Chapter 2:

Byakuya took charge and addressed his squad. "Alright. So far we know that this man has the ability to transform his enemies into infants. We are not sure the extent of his powers so be on your guard. Based off this man's movements, I've predicted his possible location. He was last spotted near the 11th barracks, heading west. So I want this group to head in that direction then fan out from there. I want this section to head directly west away from Squad 11. And I want you men to cover the main buildings. If he is truly after someone in the Seireitei, I want all entrances guarded and blocked off. The captain of Squad 10 will stay with me. Understood?"

"Sir!" Everyone flashed off to their assigned locations.

Byakuya then turned to Hitsugaya and Ichigo. "I'll start searching in this direction on the less traveled roads. The man will be trying to stay out of sight, so we need to go were less people are and the more places there are to hide. Ichigo, if you insist on coming along, you have to follow my orders. Understood?"

He had no intention of agreeing to that, but went along with the idea anyway.

The three of them started searching down the empty streets where little to no people ever traveled. They peeked in windows, turned over large crates, leaving no stone unturned. This got them nowhere. Checkers was nowhere to be found.

Just when they were about to call it quits, something caught their eye. A man was trying to climb over one of the walls not too far down the street. Byakuya led the way, his sword drawn. His zanpakuto crashed down on the wall just an inch from the man's left leg. He screamed and fell backwards. Byakuya jumped over the wall, following him.

"Don't get too close to him," Ichigo warned. "That's how Toshiro turned into a baby last time!"

He had every intention of doing that. Keeping a good distance between them, Byakuya followed, tucking his sword away.

Checkers took them to an open area away from buildings and streets, turning around once he realized it was a dead-end. The two captains were standing there, waiting for him.

"Please," Checkers pleaded. "I don't want any trouble."

"Well, you made it, alright." Hitsugaya took out his sword and got ready to charge in.

Checkers backed away. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

"Just surrender now!"

"I told you, I can't! I'm not going to let you take me in! Just leave me alone! I didn't mean to cause problems."

Hitsugaya wouldn't listen. He started forward, his sword raised.

"Wait a sec!" Ichigo called after him. "We still don't know the extent of his power. Why don't you listen to what the others were saying and sit this one out?"

"And let him go? After what he did to me?" Hitsugaya was ready for anything. "Not likely."

Byakuya nodded. "That is why I am backing him up. Any signs of danger and I'll be sure to end this. You just stay back."

"Why should I stay back? You don't think I'm good enough or something?" Ichigo couldn't help but feel offended hearing those words from Byakuya, or anyone for that matter. Hearing them from Byakuya only made it worse.

Without answering him, Byakuya took out his zanpakuto, ready to help Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya charged in first, swinging at Checker with the tip of his sword. He still wasn't trying to kill him. Either that or he found it unfair to attack an unarmed opponent. Checkers dodged every one, but he didn't make it look easy. It obviously was taking a lot of energy to dodge a captain's blows.

"Please don't fight me!" Checkers warned. He sounded scared. "Please, I'm warning you."

Taking it as a threat, Hitsugaya attacked again.

Checkers backed away, frantic. "Please listen to me! I'm telling you not to get close to me!"

Paying no heed to his words, Hitsugaya swung again. Only this time, he had another attack in the waiting. When Checkers jumped to avoid the blade, Hitsugaya used the chain attached to the end to wrap around his ankle and pull him down hard. The other man hit the ground with a thud. Hitsugaya raised his sword high over his head and…

There was a loud pop and Hitsugaya disappeared, a baby in his place.

The small infant looked around, confused. He didn't like this confusion. He didn't like this place or the man giving him the scary look. And he did what all babies did when upset: he started to cry.

Ichigo, who had been watching the whole thing take place from a safe distance, blinked. "He changed back." That got him thinking. "But… last time that happened, there was a small dust storm. Does that mean that guy didn't do it on purpose and he'll randomly switch back at anytime? Or does it happen only when he gets too close?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Byakuya jumped in to pick up the slack. "We have to take him alive so he can reverse this."

Checkers scrambled up, a small dust storm appearing around his ankles. "No! No, please! Get away from me! Quick!"

Ichigo responded, warning the captain as well. "Run away, Byakuya! Get out of there!" That was the same storm as before when Hitsugaya first transformed. If Byakuya got too close…

Figuring that by attacking the conjurer of this strange storm, it would fade, Byakuya paid Ichigo no attention and jumped right in. Though not standing as close as Hitsugaya was when it happened, Byakuya believed that he was safe to use a long-ranged attack. "Scatter, Sen-"

A loud pop and Byakuya was gone.

