Chapter: 23

The gates of the Seireitei were opened again, but not because the lock-down had been lifted. It was because a Captain was face-down in the dirt outside. The Soul Reapers on watch came to his aid. He was already starting to stir.

"Captain, are you hurt?"

"Are you alright, sir?"

Kensei lifted himself up onto his knees. He was back at the Seireitei with no memory of how he got there. As he touched his forehead, he felt something in his hand. He opened his fist and looked at the small vial in his hand. "What is this?"

He had no idea what it was or how he got it. He didn't remember picking it up. The last thing he remembered was being in the hideout as it started to collapse. Now he was here. He looked around but couldn't find that Arrancar anywhere. At first he thought that he had been hit by a piece of the collapsing ceiling and the Arrancar carried him back, but now he had a different theory. His other self, the Hollow, must have taken control and took him back to the Seireitei. It must have had something to do with this vial.

His Hollow was given orders to protect Ichigo and help him survive. If he had this vial, that must have meant his Hollow had seen something useful in it. It must have been important.

Kensei stood up. "I need to get to Squad 12's laboratory."

He sprinted the whole way there. If his theory was correct, then this vial must have contained the cure for Ichigo. He may have just saved the day. Waving the bottle in his hand, the members of Research Department led him straight to Mayuri and allowed him inside.

"You better have a damn good reason for disturbing me," scolded Mayuri.

Kensei held up the bottle. "We found the Quincy hideout and I picked this up. I think it may help Ichigo."

Victor looked up.

Mayuri snatched the vial out of his hand and looked it over. He carried it over to a machine and started to analyze it.

Taking this as a promising sign, Kensei started to relax. This could have been over. He might have just solved this problem. Now Mayuri didn't have to bother looking for a cure. The work was done for them. Ichigo was going to be alright. They were going to cure him. Everything was going to be solved and there was nothing left to worry about now but the cleanup.

Mayuri looked through the scope for a closer look. Then he pulled away in annoyance. "This is useless."

"What?" Kensei was shocked. He really thought he had brought something valuable back.

"This is no cure and it's not even what Ichigo was injected with. It looks like an early test combination. A failed one at that."

"A what?"

Mayuri sighed. "Rather than explain it in detail, let me break it down into something you can understand. You cook, yes?"

"Yeah..."

"Let's say you're making a dish that involves rice, like fried rice. You have many other components aside from the rice itself, yes?"

"Ok, so what does that make that?" Kensei pointed to the vial.

"This..." Mayuri gestured to the vial. "This would be undercooked, soggy, mushy rice in a pot of too much water. Without the rice being fully cooked and done well, you can't make the rest of the dish. And if you cook with it anyway, the whole thing falls apart. The same thing holds true for the science. Since this is underdeveloped and on its own useless, nothing can be made from it that will do anyone any good. Consider it a small fraction of a failed experiment. Utterly useless."

Kensei felt so defeated. Even if it wasn't a cure itself, he had hoped it would lead them to something good. Maybe crack the code or even be useful in taking down the Quincies. He had brought back nothing.

"But what wonderful news, finding the hideout. We must go there and gather all that we can. Even if this is useless, we can always find something else that could be beneficial."

Kensei had to tell him and pray he didn't lose his temper. "I hate to break it to you, but... the hideout has been destroyed."

Mayuri's voice was calm. A sure sign that this was the calm before the storm. "Excuse me?" He was about to blow.

"All I could grab was that vial before the place caved in on us. Explosions and fire everywhere and everything else. Veneno went to town on that place. The guy was determined to make sure nothing was left."

Surprisingly, Mayuri didn't explode. He was about to when he heard that name. "Veneno did? He was with you?"

"Yeah. An Arrancar named Veneno. He took that place down. The Quincy who was fighting us ran off. My Hollow took over so I have no idea how I got out of there."

Mayuri slammed his fist on the table then turned away with a weary laugh. "Veneno... Typical. I should have known that Arrancar would pull something like this. Just does what he wants, that idiot."

"You know Veneno?" Kensei asked.

"Know him? I created him." Mayuri paused. "Well, sort of. He's a Hollow I captured and experimented on. Rapid evolution. He became an Arrancar quickly. Long story. But yes, we have a history."

