I know it's been a really long while since I last updated any of my stories but my workload is getting unmanageable since it's my last year of college. I'm really sorry for taking so long with them so I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 3: Suspicions

Toshi cautiously snuck out of her division as soon as she determined that the night patrol had left the area. She knew that she shouldn't even be sneaking out but she had felt an odd reiatsu some time ago. Better judgment told her that she should have informed her brother but, not only did the spirits of her zanpakutou insist that she do otherwise, she also felt a sense of familiarity coming from the reiatsu hiding somewhere near the Twelfth Division. It had been a little more than ten years since she last felt reiatsu similar to this one and she couldn't help but think about the old Quincy she wasn't able to save. 'Is a member from your clan here for revenge, Quincy-san?' she asked the spirit of her one-time comrade.

She had woken up in the Fourth Division nearly a week after that failed assignment and learned that the Quincy she fought beside had died. Yamamoto had forbidden her from finding the old Quincy; he, like most shinigami, had an intense dislike for the human clan and did not want one of his soldiers to form any ties with them unless it was absolutely necessary. She was not even given the man's name so she could pray for his soul's safety. (1)

With Central 46 backing him, there was little that she could do. Though she should just be thankful that the old shinigami captain and the members of the judiciary organization did not punish her for aiding a Quincy, it did not keep her for grieving for the kindly human. She trained hard, slowly increasing her strength. She never wanted to feel that kind of helplessness again. Or rather, she didn't want anyone to die in front of her because she was too weak to guard their back.

She made certain to avoid the other shinigami who passed through the corridors. Everyone knew how overprotective Tōshirō was of her and she couldn't risk having them tell him of her late night excursion. Her peace of mind would not let her leave this alone if it was a Quincy. 'But still,' she thought to herself. 'Why would a Quincy who has every right to hate shinigami come to Seireitei?' It's highly possible that the archer was with the ryoka who could be after Kuchiki but that led to even more questions. It is also possible that he was using the other party as a distraction while he avenged the gray-haired marksman.

As she was about to round a corner, a large calloused hand grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. She was unable to hold back a soft cry of surprise and pain. She gritted her teeth and took an unsteady breath, waiting for whoever caught her to speak. "What's this?" a slightly amused voice said. It had a mechanical quality to it that made it all the more disturbing. Even without looking, Toshi knew that it was the captain of the Twelfth Division, Kurotsuchi Mayuri. They had never formally met before yet whenever they were in the same general area, the young girl could feel his hungry gaze on her. Knowing the sadistic researcher, he wanted to make her a new toy for his laboratory.

The grip on her wrist tightened and Toshi hissed in pain. "I-I…" She swallowed the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. "M-My apologies for roaming around, Kurotsuchi-taicho." She shut her eyes tightly; she was beginning to lose feeling inn her right arm but she could feel the strain the tyrannical captain was putting on her shoulder. He was about to wave off her apology like it was nothing but appeared to have thought of something.

She tensed up when the mad scientist started chuckling. "It is fortunate that you came by, Hitsugaya-chan," the odd-looking captain told her. Toshi's free hand was clenched into a fist to keep it from shaking in fright too much. The captain's tone had not changed from his usual drawl yet it carried a more dangerous air to it as Kurotsuchi steered her to the gate of the division. "I need a test subject who has a high level of reiatsu for an experiment that could assist us with occasions such as this. Unfortunately, no one in my division is powerful enough so I have been unable to proceed with it. Your power level, however, is within what I require and," the deranged scientist continued, "your skills in tracing reiatsu will be most beneficial."

Toshi wanted to struggle so much but terror clouded her mind. Her heart was pounding against her ribcage; his ill intent practically strangling her. "Toshi!" both Akaru and Yami cried. One of the captains that the zanpakutou couldn't stand was going to hurt their little mistress and they wouldn't stand for it. They knew that Toshi could defeat the insane captain in a fair fight even without their help since she was about as strong as her brother. Despite that fact though, she still had relative trouble in defying those in authority and she was still reluctant to engage someone in a fight without a valid reason. Unfortunately a valid reason constitutes to protecting others and not herself for the young shinigami. Yami frantically told her to run away while Akaru basically yelled to kick his ass (2) in less crude terms but their screams fell on deaf ears as the two shinigami started to enter the notorious division.