"Crap!" Ichigo ran to his aid at the same time Checkers took his leave.

Byakuya's sword was gone, as were his captain's uniform. Byakuya had shrunk down to a toddler's size, only a little higher than knee height on his adult self. He was wearing a small child's kimono, only a lot fancier than what most common residents in the Soul Society would wear. These were noble's clothes. His hair was long, but half the length it used to be and missing its noble's head of house hair decoration. But it was Byakuya alright. A toddler version, however.

His head turned from side to side, sitting in the dirt. He turned, spotting Ichigo kneeling above him. "Who are you?"

Ichigo stopped. Byakuya didn't know him? Did he lose his memory, too? "I'm… Ichigo Kurosaki."

He blinked. "I'm Byakuya." He looked around, bewildered. "Where is this? Where are we?"

"You don't know?"

He shook his head. "I was playing in the yard with auntie. Mommy and daddy said they were busy." He looked at the ground. "Where's my ball?"

So he was right. The victims weren't just turned into babies; they were reverted back in time. Byakuya was wearing the same clothes he was as a child and under the impression that he had been taken somewhere else, picked up out of that point in time. He had no memory of adulthood, because to him, it hadn't happened yet. Meaning he had no idea who Ichigo was, having not meant him yet and not knowing that he was a captain. He had gone back in time.

Byakuya got up. "Who's that?" He pointed at the crying baby on the ground a short distance away.

"I forgot about him." Ichigo went over and picked up the baby, shushing him. "It's ok, Toshiro. Stop crying. It's ok."

Recognizing Ichigo from before, the baby calmed and latched onto his kimono, sucking his thumb.

"He's cute. Can I hold him?" Byakuya asked quite honestly. "Please? I'll be careful. Promise."

Ichigo looked around. They were completely alone. Checkers was long gone and now they had two babies to deal with. "Let's just head back to the rest of the group. They'll need to know about this." He was, of course, referring to Byakuya's condition. Though it would be pointless to point it out to him at this stage. He wasn't an adult yet. He didn't know anything.

He started walking when he felt something hit his leg. "Pick me up, too!" Byakuya hollered up at him. Not waiting for permission, Byakuya started climbing up his leg, clawing at his thigh and kicking his kneecap.

"Ok, ok! Hang on a second!" Ichigo shifted Hitsugaya into one arm while balancing Byakuya in the other. "This is not going to be easy…"

"What?"

Taking Byakuya back to the group turned out to be anything but pleasant. Never mind the squad; Rukia and Renji were the ones having a conniption. Byakuya was reduced to a toddler. Now they had two captains who were completely useless.

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know! One minute, everything was ok and the next…" Ichigo tried to make sense of this just like everyone else. "But I did find out one thing. This is temporary, in both cases. They're going to change back and forth. Toshiro changed back into a baby before Checkers had a chance to do anything."

"That's just great," Renji fumed. "Any idea when the changes are going to happen?"

"They seem to be random."

"And my brother? What happened to him?"

"He got too close I guess. I'm not sure…"

Ichigo felt a tug on his pants and looked down. Byakuya was looking up at him, hiding half his body behind Ichigo's leg. "Ichigo, who's that?"

Ichigo followed his gaze over to Rukia. That's right. If he had been thrown back in time, he would have no idea who Rukia was. They haven't met yet. He didn't know who Hisana was, either. Rukia was a total stranger to him. He had no idea he had a sister. Should he tell him who she was? No. Finding out about this new sister he never knew he had and all these other truths would only confuse him. He didn't want to overwhelm the poor little guy.

"Um… This is Rukia."

Byakuya hid his face shyly in Ichigo hakama. "She's pretty…"

Rukia caught his gaze and looked down. "Hi, there."

Byakuya hid his face from view. He was being very shy.

"He's so cute…" Rukia's eyes lit up. Her 'big' brother was downright adorable. She couldn't help but love him to pieces. She always held him in high admiration and adored him, but now… This was on a whole new level. "Come here, I want to pick you up."

Byakuya scooted to the other side of Ichigo, keeping away from her. He was very shy.

"I got him." Renji came around to the other side and picked him up from behind. "Here he is."

Byakuya thrashed, not liking being picked up like this one bit. "Put me down, you ugly meanie!"

"Shut up, brat."

The young noble stuck out his tongue.

Rukia came to his rescue, taking him from Renji and into her arms. "Renji, not like that! Be gentle. He is your captain, after all."

