, yes."

"How convenient. I wish we had that in the Soul Society."

Linnette tugged on Victor's sleeve. "How long now? Is it time yet?"

"You still have 29 minutes, sweetie. Be patient."

"What do we do in the meantime?" she asked.

"We could start setting the table."

"Ok!" She ran into the kitchen and started to climb onto the counter to reach the plates in the cupboard. Victor went to help her.

Minutes passed and Linnette kept looking towards the front door. She was very excited. Victor tried to keep her entertained by making a game out of setting the table. They had set it three different times. One time, he had Linnette do it with her eyes closed. She did fairly well. He was there to make sure she didn't break anything.

The front door began to open. Linnette ran to see if it was the pizza. It turned out to be Cedric with Ichigo's new clothes.

"That was fast."

Cedric handed him the bag. "It helps when you don't take the car into the city. Here you go. They should fit."

Ichigo took the bag from him and went up to the bathroom to change. Cedric managed to get him different pairs of everything and different styles. He pulled out a pair of jeans with holes in the knees. He had a pair like this back home. He pulled out a dark blue T-shirt with a tiger on the chest. Ichigo hurriedly shed the suit he was wearing and happily put on his new outfit. They were just his size. They fit perfectly.

Just as he finished dressing, the doorbell rang and he could hear Linnette yell 'pizza!' from downstairs. He left the bathroom and went downstairs. Victor was talking to the man in the doorway holding a large stack of pizza boxes, the bags he used to carry them draped over his arm. Linnette was jumping at Victor's side, holding onto the back of his jacket with both hands. He was counting money. Linnette spun on her heels, holding onto Victor's jacket, waiting. When everything was paid for, Victor took the stack of boxes from the young man and closed the door.

"I want to carry them! Can I carry them? I want to carry them, please?"

"Tell you what, you take half, ok?" Victor handed her the top of the stack and let her carry them over to the kitchen. She set them down on the island in the middle of the room. Then she went back to Victor, wanting to carry the rest. "Hold on, hold on. I want to carry some, too, honey."

"I can do it. Did you see how good I did with those?"

"Why don't you open the ones you put over there and see whose are whose?"

"Oh, yeah!" She ran back to the kitchen and started opening boxes, releasing a puff of steam trapped inside the cardboard. "Victor, which one is mine? Do you have it?"

Yumichika leaned over, sniffing the air. "It smells good." He looked at the open box on the counter. "So that's what it looks like?"

Ikkaku wandered over with him, looking at the open box. "This is the strangest pie I've ever seen. I mean, you called it a pizza pie, right? It's flat and the filling is on top."

"And I thought Rangiku complained a lot," Rukia muttered to herself.

The tallest woman in the room reached over and grabbed the top box. "I believe this one is mine. Mm! Smells good!"

Linnette opened box after box, pushing them off to one side, unable to find hers. "Is that one mine?" she asked Victor who set the boxes in his hand down on the table, the counter too crowded. She started to open those boxes as well, looking for hers. "Did they forget it?"

"I don't think so. We counted them off. The order was correct." He helped her look, opening the box at his side. "Is this it?"

"Yes!" She grabbed the whole box, lifting it up to her face and inhaling the aroma. "Mmm! I love how good it smells. Like baked bread! That's the best!"

"Which explains why you love going into the bakery all the time." Victor took the box from her and set it back on the table. "Go get your plate, ok?"

Ichigo stood back, watching everyone from a safe distance. People were talking and arguing, picking up different slices, moving this way and that. No one had made it into the dining yet. Rangiku took her first bite of pizza and exclaimed, "Oh, wow! It's delicious!" She shoved her slice into Ikkaku's face. "Try some!"

"Get it out of my face!" He grabbed a slice from his box. "I got my own!"

Yumichika held his slice awkwardly in one hand. "It's so greasy. My hands are getting all oily."

"That's what napkins are for."

