Chapter 30:

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"Are you insane?!"

Veneno led the group straight to the dojo used by Squad 11 knowing they would be the most powerful warriors they could get their hands on at the time. Rukia was skeptical, informing him that being strong fighters Squad 11 was usually the first Squad dispatched when it came to battles. She found it hard to believe that any of them would be around to help. As it turned out, she was incorrect. Squad 11 was one of the districts furthest away from the main battle carrying on at the time. The Hollows appearing a few days before were in the area, but these new ones were appearing further away for some reason. Perhaps they had traveled a greater distance before rapidly growing into the forms they were in now. Because of this, Squad 11 wasn't aware of the battle until other Squads started taking part and calling for aid. They were prepared to go when their Captain told them to wait until he brought down the first one. Having heard that these were impossibly strong Hollows, Kenpachi didn't want to miss out on the fun or have any action taken away from him by his Squad members. Once he took one down, they were free to join in on the condition that they stay out of his way. It made little sense to Rukia, but this was how their Captain worked and she realized that.

The men gathered in the dojo were watching from the window, though they couldn't see much of anything, and waited for their Captain to have his fill of fun before joining in. Some wanted to disobey orders and join the fight, antsy and unwilling to sit around while there was a fight going on outside. Just as they were about to decide to leave the dojo to help, Ichigo's team showed up and prevented them from leaving. They gave the Squad members an interesting proposition, one which had them all up in arms and shouting angrily.

"Come on! Come on! Listen!" Ichigo couldn't reach the crowd of Soul Reapers now that they were in a frenzy.

"What the hell kind of talk is that? You want us to do what?"

"Listen to me!" Ichigo shouted over them. "We've figured out why nothing we do is working. It's because these Hollows cannot be harmed by any attack a Soul Reaper can use. They're immune. They can only be harmed by Hollow attacks. Therefore, we need people with Hollow powers to fight them if we stand any chance of winning. Veneno and I can't do it alone. We need help. So we need you-"

"You need us to become Hollow Reapers again!" shouted one of the men. "No way in hell!"

"Yeah! Not again!"

"You're crazy if you think we're going through that again!"

They knew it wouldn't be easy to convince them. The very suggestion was enough to get them riled up. With the Hollows coming ever closer, Victor had left to see if there was any way he could help, leaving Cedric with Linnette. As soon as the Soul Reapers started shouting, Cedric pulled Linnette closer to protect her if fists started flying.

"Please!" Rukia tried to reason with them. "We have it all under control. We have a plan."

"We're not doing it!"

"No way!"

"But it's the only way!" she tried again, but they only shouted louder.

"We'll do it ourselves! With our own strength!"

The men started cheering in agreement.

"Weren't you listening?!" Ichigo shouted. "Soul Reaper attacks are useless! Whatever you guys do isn't going to work!"

"Then we'll try harder!"

"You guys don't get it!" This was like talking to a brick wall. Ichigo had to make them understand. "If you try the same thing over and over again and it doesn't work, doesn't that mean you have to try something different? If you can't cut a piece of cloth with your bare hands, you use a knife, right? If you can't put out a fire by blowing on it, you use water, right? And if that doesn't work, you try something else. Don't you see? It doesn't matter how hard you try if what you do is pointless."

"It's not pointless!" shouted another man. "If kicking a door down doesn't work the first time, then you kick harder! With enough force behind it..."

"You're not listening!" Ichigo had to get through to them. "You guys are all Soul Reapers and these Hollows are immune to Soul Reaper attacks. If you fight as a Soul Reaper, you're never going to win, no matter how strong you are! It doesn't matter! You can't light a wet match so you should stop trying and do something else!"

"Listen to Ichigo! He's right!" Rukia backed him up. "Soul Reaper powers are useless in this fight. You have to change your fighting style if you want to win."

"No way! We fight with our own strength!"

"Yeah! We're not changing in order to win! We have our pride!"

"Your pride is going to get you killed!" Rukia yelled. "I'm not asking you to give up pride or anything. Just to change weapons. If you can't use fists, use swords. If you can't use swords, then an ax. That's all I'm saying!"

"And it's temporary." This was the first time Veneno spoke since the argument started. "Unlike before, it wares off. And if it doesn't, I promise, I'll reverse it. I can. I can change you all back to the way you were before."

"Shut up!" yelled one of the men. "Don't you speak!"

"Don't yell at him!" Ichigo yelled back.

"And don't you yell at me!"

"That's enough!" Ikkaku had the floor now. "Listen up. We're not going to do this, Ichigo. I don't care what you say."

"I trust Veneno. Why can't you?"

"It's not a question of trust so much as it is pride. We'll win with our own strength. We have each other's backs but we do not take another's fight away from them. A one on one fight is fair. If our friend ends up losing, it would be a great dishonor to jump in to save them. That fight is theirs. Jumping in like that is shameful. Especially if they don't call for help."

"Then you'll let your friends die?" asked Ichigo, giving Ikkaku a firm look.

"I'll protect my friends, sure. But in that kind of fight, I would rather have them die with honor than live to resent me. I would want the same. I don't want to be rescued. I want to win with my own power and my own strength. If I can't do that, then let me die."

"You'd rather die?!"

"We all would!" added a Soul Reaper. "If our opponent is stronger than ourselves then we deserve to die."

"What he means is that we would be dying with pride. We would die knowing that we had done all we could and it wasn't enough. Winning or losing any other way would be like cheating."

