Chapter: 8

Squad 4 was a madhouse. The infirmary was packed full of injured Soul Reapers. Everywhere Ichigo stepped there was someone getting bandaged or being pumped full of medicine. The members of Squad 4 were running in every direction, trying to get to everyone who needed attention. Those with more serious injuries were seen first, of course. Plenty of Soul Reapers were injured with broken bones or deep cuts or missing limbs were taken care of first and those with minor cuts were told to either take care of themselves or wait.

However, out of all of them, one person was seen immediately by Unohana herself. Linnette was carried into Squad 4 in the arms of her protectors barely breathing. Victor and Cedric pleaded for help, something Ichigo had never seen or heard before. The ever calm and gentlemanly Victor was reduced to a frantic mess, screaming for someone to help save Linnette's life. At first glance, she didn't seem to be in need of immediate care. The holes in her body looked no larger than the head of a pin and the blood flowing from the wounds was a faint trickle compared to the buckets of blood others were filling while they waited to be treated. However, one look and Unohana knew that Linnette wasn't going to make it unless she was seen at once.

The attack was from within her body. To the untrained eye, one would have never noticed that her internal organs were ripped apart and her body was shutting down. Everything inside her body was punctured. Her liver, her lungs, her stomach, her kidneys, everything. Including her heart.

Ichigo paced the hall, looking at the injured laying in their beds. When he reached the last room on the left, he stopped. Victor and Cedric were pressed against the door, trying to see inside the tiny window. Linnette had been transferred to this room for additional treatment and the two weren't allowed inside. They had no choice but the stand outside her room and wait. Ichigo knew it must have been painful for them. There wasn't a thing they could do.

Ichigo stood close, trying to think of something comforting to say but nothing came to mind. He wanted to tell them that she was going to be fine but after seeing her in that condition and knowing what had happened to her frail human body, he was having doubts. Was she going to pull through? Was she going to die?

"It's my fault."

Ichigo lifted his head. It was Cedric who spoke those words.

"It's not your fault," Victor told him. "I failed her."

They couldn't protect her. Their one job was to keep her safe and protect her and they couldn't do it. They felt they had failed.

"The attack happened inside her body," Ichigo told them. "There was nothing you could do."

"We shouldn't have brought her here. She said she wanted to help fight and we allowed it. We should have refused and taken her away."

Linnette wanted to come to the battlefield. They gave in to her wishes and let her go. If only they had refused her desires and hidden her someplace safe, this wouldn't have happened.

"It's not your fault," Ichigo said firmly. "The enemy didn't have to see her in order to do it. He said he could do it from anywhere. What if she was home and decided to do it? At least it happened here. Unohana is the best there is. If anyone can fix Linnette up, it's her. Have faith in her. She'll do everything she can to save Linnette."

They didn't look convinced. They looked heartbroken and frightened. Ichigo had never seen either one of them look scared before. It made him feel like he had swallowed a block of ice.

Cedric hung his head. "We couldn't protect her."

No matter what Ichigo said, it wouldn't reach them. They were too obsessed with their failure to hear anything other than what they knew in their hearts. For the first time in their lives, they couldn't do their job. Linnette was the most injured she had ever been and they were worried about the outcome. They didn't know what was going to happen to her. They were scared. They blamed themselves. If the worst should happen to Linnette, it would be on them.

The door opened. Victor and Cedric looked at Unohana, their eyes pleading for good news. Unohana wore a grim expression.

Ichigo waited for the news, his mind dwelling on a single possibility. He hoped to hear different.

"Linnette..?" Victor asked quietly.

"A machine is breathing for her. She has yet to regain consciousness. But her heart is beating."

That one bit of good news brought Ichigo some relief. She wasn't dead. However, Victor and Cedric didn't look any less stressed.

"Is she alright? Will she be ok?" Cedric asked.

Unohana sighed. "It's too soon to tell. I can't be away from her. Her condition isn't good. I've never seen anything like this before. I'm trying to mend her insides as best I can but... It will take time."

