"Ugh…" Rei's vision blurred as she came to a few moments later, her blackout cut short to reveal the black-clad man and woman still standing in the same positions, the woman holding her katana at the former's neck. She started to sidestep, moving around to get closer to where Rei lay. Was she an…ally?

Then suddenly, the woman's head whipped around to face just behind her, eyes widening slightly in surprise as a blade suddenly appeared at Rei's neck, fingers pressing in a practiced manner over her windpipe. The man identified as Kurota had vanished, his breath now hot on her neck as he dragged her upright. Rei tried to struggle free but she felt paralysed, unable to move her limbs as he raised his blade to point at the woman while keeping his hand around her throat. "Lieutenant Mitsuki Fushima...I figure this girl is important to you somehow. Throw aside your zanpakutou or this girl's going to learn how to survive without oxygen."

"You're a bastard..." Mitsuki glared at her, eyes narrowed in a killing stare. Her katana stayed gripped in her fist, aimed towards the man. The point was unwaveringly directed for his heart.

"Do it now, Lieutenant. You know I'll do it..."

She growled...then she moved her sword arm out to the side and her fingers opened, letting it fall point first into the ground. She held her arms out to her side, hands open. Rei could feel, almost visualise the smirk on the man's face as he gripped her and threw her aside as he charged towards the woman, Mitsuki, blade cleaving through the air.

No...! Rei's mouth opened in a silent scream as she saw the man charge towards Mitsuki in slow motion, covering the distance as he drew back his sword arm, aiming to stab it through her heart. Her vision flashed, two different scenes overlapping in her mind, one in the present as Kurota surged forward to kill the unarmed woman...and one in the past as an unnamed captain raised his sword to cut down her mother, the latter keeping her eyes on Rei and a smile on her lips even as blood ran from the corners of her mouth, collapsing to the ground.

Mother...

The blade stabbed forward, driving towards her chest...and then Mitsuki moved, a blur of action as her hands came up, twisting her body aside as the katana flashed past her. Her right arm shot out, seizing his wrist and slamming a chop into the side of his neck. Turning further, she tugged him across, left leg cutting across his ankles to trip Kurota, flipping him over and slamming him down into the dirt. A slide of her foot with a flick and her katana leapt from the ground into her fist with a slap.

"Time to die, you sick bastard."

"Bitch...what do you think you're even doing here?" Kurota rolled to his feet, holding his blade before him while rubbing his neck where she'd struck him. "This whole thing has nothing to do with you. There are no laws governing the Rukongai against owning slaves. They were someone's property and he's bought them. You'd raise a hand against another member of the Gotei 13 over people with no worth other than what a noble has paid for them."

"And you're working for a noble like that? I didn't think you could stoop so low..." Mitsuki backed up, coming alongside Rei, glancing momentarily backwards at her, meeting her gaze. Rei saw a flicker in those eyes, the momentary coldness wavering with warmth before Mitsuki returned her stare at the other man. "I came here because my captain wanted me to help find this girl...but now that I see what's going on here, I have to put an end to it. If that means I have to fight you then so be it."

With a snarl, he hurled himself at her, blade swinging but she parried it aside, her hands becoming a furious web of metal as she blocked an onslaught, sparks flying without yielding ground. Mitsuki twisted aside, hammering the hilt of her blade into the man's chin, causing him to stumble even as she leapt high to kick him away. She raised her katana in a stance to drive it into his chest as he rolled up but an explosion from the observation post over the main arena gates drew everyone's attention as a figure wearing a white haori flew from the new opening in the wall, tumbling and crashing down in a heap in the middle of the arena.

All the fighting froze, many collapsing straight out as a sudden pressure bore down on them all. Rei looked from the figure struggling to rise to the darkness of the observation post as someone else emerged from out of the shadows. A white haori whipped around over a black shihakusho. A heavy two-handed sword was clenched in his fist as he descended to the arena floor, landing lightly and keeping it held ready as he advanced towards the other haori-clad man. A dark strip of cloth covered his eyes as he inclined his head slightly, his blank gaze falling on her. Him…The captain, Shiro Matsumura…

The other man was trying to rise but a heavy foot came down, stamping him back his hand and kicking him in the face, sending him rolling away. Shiro stabbed his sword down next to the other captain's head, holding him down with a foot on his back. He looked over at the lieutenant. "Mitsuki... That's her. Is she alright?"