A heavy presence lingered in the air and stopped Kurotsuchi from steering the white-haired girl into his lair. "What is going on here, Kurotsuchi?" The said captain looked over his shoulder and found his fellow captain giving him a displeased look. The flawless white of his haori seemed to glow in the dark surroundings while the little light present cast a glare on his glasses. Kurotsuchi glared at the taller man before cursing under his breath.

"Nothing that should concern you, Aizen-taicho," he said with a slightly respectful voice. He knew that he was the weakest of all the captains combat-wise and was barely tolerated by his colleagues. He reasoned that it would not do to tread on the toes of another more powerful and highly respected one. "Hitsugaya-chan merely volunteered herself for an experiment but it seems she is a bit anxious about it." He squeezed the captured wrist to the point of breaking it as if the girl's fear was not enough to keep her from contributing to the conversation.

The look of displeasure turned into a glare at the obvious lie. "Be that as it may, Kurotsuchi," Aizen started coldly, "it is far too late at night for such things and Hitsugaya-chan hardly seems capable in assist you with your experiment when she is close to having a panic attack." He walked closer to the pair and gently pried the disturbingly pale white hand from Toshi's bruised wrist. "If there is nothing else you need, Kurotsuchi, I shall see Hitsugaya-chan back to her division." With that, he left the silently fuming captain guiding the hyperventilating young girl away from the other captain.

Once they were far enough away from the Twelfth Division captain, Toshi began to calm down. "Thank you for saving me, Aizen-taicho," she said sincerely and respectfully. Now while she was grateful towards the charismatic man in front of her, she still can't find it in herself to trust him. His dark aura made her feel slightly ill. It was then that she noticed that despite being it late at night, the captain escorting her back to her division was walking around without a light. Also, the Fifth Division was quite far from the Twelfth. Taking a breath, she spoke, "Aizen-taicho, why were you walking around so late at night?"

Aizen raised an eyebrow and gave the girl a charming smile. She kept herself from cringing at that smile; something about it seemed hypocritical and caused a shiver to travel down her spine. While she normally had a kind smile ready for most people, she simply could not give a sincere one to the captain who had just helped her mere minutes ago. "I was having a bit of difficulty sleeping so I thought a walk would help. I was also a bit worried about those ryoka since they could cause more problems for us. There was also the arrest of Abarai-kun for being unable to defeat one of the ryoka" She politely nodded but made no comment as to whether she believed his reasons or not. "Why were you wandering around, Hitsugaya-chan?" he asked. "Your brother would be worried if he found out that you were alone when we have been invaded by potentially dangerous outsiders."

She slightly narrowed her eyes at the question. 'Why does it seem like he's trying to shift the attention to me?' the third Seat wondered. She was wary of the captain; she made that clear to everyone if not her reasons for it. However, she saw no harm in answering him as truthfully as he answered her. "I was trying to see if I could sense any of the ryoka since only a few people would be out at this time of night." When he asked if she had any luck, she told him that her encounter with Kurotsuchi shook her too much to follow any foreign signatures that she might have found. A subtle tension hung in the air and seemed to grow as they continued on in silence. Both were conscious of it but neither one knew how to lessen the awkward silence. Deciding to test the waters, the bright-eyed girl initiated a conversation. "Aizen-taicho, what do you think about the ryoka?"

The bespectacled captain thought for a while. "It's possible that someone had them break into Seireitei for some reason. They must be skilled to be able to defeat most of the Eleventh Division as well as one of our vice-captains. Though, I must admit that it would not take much to outwit many in that division."

