Chapter 11

It felt strange having gotten to sleep in a bed with warm blankets and inside a room that didn't have a slight leak in the roof. The pillows beneath his head were plush, almost too plush for him to be comfortable, as he had gotten used to sleeping on the hard rolls of blanket that they had been given from those in the village.

However, despite that, the boy had still slept soundly and with no interference from what the one he now knew as Renji called his inner Hollow. He wasn't sure what that meant, but if the ghost boy's mentality was any indication, than this inner Hollow was anything, but good news.

The boy drew in a deep breath as he opened his eyes, seeing that the thin curtains over the window had been closed at some point while he slept. He had fallen asleep shortly after Renji had left, as he was simply too exhausted to do anything else. He didn't want to think, didn't want to watch the sun finish setting, and all he wanted was to slip into a dreamless sleep, which he was granted.

He sat up, albeit slowly, as his body was still stiff and extremely sore. His left ankle softly crackled when he moved it, but it was no longer broken, being wrapped tightly with bandages to give it added support. It was his right hip which was the most sore, as it felt as if he had run for so long, and so far, that his muscles had simply given up. Every time he tried to shift his weight, his right hip would groan, but he could move it without any unbearable pain.

As he pushed himself up on sore arms, a soft knock at his door broke through the silence of the morning.

"Come in." The boy said lowly, but it was enough for whomever had knocked to open the door.

He had been expecting the one named Renji, but the hair was wrong, as it was long, unbound and entirely snow white. This new man was tall, roughly the same height as Renji, but he had no tattoos and very pale skin. He wore a white haori with long sleeves, but instead of being scared of this man whose name he did not know, he relaxed, as the man had a face that was nothing but kindness.

"Good morning, Ichigo. I've brought breakfast." The man with white hair said with a soft smile as he set down a tray onto the boy's lap.

The boy followed the tray to examine the food, which was a heavy meal of rice, eggs, vegetables and long, thick strips of crisp bacon. It smelt wonderful, with a slight spice to it and he wasted no time in digging in.

The man with white hair sat down with a leg underneath him, still smiling and with expressive brown eyes that matched his kind smile.

"Well?" The man with white hair asked softly as he slipped his hands into his sleeves.

The boy chewed his overly large bite and swallowed, "It's really good." He immediately took another bite.

"I was told it was your favorite breakfast." He said with the slightest widening of his smile.

The boy's furious chewing halted in an instant as he looked at the man, his cheeks bulging out from the sheer amount of food he had stuffed into it. He was only still for a few moments before he finished chewing and washed it all down with several, large gulps of the milk the man had brought.

"I'm supposed to know you, aren't I." The boy said, this time taking a much smaller bite so be could talk should he need to.

The man nodded, "Yes, you are."

"Are we related?" The boy asked.

The man huffed a smile, "No... No, we are not."

"Where's Renji?" The boy asked as he continued to eat.

"Squad 6 business. He wanted to come, but was unable." The man with white hair said softly.

The boy took another minute to eat a couple more bites that he gave a few chews before washing them down with the milk. He shot brief glances at the man while he ate, and there was something familiar about him, how his hair hung loose over his shoulders and the fact that his eyebrows were black instead of white. It told him that the man's hair was not naturally supposed to be white, but the man's face appeared young. He wasn't an old man, at least, he didn't think so.

"How old are you?" The boy asked, still eating.

The man instantly stiffened, but soon relaxed as his smile returned.

"Older than I look." The man said.

"It's not supposed to be that color is it." The boy said.

The man shook his head, "No. It turned white on its own some time ago from-"

"Illness." The boy cut him off.

The man's breath caught in his throat as he stiffened, staring at the boy whose eyes had gone blank. He had frozen in the middle of bringing a bite to his mouth, his hand hovering motionlessly several inches away. His eyes were wide, but unmoving, almost as if someone had simply pressed the pause button and it worried the man to the point where he slowly reached forward.

The moment the man's fingertips grazed the boy's shoulder, he snapped back into himself and started eating again like nothing had happened. The boy was even smiling as he ate.

"You're right." The man said softly as he sat back down with a stunned look on his face.

"Hmm? Right about what?" The boy asked, shooting the man a glance.

"Do you not remember?" The man asked, lightly furrowing his brows.

The boy shook his head.

"You said my hair had turned white because of illness. You're right." The man said.

"I am?" The boy sat up straighter.