"Yes, that's her, cousin Shiro."

Everyone whipped around, Shiro included, turning to see one last man appear in the main gateway. Dark robes billowed around him as he walked closer towards the group. He appeared unarmed as he drew near. Rei's eyes narrowed, focusing on his face. He bore similar resemblance to Shiro. Were they related...?

"Itachi... So you're the bastard who's been running this thing. Why does that not surprise me...?"

Rei looked from one to the other. They knew each other then. She struggled to try and get to her feet but some kind of invisible force seemed to hold her down, making her limbs heavier than they should be. Sweat ran from her brow, a contrast to the freezing air that suddenly swirled around her as the captain moved closer to her, cutting the man, Itachi, off from reaching her.

"And you, Shiro Matsumura, the heroic captain of the Gotei 13 coming to liberate the helpless slaves from their evil master... Disgraceful, one of noble birth giving a damn about such filth." The man shook his head as he marched forward, entering into the arena. "Even as an exile from the clan, you ruin our reputation with your acts and more than that...theft from a noble will not be tolerated. And these slaves belong to me."

A pause...then Shiro smirked. "Damn, Itachi...the way you say that like I'm meant to give a shit... Now...are you going to try and stop me or not?" Another pause. Itachi didn't make a move. Shiro spat on the floor. "That's what I thought."

"Mitsuki..." Pulling his sword free, Shiro spun it and sheathed it across his back, walking over to where the woman stood, ignoring the other man, Kuroda. The latter made as if to raise his katana but Shiro glared at him and he dropped to one knee, weapon slipping from his hand as an invisible pressure bore down on him. The woman sheathed her weapon and stood to attention as he came to a halt before Rei. She looked up and found him gazing down to where she was propped up on one knee. Despite herself, she didn't feel fear as he addressed her, holding a hand out to her.

"Are you alright, Rei?"

Rei... The way he said her name brought back those memories, when he'd come to visit her mother before the two captains had departed on an assignment. And after all these times, he'd appeared here, asking her whether she was alright. She took his hand and felt herself pulled gently to her feet. She opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Shiro gave her a slight smile, as he turned away, signaling to the woman next to them.

"Mitsuki. Gather the surviving slaves together. We're getting the hell out of here now. And look after Rei especially."

"Yes sir." Mitsuki turned to her but the anger and killing look on her face had vanished and it was with gentle eyes that the woman regarded her, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking her slightly to get her to focus. Rei nodded and started to move towards the main entrance. One by one, the slaves still alive began to emerge from the crowds of guards. None of the latter dared try and stop them. Looking around, Rei caught sight of Yugito being supported by Reiko and Kaoru, with innumerable injuries and covered in more blood than the rest of them put together.

As they drew nearer, the girl looked up, meeting her eye and offered a slight grin. "Seems we're getting out of here after all. I thought when all those guards turned up we were screwed but luckily you have some powerful friend there."

Rei didn't know what to say to that, both because she was still trying to come to terms with what had just happened and that they were all still alive. With Mitsuki at her side, she fumbled to sheath her blood-soaked blades at her side before walking. But standing in their path was the man, Itachi.

Ten metres…one metre… He was right in front of them…and then they were past him, the woman pushing Rei gently onwards to stop her from freezing in front of the man and forcefully not looking him in the face. But Rei had…and the gleam in his eyes as he'd met her gaze had her shiver. If not for Mitsuki's assistance, she didn't know if she could have forced her legs to work and move her past him. She couldn't identify what it was, just that everything about him made her senses scream to be cautious of him.

Last to come was Shiro. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw him halt next to Itachi. Their voices carried to her ears, even though their lips seemed to move in only whispers.

"Enjoy your victory for now, Shiro. But you should know by now…she belongs to me already."

"Whatever you say, Itachi… You can see me being so afraid of whatever you have in store already." The captain sounded sarcastic but Rei caught the hint of something else in his voice, the slight timbre that lacked the confidence in his words.

