I fell down and jolted as I made contact with the webs. I had always awaken in the middle of the web. Never before had I fallen into the world. I looked around frantically, standing immediately to take in the situation. The webs looked normal, but I couldn't make out Kumo anywhere. It was like his presence had completely vanished. I slowly edged my hand down onto the hilt of my sword.

The two of us had just been training with the bankai. I had been using his powers not two seconds ago before I found myself flung down into here. My eyes narrowed at the shadows that I had once seen sticking to my spider. There was something moving back there.

I drew my sword out slightly when I heard a scuttle. My ears bled at the sound, but I beat through it to get my sword out of the hilt. Surely, I could still call upon Kumo's powers. He was just somewhere deeper in my inner world than I had been before. He couldn't have just vanished before.

Suddenly his long talon came out of the shadows and flung me up towards the air that I had come down in. I stared at the hairy leg, faintly making out his words. Kumo had never rejected my presence in the inner world, and never before had he hit me. I saw a quick flash of his body, before I broke through the seams and came back to the real world.

My body hunkered over still feeling the slap at my stomach. I curled up on the dirt and attempted to soothe the pain away. My eyes narrowed at the sword that was no sealed up. What the hell had that been? I picked myself up as slowly as possible, feeling everything in my tinge. It was not from the aftereffects of training, but as if something was coming through my veins.

I breathed and tentatively grasped onto his handle before releasing him to an unsealed state. Nothing had changed at all. I could still bring him forth and use his powers. I resealed the sword and pushed him back into my sheath.

So why did you push me out, Kumo? I crawled up out of the hole and set out to distract myself from the weird incident. I resolved that either Kumo would tell me shortly what was going on, or I would have to force him to expose whatever it was.

As I continued walking, I attempted to put my arms into my sleeves, but realized that it was futile. I had changed my uniform again so that it was sleeveless, for only reasons that Yoruichi and Kisuke were fully aware of. No one else needed to know that I had bankai yet. Although I was getting better and better, and was getting the knack for it, I brushed away the comments claiming I just wanted a change.

I huffed and then crossed my arms behind my back instead. Slowly my head sunk down into my shoulders and I was slowly clawed into thinking about what had happened again. My pulse quickened in thought and I felt a shudder go through my frame. I shook my head and then brought a hand up to my hair and attempted to scrub it all away from the outside in.

Maybe I should go get a captain.

Both Ukitake-taicho and Kyoraku-taicho would worry incessantly about it. The white-haired captain would probably make himself sick thinking about it, and Kyoraku-taicho would go on his binges to try and hold me again. My fists clenched together. They probably hadn't even heard of cases such as this.

Kisuke was out on mission and Yoruichi was off doing something else. I could go and distract Shinji but he had been grumpy as of late. I honestly didn't know what was up with him at all. He was getting stressed out over nothing, and he kept asking for my notes about Aizen. I had none to give him and it got him more frustrated and snappy with me.

As for Aizen, there was something kind of weird about him, but I couldn't understand Shinji's worry. Kumo had sometimes noted that there was something clinging to his reiryoku and there was that incident when we had been fighting to hollows. Nothing else was odd about him, and there were other explinations that could solve the solutions.

"Hm~" I took a few running steps to catch a glimpse of the head of the person I had just seen. "Isshin?"

The man in question spun around, a piece of bread in between his teeth, and his free hand searching for something in the folds of his top, whilst the other held more snacks. He snatched at the bread that was falling limp between his lips and quickly bowed. "Ayake-fuku-taicho."

"What's with the formality?"

"Isn't that proper?" He got back up and edged his foot across the tiles. I watched the action before catching his stare. "I mean you deserve the title."

I smiled and the man came slowly to relax. "Just call me Yuko or something else. Not my last name."

He nodded and I gathered him for a walk. A new face was a good way to distract myself. We made small talk, until he gradually loosened up enough to start talking more. I learned that Kaien was his nephew, and even though Isshin was the older one he had gone to the academy after his younger nephew. He had also spent the expected six years, instead of his genius nephew's two. There was some jealously behind his words, but it seemed that the man was dealing with it well enough.

Isshin shared the same Shiba nonchalance. Being from the branch house there was even less standard to live up to, but Isshin had a lot of respect for those that worked up the ranks. He was a hard-worker himself and therefore appreciated it in someone else.

He chomped off another piece of bread and swallowed. "So why were you just walking around?"

"I apologize… I haven't been very truthful with you. I really needed a distraction."

He raised an eyebrow and finished off his snack and then shrugged. "If I was really that bothered I would have come up with some excuse."

"I suppose you would have." He did seem like the type to do that. I sighed and twisted my neck to wringe out the tense muscles. "I appreciate your company anyway."

"You're pretty good company too."

It turned out that we had a few things in common actually, particularly when it came to food. When Isshin wasn't being an obnoxious pervert, his sentiments were in the right place and he was actually quite smart for someone pretty new to the Gotei 13. He was a touch old-fashioned when it came to women, I could tell from the way he talked about them, and he had good manners if not just a bit abrupt.