"Yes... I have a lung decease that turned my hair white when I was a boy. My hair is supposed to be black." The man said softly, leaning back in his seat with a mild shift in the leg he was sitting on.

"I said that?" The boy asked as he stuffed the last mouthful of his breakfast into his mouth.

The man nodded, "Yes."

The boy swallowed his last bite and guzzled the last of the milk before wiping his mouth dry on his sleeve.

"Oh... Uh... Sorry." The boy said with a blush and crooked smile that was more from nervousness.

"No... No, don't be sorry." The man said softly as he returned the smile.

"Thanks for the breakfast. I really liked it." The boy said after a moment and with his smile returning to being genuine.

"Of course." The man said softly.

The boy looked back to his tray and picked up an unopened serving cup covered with a smooth piece of foil. He tore it off to look at the gelatinous brown goop and took a sniff, but his nose was filled with a sweet and rich scent of chocolate.

"Chocolate pudding?" The boy asked as he picked up the spoon.

"Yes. Another favorite I'm told." The man said.

The boy instantly dug into the pudding and shoved spoonful after spoonful into his mouth, even before swallowing the previous one. His smile was wide with delight with both cheeks full, and he only tore his eyes away from the sweet when the man with white hair rose to his feet.

"I'll be back in a little bit. Will you be alright?" The man asked with a kind smile.

The boy just nodded as he stuffed another spoonful into his mouth and watched as he started for the door. The wonderful thing about pudding, is that one could swallow a bucket full of it in a single go without dying, so that is what the boy did. He swallowed down the near overflowing mouthful and stopped the man just as his hand wrapped around the doorknob.

"What's your name?" The boy asked as his tongue cleaned up the spots of chocolate at the corners of his mouth.

The man looked back over his shoulder, but still smiled, "Jūshirō Ukitake."

The boy smiled as he returned to his treat, and Ukitake afforded him a comforting glance before he turned the knob and stepped out into the quiet hallway where Captain Unohana awaited him.

"What is your assessment?" Unohana asked softly with her hands slipped into her sleeves.

Ukitake sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, "He's still the Ichigo we know, but he is unaware of it. He still enjoys his favorite foods a great deal."

"So there's hope?" Unohana asked in just above a whisper.

Ukitake nodded, "As of right now, yes, but I think his memories are trying to break free."

"How so?" She asked.

"He had a moment of cognition, where he knew why my hair had turned white, but he had frozen when he said it. When he snapped out of it, he was unaware he had said it at all." Ukitake said softly with a mild furrowing in his brow.

"I see. I wonder if there's a way we could help them along." Unohana mused.

"Perhaps, but I fear slow interaction with friends will not be enough." Ukitake said.

"I may have an idea." Came another voice.

Both Ukitake and Unohana looked to their right as Nyruki walked up, drawing in a deep breath that she released long and slow.

"I was unaware you were here, Flower." Ukitake said as he raised a hand to softly rested it on her shoulder.

"Check up with Captain Unohana." Nyruki said softly.

"So it's confirmed?" Ukitake asked.

Nyruki nodded.

"We were just setting our baseline for the coming months. The embryos are healthy." Unohana said with a wide eyed gaze from Ukitake.

"Embryos?" Ukitake softly gasped.

Nyruki nodded, "Yeah... I'm pregnant with twins."

"Oh my-" he gulped, "Byakuya surely is in for a surprise when he gets back." Ukitake held his breath a moment before blowing it out in a nervous breath.

"Yes he is." Unohana smiled.

"You mentioned you had an idea on how to help Ichigo?" Ukitake asked, taking his hand back as he looked down to Nyruki.

"I do, but there comes a lot of risk with it." Nyruki said softly.

Ukitake's brows furrowed harder, "What do you mean?"

"Was that right when I heard you say you think his memories are trying to break free?" Nyruki asked.

Ukitake nodded, "Yes."

"I think maybe, that his memories are trapped somewhere. He never would have mentioned you being ill unless his subconscious already knew. I think he needs help with remembering." Nyruki said quietly.

"What do you suggest we do?" Unohana asked with a softening of her gaze into sincerity.

"Tonight, I can use my power to enter his inner world. His memories have to be in there. I can unlock the door, but it's up to him to open it." Nyruki said as she crossed her arms.

"And what risk do we run if we do that?" Ukitake asked.

