Chapter 29:

It was decided that if luring Byakuya's servants wasn't going to work, the next best thing was to keep those who hadn't been infected from becoming victims. At least, half the population, given that Rangiku's powers only worked on males.

Rangiku didn't need any coaching in that department, but she did need a reason to act provocatively. After all, she normally didn't flirt the way they wanted her to for this situation, not wanting to be seen as easy. She did have some self-respect.

At first, she was against it, not understanding why her Captain suddenly wanted her to seduce men in every Division. He, Shinji and Hisagi tried to make the request more appealing, which took more time than they expected.

"Either she doesn't know what she's doing or doesn't consider it catnip to men," Shinji whispered to Hitsugaya when the fifth attempt didn't go over well.

"I think she knows but doesn't want to be seen as easy," he whispered back.

"That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one."

Hitsugaya ignored him and tried something else. After all, Rangiku was all about having fun and sometimes it gave men the wrong idea, which was why sometimes she got upset when she got the wrong kind of attention. She cared about her looks and did flirt a little, but she wasn't loose. Whether or not she realized the results of her actions was irrelevant. They needed her to be herself only on a grander scale. Which was why he tried a different approach.

"I think you're getting the wrong idea," said Hitsugaya. "We're not asking you to do anything other than what you would normally do."

She put her hands on her hips. "You think I'm that way? How rude."

"Not at all," he told her. "You like having fun and seeing you have fun makes other people happy and loosen up. That's all I'm asking."

"Define 'fun', Captain. Because I think you're trying to say something and I don't like the insinuation. Is that really how you think of me?"

Shinji opened his mouth and Hitsugaya threw his hand over it as quickly as he could.

"Of course not," Hitsugaya told her. "You can't control how people think and people interpret things differently."

She would smile and a man might think that meant she was interested. She would invite a man to join her for drinks when all she wanted was for someone to pay the bill so she could hold on to her money and nothing more. She only did this to friends and not strangers so, in her mind, there would be no misunderstanding. If a man at a bar decided to buy her a drink, that was his decision.

"But you can't deny that you know how to liven things up," Hitsugaya went on. "You have good ideas when it comes to parties. I've heard people say so."

She raised her brow.

"Given how stressed people seem to be lately, with all the blood business and meetings and work and everything, I thought they could benefit from a little downtime. And since I'm no good at it, I figured you'd know how."

This was what they should have tried in the first place. Rangiku seemed more accepting of the idea now.

"Well, for an actual party, we'd need to make perpetrations."

"I'm not saying a party," said Hitsugaya. "I'm saying just go around and brighten people's spirits. With your smile and good attitude, you'll do fine. People will naturally cheer up."

Rangiku smiled at the notion. Then she pouted. "I guess I could… But we still need to do something about the blood drive. More blood went missing, so…"

"That's good," said Shinji, pulling Hitsugaya's hand from his mouth. "You can make the idea of a blood drive more appealing. If they see you doing it, they'll want to help out, too."

Fearing that succubus blood might be dangerous in someone else's veins, Hitsugaya quickly broke in. "You won't be donating, of course. Your job will be to lure people over to the blood drive. You'll need your strength and everything. And if you're donating, no one will see you, which defeats the purpose."

"Hm. I suppose…"

"It's a great idea," said Hisagi. "Having you as a spokesmodel, of sorts."

"Model, you say?" Rangiku smiled gleefully. "Well, why didn't you say so? That sounds fantastic."

"You should work on your routine," said Shinji. "Show us a little and we'll tell you."

"Routine? Like what, exactly? Like, waving a sign or just standing there?" Rangiku asked.

"That's what we're working out now. How would you entice people to come donate blood?"

After a moment, Rangiku posed as if showing off prizes on a game show. It was good but not enough. They asked her to do more. She continued to model and practiced what she would call out to get people's attention. Shinji gave her pointers and suggestions. He was judging her performance based on how well her charm was working on him. Knowing what she was gave him a little resistance but he could tell she was having some effect on him.

Finally, Rangiku thought she had the perfect routine. Tapping into her succubus power, she flipped her hair back and posed flirtatiously in front of the three of them, calling out in an alluring voice to grab their attention.

Shinji averted his eyes, feeling it having an effect on him.

