Chapter 16:

Snacks eaten and groceries put away, it was now time for Victor to start working on preparing dinner. He had started preparing the meat first, knowing that it would take a while to cook. Cedric and finished cleaning up the front yard after the earlier scuffle and had come in to check on how things were going inside. Everyone was staying out of each other's way. Byakuya and Rangiku still hadn't come down from the second level of the house yet. Their meeting must have still been going on. Byakuya had mentioned that he had planned on contacting the Soul Society to report what had been happening and get some more information. That was over an hour ago. Ikkaku and Yumichika were spending their time outside, enjoying the sunshine. Rukia was in the den with Ichigo watching TV.

Ichigo still had a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wondered why the Soul Reapers seemed to be turning on him. No, that wasn't it. They didn't want to hurt him. They wanted to bring him back to the Soul Society with them for some reason. They remembered doing it but could not for the life of them remember the reason why. They had been trying to remember for a good part of the afternoon. From the look of things, Yumichika had already given up. Since Linnette's voice had no effect on them, that meant that it wasn't a Hollow's doing. Which made Ichigo wonder why this mission involved finding a Hollow. They had yet to find one. As a matter of fact, there was absolutely no Hollow activity at all anywhere in the city. Ichigo couldn't help but wonder why he was sent here to help with a Hollow problem if there wasn't one. Could this have been a trap of some kind? At first he thought that the Hollow was capable of hiding its Spiritual Pressure somehow, making it impossible to find or track down. But Linnette's song would have not only flushed it out, it would have also made the others react in some way if a Hollow was even involved. The fact that it didn't could only mean that there wasn't a Hollow at all.

"Something isn't right here. It just doesn't add up."

Without looking away from the screen, Rukia asked him, "What do you mean by that exactly?"

"Just what I said. I don't think there's a Hollow involved at all. Linnette's voice would have done something if there were."

"Then why else would we be told to come here if there wasn't? Do you think we were lied to?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Why would they do that?" Rukia didn't want to believe it, but there was a part of her that suspected as much ever since Linnette's voice had proven just that. Despite these feelings, she decided to keep them to herself and not let on. "There's got to be more to it than that."

Ichigo got up from the couch and started to walk into the kitchen. "Whatever. I just wish we had answers. Something to go on would be nice."

Victor was still working in the kitchen. It looked liked he was making enough food for ten people. Given how much the group tended to eat, that should be just enough for them. As he came over to see what was cooking, Byakuya and Rangiku came down the stairs together.

"Well?" Ichigo asked the moment he saw them.

"We reported the incident to Head Captain Yamamoto," said Byakuya. "And it's as you claimed. Captain Hitsugaya was also effected by whatever this is. He confessed to coming after another Soul Reaper and attacking them. He had attacked Akon from Research and Development. Akon confirmed it. He has also recovered and is back to work and doing just fine."

"That's good." Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad to hear that Akon was alright. There was no mention of Veneno so no one seemed to know about him yet. So far so good.

"A few other Soul Reapers confessed to having odd feeling as well. The ones who reported it said that they felt an inexplicable obsession with you, Ichigo. It completely engulfed their thoughts. All they could do was think about you. And then it would go away in the next minute."

"And? That's it?"

"You weren't around and they had no idea where you were. It's not like they could come after you or attack. They just confessed to a strong feeling. That's all. Among those reported Soul Reapers is my Lieutenant. Renji said he had those feelings as well. So did Captain Ukitake."

"Them, too?"

"Yes. Captain Ukitake didn't think much of it, believing it to be an odd side-effect from his medications. He hasn't been feeling well lately. But when he got those urges, he tried to leave his bed to search for you, he said. It was short lived and never made it out of his room. He reported it to one of his visitors because he found it strange. The visitor then reported it, having felt the same thing not too long ago."

"So it seems that it has nothing to do with this area and it has nothing to do with being around you, Ichigo. And there's spacing between when people reported feeling that way so it seems to be at random," added Rangiku. "Weird. I would think that they would have something in common but there isn't. No one knows why this is happening or why or why it's all focused around you. So back to the drawing board?"

Ichigo was hoping for some good news, but it looked like he would have to be disappointed. At least they got news, but it wasn't what he was expecting. Even Renji and Ukitake were effected.

"By the way," Victor said from the counter. "I haven't seen Linnette for a while. Have you seen her?"

