He wasn't sure how, but he had made his way out of the cave, using his zabimaru as an impromptu guiding stick and walking stick all in one. Renji wasn't entirely sure that he hadn't blacked out several times in his escape, for he couldn't remember most of the way out.

All he remembered was the end of the tunnel, practically crawling up a ninety degree angle towards the light of day. He knew the cave went deep underground, but he'd been in so much pain he didn't think to take in his surroundings.

He breathed thickly through his dry mouth, the puffs of air swirling in clouds around him. The bare trees around him rattled their branches against one another like fingers waggling. His minor wounds had stopped oozing temporarily from the cold, his fingers were nearly blue. He was sure his feet were bleeding because they were oddly warm. Walking was the worst part for he trembled so hard and had been so malnourished that every step seemed to bring him closer to losing consciousness once again.

He hobbled weakly on his sheathed sword. He looked like an old man hunched over a too-short cane walking a too-thin line between conscious and subconscious. His legs began to work on autopilot.

Renji felt the nearby humming spiritual energy of soul reapers and he knew he was closing in on the Seireitei. But the dark night prevented him from having any sense of direction. His feet just fell in a floundered line, one after the other, towards the distant ringing of spirit pressure.

Eventually, by a miracle, he saw the giant physique of a gatekeeper. It was the Red Hollow Gate- the South Rukon gate. He could've picked it out from anywhere, no matter the poor visibility. It had been the gate he and Rukia had seen their whole lives, jutting out over the rickety skyline of the seventy eighth. He tried to pick up his pace, but the surge of adrenaline was not enough to sustain his blood-loss and he lurched to the left, keeling over from the pain in his groin. Down on one knee, he leaned all his weight against his katana like a penitent knight begging mercy or pledging allegiance.

The earth rattled with the thumping steps of the giant gatekeeper. Renji must have carelessly released some of his remaining pressure in his attempt to hurry. Higonyudo, the gatekeeper, barreled his mighty weight towards Renji thinking him an attacker.

"Who goes there?" His thundering voice detonated against Renji's ears, making him grit his teeth. Renji couldn't bring himself to stand and thus feared being crushed by Higonyudo's mighty feet. He braced himself for the confrontation.

Hisana had been placed on patrol duty near the south Sereimon gate otherwise known as the Red Hollow gate, a cruel joke to be sure, especially in the freezing weather. She was alone most of the night, sitting by a small bonfire in-between rounds to keep warm. She had a crudely woven scarf about her shoulders that did its job well enough. She took the time to stuff wads of paper into her uniform to circulate heat- one of the many tricks she learned living in the slums. To keep her shivering to a minimum, she would shove her hands inside her sleeves and curl into herself. During her rounds she would cling tightly to a paper lantern and skitter her way across the frozen paths and icy foliage before being able to return to her fire.

As the night wore on, she wrapped the rough scarf around her head and leaned back against the stone wall behind her to catch a few minutes of sleep before her next round. She tossed a few pinecones into the fire, seeming they burnt much longer than wood, another survival skill she had picked up, and closed her eyes to the cozy crackle the makeshift firewood gave off. She noted wryly that the other squad member who was supposed to relieve her of her patrol duty hours ago wasn't going to show up, so she figured sleeping on the job she wasn't supposed to be working couldn't be too bad.

The moment she did relax, Higonyudo- the gatekeeper-bellowed over the wall at her. Hisana jolted awake at the sonorous boom of a voice.

"There is a soul reaper here, should I let him in?"

"What squad is he from?" Hisana called back as loudly as her tiny voice could muster. There was muffled conversation before an answer came.

"The sixth squad!"

"His name- ask for his name!"

"He's badly injured and not making sense."

