A/N: Hey readers! To you brave souls who have made it this far, thank you. You finally get more backstory on the Big Bad of this story.

More than anything, Ichigo hated paperwork. For a man whose mind's movements were only rivaled by his flash-step, such tedious work bored him. He sat tapping his fingers as he finished up the last of a sizable stack of paperwork. Signing the last one, he let out an over exaggerated sigh of relief.

"There, all done," the young architect thought out loud.

Laying another large stack of paperwork in front of Ichigo, Jasper let out a laugh."Ha! You're funny, or maybe just delusional."

Slumping back into his chair, Ichigo sprawled his legs out, crossed his arms, and threw his head back in exasperation. "Ughdjwdk," came the unintelligible whine. Running his fingers through his orange locks, he continued to complain. "Do I have to? My calligraphy skills aren't what's bringing in the clients."

"Neither is your whining," Jasper spoke casually, while double-checking all of Ichigo's paperwork. "Maybe that's why everyone calls you the baby of the company."

Giving him a challenging look, Ichigo straightened up in his chair, preparing to respond.

"But when they do say that," Jasper's lovestruck eyes meet Ichigo's annoyed ones. "I just inform them that you're not the one fondling Mister Braxton's balls to get ahead, like most of these sea urchins working here."

Giving a sly smile, Ichigo took a sip of his coffee. "Vicious and loyal, that's what I like about you." Ichigo went to take another gulp of his coffee, but pulled back his face in disappointment when he realized the cup was empty.

"And reliable." Jasper grabbed a cup of coffee that was sitting on a bookshelf behind him and promptly set it in front of a grateful Ichigo.

Giving the handsome assistant a heartfelt smile, he went back to work. Though sometimes it was hard to do with the stare of such adoring eyes looking at him from across the room, it wasn't like he minded so much. It wasn't a creepy look but more like the look of childlike wonderment. Despite popular belief, he wasn't completely aloof. Jasper's infatuation with him was fairly obvious. Ichigo never egged on nor shot down the assistant's lighthearted adoration because it was in fact charming. Not only that, but his want to impress Ichigo only added to his productiveness as an assistant. He certainly wasn't like Mister Braxton, who made him feel uncomfortable, like he was being eyed as a prey. No, Jasper's looks were thoughts of dedication.

Up until this point, Jasper had not made any advances, romantic or otherwise, towards him. Therefore, Ichigo found no harm in it. Besides, was he not deserving of a few wonderstruck glances? A little attention? Ichigo was never arrogant and usually shied away from too much attention. Ironically enough, considering he was always in the limelight. Only lately, he'd been finding himself wanting someone to look at him with lights glowing in their eyes and fireworks going off in their stomachs. Not only that, but he wanted to feel that same uncontrollable fire rising up inside of him, devouring every cell. He wanted the drug that was unwavering devotion. He wanted something more than lust and passion, something sturdy and infinite. Ichigo knew why.

It was the stone-faced blank canvas that was Byakuya. His glances, just like his attention, was brief and unreadable. Unlike Jasper, when Byakuya looked into Ichigo's eyes, his feelings were undetectable. Ichigo knew that better than anyone; he took every chance to look into his grey orbs, and he saw a barren valley, a gray sea of emotion veiled by an apathetic gaze. It was becoming clear to Ichigo that if he was hoping Byakuya would just proclaim his love one day, then he was just wasting his time. The idea was just too tantalizing to hold onto, for the more time he spent with the noble, the more his affection grew. Undoubtedly though, Ichigo knew that as frustrating as it was, his enjoyment for the noble's company was too great for him to do anything about it.

Nonetheless, it left him wondering, just a little bit, if giving someone else a chance would be so bad. It wasn't as if he could wait around like some fan girl hoping for his feelings to be reciprocated. His feelings for Byakuya made him yearn for human contact, affection, and loving companionship for the first time in his life. Yes, he deserved this, and if he had any self-confidence, which he did, he would allow himself the chance to be cared for in that way.

But with Jasper? Besides the obvious reasons, Ichigo had plenty of reservations. Although Ichigo took notice of his attractiveness, the chemistry they felt was nothing but a dim flame in comparison to the bloodcurdling warmth he felt around Byakuya. That wouldn't be fair to either of them, would it? From the beginning, he would be nothing but a substitution or a rebound. Mediocracy is one word that shouldn't describe love. Ichigo was sure that Jasper deserved someone who returned his feelings with the same intensity. However, it wasn't as if Uryu and Orihime or Rukia and Renji had just met and fell head over heels. It had taken a lot of time and effort. Maybe he wasn't being fair; maybe feelings could grow between them if he actually gave it a try.

While pensively finishing up his paper work, Ichigo's pen ran out of ink. Looking in his desk for another, he found the soul-link pen Rukia had forced him to buy. He hadn't even thought about it since that day. Suddenly, he couldn't help himself. He wanted to know if he was wasting his time even considering Jasper as a potential dating prospect.

"Jasper, will you fill this section out for me?" Ichigo waved his hand in a come hitter fashion, prompting Jasper to come stand behind him. "You talked to this particular client more than I did,so you would be better able to summarize the experience."

Leaning his head over the young man's shoulder, he rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "Why don't you say what you mean: you're lazy." He picked up the paper and the soul link pen sitting beside it.

Ichigo looked up at the handwriting; it was red. Ichigo's was blue, and he believed that red was the third most compatible color, blue being the first. However, Rukia said finding someone with the same color ink as you was nearly impossible. Even the second most compatible color was usually hard to find. Third wasn't bad at all, considering that there were seven different possible colors and compatibilities.

While filling it out, Jasper continued, "I'll tell you what, I'll finish up all your paperwork, but it'll cost you." His eyes widened in a mischievous manner. "Go on a date with me this weekend."

If Ichigo had been drinking his coffee, it would have been all over Jasper and himself. Jasper had totally beat him to it! He really hadn't seen that coming. "Excuse me?"

"You know, a date? Where two adults go out have nice conversation and get to know each other." The man's tone was playfully sarcastic and his eyes nonchalant. He looked as if was telling Ichigo to take it or leave it.