"Oh, yeah!" Rangiku smiled and pointed up the stairs. "She's upstairs in her room with Hanataro."

Victor dropped the bowl of freshly washed carrots in the sink, head jerking up. "What?" He looked like someone had just told him the house was on fire. Cedric from the armchair wore the same expression.

The next thing they knew, the two men were racing passed the Soul Reapers, making a mad dash for the staircase. The men's shoulders pressed against the other's, both attempting to get up the stairs first. All they kept repeating to themselves on the way up to the second floor was "Boy in her room, boy in her room, boy in her room!" Ichigo and Rangiku followed them up the stairs, curious and a little frightened.

They turned left at the top of the stairs and opened Linnette's door with such force that the door was nearly knock off its hinges. Cedric's hand had dented the metal doorknob as he opened it.

Linnette was sitting on the floor across from Hanataro, showing him her plush animal collection. "Hi."

Victor grabbed Linnette and scooped her off the ground, holding her tightly. Cedric lifted Hanataro up and pulled him away from the toys, separating them.

"What's going on?" Linnette asked, very confused by their actions.

"Linnette, what were you doing with him in your room with the door shut?" Victor asked. His voice was almost shaking. But he was careful to keep himself calm so that she wouldn't notice.

"I was just showing him some of my animals. Like that one we got at one of those theme parks you took me to a couple months ago. And that one Cedric won for me at that fair because I couldn't get it. And that one with the loose eye that I got from my friend." She twisted her body around to look at the man holding her. "Why? What's the matter?"

Hanataro started frantically tapping Cedric's arm which was wrapped around his neck. "Can't breathe! Can't breathe!" Cedric wasn't intending to hold him so tightly and let him go. Hanataro slid onto the floor, gasping for air.

Victor set Linnette down carefully. "It's just that…" He brushed her long dark hair nervously with his left hand. "It's just that we don't exactly feel comfortable with you having a boy in your room with the door shut."

"Why not?" she asked innocently. She failed to see any problem with it at all. "It was too noisy downstairs. Besides, Ichigo's been in here before and you didn't seem to mind."

Victor and Cedric exchanged looks. "Um… Well, that was different, sweetie."

"Why?"

"Because he was asleep at the time… and we were watching you."

Ichigo's eye twitched. "You were watching me sleep?" Then again, he remembered that night fairly well. There wasn't anything wrong with it. Now he understood why his father and sister spied on him whenever he brought a girl into his room and closed the door. They were just being protective. Sort of.

Changing the subject, Victor started to push Linnette towards the door. "In the future, tell us when you're bringing boys up here, ok?"

"I never have to when my friends are over."

"They're girls. Now, uh, come on. I'm cooking dinner."

Subject changed. "Can I help?" she offered.

Glad to have her mind on other things, Victor chuckled. "Of course you can. I'll show you where I'm at. I could sure use another hand to help me out."

Victor pushed Linnette out the door and passed Ichigo on their way to the stairs. Ichigo knew Victor didn't really need her help. It was just a distraction. He led her into the kitchen and showed her what he was in the middle of doing. Dinner wouldn't be for another couple of hours, but the meal needed time to prepare. With the meat now cooking in the oven, Victor told Linnette that he needed help washing the vegetables. She happily agreed to help him out and stood by the sink.

Hanataro was carried down the stairs by the back of his shirt in Cedric's hand. His feet didn't touch solid ground until they were in the kitchen. He offered to help. They seemed to be more approving of this since they would be watched very closely.

"How do I cut these?" Linnette asked, holding a carrot in her hand and a knife in the other.

Victor almost flinched when he saw her holding a knife. But it wasn't out of fear for his sake as much as it was for hers. "Perhaps I should cut it. I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"I can do it."

"I'll help," said Hanataro.

Standing close by, Victor supervised Linnette cutting up the carrot, making sure she wasn't in danger of cutting herself. The carrot slices weren't even but she was doing fairly well. She improved as time went on and she started to get the hang of it. Victor looked away for a moment to see how Hanataro was fairing. He was holding his knife like a scalpel, making small incisions along the side of the carrot.

"Um…" Victor smiled. "It's not a cadaver."

"Huh? Oh. Ha ha ha…" Hanataro laughed nervously. "Sorry. Force of habit. I haven't really done a lot of cooking before. Not anything too involved. Simple things. But I always end up making a mess."