"Exactly."

Ichigo understood. He felt the same way when his Hollow took over and started to do the fighting for him. If he did end up winning, it wasn't him. It was his Hollow. If they became Hollow Reapers then Squad 11 wouldn't be winning as themselves. It would be another version taking control and doing the fighting for them while they would wake up after it was over with no recollection for what happened during that time. Ichigo had to agree with them after taking that into consideration.

"But this is different," he said. "You can't win any other way. If you don't do anything, everyone will die. Gaining new abilities is better than the alternative, don't you think? Would you rather have everyone die, including yourselves?"

Ikkaku shook his head. "I'd rather be killed. That's what happens when you meet an adversary stronger than yourself. Besides, yes, you're right, I don't trust the Arrancer. The last time everyone was turned into Hollow Reapers, he took over and made himself a king. Who's to say he won't do it again when we're all defenseless?"

"He promised."

"Oooh!" Ikkaku rolled his eyes.

"If you give your word, I'm expected to believe it. Why should it be any different for him?"

"You know the answer."

"Just please, let him do this so we can stop these things from killing us all? We can't do it alone."

"We're not doing it and that's final. Find yourself some other guinea pigs willing to throw themselves away because of the empty words of..." Ikkaku's eyes shifted away from Ichigo and over to the right. "Yumichika, are you alright?"

Ichigo turned. Yumichika was standing just a few steps away looking very pale and sickly. The dark shadows cast over his eyes made them look sunken in.

"... I..." Yumichika started to sway and he slurred out his words. "I don... don't feel so... goo..." He fell forward on top of Ikkaku.

"Yumichika!" Ikkaku lowered him to the ground and held him in his lap. Ikkaku put a hand to Yumichika's sweaty forehead. "He's burning up."

"Why..? How did..?"

"Sorry." Veneno was standing behind Yumichika before he fell over. "My hand slipped."

Ichigo rounded on him. "Veneno!"

"What? You were taking forever."

"That wasn't the brightest idea."

"We're running out of time."

"I was trying to work up to something."

"It was taking you a hell of a long time to get to nothing."

"I was-"

Yumichika moaned loudly and arched his back as a wave of tremendous pain hit him like a tidal wave. He started squirming, kicking his legs and turning his head from side to side.

"You see?" yelled a Soul Reaper. "You see how he's suffering? You really expect us to go through that again?"

"Hey, he moved!" Veneno didn't seem too concerned, trying instead to defend himself. "If I was allowed to do it the proper way, the change is pretty quick and painless. If you don't want him to be in pain, let me touch him again and I'll finish the job."

"The hell you will!" Ikkaku lifted his shoulder, shielding Yumichika with his arm. "We never consented to this. Change him back right now!"

"That would defeat the purpose."

Yumichika groaned loudly, twisting his body. Soon, his groans died away and he lay limply in Ikkaku's arms, his eyes closed. He made no sound except for the occasional whimper and moan.

"You'd better get away from him, Ikkaku," said one of the Squad members. "He'll change soon and attack you. Just like everyone did the last time this happened."

"Yeah, what were you thinking?" asked another man, looking at Ichigo. "Once we all change, all we'll do is attack each other. Some plan!"

"Not with her around." Rukia pointed to Linnette. "Remember? Her voice controls Hollows."

"Then why doesn't she do something about those huge ones outside?"

"Because her voice doesn't work on them."

"But you can guarantee it will work on us when we change? Ha!"

"It worked before!" Linnette said.

Ichigo looked out the window and saw the Hollows coming even closer. "We're running out of time. We have to do this."

"We're not changing! We're not going to suffer and you're wasting your breath if you think you can argue us out of what we think. That transformation is painful as hell!"

Unable to take it any longer, Linnette stomped her foot on the ground and approached the Squad members in anger. "I thought Squad 11 was supposed to be filled with tough guys, but you're all acting like little babies over some pain!"

"What did you say?!" The large man closest to her started to clench his fist, glaring at her. Cedric moved closer to prevent a fight if it happened. If the man so much as twitched, he would throw him through the wall in order to keep him from hurting Linnette.

"You heard me!" Linnette wasn't intimidated by this large man at all and stood firm. "I thought you guys would be used to pain if you're the warriors you claim to be. You go into battle all the time and come back with injuries. Am I right?"

The men looked at each other.

"And do you cry about it? No! Warriors are proud of their battle scars. When people ask you how you got it, you tell them all about how bravely you fought a monster bigger and stronger than anything they had ever seen before and you managed to defeat it. The scars you get in battle are badges of honor, right? You wear them with pride!"

The men started to chuckle and agree. Some looked at their own scars and were filled with pride all over again. Each one told a story.

"You've survived being Hollow Reapers before. Then it was unwilling. Now you can do it willingly. Show me how tough you are and fight through that pain again to defend your home and your friends."

They were still hesitant.

"I'll make sure none of you guys lose control. I promise."

Ikkaku turned back to Yumichika who had started moaning again. Softly. His lips started moving. "What's that?" Ikkaku leaned closer.

"Something... is talking... to me..." he whispered. "My skin is on fire, Ikkaku... It's burning me inside and out." He opened his eyes. The irises were starting to turn a pale yellow color. "Do you see me? Do you see me, Ikkaku?"

"Yeah?"

Yumichika shook his head with a weak smile. "No, you don't. You don't see me. You can't see me. I can't see me."

