Hey everyone, sorry for the late posting, but I was a bit under the weather this morning and slept through most of the day. But, I managed to get this one done in time, as promised.

Besides the bug I got, not much going on here. Getting ready for school to start up again in a couple months; gonna be taking Chemistry 101 this semester, so that means I've got one hell of a headache coming up, lol.

Without further ado, on to 'Spades's Corner'.

Thanks for the -9- on the scale bro, glad you liked it. I knew that little prank of Kit's was gonna put you on the floor, did the same to me as I was writing it. Tried to keep a straight face, but that didn't even last two seconds, lol. If you thought that one was good, I can assure you that Kit has plenty of other tricks buried in her fur, hint hint. To the questions:

1: I have thought about a 'holiday chapter', but considering that it is now mid-September, at least story-wise, going to the beach is not a very good idea. I'll try to figure something out though.

2: A lot of different anime have caught my attention to be honest, but none of them have pushed me far enough to write a story regarding them. If I was to write another story using a different anime, the most likely winner would be 'Sword Art Online'.

3: A drink here and there as you will see. I don't intend to make her a hardcore drinker as she simply does not seem like that kind of person to me.

4: Wait and see my friend, lol.

5: It makes it difficult, but it is necessary for the story line. As I'm sure you can guess, Hinata and the guys are not main characters, but they are mandatory for the plot.

5.2: It was, but once I got it started, it just seemed to flow for me.

Well, I'm getting my butt back to bed and resting up some more, so hope you all enjoy.

(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTORS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!)


Chapter 21

(Learning One's Feelings)

Urahara Shop, 1 Hour Later

"Sounds like your hollow spirit had it in for ya, Nel." Yoruichi commented.

After a slow climb back up to the shop, and a twenty-minute healing session from Orihime, the three women sat down at the dining room table enjoying some tea while Nel told the former Captain about her encounter with the spirit of her hollow powers.

Orihime was a bit saddened to hear what the spirit had put the Arrancar through, while Yoruichi was quite impressed. Not only because of the beating she had to endure, but also the fact that she was willing to throw her powers aside in order to fight with Timothy.

"Yeah, that sounds a bit…harsh to me." Orihime added, looking at the woman with concern.

Nel was leaning her back against the wall with her head lowered a bit, still quite a bit exhausted. "Yes, but I do understand how she feels. I really…thought she was gone forever. But I'm happy to have her back, even if she doesn't quite like Tim." she stated.

Yoruichi folded her arms over her chest with closed eyes. "Still, I'm a bit intrigued that you were willing to toss aside your own powers to stay with him." She opened an eye at the former Espada and grinned a bit. "You must really 'like' him." She hinted.

The Arrancar turned a bit pink. "Please don't start that again." She pleaded in a depressed voice.

Orihime looked at the golden-eyed woman with disappointment. "You really should stop being so mean to her, Yoruichi. That's not like you to do something…" She paused, then tilted her head. "…Well, maybe it is…but must you be so harsh about it?"

Yoruichi rubbed the back on her head sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you got a point." She admitted, then looked at Nel. "And…I guess I do owe you an apology for that, Nel. Perhaps I have been a bit…excessive with my antics." She said reluctantly.

Nel nodded. "It's fine, Yoruichi. I know you didn't mean anything by it, and neither did Kit for that matter." She then looked at the woman pleadingly. "Just please don't do it anymore?"

The woman sighed, but nodded. "I'll do what I can, but I can't make any promises. You just make it too damn easy to mess with you, Nel. But…" She paused and gave the former Espada a serious stare. "…on a serious note, you actually 'do' have feelings for the kid, don't you?" she inquired.

Orihime huffed and stared angrily at Yoruichi. "Leave her alone, Yoruichi!" she demanded in a sheepish and embarrassed tone.

Yoruichi looked at her with a raised brow. "What?! I'm not teasing her or anything, I'm asking a serious question here." Her eyes returned to Nel. "Come on, Nel, it's pointless to try and hide it. Tim's asleep in his room, so you don't have to worry about him hearing anything. It's just us girls here." She pointed out.

Nel turned her eyes to the woman. "With you, that doesn't make me feel better."

The woman scoffed lightly. "I'm not talking to you like the seductive 'demon' that you know me as, I'm talking to you as a woman, to another woman." She affirmed. Nel continued to stare at her disbelievingly for a moment, then the woman sighed again and held up her right hand. "Alright, I swear on my honor I won't say, or do anything." She said, then dropped her hand. "Now come on, Nel." She pressed.

Orihime's eyes turned to Nel as well, waiting to see what she would do. After a few moments, Nel finally sighed and nodded her head.

"Fine, I guess…I do feel something towards Tim. I talked with Orihime this morning about it, and she explained what these feelings are. I guess that…I'm still a bit confused about the whole thing." Nel admitted hesitantly.

Yoruichi nodded and rested her hands in her lap. "And?" she pressed.

Nel looked at her with question. "And what?"

The woman rolled her eyes with a scoff. "And…you plan on trying to get closer with Tim?"

The Arrancar's faced reddened a bit more as she turned away. "I…I wouldn't…mind, I guess." She said, then looked back at the woman with concern. "But…I'm worried about…what it'll do for Tim. He would be in very serious trouble if the soul society found out." She pointed.

Yoruichi snorted at the Arrancar's words. "Girl, that kid's already in deep shit just by helping you out and hiding you. What else could they do? Execute him? Yeah, good luck with that one."

Nel nodded. "Kisuke said the same thing…that being in a relationship wouldn't matter anyway because he's already helping me."

"And he's right." Yoruichi firmly stated and drank some of her tea. With a relaxed sigh, she set the cup back down and laid back on the floor with her head supported by her hands. "I'll admit Nel, I'm amazed someone like you, no offense, can show feelings, like love and such. It's a whole lot different than what the soul society has always believed about hollows; thinking them to be nothing more than mindless beasts that know nothing more than hunger and anger. But you proved that wrong; that not 'all' hollows are as evil as they say."

The woman lifted her head to look at her friend. "You're quite the interesting person, Nel. And I really hope that you and Tim can find a way to make the soul society see you for who you are and not what you are. But in the meantime, if you do decide to get closer to Tim, my advice is to keep yourself prepared for the hell that's sure to come when they find out."

Nel nodded and gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Yoruichi."

Orihime clapped her hands together with a wide smile. "I think you two should go on a date." She advised.

The Arrancar turned to her with a raised brow. "Date?" she asked in confusion.

Yoruichi and Orihime glanced at each other with wide eyes, then back at Nel. "You don't know what a date is?" Yoruichi asked in surprise.

Nel simply shrugged her shoulders. "I've read a few books on human behavior before, but I don't recall anything called 'dates'. Is it something important?" she inquired.

The two other women again glanced at each other, then shook their heads. "Girl…" Yoruichi started, then looked at the former Espada with pity. "You're gonna need a 'hell' of a lot more help than we thought." She pointed out, followed by a swift nod from Orihime.

20 Minutes Later

"So…you go on these 'dates' to go and have fun with the person you really 'like'?" Nel ask for clarification, getting nods from her two friends. "And…you do this…why?" she inquired in skepticism.

Yoruichi slapped a hand to her face while Orihime sighed in defeat. "Let me ask you something Nel…" Yoruichi mumbled through her hand, then dropped it to look at the woman. "How exactly 'does' romance work for hollows? I mean…I'm sure it's different, but you 'do' do something there, right?"

Nel rubbed the top of her head. "Well…there really isn't any romance or stuff like that." She answered, getting confused looks from her friends.

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked.

The Arrancar turned to her. "Well, if a hollow sees another hollow that he or she fancies, that hollow takes the other as its mate."

The teens eyes widened. "You…you mean you just…take someone as a…mate?" she asked in a blush, getting a nod from Nel. "Um…isn't that a little…barbaric?"

Nel gave her a hurtful look. "Hey!"

Orihime quickly held her hands up in surrender. "I. I didn't mean anything by it! It's just…different is all."

The former Espada tilted her head in thought. "From everything you've told me, I guess humans 'would' find that a little strange. So, how exactly 'do' humans get together, if not by mating?" she inquired.