Whether she meant time for Linnette to heal or time to see if she would survive was unclear.

"May we see her?" Victor asked. He was already trying to get inside the room but Unohana was blocking him.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please?" they pleaded. They were truly worried about Linnette and wanted to see her condition for themselves.

"I can't let anyone in here. No one other than myself and anyone I've appointed to assist me can enter this room. It could make her condition worse. She's not very stable. I'm afraid that for now, until I have a better handle of the situation, you cannot see her. You'll have to wait out here."

Linnette's situation was a mystery to them. They had no way of knowing how she looked, what Unohana was doing to treat her, what machines she was hooked up to.

Ichigo knew how they must have felt. There were times when someone he cared about was in critical condition and he simply had to see them. Just for a moment with his own eyes, he had to see them.

Unohana turned back into the room, unwilling to be away from Linnette for too long. Victor and Cedric went back to crowding around the door, waiting and hoping for something good to happen. They, more than anyone, were unwilling to be apart from her for too long.

Unable to think of anything to say or do for them, Ichigo turned and walked up the hallway to see how the Soul Reapers were doing.

By this time, most of them had been treated and some were already up and moving around. Renji had some minor injuries but was busy sulking on a bench as if he had lost a limb. Ichigo didn't see his fight but he knew from the expression on Renji's face that he lost and was humiliated over it. Rukia was nowhere to be found. Neither was Shinji. Ichigo searched for some familiar faces, just to keep busy.

Then he came to Hitsugaya's room. He was sitting up in bed with his leg in a cast. He had bandages on his face and arms, but they seemed minor. He looked like he was in a bad mood, too. His expression was similar to Renji's.

"How is he?" Ichigo asked Isane.

She looked troubled, but when she spoke she sounded a bit more upbeat than her face let on. "His leg was in pretty bad shape. It was a bad break. But compared to the others in the area, I say he was lucky to get that. It could have been much worse."

"The others?" Ichigo asked.

"Some were dead and others were in critical condition." Isane looked to the wall on the other side of the room. "Then there's those guys."

Ichigo looked at the pile of Soul Reapers gathered against the wall, slumped on their sides. They looked miserable. "What happened to them?"

"I say it's a case of severe depression. Although, when I look closer that them, I don't think that's entirely the case," she said.

"Who cares?" asked one of the men. "There's no point."

"What he said."

Ichigo frowned. "What's wrong with them?" They were behaving strangely.

"They had all their positive feelings and thoughts sucked out of them," said Hitsugaya from the bed. "According to the man I fought, he said that he could either suck out a person's Spirit Energy or their positivity. At least that's what he told me."

"Who did you fight and why aren't you like these guys?" asked Ichigo.

"That's why I say he was lucky he just got a broken leg," said Isane.

Hitsugaya explained. "His name is Yaku. He carries around a mirror that can absorb what I just told you. He also uses it to reflect a person's attacks and he can make a mirror copy of the person he is fighting. I thought he would be easy to take down but he proved stronger than he looked." Hitsugaya looked down at his leg, his expression darkening with self-loathing. "Damn, I should have known better. I let my guard down."

"It's alright, Toshiro."

"Captain Hitsugaya," he corrected.

"Did Yaku say how long the effects would last?" asked Isane.

"No," he answered. "Since he said that he uses his mirror to absorb a person's energy I assume that means that it won't wear off. I think it's trapped in the mirror."

"So these guys are going to stay depressed like this until either the mirror breaks or Yaku decides to give it back."

"Possibly, yes. Until then, I think you're going to stay in this miserable state. Yaku wasn't very clear."

"Still, I have to agree with Isane that you got off easy. Would you rather be like these guys?" Ichigo pointed to the men on the ground.

"We lost the fight..." they moaned into the floor. "How pathetic. We lost. We're losers. Saw that coming. I knew we wouldn't win. What's the point in fooling ourselves? We're weak. If even a Captain couldn't take down the guy, what made us think we could?"

Hitsugaya seemed to take offense to that comment.