He lifted the pizza to his mouth and took a small bite from the front. The melted cheese stretched without breaking, steam trapped from underneath rising into the air. Yumichika pulled the cheese into his mouth with his tongue and chewed. "Hey, it is good. What a surprise." He took a larger bite. And then another.

Ikkaku started to pick up a slice from his box, lifting it up to his mouth like everyone else. Only he was eating it from the side, letting the toppings slide off and falling into the box. He finished that slice and grabbed another, rolling it up like a cannoli and eating it that way. Seeing Ikkaku do this, Yumichika gave it a try. He couldn't tell if this made it less messy or not.

Victor moved around the room, serving people drinks. Now that everyone was eating, and therefore quieter, Ichigo walked over to the only untouched pizza box and helped himself. The pizza here was a lot greasier than he was used to. But it was good. Linnette had already finished her third slice. "What kind did you get?" she asked him.

"One of the supreme ones." He stuffed the remains of his slice into his mouth. Even with so many toppings, the pizza was still pretty thin.

The doorbell rang and everyone looked up.

"Who's that? Did they forget something? Didn't everyone get their pizza?"

Victor walked over to the door, answering it.

Cedric was home, everyone had a pizza, everyone was accounted for. Who could be at the door?

The wooden door swung open. Victor stood with his back to everyone. No one was able to see past him. Then Victor stepped aside, showing the guests in. In walked two Soul Reapers in Gigais.

"Brother?!" Rukia stood up, wide-eyed.

Byakuya entered the house along with a small Soul Reaper, clinging to a backpack with shaking hands.

"Hanataro?"

Dinner was cut short due to these new guests. Rangiku stood straight up, trying to be seen as professional. "Captain Kuchiki… What are you doing here?"

"I was asked to join you on this mission. So was he." Byakuya gestured to the boy at his side. "They felt you needed a Captain on an assignment like this. And someone in the medical field should something happen."

"Hanataro!" Linnette jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy to see you! It's been so long! Are you ok? How have you been?"

"I've been breathing easier…" Hanataro gasped. "You're holding me too tight, miss Linnette…"

"Sorry."

Ichigo looked at Byakuya. "Why are you here?"

"We were ordered to back you up. I explained that already."

"No, you didn't. You didn't explain anything. You just came in here and said that you're gonna be here, too. I want to know why."

"It doesn't concern you."

"The hell it-"

"Why are you here," asked Ikkaku. "Is there a problem? Are we being reassigned?"

"No," Byakuya said. "The Captains had a brief meeting and decided that it would be beneficial to have a Captain and medic along for such an assignment. A Lieutenant doesn't have the authority or power of a Captain and I was free. So I came to assist."

"That's a better explaination than before, I guess…" Ichigo said out the corner of his mouth.

Rukia gestured to the dining room. "Perhaps we should sit down and discuss this. There must be a lot of information to…"

"There's nothing to discuss," said Byakuya. "The meeting concluded that having a team without a Captain present in the World of the Living, especially so far away from the usual location, would be foolish. On such a mission, there must be someone with authority and strength to lead the team. Also, we would need someone with medical skills should something happen. In a large group like this with humans involved in a foreign location, we would have need of someone in that field. Which is why Hanataro Yamada is with me. We were asked to assist. The assignment is the same. There is nothing more to tell."

Rukia knew that they wouldn't send reinforcments if there wasn't a reason for it. But she trusted her brother so there was no reason for her to suspect anything. Besides, he had good reasons. Everything was sound. Surely if there was more to it than he was letting on, he would have mentioned it. Why would he hide anything? He would only lie if he had good reason.

Linnette's giggling brought their attention back to her. Curious about the strange smell, Hanataro had asked her what were in all the cardboard boxes on the table and counter. Willing to enlighten him, she decided to share her pizza with him. She was currently feeding him a slice from her hand since he was too nervous to touch the strange substance. He was having trouble getting the melted cheese into his mouth. He ended up dragging the whole top of the slice, toppings and all, into his mouth. He was having trouble chewing the overwhelming amount of cheese in his mouth. It was one big cheese wad. Linnette laughed at his facial expressions and told him to eat the rest, saying how the part under the layer of cheese was the best.