"So he's your experiment?"

"The Head Captain won't allow me to lay claim to him anymore. Veneno's freedom includes freedom from me. I can only touch him or call him mine if Veneno gives up his freedom and lets me experiment on him again. He must willingly come back to me. Until then, Veneno can do what he wants. With limitations, of course. He's an ally. He works with us. So we have a truce going between us. Since you weren't around at the time, I don't blame you for not knowing any of this. I figured someone would have filled you in by now, but once again I must do everything."

"Even if that vial wasn't a cure, are you any closer to finding one?" Kensei asked.

Mayuri shook his head. "Not one that won't kill him in the process. I've managed to come up with a few but most of them didn't survive the trial stages and even less passed the tests. I've run simulations and so much more. Any of them that will actually cure him will only end up killing him as well. Can't have both."

"So whatever doesn't kill him also won't cure him, and anything that cures him will also kill him?"

"That's what I just said."

Things weren't looking good for Ichigo.

Fed up with this, Victor took charge. "Mayuri, I really think we should get some insight from someone else who has knowledge of this. Please, let's contact Kisuke-"

"No!" Mayuri snapped. "Do not ask me that again. I made it clear the first few times you've suggested that and my answer hasn't changed."

"And things have not gotten better. There has been no improvement. Kisuke managed to come up with a cure for the first couple serums I came up with. I really think he can be of assistance to us. He can help."

"I am not contacting him."

Victor frowned. "Are you just too prideful or are you afraid that he is better than you?"

Time stood still.

Mayuri spun around. "What did you say to me?"

"You heard me."

Mayuri stomped over to Victor. "Are you really suggesting such a thing? If you are-"

"You'll do what?" Victor was not afraid of Mayuri. He stood his ground and spoke firmly to him. "You've run your tests on me. You know you cannot hurt me. You also know what I can do to you. Between the two of us, who do you think is going to win?"

Mayuri challenged Victor's eyes. Neither backed back.

Kensei hung back, watching. He did not want to get involved. This was between them.

Mayuri growled but Victor continued to stare back at him with a stoic expression. Finally, Mayuri turned away in angry huff. "Threatening me like that... Sometimes I don't give you enough credit, either."

"Mayuri," said Victor. "I ask you to set aside your pride and ask Kisuke to assist us. You have not come up with a cure in all this time and time is running out for Ichigo. It all comes down to time. Not who is better. We do not have time to argue or to do things on our own. We must ask for help in order to get things done faster. That's all there is. We need more people to help for the sake of time."

Mayuri kept his back turned.

"I don't know what sort of history the two of you have and I do not care. I will not pry. I will, however, ask you to put your feelings aside and ask him to help us. Work together for the sake of time and for Ichigo. Just this once."

Mayuri sighed. "I noticed you didn't phrase it 'ask him for help'. I see you're choosing your words carefully so it won't sound like I'm the weaker one. Smart." Mayuri turned around. "But you have no idea how I feel. Our history is only a small part of it."

"You don't think I have pride? You don't think I know how it feels to know you need help from someone else? Of course I understand," said Victor. "Cedric and I must work together. We must be together. Taking care of Linnette won't work if there is only one of us. She needs us both. As someone who loves her more than anything, can't you imagine how it must feel to know that no matter what you cannot be the only one in her life? That you alone are not enough for her? That someone else must assist you because you can't do it alone?"

Mayuri wasn't looking directly at him but he was listening.

"I thought I could take care of Linnette on my own. That I didn't need Cedric. I tried to kill him so I would be the only one in her life. To take care of her and give her what she wants. I was wrong. She needs us both and only then did I realize that. She created the two of us so there would be balance. I tried to get rid of Cedric because he wouldn't give her everything she wanted. I thought that was wrong. That he didn't love her enough to give her everything. I was wrong. I realized that sometimes, even for the one you love, you must tell them 'no'. I didn't see it that way. I thought it was a lack of love. I learned. Cedric and I are better now and we do care about each other."

"Only because you know that if something happened to the other, everything in her life would be lopsided."