"We deserve what we got. Joy is fleeting anyway."

"Well, they're going to be feeling sorry for themselves for a while." Ichigo looked back at Hitsugaya. "What if the mirror was broken? Could that fix them?"

"I suppose. But now that they're gone, we'll have to wait to find out. We don't even know where they've gone."

"Seek me out." Those were the words Yagi spoke to Ichigo before they left. If Ichigo took him up on his offer, then he could go there and find the mirror and break it himself. It was a possibility.

"Is Captain Unohana doing alright?" Isane asked.

Her question made Ichigo's heart sink, remembering Linnette's condition. "Oh. Well... She's still..."

"I see." Isane gave him a smile. "I'm sure it'll be alright." Her smile was clearly fake.

At least she was trying.

For the next two hours, Unohana didn't leave the room and Victor and Cedric didn't leave from the door. Ichigo wandered around for a while but kept coming back to see if they had moved from that spot. Every time he saw them in the same place, pressed against the door, waiting. Tired of wandering around, Ichigo went to stand with them, hoping his presence would offer them some comfort. Maybe they would see him there and know that Linnette's life was important to him, too.

The door opened at last and they were right there to hear what Unohana had to say.

"I've done all I can for now."

Ichigo didn't like the sound of that. Somehow, it sounded foreboding to him.

"She's as stable as she can be."

"Is she going to be alright?" Cedric asked.

"I can't tell. When I said I've done all I could for her, I meant that we have to wait and let the treatment take effect. If I do anymore now, it could be risky. We just have to wait."

They weren't comforted. "Can we see her?"

"Not just yet. I will stay with her. But you two should keep busy."

"We want to see her."

"I can't let you do that," said Unohana. "In her condition, it could make things worse. But please don't worry. We're making progress. You just have to hang on a little while longer. I'll let you see her just as soon as I can. You don't want to put her in jeopardy, do you?"

Hearing the possibility of them making matters worse of Linnette, they didn't ask again. They already thought that this was their fault. Hearing that they could put her life in additional risk must have made them feel even worse.

If Unohana's intention was to keep them at bay using guilt, she was doing an excellent job.

"Please," she told them gently. "Keep yourselves busy. Do something. I will be here. I'll let you know if there is any change. So please."

She didn't want them around the door anymore.

"Will that help her?" they asked sadly.

Would leaving her alone help her? That must have been the meaning behind their words. Were they useless here, too?

It was painful to watch them.

"It will help me help her. So please." Unohana turned to Ichigo. "Ichigo, would you please take them somewhere they can keep busy? Just for a little while?"

"Uh, sure." Ichigo didn't approach them. Only looked in their direction. They turned and followed him away from the door. When Ichigo looked back, he saw them both looking at the door, watching it get further and further away. Getting further and further from Linnette.

Ichigo faced forward and clenched his fists. He didn't feel any pain. He was numb.

This was harder than Ichigo thought it would be. Not just getting Victor and Cedric away from the room but to cope with these feelings he was having.

He wasn't especially close to Linnette, however she was a friend. He cared whether she lived or died. He just didn't think it would effect him this much. Maybe it was because at heart he was a sensitive person. He didn't want anyone to get hurt. Maybe he was feeling this way because he knew the history he had with Linnette. That he was the one who saved her from her old way of life. He saved all three of them, actually. Yet here he was unable to save her from an enemy attack. He had a feeling Victor and Cedric were feeling a similar way, only much stronger. They were her family after all. Ichigo was just a friend.

Maybe it was effecting him this way because he had to watch Victor and Cedric deal with this difficult situation. They didn't know what to do with themselves. All they wanted was to be with Linnette. They wanted her to be safe. To live. For them to go back to their lives and have nothing change.

They occupied themselves by helping clean up the Seireitei. They moved large heavy pieces of building an average Soul Reaper couldn't manage. It was a breeze for them. Victor moved away from Cedric to assist someone further away. Cedric lifted and carried large fragments over his shoulder to the pile in the next street. All the while, Cedric looked numb, as if his body were in autopilot. He lifted and carried, never saying a word and never reacting to anything that happened around. Victor was the same way only Ichigo couldn't see him now.