Hisagi collapsed, falling backwards onto the floor where he lay splayed and twitching.

Hitsugaya glanced down at him and looked back at Rangiku. "I think you got it. Now go spread the word."

Rangiku skipped merrily away while the others tended to Hisagi who was sporting his wolf ears and tail, as well as a bloody nose.

It wasn't long before the sickbay had a line out the door for their blood drive. There were only four women in line, everyone else male. The nurses rushed to keep up and even had to call in other Squad members for assistance.

Hanataro was one of the volunteers coming to help the nurses. He was on his way to another wing when he noticed Rangiku outside the building waving people over to donate. A crowd had gathered around her, staring as if she were clad in less than she was actually wearing. Hanataro dropped the tray he had been carrying to stare, overcome with a very peculiar feeling.

She was gorgeous. Her uniform did little to show off her body but it wasn't necessary. He felt as if his head would explode if he saw any more of her than her outfit would allow. Her hair looked so silky and soft, her eyes sparkled like gemstones and her mellifluous voice was like the most beautiful chorus he had ever heard.

He wanted to impress her; do anything she wanted.

A nurse looked up as Hanataro threw himself into a chair with his arm exposed. "Donation, please," he said, face looking like he got too much sun. All the nurse could do was stare, dumbfounded.

Shinji chuckled lightly, seeing the action from the window of another building. "Looks like our plan's working. We're killin' two birds with one stone. People are donating blood which we're in desperate need of, and all those men are now only interested in Rangiku. They should still be under her influence long after they've donated blood."

"I'm just worried they'll offer to donate too much," said Hitsugaya, standing with his back to the window.

"Nonsense," said Shinji. "Those nurses are there to prevent that from happening. They know when to stop and with the records they keep, they'll know if someone' been in more than once in the same day."

"That's true."

"I really want to donate," murmured Hisagi, pinching his nose shut to stop the bleeding. "Or just let me walk by just once to make sure she's doing ok."

"Hisagi, head back." Shinji forced Hisagi to look at the ceiling.

"She's fine," said Hitsugaya. "She doesn't need you to check on her. She's doing great."

"I'd like to see to make sure."

"I said head back!" Shinji pressed his palm against Hisagi's forehead.

"We can't donate blood. Our blood could kill a person if they aren't also a werewolf," Hitsugaya reminded him.

"Can I at least see how she's doing?"

"Hell, no." Shinji kept his hand on Hisagi's forehead to keep him from getting up. "Just looking at her is enough to give you a nosebleed. You really think it's wise to walk by her while she's working the corner?"

"Shinji," Hitsugaya scolded.

"I mean that in the literal sense," Shinji complained and pointed out the window. "She is on the corner and she's working it."

"You know how that sounds."

"Have some respect," added Hisagi, voice nasaled with his nose pinched shut.

"Fine, fine, sorry. Sheesh."

Hitsugaya glanced out the window, looking at the ground in front of the building. "Hopefully Byakuya won't want to sample any blood from those who donated. He doesn't seem to want to kill people. But that can change."

Shinji helped Hisagi with his nosebleed, handing him a wad of tissues. "Let's hope the smell of blood doesn't lure Byakuya to this room."

Hisagi whimpered.

"Shinji, don't start something."

"Yeah, yeah." He sighed. "He can't get around easily during the day, so what are we worried about? He's probably sleeping."

Despite his many servants and low profile, Byakuya had garnered some unwanted attention from other Soul Reapers. In a way, keeping a low profile was part of the problem. Since few saw him during the day, many started to whisper about what he could be up to. The man liked his privacy but this was too much. No one was allowed in his office, he sent Renji to attend meetings and training exercises for him, and if he had no choice but to leave his office, he always did so with an umbrella over his head and someone walking behind him to hold it. This was very unusual for the responsible Byakuya.

Those who followed him closely were also suspicious for no other reason than their lack of reason for being there. It was one thing to visit but this was a bit much. His servants were shirking their duties to tend to Byakuya's whims. Ikkaku had no reason to be there or even visit Byakuya, yet he was almost always doing something for the nobleman. He would have gotten a scolding from his Captain if Kenpachi had cared enough to bother. Kensei was a Captain himself so he was free to do as he wished and his Lieutenant had a secret of his own, so there was no one in the office to help the Squad members if any of them had questions or concerns. With Kira hanging around Byakuya so much, Rose was starting to get annoyed and worried.

