Part Three- Resolution

Chapter Nine - Acumen

...

Toushiro was right; he didn't sleep at all that night. He tried, but after an hour or so of tossing and turning and feeling like he was going to vomit, he gave up and dragged himself to his private bathroom. It wasn't so much a bathroom as a sink and toilet; each division had communal bath houses so he didn't have the luxury of a personal bath. He didn't mind, most of the time, but at times like tonight, he wished that he did have his own bath. He knew taking a soak in cold water would help to clear his mind, but he did not want to drag himself halfway across the barracks to a bathhouse that he wasn't sure was going to be empty. So, he did the next best thing. He washed his face with ice-cold water and made himself a cup of ginger tea to settle his stomach.

He sat at the foot of his futon with the cup of hot tea cradled in his hands, replaying what had happened earlier that night in his mind. He had thought that he saw Hinamori following him. There were many reasons why it couldn't have been Hinamori, however. One, she had run away with Aizen and no one knew their current whereabouts. Two, he hadn't sensed her reiatsu at all. Three, he had been inebriated – his head was still spinning – and hallucinating would not be that farfetched. He sighed and took a small sip of his tea. He was thinking about this too much. It was not Momo. It was not possible for it to be her. It was just his mind playing tricks on him in its drunken state. But then, why did he feel so disturbed?

He swished the tea around in the cup. He knew the answer to that, of course. He wanted it to be her; he wanted to see her again. And above all he wanted, he wished, that he could redo everything and stop her from freeing Aizen. He should have given her more support after she had woken up. If he had paid more attention he could have convinced her that Aizen was the one in the wrong. His stomach twisted painfully – not from the sake this time – it especially couldn't have been Momo because she was never coming back. She wasn't coming back and it was all his fault.

Hyourinmaru rumbled in comfort, but Toushiro couldn't bring himself to accept it.

...

"How are you feeling, Captain?" Rangiku asked softly as she placed a glass of water and a few painkillers on his desk.

He glanced at the white tablets with a raised eyebrow. "I'm fine, Matsumoto."

"Really? No hangover?"

He sighed. He did feel slightly nauseated but it wasn't too bad. He shook his head.

"Amazing, I guess you can handle liquor better than I thought."

He rolled his eyes. "I hope it wasn't your intention to get me drunk."

Rangiku smiled abashedly. "Of course not, jus to loosen you up a bit. You're too tense." She reached out to brush a few stray strands of hair from his forehead. He surprised himself by not batting her hand away. "Are you sure you're alright?"

He nodded. She chewed the inside of her cheek and Toushiro could tell that she didn't believe him fully, but she tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and sashayed over to her desk. They worked in silence for a while until a hell butterfly fluttered in through the window and landed on Toushiro's wrist. He halted his work as it transmitted its message then flew off. Rangiku looked over to him in question.

"Ukitake and Kyoraku are coming in twenty minutes or so. Could you prepare a few refreshments?"

She nodded and left the office. As soon as she left he felt a dark cloud settle over him. What new information had the two captains discovered? Did Soi-fon locate Aizen? Did they prove the existence of a copycat? His stomach churned uncomfortably and his head began to pound weakly. He picked up the painkillers from the corner of his desk and swallowed them.

"We heard that the Head-captain had a meeting with you yesterday," Ukitake said as he dropped a few cubes of sugar into his tea and stirred it gently. The four of them sat on the couches with a teapot and cups on the coffee table in between them.

Toushiro clenched his jaw. "He found out about our agreement."

"Ah," Ukikate sighed just as Kyoraku muttered, "sneaky bastard."

"What did he say?" Kyoraku asked.

"He... he wanted to know what we had found out. I... he wasn't mad and I don' think either of you are going to get into trouble."

"You don't have to worry about us," Kyoraku grinned, "We know how to handle the old man. Now, the reason for our visit..." he glanced to Ukitake.

"A few of my men posted outside your division noticed something odd last night," Ukitake said gently but urgently, "we wanted to see if you were alright."

Toushiro frowned; Ukitake had men posted outside his division? Why? Did he not trust him as well? The betrayal felt like a punch to the gut; the two captains had made him think that they were on his side. Were they supervising him under someone else's orders? He swallowed his feelings and glared at his lap. "What did they notice?" he asked; his voice sounded hollow to his ears.

Ukitake hesitated. "A... certain reiatsu. We're not sure if it was real or not, but it was very similar to that of Momo Hinamori's."

Toushiro raised his head; his eyes went wide with shock and he felt Rangiku tense beside him. "Hinamori's?" he mumbled.

Ukitake nodded. "Now going along with recent events, we had every reason to be alarmed, but since we didn't sense anything from you, or Lieutenant Matsumoto, we assumed that it wasn't her at all. Did you notice anything strange last night?"

