Chapter 29:

For the longest time, neither Ichigo nor Veneno said anything. They just sat on a roof and enjoyed each other's company. Ichigo left his body behind and followed Veneno around as a Soul Reaper. Veneno seemed content just having someone by his side. Several times, Ichigo was tempted to break the silence between them but never did. This was just fine.

"Ichigo."

"Yeah?"

"I still don't get it."

"Get what?"

Veneno sighed. "Never mind."

"No. What is it?"

Veneno hesitated. "You've tried explaining to me a lot of things that I just don't understand. Like why people care about each other and not because of personal gain."

"Well, you wanted friends, right? Why's that?"

"Because I didn't want to be alone."

"And why's that?"

Veneno couldn't answer. "I just don't. Being lonely is painful. I don't know why but it is."

"Ok. I understand what you mean. But I keep telling you, you do have friends and you can make more."

Veneno scoffed. "You keep saying that, but... not with Soul Reapers. That's impossible. Besides... I feel like an outsider even when they're nearby. From the ones who stare and the ones who don't."

Ichigo was about to say something when he heard Akon calling for them from the stairs below. Ichigo and Veneno peered over the edge of the roof and saw him waving at them with both hands. "What's up?"

"We have a problem! Come on!"

They jumped down and landed on either side of Akon. He wouldn't wait for them. As soon as they landed, he started to run back down the stairs. "What's going on?" they asked.

"We know where the Hollows are coming from," Akon said over his shoulder. "They're from the lab. They were experiments the Captain was planning on doing something with."

Akon said nothing further and looked over his shoulder at Veneno instead. Ichigo knew why. Veneno had been an experiment in that lab, too. Admitting there were other Hollows like him in a similar situation to his face might have been upsetting to the Arrancar.

Veneno's face was unreadable. Neither could tell what he was thinking or feeling.

"So they got out of the lab?" Ichigo pressed Akon for further answers.

"Er, yeah. It's the same thing as Veneno's situation. They got too big for their containers and escaped. When we resurrected Veneno, the fluid from his tank somehow got mixed into theirs and they mutated."

"What do you mean by mutate?"

"Put simply, they're super Hollows. They got bigger and stronger. The works. Mentioning that it was Veneno's chemical mixture tainting their tanks is important. Because of that, like him, it makes it next to impossible to detect any Spiritual Pressure from them. That's why we haven't been able to sense them. The lab held a total of twelve and so far we've come across three of them. There are nine still out there."

"Is that what we're doing? We're looking for the other nine?"

"More or less. We do have to find them and get rid of them before they cause anymore damage." Akon looked over his shoulder again at Veneno. "I'm sorry, Veneno."

"Hm?"

"I know they're Hollows and I know how you must feel about me saying that we have to eliminate them but... They've been attacking us. We don't have much of a choice. I hope you understand. I know they're your kind and everything, but..."

Ichigo could only imagine how Veneno must have been feeling, hearing two Soul Reapers talk about killing his own kind right in front of him. As Veneno himself has said before, Arrancar or not, he is still a Hollow. Just a more evolved one. When it came right down to it, they were killing his family. Talking about it right in front of him and soon carrying out their plan and killing them with Veneno watching the whole thing. On top of which, these Hollows were also experiments of Mayuri's. He might have had a connection with them, be it out of pity or a mutual understanding.

To everyone's surprise, Veneno cracked a smile. "What are you apologizing for? It has to be done, right?"

Akon almost stopped running. "You're ok with this? Having to kill these Hollows? Are you sure?"

"No, I'm ok with it. They may be Hollows, but that doesn't mean I won't kill them."

"You're sure about that?"

"Even when I was a Hollow, before the experiments, my fellow Hollows always treated me like crap. They're the ones who practically threw me to the Soul Reapers in the first place." Veneno scoffed. "Besides, these guys were attacking me, too. Not just you guys. I'm not taking that without having something to say about it. They threw the first punch, so I'm with you. I'll help you bring them down."

Ichigo grinned and after a moment, Akon returned it. Veneno was on board with this. He was going to help them fight.

"So where are we going anyway?" Ichigo asked. They were running behind Akon who never told them where they were going or what they were doing.

"Just listen for the screaming. That should clue you in."

"Screaming? You mean there's one here already?"

"Yeah, but they need help. I had to find you to clue you in and so you can back us up," Akon explained. "So far, you guys have been the best at bringing these things down. Didn't you bring down a couple, Ichigo?"

"Yeah, the first one. The other two I had help with."

"Not surprising. They're getting stronger and more violent."

The ground vibrated and they could hear screaming nearby. They were close. A moment later, Soul Reapers were being tossed into the air by a monstrous Hollow. This one was even larger than the others. It towered over buildings, it's rat-face mask snapping at those around. These things were getting bigger.

"Have at it, you guys," said Akon. "I'm trying to clear everyone out who's trapped or injured. Try not to cause too much damage." He was off and running again.

Ichigo drew his sword. "Ready?"

Veneno drew his and nodded. "Points to whoever brings it down first."

They sprang into action together. Swords swinging, both made contact with the Hollow. Veneno's blade went through while Ichigo's bounced off. It was happening again. His attacks weren't working while Veneno's were. Once Ichigo put on his mask, that all changed. Now his attacks inflicted damage. Left and right, they attacked the Hollow on either side, giving the Soul Reapers below time to escape.