The response came in the form of Ichigo huffing and scowling. "I know what a date is. I didn't exactly make it to this position by being idiotic."

"Oh, I know you know what a date is, it's more so that I'm wondering if you've ever been on one."

"Of course I have! Just nothing-"

Cutting off the man, with a bemused grin, Jasper asked, "Serious?"

"I was going to say 'nothing with a coworker,' " the young architect bit back with annoyed eyes.

"Well, you should be a little bit more adventurous." He took a seat in the chair parallel to Ichigo. "Because you're missing out. Hasn't anyone ever told you that secret office romances are the most fun?" Leaning back in his chair, he raised an eyebrow suggestively and tugged on his bottom lip slightly.

Ichigo was without words. A part of him wanted to be offended, maybe. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted to be, for his signals were all mixed. Half of him wanted to show aversion and reluctance, the other half of him was curious and refreshed. Although Byakuya was a straight-shooter and as blunt as they came, his feelings were an exception to that rule. When it came to feelings, they were indiscernible, eclipsed by vacant eyes. Although Ichigo loved this part of Byakuya, at times, his cryptic speech and brooding mystery had its limits. When it came to matters of the heart and his inability to express himself, they would never be harmonious. So, for this man to just openly express himself in such a manner was confusing, flustering, and yet a breath of fresh air.

Noticing Ichigo's loss for words, Jasper filled the silence. "It's just one dinner. We'll get to know each other, and if you don't like what you get to know, that's fine. We're adults and I respect you. That respect isn't contingent on whether you like me romantically. Unless there's someone else, that is. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes."

'Someone else? I guess you could call it that.'

Shaking his head from side to side, Ichigo replied, "No, no. It's nothing like that." Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he went on, "Okay, you've been such an amazing assistant, I at least owe you a chance to treat me to dinner." He wore a smirk that veiled his reluctance.

Giving an almost mischievous stare, Jasper reassured him, "You won't regret this."

'I sure hope not.'

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ever since Byakuya had started as an intern, Mars had been assigned to show him the ropes. This pleased the noble, considering he didn't get along with many people, and with her, he didn't have to pretend. She was a slightly more vulgar, more British version of Ichigo. So even though he assisted everyone, he spent a lot of time helping her organize paperwork, making schedules for everyone, making phone calls, and listening to her tell him amusing stories of all the "blokes" she's bedded. It was grunt work but nothing that bothered Byakuya.

While they were stationed at the last worktable, the one closest to Ichigo's office, the noble found himself distracted. His attention was being drawn to the honey brown eyes, marked with sleepiness, brushing against the tips of his orange hair.

And of course, Ichigo's biggest admirer was there too. Leaning over the young man's desk, he was whispering something a little too close to Ichigo's ear. Ichigo laughed and covered his mouth like a child who'd said a dirty word by mistake. It made the noble's skin crawl and a knot grow in his core. He wasn't naive; he could admit to his own jealousy, but because of this awareness, he understood that part of his skepticism and distaste came from something else. He just didn't trust the man; his fight-or-flight instincts were engaging and Byakuya was never one to run away. It was obvious that Byakuya would just have to keep a suspicious eye on him. With him being Ichigo's right hand man and considering the goings-on of the soul society, there was no room for oversight.

As for his jealousy, well, that was something that didn't matter. It was a useless emotion and would do him no good. If anyone could possibly will an emotion away, it would be Byakuya, however, even he couldn't deny the existence of this one. Even so, he couldn't act on it. Decisions had been made and Byakuya knew his place. He had no right to feel any type of way about the ongoings of Ichigo's love life. Still, it did give him a small amount of pleasure knowing that Ichigo showed no interest in the rugged assistant. Overall, Ichigo seemed as aloof and disinterested towards Jasper's advances as he did everyone else's.

Mars jolted Byakuya out of his inner plight by handing him some paperwork and informing him that it needed his signature before it was to be handed over to Ichigo.

With a nod, he took the paper and headed towards Ichigo's office.

Upon entering, he saw that Jasper and Ichigo were sitting across from each other, both looking as if they'd been caught doing something wrong. Jasper's face didn't take long to become placid. A smile formed on the causal face and a glint of challenge rose in his eye.

"Mister Kurosaki, I brought some paperwork for you."

"That's all I need!" Ichigo threw his hands up in the air hopelessly.

"Relax, it's already filled out. You just have to file it." Byakuya moved his eyes over to the silver-haired man sitting in front of Ichigo. Though his eyes were apathetic, his demeanor was meeting the challenge put off in Jasper's vibes.

Seeming to understand, he rose from his seat. "I was heading out anyway." He walked over to Byakuya and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ichigo and I were just ironing out the details of our date this weekend."

Horrified, Ichigo swallowed a dry lump in his throat. First, he analyzed Byakuya to see his reaction. As expected, nothing. Then he gave Jasper a sharp look that told him to leave the room.

Byakuya, stone-faced and glacier-like, stood there in unnerving silence for what seemed like ages. A date. Ichigo was attracted to men. All he was trying to do was complete this mission with his sanity, but every day seemed to test him. The attracted to men part aside, Ichigo was going on a date. He'd known that it would happen eventually. Ichigo would find someone who cared for him in the way he deserved, the way Byakuya was incapable of doing himself. Never had he assumed that it would happen this soon. He'd figured it would at least wait until after he had returned to the soul society, so that he wouldn't have had to watch it happen in front of him. Was this some sort of cruel irony? Was some great cosmic karma in action? This must be his punishment for even feeling such things and letting doubt riddle his mind. Or perhaps, it was his punishment for ignoring his feelings. What else had he assumed would happen? However, he hadn't thought that it would happen with Jasper of all people.

Byakuya knew he had no right to intervene or share an opinion, but how could he not when it was this man. Jasper just didn't sit right with the noble, and there must be a reason. If anything, this strengthened his revolve to watch the man closely and analyze his intentions. Unless he does something suspicious, Byakuya would keep any opinions to himself. As much as it pained him, Ichigo didn't belong to him in any form and he had no claim on him. It wasn't fair to suppress the man's happiness just because that happiness wasn't with him.