"Big deal. If he's anything like Hitsugaya was, he won't remember any of this anyway."

Rukia cradled Byakuya in her arms and he snuggled up to her. He leaned upward and took a deep whiff of her hair. "You smell pretty. Like honey flowers." He sniffed her again. "Hey, I know that smell. It's the special soaps from the Kuchiki private wash. How'd you get 'em?"

"Uh…" Should they tell him the truth? No, bad idea.

"Uh, Rukia's been living with you guys for a few days now. She's friends of the clan. She's been given permission to use that stuff."

"Oh, ok." Byakuya was so gullible. He took another sniff. "Smells good. Mommy puts it in my hair, too, when I take a bath. It's fun. We have this big tub that's all 'ahh' and when the water goes, you can splash like 'bish'!" Byakuya started off on some strange story that made no sense randomly. But then again, all toddlers did that.

The door flew open and in came a very disheveled Rangiku. "Someone help, please!" She came running into the room carrying a crying Hitsugaya. "I don't know what to do! He started crying all of a sudden and I can't get him to stop! Everything I try just doesn't work and causes me pain. I tried giving him his bottle and he threw it at my head! He keeps pulling my hair whenever I try to rock him. What do I do?"

"You fed him, right?"

"Yes!"

"How long ago?"

"Uh… since he changed back. Remember, you were there?"

Ichigo frowned. "Then I think he might need… changing."

Rangiku's bewildered face vanished and she threw the baby into his arms. "You take him!"

"What? No!"

"I don't know how to change a baby! Gross!"

"You were the one saying how cute he was!"

"Not like this! He's not cute at all like this! You change him!"

"Typical, you just want the fun parts and give me the rest!" Ichigo tried to shush the crying captain. "Shh, shh! Does anybody have a diaper on hand that I can use?"

"I'll get Squad 4. They should know."

While she ran off to ask, leaving Ichigo with the crying baby, Byakuya started fussing. He climbed up Rukia's shoulder, whining about how he hated hearing the baby cry.

"I'm going to take him to his office," she told them and quickly left. Renji ran after her, but only to get away from the crying.

By the time Rangiku returned, Hitsugaya had made himself hoarse with all the crying. She held up an armful of baby supplies. Unohana had thought of everything for every possible occasion, it seemed. Even one as off the wall as this.

Ichigo lay Hitsugaya down on top of his desk, trying to keep him from failing about, which wasn't easy.

"You know how to change a diaper, right?" Rangiku asked.

"Comes from growing up with two little sisters. Sure, I know how. And it wouldn't kill you to learn either."

Predictably, Rangiku stood by and watched. Ichigo removed the baby clothes and the dirty diaper. These were different from the ones he was used to in the World of the Living. These ones were cloth. Holding his breath, Ichigo removed the dirty diaper and threw it away. Wiping him clean, he slid the fresh one under Hitsugaya and applied the baby powder. He pinned it together and dressed the baby, letting out a deep breath.

"Whew! Done."

"Wow, you're amazing, Ichigo!" The lieutenant shoved him aside and took a look at the baby. He was still sniffling, but at least he wasn't crying anymore. "Can I hold him yet?"

"See? I knew it! You just want him when he's easy!"

Not listening to a word, Rangiku picked up her captain. "Ohh! Who's a cute baby? You are, yes, you are!"

Hitsugaya stopped sniffling and stared at her. Her tone was nice and friendly. The more she cooed, the more he smiled. Soon he was laughing and giggling, trying to touch her face and play with her long hair. This lady was nice.

Now that he was happy, Ichigo chose to leave. When he went out into the hall, Renji grabbed him and dragged him into the nearest room. "Hey! What?"

"The kid's driving me nuts!"

"It's only been ten minutes."

"Twenty, I counted." Renji pointed to Byakuya who was jumping up and down on the couch. "He hasn't stopped! Make him cool it!"

"Where's Rukia?"

"She went to get him some food."

Seeing Ichigo, Byakuya bounced off the couch and ran over to him. "Play with me!"

"In a second."

"No!" Byakuya stomped his foot on the ground. "I wanna play now! Right now! Do it!"

"See?" Renji hissed. "He's a brat!"

Byakuya jumped up and down, whining loudly. "I wanna play! I wanna, I wanna, I wanna! Do it now! Right now! Do it!"

"Calm down and I will!"

"No!" he whined loudly. "Nooo!"

Renji started pulling out his zanpakuto and that's when Ichigo chose to make a move. Shoving Renji to one side, he knelt down in front of Byakuya. "Ok, listen. I'll play any game you want."