Toushiro went back to looking at his lap while Rangiku balled her hands in her hakama. She narrowed her eyes at the two captains and set her jaw.

"No, there was nothing strange last night. Though I want to know why you have soldiers posted outside the Tenth? I thought you two, of all people, would trust us," she growled.

"Matsumoto-" Toushiro tried to calm her. It made sense that Ukitake and Kyoraku wouldn't trust him either, but he would be lying if he said that it didn't leave a bitter taste at the back of his throat.

"No, Captain, they need to answer. We trusted them and they went behind our backs and-"

"It's alright, Rangiku, we trust you," Kyoraku said, raising his palm to stop her before she got too heated. "It's for your protection. If our theory is right and someone is targeting Toushiro then we need to keep an eye out."

"You should have told us," she muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

Ukitake nodded with a pointed look at Kyoraku. "Yes, we should have. Sorry for the alarm."

Toushiro felt slightly better after the explanation, but he still was a bit miffed that they thought he couldn't protect himself. He was still a captain; he could fend off most attackers, including –

"You said you sensed Hinamori's reiatsu?" he asked quietly.

Ukitake glanced to Kyoraku again. "... Yes, but if neither of you noticed anything then we can safely say it was a false alarm."

"I... I don't think it was a false alarm," Toushiro muttered.

Rangiku craned her neck to look at him. "Captain?"

"I... I thought I saw her following me last night, but I was ...inebriated and I didn't think much of it."

"Why didn't you tell me? You should have called me for help."

He clenched his jaw. "Nothing happened. I didn't need help."

Rangiku sighed heavily and leaned forward to pour herself a cup of tea. Kyoraku was suddenly grinning like a madman.

"Inebriated?" he asked with an inquisitive smirk.

Ranigku answered with a small smile. "I got him to loosen up enough to drink a bit of sake last night."

"Oh ho-"

"That's not the point," Toushiro growled, "We need to concentrate on the fact that Hinamori returned to the Seireitei and we should find out why."

Kyroraku sat back, smiling. "Okay, what are your theories, Toushiro?"

Toushiro blinked. "What?"

"Why do you think she was here?"

Even Ukitake was watching him intently. His skin itched slightly. "I... She might have been here because of Aizen..."

"Why?"

Toushiro swallowed. He didn't like the way Kyoraku was questioning him. He felt like a child who had done something wrong. He didn't know why Hinamori had come back and they were acting like he did. "What are you insinuating, Kyoraku?"

Kyoraku raised his eyebrows and waved his hand lazily. "I'm not insinuating anything. I just wanted to pick your brain; you know Momo pretty well, after all. If you do come up with any theories, I'd like to hear them."

Toushiro clenched his jaw. "Yes." He wasn't sure that he knew Momo pretty well. He had thought he did, until she attacked him and run off with Aizen. He didn't really know her at all. Waves began to roll in his stomach and the room swayed slightly. He closed his eyes for a second and took a calming breath. "Are you going to bring this up with the Head-captain?"

"We have no choice," Ukitake said quietly. "Momo is connected to Aizen and therefore a threat to the Soul Society. We'll need to figure out how she got past the guards and her intention for returning."

Toushiro nodded.

"Don't worry, Toushiro." Ukitake attempted to smile comfortingly, "You cannot be penalised for this; the connection between you, Momo, and Aizen has weakened in everyone else's eyes."

Toushiro nodded again, but he still felt like vomiting.

...

Why did Momo return? Hyourinmaru mused.

I don't know. It could be for any number of reasons. Toushiro replied staring at the tops of his feet as the snow in his inner world slowly covered them.

Hyourinmaru hummed, flicking the tip of his tail back and forth. It's odd, though.

Yes.

Do you think she felt guilty for attacking you?

That's possible, but not likely. She seemed set on freeing Aizen when she left.

I suppose... but Momo doesn't like fighting unless she absolutely has to. She must feel somewhat guilty.

But she wouldn't return to apologise. She's kind, not stupid. Returning here is a very high risk; I don't think she'd put all her hard work to chance just so.

I wonder, though, how exactly did she free Aizen from Muken? Even Yamamoto doesn't have full clearance to go down there.

Toushiro paused and raised his head to look at the dragon.

It's strange that everyone so readily accepted that she freed Aizen and no one questioned how. Hyourinmaru's eyes sparkled in thought.

I'm sure there was an investigation; we just weren't privy to it.

Yes, but now I'm curious. Momo isn't strong enough to have freed Aizen so easily, she isn't even the strongest lieutenant.

Toushiro cocked his head. Do you think it's worth looking into?

Maybe. It might help us figure out what exactly is going on. If Momo did have outside help, if Aizen is really behind all this, or if there is indeed a copycat we should be on the lookout for. That would also help clear up the reason as to why she returned.

True... Toushiro chewed the inside of his cheek.

