Kei and Soifon were lying in bed together facing one another. Soifon's hand was on Kei's cheek and Kei's hand was on the Special Forces Commander's hip.

"You ok?" Soifon asked her. Kei wasn't looking at her.

"Yeah I'm fine," she looked up.

"You sure? Ever since you had that midnight shift the other night you seem to be out of it," she said.

"I've just been doing a lot of thinking," she muttered.

"About what?"

Even laying there with just Kei and Soifon there were some many things running through her head she had trouble just concentrating. Could she tell Soifon about what happened? Could she tell anyone? She had never been so scared in her life. She wasn't facing a foe, she wasn't about to draw her last breath, Kei was facing herself, and what her decision would be scared her the most.

"Many things…" she paused, "I'm scared Soifon. More scared then I've ever been."

Soifon was surprised. She didn't think Kei would have ever admitted to being scared. They were both so good at hiding emotion that this was news to her. But why would she be so scared?

"What happened Kei?"

"Not what happened, but what will happen. This figures power bothers me. I want to know more, but I can't find anything about who it could be," Kei was lying through her teeth, but she didn't want to Soifon to worry. They had both changed since they met one another. Although Soifon was still occasionally prone to giving the evil eye, and having a short temper she had come out of her shell. But for Kei had matured in just a short amount of time, although her squad didn't see it as well as others did.

Kei took Soifon's hand and kissed her finger tips, "Don't worry about it," she tried to smile, but what happened the other night was stuck in her mind and only made a feeling of dread build within her. If she went to Hueco Mundo in three days she would be breaking a thousand promises she had made to herself and others. Break a thousand promises to save a thousand lives or keep a thousand promises and cause the lose of a thousand lives.

---

"Well?" Gin's servant entered.

"She'll be here," he smiled.

"And the peace you promised her?"

"Lies, lies, lies," he seemed to sing those words and they echoed throughout his chamber.

"What exactly do you plan really doing with her?"

"I'm going to kill her," he smiled down at the servant, "She wants to protect those she cares about until the very end, and so I'm going to give her that end. She'll be in my presence, but a few moments before I strike her down," he was laughing as he described Kei's final moments, "Her blood will run at my feet."

"And then we let lose the hollows?"

"Then we let lose the hollows."

---

Kei was back out in the wheat field working on her bankai. She had called forth the massive water dragon and it was now wrapped around her poised to strike at the intended target. A large boulder had been placed in the field so Kei could train on it.

"Drown the world!" she cried and Sai Kiero sprung forward towards the boulder and obliterated it on contact. Shards of it went flying everywhere. Sai Kiero split into to avoid another boulder and then regrouped on the other side.

You're extremely angry today, Kei. Could it have to do with what happened the other night?

Be quiet!

Let loose your anger! Use it to your advantage!

"Ah!" she yelled Sai Kiero struck the second boulder this time with greater force then the other one and only dust was left with this strike.

I want to activate stage two, Kei. Release me to my full potential!

"Obliterate and drown all in the seas of ages!" she cried. Sai Kiero grew larger and larger and Kei's spirit pressure increased ten fold. The massive water dragon roared as he began to slither out to his full length and from that a massive wall of water was created behind Kei. She held it in place, but its power came from her and Sai Kiero.

"What the hell is that?!" asked Ikkaku spying the wall of water from a distance. He sprinted over with Yumichika, but those two weren't the only ones to see it. Miku was training her kido when she saw and went to see what it was. Yoruichi was already at the wall that overlooked the wheat field watching Kei closely.

"Impressive…" she muttered, "Though her spirit pressure is very angry."

"Holy crap is that Kei?!" asked Ikkaku looking down.

"Yes it is," replied Yoruichi, "She's released stage two of her bankai."

"That's insane," he swallowed.

Miku rushed to the wall and appeared down. Her heart nearly stopped and her eyes grew wide. She had never seen anything like it. It was her first experience at witnessing any form of bankai. That was her Captain, her Captain Reiykuu. The 3rd seat never imagined the power in her.

Kei was staring straight ahead where a forest lay nearly a mile away. The Captain swung her sword down and the wall of water rushed forward with such speed and power it was hard to believe. It stripped the land bare and collided with the forest slicing right through it. The water obliterated the trees, and ripped them right from the ground. A scar was created in the forest over three miles wide and 5 miles deep before Kei called Sai Kiero back. The water dragon reformed around her.

Let us work on the sphere.

That saps too much energy.

Then we should practice it.

Fine.

You need to release more anger. What better way to do it?

