Chapter 28:

"Ah? You want what, Captain?"

The idea was something Hitsugaya would never suggest under normal circumstances, but things were far from normal.

With Byakuya growing more powerful by the day, they needed a way to slow him down. To limit his army, they had to lure potential victims away from the vampire. The only subtle way to do that was to fight charm with charm.

In the daylight, Rangiku looked like her usual self. It was unclear if she was aware of what she had become, like Yumichika, or was just hiding it well, ignorant that there were others. Because of this, Hitsugaya didn't tell her the reason they were doing this or give her the details of exactly what they were planning to have her do. It was a very roundabout way of telling her to flirt with men to keep them away from Byakuya, but Hitsugaya felt he had no choice.

"I was thinking," he began slowly, "that some of our people have been overworked lately and could use a break. Including you."

Hisagi and Shinji stood behind Hitsugaya as he spoke. It was Hisagi who suggested using Rangiku's charm to lure Kira away from Byakuya. There was a chance it could work, but Hitsugaya was doubtful. Still, if there was a chance of helping him, he was willing to try. As long as she wasn't near Byakuya, there would be little risk to Rangiku.

"Why don't you take the afternoon off?"

Rangiku put her hand to Hitsugaya's forehead. "Are you sick or something? You don't have a fever."

A zing ran through Hitsugaya's body the moment she touched his forehead with her bare hand. She looked so huggable and he could feel his tail wagging under his jacket.

This must have been her succubus power. Physical contact caused something to happen to men, but because of Hitsugaya's age, it could only do so much and didn't affect him the way it did others.

He slapped her hand away and held his jacket hem over his tail to keep it hidden. "I'm fine. Don't touch me."

"I don't get it. You want me to not work?"

"You don't do that anyway, you might as well be helpful doing something else," he grumbled.

"Ah?" She put a hand to her ear. "What's that, sir?"

"I said, you've been busy so I figured you could use a break. You and Kira. Why don't the two of you go out for drinks?"

She frowned. "Are you trying to set me up with Kira, Captain? Oh, Captain…"

"Not a date!" he said through his teeth. "I just figured you'd like some company and he's a drinking buddy of yours, so…" He calmed down and added, "Unless you'd rather drink alone."

In lieu of spending her own money, she was always willing to invite others to go drinking with her. Needless to say, this was no exception.

Rangiku clapped her hands together gleefully. "Ok! In that case, why don't you come along, too, Hisagi?"

Hisagi opened his mouth but Hitsugaya answered for him. "He's got stuff to do."

"You sure? It could be fun."

Hisagi bit his lip, knowing he shouldn't but wanted to nonetheless. Blushing, Hisagi averted his eyes and shook his head.

Rangiku shrugged. "Suit yourself."

After convincing Rangiku, the trio followed her outside to watch what happened.

A mandatory Captain's meeting had been announced so Byakuya was bound to be in attendance. His servants wouldn't be that far behind either.

Sure enough, there was Byakuya walking towards the building, Kira following dutifully behind with a parasol. In its shade, Byakuya was able to walk in daylight without being burned, but it obviously made him uncomfortable. His eyes squinted in the harsh light, even in the shade, and he kept his arms close to his body for fear of them being caught in a ray of light.

Rangiku hurried over, waving to Kira. "Strange to see you with Byakuya."

"No, it isn't," he said simply, keeping the parasol over Byakuya's head the entire time.

Renji, who had been trotting behind the two, came to stand beside Byakuya to help block the sun, seeing a conversation unfold. Only Kira and Renji were with Byakuya. This wasn't worrisome, but Hitsugaya couldn't help wondering where the others had gone.

"Want to grab drinks with me?" Rangiku asked Kira, getting right to the point.

"I'd rather not," said Kira, still holding the parasol with one hand. His arm was starting to dip under its weight and had to bend his elbow to better support it. He wanted the conversation to end so he could continue with what he was doing.

Shinji watched the scene unfold from around the corner and told Hitsugaya, "I don't think it's working."

