2 weeks later

The city remained quiet – businesses continued, concerts were held and sports finals were televised. Beneath the surface, however, a buzz of activity kept criminals on their toes. Led by Commissioner Komamura, police precincts across the city were audited for proficiency, and alerted of a few high level 'criminals' who had returned to town. Yamamoto had been hesitant to alert the general public, and instead had declared Aizen and his crew as run-of-the-mill black-listers. Those officers who weren't up to scratch were immediately send to the 11th Hour for private training, much to Kenpachi's enjoyment.

Over at Seireitei general, Isane was hurrying behind the director, filling out orders for the staff and assisting in prep for the oncoming casualties they expected. When their people queried about the sudden surge of supplies, the influx of new materials and the triage plans being updated, Unohana merely smiled her calm smile, and let them know that all was well. There were no further questions.

Jyuushiro Ukitake had politely asked each fire house to send him an efficiency report, as part of an annual audit. He received them unnervingly quickly, and when he expressed his surprise to his captains, they gave him their usual intensity. "You asked, and we provided, Chief!" "We will ensure you never have anxiety about such things, Chief!" "Have you rested today, Chief?" "Would you like some tea? GET THE CHIEF SOME TEA!"

Jyuushiro gave a nervous chuckle and retreated to his private offices to asses the reports in private.

Summer break had started, and Rukia was spending her time assisting her elder brother in the family business. Her studies in investing and corporate relations were finally paying off, as she was able to decipher how the Kuchiki fortune was being used to benefit the city and the family. She saw threads of their influence all the way from Governor Yamamotos offices, to the school Yachiru attended. It was fascinating and challenging and she loved every second of it.

Renji was by her side at almost every moment, sharing his bodyguard responsibilities with the rest of his team. His favorite part of each day, however, was training with Rukia. They had been friends as kids, and though he was a few years older, Rukia always managed to keep up. Each moment he spent with her filled him with an electric energy, but he knew it couldn't last. Her brother was the Head of the Family, and until he could stand on equal footing, he could never hope to be with her as anything more than an employee.

Today, they were in the private gym, practicing hand to hand combat. Rukia engaged him with a flurry of strikes, aiming for his chest and neck. Renji blocked them, impressed by her speed and power – she'd been practicing while at college. He saw an opening, and hooked his foot under her leg to swipe. Rukia predicted the move and shifted her weight to her other leg – which was exactly what Renji had expected. He swung his leg back and swept her feet out from under her. She fell flat on her back, knocking the wind out of herself.

She panted, staring at the ceiling, arms by her sides. He'd got her – again. Was she ever going to be able to beat him? Sure, he was her best friend, but ever since he gone into private security, he'd been so distant, so… cold. Her focus shifted as Renji stood over her left, bent at the waist and offering her a lazy smirk.
"Good footwork, but you're still not anticipating the follow through."

Rukia nodded, still panting, then swung her arm out to unlock his knees. Renji yelped and dropped, throwing out his arms to support himself so he didn't crush her smaller body. He landed hard, clenching his teeth, until he realized the position he was in. His lower body cover her across the waist and hips, while his face was mere inches from her own, arms framing her shoulders. Her breaths were shallow as she stared into his eyes, her face flushing as their proximity. Her lips parted and she swallowed, very aware of the sudden warmth between them. Renji gulped, unwilling to lose this feeling that was growing between them. His gaze dropped to her lips, they looked soft and full and waiting to be kissed. 'How soft?' He mused, boldly dipping his head closer –

"Am I interrupting?"

The two froze, then scrambled away from each other and got to their feet. Byakuya stood inside the gym, holding a slim folder, his face was impassive but for the hard look in his eyes. Renji blanched, averting his gaze and taking another step away from Rukia. She, on the other hand, patted down her training clothes and smiled politely.

"Not at all, brother. Renji was showing me the finer points of Judo today."

"Strange. I don't remember that move when I studied."

Renji turned as red as his hair, staring at the floor and wishing it would open up and swallow him whole. Rukia coughed into her hand as Byakuya gave the two of them a more considering look.

"Were you looking for me?" She asked.

He focused on her again, then turned to leave. "No, I was looking for Renji - I have to go into the office. Are you coming?" The question was directed at the bodyguard. "You'll need to change. I'll be seeing several clients, and you can't be present like… that." His sweeping look from bare feet to spiky ponytail was full of criticism.
Renji stood to attention. "Yessir." Renji jogged out of the door, followed by Byakuya.

'Not even a farewell', Rukia sighed. She thought the aloof attitude from her brother had been slowly ebbing in the last two years. But interactions like this and seeing how he ordered Renji around just showed her that he still had a long way to go to get to 'warm'.

And what was… that moment with Renji? They had been together forever, excepting a few years of study, and he had never acted so strangely. She hadn't failed to notice how he'd grown. His shoulders filled out his black suit very nicely, and his tribal tattoos had extended lower and wider than before – he'd had work done. When he was that close to her, she'd noticed how he smelled: salt and metal, an earthy scent that made her shiver. And he was so warm, pressed against her like that – she'd never noticed during their previous training.

Shaking her head to clear it, Rukia decided to have a cold, bracing shower. That would surely fix everything.

Over at 11th Hour, the barracks shuddered from the yells, screams and general ruckus that was Kenpachi's training method.

"Come ON!" He roared, shirtless and barely sweating. "You call yourselves 'protectors of the peace'? I get more protection on my piece from a roll of cling wrap!"

"Is that actually a thing?" Yumichika muttered.

Ikkaku grinned. "Knowing him? Meh… could be."

Kenpachi continued to beat them mercilessly, deflecting their attacks and demanding more. More. MORE! He swung and hit, his muscled torso flexing and thrusting forward to strike through them all.