Still, as composed as ever, Byakuya cleared his throat and slightly shrugged the man's shoulder off of him. "That's really none of my business." His tone could cut diamonds.

With that, Jasper retreated, and Byakuya was sitting across from Ichigo.

After a few moments of silence, Ichigo let out an exasperated sigh. "Well." He threw his arms out again in frustration.

With complete couth and sobriety, Byakuya replied, "What?"

"That wasn't how I wanted you to find out, but there it is: I'm gay. I figured you'd feel some type of way about it, at least shocked." Leaning back in his chair, Ichigo didn't even try to hide his frustration.

Simply shrugging his shoulders, the noble asked, "What matter of mine is it? It's your sexual orientation."

Ichigo's annoyance rose to vexation. It was readable in his whole demeanor, brows tensed, heart race increased, and posture tensed. Byakuya must have sensed it, as he attempted to lighted the mood. "I'm just glad to know I never had anything to worry about for all those years Rukia slept in your closet." He let out a comforting smile, not wanting to upset Ichigo.

This seemed to pacify the hotheaded architect for the time being. He put on a half-smile and teased back. "Trust me, even if I was into girls, Rukia is not my type."

Trying not to seem obviously concerned, Byakuya put on an apathetic look. "So, you're going on a date with Jasper? You don't think that will cause trouble amongst your subordinates?"

With his elbow resting on his desk and his hand pressing against his cheek, Ichigo shrugged his shoulders. "It's just a date, Byakuya. He's my right hand man. I owe him at least one dinner. Besides, I don't judge their questionable dating choices." Ichigo was now slowly spinning around in his chair, eyes fixed to the celling like a bored child. Byakuya couldn't help but smile at the boy's constant childlike temperament. Even if he was an adult, he'd always be silly and playful.

"Perhaps it's a different position he's after." Byakuya leaned forward on his elbows, lessening the distance between them. "Instead of a right hand man, maybe he wants a position beneath you." He raised a playful eye brow. Instead of growing flustered, Ichigo just took the vulgarity up a notch, as if to challenge him.

"You never know, he may want one above me." He gave the noble a look, wondering if he'd take that line of thought any further.

This was about Byakuya's limit. He just let out a slightly awkward laugh and averted his eyes. "To each their own, I suppose."

Realizing he still needed to sign his paper work, Byakuya picked up a pen laying on Ichigo's desk.

Immediately, his eyes widened. He was using the soul link pen. Ichigo didn't want to know if they were compatible. No matter what the results, nothing good could come from it. Either way, Byakuya was a no-fly zone. Still, he waited eagerly for the results while nervously biting his lip.

When Byakuya laid the papers in front of him, Ichigo wasn't sure if it was the worst thing or the best thing he could have seen.

Blue ink, the same as his was, meaning that the two of them were perfectly compatible. It was everything the young soul reaper could do to hide his anguish. If the person he was most compatible with showed no interest in him, what did that say about him? And if they did fit so perfectly, why couldn't Byakuya see it?

Composing himself, he sat silently in his chair.

"Are we still eating lunch together?" pondered Byakuya.

"Of course, who else would I eat with?"

"Perhaps you wanted to eat with Jasper. You two are fond of each other, are you not?"

Giving a smile of relief, Ichigo chuckled slightly. "A little jealous, are we?"

Scoffing and rolling his eyes, Byakuya replied, "I'm no such thing. I was merely analyzing a possible outcome. That doesn't mean I care either way."

Ichigo's disposition went from stressed to playful. "Just admit it, Byakuya, you'd be sad if we didn't eat lunch together. I'm your beeest frieeend." The boy extended the words in a mocking manner.

Merely scoffing again and widening his eyes slightly, Byakuya rejected his notion. "Please, you're no such thing."

Not discouraged, Ichigo continued, "I'm so much your best friend that you can't stand it. I just drive you crazy."

"You have part of that right," he fired back.

Before Ichigo could continue their banter, his phone rang. He looked down at his cell phone and his face tightened slightly. "It's Urahara Shoten. I wonder what's up."

Placing the phone to his ear, he answered. "What's up, old man? This better be impor-" He paused abruptly. Suddenly Ichigo's facial expressions widened and twisted. Shock and fear was evident. "Are you serious?!" Ichigo asked, barely under a scream. "Are they okay? Why didn't you call me sooner, you know Byakuya and I would have come right away." He paused again to let Urahara get a word in. "I don't care if you were trying to be considerate… Okay, okay, we're on our way," He hung up the phone and jumped to his feet in almost one motion. Placing his coat and toboggan hat on, he forgot to tell Byakuya what was going on.

Putting a firm grasp on a frantic Ichigo's arm, he hoped it'd calm him down enough to let him explain the situation. "Ichigo, listen. You need to calm down and tell me what's going on."

The man's words were deep, comforting, and sobering, just like the ocean. They also seemed to calm the younger man.

"Orihime and Uryu were attacked by the rogue soul reaper. They're fine, but we need to go to Urahara's shop right away."

Byakuya let a look of concern fall across his face for a moment. He quickly composed himself and thought rationally. "Right, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bursting through the doors from his office and into the division one headquarters, Shunsui's normal carefree demeanor was abnormally edgy. Though, from the vivacious curl of his lips and laissez-faire glint of his eye, one could hardly tell. Gliding with a certain swagger towards Nanao, whom was in the midst of doing all the paper work he had been putting off, he stopped in front of her desk and placed one hand firmly in front of her. He was leaning down slightly, with a sly grin. "Nanao, be a doll and fetch me two things. First, I need another bottle of sake, and secondly, I need my white-haired sidekick."

As per usual, Nanao threw him a disappointed scowl. "You've been in your office ever since Urahara called. If one bottle hasn't helped, then what makes you think a second one will?"

"Ah." The man leaned a little closer to assure the girl. "That's why I need Juushiro. If alcohol can't bring the answer out of me, then there's no doubt in my mind that he can."

