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Kaida woke to the pounding of feet on wooden floors and raised voices shouting in panic.

Leaping out of bed, she hurriedly pulled on her Shihakusho, grabbing her Zanpaku-to as she raced for the door, Baki on her heals.

"Momo!" she shouted, upon reaching her lieutenants door, pounding on it. When she received no answer, she shoved open the door hurriedly. What she saw made her blood run cold.

Momo's room was neat and immaculate, just as it had been when they had left for the party the night before.

The night before…

Toushiro had said he was taking Momo back to her quarters, so why wasn't she here? Kaida found it rather unlikely that even Momo would take the time to re-make her bed in an emergency like this.

A shiver ran down Kaida's spine as she stood there, hand clutching the doorframe so hard it began to splinter. Her body was shaking uncontrollably.

Momo was missing, and Kaida had the distinct impression that it wasn't a good sign.

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Momo struggled uselessly against her bonds, straining against her gag, trying to cry out, trying to get away.

Silent tears streamed from her eyes as the dark skinned man leapt from roof to roof, carrying her away to who knows where. She had to get back, she had to warn Kaida about what was going on.

In any other situation, Momo would have laughed at the thought of not being at her Captain's side in a situation like this, knowing that Kiada would be completely lost without her. Now, however, she wanted nothing more than for her Taicho to be beside her, laughing in that reashuringly gentle way she had, eyes creased happily as she let her spiritual pressure sooth the fears of the people around her.

Suddenly, Momo was jerked out of her reverie by Tousen's sudden halt. Looking up, she saw that they had stopped on the roof of the Repentence Palace. Confused, she looked around, not sure as to why her kidnapper had stopped.

And then she heard it. The sound of feet, racing across the tiled roofs towards them, and the snarling howl of a large animal.

Tousen turned, just enough so that Momo could see their pursuers if she strained.

There, racing towards them at break-neck speed, Baki sprinting ahead of her, was Kaida, blazing eyes narrowed dangerously as she ran, her Zanpaku-to gleaming in the early morning half-light.

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Tousen was sweating heavily, actually straining to remain ahead of the Fifth Captain and her spirit guardian. The two had been hot on his heals for a good half-hour, and, at one point, had gotten so close that the monkey had actually snapped at his heals. Now, he was quickly running out of steam. They were a good distance form the Soul Society, having left even the Rukongai behind long ago.

But, there, just ahead of them, was the clearing. The agreed upon rendezvous.

Slowing as much as he dared, Tousen made the final dash to the tree line, hoping against hope that he didn't lose an arm in the process as the vicious snarling of the beast behind him grew closer.

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"MOMO!" Hitsugaya's frantic, worried voice slowly reached her through the fog, and she opened her eyes to see his haggard face leaning over her, eyes wide with concern.

"Toushiro…" she said, groaning as she sat up, holding her head in her hands. The brush of fur against her side made her start, and she looked up to see Baki, in her small, white form, sitting beside her, a worried look creasing her features.

"Baki…?" Then the memories came rushing back in a torrent, and Momo could see it again, just like before.

She could see Kaida's back as she followed Ulquiorra and Halibel into the warp gate, her robes fluttering about her as she walked, head turning ever so slightly to gaze back at her Lieutenant as she vanished form sight.

"Momo, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" asked Hitsugaya, startled as tears began to stream down Hinamori's face. Choking, she covered her mouth with her hands, the tears escaping in a torrent.

Kaida was gone.

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ARGH! It took me so long to update…I am SO sorry…I'll try to get to the next part soon!!

Please read and review!!

Arigato!

WPD

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Character Note Time (WARNING!! SPOLIERS!!)

- Name: Fritz

Title: The Fourth White Wind Eagle of the East

Release States:

- Level Three: takes the form of a white eagle, about the size of a peregrine, with yellow eyes and beak.

- Level Two: Almost angelic in appearance, he takes a form similar to his first release state, only that he retains his wings, though they grow in proportion to his size.

- Level One: Takes the form of a very skinny man in his early twenties, with white hair and pale gold eyes.

Personality: Fritz is prone to uncertainty, and is the most self-conscious of the Four Beasts. He is most likely to falter when faced with Baki's wrath, though remains completely undaunted when in battle.

Abilities: Fritz is the fastest of the Four Guardians, capable of reaching speeds up to mach thirteen. His Razor Wing Winds attack is so quick that his opponent sometimes has time to attack several times afterwards before their bodies finally realize that they're already dead.