Hissing. It was there again. Ichigo looked at the dragon trailing at his side, who nodded and ran off.

Kill. Kill. Kill them all.

He set off in a jog, a horrible feeling settling in his stomach. A growl of rage hit his ears when he reached the library. Shiro was wrestling a large snake, it trying to snap at him with large, powerful, teeth filled jaws. It made eye contact with Ichigo, and the orangette felt his power rise up in challenge. His eyes heated to a melted gold, his tongue loosening to speak.

"Quid tu hic? Quis est magister vester?" Ichigo questioned, getting the snakes attention.
(Why are you here? Who is your master?)

Quis ego sum dicere, Domine abyssi? the serpent hissed.
(Who am I to say, Lord of the Abyss?)

"Dic mihi, serpentem vectem, et ex toto corde tuo ego sum et rip!" Ichigo commanded.
(Tell me, serpent, or I shall rip out your heart myself!)

"Problema."
(Riddle.)

The serpent merely hissed and slunk back into the pipes. Shiro hissed at it and went to follow, but Ichigo held up a hand.

"Let him go," he smirked. "But follow him. I wanna see where this Chamber is." Nodding, the lizard slithered his way after the large basilisk. He turned, the felling of close death hovering in his nostrils. He walked the corridors to the library, scanning for the unfortunate that encountered the snake's deadly gaze. What he found only angered him.

"Hermione." She was laying on the ground, frozen in place. She had a hand mirror, something that puzzled the God of Hades. She had used the mirror to check around corners, Ichigo realized. Clever girl. He picked her up gently, her stiffness melting against his heat enough to mold her against him. He carried her to the hospital wing, setting her down gently. He took the mirror from her, putting it on the stands next to her bed. He looked at her other hand and squinted when he thought he saw something. Wrapping his hands around hers to melt it a bit, he pried her fingers apart carefully. A piece of paper was stuck there.

Wiggling it out of her hands, Ichigo put it in his pocket quickly when someone walk into the wing. Looking at the door, he found a herd of teachers setting a Ravenclaw in a medical bed, fussing over her. Ichigo cleared his throat, getting their attention. He shifted to the side, stepping out of their view and revealing Hermione. Madam Pomfrey quickly went to her, Dumbledore following behind. Ichigo grabbed the headmaster's arm firmly, stopping him.

"I need you to watch for reflective surfaces. I found out our culprit," he whispered, heading for Dumbledore's office, the older man following in his blue nightgown and cap.

0oo00oo0

They finally arrived at the office, Ichigo conjuring a pillow on the floor large enough to sit on. Sitting Indian style, Ichigo looked at the headmaster.

"You have a basilisk haunting your halls," Ichigo said seriously. "People have been looking at it's reflection and merely getting petrified instead of dying where they stand."

"Have you done anything about this?" Dumbledore questioned.

"I had Shirosaki follow it back. I asked it who it's master was and it told me someone named Riddle. I'm guessing he means Tom Riddle, this Dark Lord everyone's so scared of," Ichigo huffed. "What I wanted from you, Headmaster, was to watch my physical form for a minute. I need to find Harry."

Before the elder man could ask, Ichigo's conscientiousness was gone.

0oo00oo0

Harry looked around the library he was now stuck in. He remembered falling asleep after he had found Riddle's diary, but now he was stuck in this maze of books and papers. The bookcases started to shift, making Harry freeze. As they shifted, they swerved around and dodged him, avoiding causing any harm to the boy. As they settled, he gasped as Ichigo stood there. He looked so much different than normal, almost regal against his normal laid back attitude.

His hair was long, flowing around him in flames of orange. His eyes were bright gold, swimming with unfathomable power. Black robes clung to him, looking as if he were swimming in darkness.

"Ichigo?"

"I haven't the time for your questions, Potter. Hermione has been attacked," Ichigo warned. Harry gasped, fear for his friend bright in his eyes. "She knows what has been attacking the students. I have evidence that she found in the library. When you wake, don't go to breakfast, but come straight to me. Grab Weasley and come to the front of the headmaster's office."

"How are you here? Is Hermione alright?" Harry fired off.

"Granger is as fine as she can be right now. As for this, that is something Granger might have figured out," Ichigo smiled slyly, a bit of smugness in his eyes.

0oo00oo0

He cut the connection, letting Harry sleep, and opened his eyes to look at the headmaster, who was watching him.

"It's rude to stare," Ichigo grumbled, standing and stretching, the pillow disappearing. Fawks, Dumlbedore's pet phoenix, swooped over, landing on his shoulder. He pet his head, a bit of flame sparking on his fingers.

"Ah, apologies, but you are very fascinating," Dumbledore admitted. Ichigo rolled his eyes, but felt a tug on his soul. He pulled back, letting Shiro sit by his feet as he materialized.

"Anything?"

"I know where the chamber is, MiLord," Shiro preened. "I went to follow him in, but as soon he was in, the damn thing closed and Harry showed up. He found this." Shiro lifted up the book in his jaws. Ichigo took it, running his fingertips over the cover. Screeching entered his mind and he dropped it, not letting the haunted voices inside his head any longer.

"Nasty thing, isn't it?" Shirosaki hissed.

"It must be a horcrux," Ichigo sighed. "Nothing but Hell itself makes souls scream like that."

"It's only a piece. Can you tell who's it is? It's fuzzy for me."

"It must be Riddle's," Dumbledore spoke, rising from behind his desk.

"I had to fight the Weasley girl over that," Shiro huffed, alerting both of the other men. "But she wasn't in her right mind. If I had to describe it, it would be possession." Ichigo mulled that over, glaring at the floor. "Has the floor personally offended you or...?"

"Shut up. We need to head to the Chamber and find out what the hell is going on."

And with that, he left, the white, winged lizard trailing him.

0oo00oo0

I LIVE! I'm so sorry for the hold up, my beautiful hellions of the Underworld. I know I haven't been posting literally anything at all, but I'M SORRY! School is Hell on Earth... If only it had Ichi... that would make it better. I still won't be posting like I used to, my lovelies, but your darling judge needs to step off the stand for a moment. I will try with all my power to put out more things for you, but I promise nothing.