"That's part of cooking." Victor placed his hand on Linnette's shoulder with a smile. "Once Linnette tried to cook a meal all on her own. The kitchen was a complete mess."

"I didn't know the flour would get everywhere like that. And the bag fell over on me so I had to clean that up, too. I thought it would be more like snow. Not powder." She turned to Hanataro to explain. "I got it on the floor and tried to clean it up with a towel but all I did was push it around. Using a mop wasn't much better. I ended up making a bigger mess. So they cleaned it up for me."

"What were you trying to make?"

"Cookies. I was inspired by a TV show I was watching where they made it from scratch and I wanted to try it. I tried to copy what they were doing on the show. I didn't have a recipe."

"You also forgot to turn on the oven."

"I know! I was wondering why it was taking so long to cook! They were in there for almost five hours."

"Did it work out in the end?" Hanataro wanted to know.

"No, we threw them out and had ice cream instead."

"Ice cream huh?" Ichigo grinned.

"Yeah. They even let me eat it in the den while we watched TV together. They said it was for a nice attempt. I'll try again some other time. I'll use a recipe."

"Good thinking."

Linnette finished chopping the carrot and held up the pointed stub on the end. She held it in front of Hanataro's face and giggled. "Just like a snowman."

He smiled and decided to play, too. Taking two pieces of carrot, he held them up to his head. "I've got horns."

Linnette held up two uncut carrots to her head. "Mine are bigger."

"We'll never eat tonight if all you guys do is play with the food." Ikkaku and Yumichika had come into the kitchen for a drink and spotted the two younger members of the group playing games while they cooked.

Linnette lowered the carrots to the counter and started to cut them up. Hanataro did the same, avoiding Ikkaku's gaze. He looked ashamed. Victor shot Ikkaku a look. Ikkaku shot him one back, then turned around and went into the den, demanding the remote.

"I have an idea," Victor said, trying to cheer them up again. "When we're done cutting these up, why don't we arrange them into a picture? Art you can eat."

"How do we do that?" Linnette asked.

"When you're done cutting, I'll show you."

"We could also race to see who can get done faster."

"No, no. Can't risk any accidents. We'll just make it look pretty on the plate, ok?"

Ichigo watched them for a few minutes before looking towards the den. Ikkaku seemed ruder than usual. Normally he didn't complain this much. He was no gentleman but still. Ichigo wanted to get to the bottom of this. It could have been linked to what was going on, for all he knew.

He went into the den while the others finished up in the kitchen. Ikkaku was sitting on the couch flipping through channels rapidly. Rukia looked annoyed at this. Yumichika didn't seem to mind. He was too busy looking at the photos on the shelves to care.

Ichigo stood in front of Ikkaku, blocking the TV with his body. "What is your problem?"

"Right now, you blocking the screen. Move."

"Not until I talk to you."

Ikkaku leaned his body to the right, trying to look around Ichigo's body.

Ichigo snatched the remote from his hand and turned off the TV. "Listen!"

"What?!"

"I want to know what your problem is. All they were doing in there was having a little fun."

"I don't want to eat something she had caught in her hair."

"It wasn't even touching her head."

"The longer they play, the longer we have to wait to eat."

"Can't you let them have a little fun?"

"First of all, we're on a mission and things are happening. We don't have time for fun. Second of all, she's not a little kid. She's thirteen years old. Shouldn't she be more mature than this? You're three years older than she is and you don't act anything like she does."

"She's having fun in her own way. She's not hurting anybody so I don't see a problem with it."

"I have to deal with my Lieutenant on a daily basis. The last thing I need is to be around someone who's almost as bad."

"She's not nearly as bad as she is, Ikkaku."

"That's why I said 'almost'." Ikkaku swung his leg over the arm of the couch and leaned onto the pile of pillows under his arm in a defiant manner.

"All you've done since you got here is complain and be cold towards Linnette. What is up with you?"

"I told you, I don't like her. She doesn't have to do anything to me or nothing. Some people you just don't like. Don't think that after a moving speech from you, I'm going to become friends with her." He turned away. "You're lucky in that you got to leave during the sleepover they had. Screaming girls and all that crap. It was hell."

"So it was the sleepover that started this?"

"No."

"Then what?"

Ikkaku refused to answer. He kept his eyes pointed in the other direction.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. "It's like talking to a two-year-old."

"That's how she acts."

"She's just having fun. She knows when to be serious."

"Those guys baby her too much. She can't do anything without them.