Rolling her eyes, she lifted another bottle of sake out from under her desk. As she extended the bottle outwards to a giddy Shunsui, she pulled it back at the last moment. "I may not get your madness, but it does come though most of the time. However, this is it until you figure everything out. You're already starting to get drunk."

Smirking at the girl, he spun on his heels and retreated to his office, bottle in hand. "And you'd think you were the captain, sometimes."

Two hours had passed since word of Orihime and Uryu's attack had made its way to the Captain and Commander of the Gotei 13. It was imperative that every minuscule detail be relayed to him, in the hopes that something that was said would lead to the identity of this rogue soul reaper. What seemed to irk the commander more than anything was just how close he felt to the answer. It was as if the elusive memory of this man was stored somewhere within him but it was inaccessible, locked away with other memories that were destined to be forgotten.

Sitting down on a meditation mat and taking a sizable gulp of his sake, he tried something new. Perhaps if he meditated and let his mind focus only on the information he knew of the man, just maybe he could unlock some long forgotten memory. Sitting cross-legged with his palms upwards, Shunsui began his inward chant. He repeated the most crucial facts he had learned, the ones he couldn't get out of his head.

Long iridescent braid, wisteria eyes.

'Trust me, If I decided I wanted you, there'd be nothing you could do to stop me.'

'Master.'

An image of a blurred face was forming in the commander's mind. However, it just would not complete. No matter how hard he pushed, all he saw was a silhouette and indiscernible features.

Just as he began to feel the weight of his frustration, a warm and familiar hand plopped on his shoulder. Looking up, he saw the lively green orbs of his friend.

"I don't think that's going to work this time around, Shunsui."

Getting to his feet, he gave a look of agreement. "You're right. That elusive bastard is really good at playing hide and seek."He leaned back against his desk and rubbed the frustration from his eyes. Then, he began to relay all the details to Juushiro.

Seeming equally as puzzled and at a loss for words, Ukitake took a moment to consider. "You're right, it does seem oddly familiar, as if it's on the tip of my tongue."

Each took turns saying key points to themselves, as if repetition would somehow bring to life the missing link.

"Green hair."

"Nothing you can do to stop me."

"Purple eyes."

They did this for at least five minutes, both completely at a loss.

"We're missing something," the aged white-haired man proclaimed.

"Obviously, but what?"

Putting one finger to his chin and tapping it lightly, Juushiro let out a hum. "Hmmm, perhaps we should look at it from a different angle. We know that this girl, Salim, one of the genius soul reapers, is with him and calling him master. We can also assume that means her twin, Jessie, is with him to. Probably Ulter, also." Now putting his hair in a ponytail as if to help him focus, Juushiro continued, "But the question is why? Why would these three follow him?"

"I've thought about it too, but I can't find any reason. They all had everything going for them. Other than being prodigies, they all had very little in common. So, it's hard to find any one reason they'd all want to leave, especially at the time they did."

Eyes widening in realization, Ukitake said, "Maybe there wasn't a reason…" His voice trailed off.

"What are you saying? They were coerced? From what I was told, Salim seemed pretty fond of this guy."

Looking down, Ukitake mumbled to himself slightly. His eyes flickered back and forth as if he was on the road to a break through. "Nothing you can do to stop me… Wait, could it be possible…" Now looking up at Shunsui's curious eyes, he explained, "What if these prodigies are being forced into it a different way. Maybe, somehow, his zanpakutou can control their minds or manipulate their memories. Maybe it can make them believe that he means well or is just."

Face now sunken and ghastly, Shunsui looked as if he'd seen a ghost. "…Or…make someone believe they're in love with you."

Juushiro's face became just one shade darker than his hair and his eyes gaped in frantic surprise. "No, it's impossible. There is only one zanpakutou that can do something like that and," he paused, mouth working helplessly, "its owner is… is…"

"Dead… Or so we thought." The commander's tone was inquisitive yet concerned. "Do you remember how they found the body? There was nothing. Nothing but teeth anyway, and if you want to fake a dental record, it's not too hard to get away with. No wonder it took us so long to figure it out. We didn't think to look through our dead." The man fought back a look of betrayal.

Leaning back in his chair, Juu said something uncharacteristic of himself. "Damn…We have to tell team Urahara right away."

"Agreed. Are you okay, Juu? I know he was…" Shunsui paused, searching for the right word, "a good friend of yours back at the academy."

Looking solemn yet hopeful, Juushiro let out an exasperated sigh. "I'll be better once we verify that this really is him…He was your friend too, Shunsui."

The commander looked away, slightly ashamed. "I know."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya tried to calm the frantic Ichigo, but his pleads to 'cool it' fell on deaf ears. As expected, he busted right through the shop doors and ran to the meeting room. Upon entering, he saw Orihime's head lying in Rukia's arms, the raven-haired soul reaper running her fingers through the red locks. Beside Rukia sat Uryu, his head leaning up against the wall in exasperation. Both of them looked physically okay, but they also looked completely drained. On the other side of the room was Renji, Ikkaku, Toshiro, and Yumichika, but Ichigo payed them no mind. Instead, he dropped to his knees in front of Orihime and began impulsively asking questions.

"Orihime, please tell me you're okay. What happened? Did he get away? I'm going to kill that fucking as-"

Cutting the rant off with her glacier stare, Rukia knocked Ichigo upside the head. "She's fine! She's not a fragile doll, you know. What do you think you're doing, coming in here and being loud and freaking out."

"Yeah," Uryu added. "Some of us have raging headaches from being drugged."

"Drugged?!"

Uryu continued as if he hadn't heard Ichigo. "Besides, Rukia's right. My baby girl is as strong as they come. She put up one hell of a fight. Basically, he wasn't there to kill us, but analyze Orihime's skills. He said he knew she was hiding something." He paused, drumming his fingers on his lips in contemplation. "But I think he was mainly there to get in our heads and try to destroy Orihime's resolve."

For the first time since Ichigo and Byakuya's arrival, Orihime spoke up. Sitting up from Rukia's lap, she found her voice. "But he didn't. If anything, he's strengthened my resolve."

Upon hearing that, Byakuya couldn't help but smile. Orihime seemed to have walked away from this seemingly okay and with her fortitude still intact. "Of course you're okay. Your spiritual pressure is stifling and powerful. There's no way some weak minded rogue would hurt your morale."