The teen turned red while Yoruichi snickered at her face. "Well…um…the two that really like each other…um…eventually g…get…" she then lost her voice as she now turned beat red. She lowered her head and started twiddling her thumbs in circles. "…married." She finally choked out.

Nel rose a brow. "So…I'm guessing that makes them…mates?"

Orihime dropped her head lower and couldn't find the courage to answer. Thankfully, in a way, Yoruichi was there to rescue her.

"In a sense, yes. It basically bonds them together. Think of it as…a promise between the two of them that they'll only love each other and no one else." She answered.

Nel turned around to the woman. "But…humans don't…" she stopped herself, then sighed heavily as she rubbed her temples. "Humans are so confusing." She stated, shaking her head.

Yoruichi laughed at her. "Girl, if you plan to start a new life here after this is over, you better get used to it." She advised.

The Arrancar dropped her hand. "But why do humans have to make things so complicated?"

"Some of the best things are complicated, Nel. Sure, finding a 'mate' may be easy for a hollow, but other than to have certain actions and to breed, there's nothing else involved. But when it come to humans, loving another is something…far deeper. You enjoy being around each other and looking out for each other. Instead of just sharing their bodies, humans also share their souls with each other. It sounds confusing as hell, and it is, but it's something that is highly enjoyable." Yoruichi educated.

Nel leaned her back and head against the wall in thought. "So…these dates help to establish this 'sharing of the soul'?" she inquired.

Yoruichi nodded. "In a way, you could say that. They help further the feelings that the two have for each other. It's basically to get to know each other better to determine if that person is the one you want to spend life with."

The Arrancar looked at the golden-eyed woman. "So, you're saying that if I want to increase my feelings for Tim, I should take him to one of these 'dates'?"

Yoruichi nodded. "If you think you wanna chase after the feelings you have for him, then yes. The only problem I think you might have, is how dense the kid is. But…I'm sure if we get Kit in on this, she should be able to help us with that."

Nel rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "I…don't think that's a good idea. And, now that I think about it, wouldn't she be upset if me and Tim did get together? I mean…she used to be his wife, didn't she?" she stated.

The older woman waved her off. "I don't think that'll be a problem. Besides, she used to date him herself at one point, so she'd be able to give you some tips on the kind of things the kid does and doesn't like. Just take him out to the main part of the city and spend some time together."

The teal-haired Arrancar gave her a questioning look. "But…how can I do that if I can't leave here?"

"As long as Tim, Kisuke, or myself are with you, it shouldn't be a problem." Yoruichi answered calmly.

Orihime gave the woman the same wondering stare. "But…how would we get him to take Nel out? I'm not exactly sure, but from what it sounds like, he's not going to go along with this willingly." She pointed out.

Yoruichi grinned. "Simple, have him take Nel out under the guise that she needs to get used to being around humans and needs to learn how humans live." She said, then looked at the said woman. "All you have to do Nel, is point out things that interest you; meaning things you would like to do with him on your date." She plotted out.

Nel lowered her head a bit in shame. "I still don't think this is a good idea, Yoruichi. I'm still worried about what will happen if the soul society finds out."

The former Captain groaned loudly with annoyance, then reached over and slapped the back of the Arrancar's head. Nel quickly lifted her head and turned to the woman in shock as she placed a hand on the spot where the woman had struck her.

"W…What was that for?!" she demanded.

Yoruichi glared at her sternly. "For being an idiot." She answered plainly. "Just how many times do people have to tell you, Nel? Regardless of what you two do, even if you two were to get married…" she said as she threw a hand through the air, causing Nel and Orihime to blush a bit. "…it wouldn't matter. If the soul society finds out about you 'at all' the kid will be in trouble, because they'll know that he helped you."

She then reached over and tapped a knuckle on the Arrancar's forehead with a light thump. "You couldn't possibly be as dense as he can, right? Come on, Nel…both of your lives are basically screwed at this point. So, it doesn't matter what the hell you two do, so why not at least make your lives more enjoyable while you can. And stop thinking that by avoiding him you can help his case; because, for the hundredth time, nothing you do can help his case." She finished as she crossed her arms firmly.

"…Unless I decide to just leave…" Nel started, causing Yoruichi and Orihime to raise their brows in surprise.

"What do you mean?" Orihime asked in worry.

Nel turned to her. "I mean…what if I just…disappeared?" she inquired and turned back to Yoruichi. "What if I just leave here and vanish…that way the soul society can't find out about me."

Orihime's eyes widened while Yoruichi simply watched the Arrancar. "So…you would do that? Just…leave?" she asked with a shrug, getting a nod from the woman. "Why? Don't you think that it would hurt Tim? You know he cares for you…even if he's unaware of any feelings towards you."

The former Espada sighed, but gently shook her head. "I know…and it would hurt me as well…but it would hurt even more if he was to be punished just for trying to help me."

Yoruichi maintained her serious face as she stared the woman down. "I see. But you seem to be forgetting one key fact in all this, Nel."

Nel looked at the woman questionably. "What's that?"

"The fact that the kid 'knowingly' stuck his neck out for you, to protect you; 'knowing' that what he was doing was highly illegal. 'Knowing' that he would be severely punished for doing it. Yet, he 'still' did it. He was willing to throw everything away to help you. With that in mind, think about what he would do if you just suddenly disappeared, Nel. You think he would just…let it go? Hell no. He'd be out that door before anyone could attempt to stop him and go out looking for you."

The woman lowered her head and sighed heavily. "That kid is so dense that 'I' can't even get a good read on whether he has feelings for you or not. But even if he doesn't, you are still his friend, and he would do anything for his friends…just like me and Kisuke."

"And me." Orihime stated firmly as she rested her hand on top of Nel's.

Nel looked at her to see a tearful smile plastered on the teens face. She then looked back to Yoruichi, where the woman gave her a smirk and a firm nod. Returning to the front and lowering her head, she gave a hint of a smile as a single tear welled up, then ran down her cheek. With the back of her free hand, she rubbed the tear away and dried her face with a sniff.

"My fracción…Pesche…and Dondochakka…the were close to me…very close. I thought of them like…my adopted brothers, even though they were under me. They were the closest thing I had to a family. When they…" She stopped and dropped her head as she clenched her fists tightly. "…When they were…killed…I lost my family. I lost everything."

Her shoulders trembled as she thought about her two fallen comrades. After a moment, she sniffed again, then looked back at Yoruichi with tear filled eyes.

"But then Tim helped me…him, Kisuke, you, Ichigo…" she paused and looked at Orihime. "…and you, Orihime. You all have helped me…and asked nothing back from me." She turned back to Yoruichi. "All of you have given me something I thought I could never have again…friendship…a sense of belonging. You've made me feel just like I did with Pesche and Dondochakka…as part of a family again." She admitted, then dropped her head again.

Orihime started to tear up as well while Yoruichi rubbed the back of her head. "Well…we got three outcasts, a group of humans, and a bunch of souls reapers in this twisted gathering that, I guess you could call a family; so why not just say 'hell with it' and add an Arrancar to the mix?" she stated, then patted the woman on the shoulder.

The teen across from her nodded in agreeance and scooted over, rubbing the teal-haired woman's back. "Yeah, you are basically a part of the group now, Nel. I'm sorry your two adoptive brothers are no longer here, but at least you have us now." She comforted.

A moment passed, then Nel nodded slightly and began rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. She sniffed, then raised her head; still rubbing her eyes. The woman then lightly chuckled with a small smile.

"Look at me…an Arrancar and former Espada…and I'm sitting here crying like a child. Pathetic, huh?" she said in a low voice.

Yoruichi smiled back. "Girl, you may be an Arrancar, but you're still a woman with feelings. Hell, I've seen the strongest, and most battle hardened 'men' break out in tears a few times from something small. But now that we have that out of the way…" she started, then reached down next to her and produced a flask and two saucers. "…let's have ourselves a few drinks, shall we?" she proposed, then turned to Orihime. "Sorry girl, but you'll have to stick with tea."

Orihime held up a hand and smiled. "No, I should be getting back home. Tatsuki's coming over later and we were going to go to the movies." She replied, then looked at Nel. "But please be sure to tell me how your date goes, Nel."

