Chapter 26 - Captains! Their Trust, Compliments and Requests

The next day…

"So how does it look, Unohana-taichō?" Matsuri questioned the expert healer, as she checked Fujimaru's shoulder. After learning about the battle they had the day before, Unohana demanded to have them in the 4th Division's barracks for a check-up, since she feared that their past injuries could have worsened up.

"It seems perfectly fine." The Captain answered, before standing.

"Are we cleared then?" Fujimaru asked, while he dressed back up. Since Matsuri had been checked earlier and everything seemed okay with her belly and fingers, Unohana answered by nodding. "Thanks a lot Unohana-taichō!"

"You don't have to." Unohana shook her head. "The 4th Division is a relief squad. This is just our job."

"Nevertheless, we're very grateful." Matsuri bowed slightly, with her brother mimicking her shortly after.

"If that's how it is, I think you'll have to give me something in return then." Unohana's words confused the twins, but the Captain's smile just became even warmer. "Have some tea with me. I think Suzunami-taichō won't be bothered if you spent some time here with me."

"Well, if you say so…" Matsuri wasn't feeling very confortable about ditching work like that, but eventually nodded. "We would be delighted."

"Could you take care of that, please?" Unohana asked to the nurse who was with them in the room. The woman slightly bowed and left the room to take care of that errand. "You fought hard and showed yourselves in fine form in the recent battles."

"Not really, we relied too heavily on our superiors." Fujimaru rubbed the back of his head while he stared down to the floor. "And…"

Flashback

"I don't want you to..." Fujimaru stopped talking to Matsuri, as he couldn't believe what he was feeling. How could he still be feeling Mad Eater's Reiatsu so close to them? As he turned around, Fujimaru saw Mad Eater appearing behind the two Shinigami that were standing near them. "WATCH OUT!"

"Huh?" Both of them turned around, only to be stabbed through the torso by each of Mad Eater's hands and then thrown away.

End of Flashback

"I still can't take that image out of my mind…" Fujimaru bit his lower lip and silently cursed his lack of power.

"There's nothing wrong with that." Unohana's words took Fujimaru out of his thoughts. "One must be willing to depend on others as situations demand it. There's no need to set your expectations so high when you're just starting out. These things must be done step by step. Over time, your expectations will culminate in true strength."

"True strength?" The twins asked in unison.

"Yes. True strength is gained only with an acknowledgement of one's own weaknesses. Sadly, there is no scarcity of souls who remain unaware of it." Unohana spoke to them, until the nurse that left earlier barged into the room.

"Unohana-taichō!" She called for her superior's attention. "We have an issue going on in room 243!"

"Hey! 4th Division!" A bald Shinigami from the 11th Division shouted to the nurses who were in room 243. "Why is the bathroom cleaning of the 11th Division's barracks taking so long?"

"Please calm down. We're nurses, that is not our responsibility." One of them tried to explain. "And please remember that you're in a…"

"What about you, four-eyes?" The bald man shouted to a glasses-wearing Shinigami that was passing by, holding cleaning tools in his hands. "You sure seem to know, don't you?"

"Sorry about that!" The 4th Division member quickly backed away, as the much taller man advanced in his direction. "We've been busy with an urgent case! I was just about to…"

"Urgent case?" The 11th Division's Shinigami repeated the words in a questioning way, while he walked out of the room. The nurses quickly used that chance to run away from there. The bald man looked around the corridor and saw a pair of healing experts moving a stretcher to one of the nearby rooms. On top of it was a green-haired Shinigami that had been severily injured in a Hollow attack in the Rukongai. Recognizing the Shinigami from the 10th Division, the bald man chuckled and turned back to the man with glasses. "Yushima, eh? Only the weak get hurt! Leave 'em be!"

"How could…?"

"Shut up!" The bald Shinigami quickly cut the other one off by grabbing him by the collar of his kosode. "You better clean the can quickly before I make you an urgent case!"

"Please keep your voice down while you're in the relief station." The kind voice of a woman made itself heard behind the bully, causing a cold shiver to run down the man's spine.

"U-Unohana…taichō…" The man trembled, as he slowly looked over his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, but I overheard your discussion." She spoke to him again, always with a kind smile on her face. "Should you ever come in here seriously injured, we will make a point of cleaning the bathroom before attending to your wounds."