Toshi glared at the brunette captain. "I would appreciate it if you would not insult the members of my former division, Aizen-taicho," she said defensively. While she was no longer part of the Eleventh Division, she was still close to many there and she would not tolerate anyone badmouthing them no matter what their rank was. "I assure you that while they are more focused with the physical aspect of combat than the strategies involved, they are quick-witted and decisive in combat."

Sōsuke regarded the small girl walking with him as he gave an apology he did not mean. For some reason, he couldn't seem to gain her trust when everyone else had freely given theirs. Not even the praises from his lieutenant could sway the intelligent girl. He found her quite frustrating yet interesting as she shared the same intuition as his old captain. He inwardly smirked. 'It hardly matters,' he thought. 'She's just a Third Seat and has no pull in Gotei 13 despite her connections.' Toshi nodded at his statement. "Why do you think they are here, Hitsugaya-chan?" Even though he thought very little of the girl, he would rather not leave any loose ends.

"I have a few ideas but I'd rather be certain before I share them with anyone." Aizen nodded but caught the slightly suspicious look that was sent to him. He frowned and decided she would just be another loose end that he would have to deal with in the near future. In any case, Gin was becoming a bit too close to the girl for his liking. He immediately waved the idea away; Gin had been loyal to him for more than a century. It was doubtful that he would betray him for a slip of a girl. After all, the pale man had proven his loyalty time and again and, in return, he was giving Gin the chance to become a god.

When they reached the Tenth Division, Hitsugaya thanked him once again for saving her and invited him for something to drink. He graciously refused and said he must be on his way to his own division. "Hitsugaya Toshi,' he thought to himself as a smug grin formed on his lips, 'I'll have you in my web yet…'

Toshi woke up bright and early the next day feeling only slightly tired from her unsuccessful late night. She would have gone back out but common sense told her that Tōshirō would know she was up to something last night if she was any more tired. Thankfully, she could just brush of her fatigue as an uneasy night. She was helping her brother prepare for the meeting that would be held in a bit when both siblings felt the erratic pattern of Momo's reiatsu.

Tōshirō gave her a look which she answered with a nod. They used shunpo to get to the courtyard where they felt the disturbance. 'What is going on?' she couldn't help but think as she saw their friend call out her zanpakutou and caused an explosion. Izuru and Momo yelled at each other for a bit before she released yet another fireball towards the Third Division lieutenant, who easily sidestepped the attack. Without the need to say anything, Tōshirō let her handle the wayward attack while he dealt with Momo and Izuru. She quickly performed Danku to block the destructive fireball from Momo's zanpakutou. The attack from Tobiume hit the see-through wall and caused a loud explosion and a large cloud of smoke. Dying embers floated harmlessly in the air before settling down on the wooden floor. The resulting shockwave however, disoriented many of those present.

Despite the smoke, she quickly noticed the dark red streak on the floor; she had seen blood more than enough times not to mistake it for anything else. Looking up, she was horrified to see the desecrated body of Aizen. She might not like the man but no one deserved to die in such a way. Most of the vice-captains were picking themselves up and trying to stamp out the embers while some were simply shocked at Momo's behavior as they knew her to be a sweet and sensible person. Lastly, she saw Gin off to the side smirking evilly at the scene yet she felt no malice from the man. She heard her brother order the other lieutenants to restrain both Izuru and Momo and her dark-haired friend screaming that Gin killed Aizen. She should be worried about the girl's mania for her captain but was more concerned about her older friend who pretended not to see her. "Toshi!" her brother called for her. He was in captain mode right now so the young girl knew she had to follow orders. "Alert the Fourth Division of this and have them get Aizen's body down from there. Also report this to the First Division." As Toshi left to comply, she cast a troubled look over her shoulder.

Tōshirō watched his sister jump from one rooftop to another. He knew that she and Ichimaru were getting close and, while he didn't want to control her life, there was no chance he would let the scheming silver-haired captain hurt her if he had any say about it. Likewise, he would protect Momo since she was basically his older sister figure despite how childish she could be. He sheathed his sword and turned to the man. The squinting captain apologized for Izuru's actions but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Were you planning on killing Hinamori?" he asked in a frigid tone. He disliked the man just like many in Seireitei but right now, he felt hatred stir for the older shinigami. "I'll tell you this now, if Hinamori or Toshi shed even a single drop of blood or are hurt in any way, I'll kill you."