This Hollow wasn't going down. No matter how many injuries it sustained, it would not give up the fight. It grew angrier and swatted at them with both arms. Ichigo managed to avoid its arms while Veneno took a direct hit to the shoulder and slammed into a building.

"You ok?!" Ichigo hollered.

Veneno stood up shakily and raised his sword. "Barely felt it."

The Hollow opened its mouth wide and roared. Its voice shook the air and every window of the buildings surrounding it exploded. The roar was so powerful, Ichigo nearly fell out of the sky. Covering his ears with both hands, he stood still and waited for it to be over. There was no hope for an attack under these conditions.

"Duck, Ichigo!"

Veneno's warning came just in time as Ichigo dove out of the sky, narrowly missing the Hollow's claws. He kicked off the wall of a building nearby and flew at the Hollow's chest, slashing it straight across. Blood poured out of the wound but the Hollow was still standing. It wasn't going down.

Veneno attacked from the left and sliced off one of its arms. The Hollow shrieked and fired off a round of ceros in all directions. Some hit the ground, others smashed into buildings and the remains shot into the air and disappeared. Before the smoke could clear, the Hollow was charging through the street on a new rampage.

"We have to stop it from getting any further!" Ichigo called to Veneno through the dust clouds. There were more Soul Reapers in that direction, both the fleeing injured and the unsuspecting.

"It won't go down!" Veneno shouted back from somewhere Ichigo couldn't see. "Try aiming for its head!"

Ichigo hurried after the Hollow and did as Veneno said. Unfortunately, Ichigo couldn't land a blow on it's upper body. The Hollow wouldn't let him. For something so massive, it was fast. Every time he got too close, Ichigo was pushed back by its remaining arm. Veneno joined the fight and slashed the Hollow from behind. He, too, couldn't land a hit anywhere near its mask.

The Hollow fired off another round of ceros and roared. Ichigo couldn't stay on his feet and knelt down, covering his ears. That thunderous voice shook him from the inside out, rattling his bones and organs. It made him feel nauseous. He shut his eyes tightly, fearing they would pop out of his skull. By the time he opened them, he saw Veneno being tossed through the air and into the street. He bounced off the ground once and rolled into a pile of rubble.

Veneno rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up. The world around him was still spinning. Once he got his strength back, he grasped his sword and started to stand. Something black blocked his way. It was a row of Soul Reapers. They all had their backs to him, facing the Hollow closing in on them. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"You're injured. Leave it to us."

Did these Soul Reapers think so little of him that they felt he didn't have what it took to fight back? Veneno scowled. "I can hold my own in a battle just fine. I can keep going."

One of the men turned around, scars running across his eye and a 69 tattooed on his face. "We can't risk anyone getting injured worse than they are. We can buy you some time so you can get to safety and regroup with the others. We don't need anyone getting killed over pride or stubbornness. Now get going!"

Veneno's scowl disappeared. They were actually concerned about him getting hurt? They were looking out for him?

"I said go!" The Soul Reaper turned around. "Get ready everyone. Here it comes. Reap!"

The other Soul Reapers held up their weapons.

"Snap!"

"Crush them!"

Veneno started to back away without thinking about it. His body wanted him to do as they said.

"Go!"

He ran for it. He could hear their battle cries from the next street. That Soul Reaper told him to regroup with the others. There must have been more Soul Reapers nearby. Was that what they were doing? They were buying the injured time to escape and giving other Soul Reapers a chance to prepare for an attack? It wasn't intended to be an insult. They were showing consideration and concern for him and everyone else.

Something crashed overhead and chunks of building came down around him. Veneno tucked his head down and dashed through the debris. He saw a girl throwing what looked like fireballs at the Hollow but it was all pointless. The Hollow didn't feel a thing. She screamed as the Hollow fired a cero at her feet and fell. She was caught by the tattooed Soul Reaper and carried to a safe place. Together they went back into combat and were soon joined by other Soul Reapers.

"You there!"

Veneno turned around. A Soul Reaper was beckoning to him.

"Get over here, quick!"

Veneno jogged over. "Yeah?"

"Are you injured? Can you keep going?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Good. We have a Squad over in that direction ready to join in the fight. Our group is going in first. But they could use another person over on that side there. Do you think you can help them out?"

"Uh..."

"Watch out!"

A Soul Reaper's shout alerted them to a chunk of building heading their way. Veneno and the other Soul Reaper dodged it in time. The building it belonged to collapsed in on itself, shaking the ground underfoot. Before it could complete its fall, the building was blown apart and someone came smashing through from the other side. He bounced off the ground, tumbled end over end and landed at their feet.

"Hisagi! Are you alright?"

It was that tattooed Soul Reaper from before. His body was mangled but he was still conscious. Still clutching his Zanpakuto in his right hand, he pointed with his left in the direction he flew from. "Check... Momo... Make sure... she's alright."

"I'll go," volunteered a man and he started running toward the collapsed building.

"She was... right behind me when we were attacked. I hope she's ok."

"Take it easy, Hisagi. We're going to get you out of here. You're hurt bad."

"I'm fine."

Veneno looked up, seeing something darting through the air like a fly. The speck grew larger and landed nearby. It was Ichigo. His shoulder was bleeding but otherwise seemed perfectly fine. "Are you ok?" he asked the man on the ground.