Byakuya stopped wailing. "Really?"

"Yup. Whenever you want to play. But first you have to promise me something."

"I don't wanna! I wanna play!"

"I know you do. But there was a secret I'm not supposed to tell anybody and I wanted to tell it to you. But if you wanna play instead, that's fine, too."

Byakuya calmed down, looking curious and excited. "A secret? What is it?"

"You want to play, so I can't tell you now. So what game did you want-"

"Never mind! I wanna know the secret."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded up and down. "Yeah, uh-huh."

"Ok." Ichigo looked around. "But no one's supposed to know this. So we have to be very quiet, ok?"

Byakuya nodded, whispering, "Ok."

Ichigo was having fun with this. Toddlers were so easy to fool. "Come here. Closer."

Byakuya got up close to him.

"Little more." He leaned in further.

"Ok, you ready?"

"Uh-huh."

Ichigo smiled. Now what to tell him? He had a couple of ideas. A good one popped into his head and decided to go with that one. "Alright." He cupped his hand around Byakuya's ear. Byakuya balanced himself by putting his tiny hands on Ichigo's knee. He was so tiny. "That guy over there, Renji… He likes that girl Rukia. He like-likes her."

Byakuya started smiling.

"He doesn't want anyone to know. And seeing her spend all her time with you makes him jealous. That's why he's such a big meanie."

The toddler nodded.

"But you know what else? He's very, very ticklish."

Byakuya started giggling.

"Yeah… Why don't you try it out?"

"Ok."

They broke apart. Renji looked down and saw the toddler looking up at him mischievously. "What?"

Byakuya was giggling.

"What?"

"What are you waiting for? Attack him!" Ichigo encouraged.

Byakuya jumped on Renji and started spidering his fingers over Renji's body. "Hey, hey! Stop that!" Laughing, Byakuya kept it up. "I mean it! Stop it! Stop!"

Byakuya kept it up until Rukia showed up with a plate of food for him. "Byakuya, do you want something to eat?"

He nodded and jumped over to her. It was a simple omelet. But like all children, Byakuya managed to turn it into a toy. He ate most of it sloppily and the rest he smeared all over the place. Most of it was on his face and in his black hair. The rest ended up on the floor, the table and couch. He started flicking some pieces into the air, trying to see how far he could get them. When Renji told him to stop, Byakuya threw a handful of it into his face, laughing.

Rukia grabbed his hands and started cleaning him off with a moist cloth. Ichigo picked pieces out of his hair like a monkey grooming another. Shortly after that, Byakuya was up and running again. He climbed up the sleeves on the bookcase, pulling out random books whenever he pleased. Ichigo grabbed him and pulled him back down only to chase after him again when he tried the same thing again. Rukia helped as much as she could, but soon, she had to leave in order to help someone else and receive orders. They still had a mission to complete.

Byakuya was a little ball of fire. He had energy to spare. There was no stopping him. Soon he found his way out into the hall and started racing with everyone who tried to catch him. He ran between the legs of people carrying large stacks of paper, causing a couple of them to trip. Anyone who was left standing were knocked down by Ichigo and Renji chasing after the toddler. Byakuya opened random door, peeked inside and kept running after that. Just when Ichigo was about to grab him, Byakuya made a sudden turn and headed down another hallway. He climbed up stairs on all fours and slid down them and his backside like a bumpy slide.

Finally, after an hour, Ichigo managed to grab him and carry him back to the office. Byakuya grabbed hold of the door frame and refused to let go. He didn't want to return. He still wanted to run around. Renji pried his fingers off one by one and shoved the two inside.

"I told you he was a pain in the ass!"

Byakuya wagged a finger at him. "You said a naughty."

"I'm gonna do something else naughty if you don't shut up!"

"Calm down, Renji!" Ichigo told him.

"We're not a daycare! He needs to stop acting like a toddler!"

"He can't help it!" Ichigo snapped back. "He is a toddler, in case you didn't notice."

"Then he needs to stop not acting… his… age?" Even Renji couldn't understand what he was trying to say. "You know what I mean."

Byakuya wriggled and twisted in Ichigo's arms. "Put me down! I wanna get down!"

"Fat chance, kid," Renji snapped. "I'll tie you down myself if it'll keep you from running around so much!"

Byakuya whined loudly. "Let me goooo!" Ichigo couldn't hold on. It was like tangling with a slippery, flopping bass. Byakuya wiggled free and took off again. Renji bent down and picked him up by the back of his kimono.