Ichimaru gave the boy genius a wide grin. "Whatta terrifyin' thin' ta say. If ya feel tha' way, chibi-taicho," he began, seemingly taking pleasure in the irritated look on the colleague's face. "Make sure not ta let any bad guys get close to 'em." With that, he walked away with the silent unnatural grace years of dancing around the battlefield brought.

'As if I could hurt Toshi...' he thought to himself. The boy genius didn't get that nickname just because he was one of the few people to graduate the academy in such a short time; Hitsugaya was highly intelligent, insightful and responsible. Best of all, most people underestimated him because he was very young for a shinigami and he still looked like a teenager. A few hints here and there and he would be able to figure nearly everything out without too many people getting apprehensive. How Gin longed to give him Aizen's dirty little secrets just to watch the boy follow the proverbial breadcrumbs leading to the real enemy but it was still far too early for that.

He shook his head to get rid of such tempting thoughts. Instead, he focused on the look Toshi had given him. He never thought that she would jump into the hostility but in hindsight, he should have expected it because of her tracing skills and protectiveness. In any case, the way she looked at him wasn't wary or disbelieving, instead, it was full of concern for him. 'I think I would have faired better if she started hating me like everyone else... At least then I don't have to worry about what she's going to go through when I leave,' he thought, depressed that he had worried the girl he loved. Not only that, but he knew that he had just made it much more difficult to get along with her brother.

He reminded himself that it had to be done. Aizen had already gathered a significant number of evolved hollows called arrancar before he had learned of it from the self-proclaimed god. The few he had observed were incredibly powerful and would pose a threat to Seireitei even without being exposed to the Hōgyoku. Until he can determine who is loyal to Aizen and who is simply there just for the hell of it and how to neutralize those who are loyal, there was nothing he could do other than continue his mission.

He raked a hand through silver locks in frustration and fully opened his eyes, putting up with the glare reflected from the pristine walls. What could be seen in his eyes was a myriad of emotions. Sorrow, shame, worry and regret - they could be seen in his dark red eyes so clearly that those who were wary of him would wonder if this was the same shinigami who put them on edge on purpose. That was the reason why he always kept people from seeing his eyes; they were the only part of him that betrayed the irritating bastard reputation he had built around himself. Not even Rangiku and Kira had seen his eyes and they were his closest friends.

He paused at that thought; someone had seen his eyes, at least partially. He recalled the day he had given Toshi the barrette. They were so close so Gin had no doubt that she saw his eyes. He had opened his eyes a bit wider to be able to see her face more clearly. The sun was just starting to set and the orange hue made her beautiful white hair glow. The brilliant blush matched the color her full lips that must be soft to the touch. Shinsō knew how much he wanted to drag his thumb over them but had reminded him to restrain himself. Reluctantly, he did as his partner recommended, knowing that the zanpakutou also wanted him to be with the young girl. He smiled at that memory before shaking his head as he made his way through Seireitei.

Unknown to him, his very own zanpakutou was insulting him for being a 'stupid love sick pedophile.'

(1) Even though they're already dead, I think some would still hold on to their religion.

(2) Yin is the more reserved part of the Taijitu (Yin-yang symbol) while yang is the more aggressive part. AkaruYami, being a balance-based zanpakutou, follows the concept of yin-yang.

Arrancar: hollows whose masks are almost completely removed and gained shinigami-like powers

Bakudō: binding spell; defensive and/or supplementary in nature

Hōgyoku: Orb of Distortion; unique substance in the form of a small, spherical stone

Shunpo: flash step; movement technique that allows one to move really fast

Kidō List

Danku: Bakudō 81; creates an energy barrier in the form of a tall transparent wall