Everyone seemed a little unsure of what to make of the noble's words, for he was never the first to offer encouraging words and comfort. However, they chose to just go with it. Orihime seemed especially pleased at the praise of such a powerful man.

Blushing slightly and waving her hands nervously around, she stuttered, "Oh no, no, no. I would be nothing without the support of you guys. Everyone in this room, they're the reason for my resolve."

Now joining in on the conversation, Renji came up behind Byakuya and patted him on the back. "Stop being so humble all the time,Hime. Come on, how's the other guy look?"

With a curl of his lips, Uryu responded for her. "He had to have his ass carried out of the room," he bragged and lifted his chin up in pride.

"Ha, I expected nothing less." Renji chuckled.

Yumichika came over and placed a hand over the foreheads of both Uryu and Orihime. "Both of your fevers are finally starting to come down. That tea I made is finally kicking in. I swear, whatever that women's made up of is pure toxin. I guess she doesn't go by Poison Ivy for no reason."

"Thank you for taking such good care of us, Yumichika-san," the red haired women looked up and mumbled, despite her burning throat.

"We're comrades and friends. You would do the same for have done the same for all of us. I don't think there's one person in this room who'd be alive if it weren't for you, so don't even think about saying thank you again." He furrowed his eyebrows and gave her a threatening scowl that was then met by a comforting smile.

"Yeah, I'd definitely be dead without you. Because of you, I live to fight another day, Ikkaku added, trying to comfort in his own way.

"So what do we know about this guy now? Are we any closer to finding out who he is?" Ichigo interrupted the sentiments, still focused on finding the guy who hurt his friends.

This time, Toshiro spoke up. "Urahara is communicating back and forth with the commander. I'm not sure, but I have a feeling their pretty close to a break through."

The spiky haired man could notice his friends tightened fists and twisted face. "Yeah, Ichigo! That means we're another step closer to finding this freak, who tried to hurt Hime

"And when we do, I will end him," Ichigo proclaimed, malice apparent in his voice.

Feeling an unfamiliar hand on his shoulder, Ichigo shuttered. Physical contact between Ichigo and the noble was rare, yet left such an impression. "You mean, we will end him. This is an occasion you're going to have to lean on your comrades." Byakuya's words were knowing and resonated with the hotheaded soul reaper. Ichigo knew he was right.

"Yeah, don't you dare leave me out of this," Uryu stuttered while trying to find his footing.

"You're not having all the fun yourself, Ichigo, not this time," Ikkaku echoed.

Everyone in the room gave a nod of agreement. It left Ichigo with an intensely warm feeling. Being surrounded by all of his comrades and friends, he almost felt, for the first time ever, that the fate of the world wasn't solely in his hands.

Entering the room and drawing all attention towards themselves, Yourichi and Urahara stood patiently amongst the group.

Too eager to wait, Ichigo urged the couple to explain. "Well? What's going on?! Did you find something out?" Ichigo's haste and frustration was obvious in his voice until he felt another comforting squeeze on his shoulder, telling him to calm down and that it would be alright. Though Byakuya and Ichigo didn't know, most of everyone else took notice to this little gesture too and the calming effect it had on the young man. However, now wasn't the time to bring things like that up.

"Hello to you too, Ichigo. I see you're in a rush, so I won't waste time." Urahara's playful tone veiled his somber eyes.

Yourichi pulled a photo out of a notebook she was holding and lifted it close to Orihime. "Orihime, is this the man who attacked you?"

Eyeing the green-haired man with piercing violet eyes, she did not hesitate. "Yes, that's him!"

Golden orbs skeptically eyed the red head. "Are you sure?"

"I have no doubt at all," Orihime assured.

Stepping back with intensity in her eyes, Yoruichi turned and gave Urahara a knowing look. He just nodded back at her solemnly, as if they'd exchanged some deeply hidden secret just through eye contact.

Both seemed rather troubled compared to their usual playful natures. You'd figure finding the culprit would bring about relief or at least snarky comments from Yourichi.

"If that's the case, I believe we have identified the rogue," Urahara bellowed out, placing both hands behind his head. "Luckily for you guys, that means story time. This isn't just some normal rogue soul reaper. No, his vengeance goes well beyond that." Looking downwards, as if almost ashamed, he muttered, "I can't say that he's completely unjust…"

Thats seemed to catch the interest of the group, if not anger them. There was nothing that could make this man just. Before anyone could protest or inquire about what he meant, Urahara continued, "Sit down, everyone. This story may take a while."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Long green locks fell over the shihakusho-covered shoulders of Tanaka Aiko as he walked eagerly next to his captain. Through the barracks of the twelfth division, Aiko passionately explained his latest experiment.

"Tsukuda-taichou, I know you get tired of my eccentric ideas sometimes, but I'm truly onto something," Aiko convinced, increasing his pace to keep up with his captain.

Looking somewhat annoyed and preoccupied, the Captain of the twelfth division gave the man a sideways look. Even though Aiko could be a pain in the ass at times, his urgency and passion made him undeniable. "Talk as I walk, I have a captain's meeting in thirty-five minutes."

"This will only take five!" the man enthused. "I have been working on this revolutionary experiment that could aid the Gotei in interrogation and infiltration like never before. Because of the nature of my zanpakutou, I started wondering." He threw his hands up theatrically. "Hey! If it's possible to use kidou to induce love, could it not be possible to be able to manipulate other human emotions? I think I've found a chemical combination that, when mixed with certain types of kidou, can actually bend a person's emotions. Emotion is determined by slight deviations in the chemical makeup." Pausing to let his captain take in his discovery, he fretted when he found the man rather unimpressed, by the looks of it. "Captain! How can you be so casual? Do you know what this means? Think of the possibilities. Imagine us capturing an enemy! We could induce loyalty to the Gotei 13, making them our spies. That's just one of many possibilities."