"Shh! Shut up. That's just the fever talking. You don't know what you're saying."

"I'm somewhere else, Ikkaku. I don't know where, but I'm not here. I'm not... here..." Yumichika's eyes closed again. "It's hot. And dark."

By this time, the others and noticed Yumichika had started speaking but they couldn't make out what he was saying from where they stood. He started groaning again and Linnette moved closer. She knew what was coming next.

Yumichika opened his eyes again, blinking through sweat. His eyes had changed to gold and black. He found Ikkaku and studied him. His lips parted and let a snarl slip through his teeth. He lifted his arms and tried to grab Ikkaku. Ikkaku shoved him away and stumbled back. Yumichika rolled onto his knees and sat, sniffing the air like a wolf, his eyes gleaming. Drool dripped down his chin, looking around the room for easy prey. He saw a girl coming closer. She would do just fine. He opened his mouth wide and roared at her. She didn't bat an eye and knelt down in front of him. How easy. His prey was so willing to come right over to him. He wanted to take a big chunk out of her neck and drain her blood so he could wash his face in it. He had such an overwhelming urge to destroy anything and everything.

Everyone watched in silence as Linnette drew closer and started whispering something in his ear. Yumichika's snarls started to quiet and his eyes started to dilate. He made a purring noise in his throat, listening to her voice.

When she was finished, she sat back and waited. Yumichika glanced her way with a twisted but sincere smile. "That was lovely," he hissed. Yumichika's voice sounded so different. It was his voice, only different. Wicked. "I have never heard such a thing before. Won't you favor me again with another song?"

"I will, but first, you have to do something for me."

He chortled and bowed his head to her. "Whatever you like." If he did a good job, he would be rewarded. Not to mention the fact that he liked this girl very much. She had this charm about her he found irresistible.

Linnette pointed out the window over her shoulder. "Do you see those huge Hollows out there?"

Yumichika looked. "Yes."

"They're going to kill everyone. Including me."

Now he was interested. He couldn't stand for anyone taking this girl and her voice away from him.

"I need you to help us stop them. Please help defeat those huge Hollows."

He snarled and bowed again. "You got it."

"And one more thing." She pointed to Veneno and Ichigo. "These two are my friends. Don't hurt them. And don't hurt any Soul Reapers or anything that isn't a Hollow. These two have Hollow powers but they're my friends so they're off limits. Only hurt the big ones, got it?"

If he attacked someone she liked, she would be upset with him. He didn't want to disappoint her. He had to do his very best. He bowed a third time. "Understood. Only the big ones. Harm no others. Consider it done."

"Good." Linnette pointed. "Now go!"

Crouching on all fours, Yumichika nodded to her, eyes on the prize outside the window. "Yes, ma'am!" He sprang like a frog across the room and onto the window. He roared at the sky before leaping outside and galloped on all fours as fast as he could, scrambled up buildings and out of sight.

Everyone who had been watching exhaled. Yumichika wasn't in control, but he wasn't out of control either. Linnette made sure he wouldn't hurt anyone other than the Hollows. Maybe this could work after all. One Hollow Reaper wasn't enough. They still needed more.

"Next?"

No one stepped forward.

"Come on!" Linnette whined. "Are you going to let him have all the glory? When this fight is over, what are you going to tell people when they asked what you were going when they needed you most? You were hiding in the dojo because you weren't willing to do whatever it took to protect them? You weren't willing to get strong enough to win? Yumichika's going to be the hero here while you all watch."

They looked at each other. Still, no one stepped forward.

"We came here thinking you guys were strong, but if you're unwilling, we'll just go over to Squad 4 instead," said Rukia out the corner of her mouth.

That got their attention. There was no way they were going to let that happen. It was an insult!

Still, no one approached Veneno, who was waiting for them beside Ichigo.

Linnette had said her piece. Now it was Veneno's turn.

"Listen," he said, stepping forward. "You said before that you couldn't trust me. You couldn't trust the empty words of an Arrancar. Well, guess what? You did before. Remember? I was here with you guys all the time. You asked after me when I wasn't around. You wanted me here. You even asked me to come back so we could spar. We fought together as a team. Why must that change? Why are things so different now that the masks are off? I was an Arrancar then and I'm an Arrancar now. The only difference is that you know that now and not then. Weren't we friends? You liked me then. What changed? Does it have to change?"

They didn't answer. Some looked at the walls and some looked at the ground.

"You trusted me then. Why am I so different? I'm not. I was Veneno then and I'm Veneno now. There is no difference. I am willing to do whatever it takes to protect my friends. Are you?" Veneno held out his hand. "I am willing to fight for you. Are you willing to fight with me?"

He was strong and they liked that about him. They had become good friends with him. All this time, they had been with an Arrancar and never knew it. Was there really much of a difference? They trusted Veneno the Soul Reaper. He was never a Soul Reaper, so there really wasn't a difference. He was always Veneno and he was always a part of their group. Someone they could rely on, the stand beside and fight together.

One man stepped forward. He looked Veneno in the eye and asked, "It'll be quick, right? And then I'll come back as myself?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Ikkaku frowned.

The man shook his head. "I said my piece. I heard theirs. I've seen what happened. No sense in repeating what just happened. This isn't giving in. This is simply picking up a new weapon." He smiled at Veneno. "And I know this man very well. I like him. And I know he won't let us down. He hasn't disappointed us yet."