"Y-You wouldn't just let me die, would you?" The man thought he was sure of the answer, but that quickly changed as he felt the copious amounts of killing intent that emanated from the smiling woman in front of him. "No…See, what I mean was…PLEASE CLEAN THE BATHROOM AFTER YOU HAVE TAKEN CARE OF ALL THE INJURED!"

"I'm glad we're in agreement." Unohana nodded, all the killing intent that permeated from her suddenly disappearing, almost as if it had never existed at all. Not taking a chance on that happening once again, the man quickly ran away from there, fearing for his life. "I'm sure his voice increased three eighths… No, make that four. Strange, why would that happen?"

"S-She had a smile on her face that whole time." Fujimaru mumbled, while a drop of sweat slowly ran down the back of his head. It was one thing to see the beginning of it. It was another to experience it in its entirety.

"Very impressive, wasn't it?" Matsuri lightly elbowed him in the gut, seeming very excited about what she just saw. That worried Fujimaru a lot and for more reasons than just the obvious.

"We can go back to my office room. I'm sure the tea is almost ready." Unohana told them. The twins nodded and quickly followed her. Indeed, three cups were already on top of the only table in the room once they entered. The three Shinigami sat down and drank in silence. "You two seem nervous."

"W-Well…we think so highly of you that it's hard to know what to say." Matsuri blushed slightly while she admitted that.

"But you don't feel nervous when you speak with Suzunami-taichō or Konoka, do you?" The Captain questioned.

"That's because they're family." Fujimaru answered, causing Unohana's smile to widen slightly.

"What a blessing these two children are for Konoka and Seigen…" Unohana thought, before taking one more sip of her tea. "Konoka is a special case, too…"

"What do you mean by that?" Matsuri asked.

"As the eldest daughter of the Suzunami family, she is an aristocrat." She reminded them. "In spite of her high social status, she is very unassuming and open in her dealings with people."

"That's true." Fujimaru agreed with the Captain of the 4th Division. "Konoka-sama has been like that ever since we met her the first and kind, always with a smile on her face…"

"Much like you, Unohana-taichō." Matsuri gave her opinion, causing Unohana to chuckle.

"She treats me the same way she treats you. She always has done so. That surely had an influence on how I grew to become who I am today." The twins could detect the pride in Unohana's words. "That is why Konoka is among my few close friends with whom I can speak with complete candor. I can't imagine my life without her now."

"Wow…" The twins mumbled in awe. They had heard people speak highly of Konoka before, but not so much like Unohana did.

"Having lived with Konoka, you've come to share a similar disposition. You even seem more relaxed now." She stated. "I sincerely hope that someday I can speak with you two the same way I speak with Konoka."

"You think we're alike?" The twins questioned at the same time.

"Yes, definitely." Unohana nodded as she answered. "A good heart nurtures a good heart. And she's definitely rubbed off on you."

"What's going on here?" Someone asked from the door. The twins looked over their shoulders, but they didn't need to do so to know who that person was. They had immediately recognized the voice's owner as Seigen. "Are you guys cleared or what?"

"Oh, Suzunami-taichō!" Matsuri clumsily stood, almost tripping on one of the chair's legs, before bowing deeply. "I'm so sorry! I know we should've returned as soon as we were cleared, but…"

"Cut it, Matsuri." Seigen sighed at how extreme Matsuri was regarding her job. "I didn't come here to pick you up. I just wanted to know how you were. I haven't seen you since the battle of yesterday, after all."

"Oh, sorry…" Matsuri blushed, while she straightned himself. She could feel Fujimaru behind her, struggling so he wouldn't laugh. He would pay for that later.

"How about it, Unohana? How are they?" Seigen questioned the more experienced Captain.

"In perfect health. I guess I was being overzealous…Suzunami-taichō." Unohana delayed the last two words on purpose, intending to remind Seigen of how he failed to address her as Captain as well. She did so with a smile nonetheless. "Do you want some tea?"

"I'm grateful, but I'll have to refuse, Unohana. I'm on a tight schedule." Seigen answered, before turning to the twins, while he ignored the evil aura that was slowly grew around Unohana. "But while I'm here, I'll take the chance to congratulate you two on job well done, regarding the rescue of Shihōin-taichō. Congratulations!"

"Oh?" The twins stared at him surprised for a while, before awakening from what seemed a trance as they remembered the results of the previous mission. "Uh, thanks…"

"Only that?" The confused and slightly deceptioned Seigen asked. "When someone goes to the trouble of complimenting you, I suggest you reply with a little more enthusiasm."