The infected Stealth Force would overhear the gossip and promptly report it to Byakuya who remain unconcerned. It seemed he was caring less and less about his image in a certain sense. He maintained his pride but some things didn't seem as important to him anymore. His responsibilities as a Captain, for one. He cared about his nobility but he cherished the Kuchiki name as only a vampire could these days. He had gotten cocky and viewed many of his activities as a game. If it became too challenging, he just didn't do it, preferring simplicity.

The servants at the Kuchiki manor knew their place and didn't share any opinions. Their job was to serve, not to judge. If they thought anything was strange, they didn't speak of it. Not that there was anything to speak of, considering how little time Byakuya had been spending at home these days. If he came home at all, they were usually asleep by that hour. Their master did enjoy taking walks at night, so this wasn't too unusual.

Rukia, however, knew something was going on. Not just with her brother but those in his company. The way Renji and Kira behaved during the meeting was distressing. Something had happened to them but she didn't know what. They were themselves but not. It was as if their priorities had changed. It worried her but she knew better than to bring it up to either party.

It was getting harder and harder to keep it to herself, so when she was asked to go to the World of the Living, she jumped at the opportunity. This was just the distraction she needed and, if it still weighed on her mind, she could talk to Ichigo about it, far from any prying eyes.

Momo was still deeply troubled by what was happening in the Seireitei and didn't know what to do or where to turn. Those she was closest to seem to be brushing her off and she could feel the distance growing between them. Her Captain was acting strangely as were a couple other Captains. After seeing the results of the blood drive, Momo was even more confused. It was a great turnout, but all those Soul Reapers were very disconcerting. Rangiku was getting so much attention and those men seemed to be under a spell of some sort. When she talked to the nurses about it in the sickbay, they shrugged it off because of the results. Some nurses were turning people away, having already been there that afternoon to donate and couldn't take any more, but they wanted to give until they passed out and some did.

Things calmed down after Rangiku left and the nurses were able to catalog the blood and store it away amidst tending to those who had fainted from trying to donate a second time, or ones who just couldn't stand the sight of their own blood.

Several men offered to treat Rangiku to dinner and she turned them down with a smile on her face, flattered. Others bought food and gave it to her, saying they didn't want it to go to waste, which she did accept. Accepted but didn't eat it. Surrounded by so many men, Rangiku felt completely satisfied. She had been feeding off their lust all afternoon without realizing.

Byakuya had become suspicious as well, noticing that Yumichika wasn't the only one to change in the Seireitei. He hadn't noticed anything different about Rangiku until he saw the results of the blood drive and the gathering of suitors.

Soi Fon knew her men were better than this and didn't understand why they weren't getting results.

Yumichika knew he heard that wolf say something the other day.

Everyone was suspicious for different reasons.

It wasn't safe to roam around the streets now that the Stealth Force was under Byakuya's control. They acted as Byakuya's spies and could be lurking in the eaves of buildings. For this reason, Hitsugaya thought it was best if they stayed in either the forest or their own dwellings. Now that the garlic plants had been destroyed, there was no reason to be out at night.

Hisagi's head jerked around, smelling something. "It's Rangiku. She's nearby."

"Let her be," said Hitsugaya. "We need to get off the streets."

In their Soul Reaper forms, they blended right in with the evening crowd. Everyone was going home for the night. Most had already done so, but those working a later shift to get things done decided to stay up until now.

Unless threatened, Byakuya wasn't likely to attack a group of people leaving the buildings but given Byakuya's escalating behavior of late, it was possible, so the werewolves chose to stay late just in case to watch over them.

Hisagi whined longingly. "But she's so close."

Shinji pulled on his ear to distract him and Hisagi yelped. "You haven't even seen her and you're getting drunk off her scent? How much of a thing do you have for this woman?"

Hisagi snarled, annoyed. "I'm just saying I smell her."

"More reason to get a move on," said Hitsugaya. "Your already existing feelings coupled with her powers doesn't bode well if you get too close."

"Right, right, sorry."

They didn't get more than two steps away before Rangiku sprang out of nowhere and hugged both Shinji and Hisagi from behind.