"He is still my brother, Mayuri. I care about him anyway. He is the only one who understands. Has a life like I do and loves the same person. It isn't just him. I'm also talking about other people who have skills neither of us possess. Like doctors. What I'm saying is that even if you have pride, you must be willing to accept help. You cannot do it alone. For something to work well, you must have and give help. You cannot do everything alone. Even if you think you can, it may not be better."

Mayuri was silent for a long time. He thumped his finger on his arm, tapped his foot, looked around the room and made odd noises with his mouth.

Finally, he gave up. "Alright, fine. Have it your way. If the next trial doesn't go well on this batch, I'll call him. You happy?"

Victor smiled his charming smile. "That is all I ask."

Kensei was stunned. Victor actually made Mayuri do something he found utterly repulsive and rage-inducing. He was being compliant. Kensei didn't know Mayuri very well, but he knew how difficult it was to get him to do something he didn't want to, especially from a man with no authority over him.

"What the hell just happened?"

Yagi watched from the sidelines, his eyes shifting from Ichigo's fight with one Soul Reaper Captain back to the battle between Sharif and the three scrambling around like cockroaches exposed to light. Ichigo was still within his sights but was getting further away which was what he wanted. He hoped Ichigo would defeat the Captain and move on. He had to get closer to the Seireitei as planned. The only issue Yagi could see was that Ichigo was drawn to people. If there was no one in that direction to guide him, Ichigo would turn back the way he came and continue the fight with these other Soul Reapers. It wasn't exactly what Yagi wanted. The only upside to this was the fact that Ichigo would once again be fighting his friends. What Yagi wanted was for Ichigo to attack the Seireitei. At this rate, that might never happen. He had to find a way to lure Ichigo in the direction he wanted.

In the meantime, Sharif was having a blast. This body didn't tire easily and was far more powerful than the one he had before. He could keep this up all day. This was a lot of fun. These people didn't stand a chance.

Shinji tried to distract Sharif while Rukia used her Zanpakuto to freeze him. Sharif escaped every time. Even when part of his body was caught in an ice trap, he always managed to break out with little injury if any. He was just too strong. Sharif grabbed Rukia out of the air and held her down with his oversized arm. He opened his mouth to fire a cero at close-range.

From a large bolder, Linnette threw rocks at Sharif to get his attention. It was all she could do to help Rukia. Rukia fired a kido at Sharif and the blast from the direct hit knocked him back a little. She wiggled free and ran to gain some distance. "Hado 33!" Rukia fired several attacks at Sharif but none of them were enough to cause him great damage. Some he took willingly just to prove how tough he was. He wanted to frighten them with his power. It was working. Rukia was starting to wonder how they would defeat him.

Shinji dove under Sharif's body and cut across his stomach with his sword. All that came from that attack were sparks. Like metal scrapping across metal. Sharif's body was like armor. He was too well protected, even on his underside. If they had any hope of causing him injury, they would have to aim at his human parts. Shinji knew that would be difficult because Sharif would also be aware of his weakness and try to protect it. So far, his face and part of his chest were still human. Surely he would see an attack coming straight at his head. It was too direct. They had to come up with a plan.

"How's Rose doing?" Shinji asked Rukia.

"He's still fighting Ichigo. But he's doing ok."

Shinji sighed. "When we were training Ichigo, we took his Hollow on one at a time, in a tag-team. We have to give Rose a break. He can't keep this up on his own."

"We're not doing so hot ourselves. Not only is Sharif strong, but we also have to worry about Yagi taking part in this fight. He's just standing there watching at the moment but that could change. We also have to worry about stray attacks from Ichigo. And we also have to keep an eye on Linnette and protect her. She's not like us. She's human. She's weaker and an easier target."

"Yeah, I get that. But what do you suggest we do?"

Rukia saw Sharif ready another attack. "Right now, run!"

He fired a cero at them. The blast stirred up a powerful wind that blew Linnette off the bolder. Sharif fired again and Linnette hid behind the bolder, covering her head with her arms. She could feel the earth move under her and knew she couldn't stay here. She got up as soon as the wind subsided and ran to another stone for cover.

Sharif saw her running and opened his mouth to unleash another cero. Linnette wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were on the hiding place she was trying to get to. She would never see the attack coming until it was too late.

Sharif fired but not at Linnette. He fired at Rukia who was running the opposite direction. The blast knocked her off her feet but she didn't take a direct hit.

