Chapter 8: Recoup and Recovery

True to their words, both Hinamori and Soifon kept their respective divisions in order. Any paperwork that required their attention was delivered to their offices, then forwarded to the hospital room that Yuuto was occupying. As such, two desks had been temporarily added to the room, turning an already cramped living area into...well, a much more cramped living area.

While the hospital staff were not quite approving of the new furniture decorating the room, they were not in any position to debate it. Soifon was rather...outspoken whenever it came to the topic of her protection of the 5th Division captain. People quickly learned to simply not talk about it or, if the topic did come up, to find any means necessary in order to drop it.

Hinamori was of a similar position regarding leaving Yuuto's bedside. The two women had not left his room unless it was of the utmost importance. Soifon had even considered skipping the emergency captain's meeting 9 days ago. Unfortunately, the attendance was mandatory, and even Zaraki, who rarely came to the meetings, showed up. So, she had no choice but to attend.

Flashback

In the well-known hall of the 1st Division, the emergency captain's meeting was already starting, and every captain in Seireitei, save one, was in attendance.

Wasting no time, Yamamoto got straight to the point. "As you all may be aware, Sosuke Aizen, ex-captain of the 5th Division, traitor to Soul Society, and convicted criminal, has escaped his confinement, gravely injured one of our captains, and has fled to Hueco Mundo, quite possibly to utilize the power of the Hogyouku to resurrect his Arrancar army and create new Espada to replace the ones lost in the Winter War."

With everyone's nod of understanding (Zaraki's grunt non-withstanding), he continued. "Some of you may not be aware of this, but Ishigawa Yuuto, captain of the 5th Division, was able to fight on par with Sosuke Aizen, a feat that only Shinigami Daiko Kurosaki Ichigo has been capable of."

This got several nods, as most captains had been present at the fight. Unfortunately, Zaraki, with his horrible sense of direction, had completely missed the entire event, so this was news to him.

"Hahahaha! So he's THAT strong, eh? What I would give to be able to go a round with him!" he crowed.

Unohana rounded on the 11th Division captain so fast, most had only time to blink.

"Zaraki-taichou, I will like to inform you now that there will be no attempt at challenging a patient in my personal care. His wounds are grave, and any undue stress could very well harm him further. I will not permit such a thing to occur. Am I clear on this?"

All of this she had spoken with that eerily serene smile on her face, her eyes closed and resembling the late Ichimaru Gin. Zaraki, ever the man of action, actually paled and nodded.

"Hai."

The evil aura that had permeated the room dissipated in an instant, and she smiled warmly at him. "Good. I'm glad to hear that we're on the same page."

Zaraki shook his head. 'Out of everyone her, she's the only one that truly scares me.'

Slamming his cane down, Yamamoto regained the attention of the room. "As such, we will have no choice but to wait until Ishigawa-taichou is fully recovered before we can launch a counter-offensive. In the meanwhile, we will plan our course of action, and take appropriate measures to keep Karakura Town safe. If I have to guess, I'd assume that Aizen's ambitions have not changed, and his ultimate goal is to use Karakura to create the Oken."

"If this occurs, not only will many lives be lost, but the very structure of Soul Society will be in jeopardy. Should Aizen succeed in killing the Spirit King, the foundation that has supported Soul Society for thousands of years will crumble, and the world as we know it will fall apart at the seams."

"Therefore, it is my opinion that we should strike while the iron is hot. We will not allow Aizen the opportunity to rebuild his army. We have learned from our mistakes in the past, and will not repeat them."

Yamamoto turned to Mayuri. "Kurosutchi-taichou, you will reconstruct the fake Karakura Town, and we will once more swap the real for the fake. Should Aizen manage to make it to the real world, we'll need another obstacle for him to overcome."

The scientist nodded, and Yamamoto turned to Zaraki. "As loath as I am to admit this, you will be required to aid whomever we send to Hueco Mundo. You will be part of the original strike force that we will assemble."

The cackling laughter had Yamamoto immediately regret his decision, but he knew it was necessary.

He regarded Shunsui and Jushiro. "You two will remain in the real Karakura as our last line of defense. Should all else fail, you two will be responsible for protecting the lives of the citizens of Karakura."