"We did it! The blood drive was a huge success! We got so many donors! You had a great suggestion, you guys. Nice job. Thanks a bunch, you two. And you, too, Captain."

Shinji held his breath to keep from breathing in her scent, hoping it would help him resist. His clothing helped put up a barrier but Hisagi's uniform had no sleeves, so when Rangiku hugged them, her bare hand touched his arm and he turned as red as a radish.

"Thanks, Rangiku. Now go home," Hitsugaya told her, seeing Hisagi getting redder.

She giggled and squeezed both men tightly as she spoke to her Captain. "Well, then, goodnight."

"Goodnight," he stressed firmly, wanting her to leave.

She ruffled the hair on Shinji and Hisagi's heads. "Goodnight, you guys. See you later." She intentionally slid her hand under Hisagi's chin, brushing along his jawbone. She tried the same with Shinji but he moved and only brushed the lobe of his left ear which made him shiver and quickly rub at it with his sleeve as if to get the sensation off his skin.

Hisagi's tail was out and wagging but Rangiku didn't notice, walking away.

Hisagi's legs wabbled and his body rabidly heated up. He staggered and stammered, overwhelmed, and the two desperately tried to calm him down. Rangiku had excited him and he gave in to the impulse to be with her. Before they could stop him, Hisagi had transformed into a wolf and bounded after her.

"That idiot!"

"He's lost control, the moron!"

Hisagi chased Rangiku down, yelling, "Touch me again! Pet me! Love me! I'll buy you dinner! Whatever you want, I love you!" Alas, only barking was heard.

Not that it mattered. Once he caught up to her, Rangiku lavished attention on Hisagi as if he were just an oversized dog.

"Seriously," stated Shinji. Even though he hadn't given chase, he knew what was going on without having to see it.

Hitsugaya rubbed his temples, jaw clenched in irritation.

"Same thing as before," said Shinji. "She can't tell the difference between a wolf and a dog. Either that or she doesn't care."

He started to walk away but Hitsugaya stopped him.

"We need to get him away from her."

"Why?" asked Shinji. "He's already a werewolf and I don't think she has the power to turn him into an incubus."

"A what?"

"The male version of a succubus," Shinji explained.

"He could play-bite her."

"And? She's a succubus. It's not like she can be both."

"Based on what?"

Shinji shrugged. "Assumption?"

Hitsugaya shook his head. "She might not care, but it'd be bad if someone saw a wolf walking around. Even if it wasn't a threat. Plus, we're not sure what she can do to him."

"I think I have a pretty good idea."

Hitsugaya glared at him.

"What? She is a succubus and he's a hot-blooded male with a crush on her. What do you think is gonna happen?"

Hitsugaya faced the other way. "I need him away from her."

"Good luck with that. You know what they say about a man's drive. You're old enough to have gotten the talk, right?"

Hitsugaya clenched his fists and seethed. "How many more cracks are you going to make about my age? Or my appearance?"

"Depends how many I can get in."

Hitsugaya tried to calm down so he could focus. "I know one way to get him to come."

Shinji raised his brow.

Facing away from Shinji, Hitsugaya howled a summons in the direction Hisagi had gone.

Even though the howl wasn't directed at him, Shinji could hear it clear as day and responded on pure instinct, howling back.

It felt good to howl. Hearing their howls meld together in a beautiful chorus, he felt one with the pack, as small as it was. Accepted and free and a sense of belonging brought a wild glow to Shinji's yellow eyes.

Momo heard the howling from outside her Division and ran to find its source. After that wolf had gotten away, she was burdened with its unknown means of escape and wanted answers. Hearing another howl followed so closely by the first meant there were at least two of them close by. She quickened the pace.

Hisagi rolled on his back as Rangiku rubbed his face and chest with both hands, cooing sweetly to him as her tiny bat wings took shape on her back, transforming under the evening sky. He licked her fingers as she ruffled his muzzle playfully. He loved being a wolf. Rangiku was so affectionate to him in this form. He didn't care if she knew it was him or not. He loved the attention.

A howl disrupted the fun and he kicked onto his stomach, eyes glowing faintly. The leader of the pack was calling. It was time to leave. Hisagi looked off in the direction of the howl and huffed, knowing he had to answer. He stood up and left without giving Rangiku a second look.