"I'm fine. I want to know if Momo is ok. She was right behind me."

"She's fine. She was asking after you. She's helping the injured get away." Ichigo pointed with his sword. "That thing's going to be here any second. We need to get you out of here."

"You saw her? How is she?"

"She's fine. She's walking ok and everything." Ichigo bent down and slung Hisagi's arm over his shoulder and started carrying him up the street. Another Soul Reaper came to help him. "We have to go. Now."

A cero exploded overhead making everyone flinch. Ichigo and the other Soul Reapers hurried away as fast as they could with Hisagi's feet dragging across the ground. Veneno followed after them, checking over his shoulder every few seconds to see how close the Hollow was. They were joined by another group who took Hisagi from Ichigo and started to mend his wounds.

Ichigo patted Veneno on the arm. "You doing ok?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He looked at the Hollow gaining ground in the distance. "What I'm doing isn't enough. I need help."

"No problem."

Veneno and Ichigo ran, shoulder to shoulder back the way they came to defeat the Hollow. It saw them coming and attacked. They broke apart as a cero flew between them. Veneno returned fire with his own cero which blasted the Hollow in the chest and sent it staggering. In the meantime, Ichigo sliced its legs to try to slow it down. It stomped its feet, trying to trample him. More Soul Reapers arrived and tried to lend a hand. None of their attacks worked and they were soon thrown into the air. The Hollow roared and suddenly changed directions. It was heading for another building packed with Soul Reapers.

"Don't let it get close!" a Soul Reaper shouted. The men below tried their best to keep it from gaining ground but they were kicked aside within seconds. They weren't strong enough to do anything. Others arrived but they, too, were no match for the rampaging Hollow.

"I'll go ahead!" Veneno called to Ichigo and ran off. He was hoping to cut it off and buy the others more time. He shot a cero at the Hollow's back which allowed him time to get ahead of it. As he moved to slash the Hollow with his sword, it swung its tail and sent him crashing to the ground. Veneno rolled to a stop and was on his feet in a fraction of a second. The Hollow lifted its foot and started to bring it down. Veneno took a step back for an attack but tripped over a stone and lost his footing.

"Look out!" A Soul Reaper pushed him out of the way just in time. The man grabbed his arm and pulled him up and they started running. "Be careful."

Veneno recognized this man. Before his identity was known, they used to eat meals together at the same table; even giving him his bread from time to time. Once he learned he was an Arrancar, he gave Veneno nothing but sidewards-stares and a cold shoulder. Now he was risking his life to protect him.

They joined another group hiding behind a building. They looked frightened but ready for a fight. "We have to move from here. That Hollow's coming. Are we ready for an attack?"

The others nodded. "Yes."

"Ok, move out. Try attacking where it can't see you."

Veneno followed the group with a curious feeling he couldn't shake. What was this?

A cero blasted the ground in front of them. They were spotted. Half of the group started attacking while the others ran in another direction. The Hollow's attacks sent pieces of building flying through the air. Veneno ducked to avoid them. A Soul Reaper deflected one of the pieces with his sword. "You ok?" he asked Veneno and he nodded back. The Soul Reaper grabbed one of the women in front of him to keep her from falling into the hole made by a cero attack. "Be careful," he warned.

There was another crash and Ichigo appeared in front of them, slamming into the wall on his shoulder. "It just won't die!" he said breathlessly.

The Soul Reaper started barking orders again. "You two go that way and you two come with me. The rest of you carry the injured to safety. Go, go!"

A woman grabbed Veneno and pulled him up the stairs and out of the way of a stray cero. Ichigo followed after them. More rubble came raining down and smoke filled the air. They made it to another street where Soul Reapers were fleeing every which way. Among them was Akon. He was helping a woman who had an injured leg to her feet. Veneno came over to help them. Ichigo came, too. Akon was running around in a panic, trying to get everyone out of the way. On this level, they were even easier targets for the Hollow. He passed the woman to Ichigo and went to help someone else. As he did, the roof above him shattered and debris rained down around them.

The Hollow was staring right at them. The Soul Reapers trying to escape out the broken window froze in fear and Akon fell to his knees, covered in dust. The Hollow roared and raised its arm. There was no time for them to get away.

Without thinking, Veneno threw himself between them and blocked its arm with his sword. He managed to hold his ground and kept the Hollow in place. The Hollow snarled, but Veneno wasn't backing down. He pushed against the Hollow with both hands on his sword. "Get away..!"

The Hollow snarled again. Its growl became deeper as it realized that Veneno was starting to push its arm back. With all his strength, Veneno threw the Hollow back and bellowed loudly.

"Get away from my friends!"

As soon as he said that, time seemed to freeze. The Hollow didn't move. The Soul Reapers were motionless. In fact, no one was more surprised by his outburst than Veneno himself. Those words... He really truly said them, didn't he?

Veneno looked shocked at himself. His eyes were wide and his mouth was open. Slowly, he looked back at the people standing behind him. He looked at their faces. The faces of each and every Soul Reaper. When he played those words over again in his mind, there was no doubt in his mind that he had actually said them. And meant them from the bottom of his heart.

He started to smile. It was weak, but gathered strength as he spoke softly, more to himself than anyone else. "My friends... They're my friends."

These filthy, horrid, evil, wicked, nasty, repulsive Soul Reapers were his friends. His worst and most hated enemy. They were his friends. And they were worth protecting.