"He hasn't realized what he did?" Fujimaru nervously thought, as he watched the massive increase in Unohana's black aura. "Seigen-sama…You failed to address Unohana-taichō properly twice in a row, and then you did it when you mentioned Yoruichi-sama...ARE YOU MAD?"

"I-It's more that we feel like we haven't contributed much." Matsuri tried to finish things quickly, before a disaster occurred. "On top of that, we should have reported to you first and received official orders. We left Suì-Fēng on her own and rushed off…That would usually earn us a punishment, right?"

"What matters is that you took action, aware of the consequences and willing to accept them." Seigen answered. "Laws are made to be obeyed, but there's no guarantee that all will go well if they are. What we are protecting is not the law, but something far more important. You knew that in your hearts."

"But I thought that the 5th Division takes rules and regulations very seriously." Fujimaru reminded Seigen of their earlier conversations when the twins became Shinigami.

"Respecting the law is a given." Seigen partially agreed. "However, I want the members of the 5th Division to be prepared to break the rules when necessary…That is my hope! I know you won't let me down! And as a prize, you'll have today as a day off."

"We won't!" Both answered with huge smiles on their faces. However, before they could thank him for the day off, Seigen had already disappeared in a Shunpo. Fujimaru was the first to react. "Where did he go?"

"F-Fujimaru…" Matsuri discreetly signaled to her brother. As they slowly stared to their left, they saw that Unohana's accumulated anger was about to explode, the black aura beginning to take the shape of a demonic mask. "Let's get out of here!"

Moments later…

"All crazy things seem to happen on our days off…" Matsuri stated, as he and his sister walked out of the 4th Division's barracks.

"Really! It's like we're part of some story's really bad plot…" Fujimaru sighed, before something on the other side of the street caught his attention. It was a blond Shinigami that wore a Captain's haori, with the symbol of the 12th Division on his back. "Look who it is!"

"Oh great, the plot is thickening…" Matsuri rolled her eyes into the back of her head. Speaking of crazy things happening in days off, nothing could be crazier than being in Kisuke Urahara's presence. He walked towards them holding his chin thoughtfully, but also in an upset way. He passed by them without realizing they were there, much to Matsuri's relief. "He looks troubled, poor guy…"

"Oiiii, Urahara-taichō!" Fujimaru called the Captain, waving to him while he did so. That made an urge of headbutting something grow inside Matsuri, but she was able to hold on.

"Oh!" Urahara seemed really surprised to see them as he turned around. "Hello, Matsuri and Fujimaru."

"Did you REALLY have to call him?" Matsuri questioned her brother, while she upsettly crossed her arms over her chest. Fujimaru shrugged that off and continued to wave to the Captain.

"It has been a while, Urahara-taichō!" Fujimaru happily spoke to the Shinigami they knew for the longest, besides Seigen. "Is something troubling you?"

"Oh, nothing important, really…" He lied. Feeling Fujimaru's eyes fixed on him waiting for a true answer made Urahara sigh and he eventually let it out. "I just presented a bunch of new research project proposals at a meeting, but every single one got shot down."

"Those were probably crazy ideas anyway…" Matsuri thought, while she inadvertently reminded herself of Chappy and her spine crushing hugs.

"Stuff like this makes me sick of living in Seireitei." Urahara ended up saying between sighs. "It's tough here."

"How can you say that?" The shocked Fujimaru asked. By hearing that, even Matsuri started to worry. "There are lots of people who'd be happy to be in your shoes."

"Yeah, you're a Captain after all." Matsuri reminded him.

"How does someone like me get to be a Captain, anyway?"

"What?" The twins shouted in shock. They couldn't believe they were in the presence of a depressed Urahara.

"Sure, there's a certain feeling of satisfaction being a Captain, but…" Urahara stared up into the sky. He watched a pair of Hell Butterflies flying around, dancing with eachother. "Part of me would rather be free to concentrate on my inventions."

"I guess the life of a Captain isn't all perks…" Fujimaru pondered.

"It might be nice to have a small shop and work at my own pace someday." Urahara further revealed one of his dreams. However, that was quickly followed by one of those sudden changes of character the twins were used to see in Urahara. The replacement of the goofy and looney Urahara by his serious and no-joking-around counterpart, which never ceased to amaze them each time it happened. "However, I made a promise the morning I became the Captain of the 12th Division. A promise that I would be a part of the 12th Division, have pride on being part of the 12th Division and never leave the 12th Division on my own free will. That's what I promised. The shop will have to wait."