"Open the gate." Hisana consented. The enormous wall rose a few feet and a decrepit figure limped towards her, heaving loud breaths as he went. As he neared her fire, and his red hair burned bright, Hisana exclaimed and ran to Renji. Seeing her, relief poured over his broken figure. He basically collapsed all of his weight on her and she staggered beneath him. His arms dangled limply over her shoulders, his head bobbed against her back. His long legs were bent awkwardly between her two wobbly ones. She felt a hot liquid burn and seep through her uniform pant legs and she smelled the copper of blood.

"Renji?" She called shakily, his stomach still rose and fell against her breasts, signaling he was still alive but was most certainly not conscious. She slowly guided him to the ground by the fire, unable to support his tall frame with her petite one. She saw a gaping wound at his groin that still bleed unceasingly. There was no color to his lips; his fingers, she noted with astonishment, were in the early stages of frostbite. She ran to the nearest checkpoint, which took a good ten minutes without the ability to flash step, and brought the sleepy guards back with her.

Upon coming back, Renji had woken up momentarily and tried to speak but only guttural sounds came from his throat. He motioned with his hands and one of the guards passed a water skin to him, which he downed in seconds before slipping back into oblivion.

Hoisting up the deadweight, the two men struggled to lift the lieutenant who was solid muscle. Hisana took up the rear, placing both feet on her shoulders, and the three shinigami made a whimsical entourage hurrying for the fourth division.

Once there, the fourth squad uncomplainingly sprang into action, and Captain Unohana herself was brought in to apprise the damage. Hisana stood in the corner, out of everyone's way as they darted to and fro, fetching this instrument and that herb.

Rukia was shaken from her trepid sleep. Third seat Miyako hovered over her, her long black hair beatifically around her like a vision.

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked, seeing Kaien in the doorway, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. Miyako's usual smile was flat lined and her lips solemn.

"Your sister sent you a message," Miyako began gently. Upon hearing the tone of the third seat's voice and the mention of her sister, she sat bolt upright. "It's about Lieutenant Abarai, he returned from his mission during her patrol duty."

"Is he alright? Was the mission successful?"

"He was immediately taken to the fourth division. He's in critical condition."

"Nobody seems to know who or what could have done this." Kaien added, remorsefully. Rukia jumped to her feet and all but dressed into her shihakusho in front of them, not caring what either saw. When she spun around, they both politely had their eyes on the ground.

"I have to be there now!"

"He's in surgery. He can't have visitors until it's finished."

"Surgery?"

"There was something in your sister's message about a bad wound, one that was still bleeding when he arrived." Kaien added, blocking the doorway. Rukia noted how another snow storm had brewed outside while she had slept. The wind's ferocious whistling turned into a high-pitched cry as it swirled into her room, causing its inhabitants to shiver, save Rukia who adamantly stood her ground against her lieutenant.

"Please, Kaien, I have to be there."

"Your sister gave me specific orders from Captain Unohana that there are to be no visitors until the surgery is over."

"You know I won't sit idle while he's suffering!" Her frustration was paramount, and she wouldn't cease until it ebbed. A wordless conversation passed between them before Rukia shoved him aside and ran out.

Miyako went to Kaien as he heaved and hung his head in exasperation.

"You did your duty by relating her orders to her. It's not your fault if she disobeys them."

"It's the principle of her not listening that disappoints me." Kaien remarked, smiling for his wife, and resting his hand over the one she placed against his stubbly cheek. They exchanged a slow, smooth kiss, before Miyako pressed her head to his.

"I didn't want to tell you, and spoil the wedding, but I am pregnant," She whispered shyly. "I waited to make sure everything was in the clear to-"Her whole body was gathered into the air, as he swooped her into his arms gleefully. Miyako giggled as he let out a whoop of joy that roused some not-so-joyous squad thirteen members from their slumbers in nearby lodgings.

"This is wonderful!" He lowered his voice, joining in with her tinkling laughter. "Oh, Miyako," He hung tightly to her after setting her back to her feet. "Should we tell everyone in the morning?" She hesitated.

"I wanted to keep it between us for now, if that's alright?"

"But…why?"

