AN: Thank you!: Star Princess, XLightningX, Shadow Pain, Denidene, Gozarunoda, BrosCP, Duskblood, Lunar Iris, Crystal-Clear Hope – I am really loving the feedback, this is my first chapter story afterall…

Thank you also to everyone reading my madness! I am trying to make the chapters a bit longer for you. 3,000 is my new goal instead of the usual 2,000. I went back and saw that Chpt 4 (?) was less than 1000…what was I thinking? Sorry about that. Live and learn…

Chapter 20

The sun was shining brightly on a cloudless day. It was mid-morning as they gathered at the Shi no jinja. The shrine was located near the center of the Seireitei, close to the Central 46. Yamamoto stood in front, just underneath the roof. The center was open, the roof elaborately done in two tiers, traditional Japanese style.

The plan of the day was to have the ceremony at the shrine and then move to the academy where there was to be a pillar dedicated to those fallen in the name of war. Something the students could look at and reflect on every day.

One by one, the Captains and Vice Captains arrived, completed the ceremonial washing, and then took their place facing the Shrine. The rest of the officers seated and not, took their places behind them.

Toshiro arrived with Rukia, after the washing, he took his place close to Byakuya, steering Rukia between them. He glanced over at Momo who didn't seem to notice. She looked somber, but otherwise ok. She stood with Matsumoto, leaning on her for support. Unohana was on her other side with Isane.

In actuality Momo did see him spare her a glance before turning back to Rukia. Momo silently fumed and as the ceremony started she couldn't help but watch them. The way he touched her elbow, the way she looked at him. How dare her. Is this why he couldn't be at my side?

The ceremony concluded with the sprinkling of water on the ground. Toshiro and Byakuya led Rukia to the front considering their relationship to Abarai, they were to go first. One by one, the rest lined up to sprinkle water on the ground.

When it was Momo's turn, she screamed, "Abarai-kun!" then she fainted.

Rukia turned to see who screamed and saw Momo hit the floor. She and Toshiro made their way towards her. Unohana was kneeling by her side performing a kido spell.

"Shiro, Shiro, Shiro" she started chanting in a soft whisper. Toshiro made his way through the rest of the people and knelt down on her other side.

He took her hand, "I'm here, Momo." She sighed and closed her eyes. Rukia narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but let it go.

"Alright everyone, we'll be meeting at the academy this afternoon at 1600. Make room for Unohana and her patient. You all are dismissed," Yamamoto said.

"Isane, please take Momo back to her room, she will need to rest."

"Yes ma'am." She replied. She picked up Momo and flash stepped to her division.

"Hitsugaya-taicho, I would like a word with you as we head back, I'm sure you would like to walk with me? I think Fukutaicho Matsumoto should join us as well, yes?"

Toshiro turned to Rukia and opened his mouth, but she cut him off. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," she watched them leave and turned back towards the shrine.

Slowly everyone cleared out and Rukia was alone with her brother. He seemed to be studying the architecture of the shrine, lost in thought. Rukia patiently waited as she knew he had something to tell her.

"Rukia, I am sorry for the things you have endured while at the manor. I was not there for you when you needed me to be." He said while looking at the roof of the shrine.

"I understand, Nii-sama. I know how busy you have been with shinigami and clan duties."

"I have talked to everyone in the house personally and I assure you, you will not hear another whisper or overhear another negative conversation. You will always have a place there if you need one."

"Thank you, Nii-sama," she looked at him. Before she could say anything else, he was gone.

Rukia sat down on the step in front of the shrine and sighed. She held her head in her hands but did not cry. She didn't think she had any tears left. She thought about all the events that led up to this point. Her thoughts kept returning to a certain white haired taicho. How she thought she was falling love. She didn't know much about that emotion other then the love she had for her friends. She thought she loved Renji once, in the romantic kind of way, but never got to completely figure it out before she was adopted into the Kuchiki family. She knew why Renji pushed her to go as he always looked out for her. It was decades before she saw him again. How she had missed him and now he was gone.

