Chapter 17:

Ichigo looked at the ceiling in silence. Victor had went to console Linnette over an hour ago and hadn't come down since. Either Ikkaku had really upset Linnette or Victor was trying to distract himself from his fury. Ichigo looked out the window with a view of the back yard. Ikkaku, with nowhere else to go, had circled around the house countless times since he had been kicked out. He finally stopped to take a rest in the middle of the back yard, picking at the blades of grass with his left hand.

Unable to handle the silence for another moment, Ichigo stood up and went out into the yard. He walked up to Ikkaku and sat down on his left. He didn't look up. "Hey."

"I don't need anymore lectures, alright?" He snarled.

"I'm not going to lecture you. I just wanted to check up on you. That's all." Ichigo faced forward. "Jeez, you've been in one hell of a mood lately."

Ikkaku sighed. The bitter look on his face subsided. "I know. You're right. I haven't been myself lately. Even I've realized that by now."

"Then what's the problem?"

Ikkaku stretched out one of his legs and continued to pull at the grass with his hand. "I don't know… I'd hate to say it, but maybe Rukia's right."

"About what?"

"I don't know, everything, I guess. I mean… I hate kids, especially ones with lots of energy. The sleepover put me in a real bad mood. But that was only a small part of it. Maybe it's not her. Maybe it's them." He stopped pulling the grass. "Maybe I am threatened by them."

Ichigo looked at the clump of grass ripped from the earth laying by Ikkaku's still hand.

"I'm not scared of them. It's just that… I don't know. I know that they're impossibly strong. There's even a part of me that's pretty damn sure that they can easily defeat my Captain in a moment's notice. It comes so easily to them. It pisses me off, but even that's not it. I can't explain it."

"You feel kind of useless because of their strength," Ichigo said. He thought he had it figured out. "They don't need your help. You're just sort of here and that pisses you off like crazy. Am I right?"

Ikkaku stared at the ground for a while, then scoffed. "Hm. Maybe that's it." He sighed. "I don't know. I guess it's a lot of things building up." He leaned back on his hands. "I'm also worried."

"That we haven't figured out what's causing everyone to act like this?"

"Yeah… I mean, we were told that it was a Hollow problem but that girl couldn't do anything about it so it might not be a Hollow issue. But…" Ikkaku looked at the cloud drifting over the tops of the trees before he continued in a low voice. "I've never seen Yumichika look at me like that before. That look in his eyes… I've never seen that look before. Not from him and not at me. That's for sure. And you heard what he said. He was actually willing to fight me. He would never do such a thing. He has a hard enough time coming at me seriously when we're sparing back at the dojo."

"That's because he's afraid you'll bruise his flawless features," Ichigo half joked.

That made Ikkaku chuckle. "Yeah, guess so…" His smile started to fade. "Still… I just can't get over that look he gave me. That was him, but it wasn't. There's nothing I can do for him. I have no idea who or what I'm fighting. It's confusing as hell."

Ichigo leaned back on his hands as well. "It's like you said. It's a lot of things. Try not to let it get to you."

"Usually I don't let it get to me like this." He turned his head, finally looking at Ichigo. "I didn't mean to insult the girl like that. She's not my favorite person in the world and I have a lot of criticism for her, but I didn't mean to hurt her feelings like that. I didn't know."

"Even so, you didn't have to call her stupid."

"That's not how I meant for it to come out. She showed up at a bad time. I was already fueled."

Soft footsteps swept across the grass behind them. At first they mistook it for the wind but there was no breeze. They turned around. Victor was walking towards them both with two pieces of paper in his hands. The moment he saw him approach, Ikkaku tensed up. If Victor was going to attack him, he was going to fight back. Instead of fighting, Victor bent down and handed Ikkaku one of the papers.

"Read this."

Ikkaku took the paper and looked it over. He frowned and held up the paper looking very upset. "What the hell is this dribble?"

Ichigo looked at the paper, instantly as confused as Ikkaku. It appeared to be writing but like looked like someone had smashed the keyboard with their palm and passed it off as print. It made no sense at all.

Victor pointed to the paper. "Hard, isn't it? That… is what Linnette sees when she tries to read."

Ikkaku looked at the paper again. "These don't even look like words. How the hell are you supposed to even pronounce any of this crap?"

"See how she can have such a hard time of it?" He handed him the other piece of paper. "Sometimes, this is also what she sees."

