Author's Notes: Another day, another update. I'm still not dead *insert evil laugh*

One thing I wanted to mention now in case I haven't already and before I forget; as the story progresses, Rangiku and the other women of the harem will be referred to by their maiden names. The reason for this is quite simple; as you know many of them will go on to become Captains and Lieutenants, if all them went by their married name you might have to ask which one whenever someone says "Captain/Lieutenant Hitsugaya".

With that said…

Read…

Review…

and enjoy…

Ch. 9 Growth

*Many years ago*

"Well now, what do we have here?" Koujou Dokuyaku asked as she approached a figure sitting silently at the corner of a small empty hut as rain poured down upon them all.

The figure was that of a young woman with long messy black hair, her eyes were a deep dark shade of blue. Her clothes were shredded and covered in so much blood that their original color was impossible to determine. In her right hand she clenched a blood stained katana, and in her left arm she cradled an infant wrapped in a brown cloth. Her expression was lifeless as she looked into the bundle.

"Do you know who I am girl?" Koujou inquired.

"Koujou Dokuyaku, you're the Captain of Squad Four of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads…" the raven haired woman began, her voice was dry and devoid of emotion "…you're also my father's rival in…"

"Very insightful" Koujou stated "now technically both of my occupations say I should kill both you and him right where you sit…" her threat was answered by a small violent burst of spiritual pressure "…incredible…I never imagined that someone with no formal training could ever be so powerful…" she smiled wickedly at the younger woman "…It'd be a waste to kill you."

"Providing of course that you can" the woman hissed "now get to the point or get lost!"

"Alright, I've got a proposition for you that I believe serves both our interests; Ms…" Koujou began.

"Unohana…Retsu Unohana" Retsu answered "and I'm listening" Koujou's smile stretched across her face.

*End Flashback*

Retsu woke up from a fairly heavy slumber "Why am I thinking about that now of all times?" she asked herself when she realized that she wasn't lying down or even sitting, but standing "I fell asleep standing? I must really be working too much if this is happening to me."

"Lieutenant Unohana" Toushirou called out causing Retsu to snap back to reality "is something wrong?"

"No, I'm sorry…I just dozed off a little there…" Retsu replied in a slightly embarrassed tone of voice "…how's it coming along?"

"Better, though I think I still have a lot of work to do" Toushirou answered "she's good at changing the subject."

"Why don't you give me a demonstration?" Retsu requested and Toushirou nodded as he sat cross-legged on the ground and laid his sheathed Hyourinmaru out in front of him, the silver haired noble took in a deep breath and closed his eyes before exhaling.

"Okay, one more time" Toushirou thought as the world around him seem to turn into a frozen tundra with dark storm clouds hanging up above and tall mountains in the distance.

Retsu watched intently as Toushirou opened his eyes slightly to reveal a vibrant turquoise glow. She shivered slightly at as she felt the temperature around her begin to plummet. A few moments later sparks of energy began to radiate from the young man's body.

"Try to focus your energy inward" Retsu instructed "Manifestation requires that the shinigami focus all their power into harmonizing with their Zanpakutou on a level far beyond what's required for the shikai release; it can't be done if you don't reign in your own power" the energy began to fade back inside its owner body but she could still feel it's intensity "that's good now try to reach out to the spirit of your Zanpakutou…" out of the corner of her eye she could see his sword shaking on the ground as if there was an Earthquake "…your resonance is too rough, try not to think of your Zanpakutou as a weapon or a separate entity…" she took a couple steps so that she was standing on his right side "…at the same time don't think of your Zanpakutou as being merely a part of you; think along these lines…" she placed a hand on his shoulder "…you are Hyourinmaru and Hyourinmaru is you…the two of you are one; merely two sides of the same coin…"

"Hyourinmaru and I are one" Toushirou recited in his mind as he focused his energy onto that singular concept.

"Yes that's right, you and I are one Master" Hyourinmaru's voice rang throughout the landscape of Toushirou's mindscape "always remember Master…no matter what happens, no matter where you go, or even if the whole universe turns against you…you are never alone, for I am always with you…"

Toushirou couldn't help but let out a slight smirk at the ice dragon's words as his sword's shaking suddenly lessened dramatically "he's progressing well" Retsu noted when suddenly something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention "that's impossible" standing over her student, Retsu could make out the feint outline of a tall man with stern features, long wild hair that reached down to his waist, and a samurai like garb "there's no color and I can't make out all the details, but to think he'd have come this far already…"

"Damn" Toushirou swore as the intensity of maintaining such a strong focus finally forced him out of meditation "still can't do it."

"Don't be too hard on yourself" Retsu stated calmly "you're coming along faster than I had predicted."

"Really?" Toushirou asked with a curious tone of voice earning him a nod from the older woman nodded "that's good to hear" he took a look up at the sky and noticed that it was nearing sunset "I think we'd best call it a night, we both have work to do in the morning."

"I'd have to agree with you" Retsu replied.

"Good night and thanks again" Toushirou stated as he turned to walk.

"May I ask you a question Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" Retsu asked and Toushirou turned towards her with a curious look on his face "if it's not too personal I'd like to know how you feel about your parents?"

"Where the Hell is this coming from?" Toushirou wondered in shock "kind of hard to express given the fact that I never got to know either of them…"

"I see, forgive me" Retsu replied.

"…but from what I hear my mother had a very…hands on approach to life" Toushirou continued "she wasn't much of a traditionalist as she appeared to have no reserves to voice her disapproval of someone to their face, even if that person was an elder or a noble and I've had a few people tell me that sometimes they would take notes on how to swear from her…"

"You're joking" Retsu stated as she forced back a slight chuckle only for the younger Lieutenant to shake his head which in all honesty surprised her almost as much as the fact that Toushirou was willing to talk about the subject in the first place.

"…but at the same time I hear she was very kind person despite being more than a little rough around the edges…she believed that a title of nobility brought with it a very high degree of responsibility along with the privileges" Toushirou added "as I understand it she spent a good deal of her time training her subordinates to help them advance, providing funds and publicity for groups aimed at fighting poverty in Rukongai, and pressuring the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and the Central Forty Six to provide better care the families of shinigami who were killed in action."

"And…your father?" Retsu asked feeling somewhat guilty for prying.

"My father was my Uncle Sousuke's older brother" Toushirou stated "unlike my mother he didn't have any real wealth or a title of nobility but he was very dedicated to his work and I've been told that he was a very gentle and kind man…" a very small chuckle escaped Toushirou before he finished with "…from what Captain Shugyou told me he helped soften some of my mother's rougher edges in more formal settings…" his expression grew much more somber "…unfortunately I that's all I know about them since they both died when I was only a couple months old…" he tightened his right fist angrily "…worst of all my mother died protecting me…if she had just let me go perhaps she could have…"

"You mustn't blame yourself" Retsu cut him off "it's obvious that your mother did what she did because she loved you, if we could ask her I'm sure she'd say that she'd do it again without a moment's notice" she saw the heavy look in Toushirou's face "I'm sorry for asking you something so personal."

"It doesn't matter" Toushirou replied though Retsu could tell just from the tone of his voice he was lying "so what about you?" Retsu snapped back to reality at his question "what about your parents?"

Retsu was silent for several moments before finally saying "I never knew my mother, she died when I was very young…as for my father…" she paused as she thought about the man and clenched her right fist subconsciously, a gesture Toushirou caught out of the corner of his eye "…forgive me, I'm afraid I don't know have the words to explain it at the moment, perhaps some other time…" her eye lids closed about halfway signaling the pain of the memory.

"Of course" Toushirou replied "it would appear that I've learned something today…"

"I wonder…" Retsu thought as she silently watched Toushirou walk away "…is it worse to have never met your parents and know that they were great or to know your parent and to realize that they're a monster?" her contemplation came to an end when she sensed the presence of someone who was as familiar as she was unwelcome "can I help you Captain Dokuyaku?"

"You only realized I was here just now?" Koujou asked with a surprised tone of voice "I never expected you to be interested in younger men."

"You're mistaken" Retsu stated calmly.

"Then perhaps you're hopeful?" Koujou continued with a devilish smirk on her face "you want to believe that somehow he may be able to relate to you, don't you?" Retsu offered no reply "forget it, there's no way he or anyone else could ever relate to you" she locked gazes with the younger woman "especially once they learned the kind of vicious traitorous woman you really are…"

"I advise you to cut to the chase Captain Dokuyaku" Retsu replied sternly, the annoyance evident in her eyes.

"I want you to stop helping that boy to achieve Bankai" Koujou stated.

"Afraid if he achieves the Bankai release he could show you up someday like his mother used to, that he might stumble onto your dirty little secret?" Retsu inquired with a somewhat mocking tone of voice "covering your own tracks is your problem; don't expect any help from me."

"Come now Retsu surely you can see where our interests align" Koujou said with a soft but sadistic tone of voice "in the off chance I were to be imprisoned, who would make sure that certain individuals don't find that little boy…" she was cut off by the tip of her lieutenant's blade being pressed against her throat.

"Simple, because compared to what I would do to you, even the worst of prisons would be a pleasant reprieve" Retsu answered with a sweet yet threatening tone "…judging by your recent actions I believe that you're the one who's forgotten our arrangement…"

"Damn this girl" Koujou swore in her mind.