Toshiro filled a gap in her heart she didn't know she had. When she was with him, she felt whole. No one had ever made her feel the way he does when they were together. Not even Renji. What a mess.

"YOU! Why are you even here? You don't care about Renji-kun. You shoved him away as soon as a better opportunity came along." Momo accused.

Rukia turned around and found Momo staring down at her. "Feeling better?"

"I'm feeling fine, which is more then I can say for you after I'm finished, whore."

Rukia bit her lip hard to make sure she wasn't caught up in another nightmare. Still not trusting her eyes, she bit again.

"You used Renji and now you're using my Shiro-chan,"

"I never used Renji!"

"Renji was hurt and sad that you left. What kind of person does that to someone they love?" Momo said getting angrier. She started to release her spirit pressure.

"It wasn't like that!" Rukia shouted.

"You will stay by her side this after-"

"Taicho, do you feel that?" Matsumoto said, cutting off Unohana mid-sentence.

"That's…" Toshiro took off running back towards the shrine.

"Momo is a fast healer, isn't she?" Matsumoto asked Unohara as she took off after him.

"Just because they can dress you up and give you a fancy name, don't change the fact you're still the rat you started out to be."

"I didn't want to go; I didn't want to leave Renji! He told me to go. He told me… He told me…" Rukia shook her head and backed up, Momo was getting too close.

"I don't want to hear it! You're nothing more than a user. You used Renji to get out of the hell hole you crawled out of and now you're using Shiro-chan, MY Shiro-chan. I'm not going to let you do that."

"What are you talking about? I'm not using anyone!"

"You lie! You're nothing more than a home wrecking whore! You grew up with Renji, he was supposed to be yours, I grew up with Shiro-chan, he's mine and you can't have him! Everyone knows Shiro is mine, MINE!" Momo drew Tobiume and pointed it at Rukia. "How dare you try to take him from me?"

"I wasn't trying to take him –"

"LIAR! Last night, I saw you last night, desperately holding onto him. He clearly didn't want anything to do with you. He's only putting up with you as an obligation to your brother! He told me himself."

"Momo…" Rukia held her hands up and backed away, "put your sword down."

"You think you can flash those odd eyes and throw around your name and get anyone you want?" she was almost screaming now. "Not. My. Shiro!" Momo started running towards Rukia, when she closed the distance by half, she screamed, "Hajike Tobiume!"

"Shit," Rukia said. Even bringing out her sword in this place was an automatic crime. Rukia used shunpo to widen the distance, backing further and further away from the shrine, away from Momo.

Momo wasn't about to let her go and chased after her, firing off fireballs when she thought she was close enough.

"You can't keep running, Rukia-chan!" she screamed.

How the hell did she get Tobiume? What the hell is she doing out of the 4th? Rukia dodged as another fire ball came close. Too close. A little further.

"MOMO!" Toshiro hollered. He almost caught up to them and was shocked to see her holding her sword in its released state. Momo ignored him as she continued her advance and tried to close the gap between her and Rukia. "Fuck! Soten ni zase, Hyorinmaru!"

"You should take lessons from your brother; I'm catching up to you!" Momo taunted and threw another fireball.

Rukia dodged again and increased her speed. Finally when they were in a clearing, she stopped, turned and threw her hands up, "Hado sanju san Sokatsui!"

Momo dodged and started mumbling something under her breath. Rukia drew her sword, "Mae, Sode no Shirayuki". As her Zanpakuto turned white, Rukia took her battle stance. They were on the outskirts of the 5th division training grounds.

Momo smiled and finished her chant. Toshiro threw his ice dragon towards Momo but it shattered against a newly erected barrier. Rukia looked up and found herself and Momo enclosed inside. It was big enough to encompass half of the training ground.