"Well," She began in a very ladylike manner. "When the baby comes, someone will have to stay at home to raise it. With our child comes my unavoidable resignation, I'd like to enjoy the normalcy of our squad for just a little while longer. Is that selfish?" She asked and he cupped her cheeks, smiling widely.

"Of course not." Kaien guiltily found himself thinking that they could have a whole team of people raise their child for them, they were one of the five great noble families after all. But that was selfish of him- to want Miyako by his side at all times and not their child. He supposed it would take some getting used to: putting the child before their needs, though she seemed already adept. Motherhood became Miyako. It was her second nature. He leaned down and held her in his arms, concentrating on the faint spirit pressure that vibrated within her own and he smiled so deeply he thought his lips would crack.

Hisana gratefully nibbled on a warm dishing of onigiri in the silent entryway of the fourth division- the only place she was admitted to stay while the surgery team worked the night away on lieutenant Abarai. Captain Unohana had explicitly made clear that no soul reaper from another squad was allowed to be roaming her division's halls after-hours without a squad-four escort. And seeming all squad four members that were awake were in the room with their captain, diligently attending to Renji, she resigned herself to sitting in the entry without complaint.

As she finished her onigiri, she felt a fit rising up in her throat. She prolonged it as best as she could, but ultimately it won out and she heaved the minutes away until a familiar, slimy trail of mucus ejected itself from her esophagus. It wasn't until she was done wiping the bodily fluid from the floor where it landed that she realized Captain Unohana was watching her every move from the doorway.

Quietly, she extended her own kerchief and wiped the excess around Hisana's mouth. Hisana was about to speak but the squad four captain beat her to the punch.

"I've seen your symptoms before, in the victims from those unidentified hollows. I won't ask how you've survived thus far, but I do request you come in tomorrow afternoon so I can run a diagnosis."

"That won't be necessary-"

"I insist." Her sugary tone was covering a much more commanding effect that hollowed Hisana out. She bowed quickly. "Your case could help us come up with an antidote." Hisana highly doubted it, as she and Ukitake had already been slaving away at the task for months, but she figured it couldn't hurt for extra hands to join in the search.

"Pardon me, but how is lieutenant Abarai? What is the matter?"

"He has mild hypothermia, and we're still working on getting his temperature up slowly so his body doesn't go into further shock. During the surgery, we patched up some scrapes but the worst two injuries were a gash to the side of his head and a very deep incision in his groin that we're still trying to understand. He was showing signs of starvation and dehydration, and we're regulating that as best as we can. Overall he suffered a near-deadly blood loss and his spiritual pressure has been significantly weakened, but I believe he will live."

"Thank you, captain!" Hisana kowtowed and Unohana smiled.

"Go get some rest, I've observed that sleep slows your symptoms down." Looking at the captain in surprise, Hisana nodded slowly before rising and walking for the door. "I'll see you this afternoon." She called before disappearing.

Hisana walked outside and found five inches of fresh powder on the ground. She crunched over it, thinking over Captain Unohana's suggestion. She had noticed that she never suffered a fit while sleeping and found it odd that the fourth division captain, who supposedly knew nothing about the poison, was able to give Hisana pointers in fighting it.

As her feet crunched through the snow, a moving, black blurb mowed her down and onto her back. Rukia stared down at her in wild determination.

"Where is he? How is he doing?" She blubbered to her sister. Hisana frantically tried to regain the air that was knocked out of her. As she attained her ability to breathe, she stood up and brushed the snow off, relaying what Captain Unohana had told her. Rukia absorbed every syllable before giving Hisana an angry shove, as if it was her fault for Renji's injuries. "I can't take it. You people are going to kill me if you all keep suffering terrible wounds, I've spent the last season running in and out of the fourth division." She choked on the emotion in her voice and hung her head low. Hisana knew that her own hospital stay had put strain on her sister and now she deeply regretted the selfish act at attempting to kill herself. What would she or Rukia do without the other?