This piece of paper was different. These were real words, only mirrored. It was like trying to read a reflection. Very difficult but not impossible.

"We home school her," Victor explained. "We have a different method to teach her how to read and comprehend it. We read to her. When she gets a new chapter book, we read her a chapter a night. Sometimes more depending on the day. When we finish reading it, we let her reread it herself. Having heard the story once before, she is able to figure out a word she does not understand based on logic and memory. It works for her. So in the future when she comes across a word she saw in the book, she's able to figure it out. She knows that she's not at the same level as everyone else and is easily discouraged, but she's shown more improvement with us than she ever did in public school, with teachers who told her that she was just lazy and the students who called her stupid."

Apologizing wasn't a habit of Ikkaku's, but he did it when he knew that he was in the wrong. Swallowing his pride, he confessed to his guilt, handing back the papers and bowing his head low. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insult her. I was just angry and lost my temper."

Victor took the papers back and folded them into his jacket. "Surprisingly enough, Linnette didn't need that much consoling. Her feelings were hurt but she got over it within the first ten minutes after you said it."

"Then why were you up there for so long?" Ichigo asked. He hadn't seen him for quite some time.

"I had to blow off a little steam myself. I also wanted to help Ikkaku here understand how difficult things can be for her." Victor stood up, keeping his eyes fixed on Ikkaku. Ikkaku returned his stare. "You may come in and eat if you like."

Ikkaku stood up. "So…" he said slowly, peering at Victor sideways. "You're letting me back into the house?"

"As long as you do not insult her again… yes."

"We could just pretend this whole thing never happened and move on from here. I haven't been in the best of moods lately. Maybe all I needed was you kicking me out to finally see it myself. Sorry about all that."

Victor nodded and walked back to the house. Ikkaku followed. Ichigo started toward the house, then stopped. He started running. He raced passed the other two and bounded up the back steps and onto the wooden porch. He ran face-first into the sliding glass doors, stumbling back from the force and rubbing his nose.

"Are you ok?"

Ichigo looked up with glowing yellow eyes. "Where is she? Where's my little princess?"

Victor and Ikkaku looked at each other. The Hollow was back.

Finally figuring out that there was a door there, Ichigo's hand fumbled with the knob and threw the door opened excitedly. "Oh, Linnette!" he called into the house. "Guess who's back!" He bounded into the house in search of her.

"I take it that he's going to show up at random, huh?" Ikkaku muttered.

"Seems that way," Victor answered back.

Dinner always seemed to be a spectacle at the house with Soul Reapers around. Allowed back into the house, Ikkaku was taking advantage of the hospitality and eating as much as he could of the food offered to him. Normally having to only cook for one, the food quantity Victor had laid out resembled a feast for the additional company. Even so, the food was disappearing quickly. Ikkaku was already on his third helping. Byakuya chose to sit at the head of the table as he normally did at home eating his meal much slower than the others. Even if he was trying to eat in a sophisticated manner, it was clear that Byakuya was enjoying the food so much that he was eating at a somewhat fast pace than he normally did. Now finished with his first helping, he was silently looking at the remains on the table, wanting seconds but too nervous to ask. He normally never had a second helping of food. But the cooking was too good to pass up. Sensing this, Victor filled up his plate again and offered it to him. Knowing it would be rude to pass up his kindness, Byakuya took it from him and no one had to know a thing.

The one who was a real monster at the table was Ichigo. Or rather the Hollow in control of his body at the time. He was attacking the food on his plate, wolfing it down as fast as he could. At times, he even forgot how to use his utensils, grabbing the food with his hands and ripping it apart with his teeth. He snatched away pieces of roast with his stained hands and shoved it into his mouth, chewing noisily.

"You, uh…" Hanataro said nervously from across the table. "You can slow down, you know…"

Ichigo ignored him and continued eating.

"You'd think you've never eaten before," remarked Rukia.

He swallowed the food in his mouth before answering her back. "This is the first time I've ever eaten. Out in the open like this in this body in full control… and I've never eaten food like this before." He tore off a piece of meat with his teeth. "I'm liking this a hell of a lot."

"Well, try to control yourself. You're eating like a pig."

He belched at the same time Ikkaku did and continued to eat.

"At least chew with your mouth closed."

"Make me."

The others tried to ignore him to the best of their abilities. It wasn't easy. It was like telling a hyperactive child to sit down. As long as he wasn't attacking anyone, they chose not to do anything about it and continue with the meal.

