I'm posting this part - which was written a long time ago - but I doubt I'll be finishing this story. While switching computers, I found this little incomplete fic buried in my files, and decided I might as well post the last part to get finished. So sorry to anyone who was looking forward to finishing this! (If such a person exists ^^;)

Part III

In hindsight, she supposed she should have seen this coming.

Well, if not this than something equally gruesome. That's the thing about skeletons; they just don't like to stay in closets. As much as she wished otherwise, she grudgingly admitted to herself that there was no way someone wouldn't find out. The trail was too obvious, too fresh to not be noticed, despite her rather sloppy attempt to cover it up. Like a corpse buried in a desert, it wouldn't be much longer until the winds stirred and uncovered something sinister, something leading directly back to her.

She wasn't running away. Not yet anyway. Why purposefully bring suspition upon herself in advance? No, she was much better off keeping to the shadows. She was superb at doing just that, even if she really didn't have anything else to brag about.

Looking at the clock, she paused in her restless walk to watch two men get to work, picking up their blunt instruments to strike a set of bells, signalling the twelfth hour had arrived. Scoffing, she shook her head. These lazy bums really were the worst, getting a free meal ticket and even a place to stay just for hitting bells twice a day. Pathetic.

One corner of darkened lips turned up as she paused, regarding the two as if for the first time.

She smirked. No, mabye they weren't so useless after all...

ooo

Despite the initial concerns, the captain's meeting was surprisingly uneventful. Not to say nothing happened, because the point of meeting was to get things done, after all. Though the purpose of this particular meeting was vaguely different. They had an audience this time after all. On that note, he didn't even seem to have been listening, which was naturally frustrating, but there was no helping it. Perhaps he didn't have the capacity to really concentrate anymore. If someone can't seem to find the ability to speak any more, is it really unimaginable that they don't have the will to listen, even if it would help them?

Even so, a dog can obey commands. Recently aquired psychological handicaps aside, unless they somehow imapared his hearing there shouldn't be a real problem like this. That meant there was still a chance, if they could find some way to get through to him. That wasn't nearly as comforting as it should be.

ooo

Trees were oddly facinating at this speed. He was almost certain he had never seen these types of life before. Well, as certain as he could be of anything anymore. Most life couldn't survive in the desert, after all.

This kind of plantlife gave off a certain scent, pollen being released to fertilize another plant and continue the species. Damp earth left from the last rain gave off a darker, musky scent. Sharp winds ripped through the other smells, cutting pieces out and diluting it, the sound complementing the foggy air coming down from the nearby mountains.

Intoxicating.

Despite his longing to stay, he knew it was impossible. The Call was coming, pulsing through him, humming from his very blood, urging him to move on. Past the mountains, beyond the horizon, where his Mistress was waiting for him. She wouldn't be happy if he waited too long.

His mucles burned, but he forced them to work, pulling him up again too soon and steadying himself. Huffing one last breath of this place, he carefully moved past the shallows of the small river, over rocks with water flowing over it like a blanket. Once he was in the cover of the trees again he would be safe. No one would find him there, except for his owner of course. He would never try to hide from her.

ooo

Despite her initial determination to see him, Rangiku had to admit that she was too afraid to open the door. As much as she wanted to see him, she wasn't sure if she could do this anymore. Nothing had changed, and as much as she hated to admit it she wanted to give up. With all of her heart she wished she didn't have to be the one to deal with this. Being his lieutenant, it fell to her to care for the entire needed her captain now more than ever, but it was undeniably painful to come here so often to see the result of her own failures sitting there, staring at the window like he just didn't have the energy to try anymore.

It made her sick to think of it like that, the guilt writhing in her stomach like a serpent. To think that she had all but given up on him when he would have never give up on her, had the positions been reversed...

God, she was tired.

ooo

Today was different. She wasn't sure how, but it certainly was. Mabye it was the almost pallable tension in the air, like a chord pulled just enough to not break it, or like the cooling down right before a big thunderstorm, or like standing at the very edge of a deep hole, deep enough that you couldn't hear a rock hit the bottom, and you just know that you're about to lost your balance if you close your eyes so you don't have a choice but to watch and see if anything comes out and grabs you, pulling you down to eat you alive.

Kind of like that.

Yes, that was it.

ooo

Unohana was a very busy woman. Even busier than most would think. With so much stress from the job in normal times, the call of war was almost maddening. People were close to reaching their breaking points, so they did the only thing they knew to help. They fought. This was a rather injury-inducing pastime in the first place, but with people like the members of the Eleventh Division involved it was downright deadly.

As a result, the head healer was severely overworked, but she wasn't really bothered by it. Shinigami had been fighting for centuries, and so had been getting themselves injured in the process. She was used to it. 'Overworked' was a normal state for her.

The first thing Unohana noticed upon entering a certain room was that her patient was gone.

The second was that the window was open.

The third was almost an afterthought. How were they going to catch Hitsugaya before he hurt himself or those around him?

ooo

These buses were never fast enough for her tastes. She would much prefer to Flash Step, but this damn Gigai was too much of a hassle. Oh well. It's necessary, after all, or she wouldn't have bothered going so much out of her way to get it. Those smug fools at the Twelfth almost made it too easy. They didn't seem to realize just how easy to figure out their research was. 'Greastest minds of the Soul Society' indeed.