Shinji saw this and cocked his head. "Did he just..?"

"Show me what you've got!" Sharif stomped past Linnette and went after Rukia while she was down. "Get up and show me, Soul Reaper!" He slammed his fist into the ground behind her, knocking her into the air. While she was airborne, he slammed his fist into her body and back into the ground. "Is that all you've got?"

Rukia held out her sword which sank into Sharif's palm as he tried to smash her again. He pulled away in pain and slapped her with his other hand. She rolled across the ground and struggled to her feet, coughing.

Shinji jumped behind Sharif and took aim at his nape. Sensing him, Sharif spun around and grabbed Shinji's Zanpakuto with the tips of his fingers, stopping the attack. He pulled the sword down and Shinji was taken with it. Sharif slammed his knee into Shinji's stomach and threw him away.

"You are making this too easy for me!"

Shinji landed on his back and lifted his head to look at Sharif. The deformed Quincy scoffed at him and turned back to Rukia.

Rojuro took his eyes off Ichigo to look over in their direction. "I have to help Shinji." He jumped back to avoid Ichigo's claws. Rojuro stumbled slightly, getting worn out. "You're not making this easy, Ichigo. Even when we were training you, we did it as a group. We didn't take you on completely alone. But you were pretty hard to beat. Of course, we weren't trying to beat you. Just keep you busy until you won against your Hollow and came back."

Ichigo roared and beat the ground with his fists.

"This is different. The way you are now, what he did to you..." Rojuro sighed heavily, deeply troubled. "It's hard for me to hold back this much. I have to make sure I don't kill you, but at the same time, you're trying to kill me. You know how hard it is to fight like that? Against someone like that? It's not easy. If I came at you seriously, you would be dead. But I can't do that. It's easier to go all out than it is to hold back and try not to get killed."

Ichigo huffed, steam shooting from his open mouth and nostrils.

"Not that I could kill you anyway. It's not just because we're friends and I wouldn't feel right about it. It's because the other me won't allow it. I know he'll jump in and take over the second I try."

Ichigo growled and lifted himself up, making himself as tall as he could.

"You can't make this easy, can you?"

The Hollow came at him and slashed. Roujro dodged as he had been doing for some time. Only now he was stumbling. He was afraid to use his Shikai on Ichigo, fearing it might be too much. He felt so limited. This fight would be a lot easier if he didn't have to hold back so much.

Ichigo came at him again and this time Rojuro wasn't quick enough. He stumbled back and pressed a hand to his right leg. His hakama had been torn open. A red streak of blood ran down his thigh, leaving polka-dots on the ground. The cut wasn't very deep but it was still painful.

Yagi saw the attack happen and smiled. Now that a Soul Reaper's leg was injured, it would be harder for him to dodge and attack. He was weakened. This would make attacking him easier. Finishing him off wouldn't be very difficult.

"Leader! Leader, sir!"

Yagi turned to his right. Mordere was running towards him covered in dirt and torn clothing. There were blood stains on his clothing and on his arm.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the hideout."

"I was, but a Soul Reaper Captain appeared and attacked. The place is trashed and... Leader, there's nothing to return to. The hideout has been destroyed."

"Destroyed?" Yagi didn't look outraged. Only mildly upset. It was as if someone had told him the last cookie he had been saving had been eaten by someone else. "How much of it?"

"It's all buried. Everything's gone, sir."

Yagi turned away with a heavy sigh. "I see..." He was silent for a while. Everything they had was in that hideout. "It can't be helped. But this is more of a reason to get a move on."

"Leader, sir... Without the hideout, we don't have shelter. All your supplies, all our food, everything is gone."

Keeping his arms folded, Yagi shrugged. "I had intended for us to move into the Seireitei once the Soul Reapers were taken care of. It's just taking a little longer than I thought. If Ichigo doesn't get going..."

Mordere and Yagi looked in the Hollow's direction. Ichigo was still fighting Rojuro. With his leg injury and fatigue, it was getting harder for him to dodge.

Rojuro stepped back. When he tried to take another step, Ichigo stomped down on his foot and held him in place. Rojuro couldn't get his foot loose. Ichigo was crushing it. "Uh-oh!"