Kyoraku groaned. "Yare, yare. No pressure, ne, Yama-jii?"

Ukitake refrained from elbowing Shunsui. "We will do all we can, Sensei."

Nodding, Yamamoto turned to the gathered room. "Myself, Komamura-taichou, Hitsugaya-taichou, Soifon-taichou, and Kurosutchi-taichou will be stationed in the fake Karakura Town, our second line of defense should Aizen survive the initial strike force."

Under his breath, Zaraki mumbled. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

"Kuchiki-taichou, Kenpachi-taichou, Unohana-taichou, and Ishigawa-taichou will be leading the strike force to engage and eliminate Sosuke Aizen, and any Arrancar he may have already created."

"Joining the strike force will be Shinigami Daiko Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki-fukataichou, Abarai-fukataichou, Matsumoto-fukataichou, 3rd Seat Madarame, and 5th Seat Ayasegawa."

"The remaining forces at our disposal will be separated between the fake Karakura, the real Karakura, and Soul Society, as we cannot leave it completely unprotected."

"These are the orders of the Soutaichou. See to it that they are carried out swiftly and justly!"

Slamming his cane once more, Yamamoto ended the meeting. Soifon let her feet carry her immediately towards the doorway, but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Soifon-taichou, a moment if you will."

Turning, she regarded Hitsugaya with a quirked eyebrow. "I suppose I can spare a moment. What is on your mind, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Nodding, he left the meeting room with Soifon, keeping stride with her as he spoke. "I am concerned about Hinamori."

Soifon nodded. "As usual."

Sighing, Hitsugaya shook his head. "No, it's different this time. I...I think she's falling in love, again."

Soifon's eyes widened. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yes, and I'm not sure if she's emotionally stable enough to be romantically involved with someone."

She nodded. The last person she'd been romantically interested in had tried to kill her, not once but twice. "That is an understandable concern."

Hitsugaya rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What I'm trying to ascertain is whether I should interfere, or let this run its' course. I was hoping you could assist me in making my decision."

Soifon blinked. "Why me, if I may ask? Wouldn't Kyoraku-taichou, Ukitake-taichou, or even Unohana-taichou be better suited for such a question?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "In some aspect, you are correct. However, I cannot trust Kyoraku-taichou, as he is...well, he's a womanizer." She nodded at this. "Ukitake-taichou is much too busy at the moment, and the same goes with Unohana-taichou, as she is currently healing Ishigawa-taichou. Therefore, the next best person to ask would be you, as you would see it from a logical and unbiased point of view."

Soifon felt a small smile come to her face. "It makes me happy that you have such faith in my judgment. Very well, I will assist you if I can. Who is the person you believe Hinamori is infatuated with?"

Toshirou seemed to sigh even harder. "This seems like deja-vu all over again, but I believe she's in love with Yuuto-san."

Soifon nearly tripped on air, but managed to regain her stride. This was not unnoticed. "You okay?"

She nodded, a bit too quickly for Toshirou's taste. "Could I have stumbled upon something? Her reaction was not something I was expecting. Surprise, yes, but not this level of it. Curious..."

Soifon's mind was running circles. "Hinamori-san...loves Yuuto-kun? Why haven't I noticed this?" She cursed her lack of attention. As the commander of the Stealth Forces (what was left of them after Aizen decimated their ranks), she should have picked up on the subtle signs.

Whenever Yuuto was brought up in a topic, she'd blush and say how she was so lucky to have him as a captain. That right there should have been a dead giveaway. Yet she was too busy being infatuated with him herself to notice. How sloppy, she thought.

"W-well, if she IS in love with him, I don't see how that can be an issue."

Apparently, that was not what Hitsugaya was expecting, because he rounded on her so quickly that she had to stop to avoid colliding with him, shock clearly evident on his face.

"Not a problem?! Who are you, and where is the real Soifon-taichou?"

"I AM the real Soifon, baka!"

Seeing her typical reaction, she noticed his posture relax. "Good. For a second, I thought you'd been replaced by a Yoruichi clone."

