Notes: one of my reviews said that I was doing too many lemons, so i'm going to let the readers decide. If they want more lemons, I'll do an entire chapter exactly that before doing some fluffiness.

I am SO sorry it took so long to update. I'm in the middle of a race to Robust Tamer on digimon battle mmo and bleach mush the beginning is in the middle of the end of a weeks long TP and a wikipedia contest! Best bleach mush the beginning character page gets 40 sp! I just gotta win! Morgan could use the 40 sp to get flash step ii!

Zephly sighed, pacing back and forth in the meeting room. "What's on your mind?" Asked Aizen. He was sitting on his throne, a shirtless Gin Ichimaru sitting in his lap and snuggling up against him.

"I'd like to attempt a more aggressive action. The virus I created, Tartarus Athena, (1) I'd like to know its limits, if its possible to have immunity to it. I'd love, with your permission, to infect more shinigami and see what the results are."

"I see no problem with that." Aizen's face curled in a crafty little smile as he glanced sidelong at Zephly. "It means that a good portion of their command structure is disabled due to maternity leave. That gives me enough time to reassemble my army. Yes... this will work very well."

Gin piped up. "If yeh need another test subject..." Gin let it hang. But the hopeful look on his face told Zephly exactly what he wanted.

"You're certain Gin?" Aizen asked his mate with a small smile.

"O course, if they're gonna be taking a rest its gonna take them a year or so to get back to fighting fitness. That means I have about a year to try and have a kid." He smirked. He held out his wrists to Zephly, indicating he should inject him with the Fever Virus.

"Only if you undergo the initial stage of the fever in a medical environment. Once the lust hits Aizen can take you back to his quarters for a week of loving." Gin purred in Aizen's grip at the mere thought.

Aizen frowned for a second. Well, why not? He is the reason why I had Zephly make this virus. Although admittedly I wanted to test his skills and his ability to work with Szayel. Their skills will compliment each other nicely. Things just got out of hand and it turned into a science experiment. Every would be conqueror needs an heir, and its possibly the most intimate act the halves of a relationship could commit. He looked down at Gin, who was beaming up at him. Aizen reached down and stroked his lover's hair and sighed. "I suppose. Zephly, have Gin situated. Then prepare your raid."

"I think I'll draft Loly and Menolly while I'm at it, hmmm... Kitty will be taking care of Gin, since I figure he might be more comfortable with a female healer taking care of him. I think I'll grab some of Grimmjow and Ulquiorra's old fraccion and have them join us."

Kitty met Gin and Aizen in a private medical suite, used for theirs and Tousen's personal care. She'd had Gin change into something more comfortable, made sure he had IV fluids and a couple of monitors. "Alright, I'm injecting the fever virus into the IV. It should take effect in about an hour." Kitty told Gin.

Gin reached up and kissed Aizen. "My lovely." Their lips met in a passionate kiss, the IV pinching Gin's arm uncomfortably. Gin wrapped his boney arms around Aizen's neck.

Aizen was the only man who could turn Gin into mush in his hands. The only one for whom he would bottom, and the only thing that distracted his normally deviant sex drive. The horrors he'd inflicted on Hitsugaya and Izuru were the manifestation of a feral, burning desire to hurt others and being sexually aroused by doing so. Aizen was the only one who could turn the ravaging lion of Gin's twisted sex drive into a relatively normal lamb. (2)

As Kitty took over the room, Zephly turned, his coat billowing behind him, cane clacking on the ground.

"Alrighty..." Zephly told the fraccion. "These aren't any cero you're firing, these are trank guns. Who here knows how to fire a gun?"

Nobody knew, except for one tiny hand that when raised only reached up to Zephly's chest. The fraccion who raised it was a tiny young man with a rodent's jaw bone for a mask. "Demonstrate!"

"These is pump action." The rat like fraccion replied in an American southern accent, hillfolk if Zephly was not mistaken. "Crack open the barrel like so, put the darts in, crack it shut, then cock it by pumping his thingy here, aim, and fire." (3)

"What's your name Fraccion?"

"Bean."

"That for size or for brains?" (4)

"Neder, Grimmjow called me that cause thats what ah smell like." The fraccion spit tobacco as he aimed the gun. "course I kin smell better 'an any of his fraccion and ah kin shoot better 'an old Stark kin! All he could do was blast a massive stream of cero at someone. Ah kin pick a bird on the wing at two hundred yards then reload and follow it down twice before it hits the ground."