"…I agreed to become a shinigami and serve as your Lieutenant and in exchange you agreed to keep my identity a secret and give him sanctuary; that was our deal, nothing more and nothing less" Retsu explained calmly and coldly "what I choose to do with my free time is none of your concern, I strongly recommend you keep that in mind" she sheathed her sword and began to walk away.

"A word of warning Retsu Unohana" Koujou hissed "you may very well be stronger than me but no one is invincible, and that includes you!"

"I'm well aware of that" Retsu replied calmly before vanishing with a shunpo.

"You'd best be careful girl; you're becoming quite a bother!" Koujou thought to herself.

*With Toushirou*

"I can tell my spiritual power is growing stronger every time I train with Retsu" the Lieutenant of Squad Ten thought as he flexed his fingers "if this keeps up my shikai could become powerful enough to destroy small buildings in a single shot...that's kind of scary to think about, but I guess that means I'll just have to be more careful…" images of the Captains he had encountered as well as his teacher flashed through his mind "…and to think they all have powers which dwarf that…"

He stood for a moment to gaze out at the setting sun as it painted the sky a vibrant shade of red, the same color as Shukun's hair. Toushirou let out a slight chuckle as he thought about his mentor who at times seemed to be the closest thing he had to a father figure. That thought reminded him of what Retsu had said, or rather not said in regards to her father.

"Just thinking about it caused her body to tense up" Toushirou thought before recalling how she griped her fist "without counting the few times I've actually seen her in some form of combat I've never seen her have such a violent reaction" he raised his right hand up to his chin in contemplation "whatever her story is, it's clear that her father is a great source of anger for her…then there's the fact that her entire history is a hoax…" his contemplation was brought to a halt when he saw a lone hell butterfly descending towards him, his curiosity quickly turned to rage after it landed on his finger tip and he heard the words 'Rangiku' and 'drunk' which told him everything he needed to know "DAMN IT RANGIKU!" he quickly vanished with a shunpo.

The sight that awaited Toushirou was one that had become much more familiar to him over the years than he would have liked. On one side of the bar was a man who was counting a very large amount of money with an unnaturally wide grin on his face, which in retrospect was a good thing for the young Lieutenant given the state of his business. On the opposite end of his counter there stood a nervous Isane and an annoyed Nanao who were each supporting a chuckling and obviously drunk Rangiku; behind them were more than a score of shinigami lying on the floor covered in empty sake bottles and minor injuries.

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya, I'm glad you could make it" Nanao stated as he made his way up to them "your wife…"

"Trust me Nanao, after this many years, I've long figured this out" Toushirou replied with a heavy tone of voice as he looked over the sheer number of unconscious soldiers and the smell of booze alone seemed to threaten his state of mind "Isane."

"Yes?" Isane asked in surprise.

"You're a medic of squad four so you know more about this than I do" Toushirou began as he eyed his wife who was chuckling like a mad woman "how is that Rangiku hasn't dropped dead from liver failure after so much drinking?"

"That's…a good question actually…" Isane replied.

"Iz…becuz…I'ze gotz…tha poty spiret…" Rangiku slurred in excitement as her arms broke free of Isane and Nanao's grasps and she fell backwards before beginning to snore loudly causing Toushirou to loudly slap his own forehead with his palm

"Rangiku I swear…" Toushirou hissed in annoyance as he picked the crazy woman up bridal style and turned his gaze towards the bartender.

"Tell her I say 'thanks' as soon as she wakes up" the man said cheerfully which caused the Lieutenant to roll his eyes at him before he quickly vanished with a shunpo.

"Rangiku's lucky, a lot of men out there would either dump her or take advantage of her in situations like this" Nanao stated coldly.

"That's rather pessimistic of you" Isane replied.

"I'm what an optimist calls a realist" Nanao explained calmly as she adjusted her glasses "and I've met a few men along the way."

"You have to admit though, he's not like most men" Isane said as she thought back to his actions in Arasoi.

"I'll give him that…" Nanao said in response as she thought about how hush lipped he, Rangiku, and everyone else who was close to him seemed to be about some of their actions "…that, said I don't care for the fact that he and his family are keeping secrets from us."

"I'm sorry" Momo stated as she emerged from a nearby corner "looks like my plan didn't work."

"Don't worry about it" Nanao replied "it's not like my search through their library has turned up any results."

"I'm worried about them" Isane said simply.

"Same here" Momo added.

Though she said nothing on the matter, Isane felt the same way.

*With Toushirou*

"My lord is the lady alright?" one of Toushirou's servants asked him from the front gate of his estate.

"She's fine, just had too much to drink" Toushirou answered in an annoyed tone of voice as he carried her through the front door before adding "again" when he finally made it to the bedroom and laid her down he shook his head and said "drunk before sunset…how the Hell do you do it?"

"Meh…ezy, naw…" Rangiku slurred in her sleep with a wide grin on her face "…we'z gona, be en truble…iz we do zat here…"

"You're trouble" Toushirou sighed in frustration as he exited the room before looking back at her sleeping form and saying "good night" softly.

"Would you like a cup of tea sir?" another servant offered.

"Yes please" Toushirou replied in an eager but grateful tone as the servant ran off to fetch his beverage; as he made his way down to the main floor his thoughts turned from Rangiku to Yoruichi to Soi Fon to Retsu, he let out a defeated sigh "women are trouble…" he returned to reality when he saw the servant returning with his tea.

"Your tea sir" the servant stated politely before handing him the cup "also we just received a message from Lady Yoruichi, apparently she and Ms. Soi Fon are going to be staying late at the office tonight; in addition sir you have a guest."

"Thank you" Toushirou said in response as he made his way into the guest room to see Byakuya sitting calmly waiting for him with a nervous expression draped across his face "long time no see Byakuya."

*With Retsu*

The lieutenant of Squad Four stood next to a large tree just out of sight in a small park located in the middle of one of the Seireitei's residential areas. She observed as just under a dozen young children ran around playing with one another, occasionally would run off for a moment to talk to their mother and or father before running back into the fray. One child in particular drew her attention; it was a small boy with flaming red hair and eyes, he ran about with the other children laughing happily while his parents observed from a nearby bench.

If not for her keen skills of observation, Retsu would most likely would never have guessed the woman sitting on the bench was the boy's mother had no one ever told her so, because apart from a few facial features and other subtle traits the two of them looked nothing alike; where his hair was dark and red hers was light and blonde, while his eyes were red hers were brown. Complimentary the relationship between the boy and his father was apparent to anyone with a functioning pair of eyes due to the near perfect resemblance.

"Kaji be careful" Shukun commanded as a small flame burst from his son's palm, in the blink of an eye he appeared next to the child and gently squeezed his palm to extinguish the blaze before it grew out of control "close call" he sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry daddy" Kaji said apologetically "I just got so excited that I…"

"Don't worry about it Kaji, I know that wasn't your intention" Shukun stated calmly as he stood up "that said I think we'll have to do some exercises to help you keep that from happening unintentionally in the morning" he rubbed his hand in Kaji's hair "now go and enjoy yourself now, okay?"

"Kay" Kaji replied happily as he ran back to play with his friends.

What she had just witnessed made Retsu think of her own past, more specifically what her own father was like.

*Flash back*

Several grown men dressed in shabby robes were slammed into the wooden walls of their boss' dojo. Though the walls were reinforced with concrete, some of them still had enough of an impact to create holes which shot clean through. In the center of the room stood a young girl who appeared to be no older than ten by the standards of the World of the Living. Her face was framed by her shoulder length jet black hair, and her dark blue eyes held a rather disturbing calm to them as she held the hilt of a broken wooden sword in her hands.

Numerous men who had observed the "match" could only sit in place flabbergasted by what they had just witnessed. An awkward silence filled the room as she tossed the broken weapon aside, moments later a soft applause broke the silence as a middle aged man with matching hair and eyes which matched hers approached the young girl.

"Very good Retsu" the man stated in delight as he looked over the men she had just defeated "they were all very experienced, yet you beat them all in a matter of moments with a wooden sword no less" he took note of the men's' breathing or lack thereof "to top it all off it looks as if you actually killed some of them."

"I apologize father" Retsu replied afraid that she had disappointed him.

"Don't be silly child" her father commanded "truth be told I'm beyond proud of you."

The young Retsu smiled before saying "thank you father."

"Come now Retsu, we have work to do" Retsu's father commanded causing her to nod before following after him.

*North Rukongai: District 80 Zaraki*

The young Retsu stood quietly with blood splattered clothes; she now had a Zanpakutou secured around her waist. Next to her was a horse drawn cart big enough to transport half a dozen people lying down, its contents were covered completely by a simple white sheet. A few feet away her father was talking intently with a sloppily dressed man who didn't seem to believe what he was hearing.

"I assure you I'm not lying, this is all real" Retsu's father stated calmly

"Tell you what Taishou" the man stated "I'll believe you once I inspect the product."

"By all means" Taishou gestured him towards the wagon.

The man gently lifted up on the sheet and nodded, he then dug his hands into the substance to confirm that the cart was literally full and not just covered lightly. Discovering that the cart was indeed full, the stranger decided that he had to confirm that the "product" was the real thing. Lowering the sheet back down with his right hand he pulled a couple grains of the moldy green substance which Taishou had brought him and placed them on his tongue. Moments later the man's eyes grew to the size of saucers as he realized that it was in fact genuine.