Nel again turned pink, causing Yoruichi to laugh. "You might as well stop trying to hide it, Nel. If your feelings for the kid weren't obvious before, they are now. I mean, with how adamant you were to try and protect him from getting in trouble, even going so far as to wanting to leave, you obviously care a great deal about him." She pointed out and poured two drinks, sliding one over to Nel.

"That still doesn't mean I'm comfortable about it." The Arrancar stated and grabbed her saucer, taking a sip.

Yoruichi grabbed hers and down its contents before pouring another. "What's there to not be comfortable about? You like him and care for him, so why not admit it? Besides…" she paused and held her saucer up. "…I think I found a way to mess with him." She said with a grin.

Orihime glared at her. "Leave them alone, Yoruichi!" she demanded.

The woman took a sip, then moaned. "Damn…you two are no fun, I swear. But fine then…I'll just poke my fun at you and Ichigo." She stated, then took another sip.

Orihime turned red and Nel looked at her with shock. "Ichigo's the one you have feelings for?!"

The teen turned away and Yoruichi laughed. "What's wrong, Orihime? Haven't you admitted your feelings for the guy?" she asked as she flashed her brows.

Nel's eyes widened as Orihime turned away. "I I It's not like that…I uh…just haven't…found the right time…to tell him…is all."

Yoruichi laughed, then finished her drink. "Better hurry up girl, or Nel here just might take him away." She teased.

Nel swiftly turned to her in agitation. "I…I would not! Don't spread your stupid lies, Yoruichi!" she hissed, then turned back to the distraught teen. "Don't worry, Orihime, I would never do that." She stated with a smile.

Orihime didn't look at her, but did nod. "T Thanks, Nel. I should…probably leave now. Thank you for your hospitality." She said with a shy bow, then stood up.

"Any time, Orihime. And don't worry, I'll give ya all the juicy details about Nel's fun night afterwards." She said with a wink at the Arrancar, causing her to turn red herself.

"Yoruichi!" she hissed through her teeth, causing the woman to laugh again.

Nel turned back front and finished her drink, holding the saucer close to her face as she took a deep breath.

"What's wrong, Nel? Thinking of doing some 'late-night exercises' already?" she said with a flash of her brows.

The former Espada's hand immediately closed into a fist, shattering the clay saucer she was holding. "That's it!" she yelled and dived at the demon woman with fury in her eyes.

Orihime gasped and watched with saucer wide eyes as Nel began tackling the other woman, being held back with the woman's knee. Yoruichi was calmly drinking her sake as she effortlessly held back he attacker with a grin.

"I'm going to kill you, Yoruichi!" Nel growled as she, with no success, tried to murder the woman in front of her.

The teen was frozen in shock as the two women rolled on the floor, red in the faces; Nel from her anger, and Yoruichi from her hard laughter. None of them noticing the shadowy figure tucked up around the corner with a wide grin; holding a small device just slightly exposed past the corner and recording everything.

The Next Morning

As Timothy began to come back to the living world, he was immediately assaulted by an intense pain in his head and a heavy and dull ache throughout his entire body. He slowly opened a single eye, but immediately closed it when the sun's rays through the window blinded him.

Raising his arm to shield his eyes from the intense light, he cracked his eye open again to see that he was in a plain looking room; his room, he supposed. Slowly rolling his head to the side, he looked out the window to see that it was early, to mid-morning.

'…Morning? How long was I out?' he wondered.

Rolling his head back, he then raised it and tried to lift himself up to a sitting position. He barely managed to lift his back of the ground before he moaned in pain and dropped back down from his very sore abdominal muscles.

He placed a hand over his stomach, then tried again; but again, only making a few inches before letting out a small gasp and dropping back down. His stomach felt like he had been punched by one of those ridiculously large, and broad-shouldered Russian Army guys that you see in one of those cheesy mafia movies.

Taking a few quick breaths, he then tried a different approach. Gently rolling onto his side, he then slid an arm underneath him and pushed himself up onto his elbow; discovering that his arms were no better than his stomach.

"Oh…fuck." He breathed out in a whisper to the ceiling.

Another few breaths later, he slowly pulled his knees out from under his covers and up to his chest. Using his other hand to support him, he then pushed up with his right arm to raise himself to a side-sitting position.

"Good lord…why does my body hurt so damn much?" he whispered to himself.

"It's from the Bankai, Tim." Kitsune answered, then a few seconds later, materialized into a folded sitting position next to him. "It was still a bit early to even try to do that, and it put a lot a physical pressure on your body. You're going to be a bit sore for a couple days, so I'd recommend you take it easy for that time. But on the bright side, you did do a great job with what you did manage. You should lay back down and rest for a while longer, Tim."

He smiled a bit and glanced at her. "Thanks, but I'll be fine. I'll rest up more later, but for now I want to move around at least a little bit. How are 'you' feeling? 'Johnny' said that the training tuckered you out as well." He inquired.

She smiled back and shrugged a shoulder. "About the same, though not as bad. More tired than anything. Want a hand getting up?" she offered.

"Yeah, that would be nice." He said with a nod.

She then got up and walked up behind him; slipping her arms underneath his shoulders. Giving her a nod, and with her help, he slowly, and painfully, pulled himself to where he was now standing with her supporting him while he regained his balance.

"Thanks." He said, getting a nod back.

"Just take it slow, alright? The only reason I'm helping you is because I know it's pointless to argue with you on certain things." She stated.

He let out a light chuckle. "At least you're willing to admit that you can't 'always' win against me." He mocked.

Her gaze narrowed at him. "You do realize that all it takes is a gentle push with my finger to put you back down on the floor for good, right?" she cautioned.

Timothy scoffed. "Noted. I think I got it now. I'm just going to go sit in the dining room for a bit and 'mingle'."

Kitsune nodded. "Want some help?"

"Please?" he accepted.

Moving to his side and slinging an arm over her shoulder, she slowly helped him walk to his door; stopping to allow him to open it, then escorting him into the main room. They both looked to see Kisuke and Tessai sitting at the table, while Toshiro and his group were standing and talking to the shop owner. He figured Nel must have been helping Jinta and Ururu in the shop.

The Captain turned his head to the pair and rose a brow at Timothy's condition. "Urahara had told me that your training was a harsh one, but I didn't expect it to be that serious." He commented as Kitsune helped Timothy to sit down across from Kisuke.

"I'm just sore as hell, Captain. I should be back up tomorrow to at least get 'some' training in. I feel like…"

"You got run over by a freight train full of liquor?" Kisuke filled in with a grin hidden by his fan.

"…Yeah…that." Timothy deadpanned and earning a snicker from Kitsune who sat down next to him.

Toshiro then looked at the spirit with the still raised brow. "And how did it go?" he inquired.

She gave the short Captain a serious face. "Much better that I expected, that's for sure. And he's exaggerating when he says 'tomorrow'; he'll be out of it at least until the day after." She stated, then looked at her partner. "I'm not kidding, Tim; you really did put your body under a 'lot' of stress." She firmly emphasized.

Kisuke nodded in agreeance. "She's right, Tim. You need to take it easy and rest." He affirmed.

Timothy sighed heavily in defeat and nodded. "Alright. But did it at least do the job you wanted it to do? Increase my spiritual pressure?"

Kitsune, Toshiro, and Kisuke all nodded. "That it did. In fact, by quick estimation, it seems that your spiritual pressure has nearly doubled from what it was before. But, considering how low it was to begin with, I'd say that was just a bit higher than the expected result."

Toshiro nodded again. "I agree. Although, you could still use more training in that regard." He said, then turned to the shop owner. "If you don't mind, I'd like to ask that you continue with this training; most especially with working on his Bankai."

Timothy looked at the short man with a raised brow. "You knew?"

The Captain glanced at him with a small smirk. "I've known since your fight with Captain Zaraki. However…" He paused and gave him a serious stare. "…I'm hoping you would explain to me how you could fight perfectly in your Bankai state against Captain Zaraki, but nearly be crushed by it yesterday by simply 'being' in that state." He questioned.

Timothy and Kitsune both inwardly tensed. 'Shit! I didn't think of that!' he mentally swore.

Luckily, Kisuke was quick to the rescue. "His Bankai somehow became disrupted after the Espada used that sealing device on him. Over the past week, I've been looking into it to see what exactly the device did to him, but haven't come up with any results yet." He lied.