"obviously somebody was a hillbilly in a former life." There was nervous laughter. "But he's right, pump action is very easy to fire. We'll be moving to the location with these guns already loaded. You get two shots, so make them count. Everyone gets one. And you have to be able to switch in a heartbeat from these to a cero. When you've all shot off all your shots, drop the gun, fire on the shinigami and run for it at top shunpo. Kamrin, you're in charge of the garganta. Make sure you have it open by the time the first rifle hits the ground. Cheiz, Foarmin, you have to be ready to cover the entire attacking force with negacion at a moment's notice."

"Now the rounds you're using for this dress rehearsal have been filled with non active saline solution. Totally harmless, its basically salt water. The rounds you'll be using will be filled with a live virus that will scramble your organs and... well... I'm sure you've heard through the grape vine what happened to the stronger numbers when they were infected with it. You can't /miss./ So walk forwards to the line, aim, fire at the target, drop the gun, fire a cero, turn and run like hell to the back wall with sonido as fast as your legs can take you.

"Lets do this right people, one, two, three, GO."

Three hours later the sirens went off in the twelfth division. Rin yelled. "We've got a garganta opening in Karakura town! And a set off of Cero Extincion. Multiple signals coming in, one red, an Espada, the rest are orange, fraccion!"

"Where are they located?"

"An abandoned warehouse, I believe its the Bluebox Warehouse. Its scheduled to be demolished in the next week. According to the the data we have when we made the replica Karakura town, it was the site where a famous murder took place, and three hollows were cleansed on the premesis all three of whom were taken by the gates." Rin shivered. "its a pretty scary place to be."

"Well, the humans don't have to demolish it anymore."

"Scramble second division, captain kyouraku and captain ukitake and any lieutenants and third seats not infected with the fever virus."

"Gotcha..."

"And make sure there are cameras rolling! We need battle data!"

Ten minutes later, Soifon, Ukitake, Kyouraku, Omaeda, Iba, Ikkaku, Renji, Izuru, Shuhei, half a dozen of soifon's "ninja" troops, and Hanataro had come along to be team medic. Shuhei was carrying the medic on his back, charged with his safety in the coming fight.

When they arrived on the scene, the responding group of shinigami faced a half circle of fraccion, each armed with some kind of rifle. They were shielded from the smouldering remains of the building by a negacion barrier. Perched on a twisted girder was Zephly. Perched on other twisted girders were his main fraccion, Kamrin, Cheiz and Foarmin, each also armed with a rifle.

Zephly said nothing, the negacion barrier dropped with a flick of his hand. Then Bean took a single step forward and roared in English, in a slurred southern accent "FAHRE!" Fire.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Omaeda, Iba and Ikkaku were fast enough to dodge. They disappeared in flash step and reappeared in different directions at the edge of the scene.

Soifon got hit three times in the shoulder, but the fever virus didn't affect women. While the exact reaction was unknown she wouldn't be experiencing uncontrollable lust anytime soon.

Shuhei couldn't dodge with Hanataro on his back, if he fled it exposed the healer. He also couldn't react when Izuru caught one in the back of the neck and started firing stunning Kido back at the Fraccion. Instead he roared. "REAP, KAZESHINI!" A tornado enveloped him and Hanataro, protecting them from the darts. Hanataro was well on his way to being motionsick, but it was better than getting infected. Seireitei was going to need every healer they could get if Aizen had resorted to using sickness as a weapon.

"JYOUSHIRO LOOK OUT!" Shinsui dove, shoving Ukitake to the dirt and shielding him with his body. Four of the fraccion had aimed for the two older captains, Bean especially, as he'd been just as loyal to Stark as to Grimmjow and had an especial dislike of the 8th captain for attempting to kill his hero. Most of the darts had been caught in Shinsui's cloak and been negated. So Bean took extra care, aiming for Ukitake's face and neck area. Shinsui did just as the rat like fraccion hoped, thrusting his arm in the way of the shot and taking the dart for his beloved.

Renji took three square hits in the chest, yelling out "ROAR! ZABIMARU!" and lashing out with his shikai at the barrage of ceros that followed the barrage of darts.

"Yippie yeeehawwww!" The fraccion roared as his shot hit home. He then began to set off ceros and balas all over the shinigami side, covering the escape of the other fraccion.

Four of the six ninjas had been hit. But two of those four were women. Again, with immunity to the fever virus.