Veneno turned back to the Hollow with a sneer on his face and grasped his sword tightly. "You go through me to get to them, buddy."

The Hollow accepted and opened its mouth wide to devour him in one gulp. Veneno flashed away and reappeared on the Hollow's head. He drove the sword in his hands straight down into its mask. The Hollow shrieked and bucked its head up and down. Veneno held his sword in its mask and held on for one twisted and bumpy ride.

Knowing he needed help, Ichigo sprang up and threw the tip of his sword into the Hollow's mask right next to Veneno's. That was the finishing blow they needed. The Hollow disintegrated on the spot and was gone.

Ichigo and Veneno landed beside each other with the gawking Soul Reapers. Ichigo's mask disappeared, revealing his smile.

"Nothing's impossible, huh?"

Veneno didn't say a word. He knew Ichigo wasn't talking about the Hollow. He was referring to Veneno saying how he could never be friends with soul Reapers. For once, he was happy to be wrong.

The other Soul Reapers gathered themselves and approached the two with gratitude. With the Hollow now gone, it would make finding the injured and cleaning up the destruction a lot easier. From the roof, they could see injured Soul Reapers being helped away by their comrades.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief.

Then came a distant rumbling and cracking. Then multiple roars.

Off in the distance were more Hollows of monstrous size. Ichigo counted four, then two more appeared from behind buildings and then two more from another direction. Eight Hollows in total.

"Are you kidding me?!" Ichigo cried out. "All at once?!"

"They've been showing up one at a time until now," said Veneno. "What's going on?"

"They've been getting stronger as time went on," Akon explained. "The first few were easy. Maybe because they were still developing. Maybe because they were attacking individually. Maybe they're trying to attack in a group now. That must be what they're doing. Maybe they feel they're strong enough to do so now. This will make fighting back even harder."

"No kidding." Ichigo lifted his sword. "That last one we faced was difficult enough. It took just about everything we had just to bring it down."

"Yeah!" said one of the Soul Reapers from the open window. "And they're tough! Those Hollows are no joke. They make us all look like weaklings!"

"Well, I did refer to them as super Hollows," said Akon. "It seems appropriate, don't you think given the situation?" He looked at the Hollows gaining ground in the distance. "They'll be here in a couple minutes if they keep up that pace. I guess it's good that they decided to show up all at once to get it over with. Once these guys are gone, that will be the end of it. These are the last of them."

"But we can't take them all on at once!" said a woman. "It's like he said, these Hollows make us look so weak! They're stronger than normal Hollows and huge!"

"How do we win against these things?"

"They're too strong!"

"And massive!"

"We'll figure it out, alright?" snapped Akon. "Yelling about it isn't going to help. This is what being a Soul Reaper is all about. This is our job. We'll keep everyone safe and fight back against those who threaten to take away peace and those precious to us."

Ichigo nodded. "We'd better get started if that's the case. We'll watch each other's backs and give it our all."

Veneno looked from Ichigo to the Hollows getting closer with every step and then at his blade. Taking in a breath, he nodded. He had already chosen his side.

Akon hurried off in a different direction while Ichigo, Veneno and the Soul Reapers charged into action. As they drew closer, they noticed that other Soul Reapers were already in battle against the Hollows. Up close, they could see just how massive these Hollows were. They were roughly the size of Menos Grande. Some had more appendages than others, some had long tails and others didn't, some walked on two legs and some on fours, one on six. So far, it was the same story as the others. No matter how much the Soul Reapers attacked, the Hollows never took damage.

Ichigo made the first move in their group and sliced the Hollow across the neck, but his blade did not cut into its flesh. The others made their moves next, theirs also making no marks. When Veneno used his sword, he managed to slice into the Hollow's shoulder and drew blood. The Hollow turned it's body to follow Veneno's movements. Veneno was too fast for it and quickly disappeared from sight. A cut was made on the Hollow's back and then another on it's shoulder below the first. Veneno reappeared for a moment and then was gone again. He was on the Hollow's head, hacking away at its mask. It chipped but did not break. The Hollow swung its arm up to bat Veneno away. He flashed off the Hollow's head and the Hollow's arm smashed right into its mask right where Veneno had been, injuring itself. It screeched and stumbled back. Veneno and Ichigo quickly grabbed the Soul Reapers below and pulled them out of the way before they were trampled.

A cero formed in the Hollow's mouth and fired at them. The cero tore through a building but missed its target. Veneno stood below the Hollow and fired his own cero at the Hollow's stomach. A direct hit which sent the Hollow reeling. It stumbled and fell but wasn't dead. It stood up again and roared, slapping the ground with its tail in anger.

Ichigo attacked as Veneno moved to one side, keeping the Hollow's attention focused on him. Ichigo's attack didn't open any new wounds, but he wasn't trying to. He was aiming at the wounds Veneno inflicted. This seemed to cause the Hollow some pain for it looked down to see who had attacked it. It stomped after Ichigo and fired two ceros, one in the shadow of the first. He managed to avoid both, but Ichigo couldn't avoid it's foot. The Hollow stepped on the hem of Ichigo's tailcoat and dragged him down. Before the Hollow could stomp on his skull, Veneno used is own cero to blast the Hollow off its feet and pulled Ichigo out of the way.

"Thanks for that."