Was Ichigo feeling this way because somehow their emotions were being partially transferred to him? He did have some empathy. More so than a lot of students in his class, it seemed. Maybe it was because Linnette was his friend and he felt he let her down. Maybe it was because he didn't want to see anyone get hurt. Maybe because it was such a senseless act that didn't have to happen. All because of a Quincy who wanted to flaunt his power and prove that he was dangerous. Or perhaps it was because Ichigo couldn't stand to see Victor or Cedric in this way.

Aside from worrying about them, he was fearful for his other friends. If Yagi could do this to Linnette, then he could do it again to someone else. Someone Ichigo was even closer to. Yagi even said he could.

"Seek me out." That was what he said. Those words echoed in his mind over and over again. There was a chance he could save Linnette and countless others.

Something was holding him back, though. A part of Ichigo didn't want to do it. Not because he didn't care about Linnette's life but because of the feeling he had inside. It wasn't just out of principal. It was more than not wanting to give in to the enemy and do as he was told. Perhaps it was because deep down inside, he knew it was a trap. Yagi wanted him there for a reason. He wanted him to come to him. Alone. That sent up red flags right there. Ichigo didn't want to do it. He would refuse if he had a choice.

Though Yagi said that he would give Ichigo a choice, he didn't truly mean it. There was no choice for him. Not when it came right down to it.

The Soul Reaper assisting Cedric pointed him to another piece of building. It was massive but nothing Cedric couldn't handle. He went over to the fragment and slipped his hands underneath it to get a good grip. He pulled his arms up, his hands under the building fragment. Pieces crumbled but the fragments didn't budge. Cedric squatted down, adjusted his leg position and lifted the fragment. It rose onto its side ever so slightly but didn't leave the ground. Cedric's legs shook under its weight. It slipped from his fingers and fell back onto its other side.

He couldn't lift it.

Cedric tried rolling the fragment to the pile, pushing against the flat surface with both hands. He threw his shoulder into the effort, pushing. His feet slid on the smooth ground. Finally, Cedric stepped back in defeat. This part of the building would have to stay right where it was.

Ichigo who had been watching this from where he sat on the stairs grew concerned.

Soon, Victor and Cedric were right outside Linnette's room again. Waiting. There was nothing to report. Linnette's condition had not changed since they were last by the door. When they were told to leave the hall, at first they refused, but then, not wanting to make her worse, they moved. It seemed striking fear into them using Linnette's condition as an excuse worked.

Ichigo didn't like how they were being manipulated but he trusted that Unohana wanted them away for a reason.

Cedric walked around the hall, stopping every now and then in front of her room to stare at the door for a minute or two and then continue on his way. Victor tried to assist the Soul Reapers in the recovery rooms but his charming demeanor was gone. He seemed just as depressed as the Soul Reapers on the floor he was trying to move onto beds. They kept rolling out on purpose, saying how they didn't deserve a bed after losing.

Now Victor was sitting by a window in a wooden chair, watching the clouds pass over the Seireitei. Time was ticking by very slowly. Ichigo stood behind him, again trying to think of something so say.

"What can I do?" he asked to Ichigo's reflection in the window.

Ichigo couldn't answer him.

"I couldn't protect her from the attack. I can't heal her. I can't make her well. What can I do?"

"Just..." Ichigo had to respond, but he wasn't sure what to tell him. "Hang on. Trust Unohana."

"Cedric and I don't trust most people with Linnette. We've always trusted ourselves and believed in our power to shield her from every possible danger. Now I can't even trust myself to do the job she created us for."

"She didn't just create you to protect her. She wanted a family. She wanted someone to love her."

