Chapter 12:

Akon went to fetch Veneno like he did every morning. He was trying to put the conversation he had with Ichigo out of his mind and carry on as normal. He stopped outside the door on the end of the hall and knocked. "Let's go, Veneno. It's morning. Time to get up." There was no answer. "Are you in there? Did you hear me?"

With no answer, Akon opened the door and went inside. Veneno was still in bed, sound asleep. Akon bent down and pulled the blanket off his body. Veneno didn't move. He shook his shoulder. Nothing. Concerned, Akon lifted Veneno up and shook him harder.

"Veneno? Veneno, wake up. Wake up! Veneno!"

At last, a moan. Veneno lifted his head and turned toward the man holding him. "What's it? Whatza matter..?" he asked groggily.

"Are you ok? You weren't waking up."

Veneno sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Oh..? Sorry…" He yawned and ruffled his brown hair. "I was having a dream. I guess I didn't want to wake up or something."

"You must have been sleeping deeply, then." Akon sat back, relieved. He was concerned for Veneno, but in a different way. He was mostly worried about what his Captain would do if his precious experiment had a glitch or was killed and his 3rd Seat had no explanation for it. "What was your dream about?"

Veneno turned his way, waking up little by little. "It had those people in it again with those eyes. But I was there, too. I wasn't watching myself, it was like I was doing it. It was from my point of view." He folded the sheets down over his knees. "I was asking them to talk to me but all they could do was growl. I was lonely in the dream and I wanted to make friends with them, I think."

"You're lonely?"

"In the dream I think I was. There were other parts in the dream, too. I dreamed I was talking to another me. It was cool."

"Sounds it."

Veneno nodded and got out of bed. A lock of hair caught on his horn, exposing his mask. Akon quickly reached up and folded it back over his mask, hiding it. After that, Veneno got changed and followed Akon to breakfast.

After they were finished eating, they took a walk to the 10th Division to deliver something to one of the Seated Officers. After that they began to walk back to their own Division. Along the way, Veneno talked about his dreams. Akon didn't pay too much attention to him. As they took a shortcut through the 11th Division, Akon noticed that Veneno had grown quiet. He was looking at one of the buildings. There were strange sounds coming from inside.

Unable to resist, Veneno wandered over to the building and peered in through the open window. There were two men inside holding wooden swords, whacking them together. Veneno watched them curiously. Akon stood beside him and saw the look of wonder in his green eyes. Veneno was captivated by their movement. The sound those swords made, clacking together. The interesting shape. This was new to him.

After a few minutes, the men returned the swords to a closet and stepped outside. Veneno entered the now empty room through the window and stood on the smooth wooden floor. Akon climbed in after him, leaving his sandals outside and asking Veneno to do the same.

As veneno hopped up and down, trying to remove his sandals, he asked, "What is this place?"

"It's one of the training halls they have around here. It's a dojo, I guess you'd say."

"A dojo? Why don't we have one of these?"

"Because we actually use our heads for something other than head butting other people," Akon remarked. He turned his head, catching one of Veneno's sandals in his face and then the other. Veneno was wandering over to the closet, sliding on the smooth floor in his socks. He opened the bamboo doors and looked inside.

There were at least a dozen wooden swords in this tiny closet. Unable to contain himself, Veneno reached inside and took out one of the swords, marveling at it's unique shape. He was drawn to them. He held the sword in both hands, one on the handle and the other on the blade. It was heavier on one end than the other. He ran his hand over the blade part, noticing how smooth and light it felt. Such skillful craftsmanship. He turned the sword around, holding it the same way he saw the men do it. As he held it, a warmth began to rise up in both arms, as if the heat were coming from the sword's inside. He felt powerful holding it.

"What are you two doing in here?"

Veneno spun around, holding the sword behind his back. Several people from Squad 11 had arrived and didn't look too pleased with the trespassers. A man with black hair was looking down at him with beady little eyes. "I was just looking," Veneno blurted out.