Hitsugaya stood and waited with Shinji standing behind him. He knew Hisagi was on his way.

His eyes darted to the street in front of him, seeing Momo coming their way. He gasped, knowing she would see Hisagi in his wolf form if she came closer and frantically tried to find an excuse to get her to leave.

"Momo, what are you doing here?"

She jogged up to him, looking around. "I heard a wolf howl. Two of them."

"Uh, how do you know it was a wolf?"

"Wolves howl, of course."

"It could have just been a dog."

She puffed out her cheeks angrily. "I know what I heard, Toshiro!"

She must have been upset because she didn't use his nickname.

"You heard it, too, right?"

"Uh…" Hitsugaya looked away. "I, uh…"

"You heard it, didn't you?" she pressed.

Hitsugaya looked over his shoulder. "Did you hear anything, Shinji?"

Shinji's eyes were still glowing faintly. "If you want me to, I guess, maybe."

Hitsugaya blinked, unused to this response from Shinji. He seemed oddly compliant. He didn't want to admit to anything without Hitsugaya's approval.

"I was asking you, Little Shiro."

Hitsugaya looked back at her. "I heard a noise but I thought it was just some people hollering. It didn't sound like a wolf to me. Getting too wild and they whoop and holler. It probably just sounded like howling."

"You think it sounded like people whooping, Little Shiro?"

"It sounded that way to me. Didn't it, Shinji?" He tried to take advantage of Shinji's current condition.

"Yes," he replied. "That's how it sounded to me, too."

Judging from his tone and actions, Shinji wasn't being controlled. The howl must have triggered his instincts and gave in to pack mentality. He recognized their positions and understood that Hitsugaya was the leader, which was why he didn't want to act out of turn.

Momo looked from Shinji to Hitsugaya. "Are you messing with me?"

"No, of course not."

Shinji shook his head, agreeing with Hitsugaya.

"But it really did sound like howling."

"Whooping can sound like howling." Hitsugaya didn't want to admit it was him because he feared she would ask more questions. He wanted her to leave. If he told her he heard howling, then she would stay and insist they search together, which he wanted to avoid.

Once Hisagi heard the call, he would come to wherever Hitsugaya was. Momo could not be here when that happened. If he went somewhere with her, Hisagi would still show up, heeding the call. The only option was for her to leave.

"It probably came from over there," said Hitsugaya, pointing and hoping Hisagi wouldn't come from that direction. "I bet there's some people fooling around over there and they probably made the noise. Go check it out if you don't believe me."

Momo looked behind him in the direction he was pointing. She wasn't willing to do it.

"Fine," she said. "I'll leave it alone. I can take a hint." She turned around and started walking back the way she came.

Just then, as she turned, a wolf appeared on the street.

Everyone gasped, seeing each other.

"Wolf!" Momo cried, staring at it in shock.

Hisagi lowered his ears and ran into the nearest building, hoping to get out of sight so he could change back and keep the secret.

"I told you, Little Shiro! I told you!" Momo ran into the same building to pursue the wolf.

"No, wait! Momo!" Hitsugaya called after her. "It's not safe! Don't go after it!"

"It's ok! I can handle it!" came her voice from somewhere inside the building.

Hitsugaya clasped his hands to his head in exasperation. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"If she stays on his heels, there's no way he can change back and have her not notice." Shinji looked at Hitsugaya. "Your call. What do we do?"

Looking up at Shinji, Hitsugaya could see the anxiety in his eyes. He wanted to help Hisagi, a member of the pack, but needed to know if the pack leader had a plan before taking action.

Taking charge, Hitsugaya pointed into the building. "Follow Momo and distract her."

Nodding, Shinji ran into the building alongside Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya may have been a Captain and Momo's childhood friend, but Shinji was her Captain and had direct authority over her. Between the two of them, Momo was more likely to listen to Shinji since she couldn't always get past the relationship she had with Hitsugaya and would treat him like a friend before an authority figure.

Momo stayed on the wolf's trail, following it closely in the empty office building. Every time it looked back, the wolf would find that it was still being followed and run a little faster or dart down a different hallway.