"Even when you found out I was an Arrancar?"

He smiled. "Even then. I wasn't disappointed. We're in this together, right? Fighting side by side just like before. You were right. I could trust you then, I can trust you now." He clasped Veneno's hand with his and accepted the transformation.

There was no end in sight to this battle. No matter how many came to help, it was all in vain. Even with Bankai, Komamura was easily overpowered and tossed aside. "Captain!" Iba came rushing over as his Captain climbed out of the rubble covered in blood. "Captain, are you alright?"

Komamura kept his eyes fixed on the Hollow towering above them. "There must be a way to stop them. I don't understand why they aren't getting hurt."

"It must have something to do with their bodies. Maybe their skin is too hard and acts as a natural armor."

"Perhaps. But we must find a way to stop them before we're all killed."

"How, Captain? We've tried everything and nothing is working. No one seems to be a match for them."

A loud noise distracted the Hollow and the Soul Reapers and all turned in the same direction. It was a howl. A loud siren-like howl, like a wolf signaling an attack. Yumichika appeared on a roof and crouched down on all fours like an animal. His lips parted revealing his white teeth which had become pointed like fangs and snarled at the Hollow. "So, you're the big bad threat, are you?" he growled through his sneer. "Let's see what you've got!"

Yumichika pounced and sank his teeth into the Hollow's arm and hung on tight. The Hollow shrieked and clawed at the leech on its body. Yumichika scrambled up the arm and bit down again. Everywhere his teeth landed drew blood. He was inflicting damage.

"Is that all you've got?" Yumichika cackled and ripped off a piece of the Hollow's flesh and chewed it before spitting it on the ground. He cackled again when the Hollow tried to pull him off, missing every time. This was like a game to him. Yumichika was enjoying himself. "Come on! More! More! Show me what you can do!"

Everyone watched him in stunned amazement. Iba couldn't believe his eyes. "Is that... Yumichika from Squad 11?"

"It looks like it." Komamura squinted. "He seems different. He's not himself."

"I know. He's biting it. Why isn't he using his sword? What's gotten into him? He's acting like a lunatic."

Yumichika tore the Hollow's arm open with his bare hands and started to pull out chunks of fat and muscle. It was a gruesome scene to behold. He reached in to fish out more, sticking his whole arm inside the Hollow's flesh. It swung its arm around to throw him off. Yumichika willingly jumped off and landed on a building, his arms colored red. He looked down at his bloody arms and grinned. "Red's a good color for me. Don't you think?" He painted his face with his red fingers. "Don't I look beautiful covered in blood? Just think how much more beautiful I will be when I'm awash in your innards."

"Yumichika's lost his mind," the crowd began to murmur. "He's totally insane. What's happened to him?"

"I'll wear you intestines like a scarf!" Yumichika bellowed, ripping open the Hollow's stomach with his hands.

More howling was heard in the distance causing everyone to grow silent. Even Yumichika paused for a moment to return the call.

Bounding over buildings and stairs and Soul Reapers, the other members of Squad 11 arrived on the scene to assist. Some were running on twos and others on fours. Their eyes were gleaming bright gold and looked ready to kill. They all converged on the same location with growls and howls. A man ran among them with a girl on his back. Linnette charged into battle with Cedric, calling out orders to the infected members of Squad 11. "Go get 'em!" she cried, pointing at the Hollow.

"You got it!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Happily!"

Every member of the crowd of charging Hollow Reapers attacked the Hollow as a team and started tearing it apart with their bare hands. Overwhelmed, the Hollow stumbled backwards, firing ceros wildly into the air and all around, trying to chase them away. Within a matter of seconds, the street was stained with blood and the Hollow was quickly losing the will to fight. The Hollow Reapers swarmed over its body like locusts, tearing it apart.

Cedric slowed to a walk then then stopped all together. They no longer needed Linnette's direction. They were handling things just fine on their own. There was a loud crack and the Hollow suddenly melted away into nothing. They had killed it. The Hollow Reapers were drenched in blood and dirt but none of them cared. They were already looking around for their next target. They heard a Hollow roaring nearby and turned down the same street to find it. Cedric watched them go, noticing how they were all ignoring the Soul Reapers scattered in the streets. They were obeying Linnette's rule and weren't attacking Soul Reapers. It seemed they had nothing to worry about.

Ichigo watched from the top of the stairs, looking satisfied. Rukia stood with him along with Veneno, Ikkaku and two other members of Squad 11 who chose not to be infected. "Now what do we do?" asked the man to Ikkaku's right. "Just stand here and wait?"

"There are seven other Hollows, right?" asked Rukia. "Attacking that one together as a team worked, but that one Hollow had already been weakened by you guys. If they're going after the other Hollows, it may take longer and they could be injured. Not to mention how they have to do this one at a time. That leaves the other Hollows open."

"Then we need more," said Ichigo. It took a whole team to bring down one Hollow which was already weakened. In the meantime, the other Hollows were still attacking people and Soul Reapers were getting hurt. This meant that they needed to infect more people to help end this quickly with as little injury as possible. Many Soul Reapers were already heavily injured, and there would be more if this didn't end quickly.

"More, Ichigo?" Rukia looked upset. "We've already infected a whole Squad, minus a couple people and you want more?"

"You saw how many it took to bring down an injured one. From your tone before, it sounded like you wanted to infect others."