"Now, we can do this without anyone interfering." She smiled.

"MOMO!" Toshiro and Matsumoto reached the barrier but were unable to break it.

"Taicho…"

"She morphed the Kyomon (barrier) and Tsuzuri Raiden (bound lightening) together somehow. Don't touch the barrier, it's electrified."

"She truly is a kido master,"

Inside the barrier, swords clanked and clashed. They pushed each other away. Came together, pushed each other away again. Rukia was able to make a small gash on Momo's arm which enraged the taller girl. Momo raised her hand and shot off the red fire cannon continuously. Rukia dodged and deflected muttering a chant under her breath. Momo smiled and brought her hands together and chanted.

"Bakudo hachi juu ichi Danku!" Rukia shouted as a deflective wall rose up in front of her. Panting, she supported herself with her Zanpakuto. She watched as Momo released another barrage of kido, some not recognizable. Thankfully, the shield spell her brother taught her how to use, held up.

"Momo, stop!" Toshiro yelled.

"No, Shiro! She's trying to steal you away from me! She's nothing! She's nothing more than a whore!" She fired off more blasts and fire balls from Tobiume.

"Momo she's not.."

"Stop Shiro! Don't you dare defend her! She is, I saw you last night. How she threw herself at you, how you held her." Momo started shaking. "She stole Aizen from me, she stole you from me!"

"What do you mean, she stole Aizen?" Matsumoto said. Unohana showed up along with Isane.

Rukia stabbed the ground four times with her Zanpakuto. "Tsugi no mai… hakuren!" A wave of snow and ice blew past Momo, encasing the back side of her robes. Momo was stunned and let the barrier fall.

Fire burned in her eyes as she started chanting again, but before she could finish, a Garganta opened and Gin stepped through with four Arrancar.

"My, my what a reunion we have going on. And I thought you were just going to be bringing me the one, Momo. Good thing I brought some friends with me."

"Gin!" Toshiro shouted, "Banaki!" Gin just smiled. In an instant, Gin flash stepped behind Rukia and hit her behind her head, knocking her unconscious. He caught her in his arms before she fell to the ground.

The four Arrancar stepped from the gate and spread out. They placed themselves in front of Momo, Gin and Rukia. Unohana and Isane backed up.

"Let her go!" Toshiro screamed as he ran towards them.

"Oooooh, I don't think you will want to be coming my way," he said as he hoisted Rukia up and placed his sword on her neck. Toshiro stopped, then took a step forward as Gin pressed his sword into her neck. Toshiro looked horrified as a few drops of blood spilled out and down Gin's sword. "I have no qualms about killing her. Although it would be a shame," he said and he let her body drop just a bit so he could move his hand to her breast, "Sorry, Rang. Seems I have all this pent up frustration since we parted ways."

Gin was touching her. For one of the first times in his life, Toshiro felt fear and panic mixed with his anger. No way was he going to let Gin take her away from him. No way was he going to let those bastards hurt her. Not now, not when he realized he was falling in love with her. No, Rukia was his and they would have to kill him to get to her. He calmed himself and thought of a plan.

"Gin…" Matsumoto said.

"Oh don't worry, Rang. It'll be a while before I get to do what I want with her. Lord Aizen will want at her first," he said. Turning to the Arrancar, "Free Momo, Lord Aizen wants her back too."

"He-he wants me?" Momo said, surprised.

"Of course he does," Gin crooned, "Aren't you his favorite?"

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" she said. She flipped her head as if she were royalty and finished freeing herself from Rukia's ice. Gin said a small chant and the Garganta re-opened.

Toshiro pushed past the Arrancar and grabbed Momo. He held her arms behind her back and brought her to her knees. "Just how bad does he want her back?"

"Shiro-chan! What are you doing? Let me go!"