"Stay put!"

"No!"

"Stay!"

"No!"

"Do you want me to hurt you?"

"Ahhhh!" Byakuya started screaming, throwing a temper tantrum.

"Renji!"

"What? He's pissing me off!"

"I can see that, but freaking him out's not gonna help!"

"Then you deal with him!" Renji shoved him back into Ichigo's arms and stormed out of the room. He slammed the door shut, leaving the two all alone.

Ichigo had to put up with Byakuya's antics for another hour before he got bored and tired out. Needing to catch his breath and think of new games, Byakuya literally climbed onto the couch and sat down. Ichigo sat next to him.

All was quiet for quite some time.

Then Ichigo noticed Byakuya yawning. While he sat pouting on the couch, his heavy eyes started drooping. It was time for a nap and Byakuya was long overdo. But as he had seen before, Byakuya wasn't going down easy. He was so stubborn. But after another minute or so, Byakuya's head started to bob. He fought to keep himself upright in his seat. It wasn't easy. He was so tired.

Seeing the normally stern, cold captain so drowsy made Ichigo smile. He must have been exhausted. Toddlers such as himself couldn't stay awake for very long anyway. As if hearing his thoughts, Byakuya yawned. He shifted beside Ichigo on the couch, trying to stay awake. He had scooted himself further against the back of the couch, allowing his head to slowly dip forward.

Ichigo looked away for just a moment. There was a thud and Ichigo turned back to find Byakuya on the floor. He had fallen off the couch, allowing his head to droop a little too far forward. The toddler picked himself up, looking around. Three seconds ticked by before his tiny brain made sense of what had happened: Ouch. And that meant pain and that meant cry. His eyes started to tear up and Byakuya let out a soft whine, growing in pitch.

The only adult in the room quickly bent down and picked him up. He tried his best to distract Byakuya before he really started to cry. "You're alright, you're alright. Come on." He held Byakuya to his chest and bounced him gently. He stroked the back of Byakuya's head and shushed him again. "That was nothing. That didn't hurt, did it, tough guy? I didn't think so. You're better than that."

Byakuya calmed at his words, his toddler brain shifting to another realization. That didn't hurt much, did it? No, not really. No pain at all. And having come to that conclusion made Byakuya forget why he was going to cry in the first place. And soon, he had forgotten that he was going to cry at all. He had no memory of what had happened at all. Not even the fall itself or ending up on the floor. Now all his mind was focused on was the gentle rocking Ichigo was doing. This was quite pleasant.

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. He let out a yawn. Sleepy. He was sleepy. Byakuya cuddled up to Ichigo shamelessly. In turn, Ichigo swayed his body from side to side, creating a gentle breeze that started to lull Byakuya to sleep. He rubbed his back and played with a strand of Byakuya's ebony hair. Byakuya went limp.

Ichigo sat back down on the couch, causing Byakuya to moan in his sleepy stupor. Ichigo went back to petting him until he felt Byakuya relax again. A gentle sigh emitted from the little toddler as he fell asleep.

Ichigo tried to set him down, but the moment he moved, Byakuya started to stir. Ichigo decided to keep still and let Byakuya sleep on his chest. He inhaled deeply before exhaling quietly and falling still. Ichigo was his bed for now. The sound of his beating heart was the perfect lullaby for him.

Ichigo sighed. This wasn't how he wanted to spend his afternoon. Ten minutes ticked by. He looked down at Byakuya. Was he able to move him yet? Should he even try? Byakuya had a tight hold on Ichigo's front, clenching the fabric of his kimono. He wasn't going anywhere. Ichigo settled back down and gave Byakuya's back a rub.

Soon the tranquility of the room and hearing Byakuya breathing softly was making Ichigo's eyes feel a little heavy. He closed them for just a minute to rest.

There was a pop and Ichigo felt something heavy pressing him into the couch. His eyes snapped open and he saw Byakuya, the adult one this time, sitting on his lap. He was still fast asleep, using Ichigo as a pillow. Only now his head wasn't on Ichigo's chest but rather his shoulder, adult body too tall for the previous position. He still managed to sit on Ichigo's lap with minimal changes, only now his long legs were hanging over the edge of the couch.

Too heavy. Byakuya in his adult form was far bigger and heavier than his toddler self. Ichigo was being crushed. He was already finding it hard to breathe. He gasped for air, casing Byakuya's eyelids to flutter. He shifted to the other shoulder, burying his nose into Ichigo's neck. Did he even notice Ichigo? Wasn't he aware that he was sleeping on top of another person?