Akon stepped in front of Veneno, defending him. "We're sorry, 10th Seat Makizo Aramaki. Sorry. We were just passing through, running an errand. We'll be going now." He started to pull Veneno toward the door but Makizo threw out his arm, stopping them.

"Not so fast. You can't just walk in here and start messing with our stuff. That's just not right."

Akon called his bluff. "Acting like a big shot now that Ikkaku's not around. That's rich."

"Now wait just a minute," he barked. "That is so not true. As a member of Squad 11, I'm just as rough and tough as everyone else. I'm as nasty as they come."

Some other members were making their way to the front, looking at the sword in Veneno's hand. "Looks like we got ourselves a snoop. We should teach him a thing or two, messing with our equipment like that."

Veneno gulped and hid behind Akon. He was yanked out of his hiding place and held off the ground by one of the men. "Look at this scrawny thing. What a lightweight."

Akon pulled Veneno back. "Look, we're sorry. We'll be on our way so…"

"Not a chance." A Soul Reaper took a sword from the closet and pointed it under Veneno's chin. "You come in here, you fight. Them's the rules."

"Oh, come on. Admit you made that up." Akon pulled Veneno behind his back. "I know the 11th Division is hot-headed but seriously…"

An especially buff man put his arm around Akon's shoulders, his weight pushing him into the ground. "Come on. One round and we'll forgive you. It's not gonna kill you."

"If he goes against you…"

"We'll start him off easy." The man called for one of the smaller men to come forward. "He'll take on Kazu in one round and that's that. He's easy, just starting out."

"Not true!" said the man called Kazu. "I've been in this Division for three years now. I'm no rookie."

"When you can perfect your Shikai, then we'll talk."

The Squad members pulled Veneno, sword and all over to the middle of the room and stood him in front of Kazu. He gripped the sword tightly, shaking with nervous tension. Akon was pulled over to the wall and held back by Makizo. The other members surrounded them, waiting for what they hoped would be a good show. They knew no one from Squad 12 could fight. Not the way they could. And Veneno was about as wimpy as they came. He wasn't even holding his sword properly.

Akon shook his head, seeing the fearful look on Veneno's face. "This is a mistake," he muttered into Makizo's elbow. Veneno couldn't fight. He was never shown how. He didn't know how to defend himself. He had never even held a sword before. Now he was expected to go up against a member of Squad 11? He was going to be carried back to the 12th Division in a body bag. He was going to be returned in pieces if he was lucky.

"I'll go easy on you," promised Kazu. He took a step forward and lunged. Veneno ducked, holding the wooden sword he was carrying in front of his body. Akon rolled his eyes, seeing that he was holding it in the middle as if it were a baton. This was going to be a disaster. Kazu swatted Veneno in his shoulder with the side of his sword.

"Ow!" Veneno stood up, rubbing his shoulder and got whacked in the rib and then again on his kneecap, causing him to fall to his knees.

The other Squad members laughed and jeered at the fallen man. Akon pushed against the Soul Reapers holding him back. "That's enough. He doesn't know what he's doing. You'll hurt him."

"That's the idea in a spar."

"Yeah, don't worry. We'll leave him alive for you. I hear Unohana's not doing anything today."

Akon moaned, wanting to jump in there and carry him out. Veneno needed help. Scratch that; he needed a miracle.

Veneno stood on bended knee, looking at the sword in his hands. What was expected of him? What was he meant to do? Fight? He didn't know how to do that. He didn't know this. He heard Akon's begging them for mercy, knowing that Veneno had no idea what to do. But they weren't going to let them leave unless he made an attempt. He had to at least try. His plan was to mimic what his opponent was doing. He stood up and moved his hands to the handle of the wooden sword.