Hisana carefully pulled her younger sister into her arms, whispering a sincere apology into her ear. They stood motionless for an uncertain amount of time in the falling snow. The sky was a dim yellow from the lantern's reflection off the snow, giving some animation to the dark morning. Though they would never be emotionally intimate as it wasn't in their capabilities as die-hard survivors of Inuzuri, their physical closeness sufficed. And even that was a rarity. Hisana mourned silently with her sister. In focusing so hard on their survival, they had denied themselves the chance of being a happy family- and it had been Hisana's fault, she'd always pushed Rukia too hard, expected too much of her, and put the pressure of taking care of one another on her baby sister's shoulders. She wanted to forget it ever happened. She wanted to finally enjoy having a sister that could be her closest confidant. But that chance had already spoiled.

She drudged through the sketchy alleyways of their shantytown, a heavy basket of wool clasped to her bony back with braided hemp string for straps. The summer sun beat down on the wooden roofs and paths, giving off flickering heat waves in the distance. Her skin was grimy and perspiring, souring her boro kimono in the armpits and down the lower back. Hisana had roomed with a distant sheep-herder for two weeks to earn some of the wool she spent time sheering. She planned to return to her hovel, spin it, dye it, and sell it for a good sum. It was the best available work for a woman in the south districts seeming slender, nimble fingers were needed to remove the wool in one fleece.

But as she pushed the scrapped curtain aside to walk into her home, Rukia was already there.

"You're back from gathering the herbs for the dyes already?" Hisana asked tiredly. Her feet ached from the long walk from the ninth district.

"Dyes?" Rukia looked around in confusion. Her little body flexed. Her childish eyes peered up at Hisana in wonder. Hisana stared down at her sister, barely thirty years old, too unfit to work for long periods of time, and too small for anything but gathering. Rukia's little hands that were usually covered in soot and mud were freshly cleaned.

"You went to the river again?"

"Renji and the others invited me to!" She beamed. "It was so hot and the water was so cool-" Hisana angrily dropped the basket of wool with a thud that rocked the shifting foundation of their shack.

"What did I tell you about getting those plants and rocks before I left?"

"Plants…rocks?"

"The ochre, the indigo, the woad, logwood?" Rukia's little eyebrows fitted together in an honest attempt at remembering. Hisana curled her palms to fists at her sides, her shoulders pointed upwards in a sharp motion. "Rukia!" She raised her voice. "We needed those! Now the harvest will be picked over by others. Do you know what that means?" She drilled into Rukia who, despite her innocent, childlike appearance, did not shrink back. Instead she held her fist up to her older sister who towered above her.

"How come I always have to go get the plants? Why don't I get to lounge with the sheep-herders?" Hisana roughly snatched Rukia's outstretched wrist with vigor, squeezing it until her young sister whimpered and bit her lip. Hisana contritely found herself wishing Rukia's arm would bruise.

"You don't know how to use sheers- you'd slice your fingers off! I just went a full two weeks without anything except scummy water in hopes of dyeing this wool and getting food. You know better, Rukia. You know the importance of those ingredients!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" She cried. Hisana yanked on her tiny sister's arm, dragging her to the opposite corner of the house and pointed in frustration at the faded dirt drawings in the ground.

"This is the faulty clay rock, the one with the red ochre. This," Hisana jerked Rukia to the next drawing in the ground. "Is the blue indigo. The woad leaves. The logwood chips! We talked about these before I left. You blew our chance to eat to go paddling in a river," Hisana released Rukia with an aggressive push until her little sister fell to her backside. Tears formed in Rukia's big eyes, and she tried desperately to rub them away.

"I forgot!"

"And because you did, we won't be eating this autumn!" Hisana groaned miserably as her own stomach growled viciously. She wanted to hurt Rukia, her hunger getting the better of her and bringing out a violent side. Before she could strike her, Hisana pulled herself back and ran out, down to the river that flowed through the entire south Rukon. She splashed into it, dirty boro and all, cooling down her temper and her skin. She sobbed, ashamed of herself and her little sister.