Byakuya inhaled deeply. Strange scent. The smell of peach shampoo filled his nose. Peaches and sweat. He frowned. Something didn't feel right. His hand reached up and brushed across Ichigo's ear. For the first time since his transformation, Byakuya realized that he was laying atop another person. His eyes snapped open and his vision was filled with orange hair. He pulled away, blinking rapidly and saw Ichigo's face staring back at him.

The normally clam and collected noble made a sound similar to a yelp and jumped off Ichigo's lap, stumbling and falling onto the floor. He quickly picked himself up, trying to be as diplomatic as possible and addressed Ichigo. "What in God's name was that?"

"What?" Ichigo sounded both annoyed and confused.

"Why were we..? How did that happen?"

"You fell asleep on top of me."

Byakuya looked outraged. "I would never do such a thing!"

"Well, you did."

"I would never…" He looked around the office, now thoroughly confused. "How did I end up here? I was… What's going on?"

Ichigo stood up from the couch to explain. "That guy that turned Toshiro into a baby also turned you into a toddler."

Byakuya looked dumbfounded.

"It's all true. The only problem is that you guys seem to change back at random times and then revert right back again. No one can control it."

"So you're saying that I'm going to keep changing from form to form at random times for no reason and there is no stopping it?"

Ichigo shrugged. "Pretty much."

The captain started to pace the room, beside himself. "This is… This is unacceptable… How could this have happened?"

"Look, we're working on finding the guy, just take it easy."

Byakuya turned, giving Ichigo a stern look. "I am not going to just sit here and do nothing. He attacked two captains now. I'm not going to sit back and let this go unpunished. It's my duty as a captain as well as head of the noble family to bring him to justice myself."

"You can't do that!"

"And why not?"

"Because you could change back at anytime without warning. It's too dangerous!"

Byakuya stopped. He examined the situation and then gave out a sigh of defeat. "I suppose you do have a point. It would be foolish of me to go out there in this state. I could get myself killed or worse."

"Worse?" Ichigo raised a brow at him.

"Of course. I could endanger someone else. I could put an innocent life in danger. The situation could change at any moment, I don't know what's going to happen. The man could take a hostage for all I know or attack me when my back is turned or in my toddler form. It's pointless for me to go out there like this."

"That's what I'm saying."

"But a man has his pride. I can't just sit here like a coward and expect my men to do the fighting for me. What kind of captain would I be then? I have to sort this out. There has to be a way."

"You know, other people are going after this guy, too."

Byakuya nodded. "True. I am aware of that. However, that doesn't change anything." He walked towards the window and looked out. "If Squad 6 is dispatched, then I will go regardless."

"What? That's crazy! Didn't you just say-"

"If I find myself in such a situation, I will relay on my own division to watch my back accordingly. I will not let them go out into battle while I sit behind and look out the window. I'm uninjured. I can fight. And I will. And if I should change in the middle of it all, then it's their responsibility to handle the situation. That's all I can expect from them."

"So you're going to go out there and fight knowing that you could change at any given moment?"

"And what if I don't change? Then I stayed behind for nothing."

"You won't lose anyone's respect."

"Perhaps, but I will lose mine."

So this was why Byakuya wanted to go out there so bad even knowing the state he was in and the dangers that came with it. As long as he could fight, he would. Regardless. He couldn't face himself knowing that he ran away and hid when he didn't have to. That was how he viewed the situation. He was all about rules and respect. He had an image to uphold. He would be the proper captain.

"Byaku-"

"Matsumoto!"

There was a crashed from outside and Rangiku came running into the office, seeking shelter. "Captain, I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!"

Hitsugaya came bursting in looking very pissed off. "You dropped me on the ground!"

"You changed back all of a sudden!"

"Then why were you kissing me?"

"You were a cute baby!"

He reached for his sword.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Ichigo stepped between them. "Cool it, Toshiro!"

"That's captain Hitsugaya to you!"

"Whatever! Just calm down."

Byakuya stepped forward and addressed Rangiku. "Any word on that man?"

"Huh? Oh, no. No sightings yet."

The door opened and in came Rukia. "He's been spotted behind Squad 7 barracks!" She spotted her brother. "Oh. You changed back. Wonderful!"

Byakuya disregarded what she had to say. "Behind Squad 7, correct? I'm going out there."

"Not without me!" Hitsugaya followed.

"No matter what age you are, I end up babysitting you!" Ichigo followed after them both.

Review, please! ^-^