Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

CHAPTER TWELVE:

Kuchiki, completely out of character, cursed angrily as he paced back and forth in his mansion. He was the only person in the room. It was evening already, and the sky was dark. A week had passed since the killings.

Why hadn't he seen it before? Of course he knew Kagami Masako, though he hadn't known her name at the time! No wonder she'd seemed so familiar! But if what he thought was actually true...no, he couldn't reveal it. But if it was true, then what did that mean, now that she was a part of the Gotei 13? Was anything she did or said true? And what about her friends, Kohana and Asami? What did they know? Where they a part of what he thought she was a part of?

He took several deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It didn't do any good to ask questions like this, ones that had no answers. All he could do was stay silent and see what happened.

Kuchiki closed his eyes tiredly. Yes, he would wait and see what happened. And most importantly, he couldn't tell anyone what he knew. If he did...he didn't want to think about what would happen.

...

"Are you sure?" Yamamoto asked Kurotsuchi.

Kurotsuchi nodded. "Absolutely. The Butterfly was the one who killed a member of the Royal Family seven hundred years ago, along with several members of the Royal Guard."

Yamamoto sighed wearily. If that was true, then they were dealing with something a lot bigger than they had first thought. "Thank you for telling me, but keep this to yourself," he ordered. "Tell no one."

Kurotsuchi nodded. "Of course. You're the only one I've told."

Yamamoto nodded, closing his eyes as Kurotsuchi left. This Butterfly was dangerous. So why did Kagami Masako know her? How had they met? Her friends had seemed just as surprised by what she had said, so her relationship with the Butterfly must have been kept secret from them. There was also the matter of why she seemed so familiar to him. He let out a small sigh of annoyance. The more he found out, the more questions he had.

...

"Ah!" Asami Chiasa rolled her eyes as her friend, Kohana Miyuki, went flying past her as she tripped on air. Vaguely, she thought, that takes some serious skill to do it so many times. No wonder she has so few brain cells. Her brain must be damaged, and pretty severely, too.

Kohana popped right up again, though, like she always did, and skipped over to sit opposite of the tall woman. "Is Kagami-sama here yet?" she asked eagerly. "Ow!"

Asami had flicked her in the forehead once more. "Baka ne. Look around, you damn moron! Do you see her? If not, then she isn't fucking here!"

"You're being mean again!" Kohana cried, only to be flicked once again. Kagami Masako walked calmly in, her expression never wavering when Kohana rammed into her. "Kagami-sama, Asami-chan's being mean!"

"She's being an ass, and a fucking annoying one at that," Asami said, rolling her eyes.

"No I'm not! Kagami-sama, defend me!"

Kagami's small amused smile just widened fractionally as she sat down at the table. "Please do not swear," was all she said.

"No fucking way, Sensei. My mouth is my damn own."

"And a shitty one it is, too," Kohana muttered darkly, following Kagami's example and sitting back down. Asami simply reached across and smacked her. "That hurt!"

"Now see what you have done," Kagami said lightly, reaching for the menu. "Our little flower's mouth has become foul."

Kohana's eyes widened, and she gasped. "Ah! I'm so sorry!" She then began to sob about what a terrible person she was until she realized that a waitress had come to their table. Her tears vanished and she smiled excitedly as she placed he order. Mmm! She could practically taste the delicious food already!

Asami rolled her eyes. Not like she cared what Kohana said. Though she had to admit, her childish personality wasn't really the kind that should be swearing. She sighed. "Sorry, Kohana, for being such a bad example. Don't swear like me, alright?" Kohana nodded. "Good."

Kagami's small smile widened slightly. She was glad the two were acting like themselves again. Them being serious just wasn't natural. That was her job, after all.

...

Another Captains' Meeting had been called.

"WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED NOW!" Asami yelled, glaring at everybody. "BECAUSE OF YOU DAMN IDIOTS, I'M MISSING DINNER!"

"I'm missing it, too, but I'm not shouting." There was a pause. 3...2...1... "Ow!"

Kagami opened her mouth, and Asami turned on her. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TELLING ME NOT TO SWEAR! I'M DOING IT, AND I DON'T GIVE A DAMN!" Kagami simply blinked, her smile not wavering the least. "DON'T YOU DARE SMILE AT ME LIKE I'M A DAMN MOVIE OR SOMETHING! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FUCKING STATUE WITHOUT FEELINGS! I'LL KILL YOU AS SOON AS I EAT!"

"Now, that doesn't sound very threatening," Kohana mused. "The eating part kinda takes away from it."

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR DAMN SHIT! I'M FUCKING HUNGRY RIGHT NOW, YOU BUNCH OF ASSHOLES!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Yamamoto suddenly shouted, exasperated.

"DON'T YOU GET ME STARTED ON YOU, YOU SHITTY OLD MAN!" Asami shouted right back. "I'LL FUCKING BEAT YOU BLACK AND BLUE! I'LL-"

Everyone drowned out the rest of what she was saying and started calmly talking. By now, they all knew that she hated skipping any meal. Hunger transformed her in a terrible way.

...

"Do you feel better now?" Kagami asked. She had just bought Asami a small bento box from a vendor. The meeting had finished a few minutes ago.

Asami let out a satisfied sigh. "In a way you wouldn't believe," she said, smiling contentedly from half-lidded cat eyes. "I hate being hungry. It reminds me of that time when-" she stopped herself from finishing. "Sorry. Guess the hunger really got to me."

Kohana and Kagami simply smiled at her.

"We are glad you are feeling better," Kagami said simply.

"Uh huh! You're especially mean when you don't eat!" Kohana chirped. Asami glared at her, and she smiled happily back.

Kagami simply stared at the dark sky as the three friends began the walk back to their divisions. Asami's room had finally been fixed. All of the 11th Division was now terrified of what might happen to them if it was destroyed again.

"It's so...paceful," Kagami murmured quietly, staring at the moon. Asami and Kohana were too busy squabbling to hear her, and she knew. But she didn't mind.

...

The first man snarled in disgust as he watched the images. "They're getting far too comfortable," he growled.

The second man simply yawned. "I rather like the foul-mouthed one," he said absently. "She doesn't beat around the bush."

The first woman rolled her eyes, the second one copying her exactly. "Let's just kill them," they said in unison.

"No," the third man said. "Something doesn't seem right."

The four rolled their eyes. "You're paranoid," the first man said.

"Can't really blame him-"

"-since he's jewel-class."

"Doesn't matter what he is, I'm bored," the second man drawled.

"We're going to have to postpone our plans," the third man suddenly declared. "Something isn't right, and I'm going to find out what. Until I get back, don't do anything that might jeopardize anything, alright?"

The four rolled their eyes. "Of course not."

"Sure, whatever."

"Fine. We'll just have to find-"

"-something else to play with."

The third man nodded, then vanished.

"How annoying," the second man sighed.

"What did you expect?" the first man replied mildly. "He is one of us after all."