Hisana didn't understand why she and Rukia should get so hungry and work so hard for food, while their neighbors merrily went months on end without the briefest need for a crumb, working only when they needed something like drugs, drink, women, or gambling money. Hisana's weak legs bent and collapsed beneath her; the river water rushed around her shoulders. She needed food soon or she wouldn't be able to keep supporting Rukia or herself. Food would prevent her from choosing between herself and her sister- a choice she never wanted to make.

Byakuya had been accosted with messengers as he tried to settle down for his morning meal. He was quickly informed of his lieutenant's return. Whether his mission was successful or not was still pending. He was then told about the critical state Abarai was in, and Byakuya let out a bothered sigh. He really didn't want to go through the process of finding another lieutenant again. The thought stressed him out so much that he willed it far from his mind. But what took its place only embittered him. He would have to meet with his sixth seat. Such a behavior, such loose moral fiber, was a stain on his squad. He would tolerate it no more. If she placed one more toe out of line he would have her back-talking, lackadaisical, and uncommitted person removed from his company.

His unease drifted away with a controlled exhale.

She wasn't lazy.

Far from it.

But her dismissal of all things proper emboldened him to assess what really was to be done with her.

The more he thought on it the more talking to her seemed unethical.

Was it his place to critique her lifestyle? After all, they came from two worlds entirely their own. Perhaps all boors sought security in the promises of a physical relationship. It could be their nature.

He did not shy away from talking to Jushiro, on the other hand. He would confront him and demand an explanation. He would lecture him about the expectations that befitted a man of nobility. Taking a mistress, though acceptable for the noblemen of the soul society, was a highly degrading thing for a captain of his reputation. Though Ukitake was his elder, he was also a fellow captain, and so a peer. It was his duty to keep him in line seeming the head captain babied him and his other favorite, Kyoraku, far too much.

Sitting by Renji's bedside, Rukia stared down at her long-time companion. He was breathing more quietly than when she was first admitted to sit with him early that morning. She had been with him the entire day and the thirteenth squadron sent no notice to her demanding her presence so she remained with him. She had nearly cried multiple times from seeing how worse for wear he was. She talked to him, having a one-sided conversation and while the painkillers kept him in a sleep, his hand had managed to find hers, gripped it, and still hadn't let it go as if to say he was listening. She allowed it. She would do anything to ease his mind. She had read the reports at the foot of his hospital bed. He had hallucinated while they tried to sedate him for surgery. He was ill at ease, going on about a white face with red eyes.

Renji wasn't one to talk supernatural nonsense. Rukia believed it could be a real warning but she wasn't about to press the matter on a delicately conditioned man.

Seeing Renji like that made her afraid.

It made her mourn the lost time between them.

It made her feel guilt for using him so wistfully when in the midst of consanguinity with Kaien.

She had played on his weakness before they entered the academy. Her attraction to him had been electric. So naturally she buried it deep inside of her and wouldn't let it back out.

She let her thumb move up and down the base of his palm, tracing the fine lines in his hand, avoiding the bruises that remained on his wrists. This seemed to disturb him and his heavy eyes opened a hair's breadth. The brown irises were barely detectable beneath the dilated pupils.

"Go home Rukia. Come back when we've both had enough sleep." Renji tried to joke but his lips couldn't move into a smile. She saw how chapped and scabbed they were. Two red, bloodied marks were on his lower lip, due to his canines coming down hard, probably in his struggle against the necessary sedation for his surgery. She could imagine him deliriously fighting the medicinal team with that brute strength of his that had saved her many times in their childhood from ruffians and libertines. They always used to roughhouse in Inuzuri as they got older, and she always thought it was unfair how he was nearly two and half feet taller than her, but when it came down to protection, she had never been more thankful for Renji's size and strength.

The thought made her heart ache.