As he shoved another slab of meat into his mouth, he froze. Ichigo's eyes returned to their usual brown and let the piece of meat fall from his open mouth. He looked down at his slimy stained hands and up at the people staring at him. "What happened and what is all over my hands?"

"Probably gravy," answered Rukia. "It's in your hair, too."

Ichigo groaned and pulled away from the table. "My stomach hurts, too. What the hell did he do to me?"

"Ate like crazy."

Ichigo stood up and started to excuse himself from the table. "I'm going to go clean up."

"Please do."

Ichigo went upstairs and took a hot shower. He made sure he got all the remains of dinner out of his hair and from under his fingernails before stepping out and drying off. His clothes were laid out for him by the sink, neatly folded, and his dirty ones were missing. Those two were quick. His clothes were probably in the wash at this time.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and wiped the steam from the mirror with his hand. His hand left wet streaks across the mirror but at least he could see himself. He wiped his hand off on the towel and looked back at his reflection.

"You look troubled," said his reflection.

He jumped. That wasn't him. The eyes were different. He calmed down quickly and groaned. "Well, this is new. You've never spoken to me in a mirror before. A little cliché, don't you think?"

He laughed. "Keep an open mind, would you, King?"

"What do you want? Second helping of dinner? Made one hell of a spectacle out of me."

His Hollow laughed again. "Dinner and a show! Be proud!" He sneered. "But let's get back to the topic, shall we? You look like there's something bothering you. Is there?"

"Yeah. You."

"Aw, now I'm hurt."

"You keep popping up at random. Why is that?"

"How the hell should I know? You think I want to? If I'm going to take control, I want it to be on my own terms. Like I don't have things to do myself. It's a headache for me, too, trust me."

"You seem to be having a lot of fun for someone who's being put out."

"I'm making the most of it. Sue me. But we both know that you're upset over something else. It's not just the random changes. So what's eating you, your Majesty?"

Ichigo looked away from the mirror and at the moist sink. "I'm not even sure myself. It's the changes that are bothering me but…"

"But..?" his Hollow prompted.

Ichigo heard laughter from downstairs and looked at the closed door. It sounded like they were having fun. "I guess… I'm worried about them."

"Oh?"

"They've been coming after me and they don't even know why. And like Ikkaku said… Yumichika's never had that look in his eyes before. He was never willing to take on Ikkaku if he could help it, but he was willing to do it then. Something is wrong with them. But it can't be a Hollow's doing. Linnette's voice answered that for us."

"Ah, little Linnette… It's a pleasure to be reunited with her again…"

Ichigo ignored his doppelganger. "But we were sent here on a mission saying that a Hollow was involved. It's not."

"So you're thinking that they were mistaken?"

He frowned. "No. I think they knew all along."

His Hollow hummed. Whether it was out of amusement or acknowledging his existence, Ichigo did not know.

"Think about it. They know that Linnette has the power to control Hollows and Victor and Cedric possess the strength to kill them with no problem. If there was a Hollow problem, why would they send Soul Reapers here? We haven't seen any Hollows anyway. And it all happened so fast. I didn't have time to do anything. Or let my family know that I was leaving somewhere. It's like… they wanted to take me away from them. Maybe this whole this was a distraction..?"

"Now why would they do something like that and not tell you?"

Ichigo looked back at his Hollow reflected in the mirror. "I don't think the others know, either. But I'm sure Byakuya does. I think he was sent here to keep an eye on us or something. Taking me away from home, leaving me here and what's been happening to them must all be connected somehow."

"Sounds complicated…"

Ichigo looked at the sink again. "It is… I have no idea what's up. I don't know what to do. Should I ask them or should I keep it to myself? If they're doing this they must have a reason. But I have a right to know." He gripped the edge of the smooth sink with his hands and squeezed.

"Might want to watch that temper, King. Although, if you go downstairs and punch Byakuya in the face, I won't stop you. It might be funny."

Ichigo removed the towel and started to get dressed. "I'm not going to bring it up just yet. There may be a reason for all this. But the next time something happens, I'm opening my mouth. I'm not going to be kept in the dark if I can help it."

"Good for you. Just let Linnette know that I'll be waiting for those songs any time. Whether you're there or not."

When Ichigo looked back in the mirror all he saw was his own reflection and no one else.