Then the fraccion were fleeing. Bean was the last to go, looking over his shoulder and giggling at the shinigami. "Bah baaaaaiiii..." He slurred in southern accent english. "Whoo do Voodoo you do I kick you with hoo doo... yussier!" the rat like fraccion chanted nonsense in his glee, skipping his way back through the garganta and kicking up his heals as he disappeared. "Thats for trying to kill my idol Stark, stupid shinigami. VIVA STARK!"

Shinsui picked himself up off the ground. "Jyoushiro... are you alright?" Shinsui removed the dart from his arm and hissed. "Shit..."

"Tt... t... tai... taichou..." Omaeda looked guilty, especially when Soifon slipped off her haori to find a massive swollen red inflammatory response forming on her right shoulder.

"Omaeda, if the enemy tries that again you are ordered to do everything you can to escape it." Soifon growled at him.

"Rr... r... r... right Taichou! Can't have the entire male half of the command structure on maternity leave." he breathed a sigh of slight relief. Omaeda was terrified of the fever virus.

"no, I simply can't bear the thought of how your children would all inherit your genes that make you big, ogreish, fat, lazy, cowardly and ugly." Soifon growled, kicking him in the shins.

Omaeda whimpered at the insult. "Bb... b... b... taichou!"

"WHAAATT?" Soifon snapped.

"Are you gonna be alright? And what do you MEAN what? That was a low blow!"

"I'll be FINE. It doesn't affect women. It just affects men because you're all STUPID!" Soifon hissed, the swelling was visibly spreading down her arm and across her back. "SHIT! Where's that medic Unohana sent."

Hanataro wobbled his way over, took one look at Soifon's shoulder. "miss, you're having an immune reaction to the fever virus. I can stall it but there will be some discomfort, and you should really see Unohana taichou for that. I'm more experienced in field medicine, helping sword and cero wounds, that sort of thing, which is what we were expecting." he began to ply a glowing hand to the wound.

Renji removed the kimono part of his uniform and began to inspect the injection site. "I think I'm having a reaction to it to." The injection sites were swollen and red.

"What? That shouldn't be happening?" Hanataro ran over to Renji to look, then looked from Renji to Soifon. "Thats not the typical reaction for the fever virus. It takes anywhere from an hour to two weeks to take effect and it doesn't do /that/!"

Izuru checked the spots he'd been hit, and Shinsui the same. Neither had swelling where they'd been hit by the dart.

Ikkaku was busy calling for help. And at that moment Unohana, Isane, Mayuri and Nemu arrived on the scene. "Unohana taichou! We have more hits of what I think is the fever, but for some reason Renji is developing swelling at the injection site."

Unohana wasn't sure whom to care for first, "isane, deal with the swelling on Soifon. Get her back to the Soul Society immediately and run an emergency immune panel, we're looking for auto immune reactions as well as immune /over/ reactions and allergies. I know it seems strange." that last is to Soifon. "But sometimes you can be allergic to a particular virus or bacteria."

"I'll comply with whatever tests you need. Omaeda you're dismissed, go home and take care of that stack of paperwork on my desk."

"H... hai taichou!" Omaeda hurried back through the senkaimon.

Shinsui growled, sitting up while Mayuri pricked his finger. "this is a test we came up with to detect the fever virus quickly." It came up positive almost immediately.

Mayuri moved down the line, testing the others who were hit. Ukitake looked over at his mate and sighed. "Shinsui why did you do it? I wouldn't have minded getting hit, I've never been able to have children and you know I wanted them."

"because my Jyoukun, I know you always wanted children but your body can't handle giving birth. What if you get sick, what will it do to the baby you carry?"

"I suppose you're right, but what will happen to your alcohol use."

"Oh I can handle that." Unohana said with a faint smile. "I have some detoxifying potions that will scrub the alcohol from his system in three hours. Never fear."

Ukitake sighed, leaning against his mate. While he was secretly tickled that he'd get the chance to have children with his lovely Shinsui, he knew he'd be tired out by the end of it. Shinsui chuckled, stroking Ukitake's hair.

"The two of you head back to the fourth, Ikemura has been ordered to prepare beds for Fever victims, there will be some monitors ready and if need be some IV fluids."

One by one Unohana checked those infected over until she got to Renji. "Renji, you need to come with me, I left instructions before I left for Uryu to be notified what happened to you and brought to the soul society. But its urgent we get you back quickly."

"Unohana taichou?"

"Shhhhh..." Unohana leaned in and whispered in his ear. "We bugged the battle site with a camera and a microphone, what makes you think Zephly didn't do the same thing?"