She was desperate for whoever caused his injuries to suffer much worse. Rukia slowly nodded at his request with reluctance to leave him. She squeezed his strong hand, mostly in reassurance to herself that he was indeed a fighter, capable of recovering. She stood, procrastinating her stay a bit longer- making sure he had everything he needed and such- before finally leaving the fourth division, being ushered out hastily by the squad four members that had exceeded the visiting hours for her several times already.

After signing out of the visitor's pavilion, Rukia made her way back towards the thirteenth. She took her time among the white-washed lined and brick-laid roads, careful not to slip on the black ice that mischievously hid beneath patches of grainy snow.

"Hello there, lieutenant!" Gin waved. She looked over her shoulder at him suspiciously.

"Gin Ichimaru?"

"Wow, what blatant disrespect. I should punish you for your insolence and lack of manners." Rukia bowed hurriedly to correct herself.

"Forgive me, captain."

"Such an obedient girl. I was only playing with you, or at least, I'd like to."

"W-what?" Panic crept into her limbs.

"You heard me, Rukia," Gin moved closer to her, tucking her stray strand of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear, moving her hair back. "There, now I can admire your pretty neck." She defensively took a step back. But it made her sway from the instability and dizziness he roused in her. His hand rested on the back of her waist, preventing her from moving any farther away from him. His smile never faltered, his eyes didn't open except to slyly ogle her neckline.

"What are you doing?" She breathed choppily.

"Don't pretend to be innocent of my intentions. I think you've known for a while." Rukia shivered as his finger slipped beneath her collar, removing the fabric from her shoulder. He caressed her milky white skin, and with a lick of his lips he leaned in his mouth, aiming for her exposed skin. She was in such shock as to what he was doing that she was immobile with fright. Over his shoulder, right as his mouth made contact with her collarbone, a person passed the secluded street they stood on. But it appeared that the man noticed her before she really noticed him and had started towards them.

"Captain Ichimaru?"

"Kaien!" She sighed in relief and the name pulled Gin away from her. For a split second she thought she saw a frown on Gin's lips, but he turned his head so quickly towards her fellow lieutenant that she didn't have time enough to study it. Kaien picked up his pace, walking straight towards them.

"Captain," he repeated again, pulling Rukia away from Gin's reach and held her protectively against his warm body. He shrugged off his mint haori and draped it over Rukia's loosened uniformed shoulders. She didn't bother arguing with Kaien once more that the cold did not get to her, ever. She appreciated his gesture too much. It billowed around her like a cape instead of a coat. Once she was settled he peered over her head to look at Gin. "What is the meaning of this harassment?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Gin smiled. "She was fully willing, as you saw she made no effort to stop me."

"I was not!" Rukia mustered the courage to whisper.

"Before we talk about forcing ourselves onto women, shall we discuss your less-than professional relations with Miss Rukia-"

"Don't try to blackmail me with a consensual relationship, captain." Kaien gave a quizzical expression to Ichimaru who grinned madly at something beyond where they stood. It wasn't until Rukia let out the groan of a dying animal and he heard a quiet gasp from behind that he turned his head. He saw Miyako standing at the end of the path, holding a gift in her hands. She had heard everything.

"I followed you, so I could surprise you with this-"Her voice caught, and she frantically looked around. Miyako decided the best way to keep her emotions stable was to remove herself from the situation and so she bolted away.

"Miyako," Kaien shuddered without his coat. He tripped over himself as he quickly ran after his receding wife. "Miyako- wait!" He raised his voice in desperation, hoping to get her to slow her pace, and he disappeared around the corner in his pursuit.

"Oh dear, looks like their marriage is already headed for trouble."

"You knew they'd both come this way, didn't you?" Gin said nothing, his smile deepened and he let her walk freely away. She knew her suspicions were confirmed by this action.

Rukia sat in her captain's room, as he cheerfully whistled to a tune that sounded familiar to her, but one she couldn't name. He was scrounging through papers, reading occasionally little excerpts from them.