"Taishou…" the man said softly, the shock evident in his voice "…how the Hell did you manage to transport this much Genkaku here?" Taishou smirked "I mean, I know you had it covered but surely other suppliers and maybe even a couple of those damned shinigami must have been suspicious…"

"Let's just say I have very good…protection…" Taishou gestured towards Retsu which only seemed to shock the man even further "…now, how about we get on with the transaction?"

"Um…I don't have enough money on me to buy this much off of you…" the man admitted in a somewhat embarrassed tone of voice "…follow me and I'll take you to my boss…" he gestured for the two to follow him "…I must say Taishou; if you can keep this up you're going to rise high."

A devilish smirk crept across Taishou's face before he said "that's the idea."

"Father…" Retsu thought somewhat unnerved by his expression.

"This isn't right Retsu…" a faint voice echoed in Retsu's mind which seemed to momentarily shake the young girl as the faint outline of a strange figure wearing some form of wide cloak which hid its features.

*End flashback*

"I was so foolish…" Retsu thought with a heavy sigh.

"Fancy meeting you here" Retsu turned in surprise to see Ikusei Shugyou standing next to her "you must have been deep in thought if I could sneak up on you."

"I wasn't planning to be seen" Retsu stated.

"Too bad my husband's a career soldier" Ikusei replied calmly as she gestured towards Shukun "you can't avoid his detection without putting in a little more effort."

"I'm sorry if I concerned either of you" Retsu said in an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about it" Ikusei chuckled lightly "so what's on your mind?"

"Nothing, just some old memories" Retsu sighed "sorry to bother you..."

"Want to hear something interesting about old memories?" Ikusei inquired drawing the Lieutenant's attention "old memories, especially painful ones tend to fester if left unresolved" Retsu eyed the older woman intently "eventually someone or something comes along which brings them to the surface and when they do; the results can be…unhealthy…"

"With all due respect Mrs. Shugyou I am a doctor so I would know if…" Retsu began but was cut off.

"The mind and body are two very different beasts" Ikusei stated "your specialty is the latter, mine's the former; so I think you'd best defer to my expertise."

"Alright then, what would you suggest?" Retsu replied curiously.

"Talk to someone about it" Ikusei answered simply "the longer you try to keep it to yourself, the more likely it's going to drive you crazy."

"Forgive but I'm not sure I feel comfortable talking to you about it" Retsu said politely.

"Who says it has to be me?" Ikusei asked before walking back to her son and husband "trust me on this one, just find someone you feel you can trust, you'll feel a lot better" a silent Retsu watched the happy family leave for their home.

*With Toushirou and Byakuya*

"So how have you been?" Toushirou asked as he took a seat near his old friend.

"Me and my grandfather lead a raid into a Rukongai drug lord's complex" Byakuya began surprising Toushirou "sorry I haven't been in touch but for obvious reasons we needed to play this one pretty close to the chest."

"I understand" Toushirou replied "how'd it go?"

"We had a few injuries but no casualties thankfully" Byakuya answered "unfortunately some of our squad got exposed to some of the product so they're being treated in Squad Four…" he rubbed his brow before finishing "…I swear the man had enough drugs in there to fill half our squad's storage houses."

"Damn" was all Toushirou could say in amazement as he took a sip of his tea "so is there something you wanted to see me about?"

"Yeah…but it's kind of personal…" Byakuya replied as he looked to the side to make sure it was just the two of them "…can you keep this between us?"

"Of course" Toushirou answered "we're practically brothers, you can tell me anything."

"You know about me and Hisana right?" Byakuya asked and Toushirou nodded "it's just that I was wondering…between you, Rangiku, and Yoruichi…how did…" he fought back a blush "…everything happen?"

"I guess he doesn't know about that one time with Soi Fon…" Toushirou thought as he took a large sip of his tea and fought back a blush of his own "…well…I honestly don't know what to say…" he put his cup down before rubbing his forehead "…truth be told I'm still trying to figure it out myself…it's just that with women like Rangiku and Yoruichi…" he chose to omit Soi Fon for the moment "…things just happened…"

"Yeah I can see that" Byakuya replied as he took a sip of his tea "no offense but I do not understand your taste in women."

"None taken" Toushirou had to fight back a small chuckle "in any case you'd best take it easy, you've earned it."

"Thanks but there is something I wanted to warn you about" Byakuya stated drawing Toushirou's attention "how many people outside our families know about what happened to your clan?"

"There's the Shugyous, Soi Fon, Ichigo, and…" Toushirou listed "…Lieutenant Unohana…"

"Damn it" Byakuya swore softly.

"Why what's wrong?" Toushirou asked.

"I've been getting pressed on some of your exploits since you've joined the Thirteen Court Guard Squads" Byakuya answered with an unusually stern voice "I've been getting a lot of questions from those guys Shuhei, Izuru, and Renji."

"I always suspected they'd catch on but I never thought they'd try going through you as opposed to asking me directly" Toushirou replied as he rubbed his chin in contemplation.

"I'm more concerned about some of the women" Byakuya continued breaking the younger noble's train of thought "they all know about how much Rangiku likes to drink so I wouldn't put it past them to try and use that to coax some answers out of her."

"I see" Toushirou said in response "I thought it was strange for Rangiku to be drunk

"Best be careful little brother" Byakuya advised as he stood up.

"Thanks for the warning big brother" Toushirou replied before adding "and best of luck with Hisana."

*The next morning*

Rangiku awoke with an ear splitting head ache, she took in her surroundings to realize that she had been returned home and that she was lying in one of the beds. In spite of how groggy she was she noticed that she was still wearing the same clothes as the night before with the exception of her scarf, socks, and sandals which were lying in a chair nearby. Her gaze drifted towards the nearest window where not even a single strand of light trespassed into her home.

"You're up early" Toushirou said from the doorway drawing her attention almost instantly.

"Ah…" Rangiku replied as she rubbed her temple "…not so loud please."

"Hang over?" Toushirou inquired and Rangiku nodded "the bartender told me to tell you 'thanks' for yesterday evening."

"What can I say Isane and Nanao even really got me going and before I knew it…" Rangiku began before letting out a loud groan "…if I happen to remember what happened afterward, I'll let you know."

"If Nanao was in on it then it must be as Byakuya suspected" Toushirou thought as he turned his attention back to his first wife "we still have plenty of time before we have to be anywhere, is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"Why didn't you change my outfit?" Rangiku inquired as she looked over her worn, dirty clothes.

"You were unconscious, it would have been improper" Toushirou answered simply only to be pulled down on top of her.

"We're married, there's no need to worry about being improper" Rangiku chuckled slightly before wincing from the pain.

"Rangiku" Toushirou said in concern.

"I'll have to change clothes" Rangiku replied as she tried to ignore the throbbing pain in her skull "feel free to try anything you think might help take my mind off the pain while you're at it" she added seductively.

"You never tire of these games do you Rangiku?" Toushirou wondered with a hinge of annoyance before giving her a gentle kiss on the lips as he ran the fingers of his right hand through her curly locks while he gripped her shoulder with his left hand "I honestly still don't believe you sometimes."

Rangiku chuckled lightly before wincing slightly.

Toushirou rolled his eyes at her as he snaked his thumb underneath the folds of her uniform and slid it open exposing her right breast to his view. Once the cloth cleared her shoulder Toushirou expected her to slide her arm free of its constraints but to no avail, one glance into her lazy yet bemused expression told him everything; she was hell bent to play the lazy game no matter how much it may annoy Toushirou.

"Damn Rangiku, you really take enjoyment in making me do all the work" Toushirou thought in annoyance as he pulled her arm out from her sleeve "in that case I'll just have to turn this against you…"

Toushirou cupped the exposed breast with his left hand and began applying different degrees of pressure with each finger. The flesh of Rangiku's breast was incredibly warm and soft, its size was too great for him to wrap a single hand around it and he doubted that using two would be that much of an improvement. Slowly he let his hand glide around the mound of flesh, randomly applying pressure.

Rangiku began to squirm slightly as Toushirou's hand continued to explore and massage her breast. The coldness of his fingers combined with the pleasurable feeling of having her breast stimulated helped ease her aching head. A quick glance into Toushirou's eyes told her that was teasing her on purpose to spite her for her little game.

"Come on Toushi…I'm really hurting here" Rangiku begged shooting him a sad puppy dog expression.

"Tch" was the only response Toushirou began as he allowed his hand to climb up her breast slightly causing Rangiku to let out a small moan.

"That's better…" Rangiku managed to let out between moans "…please…more…"

Toushirou smirked momentarily has he quickly slid his hand up to Rangiku's pert nipple and gave it a tight squeeze causing her to yelp and shake in response. Forcing back a laugh Toushirou focused a small amount of spirit energy into his fingers causing her to shiver uncontrollably.

"Toushirou…" Rangiku thought as the cold ran through her body and she caught the amused expression in his eyes "…you're so evil…"

Seeing Rangiku's tortured expression told him that he clearly had the upper hand which was unusual given how much of a struggle it usually was with her. Deciding that he wanted to keep the upper hand, Toushirou quickly opened the other half of her kimono exposing her left breast to his prying eyes as he freed her other arm from its sleeve. Without wasting anytime he quickly grabbed the newly exposed mound with his right hand; but instead of massaging the flesh or pinching the nipple like he had done with her right breast, Toushirou began to fondle it playfully shaking it every which way. At this point Rangiku was practically screaming in bliss.