Hyourinmaru rumbled and placed his snout at Toushiro's feet, nudging his shins. Toushiro sighed and reached out to rub the smooth scales in between Hyourinmaru's nostrils. His eyes fluttered shut and he breathed deeply, enveloping Toushiro in a cloud of condensation. It's all going to turn out alright, little one. We'll get to the bottom of this.

...

Toushiro hated going to the Twelfth Division, but the Tenth's library didn't have the information that he needed. Unfortunately, the main archive was housed in the Twelfth, so he had no choice to but pay Mayuri Kurotsuchi a visit and ask his permission to use his facilities. He had debated doing so for most of last night and this morning, but he reasoned that Hyourinmaru was right and he should investigate how exactly Momo had freed Aizen. He did not have clearance to investigate Muken, but the main archive did have information about Muken and the prisoners housed in it. Now his only roadblock would be the Twelfth's captain.

He tightened his grip on his crutch as Kurotsuchi stared him down with disdain. It was a great effort not to let his annoyance show on his face.

"Why should I let you dig through my archives?" Kurotsuchi sneered.

Toushiro rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "They aren't your archives. They belong to the Gotei Thirteen, which I happen to be a part of."

"Aren't you on probation?"

Toushiro ground his teeth. "I'm not on probation. Squad Ten's outside missions have simply been put on hold for the time being. That has no effect on whether I want to research something or not."

"Oh really? Do you have clearance from the Head-captain?"

"I don't need clearance from him; nobody does."

"I say you do. I'm not letting someone who has repeatedly performed infractions against this very foundation go through my archives. Now leave; you're slowing down my work." He turned back to his computer and began to type furiously.

Toushiro clenched his jaw and took a calming breath, lest he truly did perform an infraction by harming Kurotsuchi with forbidden kido. "Look, Kurotsuchi-"

"Didn't I tell you to leave?"

"Kurotsuchi, aren't you the least bit interested in knowing how Hinamori got into Muken and freed Aizen? It seems that that particular investigation has fallen short." Toushiro saw the other captain's ears prick up in interest.

"What are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm saying that there is a gaping hole in the conclusion that Hinamori freed Aizen. She doesn't have clearance to Muken, she doesn't have the power to release him, how did she get past the guards, and how-"

"How did she undo the seals placed on Aizen..." Kurotsuchi turned to face him with an unnerving smile on his painted face. "You may be on to something, child. Fine, you can do your research here on one condition, though." Toushiro raised an eyebrow as Kurotsuchi held up a knobbly finger with a three-inch long nail. "I want to spearhead this investigation. You are to report your findings to me at the end of the day."

Toushiro had to physically refrain himself from rolling his eyes. He had no other choice but to agree. He didn't really want to have anything to do with the Twelfth's captain if he didn't have to, he knew that once things turned sour Kurotsuchi would throw him under the bus. But the madman did have access to the information that he needed and he did have ways to get around all the politics and red tape in order to investigate Muken. Toushiro decided at length that if he was going to get in trouble for this investigation, then he was going to bring Kurotsuchi down with him. It would be a little payback for all the times he had been snubbed and made fun of.

The main archive was mostly digital, thankfully. Toushiro didn't have to try too hard to locate the information he wanted. Granted, he still had to go through at least seven books, but he was on the right track concerning Hinamori. He felt as though he was getting somewhere. He tapped the end of his brush on the tabletop as he scanned through one of the smaller books. He first looked up the conditions of Aizen's imprisonment. He was sentenced to 20,000 years in Muken and bound by upwards of twenty seals. In theory he wasn't going anywhere; physically he couldn't move.

"What did you find out?" Kurosuchi demanded, ripping the book from his grasp.

Toushiro scowled. "The day isn't over yet-"

"It's past ten o'clock. You should be thankful that I came to see you at all."

Toushiro blinked, had he really been in here that long? There were no windows, so he couldn't tell if Kurotsuchi was lying or not.

"Are you going to tell me, or do I have to wait here all night?" He tapped his foot impatiently, while Toushiro regarded his notes.

He relayed what he had read about Muken and Aizen's punishment.

"I know that," Kurotsuchi quipped, "what else did you find?"

"That's it," Toushiro growled.

"You didn't cross reference Hinamori's reiatsu with the one found there? Or what about the guards, did you analyse them, their history, zanpakuto, and reiatsu? Did you even look into the members of Central Forty-six? I bet researching the physical make-up of Muken was too much for you as well." Kurotsuchi snorted, "And you call yourself a genius."

Toushiro narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists under the table. "And what research did you do?"

"I have more important things to do; this is just a side project."

The urge to harm the man with kido was almost beyond resisting now. "So you expect me to do all of that on my own?"

"I'm not lending you any of my subordinates if that's what you're implying."

Toushiro sighed heavily. "I wasn't."