"Oh?" Both twins' eyes widened, as they never expected such fierceness from Urahara. Especially Matsuri. "Did he always have such a resolve?"

"But…" Matsuri's eyes suddenly became slitted, as she noticed the change in the way Urahara was speaking. The goofy counterpart was back. "When I open my shop, I want to have you two as my clerks!"

"Us? Clerks?" The siblings asked, each with a different degree of surprise.

"No good?" Urahara asked, while he goofily rubbed the back of his head.

"Like you, we don't have any plans to quit our jobs as Shinigami." Matsuri revealed with a smirk.

"But hey, I'm sure it would be fun to work with you." Fujimaru answered with an expression similar to Urahara's.

"Speak for yourself…" Matsuri quickly clarified, with slitted eyes.

"Well, it's just a pipe dream. After all…" Urahara chuckled and smirked. "You guys seem to be quite the talk of the town these days. The 'Wonder-Working Rookies of the 5th Division'! Seigen Suzunami's 'Secret Weapons', his 'Twin geniuses'!"

"I'm guessing that you're the one who has been doing all the talking." Matsuri sharply guessed, causing Urahara to freeze for a moment.

"W-What?" The Captain clumsily asked. "Who? Me?"

"And you've probably been having way too much fun with it." The Shinigami girl further added, while she glared daggers towards Fujimaru's lookalike.

"Aaa…" Urahara tried to find a way to defend himself, but the only way he thought was by changing subjects. "Well, all joking aside, Yoruichi-san was certainly singing your praises."

"Yoruichi-sama?" The twins' eyes widened in genuine surprise upon hearing those news. At the same time, Urahara's inner self sighed his lungs out.

"She says you show a lot of promise." He added what she had told him when he visited her the day before, after the battle. "She said that with a great, big smile on her face, no less!"

"Yoruichi-sama said that? About us?" Fujimaru enthusiastically asked. He didn't wait for Urahara's answer though, as he turned to his sister immediately afterwards. "Now that's something, eh Matsuri?"

"Oh, absolutely!" She agreed with her brother, her face showing true delight.

"Is it my imagination or…" Urahara interrupted them, causing their attention to revert back to him. It seemed like Urahara was quickly reverting to the depressed persona they met earlier. "…was your reaction to my compliment a little bit…uh, underwhelmed when compared to Yoruichi's?"

"Um…" The twins felt they were caught, but didn't give it away, as they were able to put on amazing poker faces. That was why they were banned from the poker nights at the 5th division barracks that happened every two weeks, which started when one of the Division's Shinigami came back from the Human World and amazed everyone with the simple but addicting game.

"Maybe I'm just too easygoing." Urahara eventually shrugged it off, causing the twins' inner selves to be the ones to sigh this time.

"At least he knows himself well!" Fujimaru thought, while he struggled to keep his poker face on.

"But Yoruichi's pretty easygoing in her own way too!" Urahara continued to speak on his best friend. "She'll help herself to other people's food, for example. And she's good at blowing off work without getting caught, and…" He came closer to Fujimaru and lightly elbowed him in the gut. "She doesn't like wearing clothes, so she's always fooling around at home in her birthday suit and…"

"Ahem."

"Yaaaah!" Urahara jumped off the ground, as far as he could, as soon as he heard the person who was behind him.

"Yoruichi-sama!" The twins shouted, while sweatdrops rolled down the back of their heads. The sight in front of them was terrifying, as the familiar sickening black aura was starting to surround her. "It's the same aura as Unohana-taichō's!"

"Running off at the mouth again, Urahara-taichō?" She asked him, with a dangerous look on her face. Unlike Unohana, she made her anger pretty clear through her facial expressions.

"I was, uh…" Urahara found himself in another difficult predicament. "I really need to train ways to get out of these situations."

"As for your pronouncements concerning my personal information, I'd like to have a word with you in the interrogation room, if I may?" Yoruichi expressed her wishes, while she aggressively pulled him up.

"Uh…seriously?"

"Oh, most definitely." She answered with dangerous sweetness.

"Uh-oh…"

"Gossiping is the root of all evil." Yoruichi stated, before slowly looking over shoulder. The twins backed some steps away from her, as her eyes emitted a dangerous golden glow. "You two would do well to keep that in mind."