Victor and Cedric were watching her feed Hanataro anxiously. There was something about a girl feeding a boy which they found very uncomfortable. Ichigo could see it on their faces.

To break the focus, Ichigo asked them, "So where are they going to sleep?"

Victor looked away from Linnette. "Uh… We can find some room. I didn't expect so many people."

"Hanataro can stay in my room," Linnette suggested.

"No! No…" Victor and Cedric said in unison. Then they looked away, realizing their frantic tones. "Uh… I think Hanataro would be more comfortable down here with the other boys."

"So he can't stay in my room?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Cedric looked around, trying to change the topic somehow.

Yumichika looked into the den with a frown. "I don't think there will be room for them in there. There's no more room on the couch, as big as it is. It'll be cramped with everyone pressed so tightly together."

"We'll make room."

The sleeping arrangments were set. The women slept upstairs while the men took the first level. Ichigo, Yumichika, Ikkaku and Hanataro all had the den. Hanataro was small enough to wedge himself into the corner of the couch without bothering the others. Ikkaku stayed on the floor where he liked it. Byakuya had the living room all to himself. There was only one couch which made it difficult for anyone else to stay with him. Byakuya was given a blanket and a pillow to use. He wasn't used to sleeping like this. He normally had a large bed all to himself and four walls sealing him away from prying eyes and passersby. Sleeping in the wide open living room made it difficult for him to find rest. He also wasn't accustomed to sleeping on a couch. He was having a rough time, especially with Ikkaku snoring in the next room.

Another thing that was bothering him was that light in the hallway. He knew staying at the home of someone who didn't sleep would inconvenicance him. Restless, Byakuya got up from the couch and walked into the dining room which linked to the hall. The light was coming from what appeared to be a study. The interior was in good taste, he thought. It had a tranquil quality to it. It was in a secluded part of the house, which must have made it easy to get work done without distractions.

Sitting at the wooden desk in the back of the room was Victor. He had his back turned to the door, engrossed in his work. Byakuya stood silently, watching him. Without turning his body or lifting his head, Victor spoke quietly. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

How long had Victor known he was there? Byakuya couldn't put anything past these people. The limit to their skills were unknown. They may have been without limitation. "I couldn't sleep."

"I see." Victor set something down and pushed his chair out, turning his hips to face him. There were papers in front of him and envelopes. He must have been right in the middle of a project. "Surprised to see I have work?" Victor asked, smiling. "This home will not remain ours if we do not pay for it. When Linnette is in bed and the cleaning is taken care or, this is the time of night when I pay bills."

"Are you financially sound?"

Victor grinned. "We have plenty of money. Do not trouble yourself worrying about us. We have enough to keep us living comfortably for quite some time."

Byakuya didn't answer him. He wasn't a very talkative person. He looked around the small room. There were three bookcases against the walls. They were packed. Byakuya moved closer to one of the shelves, looking at the book spines. There were a few psychology books. History books and volumes of famous literature. Byakuya was a little surprised as well as pleased. These people had good taste. "Who do these belong to?" he asked.

"Those are mine. Cedric reads a few of them as well." Victor got out of his chair. "You need something to do when you have all the time in the world on your hands."

"You can accomplish a lot when you don't sleep."

Victor chuckled. "You're right about that. But one does wonder what it's like. Having never experienced it, I have no idea what to expect. It's my understanding that it doesn't hurt. The experience is supposed to be enjoyable."

Byakuya nodded. "Yes, it is. You recover energy and heal." He pulled a book from the shelf and opened it. The binding was lose, indicating that it had been used often.

Victor moved to where Byakuya was standing. "Most of those books are printed in English. There are some in Japanese in the shelf below if it's easier."

