Hanatarou led a grumbling Seinousuke back to the examination room. "I told you, nothing's wrong with me, Hanatarou."

"Then there's nothing for you to worry about. I'll examine you, give you the 'all clear,' and not examine you again."

"Yeah, whatever."

Hanatarou handed his brother a hospital gown. "Change into this." He tried not to laugh at Seinousuke's embarrassment as he turned to set up his computer.

"Hey, Hanatarou?"

"What, big brother?"

"You've changed."

"You think so?"

"Yeah. You're more...assertive. You're standing up to me instead of just putting up with my complaining."

"Thanks."

"Now for you to be more assertive with Iemitsu. Yume was ready to smack him last night."

The two brothers laughed. "Get on the examination table, big brother." Hanatarou ran the mini scanner over his brother's upper body. Once again, it beeped when it got to the lung area. "Hang on just a minute."

"Well, crap," the older Yamada thought to himself. "It's all catching up to me, I guess."

Hanatarou came back with Isane and Ogido in tow. He showed Isane the irregularities on the screen and explained once again why his brother was there. Ogido, meanwhile, was pushing the patient through the special machine that Akon had developed. He was holding a clipboard and writing rapidly. "Hanatarou-kun, come here a minute."

He showed Hanatarou the screen on his machine. "I haven't seen anything like this."

They both looked Seinousuke in the eye. "Big brother," Hanatarou said firmly. "You know something about how this stuff got into your lungs, don't you?"

His brother closed his eyes but said nothing.

"Do you want our help or not?"

The older brother moaned. "Bring...Yume here."

Ogido went to the library and returned with Yume in no time. "Sei-kun...what...wrong?"

Hanatarou gave her a worried look. "He asked me to bring you here. He hasn't told me anything."

Ogido left the room and closed the door. Yume looked sadly at her husband, who was now motioning to her to come closer. "Someone...explain...?"

Seinousuke grabbed her hand and closed his eyes again. "Yume-love, you told me not to pretend."

"Not like it...when you pretend. Want you...tell the truth."

"Remember how you used to be in the wheelchair and couldn't stop coughing?"

"Remember that."

"Look at me and tell me what you see."

Yume was confused, but she studied his face carefully. "Sei-kun...tired all the time. Dark spots."

Carefully, he put his hands to his eyes and took the blue-gray contacts out. His eyes were now a dusky black hue. "Do you understand yet?"

"Sei-kun...not understand. You...sick? My fault?"

"Yume-love...I am sick."

"Knew...Sei-kun pretend..."

"Have you had trouble with your lungs lately?"

"No...breathe well."

Hanatarou opened his mouth wide. "Big brother...don't tell me..."

Yume looked worriedly at her husband and then Hanatarou. "Want to know. Sei-kun...what did...you do?"

Hanatarou looked her in the eye. "I should smack my brother upside the head for this. Yume-san...I don't know how to tell you this."

"Sei-kun...tell me. Not pretend."

"Oh, all right already!" Ichigo responded. "But DON'T go overboard. I have questions to ask this guy."

"Me, go overboard?" the Hollow said, with a sinister smirk.

"I'm serious," Ichigo said sternly. "I want him to tell me where Yhwach is."

"Oh, all right... I'll TRY not to kill him."

"Kurosaki! Do you intend to lie there all day? I know full well that you are still conscious," Barro called irritably. "You will take this fight seriously, or you will die."

"Mwahahahaha!" cackled the Hollow. "I'm up." He made a beeline to Barro and smashed his fist into the shotgun.

"Who are you?" demanded the Quincy. "You look like Kurosaki, yet you fight differently."

"Heh heh heh," laughed the Hollow disdainfully. "I AM Ichigo. No 'look like' about it."

Barro looked over and saw a nearly unconscious Ichigo trying to nurse his leg. "I see. His Majesty mentioned that this boy is...unique."