That same warm feeling went up his arms and into his chest. Getting a feel for his weapon, he grasped it tightly and gave it a swing. The way the blade cut through the air sounded like someone blowing in his ear. It made such an amazing sound. He held the wooden blade with both hands and swept it diagonally. The edge sliced up through the air. It was so easy to hold. It moved as he wanted, like an extension of his arm.

Kazu made his move, swinging his weapon at Veneno's chest. Automatically, Veneno held the sword in front of his body and braced himself. The swords clanked together, blocking the other. Veneno wasn't hurt. All he felt were the vibrations from the connecting swords in his arms. He wanted to do it again. Kazu backed up for round two and moved the sword in a stabbing motion toward Veneno's stomach. He knew what to do. His arm moved on its own. The next move brought the edge over and downward, turning and cutting the emptiness in front of him. Then there was a clack as the sword met the other, pushing it aside. His feet slide rather than stepped, giving his movements a seamless flow, as if he were dancing. He now stood beside the other man and pulled his sword up, resting it against his neck. If it had not been made of wood, Kazu would be dead from a slit throat.

The jeers had stopped and the Soul Reapers watched in awe. Even Akon had stopped fighting to break free and watched.

It felt so natural. As if he were already trained. He understood what the blade wanted from him. He knew how to fight. He knew what to do. Veneno stepped back, allowing the man to move again. Not wanting to be defeated so easily, Kazu moved towards him again, swinging. Veneno saw his movements and understood. Their natural flow, the way they slid and spun in the air. Dancing blades. Rhythmic and captivating. He understood. As he watched the man's blade draw closer to him, Veneno's pupils began to dilate.

He lifted the sword to his shoulder, then struck the weapon straight down in a sweeping gesture before turning his body adroitly out of the way of his enemy. Kazu turned and followed him, blade pointed forward. Veneno dropped his foot in a floor-splitting stomp and bent at the waist, letting the sword held by his enemy pass over his back. Using the handle of his sword, he stabbed it straight up, knocking the sword from Kazu's hand and into his own. He stood up and swept both swords from his upper body down. Kazu stepped backwards to avoid the wooden swords. Veneno planted his heel on Kazu's foot and continued forward, knocking him off balance and onto the floor. He then cross the blades in front of his neck and paused, ending his attack.

Veneno blinked and he looked down in surprise. He did not expect to be unhurt, or win for that matter. He stepped back and handed Kazu his sword back. Kazu stood up, looking at Veneno in surprise. Then he grinned and patted his shoulder in an accepting gesture.

Makizo gaped at Veneno and then looked at Akon. "Jeez, where've you been hiding this guy? He's actually good."

The Soul Reaper at his other side snorted. "I'll be the judge of that." He grabbed a sword and attacked Veneno while his back was turned.

Veneno wasn't paying any attention. He was too busy marveling at the sword in his hand. How had he done that? He moved the sword around in the air, testing it again. It moved up and twisted, like a feather in the wind. As if eliminating a number of enemies, the sword fluttered to the left and right and then descended toward the ground. He already knew. This was amazing.

Feeling someone at his back, Veneno turned and saw a sword in his face. Reacting on pure instinct, he blocked and bent down. He used the handle to jab the large man in the gut then jumped up, sank his foot into his chest, flipped over backwards and, letting out a battle cry, slashed him across the gut sideways. That was only enough to slow him down for a moment. He charged at Veneno again. Their swords connected and Veneno pushed him back with all his might and threw him into the air. Twisting his body around in the air, Veneno planted a kick in the man's spine and sent him into the opposite wall with a crash. Veneno landed on one knee, sword held in front of him, ready for more.

The other Soup Reapers dropped their jaws and stared at him.

Realizing what he had done, Veneno stood up, holding the sword to his chest and looked around nervously. Were they mad at him? Was he not supposed to do that? Was he in trouble? He feared his punishment.

The Soul Reapers charged forward, surrounded him and… patted his back. Veneno looked around in confusion. Suddenly he found himself being showered with complements and praise.