The Lieutenant and partner both let out a mental sigh of relief and made a note to thank the insane shop owner for his quick thinking.

Toshiro glanced at the man. "I see, that makes sense. Please keep me informed on any information, regardless of 'what' it is, so that I may report this to the Head Captain." He instructed, then turned back to Timothy. "And as for you, Durn, take the day of and rest. If you feel you can handle some light training tomorrow, I'll have Kuchiki work with you until Urahara feels you are ready for more Bankai training." He added.

Timothy nodded. "Yes sir. Are you about to head downstairs right now?" he asked, getting a nod. "Would you mind if I borrow Rukia and Renji for a few minutes, twenty tops?"

The Captain nodded again. "That's fine." He answered, then turned to the two mentioned soul reapers. "Come downstairs when you are finished." He instructed.

Rangiku then gave Timothy a pouty face as she pointed at herself. "Aw…don't you wanna talk to me, Timothy?" she whined.

Timothy rose a brow. "Why would I want to talk to a bimbo?" he teased.

Renji, Ikkaku, and Kitsune all snorted from trying to hold back their laughs while Rukia's jaw and Toshiro's head dropped. Rangiku…was furious.

"Hey! Why do you have to be like that?!" she yelled as she planted her fists on her hips firmly.

Kitsune simply waved her off. "He's just playing with you, Rangiku. He doesn't actually 'mean' it. Promise." She affirmed, then turned to her partner. "And you 'know' that wasn't very nice, Tim." she stated.

Timothy nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Went a little too far, Rangiku. My bad." He said as he rubbed his head in guilt.

Ikkaku snorted. "Although he 'did' call you out on that one." He mumbled.

But unfortunately for him…Rangiku heard it. She swiftly turned and slammed a fist straight down on top of the 3rd seat's shiny dome of a head, sending him straight down, and unconscious onto the floor with a thud.

"Shut up, Ikkaku!" she hissed. Renji snickered at his friend's sudden position, getting the, much unwanted, attention of Rangiku. "You want the next one, Renji?" she asked.

He simply held a hand up. "Nah, I'm good." He answered.

Toshiro groaned as he rubbed his temples. "I'm surrounded by idiots." He said in a low voice. He then glared at his Lieutenant. "Since 'you' were the one to knock him out, 'you' can carry Madarame's body downstairs." He stated firmly.

Rangiku then whined. "But why should 'I' be the one who suffers? You heard what he said."

The Captain growled at her with clenched teeth. "I don't care! Just pick him up and get your butts downstairs!" he yelled.

"Yes sir." Yumichika and Rangiku said in unison.

The short Captain watched as his busty Lieutenant grabbed Ikkaku by the ankle and drug him over to the entrance to the underground training area. She lifted the hatch and swiftly pulled Ikkaku's body over…but just a 'bit' too far.

She had 'accidentally' dropped him, sending his unconscious body falling down into the large room below. She then 'fake' gasped and held a hand over her mouth.

"Oops! My bad! Sorry Ikkaku!" she yelled down into the hatch with an unassured tone.

Toshiro slapped a hand onto his face and dragged it down with an agonizing moan. "Why me?" he whined in a whisper.

Timothy was frozen in shock with wide eyes at the suddenness of the evil the woman was showing, but Kitsune turned to the Captain with a similar look of surprise.

"Is…she always like this?" she asked.

Toshiro glared at the spirit with anger. "Is that a rhetorical question…or are you seriously asking such a stupid one?" he inquired.

She quickly held up a finger. "The first one!" the spirit swiftly answered.

"I thought so." He said, then followed the others to the training ground.

Once he left, Tessai stood up and began clearing the table, pausing for a moment to glance at Timothy.

"Would you care for some breakfast, Tim?" he inquired.

Timothy waved him off. "No thanks, but if you could grab Nel and have her come to my room, I'd appreciate it." The man nodded and walked into the kitchen as Timothy looked at Rukia and Renji. "Let's head into my room, guys. There's a few things we need to discuss." He stated further.

The two of them nodded, and Timothy began to painfully get back up to his feet with Kitsune's assistance. Renji walked over and also gave the weakened man a hand, before finally getting him to his feet with a grunt of slight pain.

Kisuke then waved his fan at the young Lieutenant. "If you wouldn't mind Tim, could I borrow Kit for a moment to discuss a few things about your training?" he asked politely.

Timothy nodded at him. "I guess that's fine, as long as it doesn't involve plotting against Nel." He said in a firm voice.

The shop owner grinned widely and waved his fan faster at him. "Now, why would you think I would do something like that?!" he asked in his best…unconvincing tone.

The Lieutenant's face dropped. "I hate you." He stated simply, then with Renji's help, limped back to his room while Kitsune sat back down and looked at the man.

"So, what did you need to talk about?" she inquired.

The man didn't answer at first, only keeping his wide and knowing grin on his face. This caused the spirit to raise a brow in wonder of what the man had in store. Her curiosity was answered a moment later when the man held up a small device that she immediately recognized as his cell phone.

Her eyes widened at the realization of what he was implying. "No!" she hissed in disbelief. "Again?!" she asked in the same voice.

The man's grin, if possible, grew even wider as he nodded gently. "Last night." He simply answered.

Kitsune didn't even bother to stand up to walk over to him, she simply dove over the table and twisted around to where she was now sitting closely next to him as he opened the phone and began playing last night's video.

In Timothy's Room

Renji was careful to set to very sore man down into a sitting position on his bed spread. Letting him go, he then sat down next to Rukia, next to Timothy's bed. Letting out a low and relaxing sigh, Renji then crossed his arms into his sleeves and gave Timothy his full attention.

"So, what's this about, Tim?" he asked.

Timothy spared a quick glance at Rukia for reassurance, who gave him a nod; telling him that she knew why he wanted to talk with them. Taking a deep breath, he then returned to the red-headed Lieutenant.

"You know Nel, Kisuke's new shop assistant?" he inquired.

Renji nodded. "Yeah, what about her?"

Timothy turned his eyes back to Rukia again, who again nodded for him to go on. Sighing heavily, Timothy began scratching his scalp with a moan.

"There's really no easy way to say this, Renji. But, I need you to promise you're not going to say anything. The only reason I even going to tell you, is because Rukia swears I can trust you with this." He stated.

Renji glanced over at his smaller friend, who then looked back with a firm face. He turned back to Timothy with questioning eyes.

"I'm listening." He affirmed.

Before Timothy could go further, the door to his room opened. The three of them turned to see Nel walk in and stop when she noticed Renji. She then looked at Timothy with worry, who gestured for her to come in and sit down on the other side of him.

Taking a moment to think the situation over, Nel nodded and closed the door behind her before walking around him and sitting down across from Renji and Rukia. Renji looked at her with a raised brow, surprised that she could obviously see him when he was told she couldn't, and shouldn't.

"As I was saying, there's no easy way to put this, Renji, but remember when the Espada came here a couple weeks ago?" Timothy asked.

Staring at Nel for a few seconds longer to study her, he finally looked back at his friend. "Yeah, what about it?" he questioned in a slightly firm voice.

Timothy began rubbing the back of his head as he ran over the best choice of words for the next sentence.

"Well…the truth is…they were 'actually' here for Nel." He said finally.

Renji rose a brow again. "For her? What the hell for? What could they want with Urahara's assistant?" he asked in disbelief.

Rukia decided to give Timothy a hand with the next part, turning to her red-headed friend. "She's not 'really' Kisuke's assistant, Renji. She's 'actually' here for protection."

The Lieutenant looked at her in confusion. "Protection? Protection from what? Why would the Espada be after her?"

Timothy sighed and glanced at the short woman. "Rukia, would you happen to have one of those…glove things of Kisuke's? The ones that push a soul out of a body?" he inquired.

Knowing what he was getting at, the woman nodded and stood up as she reached into her top. Pulling the said glove out, with a flaming skull emblem on the back of the hand, she walked around him and came to a stop to kneel down next to Nel.

Nel was now clearly worried as Rukia got ready to force her out of her gigai and reveal her secret to yet another soul reaper she didn't know. Rukia gave Timothy a last glance and received a nod, before turning back to Nel and pressing her gloved hand to the woman's forehead; forcing her out of the faux body.

