"Good morning...my Sousuke!" Yume told her son warmly. "Sleep well?"
Aizen stopped punching the bag and went over to hug her. "It was strange, my mother. It was peaceful here."
"You training already?"
"Your husband and his brother are working hard to gain information and improve their skills. I can do nothing less than prepare myself, also."
"We go back to Seireitei today?"
"That is my intention. Are Orihime and Yuiko-kun awake?"
"Girls...put away futons...make tea."
"That is good. Did you find a book to take back to Seireitei? Your husband might be interested."
"Yuiko said to me...take all three...keep them."
"You are going to be quite the formidable healer if you learn every spell in those books," Aizen smiled, impressed. "It will not take long for you to surpass your husband's skill."
"My Sousuke...too kind." She went to the kitchenette and returned with a basket of fruit. Yuiko and Orihime were close behind, bringing tea. The quartet sat down and ate the crisp apples and fragrant grapes. "We have...long day...today," Yume reminded everyone.
"Lady Yume, are we going back to Seireitei today?" Orihime asked.
"My Sousuke...said...we go today."
"Could we...practice our healing?"
"We do that." Yume gave Yuiko a friendly smile. "Yuiko...you help train Orihime too? We...learn...what she can do."
"Sure. I'm out of practice anyway. Then I have to get back to the restaurant." She turned to Aizen. "What are you going to be doing, Master Aizen?"
"I am going to be training also. Then we will make our way to Seireitei." He nodded to Yuiko. "We appreciate your assistance at the temple, as always. We would like to talk to your aunt about its care."
"I'll let her know when we get back."
Yume and Orihime went back to the west meditation room to read and talk. "Lady Yume, when did you learn about your abilities?"
"Accident. Sei-kun...help me...learn barriers. My Sousuke...hurt. I try priest technique...help him. Worked."
"That's kind of how it was for me." She hugged Yume, who was as surprised as she was happy. "I'm glad to know there are others like me."
"Good...not be alone," Yume agreed.
Meanwhile, Aizen and Yuiko practiced in the training room, kicking and punching the bag. It wasn't long before Yume and Orihime joined them.
"Hey there!" Yuiko called out cordially, pulling out a balance beam. "Let's practice, Orihime! See who can make it across the balance beam fastest."
Aizen nodded approvingly. "Maintaining equilibrium is good training. Yamada and I used to spar while standing on a balance beam."
After an hour or so of training and "girl talk," everyone packed up and got ready to leave. Yume smiled gently. "I...look for...my butterfly?"
"Yes, of course," Aizen agreed. "You should enjoy the garden, too."
In the garden, Yume once again extended her arm excitedly. Her colorful butterfly landed on her wrist and walked up her arm. "Come back soon, Yume," the butterfly whispered.
"See you later...my butterfly. Happy...to see you here."
"It's boring here!" snapped Bazz-B. "When are we going to fight?"
"They already told us: we'll get more action when this squad's captain is back from his research trip," Neliel told him. "You could take Ichigo's advice and spar with someone." She raised her eyebrows slyly at Grimmjow. "You'd like to spar with Bazz-B, wouldn't you?"
"Uh...yeah. I guess."
"Have at it then," Neliel instructed. "The rest of us can train inside."
"Hey, Neliel, where'd Sado and Shiba go?" wondered Halibel.
"Ganju-kun thought he and Sado could train at the Shiba manor. So they're back there."
"Ah, good. They were getting pretty bored here." She looked around. "There's an awful lot of stuff here."
"That's the captain's doing, from what I've heard. But that means there's more for us to use."
Meanwhile, Grimmjow and Bazz-B hurled their best verbal and physical attacks at each other. Grimmjow deftly evaded Bazz-B's Burner Finger attacks while using Panther Claws and Cero attacks. Finally, tired of missing, Bazz-B got up in Grimmjow's face and sucker-punched him in the midsection.
"Lieutenant!" called Iemitsu. "We're back. Could you come look at Lieutenant Kira?"
Isane joined Iemitsu's group in the examination room. "Thanks, Iemitsu-san. Can you enter your report into the computer? I'll handle the rest." Iemitsu went to submit his report while Isane started her examination. "So what happened, Kira-kun?"
Kira thought for a moment and then told Isane the same thing he had told Iemitsu. "This zombie stuff is weird. Iemitsu said Squad 4 and Squad 12 are researching ways to reverse the zombie effect."
"We've found some leads," Isane confirmed. "Aizen and his mother have been helping with the research. Jou-kun and Ogido-kun are at Squad 12 helping Deputy Director Akon analyze the blood samples. And...Acting Captain...Yamada and Hanatarou-kun went to the Royal Realm to gather information from the Royal Guard."
"Everyone's busy then," Kira said. "You don't suppose you have anyone free to help me out at Squad 3? We've got a lot of cleaning up to do, and I'd like to give the seated officers a proper burial."
"Hey, Isane-san!" Ichigo called from the doorway. "How's your examination coming along?" He came in and stood closer to get an update.
"We're just finishing up," Isane answered. "Kira-kun was just asking whether you and your Hollow friends could maybe help him out at Squad 3. You saw the devastation yourself."
The Hollow popped into the room. "He needs a blood transfusion! He's a zombie now. Ichigo, stick your arm out."
"Will you cut it out already?" Ichigo barked.