If only he could escape into one of these rooms and shut the door or hide behind a desk, he could change back and end the chase. It wasn't going to be enough to dive under a table for a quick second. Popping up too quickly after the transformation would raise too many questions. He needed time to conceal himself and allow for an alibi to explain away the vanished wolf. Changing back too quickly would be just as bad as changing in front of her. She was bound to find out that they were one and the same.

He turned a corner sharply and tried to enter an office but pausing to fumble the knob with his nose allowed Momo to get even closer. He gave up and bounded to the other side of the hall, sprang off the wall, over Momo's head and ran back down the way he came to take a different hall.

Seeing that the wolf was desperate and skilled, Momo tried to slow it down with Kido. Running, she took aim and fired a binding Kido but the wolf jumped before it could land. Hisagi was thankful for all the training they had done in the forest, increasing his maneuverability in his wolf form. He was even more agile in his wolf form than as a Soul Reaper.

Hitsugaya saw Momo take aim at the wolf, darting in front of him as they changed direction again, and threw out his arm to stop her. "Wait!"

The Kido hit him instead and Hitsugaya's arms were bound in front of him.

Momo slowed long enough to free him, but kept pursuing the wolf.

He had hoped she would stop long enough for Hisagi to find a place to change back but no such luck. She was able to undo the Kido and keep running at the same time. Momo was always very proficient when it came to aim and Kido. That's what allowed her to rise to the rank of Lieutenant so quickly.

Hitsugaya couldn't act hurt because Momo wouldn't believe him and she was determined to get that wolf no matter what. He couldn't understand why she cared so much about capturing it. She wouldn't have been that worried about a wild wolf roaming around. This must have been redemption after the first one she captured mysteriously disappeared. No one seemed to believe there was a wolf which probably explained why she was so desperate to catch this one. This was why he needed a new plan.

"Ok," he said to himself and to Shinji. "We'll go to plan B with another distraction."

Hisagi slid on the polished wood and slammed into the wall at the end of the hall. He recovered quickly and tried to hide in the nearest office, scratching desperately at the door with both paws. Momo was right there and he was cornered.

What was she going to do to him? Cage him? Draw her sword? He didn't think Momo would actually kill him but fear had his mind running wild. He had to escape but there was nowhere to run or to hide.

Momo aimed at Hisagi who back into the wall behind him.

A sharp bark from behind distracted her and she turned.

A white wolf, the same white wolf from the other night, was standing behind her.

"Hisagi, hurry!" Hitsugaya told him and Hisagi tried again to get into the nearest office since he didn't dare go past Momo. When Hitsugaya ordered him to run, he didn't bother with the office and took his chance, running around Momo and over to Hitsugaya.

Just as he feared, Momo saw the wolf move past her and tried to restrain it. Hitsugaya prevented her by barking and snapping at her hand with no intention of doing her harm. He just needed to get the message across.

Momo turned her attention to the white wolf and it soon became a staring contest.

Once Hisagi was safely down the hall, Hitsugaya back away, keeping his eyes on Momo the entire time.

She understood that the wolf was defending its friend but wild animals, especially ones as large as these, didn't belong in the Seireitei. She also wanted to prove that there were wolves, detesting the looks she had been given the other day by Soi Fon and Iba. She knew they didn't believe her and aimed to change that.

Hitsugaya continued to back up, unwilling to turn his back on Momo, expecting an attack. She did anyway and Hitsugaya dodged the Kido aimed at his legs. He kept dodging until finally springing off the wall and down a different hallway.

Another chase began and Hitsugaya eluded her every attack as he ran until she aimed a Kido, not at him but in front of him. Hitsugaya skidded into a web of light and tried to make a sharp turn but Momo was waiting with another Kido and Hitsugaya found himself bound once again.

Shinji entered the same hall and saw Momo approaching the restrained wolf.

"Momo, that's enough," he ordered, wanting to protect Hitsugaya. "I'll take it from here."

"No, I got this."

"No. Momo, I gave you an order. As your Captain, I expect you to follow my orders."

Momo paused for only a moment before whipping around and glaring at him. "Why?" she demanded.

Hitsugaya blinked, looking at the two of them in surprise. Momo was normally very obedient to her superiors. Sure, she complained about them like a child, but she knew they were important figures and wouldn't talk back to their faces unless she had a very good reason to do so, always trying to be respectful.

"Why should I?" Momo went on. "No one believed me about the wolf. Now I have proof."