Ichigo raised his arm and threw it into Rojuro from an underhand position. His fist slammed into Rojuro's jaw and snapped his head back. Ichigo stepped off his foot and watched him sail through the air backwards. Rojuro landed on his head and lay sprawled out on the ground. Ichigo roared triumphantly.

"Rose!" Shinji saw his friend go flying and grew worried. He wasn't moving. Without thinking, Shinji ran to his side, narrowly missing being hit with one of Sharif's arms. "Rose!"

He slid on his knees, stopping at Rojuro's side. He was still breathing but he was in no shape to move.

"I'm fine, Shinji. I'll live."

"We need to get you medical attention."

"It's not that bad. What I need is time to rest. Ichigo packs a wallop."

Yagi and Mordere watched Ichigo snort and snarl, looking for his next target.

"Mordere..?"

"Yes, leader?"

"I have a task for you," said Yagi. "I want you to lure Ichigo to the Seireitei. He won't go unless someone lures him there. He's drawn to people. If you get him close enough to a populated District, he'll start attacking people. If the Soul Reapers don't want innocent blood on their hands, they'll come to stop him. If not, then Ichigo will just have to keeping battling until there is nothing left. Eventually he'll have to reach the Seireitei and when he does, there will be Soul Reapers to attack."

Mordere didn't question his leader. It made sense when Yagi explained. Ichigo was looking for people to attack. Since there wasn't anyone around for miles, his closest target were the people gathered here. Ichigo had no reason to go in the direction of the Seireitei if there was no one in that direction. He had to be lured.

"Understood, leader. I'll draw him close."

"Good. I'm tired of waiting for him." Yagi sighed. "I knew there would be setbacks, but I expected Ichigo to have reached that area by now. His stubbornness is so irritating."

Mordere went to do his job. He fired an arrow past Ichigo's head to get his attention. Ichigo looked in his direction and snarled. "This way, you mock Soul Reaper fool."

Ichigo roared and chased after Mordere. He led Ichigo away from the others and toward the Seireitei.

Shinji watched it all happen and cursed under his breath. "These guys are a huge pain in the ass."

"I told you I'm fine," said Rojuro. "Deal with the other guys. You can take out the leader since he's just standing there."

"Him standing there is what worries me. He'll be expecting an attack and I don't want to start something that can be avoided. Right now Sharif is our biggest problem. He has to be dealt with first."

"Then go do it."

Shinji knew he was right. "Hang tight, Rose."

Sharif was still going after Rukia. No matter how much ice she used, he broke free every time. When he fired a cero, Rukia ran to cover Linnette. As the only human, Linnette felt like a liability. She had to be protected and couldn't do anything in this fight. She was getting in the way. Rukia and Shinji couldn't attack properly since they had to look after her.

"I'll lure him away," Rukia told her. "You run and hide behind some rocks."

Rukia and Linnette ran in different directions. Linnette lost her footing and fell. Sharif ignored her and went after Rukia. Linnette got up and ran to a hiding place.

Shinji arrived and kicked Sharif in the head. He landed and jumped straight up, punching Sharif in the jaw. Sharif grabbed Shinji and threw him on the ground. He stomped on him and went after Rukia again. Rukia was still running, trying to lure Sharif away.

Linnette came out of her hiding place and ran to another location, wanting to help. She wanted to be useful.

Sharif stood tall and opened his mouth to use another cero while Rukia's back was to him.

Seeing this, Shinji stood and aimed a Kido at the back of Sharif's head. He fired and ran. Sharif took the attack and spun around with a snarl. Rukia managed to escape and Shinji was out of his sight.

Shinji slipped into a gap between a couple of rocks and hid. There was a sharp pain in his leg. It must have been from when Sharif had stomped on him. He had several small cuts but they were hardly bleeding. The real issue was with the pain in his leg every time he put weight on it. He must have strained something.

Sharif puffed out a hot breath of air and turned his attention back to Rukia. She was waiting for him with her sword. "You're looking rundown, Soul Reaper. I, however, am still full of energy. You want to keep going? You don't stand a chance."

Rukia didn't budge an inch.

"Have it your way." Sharif charged forward. He fired a cero which Rukia dodged.