Renji watched with slightly widened eyes as a mirrored, but teal haired image of the woman in front of him was forced out of the body, and into a kneeling position behind it. He took a moment to look her over, but his eyes became saucers when he noticed the bone-like, ram's skull shaped mask on the top of her head.

"W…Wait a minute?! Y…You mean she's…?!" he choked out.

Timothy gave him a serious, but solemn nod. "Yeah…she's one of them…Or, she used to be." He affirmed.

Acting on instinct, Renji quickly stood and prepared to draw his zanpakutō; but Rukia quickly hopped over Timothy and placed her palm over the hilt, keeping him from drawing it out fully.

Renji glared at his short friend. "Rukia! What are you doing?!" he yelled as Timothy scooted over to position himself in front of Nel.

"Hold on, Renji! Just take a moment and hear him out!" Rukia demanded.

Timothy nodded firmly. "Yeah, just wait a minute and let us explain the whole thing before you go all crazy on us!" he added.

Renji stopped fighting his friend over trying to draw his zanpakutō and stared at the woman behind his younger friend. He could see that, while keeping her composure, she was still clearly a bit terrified about the current situation.

It took him a moment to recover from the sudden rush of adrenalin from the Arrancar in front of him before he could begin to think the matter over. All he knew about the woman at the moment, was that she was supposed to be exceedingly dangerous and had to be killed. Afterall, that was the entire reason the team was there in the first place.

But now that he could think clearly again, he saw that she obviously didn't mean any harm. And if his closest friend for over fifty years was vouching for the her, then he should at least give the woman a chance to explain herself. If there was one lesson he learned after Rukia's execution attempt, it was not to judge others to quickly.

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Renji closed his eyes and nodded slightly before releasing the tension on his zanpakutō and letting it return fully into its sheath.

"Alright. I'll hear you guys out." He said in a low, but still unconvinced voice.

Timothy and Rukia both breathed sighs of relief while Nel slowly untensed her muscles to relax a bit. Rukia let her friend go and sat down with him where they were before as Timothy scooted back on top of his bed with a grunt.

Renji folded his arms again and glared at the teal haired woman as she scooted forward to sit next to her gigai. Timothy leaned over and laid her faux body down to rest it on its back before turning back to Renji.

"I guess I should tell you who she really is, huh?" he inquired.

The red-haired Lieutenant kept his stare. "That would be a good place to start." He mocked. "So, who are you?" he asked her.

Nel took a deep and calming breath. "My name is Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, and I am the 'former' Quinto Espada."

Renji rose a brow at her. "So…compared to those guys from before, where does that put you?" he asked.

"Out of those three, only Ulquiorra is stronger than me. But overall, I am…or was, the fifth strongest Espada." She answered firmly.

The Lieutenant growled and rested his forehead in his hand, feeling a headache coming. "So why the hell are you here? Why would you need protection from your own comrades?"

Timothy turned to him and began recalling the events that led her to the world of the living, and how she had saved his life when his team was dealing with the spirit energy absorbing hollows. Renji listened intently at everything that he said, but Nel was worried when he kept a look of disbelief on his face.

After close to five minutes of recollection, Renji glanced at the former Espada in front of him and watched her closely with observing eyes. He wanted to call the man an idiot for sticking his neck out for someone who was supposed to be an enemy, but after witnessing the man's antics firsthand, he couldn't blame him.

It surely wasn't her fault as to what happened. She had been tricked by a cunning man into doing 'exactly' what he wanted her to do. Simply because she had doubts about what he was doing, she was discarded and nearly executed.

Renji finally took a deep breath and released it loudly with a sigh as he crossed his arms. "Alright." He said, causing Nel to lighten up a bit. "I don't exactly trust you, Nel, but I do trust Rukia and Tim. If both of them say that I 'can' trust you, I'll at least give you the benefit of the doubt." He then turned to Timothy. "I won't say anything to Captain Hitsugaya about this, but you do realize that, regardless of what you do, she 'will' eventually be discovered, right?"

Timothy nodded. "I know, I just hope we can deal with Aizen before that happens. And you ain't gotta worry, Renji. If the Captain finds out about her, you knew nothing about it." He assured.

The red-haired man simply waved him off. "I'm not that worried about to be honest. I just hope you know what the hell you're doing." He said, then turned to Nel. "So, what were you planning on doing once this is all over? Go back to Hueco Mundo?" he inquired.

"No, Kisuke and I were planning on helping her settle here in the world of the living. Thing is, I doubt she'll be able to go back to Hueco Mundo after all this. I'm pretty sure Aizen has labeled her as a traitor, and once word has gotten around about that, I seriously doubt that the Arrancar left living would allow her to stay there." Timothy pointed out.

Renji nodded. "That does make sense, but what will happen once the soul society finds out about her?"

Rukia looked at him with an amused face. "Renji, Kisuke and Yoruichi managed to stay hidden from the soul society for over a hundred years until recently. Don't you think they would have the ability to keep her hidden if they wanted to?" she asked mockingly.

Renji sweat dropped at that. "Good point." He moaned, then resumed his seriousness. "Anyway, why tell me about her? Wouldn't it be better 'not' to tell more people that she exists?"

Timothy nodded. "Normally, yes. However, it's like you said; she 'will' one day be discovered. I'm hoping to get as many people on my side to held defend her case if the soul society tries to sentence her."

The redhead lightly scoffed. "I got it now, you're looking for people to say that she's not the monster everyone believes she is." He said with an amused grin, then scratched his head. "Well, like I said, I don't trust her yet. I won't say anything to the Captain about her, but I'm not going to lie for her sake until you guys can prove that she's not who everyone thinks she is."

Rukia nodded. "I guess that's fair."

"Anyway..." Timothy started, getting their attention back. "…thanks for not saying anything, Renji. She saved my ass twice now, so I owe her at least this."

"Yeah, I got ya. Anyway, we need to get downstairs before Captain Hitsugaya starts wondering." Renji stated as he stood up, along with Rukia.

"Don't worry Tim, Renji won't say anything. Just give him time and he'll help you out." Rukia reassured with a smile.

Renji turned to her with a scowl. "Hey, don't go making promises and shit behind my back!" he growled.

Rukia scoffed and started pushing him towards the door. "Oh, shut up and let's go." she hissed as she opened the door and shoved him out.

"Hey! Quit shoving me!" Renji yelled at her as she snapped the door shut, leaving Timothy and Nel staring at it with deadpanned expressions.

"Tim…" Nel started without looking at him or changing expressions. "…should I be worried?" she asked in a low tone.

He turned back to her. "About what? Him telling, or having to deal with more idiots?" he inquired.

She turned her eyes to him. "Both."

He then sweat dropped. "…On the first; possibly. On the second…" He paused and returned his gaze to the door. A second later, he facepalmed. "…definite yes."

Nel's head then dropped with a long moan of agony. Timothy dropped his hand to his lap and slowly laid back down on his bed with a sigh. She raised her head a bit to look at him to see that his eyes were closed with his hands over top of his stomach.

"Hey Tim." she called.

"Yeah." He replied in a low voice.

She paused for a moment to think about how she wanted to say what she wanted, long enough that Timothy opened his eyes and looked at her questionably.

"Something wrong?" he inquired in a slightly concerned voice.

Nel gently shook her head. "No, I just wanted to ask you something." She answered.

He nodded, then tried to sit back up, but groaned and fell back down. "God damn I'm sore." He moaned as he clutched his stomach.

She likely chuckled. "I'm sure. Kisuke told me about your training and that it was very demanding." She stated with a smile.

"Tsk…that's putting it mildly." He commented. "Anyway, what did you wanna ask, Nel?" he asked further as he took a heavy and relaxing breath.

Her smile faltered, then she took a breath as well. After Yoruichi and Orihime's insistent pestering the night before, she finally agreed to 'tactfully' 'ask him out', but not directly do so. If not to get to know him better, then to at least get that annoying demon off her back.

After spending a few seconds picking out the words she was going to use, she took a shallow breath and began.

"Kisuke and Yoruichi…"

She was interrupted by his loud growl. "What the hell did those to evil morons do now?!" he hissed at her.