"I never said it out loud!"

"Ah-ha! So you were thinking it!"

Veneno tapped Ichigo on the shoulder. "Can we move this along? We're still in the middle of a battle zone here."

"Right." Ichigo waved his hand in the air. "Hey, Linnette, Cedric, come here for a second, would you?"

Cedric carried Linnette back to the group. "Yeah?" Linnette asked, climbing down from Cedric's back.

"We need to infect just a few more people. You think you can help us out with that? They'll need to hear your voice so they don't get wild and start attacking people."

"Sure thing. I'll go with Veneno and we'll do it together." She turned to Cedric. "It's ok. You try to help anyone who's hurt. I'll be fine."

"You want to go alone with him?" Cedric seemed unsure, leaving her in Veneno's hands.

"It's fine," she said. "It'll be best if you go help people who really need it. Don't you think?"

Cedric did not want to leave Linnette in Veneno's care, even if it was for the greater good. Honestly, he would have felt better about it if Ichigo were going, too. Him, he trusted.

"I'll go with them if you want," Rukia suggested. "If Soul Reapers can't do anything I see no reason for me to go with Ichigo to help fight. With your speed and strength, Cedric, you'll be able to help more people than I would."

Ichigo had to fight as the only other person around who stood a fighting chance. Cedric had to accept. "Be very careful." He flashed away and was gone.

Linnette grabbed Veneno's hand and pulled him down the street. "Come on, we have to hurry and find more." Veneno gave Ichigo one final look before following her and Rukia.

Ichigo looked back at Ikkaku and the remaining members of Squad 11. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, are you guys going to help or what? You guys can't really do any fighting if it's not going to injure them, so are you going to help anyone who's hurt get to a safe place?"

The men didn't seem sure of what to do. Ikkaku clearly wanted to join the battle but Soul Reapers were useless in this fight.

"Figure it out. I have to go." Ichigo flashed onto a staircase and started running toward a Hollow further away, absent of Hollow Reapers. He had to do what he could until reinforcements came along. With Veneno recruiting others, Ichigo was the only one left who could do anything.

Further down the street, Linnette noticed that there was a stunning lack of Soul Reapers. The streets were deserted. Any Soul Reapers they happened across were too injured to help in the fight. They had to find a Captain to help. Captains were strong and would make powerful Hollow Reapers. However, it seemed that all the Captains had left to help take on the Hollows and weren't around to infect. The only ones left were Soul Reapers who weren't even ranked high enough for a seated position and they were all injured.

"Why don't I just infect her?" Veneno asked, pointing at Rukia.

Rukia glared at him. "First of all, it looks painful. Second I have to be around to make sure-"

"Baby."

"What did you call me?"

"No wonder you and Ichigo fight all the time. Do you hear yourself?"

Rukia almost took a swing at him. "I'm just saying that, logically, I would have to be in my right mind to make sure that we explain the reason why we're doing what we're doing. Besides, you need me to navigate through the area."

"I've been living here for a while now. I think I know where I'm going. Just admit that you're scared to turning into one."

"We've already established that there are side-effects that go along with-"

"Flatty's scared."

Rukia's head turned around. "What did you just say?"

"I called you Flatty. I'd call you a woman, but because of what you're lacking, I'm not sure I can."

This time Rukia did take a swing at him.

"I'm just saying!"

"You are so inappropriate!"

"Don't feel too bad. Ichigo obviously doesn't seem to mind. He's got a thing for you, I can tell. I guess he's into that. I don't see it, though."

"What?!"

"I'm not saying you're ugly or anything. I just don't see it. I like women with boobs, that's all. Sue me. Don't get me wrong, you are cute, just not my type."

Linnette stopped running to turn around and yell at them. She stopped so quick, they nearly ran into her. "Is this the thing we should be talking about right now?"

Rukia and Veneno hung their heads. "Sorry."

"Rukia!"

She looked up and saw two Captains staggering out from behind a building covered in dirt and blood. "Captain Ukitake! Captain Kyoraku!"

Shunsui was limping beside Ukitake who allowed his friend to use him as a crutch. Shunsui's hat was torn and barely sitting on his head and he was missing a sleeve.

"Are you two alright?"

"Yeah, we're fine." Shunsui took his weight off Ukitake and stood up straight. "That Hollow over there took me for one hell of a ride. It threw me that whole distance. These things are tough. No matter what we do, they won't go down."

"That's because they're immune to Soul Reaper attacks," she explained. "Only someone with Hollow powers can hurt them."

"Really? How'd you figure that out?"

Rukia explained what she could about what had happened so far. By the time she was done, both Ukitake and Shunsui looked concerned as well as determined.

"So Veneno infected most of Squad 11?"

"Yes."

Ukitake turned to Veneno. "It took some convincing, didn't it? On both sides? I can tell you were unsure about doing such a thing because of how we would react. Am I right?"

"Yeah." Veneno nodded his head.

"When you changed them, did they volunteer?"

"Uh... Yeah. They did it willingly after we told them it was the only way."

Ukitake smiled. "Then you've done nothing wrong. As long as it was done willingly, then you didn't betray our trust in you."

Veneno hung his head. "But... There was one I did change without him knowing to show everyone that nothing bad would happen. Isn't that against his will and therefore I did a bad thing?"

"You were making an example out of him so I think we can let that one slide. But so far, you've only been changing people who agree to it, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then you're going about it the right way."