Not wanting her to build up any resistance to his treatments, Toushirou began to rotate between which breast he was massaging and pinching and which one he was simply fondling. If Rangiku's expression and yelps were any indication, it was working exactly as he had hoped. He continued his assault on Rangiku's breasts for a couple minutes before deciding that it was time to take it to the next level.

Rangiku gasped as she felt him pinch both her nipples with his thumbs and forefingers while the rest of his hands were tightly gripping as much of her massive breasts as humanly possible. Her surprise was only heightened when he pulled her nipples together to the point that they were actually touching each other; to top it all off, in spite of her still somewhat hazy vision she could see Toushirou lower his head down to her breasts before gently biting down on her nipples. Rangiku could only let out a satisfied shriek in response which was quickly cut off as she shot another surge of cold energy through both her nipples at the same time. The combination of his hands, teeth, and cold energy caused Rangiku to shake uncontrollably as she felt an explosive orgasm wreak havoc on her mind and body; not that she minded of course.

"Feeling better?" Toushirou asked smugly as he released her breasts and planted a kiss on her forehead.

Truth be told the answer to his question was 'yes' but Rangiku being well Rangiku decided to smirk before saying "no credit for a half finished job Toushirou" as she pointed to her still fastened sash and leggings.

"Deciding to play cute with me huh?" Toushirou thought in response as he slid his hands behind her shoulders before whispering "you're going to regret this" in a lustful yet seductive manner.

"We'll just have to see about that" Rangiku replied in a mischievous tone of voice as she felt his hands snake their way down her back sending slight shivers throughout her body as she felt his fingers making their way down the path of her spine before gripping her sash tightly.

Toushirou moved his hands towards the knot which held the lower portion of Rangiku's outfit together and with a single yank of the offending cloth the knot came undone. Moments later the entire length of cloth was pulled out and tossed aside where it slowly drifted to the ground. In spite of the fact that there was now literally nothing holding Rangiku's legging together aside from gravity, Toushirou greedily grasped the black material and pulled them off with so much force that Rangiku let out a slight gasp of surprise as the bottom half of her body bounced upward momentarily.

"Getting a little excited are we?" Rangiku thought to herself in amusement as she felt the sheets beneath her newly exposed legs.

Toushirou then gently grabbed Rangiku's right ankle and began to slowly massage her calf muscle causing her to let out a small purr. This purr quickly turned into a moan as he reached her thigh and it only got louder as he worked his way closer and closer to the bindings which hid her pussy from view in spite of being soaked in the juices from her previous orgasm. Rangiku could feel her heart beat from excitement as she felt her husband's hands remove the nuisance as if it were second nature leaving the strawberry blonde nude before him.

"You're soaked" Toushirou stated as he did his upmost to hide his amusement behind a mask of sternness with a surprisingly high degree of success "and that was from a 'half finished job' as I recall?"

Rangiku said nothing, only pouted and looked away.

"That's not very nice" Toushirou added as he ran his right index finger along the length of her folds causing Rangiku to shiver which forced the young noble to let out a small chuckle.

Deciding that he had enough of word play for now, Toushirou gently slid his right index finger inside Rangiku's vagina earning him a small moan from the busty woman. Several more moans followed as he began to wiggle his finger around inside her causing her to grip the sheets so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. The feelings only intensified as Toushirou proceeded to insert his middle finger and later his ring finger as he began to thrust his fingers in and out of her depths.

Rangiku gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly; instinctively she rested the balls of her feet on Toushirou's shoulder blades. The Lord of Winter then proceeded to increase the pace in which he fingered his wife, at the same time he moved his left hand towards the top of her sex and grabbed her clit which earned him a loud and pleasurable yelp from Rangiku. Toushirou continued to stimulate Rangiku's clitoris while he plunged his fingers as deep into her sex as possible, occasionally causing her to shriek in satisfaction by stimulating her with small amounts of his ice cold energy.

The blonde bombshell felt her headache quickly fade as waves of pleasure coursed throughout her body and she began to feel like a new woman. Much to Rangiku's surprise Toushirou didn't continue with this until she climaxed; in fact he pulled his right fingers out from her pussy as she was on the verge of her second orgasm.

"Why'd you stop?" Rangiku asked somewhat disappointed, her eyes drifted down to her husband's waist where she noticed a raging hard on which threatened to tear his leggings at the seams causing Rangiku to smirk "I see he must want to…" her train of thought was interrupted when she felt Toushirou's newly freed fingers gently press against her other entrance.

"Think of this as punishment for the drinking and playing lazy this early in the morning" Toushirou stated as he shoved his fingers into Rangiku's ass causing her moan loudly.

"…he's…" Rangiku thought as he began to move his fingers in and out "…using…my own…secretions…too…lube me up!"

Rangiku quickly found herself unable to think as Toushirou continued to thrust the fingers from his right hand in and out of her ass. At the same time he clenched down on her clit with his left thumb as he slid his left index, middle, and ring fingers into her pussy and began to thrust them in and out causing his thumb to literally rub and pinch her most sensitive area at the same time. Naturally with three fingers in both holes and a thumb stimulating her clit, Rangiku quickly climaxed for the second time that morning causing her mind to go blank momentarily as the last vestiges of her headache were soundly obliterated thanks to her husband's 'work'.

Rangiku was hardly aware as she Toushirou turned her over so that she was lying on her stomach. Moments later she felt an intense heat wake her up partially as he took a second to rest his cock between her cheeks. She quickly felt the searing heat coming from the head of his length make its way down to her back entrance which was still soaked from her own juices. Without saying a word, Toushirou proceeded to bury his dick inside Rangiku's ass.

Rangiku's eyes quickly shot open at the sensation of having Toushirou's dick slowly making its way deeper into her bowels. Rangiku tried to dig her feet into the bed but to no avail since Toushirou had her waist pinned to the mattress with his hands making it impossible for her legs to get at a good angle, all she could do was claw at the sheets in vein as she let out a long drawn out moan until he finally buried himself in her up to the hilt.

"You alright?" Toushirou asked.

"Yeah…" Rangiku replied after taking a few deep breaths "…just been a little while that's all…"

"You'd think I'd do this to you more often given how much trouble you cause" Toushirou stated causing Rangiku to chuckle.

"What can I say?" Rangiku asked herself as she felt Toushirou pull back "you know how to incentivize bad behavior…" she let out a loud moan and her limbs spas med slightly as Toushirou thrust into again causing an intense wave of pleasure to shoot through her body.

Rangiku to let out a series of loud moans as she struggled to stabilize her limbs while Toushirou continued to move in and out of her depths, gradually increasing his speed as time passed. Her heart was beating so quickly she was surprised that she was still alive as a thin layer of sweat covered her skin. She had no idea how long this continued but eventually she felt Toushirou's member swell up before releasing his seeds deep within her causing Rangiku to collapse on the bed.

For several moments Rangiku simply laid motionless on the bed breathing heavily as she tried to regain her composure.

"Feeling better?" Toushirou inquired as he sat next to her.

"Yeah, headache's gone" Rangiku replied happily "though I'm definitely going to need a shower."

"Obviously" Toushirou stated which caused her to chuckle at his unsuccessful attempt at sternness "say Rangiku, about last night, what happened?" Rangiku looked up at him curiously "you getting drunk and passing out isn't anything new but you didn't even make it past sundown."

"Nanao and Isane kept buying me drinks" Rangiku answered as she sat up next to Toushirou "they were asking me questions…" she raised her hand up to her forehead and pinched her temple when her eyes shot open when she recalled what they were about.

"Me?" Toushirou guessed and Rangiku nodded "what did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I may be a party girl but I don't let secrets fly" Rangiku stated as she rested her head on his shoulder "but…it looks like they're suspicious of us."

"Yeah Byakuya's told me as much" Toushirou replied "it would seem our old school buddies are on to us."

"To be honest it shouldn't be a surprise" Rangiku sighed "after all we pulled off that raid on Ketsueki Pasu's compound…" Toushirou winced slightly as he recalled his reckless and violent actions from that night "…then less than six months later we were caught up in the death of Kyuusho Shihouin…" she watched as Toushirou rubbed his chin in contemplation "…the fact you ended up taking his daughter as your second wife shortly afterward probably didn't help quell anyone's curiosity" she added in an amused tone of voice.

"Clearly I'm going to have to think of something" Toushirou said in response.

"It's too early to think of such things…" Rangiku began as she sneaked one of her hands towards Toushirou's cock "…there's no need to rush" he tensed up once he felt Rangiku's fingers wrap around his manhood.

"Rangiku…" Toushirou said in surprise.

"You made me cum twice during that little game of ours…" Rangiku continued in a mischievous tone of voice as she stood up and in front of the silver haired man "…it wouldn't be right if I didn't even the score…" she let out a chuckle as she felt his member harden in her hands, the length still covered in a mixture of sweat and her own juices.

Without saying anything more Rangiku lowered her head to take the head and the top of his shaft into her mouth, the musky smell it was radiating assaulted her senses and aroused her at the same time. She then proceeded to bob her head up and down his length sucking on him as hard as she could.