"His inner Hollow. If I unlock the door, his inner Hollow could take over sooner, rather than later. But if I don't, we run the risk of Ichigo hollowfying anyways at the end of the seventh day." Nyruki said as she loosely crossed her arms.

"How do you know this, Flower?" Ukitake asked as he slipped his hands into his sleeves.

"Last night after I finished speaking with the clan elder, I went to the great library after spending a lot of time talking with Kibōyūwaku." Nyruki said as she released a long exhale that she had been holding.

"You have access to such things?" Unohana asked.

"I am to be wed as a Kuchiki. Of course I have access." Nyruki huffed a smirk.

"Fair enough. When do we try?" Ukitake asked.

"Later tonight, after he goes to sleep. I don't want any interaction with him in case he could resist." Nyruki said, looking at both the captains.

"Just be careful, Flower. You know what happened last time you went into someone's inner world." Ukitake said lowly.

"That was my inner world, Papa. It just got hijacked by a psycho." Nyruki airily laughed.

"Let us hope that doesn't happen again."


The chocolate pudding was delicious. He had enjoyed it so much that he had even asked for more, upon which a small boy with large, timid eyes and chin length black hair had brought him three more cups. He had devoured them all without a break in between and enjoyed every minute of it.

The boy took a sip of his water that Renji had brought him as he glared hard at the man sitting across from him. He had arrived a short while ago, just after breakfast, with a deck of cards wanting to play a game if at all to help the time pass. The boy was grateful and ever since, they had enjoyed their little game of War.

"One... Two... Three!" Renji smirked crookedly as he picked up a face down card and slapped it down on the mobile table between them.

The boy did the same, both keeping their hands over the cards as they glared into each other's eyes with a fierceness that sparked between them. He ducked his head and lifted his hand just enough to peak at his card, and the number he saw made him beam with pride and lift his hand to reveal the King of Hearts.

"Ha! Beat that!" The boy grinned wide as he struck a flexing pose.

Renji glared as he lifted his hand, showing his card to be, frustratingly, the King of Spades.

"What! A tie? Dammit! This is war!" Renji growled as he started to stack three cards, face down.

The boy did the same, grinning crookedly the entire time as both slapped another card down, this time face up to see whom one the tie breaker.

The boy had.

"Yes! Ten beats five, Renji!" The boy cheered with both arms up in the air in victory.

"Dammit! You're gonna win at this rate!" Renji snarled as the boy swept up his winnings to add the cards to his much larger stack in his hands.

"Good! I could use a win every now and again!" The boy laughed as they slapped down another pair of cards for Renji to claim the weak win with a Four of Diamonds to the boy's Two of Clubs.

"Yeah yeah, ya smug bastard." Renji snickered.

The boy's smile slowly softened as they continued to play, and the boy won three more rounds before Renji claimed a win.

"Hey, can I ask you some questions?" The boy asked, slapping down a Jack of Spades to win Renji's ten.

"Sure. Fire away, Bud." Renji said with a quick glance up.

"How long have we known each other?" The boy asked, playing another hand to lose to Renji's queen.

"A few years. You were fifteen when we met the first time." Renji said with another win.

"And that's when we fought?" The boy asked, this time winning with an eight.

Renji nodded, "Yeah. I didn't know it at the time, but you were protecting someone I deeply care about."

"Your girlfriend?" The boy asked with a loss to Renji's three.

Renji instantly blushed a bit, "Yeah, I guess she is... Well, now anyways. We've kinda been together for a few months now and I have yet to call her that."

"How come?" The boy asked.

Renji half shrugged as he put down a card that matched the boy's, "I don't know. I just haven't yet. She's a lot of power packed into a tiny little package and I guess I'm kinda scared because I don't want her to beat my ass."

They put down three cards facedown and set their second hands on top for the boy's win with an ace, where he scooped up his winnings with a groan from the redhead.

"Why would she beat your ass if she's your girlfriend?" The boy asked, arcing a brow.

"You'll remember." Renji smirked.

The boy's smiled faltered for a moment, "I hope I do."

"All of us do too." Renji said.

"What's your girlfriend's name?" The boy asked blatantly.

Renji smirked again, "Rukia."

"And you said those two other guys with you when you found me were Ikkaku and Yumichika, right?" The boy asked.

Renji nodded.

"And that Ukitake guy, the one with long white hair, I know him too right?" The boy asked.

Again, Renji nodded.

"Am I related to any of you? I mean... It seems like you and me could be." The boy said.