"They're protective of her. And if you bothered to listen at all, you'd know that she has been independent. She tries things. It's not like they do everything for her."

Ikkaku scoffed.

As Ichigo prepared to speak again, Rukia interrupted him. "Ichigo, it's not Linnette that he's pissed about."

"It's not?"

Ikkaku shot her a warning look.

She went on anyway. "Sure, he's annoyed at her, but there's more to it than that."

"Yeah, the fact that I'm bored stiff here. We haven't seen even a glimpse of a Hollow and that is why we were sent here in the first place. I don't know what to do with myself."

"Don't make excuses," Rukia said firmly. "It's not just boredom and it's not Linnette you're mad at. It's her protectors."

That had never occurred to Ichigo before now. "It is?"

"You weren't in the sewer when it happened. You had left already with Hisagi. A few months back during the Hollow Reaper ordeal, Ikkaku had told Victor and Cedric that the only reason why anyone was bothering to look for Linnette was because she was a useful tool. If it weren't for her powers, no one would bother. That sent the both of them into a rage and they pinned him against the wall. We had to talk them out of tearing his head off."

"Yeah," Ikkaku grunted. "The big one crushed my windpipe."

"Hey, you said some pretty insulting things."

He waved her off and looked the other direction.

"Besides," Rukia went on. "I think you're threatened by those two. They're stronger than you and you know it."

Ikkaku flinched.

"You know that they could kill you without much effort at all and at a moment's notice. You also know that they do whatever Linnette wants. If she decides on a whim to have you killed, then they would without hesitation. Not only that, but they would also do it without having to be told if you pose any sort of threat towards her. And you know it. And it scares you, doesn't it?"

"That is ridiculous!" Ikkaku faced her again. "I'm not afraid of them at all! What the hell are you thinking?"

"Maybe you're not afraid of them but you do feel threatened by them."

"I do not!" Ikkaku stood up from the couch and towered over Rukia. "Since when did this turn into a shrink's office or something? What does that have to do with anything? Who cares if I'm being cold towards her? So what?"

"I happen to care," said Ichigo. "She already feels like you hate her. As long as we're all staying here with her, the least we can do is be kind to her."

"I'm not yelling at her, am I? I'm just pissed off, that's all! I don't care what she thinks of me. She cares too much about what other people think."

"Can you blame her? She's always looking to make new friends and she's worried that there's something wrong with her, which is why it's so hard for her to make friends."

"Yeah, yeah, sob story, boo-hoo." Ikkaku started to chew his lip for a moment then went back to arguing. "Look, it doesn't matter, alright? I don't like her and you can't force me to change that. I don't like having to be here with nothing to do but listen to kid games all day around a girl who needs to learn how to grow up and do things herself. And I'm not too fond of those two men, either."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual." Victor had suddenly appeared in the doorway and began to walk slowly towards Ikkaku, guiding Ichigo out of his path. "From the first time I saw you, I knew that you were the kind of person I didn't want anywhere near Linnette. A degenerate such as yourself."

"A what?!"

"You heard me. Or perhaps ruffian is the term I'm looking for. As a parent, there are certain people I want Linnette to be exposed to and those I don't."

"Pfft!" Ikkaku scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You're not her father so don't pretend to be."

"I never said 'father', did I? I'm acting as her parent. I'm raising her, caring for her and protecting her and doing everything a parent would. So what if our creation was the other way around? She needs us."

"She needs to grow up."

"She should have the right to be happy and make up for lost time."

"Again, she should grow the hell up."

Victor stepped closer. "Can't she have a chance at happiness by living the way she wants to? She's not hurting anyone and she learns a little more each day. She can do things independently if need be. We don't expect her to know how to do everything. Some people need help. Everyone does."

Ikkaku stepped closer to Victor and leaned into his face. "You're just a couple of freaks playing house with a girl who wants to stay a kid forever! And you're indulging it! Tell her to do things herself!"

"She has done things herself. She has tried. Sometimes it doesn't work. She has failed. So we help show her the right way to do it and the next time she gets a little better. What's wrong with us being a family to her?"

"The fact that she's helpless without you and can't do a damn thing on her own!"

"That is not true. I think that we know a little more about her than you do. You have no right to lecture me on how to care for my little girl."

"Everything is a game to you, isn't it? All you do is play games with her!"