Veneno was relieved that no one was going to fault him for this. Ukitake explained the reasons very well. If anyone was upset with it, they could put up a good argument.

"But it's not enough," said Linnette. "Just one Squad isn't enough to take on the other Hollows. We're looking for a few other strong Soul Reapers to help."

"Strong ones, huh?" said Shunsui. "You mean like Captains?"

"Y... yes."

Shunsui nodded. "Alright. Lead through example, right?" He turned to Veneno. "I'll do it. I'll become a Hollow Reaper."

Veneno shook his head. "No. You're inured."

"Then what about me?" asked Ukitake. "Shunsui took the brunt of it. I'm fine."

"Captain Ukitake, are you sure?" Rukia gave him a worried look.

"It's not a problem. I've been one before. I know I can handle it."

"Are you sure you don't want me to do it with you?" Shunsui asked.

Ukitake shook his head. "You heard him. You're injured. I'll just trust you to keep an eye on me and make sure I don't hurt anyone."

"You got it."

Ukitake stepped forward and stood in front of Veneno. "How do we do this?"

"Just take my hand." Veneno started to hold out his hand then paused. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes. I'm willingly doing this."

"Ok. Thanks." Veneno held out his hand and Ukitake clasped it in his. It looked like they were merely shaking hands, but instead, Veneno was infecting him through physical contact. Soon they would have a Captain Hollow Reaper to help them fight.

At this rate, the Seireitei was going to be in ruins. The infected members of Squad 11 managed to take on one Hollow and bring it down, but it was in a weakened state. Taking on an undamaged Hollow proved to be much harder though still doable. Ikkaku followed the fight, running to keep up with the action. The members of his Squad were vicious, tearing apart the Hollow with their bare hands and teeth. None of them were using weapons.

Ikkaku stopped short as something plowed into the ground in front of him. Yumichika came crawling out of the crater, smoothing his hair back with his hand. Sensing someone nearby, he suddenly turned and snarled at the approaching Soul Reaper. His hand frozen in the air above Ikkaku's head. He sniffed him. "You... I don't harm." Yumichika lowered his hand. "I promised her I wouldn't. If I do, she'll be upset with me and I can't have that."

Ikkaku frowned. "Now you're devoted to her, too, huh?" He scoffed.

Yumichika eyed him up and down then smirked. "Aw... What's wrong? You can't stand me having a desire to serve a little girl?"

"That's not it and you know it. Well, the real Yumichika does at least." Ikkaku folded his arms. "I just hate how-"

"How even though this girl is a normal human being and possesses no power other than her voice has so many people willing to help her? How she relies on others to do the fighting for her because she's nothing more than a weak human lacking so much?" Yumichika sneered. "Or does it bother you that now the weak little girl is now doing more in this fight than you can? Now you're the one who is helpless and it's just killing you, isn't it?"

Ikkaku glared at him.

"I'm not wrong, am I?" Yumichika said slyly and chuckled. "You said I'm not the real one, didn't you? I am Yumichika. I know what he knows and have lived his life. I know everything. It's just that I'm a better version, but we are still the same person. I have a thing for beauty, same as he. Only where he hates being dirty, I love it. Red is really my color, so I just love being covered in blood. The more there is, the more beautiful. I doubt he'll understand that."

"You're still not Yumichika."

"You're right. I'm not. But I am." He started laughing again. "Then again, you don't know your best friend. You never did."

Ikkaku shot another glare at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said. You don't know your own friend. You have no idea just how strong he really is. He was strong enough to be a Third Seat, but you took the position. Doesn't that tell you anything?" Yumichika moved closer. "He holds back so much. Do you know that?"

"I never asked him to-"

"You don't have to. In this Squad, certain powers and abilities are frowned upon. If one has healing powers, they're laughed at. That's why you torment those is Squad 4, even though they are the ones who heal your injuries. If someone in this Squad had absorbing abilities, they would be hated, wouldn't they? In this Squad, if you don't have powers to slice and dice, you're not considered part of the group. Am I right?"

"What does that have to do with Yumichika?"

"The fact that he can't do anything out of fear. He's stronger than you think. He fears if you found out just how strong he was, maybe even more so than yourself, you would hate him. You have to be stronger. That's how it is."

"I never told him to hold himself back."

"But he thinks he must. The same way you hold back your Bankai, which he has to keep a secret. Don't you see?" Yumichika laughed again, amused. "You also have him stand back out of your way when you're in a fight. You don't want him to take part. You want the enemy all to yourself if he's strong. He's always sitting on the sidelines, watching you fight, even though he could do the very same, if not more."

Ikkaku knew he had done these things, but he never knew they bothered Yumichika. Then again, this was the Hollow version of him talking. Maybe it was all a lie. Or maybe this was how he truly felt. Was Yumichika really holding himself back because of his friend?

Yumichika smirked, walking away from Ikkaku. "But my, how the tables have turned. For once, you get to stand back and watch me fight."

Before Ikkaku could say anything, Yumichika opened his mouth wide and fired a purple cero into the neck of the Hollow behind him. The Hollow stumbled back, roaring.

"Now who's helpless and weak?" Yumichika flashed away with a smirk, leaving Ikkaku in his dust.

Ukitake's transformation into a Hollow Reaper was slightly slower than the others. Linnette managed to keep him under control and made sure he knew not to attack anyone other than the giant Hollows. She couldn't stay long. She left with Veneno soon after to see if they could find more reinforcements and left him alone with Shunsui.

