Ha ha, here it is. The next installment of Destitute. Thanks, LilBrokenDolly, for your support, also windlily, for the review before too. Sesshoumara, if you are reading till here, thanks for your comment at LJ. I also want to thank coolshinigami, Kouri Ramnado Sukuara (are you KaRiSa?), Flyingphilosopher, Bloodyblade666. Spedclass, your 'copy-paste' reviews are good too. ;P. Please enjoy.

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Chapter X: A Mission

"Tight schedule, Kuchiki", Zaraki roared, " The General briefed me about the teams and told me to pass it t'ya. Rukongai rebellion in 7 districts. Some captai's' managin' the othe' five, you an' yer team handles South district 80."

"My team?", Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the fact, his team was already picked out for him.

" Dun' worry, your henchman is there too. "

"Taichou!", Renji ran into the room, " the teams waiting outside."

Zaraki stepped out without further ado.

"They are lined up to receive your briefing, for the action plan."

Kuchiki Byakuya followed his VC, outside to see everyone in attention pose.

" We head from two directions in two groups, from the East and from the North, cutting the exits. I will take the East group (the fight there might be bloodier) and Matsumoto..fukutaichou.. "

Matsumoto shuddered at her name. he had never called her by any name since they met. A familiar name from a familiar voice never spoken together, surprised her.

" You head the North group."

"Hai", she agreed with all the force she could muster.

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The district 80 was almost deserted in the Northern portion. Everyone, in their team, breathed a sigh of relief. It was late morning, but the sky was cloud cast.

The damages left by the Arrancar were still around, it seemed. They had taken steps to make sure, their legacy was left behind.

Aizen was very thorough. He had planted hollow seeds within some pluses residing in Rukongai, who were like a time bomb, these seeds were undetectable until they converted the pluses(converts) into full blown hollows in a predetermined amount of time which could range to a few months.

These were the troublemakers. The symptoms of the seeds were rebellious feelings among the affected who rampaged and often massacred a good amount of pluses which is how this rebellion came about.

" Search all the places", she ordered, " Look out for hidden converts. Clear the innocent from the area."

Matsumoto felt so nostalgic coming back here again, even after 4 months. It make her heart bleed as she saw how the place looked like now. She recognised familiar houses, where there were familiar people, with laughing, smiling faces.

There was a tea house, where people would gather to chat.

There was a play ground where she and Gin used to play tag with the other kids.

She could still see their smiles in her mind, hear their laughing voices, all gone because the damn Aizen would not die without leaving some scope of vengeance.

She was scouring all by herself when she noticed some movement. She turned around and chased the sound of running feet.

She pounced upon the escaper.

"Stop! Stop! Ran-nei-san!", it was almost a kid who whimpered.

"Ji-Jiro!!", she exclaimed.

The kid was almost in tears. A scrawny kid, a boy. He was a 12 year old who followed around Gin and Ran when they were teenagers. She was surprised at how much he had grown and how much he hadn't.

By all means, he should look as old as Kira, but he looked no more than 15.

" You have not grown at all!", she interjected yet again.

"How rude! I haven't grown tall, that's all", his spirit was returning at the jab.

Matsumoto laughed heartily and poked his head, so that he would dry his tears, " You are still a cry baby! Do you still wet your bed?"

He rubbed his eyes and complained in defiance, " Don't say that! OF COURSE, I DON'T!"

Seeing he had calmed down, from crying at least. She said, " Say, what are you doing here still. You should leave the area, it's dangerous here. You could be killed!"

"You mean by those 'converts'?"

Matsumoto furrowed an eye-brow. " Have you met one, by any chance?"

She was wondering how he didn't get massacred. But she was glad he somehow survived.

"I know where a lot of them are now, want me to show you?"

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Renji reported, " all the men have reported back, not a single soul around"

"Hmm", Byakuya surmised, " False report."

"What? But we just---"

"By the messenger who reported to Seireitei."

"Eh? Oh! What else did he say?"

" There were no survivors from the massacres in the district 80 of both South and North, the most powerful converts were concentrated in these two districts "

"Oh! Then Zaraki-Taichou must have gone to Zaraki. What do we do now? Do you think they moved to the other districts?"

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Matsumoto: "No, you should be heading back, point me at the direction, I will take some men with me and…"

"There's no time for that, now. I was searching for a Shinigami to show them. They will be gone by then."

" Gone?..hey wait!"

Jiro had broken into a run and Matsumoto chased yet again behind him.

At the back, of her mind, was a slightly nudging doubt.

"Why had Jiro tried to run away from her at first?"

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Next Stop: Matsumoto's mistake