"Where have you been, man?"

"Yeah, what's a guy like you doing in Squad 12, anyway? You should be with us."

"You totally belong here."

"Sorry we were so hard on you before. It's what we do."

"All that teasing… let's forget about it, alright? What do you say?"

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"Want to join us for another practice session? Maybe you can show us a few things."

"What did you say your name was again?"

Akon stood up straight, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Veneno had a natural talent for swordplay. Either that, or it was muscle memory. That must have been it. Veneno already knew how to fight. It wasn't that he was learning it, but refreshing his memory. Veneno was unable to remember his past so he had forgotten that he knew how to fight. Being thrown into this sword fighting environment had allowed him to rekindle those lost memories and was therefore able to defend himself when faced with danger.

It wasn't natural talent or learning it, it was refreshing his memory. Veneno already knew how to fight. It only appeared to be natural. The skill was reawakening. Akon wrote this all down in his notebook. If this was true for Veneno, then what else was he going to rediscover if given the opportunity?

"Hey, Akon." Veneno ran up and stood beside his caretaker. "They said that I was welcome to stay and train with them for a while. Can I?"

Akon snapped the book shut and tucked it away. "You want to stay and train with these guys?"

"Kind of, yeah. They said they like me. And I kind of like do this. It's fun."

Akon looked down. Maybe it was best to remove him from the situation before things got worse. "Maybe later. We do have work to do back at the lab."

"Are you serious?' said a Squad member. "This guy's actually good. I'm surprised he's not with us."

"Yeah, you sure they didn't put him in the wrong Squad?"

Akon grabbed Veneno's arm and pulled him aside, taking the wooden sword from his hand and tossing it aside. "He'll catch up with you later when we're done working. Let's go, Veneno." He pulled Veneno out the door and grabbed their sandals, running away from the training hall. Once they were far enough away, Akon let Veneno go and they sat under a tree, putting on their sandals. "Sorry. It's just… we have a lot of things to do today. We don't want to be up all night again, do we?"

Veneno tied his snadals around his ankles and stood up. "Yeah, I know. Still that was pretty fun." He rubbed his shoulder. "You know, when I didn't get hit."

"There's going to be a lot of that if you stick around with them. I don't know if you're ready for that yet."

"I can handle it," he said. "I'll just try not to get hit. That's all."

Akon stood up and they started toward the lab again. "You make it sound so simple."

Things were never simple. Ever.

Byakuya's eyes opened first. His right hand immediately went to his temple and he winced. "Ow… my head..!"

Something cold was dropped into his lap and he looked down. An icepack. He looked up. Victor was sitting on the arm of the couch, pointing to the icepack. "That should help with the pain. Sorry I had to be so rough with you."

Byakuya lifted the icepack with his left hand and placed it in his right and pressed it to the side of his head. A wave of cold stung his skull and he winced again. "So… you're responsible?" Byakuya shut his eyes as the coldness ran through his head stinging him with painful numbness. "What did you do to me?"

Victor gestured to the others laying in the armchairs on either side of the coffee table. "I wanted to avoid discussing it until everyone was awake to save on time, but if you cannot wait…"

"You hit me in the head, didn't you?" Byakuya asked, figuring it out. "What did you hit me with? A bat?"

"My index finger."

Byakuya opened an eye to look at him. "That's it? It feels stronger than that."

"You doubt me? This is what I can do with one finger." Victor bent over and placed his index finger under the 150 pound coffee table, lifting it off the ground with ease. He lowered it and sat back, carefully folding his hands in his lap. "Knocking you out is no problem if I can do this much. But I was careful not to cause any brain damage. At least we have a medic here to help with the pain and bruising."

Byakuya shifted the icepack away from his eye. "Why did you knock me out? And them, too?"

"You were taking Ichigo to the Soul Society."

He blinked. "Why in the world would I do that?"