Hitsugaya said nothing and watched. He doubted it would work, but they had to be sure.

Rangiku tried again, laying on the charm, but Kira remained steadfast.

"Aw, I don't want to go by myself," she whined. "Please? It'll be fun."

"No, thanks."

"We can invite someone else to come along if you want. The more the merrier."

"I'd rather not. I'm escorting Byakuya right now. I'm busy."

"But he'll be in a meeting and you'll have nothing to do. It's for Captains. You're not a Captain, so you won't be allowed in there and their meetings can run long. Come one."

When Kira tried to turn away, Rangiku grabbed his free hand and held it in her grasp as she bounced in place. The jerking motion pulled Kira away from Byakuya and he quickly dropped the parasol in an effort to keep Byakuya in the shade. In one fluid motion, Renji dove to catch it and held it over Byakuya's head in Kira's place. Byakuya remained motionless the entire time, as if expecting this to happen.

Despite having Rangiku pressing both hands to his bare flesh, Kira resisted her charms. Looking annoyed and angry, he pulled his hand away from her, looking at her in disgust. "I gave you my answer. I don't want to go for drinks. Now leave me alone."

Rangiku stood dumbfounded at Kira's reaction and didn't persist any further. Usually, Kira was pretty timid in these situations and went along with whatever she said, feeling pressured. This was something else. It wasn't her sweettalk failing but having Kira react in such an uncharacteristic fashion that caught her off guard the most.

"Oh. Well… Um… Ok." Rangiku was perplexed. "You ok?"

Kira stood beside Byakuya and turned to glare at her.

"It's just… You seem different."

Kira had to act normal but it was difficult to do that when he had such strong feelings for Byakuya and so little feelings for his former friends. Only he was aware of the change, everyone else believing their friendship was still intact. His feelings towards the two couldn't have been more opposite. His friends meant nothing to him.

"I just got upset because you were going to tear my arm off and I'm still working. Raincheck, ok?" He kept his voice clam to hide his contempt.

"Well, alright. Then how about tonight?" she offered.

"I don't think so." Byakuya didn't drink much and he wanted to make sure his blood was as untainted as possible for his master. If Byakuya allowed him to drink to add flavor to his blood, he would, but without any such command, Kira did nothing.

"Come on, you can't be working tonight. What about tomorrow?"

"I don't think so," he repeated.

"When can you do drinks with me?"

"We'll see."

"Oh, come on. I-"

"Rangiku, the man said no, will you drop it?" Hitsugaya scolded, stepping out from his hiding place with Shinji. Since it was a Captain's meeting, it wasn't odd for them to be taking the same route.

Rangiku pouted and walked away.

Hitsugaya felt the need to jump in just in case things took a turn. He was glad he did.

Once she was out of sight, Hitsugaya looked at Byakuya and nodded. He nodded back.

"Why the parasol?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Byakuya didn't glance at it, keeping his focus on the smaller Captain. "A little bright today."

Hitsugaya looked at the sky, squinting. "I suppose so."

Shinji took an interest in the parasol, pointing at it. "Can I get one of those? Might make me look cool."

"Mine are of the finest quality. You'd have to settle for something more in your range."

"Price range or status range?"

"Yes," said Byakuya.

Shinji waved him off with a shake of his head. "Whatever. See you at the meeting, rich boy." Shinji walked ahead of them to make it look like he and Hitsugaya weren't traveling together. He didn't think it mattered, but he wanted to be sure.

The experiment wasn't a total failure. They determined that Byakuya's servants were immune to another creature's charm. Their deep dedication left no room for outside distractions. They only served him, severing all other bonds and desires.

It made Hitsugaya's heart sink a little, knowing that Kira and the others were not so easily saved.

It also proved the fear Hitsugaya carried in him that, with Byakuya being held in such high regard, everything and everyone else in their lives were meaningless. If they could not be swayed by the voice of a friend or lustful urges, it was clear that they would not bend at all.