"I'm your opponent, Quincy!" barked the Hollow. "And unlike my host over there, I don't mind killing you." He unleashed a series of kicks so quick that, in comparison, Yamada's seemed to be in slow motion.

The Hollow was a blur as he began to wear Barro down. Once he stopped, however, he was disgusted to see his opponent mostly unhurt.

"Is that all?" Barro asked. "I expected more from someone who talks such a tough game."

The Hollow studied Barro quickly but carefully. Becoming annoyed, he unsheathed his sword and began to spin it around. Weaving back and forth, he continued spinning as he approached Barro. He didn't let go as he moved the spinning sword toward Barro's legs. Once again, he was much faster than Ichigo, attacking too fast to be seen.

Barro raised his gun to attack the blur, but the Hollow was ready for him this time. He jumped over the raised gun and kicked it out of Barro's hand. Meanwhile, he swung his sword at the back of Barro's neck. Barro fell to the ground, but the Hollow wasn't ready to celebrate just yet.

Aizen followed the familiar energy from a distance. That person was in a rush to get somewhere, and Aizen wanted to know why. Cautiously, he erected a gossamer barrier around himself and followed at a safe distance. He found the dropping temperatures annoying, but they at least told him he was nearing the castle. Bitterly, he thought to himself that Ichigo had had far less difficulty reaching the Royal Realm.

After about fifteen minutes, Aizen could see the castle. It was even more vast than Las Noches, but Aizen couldn't see the point of making a castle of ice. The doors and windows were plentiful, and it was easy to see most of the happenings around the perimeter. If he could just catch up to the familiar energy, he might get some answers. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He turned to see his quarry running toward what seemed to be a side door.

Aizen was in luck. He'd move closer and keep following the person from a distance. Using his now weaponless illusion ability, he decided to get some practice in concealing his presence. He could walk freely without being seen. In moments, he once again picked up a faint amount of the familiar energy. At this rate, it wouldn't be long until he was within striking distance. A Hainawa might be useful in keeping his target stationary. The corridors weaved and turned like a maze. Aizen kept following the energy until he reached the last corridor. This corridor was long, with a seemingly infinite number of doors on either side. Fortunately for Aizen, he was able to make out some movement several yards away.

Before the other person could escape his sight, Aizen used shunpo to move within a few feet. Before his old acquaintance could react, Aizen had used a Hainawa to prevent any movement. "It has been a while, Neliel," he said without emotion.

A startled Neliel turned to face him. "Aizen! How did you get here?"

"I followed your reiatsu," he said simply. "Why are you unaccompanied and in such a haste?"

"I guess I can tell you," she answered warily. "We all got separated when Yhwach started trying to merge with the Soul King. I was following Grimmjow."

"Grimmjow is here also?" Aizen mused. "I hardly expected Arrancar to have any interest in the affairs of Soul Society."

"Where have you been, Aizen? Don't you know anything that happened in Hueco Mundo?"

"I was imprisoned for nearly two years."

Neliel sighed. "Since you don't know, I'll tell you. Some of the Quincy invaded Hueco Mundo. They took Halibel prisoner and defeated Ayon. Halibel is in this very fortress."

"I see." Aizen closed his eyes. "I can now understand why you are here. Have you encountered any Quincy?"

Neliel nodded with some concern. "Grimmjow ran off from our group to chase some guy with a curl."

Aizen lowered his eyebrows. "A curl? Describe this individual further, please."

"His hair is a bit darker than yours. He acts like a coward who runs away from a challenge, but I saw the glint in his eye. And he has the usual Quincy attire."

"I think I have encountered this individual myself," Aizen said suspiciously. "Unfortunately, we cannot expect Grimmjow to proceed with caution. I shall accompany you in your pursuit of Grimmjow. For now, our interests coincide."

"All right then," Neliel agreed reluctantly. "One more thing. That guy with the curl kept trying to make Grimmjow chase him, but then he threw some sort of bottle once Grimmjow caught up."

"A bottle? I am starting to understand."