Three more stops. Cautious as always, she let blue-grey eyes that didn't belong to her sweep the small crowd in the bus. No one stood out, but spies rarely do. She'd have to be careful.

Two more. No one was looking toward the back of the bus, she was sure. These humans were so naive. Going through their days feeling so safe, so secure. Never did they see danger until it was too late to stop, until they were already at the precipice's edge. Pitiful creatures, these humans.

ooo

A snarl of frustration was the first sound to break the silence. She was late. The sky was still dark enough to see the stars, but just barely. Didn't she understand the danger of being out in the light? Why was she taking so long? And all this after begging to meet with him for such a long time...

A rustle of grass was the only indication of her arrival, but it was enough. Summoning up Human words she could understand in the back of his throat, he took a mouthful of air and spit them out.

"You're late."

She froze, not expecting to have been found out. Moron. Did she think she was stealthy?

He heard the whoosh of her released breathe as she released it, recovering from the shock. She grinned at him, lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth in a gesture that was not entirely friendly.

"I'm impressed. Really," she added at his silence, apparently taking it as disbelief. Idiot. "I didn't think you'd be able to Sense me. I was trying to keep my Presence hidden and everything!" She was strangely giddy at having been caught. He didn't honor this revelation with a response.

Another huff. She must be annoyed. Responding in a way befitting a human...had she no pride?

Opening his eyes for the first time, he found himself staring into crimson, gold-flecked eyes. Like his own, they had four black dots surrounding the pupils, two on each side, and two longer, more oval ones above and below. Blue-tinted sliver banges hung to each side of a pale, heart-shaped face. The rest ran down her back, curling slightly at the end where it hung level with a slim, slightly curvy waist.

His own pale orange eyes narrowed slightly. That was strange. He should have known that she had moved the second she did. Was she just playing with him before?

No, he decided. That couldn't be it. He was just too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention to her.

"What exactly is it that you wanted to speak to me about?" He spoke in human tongue again. Absently he noted that she was still smiling - no, more like smirking - at him. He watched as that teasing grin grew just a bit wider.

"Impatient, aren't you?" she giggled. He surpressed a cringe. How annoying. "Well, if you're that curious i suppose we can get stared. We only have a couple of hours left until dawn anyway."

ooo

As far as emergencies went this was definately one of the stranger ones Renji Abarai had been unfortunate enough to be involved in. That was mostly because it was the first to happen in the Seretei that they were forbidden to tell any unseated officers about. The people involved were actually mostly Captains and their respective fuku-taichos, but a few others had managed to worm their way into the mess. Ikkaku was one of them, of course, and he was almost never without Yumichika. Hinamori was supposedly still off duty, but he was sure he had seen her running around; and according to a few overheard rumors, Rukia was currently missing from her quarters.

What a mess.

Renji was actually starting to run out of steam, as it were, but not from the mission at all. He was trying to find his captain, who - big surprise - had decided to ditch him the first chance he got. Damn nobles. What was with that family and running off on their own anyway?

Turning his head to the right to look down yet another alleyway, Renji caught a head of dark hair out of the corner of his eye. Tattooed eyebrows furrowed together and he picked up the pace a bit. Was it one of the ever-elusive Kuchki? If so, what was she - for surely it was Rukia, his captain would just use shunpo rather than run - doing running down an alley? She could just look from the entrance like he was, there was no need to go in.

Making up his mind, he shifted his weight to slow down, making a sharp turn into the darkened alley after her.

ooo

Holding a hand to her mouth managed to stifle the bubbles of laughter floating up. Oh, what a foolish man he was. They were all so predictable. Countless times they would warn others not to do anything irrational, only to do so themselves the moment they thought no one was looking.

Well, it was expected. Humans are just too stupid, the poor creatures. Still, they were entertaining at least. It was so much fun to observe them.

On that note, it looked like her toy was leaving her behind. That wouldn't do. This was one show she didn't want to miss. Unfurling her tail from around herself, she pushed herself forward with her arms. Along the wall the man with red hair had used, down the shadow-infested space between someone's Nest and the closest Place of Healing, the last bit of sunlight shimmering against her...

ooo

...scales? Blinking, Rukia paused to catch her breath. She must need to, she was obviously imagining things. There were no reptiles here, at least not large enough to own the dark green tail she thought she saw slip between those two buldings...

Glancing around, she scowled darkly at her surroundings. She could have sworn she sensed Renji around this area not thirty seconds ago.

Breathing calmed down, she started forward once more. Mabye he used flash step and was just somewhere else now. She'd just have to keep looking, and who knows? Mabye she'd find her Nii-sama along the way too!

Determined, she prepared a quick shunpo.

She didn't notice the crimson eyes glowing from the shadows opposite the alleyway, watching her short stop in the street. After she dissapeared, the eyes narrowed a bit in thought before vanishing as well.

ooo

"Ken-chan?"

Hearing the innocent sounding voice, brown eyes slid to the captain in question, watching a pink blur bounce onto his shoulder.

"Ken-chan, Weirdo said we're supposed to be looking for Snowball, right? I think he's over there!" A small finger pointed to the left.

A frown made its way onto Ukitake's kind face as the violent man ignored her suggestion, veering to the right instead. That was strange... noramally Kenpachi listened to the small girl's misguided directions.

This strange phenomenon was pushed out of mind as Ukitake sensed the presence of Byakuya Kuchiki nearby.

ooo