"I can't believe she's doing this right after I…" Toushirou said to himself but his thoughts were interrupted as the sheer pleasure he felt from the fellatio he was receiving caused his entire body to tense up.

Rangiku continued to suck and lick Toushirou's cock as much as she could. Occasionally a small popping sound could be heard whenever she reached the tip. Toushirou found himself sitting deathly still as he focused every ounce of will power to keep the muscles in his arms and legs from acting up involuntarily. The combination of Rangiku's lips and tongue continued to assault his nervous system until he inevitably released his second load of the morning into Rangiku's mouth.

When his ejaculation finally ended Rangiku pulled her head back and swallowed as much of his seed as she could, however a small amount still spilled out from the corner of her mouth. She smiled as she looked at his rather haggard expression.

"You know if I could get that on tap I'd be willing to give up sake" Rangiku stated.

"Oh shut up" Toushirou replied annoyed that Rangiku still managed to catch him off guard causing her grin to spread even further.

"Just remember" Rangiku called out to him as he headed for the doorway "whatever you decide I've got your back."

"Thank you" Toushirou replied as he looked over the naked form of his first wife who was covered from head to toe in sweat and had various other fluids flowing from her pussy, ass, and mouth "we both need to get cleaned up."

"No joke" Rangiku chuckled "not a bad way to recover from a hangover."

*That afternoon*

"Cease your battle, now!" Yamamoto commanded authoritatively with Shunsui standing calmly next to him, within moments the two shinigami complied and stood facing one another, both covered in small bruises and cuts but otherwise alright "so then, what is your opinion of this man Squad Ten Captain Shukun Shugyou?"

"Where do I begin?" Shukun replied as he sheathed his sword and looked over the dark skinned man wearing a solid white visor who mirrored his action "in spite of your blindness your reaction time is superb, your attacks are a little light on the power front but they make up for it with their fluidity and skill…" he took a couple steps to the side as he gazed towards him "…I was quite impressed with your speed and skill with kidou as well…"

"I appreciate your compliment" the man stated.

"…But what impressed me most was your behavior" Shukun continued "no matter what tactic I used or how much pressure I applied, you never wavered, you never let your emotions get the better of you; instead you calmly assessed your situation and adjusted your tactics as the situation progressed" Shukun smiled in approval "I vote 'yes', I believe you're excellent candidate; especially after that freak Kurotsuchi..." he rolled his eyes in disgust.

"I agree with old man" Shunsui added merrily.

"We seem to be in agreement then" Yamamoto replied as he focused his gaze upon the dark skinned man "very well then, as Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, I Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto hereby declare this Captain's exam to be over..." as if on cue he slammed the tip of his cane into the ground letting out a loud thud "…Kaname Tousen you are hereby named the new Captain of Squad Nine starting tomorrow."

"Thank you Head Captain, it is an honor" Kaname said in response with a polite bow "Lord Aizen will be pleased."

"Congratulations Captain Tousen" Shukun said in a cheerful tone of voice before following it up with "not to be disrespectful, I admired Kensei for his strength and leadership but he and Lieutenant Kuna were the source of more than a few loud noises which bothered some of my soldiers."

"I apologize for that, he was more than a little…extreme sometimes and Lieutenant Kuna's personality only seemed to encourage it" Kaname replied "you won't have this problem with my Squad Nine Captain Shugyou."

"Sounds good" Shukun chuckled as Kaname vanished with a shunpo "didn't even wait around long enough for me to invite him out for a drink…" the red haired Captain of the Tenth shrugged his shoulders before vanishing with a shunpo of his own.

*The office*

"Are you alright Captain?" Toushirou asked in concern as Shukun entered the room slowly treating his injuries with healing kidou.

"I'll be fine" Shukun answered as he began to stitch up his last little injury "so how are things going here in the Squad?"

"I've done all I can here for the day sir" Toushirou began as he showed him all the stamped and approved papers from his desk "however we just received the final reports from Takamichi and Ikari's units from their last missions" he gestured towards a pair of documents lying on the Captain's desk "I'm afraid those will require your signature and seal once you've read them."

"Joy" Shukun replied with a heavy sigh as he took his seat and began to read the first one "sorry you've gotten saddled with all this office work."

"It's no trouble" Toushirou assured him "after all it's because of me that the Head Captain is forcing you to take part in all these Captains' exams" he looked to the side in shame.

"Don't sweat it" Shukun commanded lazily "I'm only disappointed that Captain Dokuyaku and the old geezer felt that making Mayuri Kurotuschi the replacement for Kisuke Urahara was a good idea."

"What about this man from Squad Nine, Kaname Tousen I believe it was?" Toushirou inquired.

"He's not the most powerful shinigami I've ever met and he could probably loosen up a bit; but all round I'd say he's an excellent shinigami" Shukun answered "at the very least I think his Squad Nine will be a somewhat less obnoxious neighbor to our own" he let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, Squad Eleven's enough trouble" Toushirou sighed "and I hear there's another one waiting in the wing?"

"Yeah, apparently the candidate is some woman from the Kidou Corp who's looking to fill the vacancy in Squad Seven" Shukun replied.

"Strange that someone from the Kidou Corp would be interested in becoming a Captain" Toushirou stated as he put his hand to his chin.

"Well they've been spiraling downhill pretty quickly as an organization after Captain Tsukabishi and Lieutenant Ushoda went missing years ago" Shukun explained "if I had to bet I think they're going to effectively disappear from the Soul Society within a few years; my guess is this woman is trying to fill one of the vacancies to save her career."

"Sounds a bit self serving to me" Toushirou replied.

"Well to be fair; if Squad Ten were to be heading off a cliff I think you and I would be looking at our alternatives as well" Shukun said in a level voice "in any case everything appears to be in order, I believe you have somewhere you'd like to be?"

"Yes sir" Toushirou replied as he headed for the door "have a good evening sir" Shukun nodded as his Lieutenant disappeared with a shunpo.

*Squad Four Main Branch*

"Lieutenant Hitsugaya" Isane replied in surprise at his sudden appearance "how is Rangiku?" she asked "I feel so terrible about that…"

"Fine, she was back to her…normal self this morning" Toushirou answered.

"Thank goodness" Isane thought in relief.

"Where is Lieutenant Unohana?" Toushirou inquired.

"Oh…um, she's with…" Isane began she felt her stomach begin to churn on her "…did you hear about the drug bust recently?"

"The once carried out by Squad Six?" Toushirou replied and she nodded "yeah I heard they pulled it off without any casualties but a few of their men got exposed to some drugs during the confusion."

"She's with them now" Isane continued "one floor up from here towards the end of the hall" Toushirou was about to make a break for it but was stopped when Isane grabbed his wrist "I should warn you it's not a pretty sight."

"This coming from someone who was with me for Arasoi?" Toushirou thought to himself as she let go and he proceeded towards his destination "this drug must be some bad shit."

Upon reaching his destination Toushirou quickly found out that his assumption couldn't have been any closer to the truth. Through the glass walls which he suspected were there so that medics could supervise the patients at all times, Toushirou able to make out three shinigami who were all completely bed ridden.

One was a middle aged man with short black hair who looked as if he hadn't eaten in days, to his side Toushirou recognized an IV which appeared to be providing his body with enough sustenance to keep him alive. The second was a brown haired woman whom Toushirou suspected looked quite youthful and healthy most of time and would now if not for the deep bags under her eyes which made her look as if she was about to drop dead. And the last one was blonde man about the same age as Toushirou who kept glancing around and twitching uncontrollably, out of the corner of his eye Toushirou saw that he had his limbs tied down tightly and his hands were covered by a pair of thick gloves meant to restrain finger movement; upon closer inspection he saw that the man was riddled with small injuries.

All in all they each looked as if someone or something had left them all nothing but sad and hollow shells of their formers selves. In a way it was more disturbing than seeing a dead body, with those you could at least take solace in the fact that the person was no longer suffering; but these people looked as if they had died but were still trapped inside their own corpses. He didn't even notice Retsu and the other healers attending them.

After about a minute Retsu muttered off some instructions to the other healers before emerging from the room and saying "sorry if I kept you waiting Lieutenant Hitsugaya" as she shut the door behind her.

"Are those the soldiers from the drug raid?" Toushirou asked and Retsu nodded heavily "what the hell were they exposed to?"

"Genkaku" Retsu answered "something else that brings up bad memories…"

"Genkaku?" Toushirou inquired causing his fellow Lieutenant to turn a slightly confused gaze towards him "sorry, I'm afraid my knowledge when it comes to drugs is…limited."

"It's a powerful and addictive stimulate, users usually smokes it in an attempt to experience a euphoric high; it's very popular in the poorer areas of Rukongai because it offers them an escape" Retsu explained "some of the most common signs of a user are an incredibly short attention span, strong odor, and strange and delusional comments or ravings."

"Like?" Toushirou replied.

"I once met a user who thought he saw a 'cookie tree' indoors" Retsu stated causing Toushirou to raise an eyebrow.

"And these guys?" Toushirou asked.

"They're suffering from withdrawal now that the Genkaku they were exposed to has run its course" Retsu stated simply "it varies from person to person but it usually manifests itself in the form of extreme loss of appetite, insomnia, or anxiety" she gestured towards the blonde with the injuries and the restraints "over ninety percent of his injuries are self inflicted."