These men had a wide selection to choose from. Byakuya was happy to find so many books in one place and such a veriety. If these men had no need for sleep, it was no wonder they had so much reading material. Byakuya looked at some more books on another shelf. They were well organized and maintained. It appeared that someone was a fan of the arts. There were books on theater and poetry. Byakuya put the book in his hand back on the shelf. That's when another caught his eye. A book on calligraphy. Byakuya pulled it from between two large books and opened it. Beautiful calligraphy, in all its forms. Examples, how-to and so much more. Byakuya began skimming the pages.

It was then that Victor began to speak again. His voice was quiet to not wake the others down the hall. "As long as you're here, I would like to take this opportunity to speak with you… Byakuya."

Hearing the hesitation before speaking his name, Byakuya stopped tuning pages and listened.

"Would you prefere if I call you Captain Kuchiki?" Victor asked.

Byakuya didn't say anything.

"You are a nobel, I understand. A nobel and a Captain. Your knowledge and skills know no bounds. You must be a very important person where you come from. All that money to your name, family history. Skills with a blade and knowledge of the battlefield. And your taste in literature…" Victor peered over at the book in his hand. "I want you to feel comfortable in our home. As short notice as this is, I hope you are not disappointed. I'm sure you're not used to being in a place without servents to tend to you. I will do my best. But bear in mind that I am not here to serve you. I am here to serve Linnette."

Byakuya didn't look up from the book. He wasn't reading. He was listening. To more than what was being said. It was how he said it. There was something foreboding about his voice. Victor was hinting at something.

"And as the caretaker and gaurdian of Linnette, I would like to be informed of any danger that may be near. If there is the slightest chance that she will be harmed in any way, I have the right to know. With my family in my own house. So if there is something you are not telling me, then please, share it with me now that no one is around. If there is something you're not telling me and I find out about it…" Victor had moved slightly closer. "Remember that while you have your mission and I respect that, you must also respect that I have a mission as well. It is to protect Linnette and keep her safe at all cost."

Byakuya didn't move. Victor didn't take another step, but it felt as if he were closing in on him. Victor knew something, no matter how Byakuya tried to disguise it. Feeling his unyielding stare, Byakuya asked, "What would make you say such an odd thing to me?"

"Odd?" Victor didn't try to hide the amusment in his voice. "What's odd is how vague you are about this mission. Normally wouldn't a mission such as this have a lot more details than you are giving us?"

Byakuya slowly started to look up from the pages. Once he saw Victor's eyes, he knew there was no hiding anything from him. He already knew.

"Here's why I think there's more to this than you're letting on." Victor folded his arms and kept his voice the same tone it had been all this time. Quiet and direct. "First off, your assignment takes you here, all the way on the other side of the world. How strange. You claim that it is because of a Hollow issue. Let me tell you the two main problems I have with that explaination." Victor held up his fingers, counting off the reasons. "One, Linnette has the power to control Hollows. Surely you know this and have known it for some time. Hollows are never an issue. Aside from her ability to control them, we possess the power to annihilate Hollows quite easily. So I fail to see why you would have to come all the way here to help with a Hollow problem when we're more than capable of handling it ourselves. Which brings me to my second observation. Two, we haven't seen a single Hollow during this time. If there was a Hollow issue, then wouldn't we have seen one by now? We haven't seen or sensed anything."

This didn't surprise Byakuya. From the first time they met, he knew Victor was very perceptive. It made him wonder how advanced these men were. If he was able to figure out that much, what else did he know?

"I've noticed something else. Despite there being a stunning lack of Hollows, they saw fit to send reinforcements to our location. A Captain and a medic. Which leads me to believe that the Soul Society knows that the situation is about to get much worse. It's escalated." Victor was no longer wearing a smile or even a hint of one on his face. He looked deadly serious. "We haven't noticed a thing. Yet, you're here. Not only that, but you also mentioned that there was a Captains' meeting which led to you being sent here. This tells me that the Captains know something. Judging from everyone's lack of information, you are the only one present who knows anything at all. So this is something only Captains are aware of."