Laughing despite himself, the captain put on an empathetic smile. "You're correct, it's quite the discovery you've been diving into. I just don't want you to get your hopes up, Aiko. You have a tendency to do that a lot; you're an optimist. Don't get me wrong, your sprit is why you're my lieutenant. I know the twelfth division is technically the head of scientific development, but Yamamoto is still so behind the times. He thinks everything can be solved by pure power." Shaking his head in disappointment, Tsukada continued, "I can't get him to fully understand the implications of our research here. We need more funding. Speaking of funding, where are you getting the test subjects for this little project of yours?"

"Don't worry, Captain. I'm using rats. I'm a scientist, not a mad scientist."

"Good, but if low-ranking members of the division go missing, I'll know who to look for," the captain teased and gave a genuine smile. "Well, maybe I can talk to the commander about possibly finding more funding. Who knows, this may be the crazy idea we need to finally become serious."

Grinning widely, Aiko put his fist up and then jabbed his elbow back as if winning a jackpot. "Yes! You won't regret this, Captain! I have great things in mind for this division."

"Yes, you surely have a bright future, especially with that beautiful wife of yours and the baby on the way. A man with something to lose is a man with motivation. If anyone can bring this division into the future, it's you." Giving the man a light pat on the back, he retreated into the meeting hall.

"It's almost time. I have to find Juushiro, quickly," Aiko thought out loud, flash-stepping away.

Finding the white-haired man still in his room, eyeing himself in a full-length mirror, Aiko stood in the threshold and watched him in amusement. "It's much more like Shunsui to be the late one. You must really be nervous."

Juushiro straightened out his newly donned captain's haori while Aiko came and stood behind him. Putting his chin on the white-haired man's shoulder, he squeezed his forearms gently.

"I understand why you're nervous. This is it. Your whole life as a soul has led to this moment. It must feel dreadfully absolute and you're worried if you can step up to the challenge. Well, this isn't absolute. From here, it's just the beginning, Juu. You can do anything you want, and knowing you, you'll never stop growing and creating yourself. There is no better fit for a captain other than yourself."

Turning to meet his green eyes with his friend's joyous ones, he couldn't help but smile. "I'm the one who's supposed to be giving you advice and bringing you down to earth and here you are, comforting me. When did the roles change?"

Holding his hands up to his chest as if being held by gunpoint, Aiko laughed. "Trust me, I don't want that title. If I had to have me and Shunsui as best friends, I don't know if I could handle it." Relaxing his arms a little, "I guess we've all just grown since the academy, you, Shunsui, and I. Well, I don't know too much about Shunsui sometimes, but he means well."

Running his frail fingers through white strands, Juushiro chuckled slightly. "For the love of the soul king, it's been so long. I can't believe we're all still friends and that we've made it so far. Especially with Yamamoto as our teacher and the way we acted up."

"It's because of you, Juu. I've always been way ahead of myself on everything, and Shunsui's has always been as lazy as they come. You've been the one constant anchor in our lives. You were always the one to push Shunsui or comfort me when my ideas didn't pan out. You're the one who convinced us that if we played a prank on Yamamoto, it would most definitely result in our deaths."

Smiling humbly, Juushiro just shook his head slightly. "You two have done a lot for me too, you know?"

"Oh I know, that's why I need you to do one more thing for me?"

Juushiro raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What's that?"

"I want you to be my daughter's godfather when she's born."

Blushing slightly and almost tearing up, Juushiro stuttered, "Of-f course. I'd be honored, Aiko." He wiped away the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "Of course, Shunsui isn't going to be happy that you didn't consider him, even if he doesn't say it,"

"Oh, that big lug will get over it. Besides," he playfully nudged his friend. "You and I were always the closest in the group."

Putting a finger to Aiko's mouth, Juushiro muted him. "Hush now, you know I love you both in your own ways. I've never had a favorite."

"You were always my favorite…I do love that dummy too, though." Putting one arm around his friend and placing one outstretched hand in front of him, Aiko panned it across their view as if they were taking in a scenery. "I can see it now. You're going to be captain, my research is going to be complete and then I'll be a captain before you know it. Even Shunsui is talented enough to become captain. We're the future, Juu. We're going to change this place and create something even better than our predecessors. Just you wait."

Sometimes his friend's ability to be so positive astounded him. "You're getting ahead of yourself, as always." Juushiro shook his head halfheartedly.

"One of us has to be the dreamer."

"And one of us has to keep you from flying too close to the sun, although I wouldn't want you any another way. Your resolve and idealism is inspiring. You live life like every day's a gift and all the best days are ahead of you. Between that and the undying love you have for your wife, your heart is more open and pure than most." He paused for a moment. "In fact, when you start going on about how great the future will be, I'm almost inclined to believe you."

"I know things will be hard, but I truly believe, even when we have nothing, just the hope for a better tomorrow is enough to keep on walking forward. I have plenty, so I have no reason to be anything but grateful."

After a few more moments of conversation, the two departed, planning on meeting with Shunsui later that evening to celebrate Juushiro's promotion.

The next evening, Juushiro found himself roaming the halls of the first division, on his way to visit the commander. That's when he heard a familiar voice raging from the commander's office.

Upon entering, he saw Aiko frantically crying on his hands and knees. Yamamoto was standing in front of him with a distant and cold face, his whole demeanor uncomfortable.

"Wha-what's going on here? What's wrong, Aiko?"

Hearing his friend, Aiko's soaked eyes, red and strained, turned to look at Juushiro. It was almost unbearable to meet his gaze, for the pain and anguish was so apparent. It made Juushiro sick to his stomach. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around his long-time friend and absorb every ounce of his pain. What was more disturbing was just how frail and hopeless Aiko looked, like a man who lost his last shred of sanity. Aiko was always so positive and full of light and hope, so to see him so broken showed just how serious the situation must have been. A man whose pride was only rivaled by his heart was on his hands and knees, groveling. It almost made Juushiro angry. Not at him or the commander but whatever abhorrent situation had put him in such a position.