"Are they going to be okay?" Toushirou wondered.

"Fortunately they weren't exposed to too much" Retsu sighed in relief "I'm hoping we'll be able to have them through the detox process by the end of the week" she looked them over one last time before finishing with "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I won't be able to assist you in your training for at least a couple of days, the early stages are by far the worst so I need to be ready to step in quickly."

"They need you more than me" Toushirou replied as he processed what he had just seen and heard "I won't bother you" he turned to leave but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder "Lieutenant Unohana?"

"The longer you try to keep it to yourself, the more likely it's going to drive you crazy" Ikusei voice echoed in Retsu's memory.

"I'm sorry but would you happen to have time to talk in private?" Retsu asked with an unusually weak tone of voice.

"Sure" Toushirou answered in a somewhat surprised tone of voice as Retsu lead him down the hallway and into the main office "your Captain doesn't mind?"

"Captain Dokuyaku spends the bulk of her time in the green house in the center of our district, she grows a large number of medicinal herbs for Squad Four" Retsu explained causing Toushirou to nod "among other things…"

"I see" Toushirou stated as Retsu pointed out a chair for him on the other side of her desk "was there something you wanted to ask me about?"

"Yesterday after I asked you about your parents, you asked me the same thing, remember?" Retsu began and Toushirou nodded "I told you that my mother died shortly after I was born, but my father…"

"You didn't tell me anything about him actually" Toushirou thought to himself

"My father…my father is…" Retsu continued struggling to bring the words to her mouth "…a drug lord…" she finally managed to say it in spite of her immense shame.

"Excuse me?" Toushirou replied not believing what he had just heard.

"He's a powerful drug lord" Retsu repeated shocking the younger man into silence "he makes his money selling Genkaku and other drugs throughout North Rukongai, he may very well be the most dangerous man in the entire district."

"I don't believe it" Toushirou thought in amazement.

"He used to just be a small timer" Retsu continued "due to intense competition among the other suppliers; he was originally only able to transport small amounts of his product around at a time, he had trouble breaking even."

"What happened then?" Toushirou inquired "how'd he go from a small fry to one of the most dangerous criminals in Rukongai?"

"I happened" Retsu admitted solemnly causing the younger man to raise an eyebrow "when I was little, my father discovered that I was gifted with immense spiritual powers; seeing an opportunity he used his money to buy me texts which were used to train shinigami at the time, buy the time I was ten I had already obtained my Zanpakutou."

"She got her sword at the age of ten without any formal training?" Toushirou thought in amazement "and people call me a genius" moments later Toushirou was hit by a wave of realization "so he used you as…"

"…security, yes" Retsu finished for him "not to brag but even in the early years, my abilities we're well above average…" memories of countless people who fell by her blade when she was just a child flashed through her mind "…my father took advantage of my naiveté and used me to help him move larger amounts of Genkaku" at this point she could tell that Toushirou was deeply disturbed by what he was hearing "and as I grew older I protected larger and larger shipments, which meant…"

"…his profits increased" Toushirou conjectured and she nodded "bastard, to think he could use his own daughter like that" he turned his gaze back to Retsu "what happened next?"

"Eventually I realized that he was using me and left" Retsu replied simply, judging by Toushirou's expression he believed that she was lying by omission.

"That doesn't explain why you're a shinigami" Toushirou thought to himself before saying "I'm sorry" not wanting to push the issue, an act which was not wasted on Retsu.

"Thank you" Retsu thought before asking "may I ask what you think?"

"About?" Toushirou inquired.

"Me and my father" Retsu stated solemnly "do you think we're alike?" her expression was uncharacteristically sad.

"Of course not" Toushirou answered instantly slightly surprising the older Lieutenant "I'm sorry" he added when he realized how sudden he had been before saying "your father used you like a pawn, he makes his living by pedaling this…" the images of the three shinigami from earlier flashed through his mind "…filth to the poor and desperate" he felt his blood boil as he tightened his right fist in disgust "I don't know the details, but the fact of the matter is that you chose to turn against him…" he looked at her with an expression that was both solemn yet somehow admiring at the same time "…in my eyes that makes you completely different from him."

Retsu sat still in slightly stunned silence for a few moments before cracking a small smile and saying "thank you" in response as she recalled what Ikusei had said to her the day before "I'm glad I had someone to talk about this."

"It's the least I can do" Toushirou replied "and when you want to talk about it, I'll be ready to listen to the rest."

Retsu let out an almost mute chuckle before replying with "I'm grateful" her eyes Toushirou noticed carried a combination of joy and sadness in them; sadness over the tragic memories which still haunt her to this very day and joy from the simple kindness being given to her by a friend.

"If anyone should be grateful, it's me" Toushirou stated as he stood up "take care" he headed for the door "I know now what I'm going to do."

*Hitsugaya Manor-Dining Hall*

"So Lieutenant Unohana wasn't able to help you with your Bankai training today eh?" Yoruichi inquired as her husband explained how she had her hands full dealing with some of Byakuya's people "must be pretty rough."

"Indeed it is" Toushirou replied "listen, Yoruichi about that little matter we discussed…"

"Already taken care of" Yoruichi assured him "it was a cake walk."

"That's good to hear" Toushirou let out a small sigh of relief as Rangiku and Soi Fon entered.

"We just got some replies, it would seem they'll all be able to make it" Soi Fon stated.

"What are you planning Toushirou?" Rangiku asked in a suspicious tone of voice.

He was about to answer but the arrival of one of his servants cut him off "my lord, your guests are begging to arrive."

"Thanks, I'll go and great them" Toushirou replied not wanting to be rude or improper "sorry, looks like you'll have to wait and see."

"Do I detect amusement in your voice?" Rangiku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No you're imagining things" Toushirou retorted as he made his way to the where he saw Byakuya waiting for them with Hisana, Rukia, and Ichigo "good to see you all."

"Same to you" Ichigo replied, he had a much calmer and more focused air about him than he had in the past and Toushirou could tell just by looking at him that he was much stronger.

"Thanks for inviting us Rangiku" Hisana said politely as blonde entered the lobby followed by Yoruichi and Soi Fon.

"I figured it's been too long since we were all together" Rangiku replied cheerfully.

"I must say though…" Yoruichi began as she snuck up behind Hisana and Byakuya and wrapped her arms around their necks surprising them both "…you two seem to be getting along really well, hope we didn't cut into any private time…"

"Mrs. Yoruichi!" Hisana gasped with a deep blush.

"Looks like that's a yes" Yoruichi chuckled.

"Yoruichi, I'd appreciate it if you unhanded us and stopped acting so inappropriately" Byakuya stated coldly as he calmly slipped out from Yoruichi's grip and helped Hisana do the same "you are a noble, shouldn't you act like one?" his question left Yoruichi flabbergasted.

"Looks like I'll have to entrust him to you" Yoruichi whispered in Hisana's ear before making her way over to Toushirou and giving him a bear hug "Byakuya's grown so mean and cold" she pouted as her husband struggled to get free "it's a good thing we got you away from that household when we did or you wouldn't be any fun either."

"Let me go damn it" Toushirou swore, his annoyance as evident as Yoruichi's amusement causing Rangiku to laugh hysterically, out of the corner of his eye he caught Ichigo and Rukia smirking.

"Um…have you all heard the news?" Hisana asked nervously wanting to change the subject.

"What news is that?" Toushirou inquired as Yoruichi finally released her grip.

"Captain Kuchki has offered Lor…Byakuya the position of Lieutenant of Squad Six" Hisana announced to the gathered group.

"Hey well done" Yoruichi replied happily as she clapped him on the back.

"Congratulations Byakuya" Ichigo offered.

"That is good to hear" a female voice called out drawing the group's attention towards the approaching group of Izuru Kira, Shuhei Hisagi, Renji Abarai, Momo Hinamori, Isane Koutestu, and the source of the voice Nanao Ise "thank you for inviting us Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"It was Rangiku's idea" Toushirou lied.

"Just what are you planning?" Byakuya and Ichigo wondered.

"Isane, Nanao" Rangiku chirped happily as she wrapped her arms tightly around their necks "always so lovely to see you."

"Ah..Rangiku…" Isane half cried as she was forced to lean forward due to how tall she was compared to Rangiku.

"This isn't proper" Nanao declared as she stood on her tip toes due to having the exact opposite problem of Isane's.

Both their pleas were naturally ignored by the strawberry blonde.

"You people really are something else" Renji sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Pardon me, but the food is ready" a servant called out from the side, his news seemed to excite Rangiku greatly.

Considering who was gathered at the table, the dinner was relatively peaceful; meaning of course that it was a complete and utter circus. Byakuya spent most of his time talking to Hisana, the pair smiling at one another throughout the meal; naturally they were the most "normal" pair throughout the whole event. Renji and Ichigo got into an argument about the proper method of eating certain types of food or something to that effect. Rangiku was trying her best to get Nanao and Isane to play some form of drinking game with her much to Momo's dismay. Izuru was lying face down due to the sheer amount of sake Rangiku had managed to get him to drink while Shuhei simply shook his head in amazement. Yoruichi meanwhile was chatting with Soi Fon and Rukia; the subject clearly embarrassed the former yet seemed to fascinate the latter. All and all it pretty much went as Toushirou expected, though he still found it annoying how over the top some of them could be, but then again he was married to two of them now so he had some tolerance.