Renji lightly laughed, but shook his head, "No... We aren't related, as much as our personalities would say otherwise."

The boy lightly frowned, "Do I have a family?"

"Yeah... You have a dad and two sisters." Renji said, having forgotten about the cards in his hand.

"Where are they?" The boy asked.

"They're at Rukia's place. They haven't come to see you because they don't wanna shock you. They're just as scared as any of us are." Renji said as he leaned back in his chair.

"Why are you guys scared? Who am I gonna hurt?" The boy shrugged as he leaned back against his stack of pillows.

Renji held his breath a moment, but he released it in a long sigh as he rubbed the back of his neck. He set his small stack of cards down on the bed and dropped his arm into his lap as he regarded his friend.

"I wouldn't worry about it, Bud. Everything's gonna work out fine." Renji said, forcing a smile.

The boy returned the smile as a soft knock sounded on the door, near immediately followed by the knob turning and someone new walking in.

This new person was short, extremely short. She was petite to the point of almost being a doll and with chin length black hair and big violet eyes. The boy watched as Renji's eyes lightened and he smile as she returned it, carrying a tray with steaming tea that she set down on top of their game.

"Hello." The boy said as he watched the small woman hand Renji one of the teas.

"Hello." She said softly as she sat down on Renji's lap with her own tea in hand.

"You must be Rukia." The boy said, taking a sip.

The woman gasped, "You remember?"

"No... Renji told me his girlfriend's name was Rukia and since you're sitting on his lap, I figured that was you." The boy said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rukia's cheeks softly blushed, "You're right. I am." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Good... I can add another name to the list of people I'm supposed to know." The boy joked with a laugh.

Both Rukia and Renji added their own.

"Who was winning?" Rukia asked as she pointed to the stack of cards in the boy's lap.

"I was. Renji sucks at this game." The boy grinned evilly.

"Oi! I was letting you win!" Renji snarked back.

"How do you let me win on a game of chance?" The boy arced a brow.

"I just did!" Renji sneered, just playing along.

"Ha! Admit it! You were losing fair and square! I would've had you in another hand!" The boy laughed.

"No you wouldn't have!" Renji growled with bared teeth at the boy.

"You are so full of shit, Renji! I would've smacked you down the same way I did in that second fight when I was trying to save Rukia!"

Instantly, Renji's and Rukia's eyes shot wide open as they stared at the boy whom seemed to be oblivious to what had just come blurting out of his mouth. He sipped his tea as he collected the cards and set the completed deck down onto the tray that the small woman had brought in. He didn't know what he had just said and when he noticed how the other two were looking at him, he softly gulped.

"What?" The boy asked, resting his tea in his lap.

"You just mentioned our second fight." Renji said, forcing himself to breath.

"Huh? No I didn't." The boy said.

"Y-You just did... You just said that you would've smacked me down the same way you did during our second fight." Renji said as he leaned forward and gently pushed Rukia out of his lap.

"Wha? No I didn't. I said you were full of shit." The boy said with a crinkle in his brow line.

Renji and Rukia glanced at each other.

"Did you not hear yourself?" Renji asked softly.

"I did... I said you were full of shit. That's where it ended." The boy said with a shy gulp, turning his face to look out the window.

Renji softly gulped as he glanced at Rukia once more whom was mirroring his expression of shock and uncertainty. They were both sure of it, that the boy had said what he did, but they didn't understand why he didn't hear his own words. It was a bit of a shock, but instead of pressing the issue and possibly making their friend agitated, they dropped it.

"I'll leave you boys to your game. Fight and defend your honor, Renji." Rukia said with a smile as she stood and picked up the tray.

She handed Renji the cards and leaned down just far enough to plant a sweet kiss to his cheek before she left the room, stepping out into the hallway where she found Ukitake and Nyruki sitting in a pair of chairs in a waiting alcove.

"Hello, Rukia. How are they doing?" Ukitake smiled as he sipped his medicated tea.

"Hamming it up with their game. Ichigo said something odd though." Rukia said without returning the smile.

"What's wrong?" Nyruki asked as she patted the chair next to her.

Rukia sighed as she set the tray down on the small end table and sat down, sitting cross legged since she was small enough to fit all of herself in the chair.

"He and Renji were bickering and Ichigo just... blurted out a reference to he and Renji's second fight when they invaded Soul Society." Rukia said with another sigh.

Ukitake's smile dropped, "Did he freeze?"