As a Hollow Reaper, Ukitake was much more energetic and itching for a fight. Shunsui watched him scramble up the side of a building and jump in place once he reached the top. He couldn't contain himself. He was overflowing with energy. He had to burn it off somehow.

"Jushiro..." Shunsui approached cautiously. "Are you in there?"

Ukitake looked below at the Soul Reaper calling him. There were times when Shunsui thought Ukitake still had some control and other times when he knew it was a Hollow. Now it seemed that Ukitake was no longer conscious of his actions, giving the Hollow full control.

He climbed down from his perch and stood nose to nose with Shunsui. "What do you want?" he hissed.

"Nothing." Shunsui lowered his head. "Just checking."

Ukitake opened his mouth to say something. There was a loud explosion and he was gone. Shunsui screamed his name in fear. A Hollow had just unleashed a cero right where he was standing. The Hollow came closer, focusing on its next target.

Ukitake appeared from inside a building, laughing. "That's more like it! Finally, some excitement!" He came running out of the building and up the Hollow's arm. Grabbing fistfuls of the Hollow's flesh, Ukitake peeled its skin off its bones with his bare hands. The Hollow slammed its arm into the side of the building, trying to squish the Captain. "That's it!" Ukitake was laughing. "Come on! Hurt me some more! It feels great!"

Shunsui ducked as a wad of Hollow flesh came at his head. Ukitake continued to strip off the Hollow's skin, one chunk at a time. Ukitake had certainly become more violent. Now he was biting the Hollow with his teeth, removing even more skin.

"Let me show you how it's done!" he jeered. "This is pain!" He reached as far as he could into the Hollow's arm and pulled out its insides. Punching straight down, there was a loud crack and the Hollow's arm pointed in an awkward angle as Ukitake broke its bone. "This is pain, my friend! What you're doing is nothing to me!" He clawed his way up to to the Hollow's neck and tore out its throat, laughing wildly.

Shunsui turned away with a grimace. "Oh, I can't wait for him to return to normal. This Ukitake creeps me out."

"Who's next?" Linnette asked.

Rukia looked around, fallen Soul Reapers lining the streets. "A lot of these guys are really hurt. Most of the Captains are fighting the Hollows in close combat. I don't think we'll find anyone around here."

Veneno looked at the Soul Reapers being given emergency treatment for their injuries on the spot. The Soul Reaper with the 69 tattoo was one of them. He was covered in blood but it looked like he would survive. "There are some strong ones here, but I'm not going to change anyone who is already injured. They need to recover."

"Then what should we do?" asked Rukia. "Leave it at that and see of there's anything we can do in the fight further ahead?"

"We need to keep those Hollows from coming any closer to where the injured are," said Veneno. "So, yeah. Let's head toward the battle going on ahead and see if there's anything we can do in the fight."

The battle ahead was as hopeless as the others. Two Captains were trying to take down the same Hollow with no luck. Byakuya's attacks were pointless and so were Hitsugaya's. Renji and Rangiku were injured and out of breath. Renji's shoulder was cut wild open and Rangiku's injured leg and arm were slowing her down. They were both easy targets.

Which was exactly why the Hollow made them its prime targets. Hitsugaya tried desperately to encase it in ice but nothing would hold this Hollow in place. It tore trough the ice like wet paper. With nothing else to do, he made himself the target to allow Renji and Rangiku to get to safety. His sword bounced off the Hollow's mask, once again unable to cut it. Annoyed, the Hollow wrapped its long fingers around Hitsugaya's body and squeezed him.

"Captain!" Rangiku screamed. She tried kido for the millionth time, but it was all pointless. "Hang on, Captain!"

Hitsugaya pushed against the Hollow's grip, gasping for air. The Hollow was squeezing him like a snake. At this rate he would suffocate.

Another ice attack hit the Hollow's arm from below and it looked down. Rukia was trying to distract the Hollow with her own attacks, even knowing it wouldn't cause any damage. That wasn't the point. She was only trying to get the Hollow's attention in hopes of giving Hitsugaya time to escape.

The Hollow's grip tightened and more air was forced out of Hitsuagya's lungs. Something landed on the Hollow's wrist, gaining the Captain's attention. Veneno looked Hitsugaya over and then at the Hollow's hand. "If I stab it, you'll probably get crushed to death," he was saying. "Your best bet is to force your way out from where you are."

"I can't do that!" Hitsugaya gasped. He wasn't strong enough to pry the Hollow's hand off his body.

"Then there's only one way you can." Veneno reached for Hitsugaya's hand. "Will you let me give you temporary Hollow powers?"

"Are you insane?!"

"It's that or get crushed to death!" Veneno stretched out his arm. "Your choice. But if you do, you'll be strong enough to defeat the Hollow. These things are immune to Soul Reaper powers. Only someone with Hollow powers can stop them."

"What proof do you have of that?" Hitsugaya gasped for air. It was getting harder to breathe. "Why should I believe such a thing with no proof?"

"None of your attacks have been working. What more proof do you need?" Veneno held out his hand. "Trust me! Do you want to die or do you want to fight?"

Veneno was taking advantage of the situation as far as Hitsugaya was concerned. Either he had to accept the Hollow powers or get crushed to death. As the Hollow's grip tightened, he realized he would either suffocate or get crushed if he remained where he was. There was no other way out of this. He couldn't get out without help and staying put wasn't an option. He had no choice but to take Veneno's hand.