Which meant the same thing Momo went through might happen again, only instead of being conflicted, they would gladly fight their friends for Byakuya's sake and throw their own lives away if he so ordered.

He prayed for a cure. Having them in this state and Byakuya's ability to make more was too dangerous.

"What's this meeting about, anyway?" Kenpachi asked, uninterested.

"Blood went missing again for the first time in days," said Unohana. "This is not over. I'm worried about the blood supply and we still don't have answers."

"And no suspects," grumbled Soi Fon. "We found evidence but it led to a dead end."

"What evidence?" asked Kensei. Having not been around that night, he was in the dark about it.

"We found discarded blood packs in the trash as well as what seemed to be regurgitated blood."

Kensei looked troubled. "You did, huh? When and where?"

"A couple days ago. Momo found them. Shinji, you were there when she showed them to us."

Shinji put on a convincing act of being blasé about it and said, "Yeah, but I wasn't with her when she actually found the stuff. She said she found them the previous night and waited to show people. And didn't she say it was a couple other Soul Reapers who discovered them and flagged her over?"

"Then the girl's to blame?" said Kenpachi.

"Weren't you listening?" grumbled Hitsugaya. "He just said two Soul Reapers discovered it and flagged her down. Don't pin this on her."

"Momo did say that you were there when they were found," said Soi Fon. "Said the Soul Reapers were talking to you and her about it."

"Yes, but there isn't much more to say about it. I was in the middle of something when they waved us over and couldn't give it my full attention. I believe I told them to store it somewhere for later when more people could help."

"How could you not have given it your full attention?" demanded Soi Fon. "It's an open investigation and evidence shows up on your watch. You're a Captain. It's your job to handle it."

Hitsugaya couldn't give them the real reason. There was a full moon that night, so of course he was distracted, among other things.

"Ok, I dropped the ball on that, but I felt that it required more attention than could be given in that moment which was why I told them to leave it elsewhere to be dealt with in the morning. At the time, it didn't really look like anything worth giving attention."

"That's not your call to make."

"That's why I told them to leave it somewhere safe to be looked at later by others. It could have been unrelated; it could have been planted. Who knows?"

"Which is what an investigation is about," Soi Fon snapped.

"Which I was trying to help with by telling them to leave it elsewhere to be looked at later," Hitsugaya said sternly. "And it did manage to get to you, so mission accomplished."

"He's right, you know," said Shinji.

"He does have a point," said Ukitake.

"And you just said that turned out to be a dead end anyway, so what are you getting so upset about?" said Rose.

Soi Fon grit her teeth.

"The issue is still prevalent," said Unohana, redirecting. "One guard failed his duty and was replaced and the new one succeeded until recently. More blood has been taken and the guard was replaced again."

"The issue isn't the guard," said Shunsui. "I think the new one you got was irrelevant. The reason the blood theft stopped for a few days is because the thief managed to steal enough to last them a while and when their supply ran dry, they needed more."

"That does make sense," said Ukitake. "But it still doesn't explain how they keep getting through our defenses. Kido and a guard. This is unusual to say the least."

"That's really putting it mildly."

"We might be looking at one of two things," said Shunsui. "Either the guards are allowing the thefts to take place or we're dealing with a powerful adversary."

"My men are loyal to the core. They would never," said Soi Fon. "If any of them so much as thought about doing something so despicable, they know the consequences."

"That leaves the powerful adversary," said Ukitake. "But who could that be?"

Shunsui sighed. "You're not gonna like it, but I'm gonna say it. A Captain."

Kensei stifled a gasp as he looked from Shunsui to Byakuya. As soon as their eyes locked, Kensei understood the silent message to not give anything away and quickly looked at the other Captains so no one would read the meaning behind the look.

Shinji lifted his hand into the air. "Um, question. Why would a Captain of all people do something like this? I mean, what's the point?"

"It makes no sense," said Ukitake. "As we discussed last time, what's the point of weakening ourselves? If it is one of us, they'd also be hurting themselves. If they get injured, they'd need that blood to save their lives. It's not a very bright move. Not to mention all the other people who have need of it."