"She's with the Punishment Force!" Fujimaru suddenly remembered.

"She IS the Punishment Force!" Matsuri's thought on the matter was a bit more accurate.

"I want you two to come to the 2nd Division's barracks later. I'll be waiting for you." Yoruichi told them, before disappearing in a Shunpo, dragging a screaming Urahara along with her. The twins stood there for a while, until they finally stared into each other.

"Sis…we're screwed, aren't we?" The scared Fujimaru asked her, while true tears filled his eyes.

"Yes, Fujimaru…It looks like we are." Matsuri slowly answered, scared as well.

About an hour later…

"Is it here?" Fujimaru asked to his sister, as they stood in front of the staircase that led to the barracks of the 2nd Division. Since the symbol of the Division was engraved on the two red pillars that stood in front of the first step of the staircase, it seemed as if Fujimaru was in denial.

"I'm afraid it is…" Matsuri answered nervously. As they were about to climb the staircase, two members of the Executive Militia appeared in front of them. "Yikes!"

"We're here to escort you to Shihōin-taichō. Follow us." The man in the right told them. Without a word, the twins followed the two members of the Onmitsukidō with their heads hanged down, like if they were expecting death to come for them. As they entered in the barracks, the two men led them into the audience chamber. They knocked on the large doors and the man on the right spoke once again. "Shihōin-taichō, we bring you the two Shinigami you've been waiting for."

"Bring them in!" She answered from the other side of the doors, which both men pushed away. As the doors slowly moved, a figure appeared from the other side.

"Is that…" Matsuri started the question.

"Urahara…taichō?" And Fujimaru finished it. Walking slowly and clumsily, Urahara came out of the room, with his eyes glazed.

"Never…talk…badly…Yoruichi…again…" He mumbled slowly, as he passed by them without noticing them.

"She brainwashed him!" The twins thought at the same time and now were extremely reluctant to enter in the room, but the menacing Executive Militia members pushed them into it. They could see a large crest embossed into the wall they were facing to, which they correctly identified as the crest of the Shihōin family. Below the crest, on top of some purple cushions, sat Yoruichi in indian-style.

"How's it going, you two?" She greeted them with a huge smile on her face that sparked confusion between the siblings.

"Um…fine, I guess?" Matsuri carefully answered. "What did you do to Urahara-taichō?"

"Brainwashed!" She answered, nearly causing them to fall to the floor from how easygoing the tone she said that was.

"She didn't even try to hide it!" Matsuri thought, as she tried to evaluate the mysterious woman in front of them.

"How are your injuries?" Fujimaru questioned the Captain of the 2nd Division. Even though she was still scaring the hell out of him, he felt deeply grateful for what she did the day before, so he felt worried for her well-being as well.

"Injuries? Ah, I'm as good as new!" Yoruichi lifted and flexed her right arm to show it to the twins. The burn marks that were on her shoulder had disappeared without trail. "I heal quickly, you know?"

"Oh, that's a relief…" Matsuri stated, while she tried to act more natural. "It's obvious she was only mad at Urahara-taichō. Why would she be mad at us? She seems pretty sociable…"

"Your thoughtfulness sure reminds me of Seigen!" Yoruichi remarked, while her dangerous mind was already scheming something. "I guess blood will tell…"

"Blood?" The confused twins asked in unison.

"Kisuke told me about you two!" Yoruichi continued, causing even more confusion between the two blond Shinigami. Raising an eyebrow, the Corps Commander of the Onmitsukidō continued. "You're Seigen Suzunami's secret children, aren't you?"

"WHAAAT?" Fujimaru and Matsuri's eyes almost came out of their heads, as they heard Yoruichi's words. The latter couldn't contain herself and started to roll on the floor laughing her most characteristic laugh.

"Ahahahah! Just kidding! Just kidding!" She waved to them, trying to calm them down. "I only believe about half of what that guy tells me anyway! Ahahahah! Besides…there's no way anyone with half a brain would believe that Seigen had children in secret."

"That's right!" Matsuri fiercely went on to defend her adoptive father. "Seigen-sama is not that type of person at all! Arrgh…That Urahara-taichō!"

"But Seigen has definitely been a popular one among the female Shinigami, so I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't one or two stories floating around…" Yoruichi continued to speak with a devious smirk on her face.

"But there's no truth to them…is there?" Matsuri nervously asked. Yoruichi had been around for much longer than the twins, so she would know better than them.