Itachi seemed to have picked up on this too, a smirk coming to his lips as he looked at Rei. She flinched even as Shiro moved to obscure her from view again. Even so, the man's voice carried over, past the captain. "I know that, of course. You couldn't protect Asuka Mikihara and you won't be able to protect her daughter. Just wait…soon I'll get my hands on her and then…"

A gasp escaped Rei's lips and Mitsuki's grip tightened on her shoulder. Shiro's fist closed on the hilt of the heavy sword across his back. The smile didn't leave Itachi's face as the blade flashed, cleaving him in half, blood spraying in all directions as the captain stepped back, letting the body parts fall apart and sheathing his blade again.

He sighed as he walked up to her and Mitsuki. "Right…it's time to go home, Rei. Let's go."

And with that, they departed, stepping out through the gates and vanishing into the night, leaving her hell and prison behind in the darkness.

--

Two days later…

"So how is Rei settling into her new home?"

Shiro paused to think for a moment as Kirio rested her head against his chest again. They lay on his bed in his private living quarters afforded by virtue of being a captain of the Gotei 13. Still…some things didn't change. Like Kirio having to sneak in rather than just walk in the front door. If word got around that Captain Hikifune of the 12th Division was visiting Captain Shiro Matsumura of the 10th Division at night time, they'd be faced with the annoyance of every imbecile who lived off the gossip of the senior officers, mostly the shinigami belonging to the female shinigami association.

"She's settling in…slowly. After what she's been through, it'd be hard for her to settle in anywhere but I suppose this place is better than any other. At least many of her…'friends' from inside that place were accepted along with her. Maybe they'll help get each other to adjust to being back out of captivity."

"Poor girl…" Kirio gave a sigh, closing her eyes. "How could those bastards do that to her? To any of them? They're nearly all teenagers… How could their parents do that to them? You say Asuka's husband sold Rei to the slavers?"

"Well unfortunately, that's the way of Soul Society these days. People with any power only give a damn about what's going on in the Seireitei. Beyond its walls; the Rukongai and everything, they couldn't give a shit if people are being bought or sold to be used for entertainment like that. And when there's no one to stop them, of course people like that can do whatever they like. Humans really can be worse than Hollows in that way… At least humans have the capacity to choose not to inflict such pain on those around them."

"Yeah… You know…" Kirio paused, suddenly tense. Shiro could sense it too, people approaching, three of them. She looked back at him and he sighed heavily, sliding from the bed and reaching to pick up his discarded haori. "Damn…if it's those three then it's time to finally deal with that mess. Better get changed quick, Kirio-chan."

She nodded, pulling on her uwagi, covering over her smooth pale back, securing it as she reached for the rest of her clothing. Shiro straightened his hakama, pulling on his haori over the top of it. A few moments later and they were both fully dressed, just as the sound of footsteps could be heard from the corridor leading up to his room. He heard Mitsuki say something to try and hold them up but she fell silent a moment later.

"I'll catch you at the meeting in a few minutes, Shiro-kun. Good luck." Kirio kissed him on the lips before grabbing her zanpakutou and katana leaning against the wall and leaping out the window, disappearing into the still-dark dawn. Shiro moved to stand by the door just as there was a knock and it opened to admit three figures, each wearing the haori of a captain.

"Damn…I knew we should have walked faster, Juushirou-kun. I could've sworn I sensed Kirio-chan in here a moment ago." The captain of the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyouraku peered around the room, seemingly more interested in finding the missing woman rather than his task at hand.

"If you hadn't stopped to harass Shir…Captain Matsumura's lieutenant, we'd have been here sooner." Juushirou Ukitake, captain of the 13th Division shook his head, moving inside to make room for the final member of their group, a far more reserved and grim-faced figure, arms folded and long white scarf billowing out behind him as he entered.

"Shiro Matsumura. We're here to escort you to an urgent meeting in the 1st Division headquarters. Your presence is imperative." Ginrei Kuchiki, captain of the 6th Division spoke in his usual heavy, grave tone, regarding Shiro for a moment before turning and walking off, slow enough that they could catch up, as was expected of them. "We should make haste. The other captains are being assembled now. We shouldn't keep them waiting."