Normally, the very mention of 'Yoruichi-sama' would get Soifon all hot under the collar, but for some reason, it didn't this time. It only served to get her irritated. "What's that supposed to entail, Hitsugaya-taichou?"

Toshirou palmed his face. "Nothing. Now, why do you not think it a problem?"

Accepting the change in topic, Soifon nodded. "From what I've seen, Yu-Ishigawa-taichou is a kind, caring, and selfless individual, who looks out for and treats Hinamori kindly."

"Aizen did the exact same things, and he ended up betraying the whole of Soul Society." Hitsugaya pointed out.

Even as he continued, Soifon had to resist the urge to criticize Toshirou for even thinking Yuuto would turn traitor. Stamping the urge down, she listened. "I'm not saying that Yuuto-san is similar to Aizen. In fact, I think he's the exact opposite of Aizen. But I'm just..."

Soifon smiled again. "You're mother-hen'ing her." At his confused look, she elaborated. "You're overly concerned about her well-being. She's had a couple of rough spots in her life, and you're being overly protective to prevent her from suffering any more than she already has."

He sighed. "I...I suppose you're right. I just can't help it. I don't want her to get hurt like that again. The look in her eyes..." He frowned, as if remembering the desperate look she wore as she pleaded Aizen's case with him, sure that Ichimaru was forcing him to do the cruel and terrible things he'd done.

"I suppose I can understand what you're saying. Smothering her with protection, however, will do no one any good, least of all Hinamori-san. I would recommend talking to her, and getting her opinion on the situation."

He nodded, and she began to walk away. But not before a parting remark.

"Trust a woman's heart, Toshirou. They're very rarely wrong."

Before he could ask what she meant by that, she was gone in a flash of Shunpo.

"Hmph. She says it almost as if she..."

His eyes widening, he then chuckled to himself. "I suppose I DID ask the right person, after all."

Since then, she'd been keeping an eye on Hinamori, and had noticed the obvious signs that she'd all but ignored before.

The way she rearranged his covers as he slept.

The way she talked to him as though he could hear her.

The way she smiled brighter than any other time when she was near him.

The way she would constantly make physical contact with him, even if it was just holding his hand.

All of these signs pointed to something more than mere friendship or companionship. They definitely pointed in the direction of romantic feelings, yet Soifon didn't want to admit that.

Admitting that only made the ache in her heart bigger.

She now had competition! She couldn't even believe she'd thought such a thing. She'd just readily assumed that she would be the only one interested in his smiles, his candid attitude, his no-nonsense approach to serious matters. All of this and more were things that attracted her to him, seemingly from day one.

She'd initially assumed he'd turn out like Amagai Shusuke: A man out for his own agenda. A man with his own goals in mind, and captainship of the 5th Division was just a stepping stone to a greater plan.

However, as each day passed, she'd found that she could not sense any ulterior motive behind his actions. Amagai had felt...tense, even when he'd act like he was calm and relaxed. He was always on guard, and even his jokes seemed half-hearted.

With Yuuto, he never half-assed anything. He always put his best foot forward, even if he was making a casual remark to an unseated officer.

She remembered what finally solidified her attraction in the man.

Flashback

Soifon had been scolding Omaeda, her incompetent lieutenant having once again failed a simple retrieval mission. She SERIOUSLY wanted him gone, but his money helped fund the 2nd Division, and in return he got to be her lieutenant. The only reason he wasn't a captain was there were special requirements for captainship, and he possessed none of them, which she was certain he never would. Apparently, money could only get you so far.

"Now, for the last time, I would seriously consider losing some weight, wearing the traditional lieutenant's uniform, and actually training instead of loafing around like the fat tub of lard you are!" she roared, her fists making the desk beneath her creak in vehement protest.

"W-what the hell? Where do you get off on calling me that?" stuttered Omaeda, struggling to put together some sort of defense for his actions.

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true!" she countered, and he cringed as he saw her glare intensify.

There was a knock at the door, and she blinked, anger momentarily forgotten. She'd asked for no one, hadn't requested an audience, and if it was a messenger, they'd have simply appeared before her, knowing she needed to hear whatever they carried.

Sighing, she flopped back into her chair. "Come in."