She quickly held up a placating hand. "They didn't do anything this time, Tim. They only made a fair suggestion." She assured.

He rolled his eyes at her. "With those two, I seriously doubt that." He mocked.

She couldn't say anything to that, because the truth was, she seriously doubted it too. "I agree, but this time they did have 'something' useful to offer."

Timothy growled again, but nodded. "Go ahead, and I promise I'll 'try' to not kill him until after your finished."

Nel chuckled and shook her head, but then became serious again. "Anyhow, because I'm going to be staying here in the living world once everything is over with, they suggested that I get out and spend some time seeing how things are here."

He looked at her skeptically. "Let me guess…Yoruichi suggested 'I' be the one to do it? Probably trying to make fun of us again." He said sourly.

She simply shrugged a shoulder. "She did, but she didn't make any…'suggestive remarks' about it. I…I think she's actually trying to help this time."

Timothy gave her a heavy sigh. "I don't mind helping you with that, Nel. But the thing is, is that I don't like being played in doing things. And that's what Yoruichi and Kisuke like to do sometimes, it seems. So, I'll try to get some early training in if my body can handle it, then we'll head out and go look at the city. It's been a while since I was last here in the living world, and I've only been out a couple times for a few hours. Anything that interests you?"

Nel shook her head. "Not really. I don't know anything about the living world, except from what I've read in a couple books…and those were quite vague."

"Well, I guess we'll just go with the flow then. I'm gonna get a little more rest for now. You mind sending Kit back here?" he asked.

She nodded and stood up. "I'll tell her. Thanks Tim." she returned, then started walking towards the door.

As she reached to slide the door open, it instead opened on its own to reveal Kitsune on the other side. The spirit stopped and looked at the teal-haired woman in front of her, then snickered. Timothy narrowed his gaze at her in concern. The only reason she would be laughing now was if her and Kisuke were up to something.

"What?" he questioned dangerously.

She stepped around Nel and waved him off as the teal-haired woman watched her movements closely. "Nothing, just something funny that came to mind."

"With you, I don't doubt that." Timothy mocked.

Nel gave a depressed sigh, then waved. "I'll see you later, Tim, Kit." She said, then left the room and closed the door behind her.

Timothy then glared at his partner and waited until she was sitting next to him. "You've got two seconds to tell me what the hell you and Kisuke are up to." He warned.

Kitsune groaned. "I told you, we're not up to 'anything'. When I saw her, something funny popped in my head, that's all. I swear."

He scoffed at her answer. "And that's another thing, I had a little 'talk' with 'Johnny', and he tells me that you've been annoying the shit outta him."

She let out a brief snort from trying not to laugh. Clearing her throat, she smiled cheerfully at him.

"I'm just having a little fun is all." She assured.

Timothy face palmed, forcing his head back down to the bed with a small thump. "For god's sakes, 'please' don't turn my inner world into an inner hell." he pleaded.

Kitsune sighed heavily. "Come on, Tim, you know I'm just fooling around. Even 'Johnny' knows that."

He gave her an unamused stare. "Then why is it that he tells me you can come out whenever you want because he lets you?"

She chuckled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. "Well…I keep pestering him to have a conversation, but he's far too quiet. He never talks, unless it has to do with training and the such. I get bored. And every time I try talking to you, you shut me up." She admitted.

Timothy growled in annoyance. "Alright, I'll make a deal with you."

Kitsune dropped her hand and nodded. "I'm listening."

He looked at her with firmness. "As long as you promise to behave and not tease every living thing around you, you can come out whenever you want and mingle, or whatever. But I am curious…"

She rose a brow when he paused. "Yeah?"

"…Just how long 'can' you remain materialized at a time? And also, are you able to go out on your own without me around?" he inquired.

The spirit shook her head gently. "No, I can't go too far from you. If I do, I'll likely lose consciousness and fall back into your inner world. Basically, I'm restricted to your general vicinity. As far as how long I can stay like this; a zanpakutō spirit can only remain in the real world for as long as its partner's spirit energy will allow. Generally, with most people, it's roughly around a couple hours or less; but with your high amount of energy, I could probably be like this for most of the day." She educated.

Timothy nodded with a sigh. "Alright. As I said, as long as you behave, I don't mind you coming out whenever. I just ask that you ask me first, just in case doing so would be a bad idea at a particular time. But I swear to you, Kit…" he said, then pointed at her with a glare. "…any more of your damn plotting with Yoruichi or Kisuke, and the deal's off, got it?" he threatened.

She quickly nodded. "I promise. But seriously, do you 'have' to ruin 'all' the fun?" she pouted. He kept his stare unchanged, causing her to sigh in defeat. "Fine." She moaned and crossed her arms with a huff.

He scoffed and shook his head side to side on the pillow. "Anyway…" he started, getting her to turn her eyes to him. "…what can you tell me about my Bankai's abilities? Anything special?"

The spirit sighed and dropped her hands to her lap. "There is, but I can't tell you that right now. I want you to only focus on being able to handle 'being' in the Bankai state. I'll only tell you about its abilities when me and 'Johnny' 'both' think you're ready for it. And in case you're about to ask, I'd say that's going to be a while. But I can tell you this, while in that state, you can use my flames as you have been. Also, they now become 'fox fire' while in that state. Think of it as when you released me before against Zaraki and Komamura."

Timothy glanced at her with a raised brow. "The flames can still be moved, right?"

She nodded. "They can, but 'not' while you are using that particular flame for your cloning technique. And they're still just as slow moving too. As I said, I want you to worry about using your stock abilities while in Bankai and get used to it before you try anything 'really' demanding."

"And what about the flames around my hands and arms? Are they fox fire as well?" he inquired.

"Yes, and they would normally cover your entire body, but I was suppressing them and restricting the flames to only your arms in case something happened and Yoruichi had to interfere without burning herself. You can do the same thing as well." She stated.

He rose a brow at her. "How?" he asked.

She held up a hand and pointed at an imaginary glove while flexing her fingers. "The flames originate from the gauntlets on your hands and spread throughout your body from there. By 'not' suppressing the flames, your entire body would be covered." She said, then dropped her hands. "But if you suppress them, they will pull back from your body and back into the gauntlets. The more you suppress them, the less of your body will be covered. You can also suppress a single side if you want, but that will take a bit of practice and concentration. But I don't want you to worry about that right now. We'll bring that into the training another time."

Timothy nodded and took a relaxing breath. "Thanks for the info. I'm gonna get some sleep, I'm tired as hell."

Kitsune chuckled and nodded back. "Yeah, I'm a bit tired as well. I guess I'll head back inside for now."

Something then clicked in his head and he looked at her in seriousness. "Another thing, if you want to come out whenever, you leave 'Johnny' alone."

She growled and moaned at the same time. "Why have you got to be so mean? Can't a gal have 'some' fun once in a while?"

"Hah! Once in a while, yes; but with you, it 'never' stops!" he hissed back.

The spirit rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Whatever, I'm tired and going to sleep. And don't worry, I'll leave 'Johnny' alone…grouch." She mocked, then vanished back into his inner world.

"I cannot…thank you…enough for…saving me from…that woman." 'Johnny' said in a low tone.

Timothy snorted. "Yeah, now she can be someone else's problem." He stated.

"Shut up! I am 'not' that bad!" Kitsune yelled in his mind.

"Yes, you are!" / "Yes, you are!" partner and spirit yelled back in unison.

"…I hate you all." She retorted, then went silent.

Las Noches, Hueco Mundo, Present

Every Espada in Las Noches possessed their own large room with conjoining smaller rooms where their fracción would sleep. They were normally decorated to the resident's specific tastes with whatever they could acquire that interested them.

This particular room, the room belonging to the Primera Espada, Coyote Stark, only bore a couple of small couches, a single bed, and a countless number of pillows of varying sizes and shapes.

Many of these pillows and cushions were gathered into a few large clumps large enough for someone to lay down on quite comfortably. And this was something that the Primera did on frequent occasions, much to his fracción's chagrin.

The doors to his room opened and Stark entered the room with a tired expression on his face. Taking only the time necessary to close the door, he immediately, like he always did, walked straight for the nearest pile of cushions and fell forward face first.