Veneno nodded. "No problem. Listen, if we attack the mask together, we might be able to bring it down. Want to try it?"

"Sounds good to me."

They each sprang up and started attacking the Hollow's mask, one right after another. They would spring back and attack from a different angle to keep the Hollow confused. Veneno struck first, then Ichigo, then they would attack together at the same spot on its mask. It was beginning to chip and crack, but it was so thick. The Hollow bucked its head and swung at them with its hands. Veneno landed on a roof and rolled out of the way as its arm smashed into the building. He sat up panting and glaring at the Hollow.

"Come on, Veneno!"

"You can do it!"

Veneno's glare vanished and looked down in confusion. The Soul Reapers, the injured and the uninjured were standing below, cheering him on.

"Go get him, Veneno!"

"Go for it, man!"

"Kick its ass!"

"Don't give up!"

"We believe in you!"

"Do your best!"

All those Soul Reapers. They were sending up their encouraging words to the Arrancar. They were all cheering for Veneno.

Veneno looked stunned. He had never had people cheer for him before.

He was fighting for them. He wasn't their enemy. He was a friend. They were cheering on a friend. They cared about him.

Veneno's lips curled and he started to smile. Their cheering gave him courage and energy. He wasn't going to let them down. Taking up his sword, he rushed at the Hollow with a loud battle cry and sliced off the tip pf the Hollow's ear. The Hollow roared and swung at him with both arms.

"Yeah, Veneno!"

"Go!"

"You can do it!"

"You're doing great!"

He stabbed the Hollow's ribs and as it doubled over, he chipped away more of its mask on his way up. This time, the Hollow managed to grab Veneno's leg and pulled him out of the air and into the ground. Veneno rolled out of the way of its stomping feet until there was nowhere left to roll.

The Soul Reapers ran forward and started to attack the Hollow with everything they had.

"You leave him alone!"

"Die, you damn Hollow!"

"To get to him, you go through us!"

Veneno sat up and watched them fight. No matter how little damage they caused, they never gave up. They fought with everything they had for their sake and for his.

There was a part of Veneno that thought that they were only cheering him on because he could protect them. Knowing he would protect them, they cheered for him for his protection. They wanted Veneno to keep them safe, but that was all they cared about. They didn't give a damn about him, but for what he could do for them. He was no more than a tool. But seeing them fight to protect him made him realize that wasn't the case. They actually cared about him and not just his protection. On the battlefield, they looked after each other. They cared for each other. When one was hurt, they came to their aid. When Veneno was hurt, they charged in without hesitation to protect him. When he was hurt, they wanted revenge for their fallen alley.

Veneno got to his feet and charged in with them. Ichigo, who had been watching from nearby, joined in.

Swords clashed against claws and flesh. Their battle cries were met with roars and howls from the Hollow and those nearby. Soon their yells turned to pained screams as they were all thrown back by their enemy. Kido flew from all directions and cero lit up the sky. It was a battle, but the Soul Reapers were on the losing side. No matter how many joined the fight, all were tossed aside like broken toys and left to be crushed under the Hollow's massive body. The injured were helped to safety as others arrived, but it was an unending cycle. The new would fall and would be helped by new arrivals who would also end up getting injured.

Ichigo stood in front of the Hollow and aimed at the crack on its mask. "Getsuga Tensho!" The Hollow blocked with a cero and the resulting blast nearly knocked Ichigo off his feet. Unable to see through the thick smoke, Ichigo was thrown into the air by the Hollow's claws.

"Ichigo!" Veneno screamed, turning back.

He flew backwards and into something soft but firm. He felt two muscular arms wrap around his body and braced him. He coughed and examined himself for injuries. Aside from a few minor cuts and scrapes he was fine. He had managed to block the Hollow's claws with his sword as it threw him back which prevented further harm to his body.

"Are you alright?"

Ichigo turned his head upward to see who had caught him. "Cedric?!"

The large man holding him to his chest was indeed Linnette's guardian, Cedric.

"I said, are you alright?"

"Y- Yeah."

Cedric set him down.

While he was grateful for the save, he was very confused. "What the hell are you doing here?! How did you get here?"

"A Soul Reaper opened a portal in our living room and brought us here."

"A Soul Reaper did?" Ichigo said quietly. His sudden appearance had left Ichigo still feeling stunned.

"Yes," said another voice. Standing on what remained to a nearby roof was Victor, his white suit untarnished even with all the dust and debris in the air. "They said you needed some help and from the looks of things that's an understatement."

Linnette poked her head out from behind the suited man and waved energetically at the teen below. "Hi, Ichigo!" Even though they were in the middle of a battlefield, Linnette's cheerful greeting and smile made the situation seem no more dangerous than a theme park.

"You're all here..." Ichigo looked around at all the faces looking back at him and felt reassured. New and powerful allies arriving to help filled him with hope. With them here, they would stand a chance against the monstrous Hollows.

Veneno appeared beside Ichigo, having rushed to help him after seeing him get thrown by the Hollow. He stopped when he saw the trio and watched them warily from where he stood behind Ichigo. They stared back. Ichigo waited for someone to say something. No one said a word for quite some time.

Then Linnette crouched down to lean over the edge of the roof so she could talk to Veneno. Cedric and Victor watched her without a sound, their faces expressionless. "Are you going to help stop those Hollows from attacking?" she asked.