"Hey...sorry about this, Shiro-kun." Juushirou looked apologetic as he regarded Shiro. "But you know the standard policy. If a captain ends up causing trouble, two or three others have to come and make sure he doesn't run off. Not that Yamamoto expected you to run but...like I said, policy."

"Yeah...and you seemed to have caused quite a bit of trouble on your day off. You should've spent some quality time back in the Seireitei with Kirio-chan. Though..." Shunsui paced around the room, inspecting it. Shiro frowned at him and he returned with a grin. "...she may not be here, but I have a feeling you just got treated to a demonstration of how she's an expert at handling more than just blades."

"Oh shut up... Let's just go." Securing his zanpakutou across his back, Shiro marched from the room, the other two captains following closely behind as they headed off for the 1st Division and the awaiting meeting.

--

All the captains were present by the time they'd arrived, Ginrei, Juushirou and Shunsui moving to take their places in the two lines. Shiro remained standing in the middle, awaiting a sign to do otherwise from the Captain-Commander Yamamoto. While waiting, he looked from face to face of the assembled captains. Kirio offered him a grin and a subtle wink while Kenpachi Harashi of the 11th Division pretended to be disinterested with the whole situation though from long association he knew he was listening intently.

Takeharu Shihouen of the 2nd Division was his usual reserved self, ignoring everything going on and standing around grimly just waiting for everything to start. Hitoshi Kitade of the 5th Division and Kotaru Tenji of the 7th Division were having their usual staring game, the former classmates competing over every little thing they could.

And Captain Retsu Unohana of the 4th Division was looking displeased. To the uninformed observer, she looked just as serene and calm as always but the slightest of creases on her brow told Shiro otherwise. His sensei was going to have words with him afterwards and she was very scary when something went wrong such as now.

Captain Kaji Omaeda of the 3rd Division was not there, most likely still recovering from the beating Shiro had enacted on him for his part in the slave ring. That whole clan had always been a cause of annoyance to Shiro so taking one of them down personally had been highly satisfying. And then at last it seemed time for Yamamoto to speak.

"Troubling business, Captain Matsumura. While your intentions may have been pure, you know that spilling the nobles' blood is a serious matter and both your clan...your former clan is calling for blood in turn and their support among the Central 46 is strong at present."

Shiro sighed, resisting the urge to say anything, instead nodding once and keeping his gaze on Yamamoto. "And what was your decision, Captain-Commander?"

"Captain Matsumura...among the Gotei 13, you are one of the most respected and valued captains. We are not willing to give you up to satisfy the bloodlust of a few nobles. However...at the same time, we shall have to keep up the pretense of doing something about this. Until further notice, you're to be relieved of your command of the 10th Division and your lieutenant, Mitsuki Fushima is to look after it in your stead. You will be unable to bear your zanpakutou and will be monitored constantly by an officer from another Division."

"Could be worse... Very well, Captain-Commander." Pulling his zanpakutou off his back, he slammed it down before him. Juushirou took it, giving a reassuring nod before moving back to the line with the weapon.

"One last thing, Shiro Matsumura, before you're all dismissed. The Matsumura clan is still adamant that they rightfully paid for the ownership of Rei Mikihara and Yugito Kosaka. As distasteful as it is, we're obliged to return any such owned slaves to their owners."

Shiro thought for a moment before a grin appeared on his lips. "Well I guess my dear former clan is going to find they've just lost out since there are no slaves by the names of Rei Mikihara or Yugito Kosaka."

"...and why is that?" Yamamoto looked surprised for a moment, eyes widening slightly under heavy brows. "Is there something we should know about those two?"

"As of yesterday, Rei Mikihara and Yugito Kosaka were inducted into the shinigami Academy. That makes them official citizens of the Seireitei by law and so cannot be touched by the clan. So you can pass on the message to the Matsumura clan that they can take their demands and shove them up their as..."

"Yes quite." Yamamoto cut him off with a raised hand, suppressing what could be a slight smile under his long moustache. "Very well. That is all. You're all dismissed. And Matsumura...watch your back for the coming days ahead. You never know what might be out there these days."