He draped the towel over his shoulders and opened the door, releasing the steam. It was much cooler in the hall, like stepping out of a sauna. Following the laughter, Ichigo went downstairs and saw Linnette playing a game with Hanataro and Rangiku. She was trying to ride on Hanataro's back but he wouldn't get off his knees. Rangiku was teasing him, asking if he was too weak to lift a 90 pound girl. Victor was in the kitchen cleaning up while Rukia carried the dishes from the dining room over to the sink, wanting to be of help. Cedric was watching Linnette play, making sure she was in good care.

Ichigo stepped further into the room, watching them play. Linnette tried to get others to join but there were no takers. Rangiku tried to drag Yumichika into the fun, but he grabbed onto the counter and refused to let go. Since he didn't play, Ikkaku only observed from a distance and stayed out of their way. Ichigo moved forward and bent down to where Hanataro was pinned down and patted his head.

"Too heavy for you?" he teased. "Come on, you can do it."

"Sorry…" he mumbled into the floor.

Linnette got off his back and offered to carry him instead. Cedric looked on with a discouraging face. He wasn't too keen on the idea. He was afraid she would hurt herself carrying another person on her back.

"I could carry you," Ichigo said to distract her.

She rolled across the floor and got to her feet. "We could also play something else. Like tag out in the yard."

"It's too dark for that, Linnette," Cedric told her.

"We have a Frisbee we could toss around."

"Again, it's too dark."

"Cards?" she suggested, unable to think of anything else.

"That would be fine."

Able to come up with something doable, Linnette started opening drawers in the living room, trying to find a deck. "Where are the cards, Cedric?"

"They're either in the den or in the study."

"I'll get them." Linnette ran to the den. As she turned from the dining room to the hallway her head plunged into something dark. She had entered at the same time someone was trying to leave. She jumped back, stepping on the person's foot. She looked up at Byakuya who towered over her in comparison. Her face was in perfect alignment with his solar plexus. She backed up. "Oh. Sorry."

He stepped to the side slightly allowing her to pass. This was her home after all. He had to yield to her. "It's alright."

She went into the den and started to open drawers in Victor's desk. To Byakuya it seemed like a strange layout to the house, having to enter the hallway from the dining room. Since Linnette rarely visited the study, it was never an issue with her.

Byakuya moved into the dining room and saw his sister on her knees, helping to clean up the fallen bits of food onto a plate, muttering in disgust. "He could at least chew his food a little better…"

Cedric entered from the other door and bent down in front of her. "I'll get that." He had a small vacuum in his right hand. She moved back as he switched the device on with his thumb and ran it over the carpet. The pieces of food disappeared as the mouth of the vacuum glided over the floor with little effort.

Rukia took the plate into the kitchen where Victor was washing dishes. Byakuya watched then moved into the living room. Ichigo was talking with the others, making small talk. Byakuya wasn't too interested. He sat down on the couch to let his stomach settle. It was a satisfying meal with little left over.

Then Linnette came running from the dining room and pulled on Victor's jacket with both hands. "Victor, come look at this!"

He turned off the faucet and wrapped his wet hands in a small towel. He was dragged into the dining room by Linnette who couldn't wait to show whatever it was to him.

"Look, look! See?"

Ichigo got up and followed them. If it were anything dangerous, she would have said so. This must have been something different.

She opened the sliding door and stepped onto the back porch in her bare feet and pointed up at the sky. "See? Look!"

The Soul Reapers gathered on the back porch and looked up. There was a full moon out and there were patches of stars twinkling overhead above the house.

"So?" Ikkaku snorted, unimpressed.

"We never see this many stars this close to the city. It's really rare that we would see any so clearly like this. And the moon is really bright tonight, isn't it?"

Ikkaku and Yumichika retreated back into the house, having seen enough. Rangiku did the same, wanting a chance at the TV. After a minute, Rukia and Byakuya went back in as well with Cedric.

Rukia turned and saw Ichigo and Hanataro still staring up at the night sky. "Coming?"

"In a minute," Ichigo answered. He and Hanataro moved closer to where Linnette was standing with Victor, looking at the stars.

Close to the city like this, it was hard to see stars. This was indeed rare. The stars they could see clearly were few, but the moon was very bright tonight and full. Ichigo felt kind of nostalgic looking at the sky like this. Then he remembered. He had spent a night like this with Veneno on the roof looking up at the moon and the stars. Looking at Linnette, he realized that they had the same look of wonder on their faces as well.