This didn't surprise Byakuya either. With a little thought, anyone could have figured that out.

"So you are hiding something after all. And the fact that you're hiding it from the others must mean that you weren't permitted to tell them. That's the only reason why you would keep it a secret from everyone. Including your sister, Rukia. She trusts you, so I hope that by you keeping this quiet, she will not be put in danger. Her not knowing is protection, correct?"

The hairs on the back of Byakuya's neck started to stand on end. He looked back into Victor's serious eyes.

"I know you must have your reasons for not mentioning anything to the others. But this is my home and my family. If they are being put in danger, I have a right to know." Victor took one step closer. It wasn't intimidating, it was comforting. "Know that I will respect your mission by not mentioning anything to them. But since I know so much already, I'm slowly putting things together. If you do not want me to come to the wrong conclusion or end up telling someone something I wasn't supposed to, then here's your chance to tell me what you know. What you tell me in this room is confidential. I won't say anything. But you must trust me. I know so little about you compared to the others. If I am going to trust you, you have to show me a sign of good faith."

If he didn't say anything, Victor could come to the wrong conclusion. He had the authority to kick them out of he felt that the family was in danger. He didn't know what he wasn't supposed to say unless Byakuya told him. But he wasn't permitted to tell any of the Soul Reapers. There may have been a loophole which allowed Byakuya to tell Victor.

After weighing the pros and cons, Byakuya closed the book in his hand. Victor stood there, waiting. "There was Hollow activity involved. Very little. But not the way you would think. At first no one was sure of what it was. It started in Karakura Town. It appeared to be a glitch. Then some humans began to act strangely. The effects only lasted for a short time. It happened to those close to Ichigo Kurosaki."

"So Ichigo is involved."

Byakuya nodded and continued. "We decided to question him to see if he noticed a change in anyone without letting on. We wanted to know if he was directly involved or if this was an outside source. He told us nothing of value. He was unaware of anything amiss. Things started to escalate after that. Despite him reporting no Hollow activity, the same glitches kept appearing in his area. So we decided to remove him from the area and see if there was any improvement."

"And?"

"Things started to calm down after a few hours. But we're still having issues." Byakuya decided to tell him. "The reason we sent him here on this false mission was to see if there would be any improvement. The glitches are still happening. We aren't sure what's going to happen so we made sure to send him here with Soul Reapers. Rukia knew him best and they work well together so she was sent. We needed someone with power and authority to govern them. Captain Hitsugaya wasn't available to help, so we sent his Lieutenant. We weren't sure if sending a Captain would be too much or not. Which is why we held off on sending one. In case a battle ensued, we sent those who could fight. And you were right, we did send Hanataro because he is a medic and we did expect something to happen since the situation isn't improving."

"And the reason he came here and not to the Soul Society?"

"Two reasons. First off, if he was permitted to stay in the Soul Society, we would need to come up with an excuse since Ichigo seems to be unaware of anything. He would catch on. So we sent him here on a false mission. We also sent the others to keep an eye on him should something happen. Since we have so little to go on as of now, there's no telling what these glitches are that keep showing up wherever he goes. Since everyone thinks this is a mission, they'll keep an eye out. If something strange happens, then they won't think anything of it. We also wanted them to remain in the dark about this because their knowing could jeopardize the mission. If they think there's something wrong with Ichigo, they'll keep their distance from him and tip him off. We want everything to be as normal as possible. Besides, we aren't sure if it's him or not since it's still happening from time to time in areas he's no longer inhabiting."

"And the second reason?"

Byakuya hoped Victor wouldn't react to what he was about to say. "Because Linnette is here."

Victor's face didn't change.

"It appeared to be Hollow related at some point. If that were the case, we needed to make use of her powers to handle the situation. If Hollows are involved, we need to make sure she's nearby to help calm the situation."