Veneno loosened and tightened his grip on his sword, making it nod at the ground. After a while, he nodded his head slowly.

"Do you want some help?"

Again he took his time in answering. He nodded.

Linnette smiled. "Ok."

Victor and Cedric smiled in turn and turned their attention to the Hollow approaching from the other street.

"I'll handle it." Cedric ran to the end of the street and sprang up. Hovering above the Hollow's head, Cedric made a fist and flew straight down, punching the Hollow squarely in the mask. A direct hit. But the mask didn't even crack. "What?"

Bucking its head, the Hollow tossed Cedric aside and roared.

Cedric skidded across the ground and came to a stop beside Ichigo and Veneno. "I hit it with everything I had but it didn't take damage."

It was just as he feared. Cedric's strength wasn't enough to hurt the Hollow. The same was true for all the attacks the Soul Reapers had tried before. Ichigo couldn't believe it. Not even he could hurt it.

"Can I try controlling it?" asked Linnette.

Victor nodded. "I'll get you as close as I can risk. Hold on tight, sweetie."

Linnette climbed into Victor's arms and called down to Ichigo. "Cover your ears if you can."

Ichigo nodded and covered his ears. He watched them jump over to the Hollow. He could tell Linnette was singing, but her voice wasn't having an effect on him. She was too far away and he had his ears covered. However, Veneno could hear her loud and clear and started writhing holding his head with both arms. When Ichigo looked back, he saw Linnette and Victor land on the ground in front of them looking very worried. Ichigo uncovered his ears and asked, "What happened?"

"I- I couldn't do it!" Linnette cried. "It heard me but it wouldn't listen. It got angry and tried to hit me!"

"It did?"

Veneno snarled and stomped his foot on the ground. "I side with that Hollow! That caterwauling of yours is torture!"

Even Veneno hated her voice and had no interest in obeying anything she had to say. Normally Hollows calmed at Linnetting singing and became very submissive. However, it seemed to cause Veneno pain and angered him instead of calming him. This was true before when Linnette tried to stop him the first time Veneno had arrived. The Hollow Reapers were effected but Veneno was not. Now these enormous Hollows were the same way. They, too, weren't effected by her voice. According to Akon, these super Hollows possessed similar traits to Veneno when they were contaminated. Could his musical intolerance be one of them?

"Forget the singing," said Ichigo. "They're not going to be effected by it. It'll just piss them off."

"And how!"

"Shut up, Veneno." Ichigo tried to think. "We need another plan. There must be something else we can do."

They were running out of options. No matter how much they attacked, it was extremely difficult to bring these Hollows down. Their only hope was to keep doing what they were doing and attack these Hollows with everything they had until they were defeated. How else were they supposed to stop them? They had no choice but to fight. Linnette's voice was useless so she couldn't make them do her bidding.

The Hollow behind them roared and started blasting ceros at the Soul Reapers around its head. They were still fighting.

"This is no time to just stand around. Let's get back in there," suggested Veneno. "Eventually something will work."

That's what they did. They had little else. Victor and Cedric left Linnette on the ground and helped take on the Hollow they were fighting before. Even together, they weren't powerful enough for the Hollow. Their punches and kicks were useless. They tried to aim all their attacks at one spot, hoping to weaken its defenses.

"This isn't doing anything!" Cedric yelled.

Nothing was working. Was this all in vain? Were these Hollows too powerful to be defeated now? Had they grown too strong? Was there no way for them to win?

Ichigo refused to believe it. They brought down the other Hollows. They had to do the same with these ones.

As he sliced the Hollow's mask over and over again, he noticed a sudden drop in temperature. He looked overhead and saw Hitsugaya flying to the Hollows further away. Other Soul Reapers and Captains were dong the same. This one was theirs. They had everyone helping to stop these Hollows from winning.

"Ichigo, get out of the way!"

He moved as a circle appeared on the ground and a light shot straight up, encasing the Hollow in ice. That was Rukia's attack and that was her voice. She was standing behind him dripping in sweat. She had been fighting and running around, too, by the looks of things. Ichigo wondered why he hadn't seen her until now.

"You have to move!" she shouted at him.

Ichigo turned around and saw the Hollow easily breaking free from the ice. "Getsuga Tensho!" He attacked the Hollow's arm as it reached for him and he quickly dove out of the sky to safety.

Rukia glared at him. "I told you to get out of the way!"

"And I did!"

"You were still standing there! When I told you to move, I didn't mean jump back a couple steps, I meant out of the way all together!"

"You didn't say that!"

"By the time I finished saying that whole thing you would have been dead! Say it in a few words saves time and lives!"

"Don't-"

Veneno tapped Ichigo on the shoulder. "Now's not the time for a lover's quarrel."

"We're not lovers!"

"You sound like you are. You sure act like it."

"I-"

"Move! Both of you!" Rukia screamed and pushed them both out of the way as the Hollow shot at cero at them. "That was close..."

"Hey!"

All three turned to the young voice yelling nearby. Linnette picked up a board from a pile of rubble and, swinging it like a baseball bat, started beating the Hollow's lower leg.

"Don't hurt my friends! You! Stupid! Jerk!" She swung the board with all her might, making contact with every angry word. The Hollow didn't acknowledge the beating at all, possibly unable to feel it. It started to walk in a different direction, lifting its leg and bringing it down over Linnette's head.