The night air was cool and lights from the house made their shadows stretch long across the wooden porch. The deck of cards forgotten on the dining room table in the warm house made everything seem so far away in that moment. As if standing in the dark night air might as well have been a whole other world.

Ichigo looked at Hanataro who had decided to lean his upper body against the wooden railing beside Victor and Linnette to look at the sky for just a few more minutes. Ichigo moved closer to join them. In that moment he noticed something very interesting. While Linnette was looking up at the starry moonlit sky with a smile on her face, shivering slightly from the cold wind on her bare legs and feet, Victor was watching her.

Now that everyone was fed, cleaned and in bed, it was the perfect time for Victor to tend to his evening chores. He had finished reading to Linnette and tucked her in. Cedric and Victor switched places. The the larger man was keeping watch over the second floor of the house. He checked on the women sharing their unused room. Both were asleep in their beds. Victor went downstairs and looked into the den. The boys were all asleep as well. He tiptoed out of the room and into the kitchen. The dishes were washed and put away and the table was spotless. As was the dining room table. The mess from earlier was gone and everything was as it was before. He looked at the couch in the living room. Empty, except for a blanket and pillow left out for the Captain. He looked back into the dining room and saw a dim ray of light on the carpet. The light was coming from under the closed door of the study. Victor opened the door and looked inside.

"What are you doing in here?"

Byakuya looked up from the desk chair, book in his lap. "Reading."

"It's late."

"I couldn't sleep."

Victor moved into the room, closing the door slightly behind him. He made sure it was still open a crack. "Normally after eating one of my roasts like that, a food coma settles in. The others are out in the next room."

"I eat until I'm satisfied. It's the others who see a free meal and are unable to stop themselves. Such gluttony. They should realize that a full stomach makes a slow Soul Reaper. Someone from Squad 11 should know that."

"Regardless… I'm glad my meal was enjoyed."

Byakuya turned the page in the book he was reading but was no longer reading. His eyes had stopped moving. "I have a question for you."

"What is it?"

"Do you ever eat?"

"I don't need to. It holds no purpose to me. Or to Cedric."

"I asked if you ever did. Not if you needed to."

Victor nodded once. "Yes. Normally at a social event to keep up appearances. If food is offered to me by another adult. I do not want to seem rude."

"Can you taste it?"

"Yes. I do have all five senses."

"Do you enjoy it? Eating, I mean."

He shrugged. "It seems rather pointless to someone like me. Cedric views it as a waste of time. I have to agree to a certain extent. If it serves no purpose, then…"

"But you have done so."

"Yes. I've also eaten the things Linnette has offered to me. She has attempted to cook before. I tried what she made and gave her pointers for how to improve." He gestured to the wine display in the dining room. "You've seen my collection of wines, haven't you? The bottles Ikkaku left me, at least. I prefer wine to just about anything else. You're welcome to have a glass if you like."

"No, thank you."

"Why all the questions this evening?" Victor asked him.

Byakuya lowered his head as if he were preparing to continue reading. "I'm just trying to understand you better. That's all."

"Were you having doubts or..?"

"Nothing like that, no." He kept his place in the book with his index finger. "I've just been curious about you lately. At one time, I believe you were an enemy of Ichigo. Isn't that right?"

Despite this, Victor seemed unfazed by the statement. "It's in the past. Mistakes have been made."

"You turned innocent people into Hollows."

"I was under the impression that Linnette would want that. I exist to make her happy. I thought it would please her. I was wrong. Ichigo managed to forgive me. Can you do the same?"

Byakuya looked up from the book. "There's nothing for me to forgive. It was up to Ichigo. But I do have another question for you."

"Yes?"

"You said that you did it for Linnette. You wish to make her happy. Do you ever think for yourself? Or is everything you do one of her whims?"

Victor looked amused to be asked this. "Speaking to you right now is a demonstration of my free will. I was never asked to do so. And Linnette has no deep connection to you so there is no reason why I should be concerned about your wellbeing. But you're right in a way. I have a need to serve her and do her bidding while guiding her way. We both have questions and we both have our uncertainties. There are many things I don't know, about myself and others. But I've come to accept that."

He touched his chest, tugging at the fabric of his white jacket as he squeezed.

"I feel a deep connection to her. It goes beyond her being my creator. It's like we're one and the same. Cedric as well. It's like we're a part of Linnette. A part of her spirit. I can't describe this feeling that we both share, but it's powerful. Our love knows no bounds. No matter what happens, we will always be there for her. Our lives are connected."