"If this is a prank, I'm not laughing."

"It couldn't be," said Rose. "Not for something like this. It's too much. Too much harm to themselves and others for a cheap laugh. Who wins?"

"Do you consider anyone here an enemy?"

"I wish I could say I didn't, but after Aizen, you can't be too careful."

"We can't turn against each other."

"Maybe that's the villain's plan."

"To what end?"

"It doesn't matter who it is," said Shunsui.

"Of course, it does!" snapped Soi Fon.

"The how is more important than the who for right now," he explained. "If we can learn how they're managing to slip past the guards and the Kido and the locks, we might have a better idea of finding out who this is and how to catch them."

"Those Kido are powerful," said Unohana. "No one should be able to break them that easily."

"That's why I said a Captain could do it," said Shunsui. "But I don't think anyone here would be capable of doing something like this. At least, I'd like to think so."

"Or someone with a Captain's power," offered Hitsugaya. "Ever consider that? It might not be one of us." He had to contribute while not definitely saying it was a Captain with Byakuya standing a few feet away. It was a plausible answer which the other Captains seemed to agree with. He hoped this would help convince Byakuya that he wasn't a suspect.

"How are they getting past the guard?"

"Maybe they can turn invisible?"

"Stop time, maybe?"

"That's very unlikely."

"No one can do that."

Mayuri smiled at the remark. "But you can distort it for the individual. Keep in mind that I've made several drugs which do precisely that. No one can directly affect time. But on a smaller scale, it is plausible on a certain-"

"Are you trying to convince us that it's you drugging Soi Fon's men into having time hiccups so no one notices you going in and out of there to steal the blood undetected?"

"Certainly not," he said with a wave of his hand. "I'm just telling you the facts. Something the enemy could be doing themselves. Ever think about that?"

At least he wasn't talking about vampires, but Hitsugaya wasn't sure this was any better.

All the meeting did was start arguments and make people feel paranoid. Little was settled, but Hitsugaya was certain this wasn't over. If a Captain was under scrutiny, then a private meeting was likely to take place. If anyone took action, they would be caught in the act without realizing. It was a pretty standard tactic many overlooked at times.

Hitsugaya was certain something like that was taking place. The main issue was that it was probably going to involve Soi Fon and she would involve her men who, unbeknownst to her, were no longer hers to command. They would pretend to follow orders, all the while giving Byakuya all the information he needed to avoid falling into a trap.

"Unless that's the intent," said Shinji, when Hitsugaya shared his thoughts on the matter. "It's called a fake-out."

"No, it isn't."

"Well, that's what I'm calling it. Besides, it kind of is, when you look at it." Shinji sat up on the couch in Hitsugaya's office. "She tells her men one thing and if they take the bait, she'll know because it was false information and they weren't aware. It's how you catch people in a lie. Or when you want to keep Hiyori from going to the same place as you."

"So if she gives them an order saying a trap will be set in a certain location and they tell Byakuya so he can avoid it, he'll actually end up falling into it because she gave them the wrong location on purpose to see who they'd inform."

"While simultaneously uncovering the traitors," added Shinji, resting his arm on the back of the couch. "Now she'll know they're working for the enemy. She'll never trust them again and kick the crap out of them."

Hitsugaya sat next to Shinji on the couch. "That's good and bad when you look at it."

"Yeah. On the one hand, you find your answers. On the other, you started a brawl that might not end well. And that is mostly what we're trying to prevent. Otherwise, it'll be a bloodbath."

Hitsugaya buried his face in his hands.

"On the plus side," said Shinji, "we still got a certain someone who can use her feminine wiles to help at least half the population."

Hitsugaya nodded. "We need Rangiku to distract the men in different Divisions. My Division is safe because most of the men are already under her spell and it's a good distance from Byakuya's. I'll also be able to smell Byakuya or any of his servants if they get close. It's the other Divisions that need help."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Shinji threw his legs over the side of the couch. "Let's see a succubus in action."