Victor nodded slowly. "Is that it?"

"I was told to keep this quiet." Byakuya looked down. "There were reports of some Soul Reapers acting strangely as well. It was mentioned mostly in small-talk situations. No one thinks anything of it. The behavior isn't violent. But if we were to let word get out of what the Captains are aware of, it could cause a panic. We don't want to start something. This may be nothing at all and only coincidental. We don't want people to get paranoid. We especially don't want anyone tipping Ichigo off by everyone walking on eggshells around him. Which is why we were told not to tell anyone. Not even our Lieutenants. This is only known between Captains."

Victor nodded again. "This is all you can tell me?"

He nodded. "Yes. We have so little to go on anyway. Until we have more information, there's nothing else." Byakuya looked Victor in the eye again. "Can I trust you not to speak of this?"

Victor's smile returned and he moved towards the bookshelf, pulling out a red book. "I understand that you are taking a risk telling me this. I appreciate that. You trust me and I'll trust you. You told me the truth about what's going on, so I won't tell anyone about what was said here tonight. Consider it uneventful. Nothing happened this evening."

Byakuya nodded. "Thank you." He wasn't sure if he could trust this man or not, but he had no reason to doubt. He fought for them in the past. The least he could do was give him the benefit of the doubt. He was looking out for his family after all.

Victor handed him the red book. "This is a collection of historic nobles in different countries from different centuries. I thought it might interest you."

Byakuya slipped the book offered to him under the one already in his hand. "I'll look at it."

Victor stepped aside, pointing Byakuya out the door. He left the office, feeling Victor following at his heels, making him walk forward to avoid him. When they reached the kitchen, Victor went one way and Byakuya another. "It's late. You should rest." Victor opened a cabinet. "Shall I make you something hot to drink?"

This Byakuya was used to. Someone serving him. "Sure."

Victor took out a mug and set it down. "Tea? Hot milk?"

"Milk, please."

"Certainly." Victor closed the cabinet and opened the fridge. "It'll just take a minute. Sit in the meantime if you like."

Byakuya went back to his couch and sat down, turning on a lamp over his right shoulder. He sat close to the arm of the couch, using it to elevate the book in his lap. He started to read. The book was very interesting and printed in a language he could understand. Six pages in, Victor returned with the mug and handed it to him. "Thank you." Byakuya closed the book and held the warm mug in his hands. The heat flowed from his palms up his arms and into his chest. The steam danced around the rim of the mug, waving at him. He blew the steam away and took a careful sip. He pressed his lips together, tasting something.

"Is something wrong?"

Byakuya looked up. "It's sweet."

"I added a tiny bit of honey," Victor said. "Is it not to your liking?"

Byakuya licked his lips, tasting the sweetness. It had been so long since he last had honey in his milk. He had honey in his tea when he was sick, but milk… it had been so long, he couldn't remember. "No, this is fine. Thank you."

Victor nodded. "If you need anything else, I'll be in my study for the rest of the evening. Try to get some sleep before sunrise." He turned and left into the next room.

Byakuya looked down at his mug again, taking another sip. It was still very hot. Holding the mug in one hand, Byakuya held the book in the other and read. After a few minutes, the milk had cooled and was able to drink from it freely without burning his tongue. Halfway through the book, he drained his mug, getting the last drop of honey on the bottom and set the mug down on the end table beside the lamp. He licked away the lingering taste of honey from his lips and read on. His eyes started to feel heavy as time went on. It was time to rest. Byakuya closed the book and set it aside, turning off the lamp. He laid down on the couch, covering himself with the blanket. He rested his head on the single pillow given to him and looked around the dark room briefly before closing his eyes. Staying here wouldn't be so bad. It would take some getting used to but at least Victor would try to make his stay as comfortable as possible.

Now we're starting to find things out.

Byakuya doesn't normally like sweets. I guess he's ok with honey if it's just a little dab.

Please review ^-^