"Which is great. I believe you. So now I will handle…"

"The same way you wanted to handle the evidence we found in the garbage? You've been dismissing a lot of things and acting really weird lately. Why? What are you hiding from me?"

"N- nothing."

Momo gave him a piercing glare. "Why should I believe you? You haven't been honest about anything since this whole thing began! Are you the one stealing blood from the sickbay? Do you know who is? Why does it seem like you're trying to sabotage our investigation? Why do you keep disappearing? And where's Little Shiro?"

Shinji looked down at the wolf and back at Momo. "I…" He shook his head. "It's not… He…"

"What are you hiding from me?!"

"Nothing. I told you…"

"I don't believe you!" Momo's eyes were angry but there were tears in the corners of them as well. She was hurt by their lack of communication and trust in her. Suddenly, it seemed they didn't have any faith in her or believed she was capable of anything. She knew she wasn't useless and she knew she wasn't imagining things.

Shinji read all these feelings in her eyes and felt empathy for the small girl. She wanted to be taken seriously. She didn't want to be a burden. She wanted them to see her worth. To be seen. She felt they were putting up barriers and didn't understand why. Why was everyone ignoring her? Why was she the screw-up? Why did her Captain and her childhood friend chalk up her feelings and concerns as the hysterics of a silly girl?

"It's not like that," Shinji told her.

"Then tell me what's going on!"

"I… There's nothing to tell," he told her. "If it was like that, I'd tell you. If you think there's something you're not being told, it's for a good reason?"

"I don't like secrets. I don't like being lied to."

Shinji lowered his head, understanding. The person she looked up to the most lied and manipulated her and it left deep scars on this caring girl. It was a betrayal one couldn't simply get over.

He wasn't like Aizen but Momo must have felt that something was being kept from her and it brought back bad memories. It stirred up all these unresolved feelings and made her question if it was happening again.

He only recently became her Captain and didn't know each other that well. They got along fine, but this situation brought out the worst in them. Shinji had a feeling that if he hadn't been combating his wolf instinct, it would be easier for him to hide the secret, but he wasn't sure.

"Momo, I can let the wolf go into the wild. I'll handle it. Please."

"No, I'm showing the wolf to Iba and whoever else didn't believe me about it. Even if it isn't responsible for the missing blood, I still want them to check it out."

"I can do that for you," said Shinji, seeing her move closer to the wolf. "I'm a Captain. I have the authority to…"

"To hinder the mission?" Momo snapped. "Why are you making this so hard? Why are you dismissing everything?"

"I'm not."

"Then why aren't you taking anything seriously?"

"I am. It's just…"

"Just what?"

Shinji shook his head.

He could feel his chest tightening. He was trying to remain calm but he needed to free Hitsugaya and tend to his Lieutenant's misgivings. None of which was easy while fighting the urge to handle this like a wolf. He needed to keep the secret and there was nothing he could tell Momo she wouldn't doubt. She hadn't believed any explanation he gave her, no matter how plausible.

Momo moved closer to the wolf and Shinji could feel something swelling within him. His heart was pounding. He was anxious and angry and desperate. He wanted Momo to listen to him but she wouldn't. Why wasn't she understanding him? Why would she not obey? It was infuriating. He just wanted her to stop and listen to him.

"Momo," he told her sharply. "Momo, stop. Please, stop. Listen to me. Don't."

She ignored him.

"Leave the wolf alone. Let it go. Just don't make this worse."

She turned her back to him.

"Don't make this worse…" Shinji said this more to himself than to Momo. "Momo, please!"

"You won't give me answers, why should I listen to you? Why should I listen to you when all you do is lie to me? Why should I listen to you when I can't trust you?"

"I'm your Captain," he gasped, the feeling pulsing through his body now. "Listen to me."

His heart kept pounding. His body felt so hot. His limbs were tingling with a strange energy.

"Momo, do what I tell you! Leave him alone! Set him free!"

She turned her back to him and focused on the wolf.

Why wouldn't she listen to him?

The pack leader was in trouble. He had to defend him. Protect him.

He had to do something.

"Momo!" Shinji shouted desperately. "Momo! Stop! Stop!"

He didn't know if the order to stop was meant for her or himself.

A moment later, Shinji tasted blood.

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