Rukia shook her head, "No. He just blurted it out like he remembered it just fine."

Nyruki glanced at Ukitake, "Is he not realizing he's saying these things?"

"He says he doesn't. He doesn't even know he's saying it." Rukia said.

"I think I know what's going on, Papa." Nyruki said softly.

"What?" Ukitake asked, leaning forward slightly to hear her better in her low voice.

"His memories are leaking." Nyruki said in just above a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Ukitake asked with a slight furrowing in his brow.

"That's what I mean... His memories are leaking. They might be locked up somewhere in his inner world." Nyruki said, looking at both Ukitake and Rukia.

"If we just left things be, do you think his memories would return in time?" Ukitake asked.

"No, I don't. I think we need to put him under so I can enter his inner world sooner, rather than later." Nyruki said with a slow sigh.

"Why do we have to sedate him?" Rukia asked.

"I don't want him interfering. If he's unconscious, it affords me some wiggle room." Nyruki said, looking over to her.

"We should do it immediately." Ukitake said as he finished off his tea and set the cup down on Rukia's tray.

"Can't it wait just a little bit? He's playing card games with Renji and he's really enjoying it." Rukia said as she shifted her legs to bring her knees to her chest.

"It probably wouldn't hurt. The more relaxed he is, the less resistance he puts up." Nyruki said.

"I do have concerns, Flower... How will this affect the-" Ukitake instantly stopped himself by sucking his lips into his mouth.

Nyruki's eyes widened as Rukia studied them.

"Affect the what?" Rukia asked, her violet eyes bouncing between them as Ukitake cowered from Nyruki's furious glare.

"Affect... the boy." Nyruki said a bit too monotoned to be convincing as she continued to stare down Ukitake.

Rukia's eyes narrowed, "Why... do I not believe you?" She glared at Nyruki.

Nyruki pursed her lips together as she scowled at Ukitake, whom had hidden behind his captain's haori by lifting it in front of his face.

"What am I missing?" Rukia asked with a poke to Nyruki's arm.

"You... You're gonna die later, Papa." Nyruki glared as she pointed at him.

"I deserve it." Ukitake whimpered.

"Will one of you tell me?"

"Nyruki is pregnant with twins." Ukitake blurted out, nearly fast enough to string it all together as a single word.

Rukia's eyes shot impossibly wide, "W-What?"

Nyruki, finally tearing her fierce eyes off of Ukitake, pinched the bridge of her nose as she let out a long, low groan.

"It's true." Nyruki sighed, not looking up from pinching her nose.

"You and Nii-Sama?... Are gonna... have a... baby?... I mean babies? Twins? As in two?" Rukia spluttered out quietly.

Nyruki just nodded.

"I'm an aunt? Seriously?" Rukia nearly mouthed.

Again, Nyruki nodded and made no attempt to lift her head as she moved her fingers to press into her forehead.

"Yup." Nyruki said with a pop from her lips.

Rukia sucked in a long, loud breath as the biggest smile any of them had ever seen spread across her face. She was on the verge of squealing, of drawing attention from those around them and Nyruki's little secrets were about to be broadcasted if she didn't act quickly.

Just as Rukia's throat tightened to unleash an ear splitting squee that could break glass, Nyruki's hand covered her mouth as she drew the smaller woman in real close into her side.

"If you breathe a word of this to even Renji, I will enthrall you and make you dance like a chicken in front of the entire Gotei 13. Am I understood?" Nyruki hissed through clenched teeth.

Rukia nodded, even before Nyruki had finished speaking, which earned her the release of her mouth.

"I won't, but how come?" Rukia asked, keeping her voice a whisper so not to invoke the hormonal woman.

"Because I don't want it getting to Byakuya before I have a chance to tell him. He needs to focus on getting the Blood of a Fate and not that he's going to be a father, before he's married." Nyruki grunted as her leg began to idle with uneasiness.

"Does that mean you're gonna have to get married soon?" Rukia asked.

Nyruki nodded, "Most likely after he gets back and this is all over. I don't really wanna be showing for the wedding because I don't want people thinking we're only getting married because he got me pregnant." She sighed as her shoulders slumped.

"Who's gonna think that? Everybody in the Seireitei knows you and he are genuinely in love. The only reason you're gonna be getting married sooner, rather than later at this point is because of rules. They need to be born after you take the Kuchiki name in order to be considered heirs." Rukia said as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"I know... I know. Papa said as such when I told him." Nyruki rolled her eyes.