She vanished and reappeared behind Ichigo's group in Victor's arms. "Linnette, that was very dangerous. You could have been hurt."

"That Hollow almost killed Ichigo and-"

"I know, sweetie, but you'd better let us handle it. Please find a safe place to hide."

"But I want to help!" she pleaded. "Everyone else is fighting and I'm supposed to run and hide!"

Victor clasped her hands in his and touched her forehead with his. "With all the love in the world, my little princess, you are not strong enough to take part in this fight. I couldn't bare to watch you get hurt."

Linnette looked so frustrated. She wanted to help so much but couldn't. Everyone else was fighting and she was told to stay hidden. She wanted to take part, too, and help fight to protect her friends. She wanted to be a part of this, but she was only human and her one ability was useless. She had no weapon other than her voice and she had the average strength of a normal adolescent. Her small, thin body may have made her easy to carry around, but it also showed her lack of muscle.

Maybe Ikkaku had a point in saying that she let everyone else do things for her so she never had to. This was something she really wanted to do, and couldn't. Because she couldn't fight herself, she had to send in others to do the fighting for her. When she tried, she only got in the way. Being in this disheartening situation made Linnette realize just how weak and useless she really was.

"Stay the hell out of my way!" A flash of yellow zoomed by and straight into the Hollow's gut. "That Hollow's mine!" It was Kenpachi and he was like a raging bull. The Soul Reapers attacking the Hollow had to flee when he came out swinging. He was angering the Hollow more than he was hurting it. Still, this bought them some time to think of a better plan.

Veneno frowned at Kenpachi's swordplay and muttered to Ichigo, "That guy scares me."

"Don't feel bad. I'm scared of him, too." Ichigo stood up, puling Rukia to her feet. "What now? Kenpachi can't defeat that thing on his own, can he?"

"No, not if we couldn't make a dent in its defenses."

"Then how the hell do we stop these things?"

"I don't know! We've never come across Hollows this powerful before!"

Victor lifted Linnette back into his arms and gave a quick warning to the others. "Move!"

Without looking, everyone flashed off in different directions as the Hollow's tail slapped the ground where they had stood.

Ichigo held out his sword. "I'll give it another shot." Ignoring Kenpachi's wishes to take on the Hollow alone, he charged in and swung his sword. "Getsuga Tensho!" He unleashed two attacks, one on the first swing and one on the back swing. Both landed on the Hollow's mask and it roared in anger. Veneno appeared on the Hollow's head and fired a cero at close range to the middle of its mask. It roared again, its mask beginning to chip away. It wasn't much, but it was progress.

In a fit of rage, the Hollow swung its arms wildly. It hit the building behind it and to the side, it knocked Veneno's sword out of his hand who flashed off to retrieve it, it hit Kenpachi and it hit Ichigo.

Again, Ichigo was thrown through the air and landed hard on a rooftop, rolling end over end before finally skidding to a stop. His sword fell out of his hand and clanged beside him. He hunched over feeling as if he were about to vomit. His head throbbed and he felt dizzy. He could hear the Hollow's roaring off in the distance, just barely audible over the high-pitched ringing in his ears. He turned his head and watched as the Soul Reapers were all thrown back.

"There's no stopping it. And there are seven others after that, right? We can't even defeat this one."

He saw Rukia's ice freeze it then shatter and she would have to flee from its clawed arms and its ceros. He saw Cedric punch again and again only to be tossed aside.

"How can that thing be so strong? It's making us all look so weak!"

He saw Veneno fire a cero back at the Hollow and it shrieked. He stabbed it and blood was drawn from the wound. The Hollow fired a cero at him and Veneno had to run to safety.

"But Veneno's able to hurt it. And so was I before. We could do it. But why's that? Is there a connection between them and that's why he's able to hurt them? That can't be it. I was able to hurt them, too. I was never an experiment and I was never exposed to that chemical stuff. But wait. If that's how things are, then why couldn't I hurt them at certain times? Why only sometimes?"

What was he missing? What was different?

"Rukia can't hurt it, Cedric can't hurt it. Veneno's able to hurt it. I was able to hurt it sometimes. Like when I was wearing my mask. It's like the only thing that can hurt these Hollows are... Hollows."

Suddenly, everything made sense. It became so clear.

All this time, he had thought it was speed that they were lacking. It wasn't the speed he got from his mask, it was the power that came with it. It had nothing to do with speed. The Hollow was taking damage from ceros which were a Hollow attack. It was getting hurt when Ichigo and Veneno attacked it because they were Hollows. That was it. That was the reason.

"Hollows! Only a Hollow can hurt them!"

Rukia landed on the same roof and hurried over. "Ichigo, are you ok?"

Ichigo was so excited to have figured it out, he grabbed Rukia and told her, "I know what we have to do. I know how to stop them."

"Who? The Hollows? How?"

"We needed Veneno and the others."

Everyone converged on the same location making things easier. Rukia, Linnette, Victor, Cedric and Veneno stood with Ichigo, waiting to hear the news. "So how do we stop them?"

"The only thing that can hurt these Hollows are Hollow attacks. Only a Hollow can hurt them. That's why only Veneno and I have been able to defeat them. That's why nothing else is working."

"But these things are huge and powerful. I can't take them all on by myself. I can barely handle this one," said Veneno.

"Yeah, but can't you clone yourself like you did before?" asked Rukia.