Renji nodded, standing and following Unohana. It wasn't until they had set foot back in the soul society that Unohana gave Renji some explanation. "That sore spot, looks quite uncomfortable. I need to run some tests. But it could be a sign that you carry an immunity to the fever virus, and if thats the case, with the right data we may be able to make a vaccine for it. While Uryu can see you, I'm afraid you'll be in the hospital for a few days."

"WHAT? but aside from feeling sore I feel fine!"

"Its either the fourth or be snapped up by Kurotsuchi, which would you rather "observe" you?"

"good point. Observation for them typically means disection." Renji turned a little green and they began to walk towards the fourth, only for Renji to start sneezing uncontrollably. Until the sneezing turned to coughing. He felt his throat begin to get sore and his eyes to itch.

"Renji, are you alright?"

"hai, unohana taichou, it feels almost like hayfever."

"Any history of allergies?"

"No."

"Well something's going on, besides what the virus is supposed to do. We'll do some blood tests back at the fourth." she pulled Renji to his feet and lead him through the senkaimon.

About half an hour later, Unohana had everyone situated in the 4th, now it was time to begin treatment. She was not going to enjoy the treatment she would have to give Soifon, but she'd convinced Yoruichi to help her soften the blow.

By the time she entered the clean room, Soifon's entire right arm was swollen, red and painful. "Soifon, I'm sorry to say but..." she was scanning Soifon's arm. "your body is overreacting to the fever virus. Women are supposed to be immune, with /no/ reaction at all, the female officers from your division only had localized swelling. Your immune system treated the fever virus like a threat, a serious one. Human scientists saw a severe immune overreaction centered on the lungs with the recent swine flu, this is the same principle but with the skin and muscle tissue. This is dangerous, you could very easily lose the arm, or the immune reaction could leak into other areas of your body and cause a severe autoimmune response."

"What exactly is /that?/" Soifon demanded crossly.

"Its where your immune system turns on healthy tissue, it attacks the body's own cells. I've gone through your geneology, four of your direct ancestors suffered from autoimmune disorders of some fashion or another which raises the danger. The treatment that will stop the swelling, and hopefully prevent this from spiraling into a dangerous autoimmune disorder, is very dangerous. It suppresses the immune system temporarily. It will be administered for the time the fever virus has run its standard course, ten days. During this time you'll have to remain in this clean room. If you get a secondary infection while on this course of treatment you could very easily die."

"I see." Soifon wasn't very happy to be confined.

"I've convinced Yoruichi to keep you company. You won't be alone, and I will enter as well to keep an eye on you, the room cleanses those who enter it, so you can have visitors, but you cannot leave it."

"This is quite amusing." Yoruichi hopped up onto the bed in cat form. "Unohana you know that Soifon is an active woman. She won't cope easily with becoming the girl in the plastic bubble."

"Well, she'll have to try." Unohana sighed in disgust. "Don't worry, any germs exposed to the air in this room will be cleansed, so while you're here, you can safely be intimate without risking a secondary infection. And i'll bring you your paperwork if you're bored."

"If I give you a list of books from my quarters can you bring those too?" Soifon asked hopefully, Unohana was preparing an injection of the immune suppressant as they talked.

"I suppose, they'll have to be energy cleansed of microbes. They'll be the cleanest books you've ever owned by the time they get to you." Unohana was trying to make Soifon feel better. The clean room was one of the treatments she liked least, because it was so much like a punishment. The fourth's Brig was for injured criminals or those with mental issues. But Soifon was not a prisoner. She was a respected colleague and dear friend. Unohana knew it was for her own good but it went against the grain to quarantine Soifon.

Izuru was flopped on his back in the hospital room, forehead and body covered in sweat and body flushed. Unohana did a cursory physical examination, then an internal scan. The fever virus was aggressive, at work on removing and rearranging his organs and Izuru's abdomen was black and blue from the blood that was being rerouted or otherwise released when cells and organs lysed. Unohana once more marveled on how such a process could be used, without killing the subject. It reminded her too much of the scans of e-bola damage she'd gotten from the human world in the nineteen seventies, and this part of the process always made Unohana /shudder/ in fear at the memory. Unohana sighed, reassuring Izuru and Shuhei that the bruising would be gone in the morning, and the fever would kick in when izuru woke up the next day. But that they were to go slowly, and not over extend themselves early in the heat.