They glared at each other for a full minute before Kurotsuchi folded his arms across his chest and turned to leave. "You can come back tomorrow," he spat, "but I want to see better results next time or I'll reconsider allowing you to use my archives."

"They aren't yours," Toushiro hissed under his breath. He picked up his crutch and placed it under his arm then followed Kurotsuchi to the exit.

Why are you putting up with him? Hyourinmaru snarled once Toushiro had left the Twelfth Division.

Because he has the information that I need. Believe me, if I didn't have to deal with him I wouldn't.

What did he mean by better research? That bastard.

Toushiro shrugged. As long as we get to the bottom of this, it doesn't matter.

Hyourinmaru let out a lengthy sigh. Toushiro found himself agreeing. He was tired, worn down even, but his mind wouldn't let him rest. When he got back to his quarters he knew that all he would be able to was sit down on his futon and think about Hinamori.

Maybe you should go take a bath? Hyourinmaru suggested. Relaxing for a bit might do you some good.

Toushiro nodded. It would get both Rangiku and Unohana off his case in any order. He retrieved his bathing supplies from his quarters and was surprised, when he got to the bathhouse that there weren't too many people there. It was an odd time for a bath, he supposed. He spent as little time as possible washing his body, pointedly not paying attention to the rough scars on his thigh and shoulder. However, his thigh was throbbing slightly, protesting at all the time he had spent on his feet that day. Grimacing, he hobbled over to the main bath area trying to figure out which was the easiest way to slip into the water without aggravating his thigh. The Tenth's baths were slightly different than the Fourth's in that the steps leading into the bath were steeper and the sides higher; the Fourth's had been modified for injured patients.

He hung back when he noticed that there were a few soldiers soaking near the stairs, trying to figure out how to get in without injuring his leg further and not looking completely infirm. He wasn't supposed to get the crutch wet either. He was midway through setting up for a balancing act when one of the soldiers waded over to him.

"Do you need help, sir?" he asked.

Toushiro hesitated. He didn't – he shouldn't – need help to climb into the bathtub, but his left leg said otherwise. Besides, accepting help wasn't half as embarrassing as it would be injuring himself further by attempting to climb over the ledge. He sighed heavily and bent his pride.

"If you would be so kind."

The soldier smiled and climbed out of the bath himself. He scooped the small captain up in his arms before climbing over the ledge and setting him down on the shallow seat that ran the length of the bath. Toushiro blushed; he hadn't expected the man to pick him up. It would have been just as practical if he had just acted as a brace and allowed Toushiro to climb in by himself. But still, he shouldn't reprimand one of his men for trying to be helpful.

"Thank you," he muttered sinking further into the water.

The soldier smiled again and settled onto the seat near him and the few friends that he had been with wadded over as well. Toushiro sighed internally; well, there went his hope of relaxing. He tried to smile, or at least look pleasant as the three soldiers crowded around him. He expected to be bombarded with questions such as when the Tenth was going to get its assignments back, or – gods forbid – how the search for Aizen and Hinamori was progressing. But, to his surprise they didn't say anything. They nodded at him and settled onto the seat, leaning against the rim of the tub. Toushiro couldn't get himself to relax so easily, his spine wouldn't allow him to sit back.

"Long day, Captain?" one of the men asked, glancing at Toushiro from the corner of his eye.

"Yes," he sighed softly, "does it show?"

"Not much, but you do look a bit tired."

Toushiro hummed, "A lot has been going on lately, as I'm sure you've realised."

A few grumbles followed.

"There seems to be a bunch of hoops for you to jump through, sir. But the squad is behind you all the way. If you ever need anything..."

Toushiro nodded and he felt his spine unwind. He tried to make a point of being accessible to each one of his men, but since he had essentially failed them he had assumed that they all resented him. But this group... they seemed to be able to relax fully in his presence, they had even come over to sit with him. He had failed them, though, but maybe, maybe somehow, they still trusted him.

Give your squad more credit, Hyourinmaru admonished. They've followed you loyally so far. I never once doubted that they would stop, and neither should have you.

Toushiro slowly leant back against the edge of the bath and closed his eyes. "Thank you."

...

The two players smiled at one another.

"That's an inventive, little piece you've chosen."

"I told you, there's a method to my madness. I don't intend to lose this game, after all."

"And I don't intend to let you win."

"I would be insulted if you did."

I really didn't mean for this to take sooo long, I'll be better with the next chapter. Decided to re-work the rest of the plot, since I was not feeling the other one. We'll be ending with a bang (I wouldn't have it any other way) in five or so chapters. And I might have come up with an idea for a new story in the brainstorming process:D

This chapter was beta'd for your enjoyment and convenience (thank you so much AmunRa - I'm really bad at proofing -_-')

I'd love it if you left a review before you go.

-Mymomomo