Yachiru looked up from her spot on the floor, candy wrappers strewn around her as she played games on Ikkakus phone. She recognized the set of Kenny's face, and jumped to her feet with a big grin and a hand raised high.

"Kenny! I'm hungry! It's time for lunch!"

"Not right now, runt." He called back, eyes flashing, teeth bared.

She stomped her tiny foot. "Yes, now! I'm HUNGRY! And these guys are boring!"

Ikkaku and Yumichika understood what she was doing, and joined in, calling for a lunch break. Kenpachi snarled, scaring the recruits into sprinting outside and towards the tiny strip mall at the end of the block. Yachiru just grinned and ran to him, jumping onto his shoulder and patting his head.

"They weren't much fun, were they, Kenny?"

He grunted in agreement, and allowed his body to relax, the battle lust he began to feel was fading. He was pent up. Tense. The possibilities of fighting the Espada were seeming further away with each day that passed.

They'd heard very little since the Council meeting: Grimmjow has been spotted lurking in the downtown area. The Tres Beastes were sighted on a surveillance mission, but were spooked into running by Shinji and the Vizard. They had learned the name of one more Espada from an intercepted communication – a man name Aaroniero. Apparently, he was their information specialist. Kenpachi knew what that was code for: Torturer.

"What do ya reckon, Captain? Lunch?" Ikkaku cracked hi neck as he asked, following Yumichika out the door, and expecting them to follow.

"…Yeah." Kenpachi replied with a shrug. "I'm just gonna grab a shirt. Go with them, Yachiru."

"'Kay!" She jumped off him and sped after the men.

Kenpachi rubbed his neck as he entered the back office, and snatched his white tank top and sunglasses from the desk. He slipped them on and fitted his sword to the belt loop on his pants. Turning to leave, he noticed the back door was ajar. Shrugging, he left it as it was - he wasn't worried – anyone stupid enough to enter the building was prey, for all he cared. He walked back through the dojo to the front entrance, feeling ready for a big juicy steak.

The pressure wave hit him first, knocking him fully off his feet and into the concrete wall of the dojo, as the explosion tore the building asunder, ripping the roof away and sending burning debris into the street.

Yachiru was biting Ikkaku's head outside the diner when they heard the BOOM of the explosion. They whipped around, seeing dark smoke billowing from the direction of the barracks and began sprinting as fast as they could.

They were the first to arrive, frozen at the sight of their home fully ablaze, and spreading to the houses on either side.

"KENNY!" Yachiru screamed, running towards the fire.

"No! Don't!" Yumichika grabbed her, struggling to hold on as she fought to get inside the crumbling building.

Ikkaku let out a primal scream and sprinted through the broken door, throwing a hand over his mouth in an effort to dispel the smoke. He coughed, eyes stinging as he pushed forward.

"CAPTAIN!" He yelled "ZARAKI!" Coughing and nearly blind, he hissed as a piece of the roof crumbled onto his arm, cutting and burning his skin. As he smacked the flames, he spotted flash of white.

"CAPTAIN!" He screamed, running over the unconscious man. He hefted his undamaged shoulder under Kenpachi and heaved, dragging him to the entrance. The roof groaned ominously.

"Don't… even… think about it… you… bitch…" Ikkaku panted, bragging his captain through the doorway. The roof groaned again, then collapsed entirely, spraying ash, sparks and burning soot all over them. Coughing and hacking, Ikkaku raised his head to see Yumichika and Yachiru running towards them, crying. He could hear sirens coming closer as he dropped into blissful darkness.

"Brother?"

Rukia called out from the living area. She heard the door open, she could have sworn…

Rising from her comfortable spot on the couch, where she had been relaxing with a new novel, she headed to the front foyer of the lavish penthouse.

"Yukio? Shu?"

No answer from their home security team. Now that was concerning. Entering the foyer, she saw bloody stars splattered on the walls, and the slumped bodies of her guards. Backing away slowly, she let her senses open up, searching for the slightest noise to alert her to an attack. She didn't have the chance to scream as an enormous hand covered her mouth and a sharp prick on her neck had her drifting away, even as she was picked up like a lifeless doll.

"What? WHAT!" Shinji swore viciously at his phone, and hurriedly punched in the number for Karakura PI.

"Kurosaki here."

"Ichigo – the 11th Hour was just attacked. The goddamn barracks are blown to bits!" Shinji began running down the street, heading straight to the hospital.

"You're… you're kidding…" His voice was completely hollow.

"I'm heading to the hospital now – I've gotta warn Unohana to priorities any casualties."

"Do you know who-"

"No word yet!" Shinji panted, sprinting even faster as he heard the sirens approaching. "I'll call you as soon as I know anything further!" He hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket, rounding a corner, and pumping his arms for greater speed. God, they were prepared, MORE than prepared for a fight. But this was and underhanded tactic – and there was a very short list of people who would use an I.E.D. And only one person who had that kind of explosive knowledge, AND a personal vendetta against Zaraki.

Aizens people were making their move.

And Kaname Tousen had just flashed his hand.

"This is Kuchiki."

A pause. The feeling in the rear of the limousine was heavy, and Renji eyed his boss curiously.

"I understand." Click.

"Sir?" Renji enquired. "Is everything alright?"

Byakuyas hand curled into a fist, and his smooth face twitched as his jaw clenched.

"No. No it isn't." He pressed a button on the console to speak directly with the driver.

"Rikichi. Take me Sereitei Public School. Now."

"Yessir"

Renji felt his shoulders tense – something was very wrong.

"Sir, what's going on?" Renji wasn't sure he'd get a reply, but her felt his gut drop when Byakuya gritted out:

"I need to see Kyouraku. The Espada have taken Rukia."