Kei swung her sword quickly above her head and Sai Kiero took form of a massive protective sphere of water with Kei at its center. And within a matter of minutes she was feeling the strain of trying to keep it together. She began to sweat and her veins began to pulse. Kei's heartbeat sped up and her muscles tensed.

Hold it!

I can't much longer!

Hold it!

I can't hold on!

You're almost there!

I'm losing it!

Hold it!

"Ah!" she cried out and the water began to spin faster and faster making her nearly invisible to those on the outside. She was releasing massive amounts of spiritual energy to keep the sphere going.

"How long can she hold it?" asked Miku looking to Yoruichi.

"Not much longer," Yoruichi was focused intensely on Kei. And as soon as she said that Kei's sphere disappeared and the Captain sank to her knees.

"She didn't need to release that much did she?"

"No, Miku. Kei is not in a good mood."

"That's dangerous," said Yoruichi.

That was better.

I can't release that much spirit energy.

But you held it longer.

I nearly killed myself!

You're getting stronger!

---

Kei and Miku were doing hand to hand combat outside in the square that surrounded the Squad 3 headquarters. They were going at it really well. And Miku had quickly picked up flash steps so it made the fighting better. Kei was struck in the face by Miku's foot, but immediately returned with a punch to the 3rd seat's ribs.

"You've gotten better," smiled Kei.

"I've been practicing with Kyuuoka," she boasted.

"Good."

Miku went to kick Kei again, but her Captain blocked the attack and spun still holding Miku's foot, and kicked her shinigami behind the knee bringing her to her knees.

"Uncle," laughed Miku and Kei let go. They knelt down and took a breather.

"You've been training us really hard lately, Captain."

"That a problem?" she raised an eyebrow.

"No!" she answered immediately, "Just any particular reason why?"

"To prepare you for anything that maybe just around the corner. You should always want to better yourself Miku," Kei lied on her back breathing heavily.

"I do want to better myself!"

"That's good to know," Kei sat up and looked at Miku for a minute, "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's your last name?"

Miku avoided her Captain's gaze, and didn't answer it. And at first Kei sat quietly and waited patiently for her shinigami to answer.

"Ummm…"

Kei looked at her, "Miku I swear if you tell me that information right now it will not leave this room."

"Captain Reiykuu…uh…please promise me you won't tell anyone," she looked up and wiped at tear from her eye.

"I promise…"

"My last name is Ichimaru, and Gin is my older brother," she looked up expecting some kind of reaction, "But I swear I'm not like that! He betrayed the shinigami and disgraced my family! Please Captain Reiykuu you have to understand!" she pleaded.

But Kei raised a hand, "Enough, Miku," this silenced the young shinigami, "I've been suspecting that for some time now, but I don't compare you in anyway to your brother just in that you are far above him."

Miku was open mouthed, but smiled when she received the compliment. She didn't know what to expect from her Captain. She was worried if the Captain would cast her out, tell everyone or strike her down because that monster was of blood relation.

"How'd you know Gin was my brother if you've never seen him?"

"He was described to me after the Captains' meeting the other day," she answered another lie that slid from Kei's tongue. Kei stood stretching out her back and groaning, "That's enough for today. You're free to go."

"But Captain…" she started, but Kei shook her head, "That's enough, Miku," she turned and left grabbing her haori that hung near the door. Miku sat on the tabi mat rather confused. Her Captain was acting strange lately, and she wanted to know what was up.

---

Yoruichi saw Kei heading towards her and immediately ran up to her, "Kei!" she called out. The Captain looked up and smiled, "Hey Yoruichi."

"I've been looking for you…" she said.

"Why?" Kei looked at her.

"Soifon wanted me to talk to you."

"Ok? About what?"

"She's says you've been acting off lately, and I kind of noticed you were very angry when training in the field."

"I've got a lot of things on my mind."

Yoruichi cut her off and blocked her path. The two women just stood staring at one another. Kei went to take a step to her right, but Yoruichi blocked her. Kei went to take a step to her left, but once again Yoruichi blocked her off.

"Yoruichi…"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing Yoruichi, I'm fine," once again she tried to get around the woman, but her path was cut off. Kei was getting frustrated and amused at the same time and Yoruichi eyes were fixed on her.

"I know what happened the other night…" she muttered.

Kei's eyes shot up and looked right at Yoruichi, "What did you say?"

"Now we're getting somewhere…" she smiled.

"What did you say?" Kei questioned again.

"I saw what happened when you took the midnight shift."