Victor nodded, looking out the window. "Yes. I'm aware of that." He ran his thumb over the back of his cupped hand resting on his lap. "When she's sick, we're at a loss for what to do. We don't get sick so we don't know how it feels. We have no idea what it's like. But from looking at her it seems painful. I try to keep her as comfortable as possible. I keep her warm, bring her soup and read to her."

Ichigo couldn't remember the last time someone did that for him. He always toughed it out and took care of himself. Even his father didn't cater to him when he was ill. Most of the time, he called him weak and pathetic to have caught a cold and how he needed to man up. This was coming from a man who ran a clinic from his own home.

"When it's winter and she wants to play in the snow, we always make sure she doesn't leave the house without a jacket on and boots. I tell her to bundle up. Cedric tells her to wear two pairs of socks and mittens. Tells her to wear snow pants. If she wears a scarf, she has to keep it tucked into her coat because he's worried it will snag on something and choke her. We watch her from the porch when she's with friends and other times we play in the snow with her. When she comes in from outside, we wrap her in a blanket and give her something hot to drink. If she's covered in melting snow, I dry her off and Cedric runs her a warm bath. We sit on the couch when she's dressed in her warm indoor clothes and keep her warm, watching TV together."

Ichigo remembered playing in the snow with his friends. They had snowball fights and pushed each other down the hill. Yuzu would bring him a towel to dry himself when he got home and he would run himself a bath. Karin would make hot chocolate for all three of them and offer Ichigo the first marshmallow.

"I'm aware that we cannot protect Linnette from everything. I realize that every time she becomes sick. But we always take care of her, no matter what happens. If she has a cold and I make her soup, if she has a sore throat and I give her ice cream. If she's cold and I bring her a blanket, or too hot and I turn on the fan and give her iced tea, which she doesn't care for very much. I give her medicine, I read to her, I put a moist cloth on her head. If she has a splinter, if she has a cut, if she has a bruise, a headache, a stomachache. I take care of her no matter what it is. Even if it is something beyond my control, I do what I can for her. I take care of her and make her better."

Ichigo lost sight of Victor's eyes in the window as he lowered his head sadly.

"What can I do for her now?" he asked Ichigo softly.

For the first time ever, Victor was helpless. Victor and Cedric couldn't do anything for Linnette. It must have been beyond frustrating and disheartening for them.

"Victor?" Rukia appeared in the doorway. "There are some people who need a refill on water. If you're interested." Now even Rukia was coming up with things for him to do to keep busy.

"Alright." Victor stood up from the chair and stumbled into the wall. He put out his arm to brace himself and straightened up. He walked by Ichigo with slow sad steps and left the room.

Rukia was going to follow him when she looked back and noticed the worried look on Ichigo's face. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Ichigo was shocked. "I've never seen Victor stumble before. He doesn't do that. Ever."

"Well, you're not with him all the time. He must have stumbled at some point in his life. The guy can't always be perfect no matter how he appears on the surface."

"Yeah. I guess." This was wrong. "No," said Ichigo. "Something's not right. I don't like this."

From that moment, Ichigo shadowed Victor and Cedric as often as he could. He knew something wasn't right. He followed them so much that Renji was starting to tease him about it.

When Ichigo turned around to say something to him, Hanataro and two other members of Squad 4 came running by. Ichigo watched them run down the hall and disappear into Linnette's room. Something just happened.

Ichigo ran to the room and stood outside the door. He could hear muffled voices from within and a lot of rustling. Beeping, clattering and more voices. After a few minutes, things got quiet again, but no one left the room. It was Ichigo's turn to stay. He stood outside the room and waited. He waited and waited. When his knees ached and his back start to hurt, he squatted down and sat against the wall. Time seemed to move so slow. He could swear he was waiting for hours.

The door opened and Hanataro stepped down, sweaty and tired.

"Hey, Hanataro." Ichigo stood up quickly. "What happened? Is everything ok? How is she?"

"Uh... Well... Uh..." Hanataro wouldn't look him in the eye.

"Tell me. Please. How is she?"

Hanataro gulped. "Well... she, uh... she... got worse. Her body started to... shut down again. Captain Unohana got her to stabilize again. But..."