"Then tell me, Aizen. Do you know who that guy was?" They continued down the corridor as they talked.

"Yes. He approached me and Kurosaki Ichigo, asking us to stop Yhwach."

"To stop Yhwach? That doesn't make sense."

"Naturally, I was suspicious. He was unwilling to tell me the nature of his ability until he was threatened with bodily harm."

"So what's his ability?"

"He gave me an explanation, but I do not believe him. He said that he could cause any fluid to become lethal, but that seems too simple. It certainly is not worthy of his epithet, 'death dealing.'"

"But he did throw a bottle at Grimmjow."

"That is most likely some sort of poison."

"If his epithet is 'death dealing,' then is the poison lethal?"

"I suspect that the poison will only delay Grimmjow. Quincy do not know the unique traits of the Hollow."

"Shouldn't we get to him?"

"Grimmjow is reckless. Left to his own devices, he could very well lose to Askin Nakk Le Varr."

"Askin Nakk Le Varr?"

"The Quincy with the curl. He is one of Yhwach's elite guards."

Neliel nodded. "Grimmjow's in danger, then. But how do we find him with all these doors?"

Aizen closed his eyes. "Allow me to concentrate for a moment. I can try to trace his reiatsu, just as I did with yours."

Yume clasped her husband's hand tighter. "Sei-kun...I said to you...always want you...tell the truth to me."

Hanatarou studied his brother with a mixture of concern and disbelief. "If you aren't going to start talking, big brother, I'm going to tell Yume-san exactly what I suspect."

"My Yume...You've had enough sadness. Why should I burden you with this?"

"Want to know! We...not partners? You...not trust me?"

"Yume-san...I don't think it's that," Hanatarou said slowly. "It's that...my brother's always been that way." He turned to his brother, whose eyes were now closed. "I'm going to tell you both what I think is going on here. You can tell us how close I came."

Yume nodded at him. "Hanatarou...please...tell me. I...try to help...heal Sei-kun."

Hanatarou glanced once more at his brother before closing his eyes to gather his thoughts. "First, tell me how long you and my brother have known each other."

"Long time...was teenager."

"How was your health when you met my brother?"

"Bad. Cough always. Weak lungs."

"Does that have to do with your speech pattern now?"

"No." She lowered her head and looked at her husband sadly.

Seinousuke picked up the explanation. "Something...painful happened to her. Yume was abused. That's what...led to her problems with forming sentences."

Hanatarou stroked Yume's hair. "I'm sorry, Yume-san. I didn't know."

"Sei-kun...said to me...he could try...to heal me."

"Yeah. A lot of people here didn't like him, but he's an elite healer." He turned to his brother. "Are you ready to tell Yume-san why you're the one with the lung problems now?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Nope. We can't heal you if you don't tell us everything."

"Yume-love...remember that technique I did when we saw Heitarou try to kill Sousuke?"

"When...priest cursed you?"

"Yeah. When I transferred Sousuke's injuries to the priest."

"Sei-kun! What are...you saying?"

Hanatarou looked Seinousuke in the eye. "I thought so." He sighed sadly. "Yume-san...that technique is exclusive to the Yamada family. But...Seinousuke-san is the most proficient at it. He's...the only one who ever figured how to transfer injuries and illnesses to his own body."

"Sei-kun! You...did that? Not understand! Why?"

"I think you probably know why, Yume-san." Hanatarou shook his head. "If he transferred your lung problems to his own body, it means he saw no other way to help you."

"Why...you...not tell me this?" Yume sobbed.

"It's simple, Yume-san. My brother...loves you."

The older Yamada looked Yume in the eye and squeezed her hand tighter.

"Big brother?"

"Huh?"

"We need to figure out what we're going to do to heal you."

The older brother studied Hanatarou's sword intently. "Tell me about your sword. What's your shikai?"

Hanatarou glanced over at Yume. "Yume-san, have you found out anything in the reading room?"

"Books...have lots of spells."