"I was hoping you would tell me. All three of you were doing it. None of you succeeded, though. He's fine. He's in in the den with Linnette and Rukia."

Byakuya rested his head on the backrest of the couch, balancing the icepack on the side of his face. "I… We were taking Ichigo to the Soul Society? That doesn't make any sense. On top of which, I don't remember doing it."

"Not at all?"

"I'm surprised I remember my own name the way you hit me in the head. Such force…"

"I have pretty good control over my strength. I didn't kill you and I could have. Very easily, I might add."

The Captain adjusted the icepack and tried to think back. What was he doing before? He remembered being in the study. He was reading. After that… "Wait. I think I sort of remember…" His voice trailed in and out as his thoughts became clearer. "Yes… I remember picking up Ichigo in my arms… and I remember him thrashing about… and… and I remember seeing you and after that… nothing. That must have been when you knocked me out."

"Must be." Victor stood up from the couch and went over to check on the others. He carefully checked their pulse and their breathing. He stood in front of Hanataro, tilting his head from side to side, examining his face. He looked at Hanataro's temple and saw a faint redness where he had made contact before. "He should be fine. I hit him in the same way I did you."

"And him?" Byakuya pointed to Yumichika who was slumped over the arm of the chair.

"No," he answered. "I cut off blood flow to his brain, making him pass out."

"So it was a sleeper hold?"

He picked Yumichika off the arm of the chair and sat him upright so his head was resting on the back, properly supported. "Both of them should be just fine. I'll endeavor to be more gentle in the future should this happen again."

"See that you do." Byakuya removed the icepack from his head and tapped his frozen temple. He couldn't tell which pain he liked less: the pain from the icepack or the pain from being hit. "What I don't understand is why we were trying to take Ichigo away. I don't remember why I was doing it. But I do remember that I made an attempt. The details aren't all there but…"

Victor took the icepack and Byakuya's hand in his and pressed them back to his head, silently instructing him to keep the ice on.

From the next room, Ichigo lifted his head from Linnette's lap and looked around. He knew at once that his Hollow had taken over again. Choosing not to be bothered by it, he got off the couch and went into the kitchen. Seeing that Victor was busy with Byakuya, he crept through to the dining room and then out into the back yard.

Ikkaku was sitting on the porch as usual, unaware of the events from earlier. Ichigo himself was unaware that anything out of the ordinary had happened. His Hollow was the one in control, not him. As far as he was concerned, everyone was still doing their own thing.

"Hey, Ikkaku."

"Yeah?"

"I need the Senkaimon again."

Ikkaku turned away. "I told you that would be the last time. I'm not doing it again."

"Come on! You-"

"Hey, if you want to get there so bad, you do it yourself. You're a Soul Reaper, aren't you?"

He was, but Ichigo hadn't much practice opening the Senkaimon. He would have to be a Soul Reaper, first of all. Ichigo looked down at his jeans and T-shirt, knowing he had to change. "Ah, fine." Ichigo turned around and went back into the house to change. He wasn't going to leave his body laying outside. He stood inside the dining room and pressed his Soul Badge to his chest, leaving his human body behind and changing into a Soul Reaper. As he made to go out again, he noticed one of Linnette's snacks on the counter. They looked like crepes. Ichigo looked around. Well, as long as he was going there…

Ichigo returned outside, drawing his sword. He plunged it into the air in front of him and turned it as if turning a key in a lock. The Senkaimon opened and Ichigo stepped inside. "I'll see you in a bit."

Ikkaku grunted and waved him off, returning to his cloud watching.

As the Senkaimon closed, Victor looked out the window, noticing two missing crepes and no one in the kitchen. He saw Ikkaku sitting on the porch alone and Cedric tending to his weeding. He went into the dining room, finding Ichigo's empty body laying propped up against the wall beside the wine collection. The suited man frowned, knowing no one was occupying the teen's body at the moment. Ichigo had left them once again for reasons unknown.

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