"Ah?!" Rukia stopped, seeing Linnette running her direction. She thought Linnette was hiding elsewhere. Being here was too dangerous.

Linnette dove in front of Rukia when she saw Sharif open his mouth again. "Stop! Stop!"

Sharif didn't fire a cero. Instead, he reached around Linnette to grab Rukia with his hand. Rukia sliced his fingers and pulled Linnette to safety.

Shinji watched, again cocking his head to one side. "That's strange... Is he..?"

Sharif looked around for Rukia. He saw Linnette standing in front of him and growled. Linnette didn't move. He kept his eyes on her until he sensed something move and looked up. He saw Rukia dive behind another large rock. He stomped around Linnette and went after Rukia.

Rukia froze the ground, hoping Sharif would slide on the ice and fall. He drove his claws into the ground to keep himself steady and fired a cero at her. Rukia ran in a circle around him. Sharif continued to fire.

As he turned, he came face-to-face with Linnette again. He didn't fire. He continued to rotate and then fired. He pulled his claws free and jumped. He landed on a bolder and fired a cero at Rukia. The blast threw her into the air.

He snarled and saw her land somewhere behind Linnette. Sharif aimed high and fired. The cero sailed over their heads and caused an explosion in the distance. If he had aimed lower, he could have taken out both Rukia and Linnette with one shot.

"Stop!" Linnette screamed at him.

Sharif was standing right in front of her. He raised his arm and brought it down beside her. The impact blew her hair to one side and caused her to flinch in fear. He ran past her to get to Rukia.

Rukia was no longer there. She had gotten up and was now behind Sharif. She cut into his shoulder and he turned, using his elbow to knock her weapon aside. "Stop kidding yourself. Even if you do manage to hit me, it won't be enough to stop me."

Rukia jumped back and used another pillar of ice to stop him. It didn't last for long. In a matter of seconds, Sharif was free and coming after her again.

Once again, Linnette was in the line of fire. Sharif was aiming an attack at her. Linnette flinched. Sharif fired a cero low to the ground. The blast was aimed a short distance from her feet. The explosion knocked her off balance but didn't hurt her.

Rukia grabbed Linnette and carried her off.

Watching from his hiding place, Shinji stared at them with wide eyes. "I'm sure of it now. There's no mistake."

Sharif wasn't trying to hurt Linnette.

Shinji waved the girls over to where he was hiding. They hurried over and hid with him.

"We need a plan," said Rukia.

"I think I have one," said Shinji. "It's risky but I think we have a real shot."

"Ok. What is it?"

Shinji turned to Linnette. "It involves you. Linnette, you have to take control of Sharif using your voice."

"What?!"

"Shinji, she can't do that," Rukia told him. "I mean, Captain Hirako. Why would you consider such a thing? It's not possible. She has no power over him. Yagi said so himself."

"And you believe the guy?" Shinji explained his reasons. "I was watching Sharif attack. He had several opportunities to hurt Linnette only he didn't. It's not that she's lucky or that he's a bad shot. He's missing on purpose. He's not trying to hit her."

"He could be doing that because she's not his enemy."

"Why wouldn't she be? Yagi knew enough to target her before because he knew she was dangerous. She can be a threat to them, too. Sharif knows this. He attacked her before, Ichigo told me. Why would things be different now? I'll tell you. It's because of that new body he's got. He has Hollow body parts."

"But Yagi just explained that Linnette couldn't control him because her powers effect a Hollow's mind. Not their body. Since he knows about her powers, why would he be stupid enough to give him the powers of a Hollow knowing Linnette would be able to control him? He's thought this through. Since Sharif doesn't have a Hollow's mind, Linnette's powers won't work on him."

"So he thinks," said Shinji. "I think Yagi made a mistake."

"How? What mistake?"

Shinji explained his theory. "Yagi said that Sharif has a split personality. He said that that persona is gone thanks to this procedure. But that's impossible. People who have alternate personalities and stuff like that can't get rid of them. They deal with them. They just have better control in some cases, but they're still there. There's no getting rid of them. Just the same way I can't get rid of my Hollow self. He's always going to be in there. I think it's the same way for him. And it doesn't make any sense anyhow. How could operating on someone's body have an effect on their mental state? It doesn't work that way."