Trying to save his friend some humility, he extended his hand to Aiko, hoping he would calm himself and explain what was going on. For a moment, Aiko just looked at the hand with slight confusion. Then, he lifted his pale white face to meet Juushiro. Lips trembling and a flow of constant silent tears, agony could be seen in every pore. Splotches of red painted his face along with beads of sweat and unkempt strands of hair fraying outwards. Wiping the clear mixture of snot and tears from his upper lip, he used his other hand to grasp Juushiro's and pulled himself up. For a moment, it seemed like the presence of his friend had brought him back to reality, however, he soon fell into Juushiro's arms. With his head burrowed in Juushiro's chest, he let his agony pour out of him in the form of tears and muffled screams.

"She's gone, she's gone, she's gone, and I can't find her."

Deeply concerned for his friends wellbeing and unable to understand his rambling, Juushiro gave a worried look to the commander

"Aiko came here this evening to explain that his wife never came back from her work in a Rukongai district. When he went to look for her, some passersby informed him that they'd seen a women of her description being carted away by what looked like slavers. No one intervened. Now Aiko wants the help of the Gotei 13 to track her."

With no hesitation, Juushiro volunteered. "Then what are we waiting on? Shunsui and I will go with him right away!"

When the commander didn't say anything, Aiko lifted his head slightly and managed to let out a whisper of desperation. "Don't you get it, Juushiro? He won't send anyone. I'm the only one allowed to go and with the slave trade as big as it is, without a whole platoon, it'd be impossible to find and retrieve her. Don't you see? He's betraying me."

Shocked and horrified, not completely able to take in what was said, Juushiro turned his widened eyes towards the commander. "Is this true?"

Not looking guilt-stricken in the least, the commander just nodded. "Yes, it's true. I appreciate Aiko and his loyalty to the soul society. However, as a soul reaper, he should understand that duties hold priority. In these times, we cannot risk sending a whole platoon on a dangerous mission that may not be fruitful, just for the sake of a single soldier. It isn't pragmatic or reasonable, and as the commander of the Gotei 13, I will put the wellbeing of the society in front of everyone else."

Stuttering and unsure of what to say, he continued, "But-ut-t, Captain, it's us. We've been more like family tha-"

"Silence." The man slammed his staff with authority. "That's enough of this conversation. I have made up my mind. Aiko can search if he likes, but no one else will accompany him and that's final. I mean it, Juushiro. You may not have the wisdom to understand why I'm being so harsh, but one day you will understand. Some things are greater than one man's anguish." He paused, sounding slightly regretful. "No matter how much I may care for that person."

Juushiro didn't agree with the commander in the slightest, and it was not usual for him to let go of his convictions easily. He was the type of man to give up everything if it was for something he held deeply. However, under the pressure of a man who was like a father to him, the responsibility to the soul society and a whole division of soul reapers, Juushiro had very limited choices. Either he disobeyed the rule and go on a possibly fruitless search with his friend, or he stayed true to his title and duties to the soul society. In the moment, despite the sadness it brought him, there was only one choice to be made.

Pulling his friend out of his arms slightly, he looked at him with torment and regret. "I'm so sorry, Aiko, please understand. I don't have another choice in the matter."

Now looking unnervingly calm and emotionless, Aiko pulled himself from the grasp completely. His eye burrowed into Juushiro's unapologetically, now expressing a newfound disgust. "There is always a choice, Juushiro. I guess this is what it means to be a part of the Gotei 13. If we can't even save the people we love, then what is this all for? We're all just a bunch of hypocrites picking and choosing which lives are important enough to save or when we want to be decent souls. How can we expect to bring peace to this mad world when our example is through cruelty and turning a blind eye." Now becoming more heated, Aiko went on, "And this isn't just about my wife. You know as well as I do, Juushiro, how hypocritical and archaic this system is, how corrupt it can be. We've talked about changing things one day, yet you sit there and tell me you have no choice." His eyes never left Juushiro, who was finding it harder and harder to maintain eye contact. Guilt was consuming him.

Now turning to walk away, he looked at his long-time friend once more. "I never thought you were a coward. That wasn't the man I knew."

Juushiro called after him frantically as he left the room, but Aiko flash-stepped away. He was left there feeling disgusted, desolate, and guilt ridden, for he couldn't even be mad at the commander. He was sure that there was no way this was as easy for him as he let on. No, he just had more practice at being heartless.

"These choices do get easier, Juushiro."

Eyes sunken and grief-stricken, he began to walk out of the room. "I don't think I ever want something like that to be easy, Commander."

As expected, Aiko was never able to find his wife and unborn child. Months passed and Aiko became merely a shell of his former self. Despite Juushiro and Shunsui's best efforts, he wouldn't talk to either of them. At first, he was never around. The commander wasn't completely heartless and allowed him as much time off as needed for grief. After his return, he was no longer the same man. Now, he seemed to be just a sack of flesh with a pulse. There was no more of the same passion, eagerness, or yearning for exploration and creation. There was no more curiosity and laughter, no more love or sparkle in his eye. Aiko once was a man who could cheer anyone up and who no one could dislike. He'd spent his time thinking of others. When someone was injured, he was always to first to visit the infirmary. If someone needed help, even if they were from a different division, Aiko offered it. If his comrade was in danger, despite his own safety, he'd never leave anyone behind. He'd never acted as if he was too good to be bothered and truly understood what it meant to be a good soul. Now, the same souls he had treated with such benevolence and kindness shrunk away from him. It wasn't because his grief made him unbearable. No, it was guilt. Everyone was riddled with guilt but had no manner to show it. Despite knowing about the situation with his wife and daughter, not a single comrade went to his aid, all too scared of Yamamoto and Central 46. Unable to deal with their own guilt, everyone avoided Aiko like the plague, as if ignoring him would make their guilt disappear.

As a result, Aiko crawled deeper into seclusion and focused solely on his experiments. It became a point of obsession in his life. In fact, if he ever did talk, it was only of the progress of his experiments. It didn't take long for his mental stability to come into question, and there was concern about him keeping an officer position, even with his captain sticking up for him vehemently. One day, his mental instability could no longer be ignored. Aiko marched into the commander's quarters, explaining that his work was completed. Only, no longer did Aiko want to manipulate emotions, he wanted to destroy them, stating that his newfound grief had given him an epiphany. Love and other emotions were the cause of all weakness amongst soul reapers and humans. Emotions made for weak solders, and if they could only eliminate them, they'd have the ultimate beings. He continued to explain that his zanpakutou had given him a taste of how love could be used as a weapon of destruction and that the soul society should recognize that and eliminate it. As expected, he was removed from his position as a seated officer and a soul reaper in general. Though it was uncommon, they allowed him to leave the Seireitei, considering his mental issues. Aiko didn't take the news well when he was given a day to leave the Seireitei.