"I doubt it. Seigen has never shown any interest in women other than caring for his sister. What a shame…" Yoruichi sighed and started to wave the fan she stole from Urahara earlier. "Most women can pick up on things like that, so I think most never bothered to pursue anything with him."

"You seem like you know all about everything, don't you?" Fujimaru questioned, causing Yoruichi to stop waving the fan and raise an eyebrow.

"You're sharper than I thought! Well, yes…The Onmitsukidō is, after all, an intelligence agency that keeps tabs on all the Shinigami. Which includes…" Yoruichi smirked evilly and then pointed to the two of them, causing their jaw to hit the floor. "I hear about people's work and about their personal lives…"

"Hey! That's dangerous! Too dangerous!" Matsuri angrily pointed an accusatory finger towards Yoruichi, while Fujimaru bit his thumbnails, wondering if he had ever done something that he would be ashamed of if other people knew about it.

"Let's see…I know many of Urahara's inventions have failed." Yoruichi started to count by her fingers, with that being information number one.

"Even we know that!" The twins shouted at the same time.

"I know the place where Kyōraku-taichō goes to drink in secret." She revealed information number two.

"We know that as well!" They shouted again.

"I know where Mashiro goes when she ditches Kensei…"

"We know that…Wait! I don't know that!" Matsuri suddenly got interested in learning some of Yoruichi's information. "Where does she go?"

"I can't tell you. Otherwise, I may have to arrest you for what you do to her." Yoruichi's answer clearly didn't please Matsuri, who pouted. "I even know what Fujimaru has under his bed!"

"What Fujimaru has under his bed? What does he have?" Fujimaru questioned, without realizing about who they were talking about. Then, it hit him. "WAIT A MINUTE! UNDER MY BED?"

"What is it?" Matsuri asked him, before a thought crossed her mind. She open her mouth widely in disbelief. "Fujimaru, you bastard! You better say something different from what I think it is!"

"I don't have anything under my bed!" Fujimaru negated the accusation and then stood, pointing towards Yoruichi. "You better have some proof about this, Yoruichi-sama!"

"Here!" Yoruichi threw a book towards him, that fell open on his hands. Fujimaru couldn't believe what it was. "At least, you have some good taste."

"Fujimaru…" Matsuri cracked her knuckles, as she came dangerously close to her brother. "Do you have any sort of explanation for this?"

"This isn't mine! Don't you see?" He turned the book around, showing it to Matsuri. "Don't you see this is Lisa's thing?"

"Oh, of course! Now you're going to say that you were framed, isn't that right?" Matsuri pointed her finger to Fujimaru, while her eyes turned into raging red. "YOU'VE BEEN ASKING HER TO LEND YOU PORN!"

At the same time…

"Oh, you're back already, Aizen?" Seigen sounded surprised, as he saw his Vice-Captain entering in his office. "How did it go?"

"Apparently, not well." Aizen's words made Seigen frown. "When I turned in the report about the battle from yesterday, he apparently noticed something that concerned him. He's calling an emergency meeting."

"Hmm, I see…" Seigen held his chin thoughtfully for a while, before he stood and left the office. Just then, one of the loudest screams Seigen had ever heard in his life seemed to echo around the halls.

"YOU PERVERTED BASTARD!"

"Did you hear something Aizen?" The Captain asked.

"I didn't hear a thing, Suzunami-taichō." Aizen, the current poker champion in the 5th Division, replied.

"You could have told the truth sooner, Yoruichi-sama…I put everything I had into this punch!" Matsuri told her, while she tried to lift her nearly unconscious brother from the floor. Yoruichi continued to laugh like crazy though. It had been one of her men that had asked for a picture book from Lisa's collection and eventually Yoruichi learned and got a hold of it.

"You guys are so easy! Ahah…ah…" Yoruichi stopped laughing, as one of the members of the Riteitai, the Reversal Counter Force, arrived and kneeled in front of her. "What is it?"

"Yamamoto-sōtaichō has called for an emergency meeting." The man informed Yoruichi. "What should be my answer?"

"I'm going, of course. I'll just finish my business with these two and then I'm going." Yoruichi told to the man, who nodded before disappearing in a Shunpo. Sighing, the Captain of the 2nd Division turned to the twins. "Well, I think it's about time I reveal why I called you two here. I've got a big favor to ask you."

"A favor?" Matsuri questioned, with an eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

"It's concerning Suì-Fēng..." Yoruichi started to say.