Isane cleared her throat. "Kira-kun, most of your injuries seem superficial, but I don't want to discharge you until I talk to Deputy Director Akon. He's more familiar with the ins and outs of the zombie officers than I am. Rest here a while."
"Thanks, Isane-san. I really don't like being a zombie."
At that moment, Yume and Aizen came in. "Isane! We back!" Yume exclaimed. Her eyes opened wide as she pointed excitedly to the Hollow. "You...white Ichigo!"
"Well now," purred the Hollow. "And who might you be, lovely lady?" He bowed with a flourish.
Yume blushed. Before she could respond, Aizen answered. "She is my mother."
"Such a lovely lady must have a lovely name, right?"
"My name...Yume," she responded with amusement. "You...energetic."
"I'm smitten. Please tell me you don't have a boyfriend already," the Hollow murmured, going into full-on flirt mode.
Ichigo loudly cleared his throat. "Will you stop flirting with Yume-san? She's a married woman!"
"Unfortunate, really. And where is this extremely fortunate husband?"
"Sei-kun...in Royal Realm."
"Hey, Ichigo, can I spar with this Sei-kun when he comes back? I'll fight him for this lady's hand."
"Uh, are you serious?" Ichigo sputtered. "Remember that guy I sparred with at the temple? The black-haired guy whose nickname is the 'demon'?"
"Yeah... And?" The Hollow's eyes narrowed.
"That's her husband."
"I see," the Hollow smiled deviously. "This could be interesting?"
"White Ichigo...silly." She turned to Aizen, who seemed as baffled as she was. "My Sousuke...you know...white Ichigo...so spirited?"
"No, my mother, I did not expect him to have such a 'type A' personality." He turned to Kira and Isane, who were watching with some interest. "My mother and I are on our way to Squad 12 to get an update from Deputy Director Akon. Kira-kun, exactly what are those strange rods in your body?"
Kira patiently explained once again what had happened to him.
"Kira-kun...we try to find...cure for zombie effect," Yume assured him. "Not overexert yourself." She nodded to him and then left with Aizen.
"Hey!" the Hollow hissed. "Where's the lovely lady going?"
"You're impossible," Ichigo sighed.
Kazuo and Kazuhiro lunged toward the two brothers, who had just begun to enjoy the hot springs. As one of them (no one knew which was which) reached to push Hanatarou's head under the water, he was stopped by a Bakudo #9: Disintegrating Circle from the older Yamada.
"The hell do you think you're doing?" Seinousuke demanded. "Trying to drown us?"
"You're so suspicious, Yamada," Kirinji sneered, getting into the hot spring. "I already said I wanted to train you two. I can't do that if I drown you, can I? Use your head, boy. But I must commend you on your reflexes."
"And how is pushing our heads underwater helping us?" The older brother sat back down in the water and folded his arms in front of him, glaring.
"There's that look again."
"Answer me. Now."
"Kirinji-sama, let us explain to this unfortunate fool," the assistants offered.
"Unfortunate fool?" Seinousuke started cracking his knuckles.
"Older brother...I'm all right. Calm down," Hanatarou begged. "Don't get us kicked out of here."
"Now see there?" Kirinji jibed. "Hanatarou's smart enough to know when to shut up and listen."
The burly assistants took turns explaining how the hot spring worked, stressing that the towel needed to be on the patient's head.
"I see..." The irritated gleam hadn't left the 'demon's' eye. "Hanatarou's not injured. Why the hell did you feel a need to push his head underwater?"
"Oops. They were supposed to push your head under the water," Kirinji smirked.
"You could have just told me I needed to put my head under the water." He slid down until his head was covered.
"I guess I'll just climb on out of here then," Hanatarou said nervously, leaving the hot spring. He looked worriedly at where his brother was.
"Go on inside and get dressed, kid," Kirinji instructed. "I'll be in there in a bit." He turned to the two assistants. "Keep an eye on Yamada," he told them. "He's a feisty one. And make sure he keeps that towel on his head."
"Akon-san!" called Yume. "Have update?"
"Lady Yume! Welcome back!" exclaimed Jou excitedly. "Did you have a nice trip to Rukongai #15?"
"Spent night at temple. Nice visit."
"We analyzed the blood samples from the Hollows."
"What were you able to find out from the blood samples" Aizen asked.
Akon came in just then. "I actually wanted to talk to everyone about that. But we can go over my notes here before Yamada-san comes back." He motioned to a table. "Sit down, everyone."
Aizen's eyes opened wide as he read Akon's detailed notes. "This could be useful indeed. Did you have any Quincy blood to analyze?"
"Yamada-san's clothes had already been washed, so Ogido-kun wasn't able to bring me those to analyze. But didn't you say there's another Quincy at Squad 4 right now?"
"Bazz-B is still there, I believe," Aizen confirmed. "We should be able to obtain a blood sample from him easily enough."
"Akon-san...know about...Kira-kun? Isane...looked him over. Said...want your opinion...before discharge. Kira-kun...said to us...not like being zombie."
"I didn't know about Lieutenant Kira, actually," Akon replied. "We all thought he had died. But I'll try to be over at Squad 4 by the end of today."
"Thank you...Akon-san. Tell me...when Sei-kun back?"
"Of course, Mistress Yume. We'll keep you updated about our research, too."
"Thank you again, Deputy Director Akon. We will also keep you apprised of any developments," Aizen added. "We will be going now."