Unohana then visited Shinsui, who was curled up in Ukitake's arms, the white haired captain was staring at the massive black and blue mark on his mate's stomach with something of concern and a desire to comfort. Despite Shinsui laughing it off and joking around it worried Unohana. She administered an injection of a detoxifying medicine, used to cleanse alcohol from his system and avoid the perils of going cold turkey. "And if you begin to crave alcohol again, come get me okay? I'll give you another dose."

"Thank you Unohana, I wasn't looking forward to going cold turkey."

"Well, if you must have a drink during pregnancy, have some raspberry leaf tea." Unohana sighed. "I have to tend to renji."

"How's soifon?"

"Confined to bed rest in a clean chamber, with Yoruichi. I suggested, not to subtly that they should have sex even if they aren't infected."

Shinsui laughed.

"Take care of yourselves okay?" Unohana smiled. "I think Renji might have immunity, if thats true we might be able to make a vaccine or anti serum."

"We'll have to protect that carefully, if Zephly gets it..."

"Yeah I know." Unohana sighed. "if he gets the key to the vaccine we'll never stop him."

The puzzled expression on Renji's face as he inspected the wound he'd been injected with was rather amusing. Unohana sighed. "How are you feeling Renji?" She checked his forehead. He had a fever, but the only visible damage being done by the virus was a nasty looking swollen bump on Renji's chest, spreading out over the skin and welling up under the tattoos.

"I'm having a little trouble breathing, and I'm sore all over." Unohana listened to Renji's breathing. Wheezing. Much like an asthma attack.

She grunted. "I'm going to get you an inhaler, you're having an asthmatic reaction to the virus. But it looks like your body is fighting it off. What you have here is the key to stopping the fever virus from taking hold in the first place. It must be kept the tightest secret. I will alert the captains, and you may tell Kurosaki and his friends, but if the enemy finds out, we will /never/ stop Zephly from spreading the fever virus."

"An /inhaler?/" Renji started to cough in disappointment.

Unohana placed a breathing mask over his mouth. In a few moments Renji felt his lungs go back to normal. "If you feel like you can't breathe, use that. That should last for a few hours. If it gets worse, call the nurse, she'll come get me. I've called Uryu and told him that you're in the hospital. I'm coming back in two hours to take a blood test and check for any more symptoms. I want to see if the reaction gets worse, don't worry, if it looks like you're in danger my staff will call me immediately."

Uryu ran in just as Unohana was leaving the room. "RENJI!"

"hey Uryu." Renji pulled aside the white robe he was wearing. "Unohana says my body is fighting off the Fever." His swaggering posture was interrupted by a coughing fit and he reached for the inhaler. "Shit, hey it actually works."

"I knew it would." Unohana peered at Uryu. "Are you upset that he's immune or relieved?"

"Relieved actually." Uryu frowned. "And not because of the disturbance with Ichigo, I just don't want all the best shinigami fighters to be on maternity leave and then for there to be an emergency and nobody able to respond."

He hurried after Renji and kissed him tenderly. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"Me too."

Unohana slowly closed the door and headed for her study. On her way there, she ran into Ichigo, come to visit Renji and Uryu. "Unohana, you look tired. You should rest."

Unohana sighed. "I'm not so sure if I have the time to." she peered down at the substitute.

"You're trying to find some way to stop the fever right? You can't think if you're sleep deprived. If the healer is sick, what will happen to the seireitei? The protector must take some time out to sleep."

"I suppose you're right. I have a place to sleep here in the hospital where I'll be closer to my patients." Unohana saw the look on Ichigo's face, and realized he would not be talked out of it, and that he was entirely right.

So Unohana nixed her plans to consult with Kurotsuchi to see if he had any insights she'd missed, and instead got a good long catnap in.

's name for the fever virus, named for the Greek version of hell and the goddess of reason and defensive warfare, Athena, who was born when Zeus /literally/ got a headache so bad he split his head open.

is a sadist in nature, a stabbing zanpakuto like his could be seen as the manifestation of a rampent sexual libido.

3. At summer camp I once was taught how to use a pump action rifle to shoot skeet. But I don't remember all of how to use it, the recoil made me sore, and the noise (even with earplugs) made me startle /every/ time.

4. Quoted directly from Ender's game. However, I named him after a Chuweenie dog by the same name that doesn't like me. Owner says she's shy, but Bean has growled at me before in a classic dog signal for "Get the Fuck off me" So I dunno, does Bean like me (keeps wagging her tail when she looks at me) or does she hate me?