Gin laughed, "Are you offering me a trade? I suppose there's no harm in letting you know. I'm surprised the great Unohana-taicho hasn't figured it out already. You see, not all Shinigami can breed. Momo is a fire element, but she can't breed. Rukia can and she can withstand the Hogyoku effects. Well, to a point, but we think we fixed that. So, you tell me which one he would rather me bring back? A sure thing or one we're still working on?"

"I think I told you before, let her go," Toshiro said as he slid Hyorinmaru under Gin's throat.

Matsumoto looked at the two Hitsugaya's and realized what he had done. In Bankai, he made an ice clone and grabbed Momo. While distracting Gin, the real Hitsugaya snuck around and took him by surprise.

Just then Kyoraku and Ukitake showed up and easily took down the Arrancars. A small frown appeared on Gin's face. "Oh well, looks like you got me…for now." Gin turned around and ducked under Toshiro's sword, he shoved Rukia at him causing Toshiro to lose his balance and fall. Gin extended his Zanpakuto and shattered the clone, freeing Momo. They made their way through the opening of the Garganta before anyone could move. The gate snapped shut.

Toshiro sat up and held onto Rukia who was coming to. She opened her eyes and rubbed the back of her head. "What happened?"

"Gin knocked you out and tried to take you. He ended up with Momo instead." He said holding her a little tighter as a chill went down her spine.

Unohana came over and started her healing kido. "You should be brought back to the 4th" she said.

"I'm fine," Rukia said getting up with Toshiro. "How was he able to get here?"

"We discovered someone snuck into the 12th Division and lowered the shield for this area," Ukitake said.

"When we realized who it was that were fighting, we came as fast as we could," offered Kyoraku. "It must have been Momo-chan that disabled the shield in this area."

"But when? Isane took her back to her room after she fainted," Matsumoto said.

"Well, when I put her back in her bed, she was conscience and said she just wanted to rest and no one was to disturb her," Isane said.

"She must have left shortly after, then went to the 12th, lowered the shield and went back to the shrine to confront Rukia," said Toshiro.

"How did she know you would end up fighting here?" Matsumoto asked.

"I can explain that one," Rukia said, "I was constantly changing directions in order to avoid those fire balls. She must have known when to throw them and anticipated how I would dodge to change my course as needed."

"Are you sure you're ok, Rukia?" Ukitake asked with concern.

"Yes, Taicho, thank you." She said giving him a reassuring smile.

"We'd better head back and report this; security needs to be tightened around the 12th." Unohana said.

Rukia turned and looked at the training grounds as the others left. She hugged herself and shuddered as she realized her nightmare almost came true. Toshiro put his hands on her shoulders and turned her so she was facing him. He pulled her in and held her close, the realization of how he almost lost her sinking in.

"I don't know what I would have done if they took me back," Rukia said, burying her face in his robes. "What do they want from me?"

Remembering she was unconscious for Gin's speech, he quietly told her. He felt her shudder beneath his arms. "Rukia, I'm not going to let that happen," She looked at him as he started intently into her eyes, "They will have to kill me before I'll let anything happen to you."

He didn't know what possessed him. If it was because of how close they were to losing her to Aizen or because she was standing right there, in his arms, looking at him with those beautiful eyes of hers, he didn't know.

He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Rukia closed her eyes and tilted her head, pressing her lips back. They pulled apart after a few minutes and looked at each other. Rukia reached up and ran her fingers through his hair and guided him back, closer to her. She leaned forward and kissed him again.

"Ichigo, look out!" Ishida said. A hollow twice the normal size bounded towards the orange haired human shinigami. Ichigo turned around at the last second and plunged his sword through its mask.

"What is up with these hollows lately?"

"I don't know. Is it me or are they bigger?"

"Bigger and uglier"

"Funny, why don't you try being serious."

"Ok, they're bigger and their number seems to be increasing."

"You're right, Kurosaki-san," Urahara said stepping out of the shadows. "They are definitely increasing in number, but they've always been ugly."

AN: This space still for rent...