"Suì-Fēng?" Fujimaru mumbled, while he tried to straighten himself, which was no easy task after one of Matsuri's full power punches. "What about her?"

"Oh? You're still alive?" The surprised Matsuri asked to her brother, any concern she had felt seconds ago vanished. "It's good to see your durability has improved!"

"I've arrived, Yoruichi-sama!" A girl made her presence known from the other side of the doors. Everyone recognized the voice immediately.

"Come on in, Suì-Fēng!" Yoruichi allowed and the doors started to open. Suì-Fēng entered with the happiest look the twins had ever seen on her face, all because she had been called by Yoruichi. That look disappeared however, as soon as Suì-Fēng's eyes met the siblings.

"You two?" She raised an eyebrow, while she walked slowly in their direction. "What do you want with Yoruichi-sama?"

"Suì-Fēng, these two are here at my request." Yoruichi revealed to her personal guard, whose eyes widened.

"They are? O-Oh, my apologies!" She bowed to her master, causing Yoruichi to groan.

"Enough of that, please…I was just about to talk to them about you." Yoruichi continued, while Suì-Fēng seemed very confused. "Okay, here's the thing, Fujimaru and Matsuri…I would like you to consider being friends with Suì-Fēng."

"Friends?" The three asked at the same time, shock coming to them in various forms. The most notable one was the blush in Suì-Fēng's face, who opened her mouth various times, unable to utter a word.

"Y-Yoruichi-sama, what's this all about?" She finally was able to articulate words. "I don't need any…"

"Give it a chance, Suì-Fēng." Yoruichi wasn't ordering her, but asking her instead. "Working with the Onmitsukidō isn't easy. You have to keep your feelings in check in this job. That's why you need friends to confide in. Otherwise, you may lose touch with your feelings."

"But…But, I…" Suì-Fēng tried to counter, but she couldn't come up with anything.

"Even I need friends, you know?" Yoruichi told her, causing her to stare down. "Of course, if neither side agrees, I won't force you. But as far as I can tell, you don't have a single close friend, Suì-Fēng."

"You've been watching me?" Suì-Fēng felt like crying when she looked back to Yoruichi.

"You have a tendency to brood, so I worry about you." Yoruichi confessed which only made the girl stare down once more. The twins were staring at her with sad looks in their faces.

"I had no idea…" Fujimaru mumbled.

"Me neither." Matsuri was as shocked by the situation as her brother.

"Okay, then…I'm going to disappear to take care of some business and leave you to yourselves. Play nice, okay?" She told them before disappearing in a Shunpo.

"Wait, Yoruichi-sama!" Suì-Fēng called for her a bit too late, as Yoruichi was already gone.

"So…" Fujimaru started to speak, which caused Suì-Fēng's eyes to become as large as possible. "What do we do now?"

"I bet Yoruichi-sama is hiding somewhere, listening to us." Matsuri stated, while she looked around the room they were in.

"I don't have a choice. If I were to refuse, it'd be like a slap in the face to Yoruichi-sama…" Suì-Fēng spoke more to herself than to the twins.

"You've got to say it and mean it!" Yoruichi appeared behind Suì-Fēng and shouted that in her ears, causing her to blush and jump forward.

"Yoruichi-sama!" The upset Suì-Fēng groaned, causing the twins to chuckle.

"We're all ears!" They told her, while they supported large grins on their faces. Suì-Fēng looked away from them and chewed on her lower lip, while she tried to decide on what to do about the situation.

"Uh, um…B-Be…Be my friends! If you don't, I'll arrest you!" She threatened them, but bowed at the same time, which made it impossible for the twins to not laugh. Feeling embarrassed, Suì-Fēng turned beet red and ran away from them.

"She took off!" The twins shouted, as Suì-Fēng slammed the door behind her.

"Ya gotta love her! Ahahahah!" Yoruichi laughed for a while, until she put on her Captain's haori. "I have to go to the meeting. Please, go after her, will ya?"

"Sure thing!" Matsuri nodded to the Captain, before the latter disappeared in a Shunpo. "I really like Suì-Fēng, you know? She still needs some retouching, but I think she'll end up fine."

"Yeah, I hope she opens up to us one day." Fujimaru smiled at the idea, until he realized the real meaning of Matsuri's words. "Wait a minute! You're not meaning to turn her into a second you….are you?"

The smile on his sister's face gave away every answer he needed to know.