Byakuya saw the sincerity in Victor's eyes and could actually feel the limitless amount of love pouring from his being as he thought of the girl sleeping upstairs. He, too, felt the same kind of transcending love for another. He had been so in love with his late wife that honor and status meant nothing to him as long as he could be with her and make her happy. He felt like he could relate in a way. But the love he had seemed different. He knew there were different kinds of love in the world, but Victor's was unique. Limitless love, unshakable loyalty, a powerful desire to do her bidding, impossible strength. Somehow, it reminded him of how a Zanpakuto must feel about its master. An incomparable feeling of love and devotion. A relationship like no other.

The book slipped from Byakuya's still hand.

Victor glanced up and saw the book hit the floor with a dull thud. "Byakuya?"

He wasn't moving.

"Byaku-"

The Captain jumped to his feet and pushed Victor out of the way. Victor saw him swallow something, heading toward the den and followed him at a distance. Byakuya, now in Soul Reaper form, went into the den and returned with Ichigo thrown over his shoulder. He gave Victor a quick glare then ran for the door. Victor allowed this for two reasons. First, he knew that he could head him off quite easily. The second reason being that he couldn't risk confronting him in the house. Something could get broken and he didn't want to wake the others.

As soon as the front door was open, Byakuya was outside with his prize. The sudden gust of cold air made him shiver and shut his eyes as a strand of his dark hair wiped against his face. When he opened them, he found Victor standing in front of him. His white suit and ominous stance made him look like a ghost in the night. The moonlight made his deep blue eyes sparkle in an eerie and almost sensual way. Byakuya stood his ground, tightening his hold around Ichigo.

"Again we have to do this?" Victor said. "And we were having such a nice conversation, too."

Byakuya pulled out his Zanpakuto. "Scatter…"

The blade began to glow pink and fell away in a thousand pieces, like falling petals and wafted in the cool breeze.

Victor removed his white jacket and folded it, laying it on the stone path. "I won't have another jacket torn to shreds again. These cost money, you know." He removed his tie as well and tossed it onto the folded jacket. The fluttering pink petals had Byakuya surrounded like a speckled wall, slowly revolving around him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to get to him unless he braved that wall of pink light. Knowing what had to be done, Victor dashed in a straight line toward Byakuya.

"A forward attack is pointless," said the Captain.

"This attack surrounds you so it's meaningless to attack from another direction. It'll all end the same way."

"That may be true, but a forward attack is still foolish." With a slight turn of his wrist, the petals converged on Victor's location and attacked. He pushed through the attack and kept running. Victor broke through the wall and kept going. The petals surrounding Byakuya looked like pink snow. As unyielding as ever, Byakuya attacked again. The power of his Zanpakuto was no match for Victor's inhuman body. As the thousands of sharp blades of pink cut through his clothes, his flesh was never torn. He could feel their razor sharpness but kept going. It was as if the pain was nothing to him. Byakuya turned his blade again and again, trying to slow Victor down. He was considering using Bankai in order to stop this man.

Victor broke through the wall again and made it to Byakuya's safe zone. Taken aback by this, Byakuya took a step back, leaning away from the man inches from his face. "Cedric!"

He felt someone at his back. It was a tag-team affair. Byakuya turned his sword to try to attack Cedric, but he wasn't called to fight. He was called to retrieve. While Byakuya was distracted, thinking that he would be attacked from behind, Victor grabbed Ichigo and pulled him away. As Byakuya swung, Victor vanished and reappeared in front of the house. He tossed Ichigo into Cedric's awaiting arms.

"Take him back into the house. Make sure no one leaves."

"Alright." Cedric took Ichigo back into the house and closed the front door without another word.

Victor looked back at Byakuya with a grin. "With him out of the way, there's no fear of him being hurt by an attack."

Byakuya twisted the pink pillar behind his back, making it bend like a snake. "Do not interfere with me. I'm taking Ichigo with me."

"No matter how many times you say that, you never explain why. Not once."

"Return him to me now!" Byakuya made it rain pink. Thousands of blades showered Victor like tiny projectiles, tearing apart the land but not the man. He emerged, his clothing nothing more than tattered rags and stood before Byakuya, unfazed as usual.

"You're reckless when frustrated," he remarked.

Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "How dare you? I always keep a cool head."

"Not in this state, you don't. Shall I prove it?"