"Then why would Yagi say that?" asked Linnette. "You think he was lying?"

"I think even he isn't aware of it. He probably doesn't know."

"But Sharif said that it was gone and since it's a part of him, how would he know or not know something like that?"

Shinji had an answer for that, too. "I think his other personality is still inside him, just dormant. My theory is that since his personality can't be removed, it has to still be inside him, just as something else. I think his other personality became his Hollow self."

"So even Sharif has an inner Hollow?" Rukia said in surprise.

"Basically, Sharif's a mock Vizard. Not exactly, but more or less the same," said Shinji. "With Hollow powers comes a Hollow self. I think that's what we're dealing with here. Only no one's aware of it yet."

"I see," said Rukia. "That actually makes sense. When Linnette uses her voice on you and Ichigo, it's not you she's controlling. It's the Hollows inside of you. Sharif must be the same way. If Linnette can call upon his other self, we might be able to bring Sharif over to our side. At the very least, we can get him to quit attacking us."

"It's worth a shot."

Linnette liked the plan. She just wasn't sure how to do it. If Sharif wasn't exactly the same as a Vizard or a Hollow, using her powers on him might not be the same.

"All you have to do is talk to him. That way Shinji won't get effected."

Linnette shook her head. "I can only talk to Hollows and control them like that after they've heard me sing. That's the only way I've been able to do it. So for me to control Sharif or his Hollow by just talking, he'll have to hear me sing first."

"So..." Rukia looked at Shinji. This meant he would be effected as well.

That was how her power worked. Song was for wide-range and simply speaking would target a single individual without effecting anyone nearby.

The problem was that in order for her speaking voice to have an effect on Hollows, they must hear her song first. Linnette wasn't sure why it worked that way, but she figured it had something to do with association to some degree. A Hollow would hear her speaking voice and recognize it from her songs. It was only a theory. Linnette was still discovering things about herself and her powers.

"But if you use your voice, then Shinji will be effected." Rukia knew that Shinji wouldn't do anything hostile with Linnette around to keep him in line. She was only concerned for his feelings on being manipulated. While his Hollow was in control, Shinji was unconscious. Rukia imagined he wouldn't find the experience very enjoyable during a battle. The last thing they needed was a hazy Soul Reaper swinging a sword around.

"But what if he's like Veneno or how Ichigo is now and my voice will only make him angry?"

"We have to take that chance." Shinji paused, listening for Sharif. "I'm willing to put up with hearing her voice for a minute just so Sharif can get a taste. Then we'll see if he can be tamed."

"Are you sure?" Linnette asked.

Shinji tried to act like he didn't care one way or the other. "Ah, if you're worried I'll get pissed, don't. It's like you explained to us on the way here. You only use your voice if it's needed and if people give you permission. I'm giving you permission. Go right ahead."

Linnette nodded. He was putting his faith in her. She wouldn't let him down. If this was the only way she could be useful in this battle, then so be it. "Ok. I'm ready if you are."

"Make sure he hears you."

Sharif waited for the Soul Reapers to show themselves. He knew they were planning an attack but was confident he could handle anything they threw at him.

His eyes darted to the right, seeing two flashes of white and black. Shinji went one way and Rukia went another. Linnette crawled on top of the rock and took a deep breath. Sharif stared at her, wondering what she was planning.

Linnette started to sing. Sharif couldn't understand the song but she had a lovely voice.

As she sang, Shinji dropped to his knees, his body trembling. He was fighting to remain in control but was losing the battle. In an instant, his eyes changed and his Hollow took over.

Further away, Rojuro started to conduct with his hand, listening to her voice from where he lay. The trio had forgotten that he was still close by and would also be effected. "A symphony without an end..." he gushed, his eyes aglow. "My sweet songbird is so darling."

Shinji slumped to the ground in a giggle fit. His eyes were also glowing. "I swear, I'm getting high off my kitten's song. So pretty... So beautiful..."

Rukia saw how they were effected and turned to Sharif with hopeful eyes.

Sadly, he was the only one not effected by her voice. He didn't even flinch. He just stood there, listening with a bored expression on his face. Then he spoke over her song. "Are you almost finished? As pretty as it is, it's not fitting battle music."