"How are you, Rukia?"

"Fine, sir!"

"You seem tense. Is there something you are expecting?"

"Not specifically, no." She cautiously looked away from him. Getting the hint, he dropped the subject and went back to his papers.

"How was lieutenant Abarai doing?" Rukia stroked the straw of the tatami below her, going against the grain. She heard the incitements in his tone yet they did nothing to rouse her interest in pursuing the topic.

"Captain, has anything unusual happened in our squad today?" He gazed at her over the sheets of writing. Ukitake gave a slow, disconcerted nod of his head and white tendrils of hair swept over his shoulder.

"Now that you mention it, I did receive orders to scrounge up a reconnaissance team."

"Reconnaissance?" Rukia pouted. He had expertly directed her change of subject back to his topic of Renji with all the subtlety of a shadow cast by moonlight. "You mean a follow up after Lieutenant Abarai's failed mission." She stated.

"Unfortunately, yes. Central forty six issued the mission after receiving reports of Abarai's injuries. Something that can inflict that much damage must be understood. People always tend to fear what they don't understand," Ukitake angled his face downwards so that his gaze at her became more earnest. His insinuations irked her.

"What's your favorite poem?"

"My…favorite poem?" Ukitake repeated slowly. Fighting his urge to smile at yet another change of subject.

"You and my sister have spent a lot of time together on poetry. I was wondering what your favorite poem was so far?" Her change to his change of subject did not forestall Ukitake. He smiled good-naturedly.

"Taro leaves."

"What?" Rukia asked in a narrow-minded confusion. Seeing her lack of understanding, his playful smile widened.

"Taro leaves-beyond

the village a poor

man waits the moon." Rukia blushed at her captains words and before her captain had time to interrogate anyone's emotions further, running foot falls resounded shortly before the shoji slid open.

"Captain! You can't let Miyako lead the mission!" Kaien bellowed, stunning Rukia.

"Third seat Miyako is leading the reconnaissance?"

"Yes," Ukitake nodded. "And I'm sorry but she is the perfect candidate and the only officer with the proper experience."

"Captain," He was pleading. His eyes were slanted with deep concern, a concern that went deeper than just for his wife's safety. "Don't let her go. Send Rukia, someone, anyone! Send me if you must."

"I appreciate your chivalry, but third seat Shiba has already chosen the men she wishes to have accompany her. She'll be perfectly safe. They'll scout the area and then return." Rukia knew Ukitake was speaking of the area where Renji was sent. But what Rukia didn't understand was why Central forty six was involving themselves in the design of a scouting errand.

"Now, with one out of commission and the other out of the arms of her lieutenant, what should be do?"

"Patience, Gin." Aizen smiled.

"Really," Gin sighed with a feigned disappointment. "I was hoping I would get some more time with Miss Rukia." His comrade's smile increased.

"Her older sister has been stubborn. It's harder to deal with strong-willed women. I even generously distilled a drop of the cure into her veins when she was in the hospital, if only to persuade her from attempting to kill herself again."

"Maybe, Aizen, she just isn't interested in you. Such a shame that you've lost your touch."

"Be careful Ichimaru, you'll have to watch what you say around me."

"I forgot about your delicate ego, sir," Instead of losing his cool, Aizen loosened his robes so that the gap went lower at the neck. He tossed his hair and proceeded to slip his captain's robe on.

"I will get it from her."

"Without raping her?" Gin toyed mischievously.

"If she enjoys it like our encounter in my library, it won't be." Both men smiled with a certain uneasy understanding before Aizen left his office.

Author's Note:

That last chapter was so heckily deckily damn short and this one couldn't be condensed enough? What the hell is wrong with me? I cut out SO MUCH from this chapter, most of which will be featured next chapter, but still:

DOFGNSDFUGNJDNM #$%^&^%$# FDJOFSDTHG0G385T4URIWEOPRPTIOUHNJ

I am a conundrum.