He couldn't inhale anymore. Any minute now he was going to pass out. Out of desperation, he took Veneno's hand.

Rangiku squinted. "I can't see. Is the Captain ok?"

Renji couldn't tell from where he stood. "You don't think he's dead, do you? I mean, crushed into pulp or anything..."

"Renji!" Rukia turned around. "Don't say that!"

"We were all thinking it. And it's not like I want it to happen. I don't! I'm just as worried as you guys. It's awfully quiet up there is all."

There was a high-pitched shriek from above and the Hollow started wailing, blood pouring from a fresh wound in its chest. Something was crawling around on its body, opening new wounds. Veneno landed on the ground by Linnette as the speck crawling around the Hollow leapt down as well.

Hitsugaya landed on the ground, rolling and tumbling until he found his feet and crouched on the ground where he was. His Hollow eyes were gleaming, darting this way and that. So many targets. The locked eyes with one and ran forward, growling. He was trying to attack Rukia.

"No! No, no. no!" Linnette wrapped her arms around his shoulders, trying to hold him back. Her feet slid across the ground as he dragged her every step of the way. She started whispering into his ear and Hitsuagya calmed. When he had come to a complete stop, she patted his head. "Good. That's better."

His eyes were now focused on her. His growls soon turned to quiet purrs as she spoke to him. She told him the same thing she had told the others. He was not to attack anyone other than the large Hollows.

"You'll be good, right?" she asked him.

He nodded his head, grinning. "I will. I am. I'm a very good boy."

"Good." Linnette pointed at the Hollow. "Now go get it!"

"I'm on it!" Hitsugaya was gone in a flash. A moment later, the Hollow was screeching as more wounds began to appear on its body.

Byakuya eyed Veneno up and down. "You did that, didn't you?"

Veneno didn't deny it. "We agreed it was the best way. I even asked him if he wanted it done and he accepted."

"It's true, brother," Rukia said quickly. She explained the situation, making sure everyone knew that they had told Veneno to do this because they didn't have a choice.

Veneno held out his hand as if he expected Byakuya to shake it. "You want it? You can join the white guy over there."

Byakuya looked at Veneno's hand, then at his face. "I'd rather keep my sanity, thank you very much."

Veneno took his hand away. "Suit yourself." He turned around. "He seems to be having fun, though."

Hitsugaya was hollering and laughing as he tore the Hollow apart, thoroughly enjoying himself. The young Captain seemed to be having a lot of fun tearing the Hollow limb from limb.

"The guy's a maniac," commented Renji. "I'd hate to get on his bad side when he's like this." He turned to Veneno. "How long does it last?"

"As long as I want. Or until it wears off. Don't worry, they won't be like this for long. They'll go back to normal again."

"So we just rely on them to do all the fighting for us?"

"You don't have much of a choice," said Veneno. "These Hollows can't get hurt by Soul Reapers so this is the best we got."

"The Captain isn't going to take damage from this, is he?" asked Rangiku. She looked worried.

"No. I changed him pretty quick so he didn't feel a whole lot of pain when he turned. But he will have a hard time moving when it wears off. He'll be tired from the change so he should rest a while. It won't last too long."

"The longer you're a Hollow Reaper, the longer it'll take to recover," said Rukia. "Isn't that right?"

"Pretty much, I guess."

"You don't sound that confident," said Byakuya, eyeing Veneno up and down.

Veneno turned to the Captain. "Hey, what do you want from me? The first time I did this, I didn't stick around to see what happened when they changed back. You have Ichigo to thank for that. I'm only going by what I've seen. I only did this once since then in order to save Akon's life."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, he would die if I didn't. So what?" Veneno turned away. "I'm not doing this because I want to. Only because you have to... and because Ichigo told me to do it."

Byakuya looked him up and down. "So you do not wish to infect others the way you did before?"

"Why? And have you guys hate me?" Veneno glared at Byakuya. "Listen, buddy, I already know how you guys feel about me and I'm doing my best here, even though I'm sure it won't be enough. I didn't want to use that ability of mine because I knew this would happen and you would think that I was... Forget it."

"You're concerned about what we think of you?" Byakuya's question was monotone but it was enough to set Veneno off.

"It's not like I care! But I finally have friends and I don't want anything to..." Veneno cut himself off and quickly turned his head.

He didn't need to say anymore. That was enough.

The Hollow overhead shrieked and toppled over into the next street. Hitsugaya landed on the ground, watching it. When the body started to vanished, he jumped up and down, laughing hysterically. Then he ran on all fours in a circle, wanting more.

Byakuya got his attention and pointed. "There's another one they could use some help with over there."

Hitsugaya turned to Linnette. "You heard him. Go on," she told him. He grinned, his face covered with blood and his white hair a mess and in his eyes. He ran on all fours between buildings and out of sight.

"Where's Ichigo at?" Renji asked.

Veneno looked overhead, wondering the same thing. "I think that's enough for now. I'm going to find him."

"Ok," said Rukia. "Just be careful."

Veneno paused mid-step at her words. He turned his head to the side so no one could see his face. "Your concern isn't important to me. I don't care." Then he jumped straight up and out of sight.

Renji raised his brow at the comment. "Does that mean he does care? What's up with that?"

"Leave him be," said Rukia. "We have other things to do."

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