Linnette slowed her song then stopped. Sharif was still looking at her but nothing had changed. "It... It's not working..!"

"Of course not," said Yagi. Seeing her try to use her voice to tame Sharif brought him not even an ounce of worry. He was confident in his creation. "Didn't I just finish explaining that her voice only effects the mind of a Hollow which Sharif doesn't have? It's all pointless. It will have no effect on him. But you clearly didn't believe me. I don't blame you for trying. You had to see it for yourself. Now do you believe me?"

That was their last chance. Their only hope of stopping Sharif. Any other way would be too dangerous. Someone was bound to end up injured or worse. They were up against two strong Quincies. If they could get one to come over to their side, it would even the odds.

Sharif had the powers of both a Hollow and Quincy. He was too strong for just them to handle.

Rukia saw Sharif move closer to Linnette. She hated to admit it, but Shinji was wrong. Sharif avoiding her with attacks must have been a coincidence. Sharif was really going to hurt her.

Rukia took off as fast as she could and stood beside Linnette to protect her. Linnette's frail human body was no match for someone like Sharif. He was too strong for even a Soul Reaper to handle.

Seeing this, Shinji got to his feet and rushed to the girls. He stood in front of Linnette, narrowing his gold eyes at the deformed Quincy. "Like I'd let you hurt my little kitten," he hissed. "If you do anything to harm her, there will be hell to pay. I'll paint the ground with your blood."

"I'd love to see you try, Hollow-filth," said Sharif.

"Look who's talking."

"My condition is different." Sharif took a step to his right to line up a shot. He was going to take all three of them out at once. "I still have my senses. You have taken leave of yours. Now you're standing so close together, creating an easy target."

Linnette still believed Shinji was on to something when he noticed that Sharif avoided hitting her with an attack. That couldn't have been coincidence. She was sure he was doing it on purpose, even if he didn't realize it. It must have been subconscious. She also believed that Sharif's other personality must still be around as Shinji said. It must have become his inner Hollow.

Her song didn't effect him. That was worrisome. However, if Sharif was avoiding her subconsciously, then it was possible that a change had taken effect without anyone knowing it. Maybe she had tamed his Hollow, but it was discrete. It must have happened inside Sharif without even him being aware of it. Sharif wasn't a real Hollow or a real Vizard. According to Shinji, he was close enough to being a Vizard that he could have been treated the same. That meant she could command him.

Even if her song showed no effect on the surface, maybe something had happened inside. Hollows didn't want to hurt her, so in theory, Sharif wouldn't follow through with the attack so long as she was in the way.

Sharif opened his mouth. A cero was starting to form.

"We have to get out of here," warned Rukia.

Shinji was getting ready to attack. He would sooner take the attack himself than let harm come to Linnette.

"Wait, you two," said Linnette. "Hang on."

The cero was getting bigger.

"We have to get out of the way, Linnette," Rukia told her.

"As long as I'm here, he won't attack. He won't hurt me. Like Shinji said."

Bigger and bigger...

"You might be wrong on this one. He's aiming right at us and there's no way he can hit one of us without hitting all of us. We're too close together."

The cero was fully formed and ready to be unleashed.

Linnette looked behind Sharif. Yagi was perfectly alined with his comrade. The leader was directly behind Sharif, watching with a smirk on his face. He thought he had it all planned out perfectly.

"Sharif!" Linnette screamed. "About face!"

Just as she said those words, Sharif's body turned.

The cero was fired straight at Yagi.

"What?!"

"Huh?!"

Yagi dove out of the way just in time. The land behind him was blown to pieces and there was a huge crater in the ground, still steaming.

Sharif felt weak. "Leader!" He took a few steps closer. "Leader, are you alright?"

Yagi looked furious. "Why did you do that?" he snapped.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Sharif was very shaken by what had happened. "I didn't do that on purpose. I don't know what happened! I must have lost my footing or something. I'm sorry, leader! I'm sorry!"

Rukia was amazed. Sharif didn't lose his footing. He obeyed Linnette's order. She told him to turn around just as he was firing the cero. He listened to her. Shinji was right after all.

Now what?

Please review! ^-^