Eventually the banter died down and Toushirou said "it's good to see you all again, glad you've all enjoyed yourselves tonight…" his gaze fell on Izuru "…some of you a little too much perhaps…" even Byakuya couldn't help but laugh at the blonde's sorry state, Yoruichi and Rangiku brushed aside some tears of joy at the fact that he managed to say something funny "…now for why I called you all here tonight…" a sudden hush fell upon his guests "…it's come to my attention that many of you have been pressing Byakuya about some of my…adventures since graduation, in fact just last night some of you tried to booze answers out of Rangiku" he shot some of his female guests an annoyed look.

"Toushirou are you?" Byakuya, Ichigo, Yoruichi, Soi Fon, and Rangiku all thought to themselves.

"What I'm about to tell you does not leave this group" Toushirou stated firmly "anyone who cannot keep a secret get out of here" no one left, the group of young shinigami all focused their attention upon the young noble and none of them said a word while Izuru simply mumbled incoherently as he was still passed out from too much sake "alright, listen carefully."

Toushirou proceeded to tell them everything; the truth about his family's demise, why he was raised in the Kuchki manor, why he hunted down Ketsueki, and why his Captain ended up in a fight to the death against Kyuusho. The reactions among the shinigami who didn't know already were a mixture of shock, disbelief, and in some cases tears.

"That's…that's horrible" Momo cried as Toushirou finished telling the story.

"I can't believe it…" Isane stated dumbfounded "his whole family."

"So it's revenge you're after?" Shuhei inquired as he focused his gaze on his friend.

"I won't deny that's part of it" Toushirou answered calmly.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know if I can help you if that's your goal" Shuhei explained.

"That's fine, after all I didn't want to get anyone else involved, things just…happened" Toushirou replied "I just finally figured that as my friends you all deserved to know."

"I have a couple questions" Nanao stated.

"I'm listening" Toushirou assured her.

"What's the deal with the multiple lives decree?" Nanao asked her question short and to the point.

"Repopulation" Toushirou answered simply "as you know my family was one of the four great noble households who act to balance out the wealth and power of the nobility; Central Forty Six and the other nobles decided it was in everyone's interests for that balance to be restored as soon as possible, and with only one heir to the family left…I'm sure you can guess the reasoning behind it" Nanao nodded in understanding "it was decreed when I was still an infant so I had no say in the matter."

"I see" Nanao replied as she adjusted her glasses and turned her gaze towards Yoruichi "and what about you? Are you really siding with the Hitsugayas even though your father was one of their enemies?"

"My father was a criminal who killed his own wife" Yoruichi replied coldly "and of course I side with the Hitsugayas, after all I am one now."

"Sorry if I offended you" Nanao apologized "so that's what all of this has been about…" her thoughts turned to how Captain Kyouraku had always changed the subject whenever he asked him for his thoughts regarding the young Hitsugaya.

"I must say that's pretty rough" Renji stated as he stood up "listen I know we've butted heads a few times over the years but if you ever need some help making the bastards pay just let me know" Ichigo, Byakuya, and Rukia nodded in agreement before their attention was drawn by a mumbling Izuru.

"Want me to fill him in when he wakes up?" Ichigo asked.

"If you wouldn't mind" Toushirou sighed in a slightly annoyed tone of voice "just remember, tell no one about this; I'd like to avoid letting this situation get any more out of control than it already is" he looked to the side before thinking "and there's still three more to go…not to mention that one of them's…"

"May I say something?" Isane asked nervously.

"Of course" Toushirou stated with a surprised tone of voice.

"I only have my little sister for a family" Isane began "she's…a real handful…"

"She must be talking about that little blonde girl she has in the academy" Rangiku thought to herself "Kiyone…I believe her name was?"

"…but I can't imagine what I'd do if I lost her…" Isane continued "…the thought of losing not only any possible siblings, but your parents, grandparents, and beyond without ever getting to meet them…it's just beyond my imagination…" she saw Toushirou look down heavily "…I just wanted to say I'm sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for Isane" Toushirou replied "but I appreciate the sentiment none the less."

"I know I said I can't help you when it comes to revenge" Shuhei stated "but if it's punishing criminals we're talking about…" Toushirou smiled lightly at Shuhei's words "…I'll do what I can."

"Same here, though I'm honestly not too worried about technicalities" Ichigo added and the others seemed to nod in agreement.

"Everyone…" Toushirou found himself smiling ever so slightly at their words "…thank you."

About half an hour later the bulk of the young shinigami decided to head out for a night on the town, a little alcohol to help them process everything they had just learned. Toushirou opted to remain behind citing his distaste for sake. He wished them all a good night and asked Rangiku to try to avoid getting wasted and wrecking someone's bar.

"Was that really wise?" Soi Fon asked from behind surprising Toushirou slightly "they're skilled, but they're also very rowdy and in some cases flat out childish."

"True, but to be fair Rangiku and Yoruichi are like that sometimes and they're both reliable" Toushirou countered "besides they're our friends, they have a right to know, and they can be trusted."

"You're still taking too many risks" Soi Fon stated adamantly.

"No point in obsessing over it" Toushirou replied simply "what's done is done" he looked into Soi Fon's stern face and thought "suddenly I think I know why Rangiku and Yoruichi enjoy mocking me."

"That's…probably exactly what Mistress Yoruichi would say to me right now" Soi Fon admitted in defeat.

"We're really lucky you know?" Toushirou stated calmly as he felt Soi Fon lean against him lightly "without lunatics like them we'd probably go insane."

"That's…a tough pill to swallow" Soi Fon replied.

"Agreed" Toushirou chuckled lightly as he looked into Soi Fon's stern yet relaxed grey eyes, he noticed a small blush appear on her cheeks which encouraged him to lean in and kiss the small woman on the lips.

Soi Fon placed her right hand on Toushirou's cheek as she returned the kiss, after a few moments Toushirou broke the kiss and asked "so what do you think?"

"I think I'd like it to be more than just a random fling, and you?" Toushirou replied

"I…" Soi Fon began as she felt herself go beat red "…concur."

"You're something else Soi Fon" Toushirou stated as he picked her up bridal style and headed upstairs with a shunpo.

"Is that all you've got?" Soi Fon inquired as they entered the bedroom "Mistress Yoruichi and I are going to have to work on your shunpo if that's the best you can do."

"Keep talking" Toushirou said in a tone which was both lustful yet threatening at the same time which caused Soi Fon to grin.

Toushirou leaned in to kiss Soi Fon on the lips once again, before the young operative knew it he had forced his tongue into her mouth and started to take ground without mercy. Soi Fon found all she could do was gasp slightly in shock at how quickly he was to take control. Moments later she finally realized that he had snuck his right hand beneath the folds of her outfit and began to fondle her left breast while holding her up with his left hand.

Slightly frustrated with the lack of visuals, not to mention the fact he could only use one hand in the current position; Toushirou laid Soi Fon down on her back to let the bed support her body as opposed to his hand. Wasting no time he greedily gripped the folds of her robe and opened them revealing her bandaged wrapped bosoms. Soi Fon's breathing grew steadily heavier as she pulled her arms free of their straps and she felt Toushirou's hands hover over her breasts.

She winced slightly as she felt him cup both breasts with his hands, out of the corner of her eye she saw him pry a couple of his finger tips beneath the bandages before gliding around her torso to find the knot which held them together. The feeling of Toushirou's fingers on her bare back as he undid the knot alone sent chills down Soi Fon's spine, a sensation which was only amplified as she felt him succeed and the wrappings were quickly tossed aside leaving her small but firm breasts exposed to the cool air.

Though Soi Fon's breasts obviously had nothing on Yoruichi's and Matsumoto's, Toushirou found that there was something to be said for being able to wrap your hands completely around them. Soi Fon moaned loudly as his fingers grabbed the bulk of her fleshy mounds and squeezed down gently making her feel as if her chest was on fire. When he finally pinched her now erect nipples she couldn't help but scream in pleasure.

After a couple minutes of foreplay Toushirou released Soi Fon's breasts slightly confusing the raven haired woman. The young noble simply pointed to a painful bulge just below his waist. Soi Fon got the message as Toushirou stood up and she got on her knees before untying his obi and peeling back the layers of cloth eventually freeing his erect member.

Soi Fon found her heart rate rising as the smell and heat of Toushirou's penis assaulted her senses. Nervously she raised her right hand and wrapped her fingers around the base causing him to flex his fingers as she began to slowly jerk him off.

"Faster" Toushirou breathed causing Soi Fon to increase her pace.

Feeling somewhat braver due to Toushirou's moans of pleasure and the feeling of his fingers running through her hair, Soi Fon pulled her face in closer and gently licked the head of his manhood with the tip of her tongue. She then proceeded to lick the length of his shaft before hesitantly wrapping her lips around the head, she could feel him tense up as he flexed his fingers in a strange manner in her hair. After taking a deep breath Soi Fon proceeded to descend upon Toushirou's cock causing him to let out a loud moan of pleasure.