Seeing her ferocity ebbing, Ukitake came out from his hiding spot behind the fabric of his captain's haori, peaking over the top like a rabbit looking to see if a fox was nearby.

"So now that that's out of the bag, you understand my concerns. Will going into Ichigo's inner world affect the twins?" Ukitake asked, still covering the lower half of his face with his captain's haori.

"It possibly could if I get hurt while I'm in there. It would be no different than when we all got stuck in mine, but I don't think there's gonna be a problem." Nyruki said quietly as she settled back into the chair.

"What makes you say that?" Rukia asked.

"I just have this feeling that it's not conflict that's keeping Ichigo's memories locked away, but rather a stalemate." Nyruki said as she lifted herself enough to tuck a leg beneath her.

Ukitake sat up straight and dropped his haori into his lap, "A stalemate?... If it were up to me, I'd like to go with you, Flower. If at all to help protect you should your gut feeling just be the twins."

Nyruki drew in a long breath and held it, "If it'll make you feel better."

"It'll make me feel better. Those are my nieces... or nephews... or niece and nephew. Did I miss a combination?" Rukia asked with a chuckle.

Nyruki sent her a sidelong glance, "What other combination is there? A dog and a cat?"

Rukia snickered.

"If they're going to be anything like Byakuya was when he was little, you're in for a ride." Ukitake started to snicker.

"I've heard the stories. Byakuya was a little shit." Nyruki tried not to smile, but it crept across her lips anyways.

"Byakuya was a brat, but he was easily handled with bribery." Ukitake continued to chuckle.

"You bribed Nii-Sama? No one can bribe Nii-Sama." Rukia said through her snickers.

"Not quite true, Rukia. I bribed him with bananas and it worked every time. There was one time I was babysitting for Ginrei and Byakuya started pitching a fit that he couldn't play with the koi in the lake, so I dangled a banana on a string in front of his face to distract him for awhile. It turned into hours of fun for me." Ukitake said as his light snickers turned into straight laughter.

Rukia choked, "Oh my gods... You can't be serious, Captain."

"I'm dead serious. Every time he managed to get ahold of it, I'd give him a piece of banana and we'd start all over again. I'm just glad he didn't like candy because if he had, then he would've been a porky little ball of rage." Ukitake said as his laughter began to curb.

"That's right... Byakuya used to have a temper." Nyruki said with a nod.

"Still does, but he's just got a handle on it now. You know that old saying." Ukitake said, now with his laughter gone, but still with a soft smile on his face.

"What saying?" Nyruki asked with a crinkle in her brow.

"Kids are always ten times worse than you were at that age." Ukitake said, resting his head in his hand with his elbow planted into the armrest.

"Wonderful." Nyruki rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Rukia chuckled as she lightly patted Nyruki's shoulder, "It'll be fine, Nyruki. I can babysit. Captain can babysit-"

"Oh, I will be babysitting. I'll force them to go on a date just so I can babysit." Ukitake interrupted.

"Might join you since there's two of them." Rukia smiled.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've looked after two kids. All I'm going to say is that Sōgyo no Kotowari is a pain in the ass." Ukitake grumbled and frowned.

"That's right... I am so glad I wasn't involved with that crap." Nyruki sighed heavily as she scrubbed her face.

"Lucky bitch." Rukia grumbled, trying to keep her face angry, but she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face.

With their tea long since finished, Nyruki and Ukitake placed their cups on Rukia's forgotten tray, staying quiet for a few minutes until a pair of nurses that were close enough to eavesdrop ventured off to go about their duties. Neither wanted anything spreading too far.

"So, are we still looking at world diving this evening?" Ukitake asked in just above a whisper.

"Yes. We'll meet here just after supper." Nyruki said with the same volume.

"Then I shall go inform Captain Unohana of our plans. I'd rather have her close by in case the worse happens." Ukitake said with a visible shutter.

"It should be fine this time. Captain Crazy won't be there." Nyruki huffed a smirk.

Their plan set, they rose from their chairs and took a few moments to stretch out the stiffness from their legs. They had their plan of action, knowing full well that if they didn't intervene before the seventh day, then their friend would be gone forever. They had to do something, do anything it took to get their friend back and they were, as Byakuya was still gone trying to acquire a thing that was nearly a myth. Nyruki wanted to help in any way possible, even if that meant taking the risk of diving into someone else's inner world.