Once his body had fully stopped from the impact, he rolled over and pulled one of the pillows over his face before closing his eyes and began to doze off. But he quickly found that he couldn't do so, because something just wasn't right.

Grabbing the side of the pillow near his chest, he lifted it up and closely observed the room around him. It didn't take him long to figure out what was amiss. His fracción, Lilynette, wasn't in the room, like she always was after a meeting, to bug and berate him about sleeping all the time.

But now that she wasn't there and the room uncharacteristically quiet, the perfect setting for him to get the sleep he wanted, he found that he couldn't doze off like he wanted. The whole thing just didn't seem right.

Letting out a deep breath, he flopped the pillow over to the side and sat up with a calm grunt. "I wonder where she could be." He said in a nonchalant tone.

With another grunt, he leaned forward and pushed himself back up to his feet before walking back towards the door and leaving the room to look for his companion.

Spending the first fifteen minutes looking in the areas where she normally would spend her time to no avail, he came to a stop in a corridor in one of the south-eastern palaces. He had tried earlier to use his pesquisa to locate her spiritual pressure, but she was obviously suppressing it for some reason.

It was then that a thought clicked in his head, causing him to sigh heavily and turn back the way he came.

Fortunately, the next place he thought of checking was in the same structure that he was currently in and only needed to go down a few floors. But after a few minutes, he found himself standing outside a pair of closed doors.

This was the one room he was hoping to avoid going near again. For this room had once belonged to the Quinto Espada, Nelliel.

After she had escaped Hueco Mundo, Sōsuke Aizen, as part of his plan, had called a meeting of the Espadas and shown them a 'doctored' security recording of the entire event on the balcony. By having Szayelaporro make a few modifications to the sound, he made it appear to them that she had 'intended' to leave the Espada.

According to what was shown, her two fracción, Pesche and Dondochakka, tried to talk her into staying. To Nel, it was Aizen and Nnoitra standing there, being under Aizen's illusion; but to a recording, that even Kyōka Suigetsu's illusions could not fool, it was really Pesche and Dondochakka standing there instead.

When Nel had attacked Aizen, she had attacked her two fracción; killing them in cold blood. Then when Aizen tried to 'punish' her for her actions, she had fled Hueco Mundo. The end result? Every one of her former comrades believing her to be a murderer and traitor.

Stark took a deep breath and pushed the door to the former Quinto Espada's room. As he walked inside, he quickly remembered all of the times that he had spent in this room…usually to try and hide from Lilynette to catch a nap with Nel covering for him.

"Lilynette?" he called out in his generic tone.

He looked around at each of the couches to see if she might have been sitting on one, but did not see her. As he looked to the right, he saw the double doors that led to Nel's old bedroom; with one of them slightly ajar. He knew the last time that he came to the room after Nel fled, those doors were actually closed.

He turned his body and began walking towards the opening, pushing the door open a bit more and glancing inside.

Sure enough, he found Lilynette sitting on top of the bed leaning back against the headboard with her head down and knees pulled in to her chest.

He and Nel were good friends, spending a good amount of their spare time, when he wasn't sleeping, talking or playing chess and such. But Lilynette, she thought of the teal-haired woman as something close to that of an older sister.

When Nel left, she took it hard. What made it even harder was when her close friend had supposedly killed the two people that were even closer to Nel than she was, and had been labeled as a traitor.

She didn't want to believe that she could do something like that, but Aizen had said otherwise, and there was physical 'proof' that she had did it. She simply couldn't understand how someone who valued life and would do whatever it took to avoid killing, even in combat, would do such a thing.

But now, ever since she had left, Lilynette would sometimes sneak into her old room, and just sit and think for a while.

"Lilynette." He called, getting her to look up reluctantly.

"Hey Stark. Something wrong?" she asked.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and leaned against the doorframe. "You know you shouldn't be in here." He reminded.

She dropped her head to rest her chin on her knees. "I know. I'm still having a hard time believing she's gone, and what she did. It just doesn't make sense. If she really wanted to leave, she would have just left and not killed her two best friends." She pointed out.

"So, you're doubting what Lord Aizen told us?" he inquired carefully.

Lilynette tilted her head forward to where her forehead was now on her knees instead. "No, I'm just saying that none of it makes any sense. It feels like…we're missing something about all this." She clarified.

The Primera did not like what the small Arrancar was saying, taking the fact that what she was insinuating was borderline treason. And with Nel's recent 'actions' taken into account, he knew that Lord Aizen would not take it lightly.

But, even still, he couldn't disagree with what the girl was saying. What the video had shown him and the other Espada did not, except for physical appearance, look like Nelliel at all. Even he had to admit that the woman in the video killing her own fracción did not feel like her. It was just something that she wouldn't do; her personality simply would not allow it.

Stark took a deep breath. "I can't disagree with you there. This does seem a bit strange, but the fact of the matter is that Lord Aizen showed the Espada proof that she did what she did. You saw it yourself, Lilynette."

She looked at him with seriousness. "It could have been an illusion of his."

"Lord Aizen's illusions don't work on cameras, Lilynette. I don't like to admit it either, but what Lord Aizen showed us was the truth. There were no illusions involved in this." He stated.

The small Arrancar gripped her knees tighter. "But…what if 'she' was tricked? What if Lord Aizen used an illusion on 'her'?"

Stark rose a brow. "And why would he do that? Are you saying that Lord Aizen turned on her? That makes even less sense than her killing her two friends. All this nonsense is just going to get you into trouble, Lilynette. I know she was really close to you, and she was my friend too. But what's done is done. Now come on before you do get in trouble for being in here." He said as he stood straight and turned to leave.

Lilynette sighed heavily and reluctantly scooted off the bed to follow her companion. But by the time she made it to the doors to the room, see noticed that Stark was already gone. This caused her to moan with annoyance.

"Damn it, Stark! Now where the hell did he go?! Probably to one of his hiding spots to sleep again." She growled, then vanished with a buzz of sonído.

The moment she did, a face peeked around a corner and smiled just a bit. The figure walked around the corner and headed straight for the, now empty, room with a hint of a chuckle.

"It should take her a while before she figures out that I never left…just long enough for a nice nap." Stark commented as he walked back into Nel's former room and plopped down onto the bed.

Not five seconds later, the empty room was filled with the sounds of the snoring Primera Espada.

Squad 7 Headquarters, Present

Sajin had just finished signing one of the last bits of the morning paperwork when a solid knock sounded on the office door. He put the completed form aside and set down his pen before answering.

"You may enter."

The door opened, and Sajin looked up to see Tetsuzaemon walk in. The man closed the door and offed the large man a respectful bow.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?" he greeted as he rose.

Sajin nodded and gestured for him to sit in front on him. "I did, but it is nothing serious, Tetsuzaemon." He answered.

The acting Lieutenant of Squad 5 walked up and took a seat on the cushion in front of the man's desk.

"Tea?" Sajin offered.

"Thank you, sir." the shaded man responded with a nod.

Sajin poured him a small cup and refilled his own before passing his friend the newly filled container. Tetsuzaemon accepted it and blew on it a few times before taking a sip and setting it down on the desk.

"What was it you wanted to see me for, Captain?" he inquired.

The Captain took a sip, then set his cup down as well. "I received a report from Squad 4 that Lieutenant Hinamori had woken up earlier this morning. Although, they do state that it will be a while before she will be fit to return to duty as Lieutenant." Sajin informed.

Tetsuzaemon raised his brows in surprise. "So, I guess that means she's out of the woods, then?"

Sajin nodded. "It would appear so. So, tell me, have things gotten better at the squad?" he asked, then took another sip.

The man sighed. "Not really, Captain. A lot of damage has been done since Aizen turned traitor. Two days ago, the 4th seat gave me a transfer request to Squad 13, and I have a feeling that the 3rd seat ain't far behind. After looking at the squad roster, I'd have to guess that the squad's at roughly fifty to sixty percent of the strength it should be at."

The furry Captain rose a brow in a bit of shock. "You must be joking, Tetsuzaemon." He stated in a voice with a hint of concern behind it.