"Is she going to die?" Ichigo asked before he could stop himself.

"We don't know. No one has seen anything like this before. It's difficult."

"How bad is she?"

Hanataro looked at the floor. "She still can't breathe on her own. Her heart is beating but it's weak. Her organs are... They took a lot of damage."

"But she can fix that, right? Unohana's great at that stuff. Right?"

"Yes, she's fantastic. But... Linnette is only human. If this were a Soul Reaper, the damage wouldn't have been as severe. Plus the way the attack was on her body and the type of damage it caused..." Hanataro looked uncertain. "It's just strange."

"Like a poison?" Ichigo asked, remembering that was the word Yagi used to describe it. "Like she's infected by something that won't let her body heal and needs a cure?"

Hanataro didn't respond.

"Seek me out." Ichigo again remembered those words Yagi spoke to him before leaving. The echo of his word was even louder than before.

"Ichigo?" Hanataro had looked at him after a prolonged silence. "Are you alright?"

Ichigo wasn't able to see the expression on his face but he knew it must have been grim.

Hanataro had to go back into the room to assist Unohana but Ichigo no longer felt like talking to him. There was nothing more to say. Linnette's condition was bad. Very bad. Ichigo found himself wandering the halls after seeing Hanataro. He was at a loss for what to do with himself. He had to keep busy so he wouldn't think about what was happening behind that door.

He was angry at the Quincy who did this. He was angry at himself for not being able to prevent this from happening. He felt sorry for Linnette, but most of all he felt sorry for Victor and Cedric. Ichigo was only a friend. They were family. They must have been suffering more than anyone.

"How is she?" Renji asked him when he walked by.

At first Ichigo didn't notice him. "Not so good."

"Damn." Renji didn't seem too upset by the news. Just annoyed. "What the hell is taking Unohana so long to fix her up? This isn't like her. It should be easy for her. What's going on?"

It was different from anything Unohana had to face before. Either Renji didn't understand this or he chose not to.

"Those guys are like zombies. They must be really worried about her. They're so sluggish and they've stopped helping with the clean up. I guess they're too depressed to keep busy anymore and just want to mope around."

Ichigo knew he was talking about Victor and Cedric.

"I mean look at them." Renji nodded across the hall at the two men. "I mean, I understand they must be really upset, but it's still kind of pathetic. I feel bad for them and all, but still. Seems a bit... you know."

For the first time in hours, Ichigo forgot his self-pity and Linnette's condition. Now he was focused on the two men across the hall moving very slowly. Cedric dragged his shoulder along the wall as he walked, taking slow deliberate steps. His face was scrunched up as if it were in pain. Victor, who always carried himself with great care and poise, was now walking slouched with his arms hanging limply in front of his bent body. Several times, he had to lean against the wall to rest his weary legs which shook under his body between steps.

"How long have they been like this?" Ichigo asked.

"I wasn't paying much attention to them. A few minutes, I guess. Within an hour, I know that much. Why?"

Ichigo watched them closely getting even more concerned.

Seeing the frightened look on his face, Renji leaned closer to Ichigo. "What's wrong?"

"They're getting weaker."

"Hm?"

Ichigo turned away from them to look at Renji. "They're getting weaker. I've noticed that a while ago. Cedric couldn't lift that building today and he could always do it before. Then after that, I saw Victor stumble."

"So what?"

"So Victor doesn't do that. I've never seen him stumble before. He's the picture of grace. And now look at them. They can barely stand on their own two feet."

"Maybe they're having an off day?"

"Not like this." Ichigo had a sinking feeling. "I think it's Linnette. I think their lives are linked. She created them to be with her. If she's gone, what is their purpose? I'm starting to think if Linnette dies..."

Renji looked concerned as well. "You don't think that they would really..? Are you sure?"

"The worse Linnette gets, the weaker they become," said Ichigo. "I think it might be true."

Emotions! And this could be a problem. Let's see what happens.

Please review! Pretty please! ^-^