Mentally smiling to herself Soi Fon started to bob her head back and forth causing Toushirou to let out a loud series of moans, seconds later she felt him wrap his fingers around the back of her head and started forcing her to up the speed. Soi Fon was shocked to say the least but she managed to keep her wits about her well enough that she kept sucking and using her tongue as much as possible. She lost track of how long the oral escapade lasted but eventually Toushirou slowed his thrusts down and pulled out.

Surprisingly enough, Soi Fon suspected what Toushirou wanted as she reached down to her own sash and began to fumble with her own knot before discarding her own leggings moments later. Toushirou grinned at how the same woman who was constantly trying to call him out and second guess his actions seemed so willing and eager to strip herself down to nothing but her foot wear and the bandages which hid her inner most recesses. Though she would never admit it out loud, Soi Fon found Toushirou's grin somewhat intimidating; so much so that she barely noticed when his hands grabbed the sides of her waist and signaled for her to turn around.

Blushing slightly at her own lack of attention Soi Fon quickly followed through with his cue and turned so that her back was facing him. She shuddered slightly at the feeling of his palm on the back of her neck as he pushed her to lean forward eventually forcing her to use her hands as support.

"He's enjoying this!" Soi Fon thought in annoyance in her own mind before the feeling of his hands massaging her nether regions through one of her last bits of cloth cut off her train of thought "…damn…"

Toushirou had to force himself not to chuckle at the faces Soi Fon was making as he stimulated her pussy through her wrappings. At the same time he decided that he was tired of letting the cloth get in the way of his prize, within a matter of seconds the lower wrappings joined their counterparts which had hid Soi Fon's breasts and the rest of her outfit on the ground.

Licking his lips in anticipation Toushirou lowered his head to Soi Fon's vagina and immediately snaked his tongue in between her moist folds. The grey eyed shinigami let out a long drawn out moan as she felt her lover's tongue massage and explore the outermost regions of her sex. These moans were quickly elevated when he reached up towards the edge of her pussy with his hands and pinched her clit with his right thumb and forefinger.

Toushirou continued to administer the oral treatment to Soi Fon for about a minute. The sheer amount of pleasure she was experiencing was evident in how her arms shook like crazy and he could see her toes curly through her socks out of the corner of his eye. Eventually he pulled his tongue out of her cunt wanting to advance to the next phase of the game. Soi Fon offered no complaints as she felt him grip her waist with both hands while he lined up the head of his cock which was still wet with her saliva with her now drenched pussy.

"Ooohhh…fuck…" Soi Fon moaned as she felt Toushirou impale her with his manhood all the way down to the hilt, the length seemed to fill her whole body with an intense warming sensation and she loved every second of it.

Soi Fon quickly found herself screaming in pleasure as Toushirou proceeded to pump in and out of her body at a rapid pace causing her legs to rock back and forth. Her arms were shaking so much that it looked like someone was electrocuting her. Soi Fon's thoughts began to go blank as she felt him fuck her like there was no tomorrow. After a couple minutes she began to lower her head towards the mattress as the pleasure threatened to cause her to black out.

Toushirou seeing that Soi Fon was starting to black out tried to come up with a way to prevent that from happening as he scanned everything around him until two things caught his eyes. The first where the pair of long braids which grew Soi Fon kept in the back of her otherwise short hair style, the second was her two bouncing ass cheeks. Grinning mischievously he reached forward with his left hand and gently grabbed hold of her braids, once he was confident in his grip he raised his right hand before swiftly slapping her right ass cheek creating aloud smacking sound.

The sudden surge of pain immediately brought Soi Fon back to her senses, before she could process what had just happened she felt someone pulling on her braids forcing her to arch her back out of fear of having her hair ripped off. After a couple seconds she registered that the pain from earlier had come from her rear end and that the man she was fucking at the moment was playing rough.

"No sleeping till we're done" Toushirou said to her in a tone that was both mocking yet playful at the same time "you've earned some punishment Soi Fon."

"Cheeky…bastard…" Soi Fon managed to squeeze out in between moans before she felt his hand slap her again sending a combination of pleasure and pain shooting through her body causing her to let out a yelp which reflected both sensations "…shit…I must…really be…a masochist…"

Toushirou continued to pound into Soi Fon's pussy as fast as he could while pulling on her braids at the same time. The sounds of Toushirou low moans of pleasure were drowned out by the sounds of Soi Fon's screams and the occasional sound of him slapping her ass leaving her right cheek a bright shade of red. Soi Fon meanwhile had tears flowing from her eyes as the pleasure and pain of what she was experiencing threatened to drive her completely insane.

Eventually Soi Fon couldn't take it anymore and her arms gave way causing her to slump forward so that her face was buried in the sheets and her braids slipped out of Toushirou's hands. She tried to stand herself back up but her arms simply didn't have the strength left in them to support her own weight. The good news, or bad news Soi Fon wasn't sure, was that Toushirou seemed to be one step ahead of her.

Toushirou briefly pulled out of Soi Fon with a loud popping sound which caused the petite woman to gasp slightly. Moments later Soi Fon found herself turned around so that she was lying on her back. At first she thought that Toushirou intended to simply take her missionary style, but she was quickly proven wrong when she felt him wrap his fingers around her ankles and lift up so that her ass was literally hanging in the air.

Soi Fon's surprise was only furthered when he pried her legs open and bent her legs back so that her feet were nearly touching the mattress to the sides of her head. Soi Fon was completely flushed in embarrassment at this new position as Toushirou used his shoulders to hold her legs in place while he used his hands to pin her wrists to the mattress, but what she found most humiliating was how this position left her ass and pussy hanging in the air; if not for her insane flexibility, this position would probably hurt like hell.

Toushirou could see the embarrassment in Soi Fon's eyes and had to wonder how the hell he ever came up with idea to try and take her in this way. He had to admit that he found Soi Fon's apparent humiliation and anger amusing as he lined himself and plunged into Soi Fon's vagina without mercy.

Soi Fon found it hard to maintain her frustration as Toushirou hammered her without mercy; she quickly found herself letting out a long series of moans and an occasional squeal as she felt the heat of his manhood course throughout her body. She dug her nails into the sheets and curled her toes as tightly as she could while wave after wave of pleasure continued to build up. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw some of their fluids shooting into the air before splashing against their flesh. The combination of sights and sounds caused Soi Fon's pleasure to mount continually which led to her moans growing louder and louder.

At the same time Toushirou felt the sensations of Soi Fon's pussy gripping his dick like a vice grip driving him closer and closer to the edge. Eventually Soi Fon let out a long drawn out scream of pleasure as she experienced a mind blowing orgasm. The rush of Soi Fon's juices pushed Toushirou over the edge causing him to release his seed deep inside her.

"Re…regret…" Soi Fon panted as Toushirou pulled out and collapsed next to her "…your choice?" she finally managed to squeeze out.

"No" Toushirou answered simply.

"Don't expect me to show you any mercy" Soi Fon warned.

Toushirou smirked slightly before saying "same to you" the petite shinigami blushed in embarrassment "knowing my luck with women, I'm going to pay for that…"

*Squad Four- the next day*

"Come on now, can't your cooks do better than this pig shit!" a rowdy soldier from squad eleven swore angrily at a small terrified medic who was sitting on the floor in front of him "why I ought to…" he was cut off by a small hand which firmly gripped his shoulder.

"My it really is good to see you so up and active" Retsu said cheerfully causing the man to start sweating profusely "but you know, you really should learn to be mind your manners when inside a hospital" she took a few steps in front of the man with a calm gentle smile on her face "after all, people who lead such rough and violent life styles like yours will need plenty of medical attention" she tightened her grip slightly, her voice took a slightly colder tone, and she opened her eyes about halfway "you don't want to anger those who'll be on the other side of the syringe!" the man immediately turned around and ran as fast as his legs would carry him leaving a trail of surprised yelps and amused laughs from the soldiers of Squad Four.

"It's good to see that you're feeling better, Lieutenant" Isane stated happily as she helped the poor medic to her feet before she ran off to her next patient.

"What do you mean Isane?" Retsu inquired.

"It's been a long time since I saw you scare off one of those ruffians from Squad Eleven" Isane answered "lately you've seemed so…distracted, I've been worried about you."

"I see" Retsu replied "heh, I guess I owe Mrs. Shugyou one for this" she turned her gaze back to Isane "I apologize if I worried you, but I am feeling better now."

"That's good to hear" Isane stated cheerfully as the Lieutenant and Third Seat turned their attention back to their duties.

Author's notes: hope you all enjoyed the update. Hope I gave you all some interesting food for thought. And in case any of you were wondering, Genkaku is essentially Weed on steroids; when I was in high school I knew some people who smoked it and I saw what some of them were like when they went into withdrawal which is where I got the inspiration for those three shinigami and this little drug problem.

With all that out of the way I have some news which may disappoint many of you and I apologize in advance for that. I've decided to temporarily put this story on Hiatus for two reasons. The first is so that I can knock my Frozen Savior Story out, I'm on the last three or four chapters and I want to see it done by the end of summer before I start my senior year of college if at all possible. The second is so that I can get started working on my own 100% original story on fiction and I'm really looking forward to it; if you like science fiction I highly recommend taking a look on my profile for more info.

The good news is that I AM NOT ABANDONING THIS STORY! There are just some other things I have to get out of the way first.

In any case please have a nice day and don't forget to review