"Good. Let's talk some more about this after lunch." He paged Ogido, who came quickly. "Would you go to the dining hall and get us some rice balls and soup? We're going to brainstorm."

The Hollow took several breaths as he studied Barro and sheathed Zangetsu.

"You disappoint me, white Kurosaki," Barro said plainly as he sat up. "Surely you did not think you had beaten me with such a weak attack."

"Unlike the kid over there, I'm not an idiot," the Hollow sneered. "I already knew I hadn't beaten you yet. Let's just say I'm...testing the waters a bit."

Ichigo bristled at being called an idiot, but he knew the Hollow at least had more battle sense and stamina.

"Are you finally ready to fight me seriously, white Kurosaki?" Barro demanded impatiently. "I have no desire to waste my time fighting you if you are not."

"You're not actually trying to provoke me, are you, gun boy?" the Hollow retorted. "I'd rather just kick your butt and be done with it."

"Then back up your talk with action, white one."

"You really thought you had to tell me THAT?" With that, the Hollow once again unsheathed Zangetsu. He focused the reiatsu into the sword and prepared for a Getsuga Tenshou, Hollow style. If he did this right, Barro wouldn't know what hit him.

"So what are you, white one?"

"I told you, gun freak. I'm the real Ichigo."

"Stop talking in riddles."

"Who's talking in riddles?'

"The boy is lying there on the ground. How are you 'the real Ichigo?'"

"You wouldn't understand. Just keep playing with your guns and don't worry about complicated stuff like this."

"Grimmjow's reiatsu is farther down this corridor," Aizen said after he finished his kido scan. "I do not, however, sense the energy of Askin Nakk Le Varr."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" Neliel wondered.

"I am curious to know where he is."

Neliel thought for a bit. "Wouldn't it be better to find Grimmjow? The Quincy would have a harder time against all three of us."

"You are probably right. We should proceed toward him, then." They continued ahead, observing but saying nothing to each other.

By the time Ogido returned with lunch, Seinousuke had already fallen asleep. Yume and Hanatarou whispered as Yume shared what she had found thus far in the reading room.

Suddenly, the others sensed an unfamiliar, unwelcome presence. Soon, they were greeted by a spirit gate. Subconsciously, Yume moved behind her husband's bed. Her eyes opened wide as Hanatarou and Ogido moved to protect her.

"How'd I get here?" Askin wondered, feigning confusion. A smirk came to his lips as he saw where he was.

The tension in the room was enough to wake Seinousuke. "The hell are you doing here?" he demanded, pointing at Askin.

"I never thought I'd be lucky enough to sneak up on the demon," he laughed eerily.

"You'd better have a good reason for waking me up out of a sound sleep, Quincy," the older Yamada snapped.

Yume tried to conceal her fear. She studied this intruder carefully and told him sternly, "You leave now. Not belong here."

"Well now, who's this pretty little thing?"

Yume knew it was better to not tell him who she was. Turning to her husband, she asked suspiciously, "Sei-kun? Know...this person?"

"You don't belong here either, lady. Where's your Shinigami attire?"

She glared at him defiantly. "Guest. Not need Shinigami attire."

"Well, little Miss Guest. I think I'll try my 'death dealing' on you first."

That was enough to get her husband out of bed. Hanatarou was shocked at the change in his brother's expression. In a soft but dangerous voice, the older Yamada rasped, "You've just made a big mistake, Quincy." He turned to Hanatarou and Ogido. "Bring my sword from Captain Unohana's room."

Once the sword was in his hand, he looked at the two younger men with some concern. "Ogido-kun...take Yume and go somewhere safe." He turned to Hanatarou. "Attack me with your sword until it's charged up. Then attack him," he whispered.

Hanatarou said nothing as he unsheathed Hisagomaru. "I'm sorry, big brother," he whispered as he began hitting Seinousuke repeatedly.

"Hanatarou! Why...hit Sei-kun?" Yume demanded.

"I'll explain later. Trust me," he told her.