The man simply shook his head. "No, sir. I spoke with Lieutenant Ise after the 4th seat gave me the transfer request to see if it was possible to get at least some of the transferred members back, but she stated that not one of them will be willing to come back. Unless we want to risk a mutiny by forcing them to transfer back, there's nothing that we can do."

Sajin leaned back a bit with a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples. He knew that Squads 3 and 9 were also having a few personnel issues, but at least they had their Lieutenants to help them. But with no senior officers in Squad 5, the entire squad had apparently fallen apart.

That was why the Head Captain had personally transferred his Lieutenant to assume Squad 5's position as Lieutenant, even on a temporary basis. But, it was now apparent that the action had come much too late and the damage was already done.

"How is your situation on the squad's paperwork?" Sajin asked in a depressed tone.

"I'm managing, Captain. Izuru and Shūhei have been switching out giving me a hand every couple of days to get caught up, so at least I don't have to worry about that. Shūhei offered to try and find a few of his members willing to transfer to the squad, but we both know that won't happen." The Lieutenant pointed out.

Sajin nodded in agreeance. "All I can offer you is the advice to keep up with your hard work, Tetsuzaemon. Fortunately, the next class from the academy will be graduating in a couple months, so you will regain some of your numbers. If our own numbers in officers were not as lacking, I would send a couple to you on a temporary transfer to assist you. But as you know, our 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th seats are currently vacant; 8th and 9th seats are still under assignment in the world of the living, and Tim is assigned to Captain Hitsugaya's team. That only leaves me with 6th seat Minato in regards to the higher ranking officers."

Tetsuzaemon finished his tea and set the cup aside. "What about that woman that Durn was working with? Ogawa?"

The Captain gently shook his head. "I spoke with miss Ogawa about it, and even offered her the position of 7th seat, but she had declined."

The Lieutenant rose a brow. "Declined?" he asked in disbelief.

Sajin sighed, then nodded. "She had informed me that she did not feel she was ready for the position. But I may have also brought the proposition to her too soon, as she was still recovering from the death of her friend during the fight with the hollows. I believe that she will accept the position at a later time; but for now, I must respect her decision."

"I see. Well, she's managed to gain a bit of my respect if she's willing to admit that she wasn't ready. And what about the guy's sister? Wasn't she on the team as well?" the Lieutenant asked.

"She's…recovering. Miss Sano is starting to return to her former self, but she will need a bit more time. I've had her return to duty, but kept her under light duty for now. Miss Ogawa has been keeping an eye on her." Sajin answered.

The shorter man nodded. "Anyway Captain, I need to be getting back to the squad. Thanks for the tea, sir." Tetsuzaemon said as he stood back up and bowed.

The larger man returned to gesture, then they both rose. "Do not fret, Tetsuzaemon. It may take some time, but as long as you do not give up, the situation will begin to improve." He assured.

Tetsuzaemon nodded, then turned and left the office with Sajin watching him leave with a bit of worry. But as the Lieutenant was leaving, Minato stepped in and bowed to the two men.

"Morning Lieutenant, Captain." He greeted, then turned to Sajin. "I have the rest of the morning paperwork ready for you, sir. Would you like them now?" he asked.

Sajin nodded as Tetsuzaemon left the office. "Yes, thank you, Minato."

The officer walked up and set down a small stack of forms and turned to leave before Sajin stopped him.

"Have you looked over the finances for the squad's mission budget?" he inquired.

Minato nodded. "Yes, sir. Tim used some of it a few days ago, but it was just the normal stuff. He purchased a gigai, gikongan, plus a little extra with a note stating that it was for living expenses. Besides that, he hasn't touched it." He informed.

Sajin took a breath and crossed his arms. "I hope that Captain Hitsugaya's team returns soon. We could use Tim's help back here."

The officer tucked his arms in his sleeves with a calm face. "What about the 8th and 9th seats, Captain? Now that the hollow is gone, do we really need to keep the extra personnel in the world of the living?"

The Captain thought it over for a moment, then nodded. "I agree. We'll keep them there for a little while longer, then I'll have them return. It's possible that I may send one of them to Squad 5 to help Tetsuzaemon with his affairs."

Minato nodded. "What that squad 'really' needs is more members, Captain. Can't we spare some? Even temporarily?" he asked with concern.

Sajin sighed and shook his head. "Tetsuzaemon made a good point earlier. Squad 5 is currently a squad that is hated simply because it was Aizen's squad. No one wants to be a part of it, and unless we are willing to risk a riot, we cannot force anyone to transfer against their will."

The 6th seat sighed as well and shook his head. "It's only because they view it as damage to their pride. They think that, just by being in the squad of a traitor, they will be viewed as the same thing and treated poorly. Which, I really hate to admit, they are half right."

The Captain looked up at the officer with a serious stare. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

Minato sat down in front of him and returned the serious expression. "I haven't seen anything myself, but I 'have' heard a few of our members talking about how squad 5 members are being discriminated against because they are a part of, and I quote, 'A house of traitors'."

Sajin's hands, that were resting in his lap, clenched into tight fists in anger. It was understandable that most would feel wariness towards the squads whose Captains had turned traitor, but to openly harass those squads' members was inexcusable.

"I hope none of our members are a part of this nonsense." He warned.

Minato quickly shook his head. "As far as I know, none of our members have done anything. You've taught them quite well to 'not' judge others by appearances, Captain. I've also spoken with the said members about it, and even asked them how they felt about those squads."

"And?" Sajin questioned further.

The officer shrugged his shoulders. "And nothing, Captain. Apparently, no one seems to hold a grudge towards the members directly. But, I doubt any of them will want to transfer over to the squad under the fear of being mistreated just by simply being there."

Sajin nodded, but kept his firm face. "I'd like you to still ask around and see if anyone is willing to go, even under a temporary transfer, to Squad 5." He instructed.

Minato nodded solemnly. "Any particular number you're aiming for, Captain?"

"If possible, I would like to send twenty members. But be sure to remind them that it is not a permanent transfer, only long enough until Squad 5 can regain some lost members. Once the squad has acquired enough replacements, they will return to our squad."

The 6th seat then stood and bowed. "I do what I can, sir." he responded, then rose and left the office.

Sajin leaned forward and propped his head up with his intertwined hands in thought. Twenty members was a very high expectation, considering that he would be lucky to get five or six members that were willing to go.

There was no rule or law that prevented members from transferring to another squad; even if the losing squad would be understaffed and the gaining squad had more that the required number of personnel. But now, Sajin was hating the lack of such a rule.

As long as both Captains, or appropriate ranking individuals, accepted the transfer, it didn't matter what the situation was; because in all honesty, any Captain with at least some form of intelligence would be able to see that such an action would greatly hurt his or her squad.

That was why Central 46 thought it pointless to make such a rule or law. Because, if a Captain was willing to transfer someone out of his or her squad and leave them under staffed like that, except under extreme circumstances, then that person simply shouldn't be a Captain, and the Head Captain would have demoted them.

But as it stood, there was no Captain in those squads. And the 3rd seat, who had accepted the transfers out, was clearly not experienced enough to be in the position of 'acting' Captain. And you couldn't really say anything to the receiving Captains because, while they had a rough guess, they didn't know what the current numbers of the losing squad were.

Over all, the current situation that Squad 5 was in was nothing more than a massive loophole in the rules that the 3rd seat had, unknowingly and unintentionally, exploited.

Sure, the Captains 'could' force the members to transfer back, and they had the authority to do so. But, as Tetsuzaemon had pointed out to Sajin, those members would possibly revolt against those orders. And with the current state of unrest in the Seireitei, it was highly possible that the revolt would turn into a civil war.

That was the last thing that the 13 Court Guard Squads needed at the moment, not when they have to deal with Aizen and the sudden appearance of three Espada in the world of the living. The soul society would end up falling into ruin, and Aizen wouldn't need to some much as lift a finger.

Dropping a hand down onto the desk and rubbing the fur on his forehead, Sajin let out a low moan of pain from a headache that quickly hit him from his worrying. But after a few minutes of rubbing with no relief, he sighed as he reached over and grabbed the next form from the stack of paperwork to focus on something else.


And that concludes this week's part of the story. I'm going to keep the end notes simple, as I'm starting to doze at the keyboard. Hope you all enjoyed, and hopefully I'll be feeling better next week.

Laters all.