On the day Aiko was scheduled to leave, the whole twelfth division was out on patrol, leaving Aiko behind to gather his belongings. Shunsui and Juushiro made their way to the twelfth division in hopes that they could talk to Aiko before he left; it was their last chance.

Both walking at a steady pace but not flash-stepping, Juushiro and Shunsui headed to the twelfth division.

"It's not your fault, Juu. I know you blame yourself, but there really wasn't anything you could of done. Even if you had helped, what would've come of it?"

The sullen man looked as if he had all of his spirit drained for him. This whole thing tortured him. "No Shunsui, you're wrong, there was something I could have done." Seeing his friend's confused face, he continued, "Even if I had just gone with him, things could have turned out differently…Even if we didn't find her…I've been thinking a lot about what Aiko said, how if we couldn't even save the people we care for, then why were we all here. He said, 'how can we expect to bring peace to this mad world when our example is through cruelty and turning the blind eye,?' He's right, Shunsui. As soul reapers, we purify souls to keep the balance. Yes, that is our greatest mission, but it shouldn't be the only. We send people into this afterlife unknowingly into this world of murder, poverty, theft, and rape, and we claim it isn't our problem. We're the closest thing to a government in this place, yet we maintain that it isn't an issue of the soul society to even try and better the lives of these people. Protecting the soul society is paramount, but selfishly washing our hands of the people we bring here under the guise of protecting the soul king, all because central 46 can't be bothered, it's immoral. It's wrong. We're blind to what's going on because of our comfy positions. Aiko saw that." He tilted his head downwards as the familiar pang of guilt filled his chest once more.

"He always had a way of seeing things we were to jaded to. Well, you're right, next time-"

Cutting off his friend with a startling gasp, Juushiro said, "No! There won't be a next time. Right, Shunsui? We're better than this! He was right to believe in us. We're going to change things and never abandon someone who needs us again. Right?"

Frantically searching his friend's eyes for an answer, he was met with a tight hug enveloping his whole body and a warm breath on his neck. "Right," Shunsui whispered, uncharacteristically gentle. "We will never abandon what's important, no matter what."

Ruining the sentimental moment was loud screams coming from the direction of the twelfth division. Upon flash-stepping to the building, what Juushiro and Shunsui saw almost brought them both to tears: the twelfth division barracks, up in flames.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"It was believed Aiko killed himself while all his other squad members were away. At least, it was ruled as a suicide. They found the body and it had matching dental records… No one questioned anything."

Moments stretched into minutes as the shopkeep allowed the group to take in the information. When no one added anything, he continued.

"This happened almost six hundred years ago, back when Yourichi and I were in the Gotei but not captains. We both knew Aiko, everyone did. After he died…it became the great sadness that no one talked about. Because of him…" Urahara face contorted as if going through a range of emotion. A face that was usually fixe with a wicked grin was now filled with regret. Composing himself, he continued once more, "Because of him, Juushiro, Shusui, Yourichi and I- and-d even more. We made internal promises to ourselves after that, promises to put what's right above what the soul society wants."

"Which explains why Urahara and I were quick to defect when it was needed. We couldn't turn our back on the oversight of the soul society."

"And why Juushiro and Shunsui fought Yamamoto when I was imprisoned," Rukia proclaimed.

"Exactly."

Byakuya felt a quick pang of remorse. Here were these people, willing to give up positions, freedom, and possibly their lives all for doing what was just, yet here he was, unable to even admit his feelings towards Ichigo simply because of his fear of breaking the rules and abandoning everything he'd known. Because of his fear of rejection…But things were different for him. At least that's what he told himself, that things had to be different for him.

Surprisingly, Orihime was the first to speak up. "Yourichi, Urahara… You guys know more than anyone, I'm the first to sympathize with someone's pain, but this time…" She looked away with distain in her eyes. "This man is attacking love. I get your guilt and it seems he's actually done a lot good, even if it was only inspiring you guys to stand up for what you believe in. He was probably an amazing person at one point. All of that said, he had a choice to make, a choice everyone in this room had to make at some point. We've all lost people, some more than others." She paused for a moment. " And when that happens, you have a choice. You shame their memory by becoming something ugly and by letting all the love die with that person, or you get up and you go on to love another day, you go on to spread that love that was given to you and find new people to share it with. You make the memory of their love count. I know it's hard to hear, but I believe Aiko is too far gone. His grief destroyed the person he once was and left behind a madman. I don't think he'll be able to truly find peace until he's defeated."

There was a moment of silence before Byakuya spoke up, "She's right. We have to continue as we have. It's the only way. He's using love to destroy people, so we're going to have to fight fire with fire, so to speak."

"Love with love," Rukia added.

Urahara's face pacified along with Yoruichi's. Seeing the resolve of the team seemed to lift away the deeply embedded guilt that had lain dormant within them for all this time. "Right. Now that we know more about the enemy, it will enable us to beat him. What we do know is that he works by using love against someone. His shikai can implant a tiny piece of his zanpakutou's soul within a person and capture their affection. His bankai can induce hypnosis, where you see tragic flashes of people you love dying, paralyzing the person. From what Uryu and Orihime told us, he seems to like to play games, too. He wants us to drop our resolve, meaning he will exploit any form of love you feel in your life, whether it's love for humanity, family, friends, or partners. Nothing is off limits. This isn't going to be easy, because this mission will not push you just physically, but emotionally. Today, in this room, you need to decide what it is you stand for and be prepared to hold tight to that resolve, because he will try to destroy it. Also, be wary of everyone, especially new people that enter your life. Apparently, there are eyes on us, so be cautious."