"Sometimes to get anything done, even a mundane task, you have to make it more appealing to the person. It eases stress. You can't tell me you've never made a game out of killing Hollows. Like how many you could kill over another or how quickly you could get it done."

Ikkaku was guilty of that, but he refused to submit to this man. "She has to learn that not everything is a game and to be serious."

"She does. If you'd pay any attention at all…"

"You guys do everything for her! Don't give me that! There's no reason why she can't do something."

In the midst of their argument, Linnette had wandered into the den, clutching her newly purchased book to her chest. She had followed the voices in an attempt to find Victor. She was very excited about her new book and was eager to start it. Seeing the two arguing made her stop, unsure if she should interrupt or not. But her desire was too strong to ignore. She stood beside Victor and tugged on his jacket to get his attention. She wouldn't speak unless spoken to herself. That way she wouldn't be interrupting. That was her logic, at least.

Victor felt the tugging and looked down. Losing sight of Victor's eyes made Ikkau's blood boil. He hated being ignored in the middle of a conversation. He took it as an insult. Like he wasn't worth the other's time.

"What is it, honey?"

She held up the book. "Since dinner is still cooking, we have a couple of hours, right? So I thought we could get started on the book. Would you please read it to me?"

As Victor opened his mouth to answer, Ikkaku's loud voice made Victor's mute. "Read it yourself! Are you stupid or something?"

Linnette's blue eyes went wide and she flinched. Looking up at the angry Ikkaku, she tried to answer him, but all that came out was a squeak. Then her eyes fell to the ground, moving quickly as if in search of something. Then, holding the book tightly to her chest, she turned and ran.

"Lin…" Ichigo could hear her footsteps on the stairs on her way up to her room and the door slamming shut.

The room was silent.

Suddenly, Victor grabbed the back of Ikkaku's shirt and hoisted him off the ground, carrying him out of the room. "OUT!"

Ikkaku tried to grab the doorframe but Victor wouldn't let him. Brows furrowed together and eyes narrowed, Victor carried Ikkaku through the house and toward the door. Yumichika chased after him, demanding answers.

"What are you doing? Put Ikkaku down! Where are you taking him? Let him go! What is wrong with you?"

Victor opened the door and literally threw Ikkaku into the yard with one hand. "If you can't be civil, then get out of our house! You are no longer welcome in our home!"

Ikkaku spat out a mouthful of grass and got to his feet, furious. "What the hell?! What did I do?!"

"Insulting Linnette like that and making her run up to her room..! I'd be shocked if she weren't crying right now after what you just did!"

"What did I do?!" he snapped. "All I did was tell her to read the damn book herself! What's the big deal?"

"You called her stupid!"

"So what? Why else wouldn't she read the thing on her own unless she were lazy or just plain stupid? Why not read the thing herself?"

"Because she can't read!"

Ikkaku was silent, caught off guard by his answer. "W-what?"

"She has a learning disability," Victor explained from the doorway. "She can't understand what she reads. We're teaching her to overcome it, but because it was caught so late in her life, it's that much harder. Why do you think we home school her? The children at public school would make fun of her constantly because of her disability. She got so discouraged with that kind of negative influence. Because she can't read at the same level as everyone else, they would call her stupid… just like you did a moment ago."

Ikkaku looked down.

"Calling her that in her own home… We're trying to build her confidence. Saying such a thing to her probably stirred up all sorts of bad memories. She can't help it. It was something she was born with and it doesn't make her stupid."

"Well, like I knew that!"

Victor took a step back with his hand on the doorknob. "If you cannot be civil or understanding and learn how to think before you speak, you can stay out there. You're not coming back in if all you'll do is torment my little girl." He slammed the door shut and locked it. Ikkaku was out there to stay.

Yumichika looked stunned. Rukia had been completely silent, but the look on her face told Ichigo that she agreed with Victor completely. Ichigo watched Victor make his way over to the stairs, going up to Linnette's room in an attempt to comfort her.

It looked like Ikkaku's temper got the better of him and earned him a long stay in the yard. Something had to be done to earn their trust back. If they ever had any trust for him in the first place.

I'm sure people have noticed Ikkaku's behavior in this Malum, and this explains why for the most part. If you recall Malum Lues, there was an incident... Well, either way we all know they don't like each other so how else would someone behave when they have to stay with their worst enemy or close enough? I'd hate to see how things would be if they met Kenpachi. D:

Please review! ^-^