He was also increasingly determined. Something had pressed his button lately, he said, and now he was invigorated to start taking his training more seriously. He had gotten through the academy with a moderate amount of work, but he wanted to make his way up the ranks. I think he felt a bit suffocated by the genius of his younger nephew but I didn't feel that it was my place to bring up the topic.

With a quick scan, I could pretty much tell that he had latent potential which was just untapped. His reiatsu was already very strong, and his body was already holding a fair amount of muscle. He was pretty intuitive, seeing as he easily pointed out all of his flaws to me, and his psychology seemed very sturdy. Battle tactics and such weren't necessarily needed but I was sure he wasn't bad at them.

"Okay." We had taken a seat somewhere off on the plains of Seireitei. I rose from my spot, and his eyes followed me with one eye brow coming up. "I'll train you."

"Huh?" His mouth dropped open and he spluttered. He stood and began to adamantly protest the situation. When I asked why, it came out in a flurry. "Because I plan to surpass you. - I can't train with the person I'm going to beat."

When did this happen?

I believe some time during your fight with the hollows.

Kumo!

I apologize for earlier Ayake-sama.

…. I can expect an explination, you know? But I'll accept your apologies.

Thank you…. When I come to understand the situation myself, I'll make sure to tell you.

My eyes narrowed. It was not good that Kumo didn't even know what was going on in our world. He lived there, so he should have to best understanding, but with even him being confused the situation took a turn towards bleak. I couldn't go to Kisuke yet either. It sounded like Kumo didn't want to include anyone in what was going on.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Isshin had taken a few steps back and was in a cowering squat with his hands over his head.

I blinked and cleared my face. "Sorry – It was something my zanpakuto said."

He jumped up and I blinked again. He's quick mood swings were something that I would have to get a better grip over but I could get used to them. As long as he acted seriously the majority of the time, then there shouldn't be too many clashes in our personalities.

"I stand by what I said."

"I refuse."

I smiled and then shook my head. "My former captain once told me that I should stop comparing myself with others, and focus on comparing myself to my increasing skills… I don't disagree with having some competition but it's not me that you have to beat."

"You're your own worst enemy, huh?" Isshin had stopped fooling around and nodded. His face looked worried at the prospect though, and I knew that I hadn't convinced him yet.

"Maybe I'm not the best to tell you this, but - Only recently I've come to understand why I've worked so hard." Isshin raised an eyebrow at this, but I turned away from his gaze to look over at the building that were just behind us. "I don't fight to protect the whole. The things worth protecting are my connections inside - The things that allow me to exist."

Isshin opened his mouth to say something but then it settled quietly. The sun was setting somewhere in the back, and I saw the flashes of orange that were cascading the darkening sky. Looming up ahead was the slowly emerging moon, that with each coating of black became brighter and brighter above us. In this plain of existence, I was crafted by the hands of the rest. We existed through each other and thorugh our memories of each other. My fists slowly closed and I took a deep breath to calm my suddenly furious heart.

"I'm going to protect those people. – That's what I decided… Or I'm going to die trying."

There was a small intake of breathe and I turned over to Isshin. His eyes had grown wide and his breathes just a bit quick. The outline of a smile gave out to the real thing slowly, like sand running through the small neck of a sand timer. He carried the same sheen in his eyes as I did. I could feel it in the nod he sent my way.

"I get it."

"Right now you're weaker than me. Until you stand on your own feet, I'll teach you."

"You really want to do this?" He crossed his arms and looked a bit miffed at the offer. "You're still my competition."

"Competition for what? I'm planning to get a captaincy one day… If it's the seat that you want then go for it."

"I don't care about a chair."

"You should." I breathed at his look, and then tilted my head back. "That chair is the closest to freedom."

"Freedom from what?"

"Imposition… I want to make some changes to this place – good ones, I think. I can't do that from the bottom."

I hadn't explained it correctly, and I could see that in the furrow between Isshin's brows. He nodded nonetheless and seemed to actually be thinking about what I said. Slowly he came to a conclusion and then agreed to my offer. I grinned and we smacked hands together to affirm the deal.

"So if I don't become captain then you will."

He looked outraged at the assumption and attempted to pull his hand back from my closed grip around it. "Absolutely not. I don't want the damn chair."

"Too bad~."

He kneeled down in defeat, and I slowly unwound my hand. A few childish tears slipped through his eyes as he started mumbling at his hand for betraying him. I smacked him lightly on the top of his head, but he only turned a puppy dog look on me.

Not nearly as good as Ukitake-taicho's.

Your former captain has had at least a century to perfect it.

Kumo and I snickered at the thought, before I turned over to Isshin. "I really do think you can become captain, you know."

"I don't want it."

"Well, then you'll be my fuku-taicho when you're ready." Isshin looked at the ground and then nodded. He slowly accepted my hand and I helped him up from the ground. We proceeded back to the main area of Seireitei in silence, before Isshin cut through.

"I figured out what to call you then."

"Oh?"

"Sensei." He winked before departing down the opposite side. I shook my head at the minor nonsense he was proclaiming, since we were far more equal than he believed.

Like a gem that needs shining, Ayake-sama.

Yeah. That's what I'd say.

He'll need a lot of shining…. Are you sure you can handle it?

Yeah. I'm happy with the decision.

Then I'm happy too