"No. I don't think I have that ability anymore. So far I haven't been able to do it."

Rukia sighed. "Then he's right. Veneno can't possibly take on all those Hollows by himself. And neither can Ichigo."

Ichigo already had an idea. "Veneno may be lacking that power, but he still has another power from back then, and we can use it now."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, we need more Hollows."

Victor and Cedric stared at Ichigo disbelief. "Are you saying... Are you suggesting what we think you are?"

Ichigo nodded. "Veneno has to turn people into Hollow Reapers again."

"Are you insane?!" Rukia snapped. "What are you thinking? You want him to do that again?!"

Veneno sided with Rukia on this matter. "That's exactly why everyone hated and feared me in the first place. And they said as long as I don't do anything like that again, I can stay here and they won't come after me! If I do this..."

Ichigo held Veneno's shoulders and spoke to him calmly. "I know, I know, Veneno. I understand. But we don't have much of a choice. You admitted you can't do this on your own. If you turn people into Hollow Reapers, they'll gain Hollow powers which is what we need to defeat the enemy. There's no other way to do it."

Veneno's green eyes stared into Ichigo's brown ones. Slowly, they looked away sadly. "I... I don't want them to hate me." Those softly spoken words and downcast eyes made him look like a small child desperate for friendship. He wanted acceptance. He was afraid that if he did this, things would go right back to the way they were before and everyone would shun him or try to kill him.

The irony was that Ichigo didn't want history to repeat itself and now it had to if they stood any chance at winning.

"This is all my idea, Veneno. If anyone gets mad at you, I'll tell them the truth. I asked you to do it. I made you do it to save their lives. I'll protect you. I promise."

Veneno was still unsure. He was too afraid of the result if he did this. Ichigo hadn't let him down yet. He was always looking out for him. Still, he had his doubts that Ichigo could protect him from this. "I... I can't."

"Please, Veneno. It'll save lives. It will end this. Please."

Veneno shook his head. "You guys told me that if I wanted things to be different, I shouldn't do it. If I turn them into Hollow Reapers again, not only will they hate me, but they'll have a reason to kill me."

"I won't let them kill you. I promise."

"But you can't change how they feel. They'll hate me because I'd be breaking a promise. I don't..." Veneno shut his eyes tight and shook his head, the feeling too much to bare. "I... I don't... I don't want to be alone anymore! I don't want to be hated!"

"Look at me, Veneno!" Ichigo held Veneno's shoulders tightly and moved closer. "You won't be alone. I promise. Even if for some crazy reason, these guys end up hating you because they're too narrow-minded, you'll still have me. Got it? We're brothers, right?"

Veneno lifted his head and looked at Ichigo in stunned surprise. That was the first and only time Ichigo had ever said that to him. Veneno had referred to Ichigo as his brother but Ichigo had never seconded him on that until now.

"That's what you wanted, right?"

Veneno nodded slowly.

"You wanted a brother and called me a brother because you wanted someone who can relate to you. That was because of our Hollow powers, right? But brothers are more than that. Brothers protect each other, they look out for each other, they help each other. Most of all, they care about each other. I understand how you feel. I know. I know all of that because I took the time to get to know you. And I did that because I care about you."

"I thought that was because we were friends."

"Brothers can be friends, too. Friends help each other, too. They also protect each other and care about each other. I cared enough about you to do things that could get me into a lot of trouble. Are you willing to do the same for me?"

Ichigo had done so much for him. Ichigo had protected him and shown him kindness. He stood up to a Captain and spoke on his behalf. He helped him when he was injured and when he couldn't move, he carried him to a safe place. He always was there to help him. He always went back for him, even if it meant putting himself at risk. That was what friends were supposed to do for each other. Veneno had always wanted friendship. It worked both ways. They help each other, not one helping the other. With everything Ichigo had done for him, it was time for Veneno to return the favor. It was time for him to do the same. He trusted him.

Veneno nodded, with confidence in his eyes. "Ok. If you say so, I'll do it."

"I believe in you, Veneno. I know you won't let me down."

He trusted him, too.

"But Ichigo," Rukia injected. "Even if Veneno does manage to turn people into Hollow Reapers again, taking their thoughts and feelings about it out of the equation, how can we make sure they won't attack each other like last time?"

"Oh! Oh!" Linnette threw her hand into the air. "My voice worked on them before. I can make sure they stay under control and don't do anything crazy. They'll listen to me."

"She has a point," Ichigo grinned.

Those were all the immediate loose ends tied up. With nothing else to say that wouldn't get argued down, Rukia agreed. "Ok, fine. I guess we have no choice. We'll have to use the Hollow Reaper method if we stand any chance of winning."

"Question is," said Cedric, "who do we infect first? Will just anyone do?"

"A lot of Soul Reapers are injured," said Rukia. "They cannot fight as it is. Everyone else is either running for their lives, taking care of the injured or fighting."

"Shouldn't we start with strong Soul Reapers?" suggested Linnette. "They would make really good tough Hollow Reapers. If we infect strong people, then we won't need to infect a lot of people."

"The strongest Soul Reapers are Captains, correct?" asked Victor.

"Yes," answered Rukia. "Aside from Lieutenants and Squads known for having powerful fighters."

Veneno grinned. "I think I know where to go to find strong warriors."

Tee-hee ;)

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