He said nothing. He seemed to be trying to read his opponent's next move. Victor stood perfectly still, his tattered clothes flapping in the slight breeze. His skin was unmarked which only frustrated Byakuya further. What did it take to stop this man? Once he finished with him then he could go into the house and retrieve Ichigo. That was his goal. He needed Ichigo.

Without moving his feet, Byakuya attacked. Turning the handle of his sword to the side, he silently commanded his Zanpakuto to attack. A brilliant pink avalanche drove straight at Victor. He didn't flinch. Byakuya watched as he disappeared in a cloud of pink and waited. He turned his sword this way and that, making sure his attack hit him from multiple angles.

A figure jumped out of the cloud and landed on both feet. Victor broke into a sprint. In the blink of an eye, he was standing face to face with Byakuya. The Captain spoke. "Bakudo-"

Victor grabbed his hand and held it in place, refusing to let him finish. He moved swiftly behind Byakuya's back, pinning his arm behind his back. He pressed into his spine, trying to make him kneel. Refusing, Byakuya used his other hand to make his Zanpakuto come.

"I could always hit you in the head, but I don't want to risk hurting you. But I have to stop you somehow. So let's see if you can keep up with my speed."

Holding Byakuya in his arms, Victor started running. Byakuya's feet left the ground, suspended in the air from the momentum. He started to twist, trying to get free. The more he fought, the faster Victor went. He could feel pressure on the back of his head, pushing him back. Buildings became indistinguishable from another. Houses and trees and cars all blended together in one continuous blur. Byakuya shut his eyes as his head began to spin and throb. The pressure on his body became almost unbearable. Victor wasn't slowing down. He was speeding up. Within only a few seconds, he had circled the neighborhood a dozen times. His chest started to collapse, making it impossible to breathe. Byakuya gasped for air. It felt like he was drowning. His body was being crushed.

Victor sped up even more, running at an impossible speed. He was moving so fast, he was impossible to see with human eyes. He could feel Byakuya's body being pressed into his with tremendous force. He could feel Byakuya pulling at his arm, trying to free himself. He felt the panic as his air was sucked away as if he were trapped in a vacuum. Then he felt nothing from him. Victor immediately slowed his pace and halted in the middle of the yard and set Byakuya down. He wasn't breathing. He gave Byakuya's chest a few taps with his hand, trying to remind his lungs how to work. The air returned to him and he started gasping. He coughed and hunched over, holding his chest.

"Are you alright?"

Byakuya gasped a few times until his panting was slower and nodded. After another minute, his breathing returned to normal and he looked at him. "What… did you do..?"

Victor answered before his question would be finished. "Your brain needs oxygen. I figured that if I took that away, you would become lightheaded enough to subdue. There are other reasons, but that's the short version."

Byakuya started to struggle to his feet. Victor helped him stand. Now able to think again, Byakuya realized what had happened. "I did it again. I went after Ichigo."

Victor nodded.

"And once again, I can't remember the reason why I did it."

Victor helped Byakuya back to the house, letting Byakuya use him as a crutch. Though Byakuya didn't want to take Victor up on that offer, preferring to walk using his own strength. His Zanpakuto was recalled and sheathed. Victor opened the front door and showed Byakuya to the couch.

Cedric was standing by the den, eyeing Byakuya suspiciously. Seeing that he was no longer a threat, he returned the Captain's gigai to him. "Ichigo's fine," he said.

"He didn't wake up at all from that?"

"No. Not once."

Victor smiled. "He's a sound sleeper after dinner." His face became serious again. "How are the others?"

"They never changed. They're still asleep."

"So it was just Byakuya this time…"

Byakuya looked at the two men. "Why do you suppose that is? Why did I change and no one else? There has to be a pattern. When I reported this, no one could confirm a common denominator."

"Maybe it has to do with consciousness," suggested Cedric. "You returned to normal when something effects your consciousness in some way, like if you're knocked out or hit in the head. And the last time this happened, only you and Yumichika were effected. Hanataro was napping. This time you were the only one awake and the others were asleep and unaffected. So maybe that has something to do with it."

"That does make sense." Victor looked at the den and then back at Byakuya. "It's better to talk this over in the morning. It's after midnight now. Besides, if this does only effect you while you're awake, then sleeping would be a good idea."

Byakuya flattened his back against the backrest of the couch, but didn't lie down. "I suppose you're right." He was too troubled to find rest. There were too many things on his mind. Once again, this happened to him and he was unable to do anything about it. They had theories but no answers.

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