The door opened, and the new captain of Squad 5 entered, a sheepish smile on his face.

"Gomen, I heard shouting. Is everything alright?"

Huffing, she gestured to Omaeda. "No. This man is my lieutenant, so everything is not alright."

Said man rounded on her. "OI, I have a reputation to maintain, and disrespecting me in front of the new captain is not helping!"

Scoffing, she leveled a disapproving look at him. "If you cared half as much about training as you do your appearance around the Gotei Juusantai, you'd be the Soutaichou in a week."

Omaeda was about to retort, but he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"You know, your captain only has your best interests at heart. She is strict because she wants to see you succeed in your endeavors. I bet that if you put your heart into it, you can get stronger in no time. As an added benefit, training would help you lose weight, and you would end up needing more form-fitting clothes, too."

Blinking, Omaeda's face assumed the appeareance of a man who'd found the light switch in a dark room. "Oh! I see. You're right!"

Soifon's eyes widened. Since when did Omaeda take advice? Normally, he'd tell the person to shove off, or something to that extent.

Watching him thank the new captain and bound out of the room (he even thanked her for his time before leaving!), she could only sit in her chair in slack-jawed amazement.

"What the hell did you DO to him?"

Cocking his head, Yuuto blinked. "What do you mean?"

She chuckled. "Normally, he'd tell you to go fuck yourself, and go on about how much better he was than everyone else simply because he had money. But that didn't happen this time. What gives?"

Yuuto laughed. "Nothing. It's rather simple. You just need to convey the information you wish to relay to someone in a manner that they can understand and interpret. By combining three separate ideals into one task, it makes the job seem that much simpler, and will motivate the less motivated to action."

Soifon shook her head. "If I'd known it was that simple, I'd have done it ages ago. You gotta teach me how to trick-er, I mean help him."

Yuuto caught her slip-up, and his roaring laughter caused her to smile softly.

Now, as he lay comatose in a hospital bed, she smiled softly. "You better get better soon, baka. I have to tell you about Omaeda's recent weight loss."

"Really? I thought he looked thinner at the lieutenant's meeting. So I WAS right!"

Soifon was startled out of her reverie by Momo. The girl was smiling brightly as she looked between her and Yuuto.

"How is he?" she asked.

Shaking her head, Soifon turned to his prone form. "No change."

The smile faltered, and she nodded. "I see." Sitting down opposite from Soifon, she propped her sword against the wall, and Soifon couldn't help but notice the way she grasped his hand lovingly, stroking the back side with her thumb.

"Taichou, we are all here and we miss you very much. I-we're waiting for you, Taichou, so please come back to us...please."

Soifon's thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud knock on the door, followed by it being thrown open.

"Where is he?! I swear to Kami if I find him-"

"BAKA, what the hell is wrong with you, Renji?!"

Said redhead was currently fuming, his eyes wide and posture rigid as he, apparently, went from room to room looking for...someone, as the two girls had no idea who it could be.

That was rectified seconds later.

"If I find Ichigo, I'll take that butcher knife of his and SHOW him how to use it!"

Unfortunately (or rather humorously, depending on your take of the situation) Rukia was clinging to Renji's legs, trying to stop the one-man wrecking crew. Sadly, her small frame worked against her, and she was being dragged across the floor by the much larger man.

"Renji, he didn't force me to do it! If anything, I forced him!

THIS remark got immediate attention, as Momo and Soifon's eyes widened, and Renji stopped cold in his rampage. He rounded on her immediately, and pulled her to her feet, his arms shaking her like a rag doll.

"Say it isn't true! He forced you! Say it! SAY IT, RUKIA!"

Said girl could only flop around like a fish as he continued to shake her. Soifon's temper was quickly rising at the insane antics of the 6th Division fukataichou. Momo was trying to keep her laughter down, but her snickers seemed to still carry volume.

Dropping poor, dazed Rukia to the floor, Renji pointed an accusing finger at Momo. "YOU! What's so funny? There's nothing funny about Ichigo taking advantage of my poor, sweet Rukia."

"Where in the HELL did you get 'poor' and 'sweet' from, Renji?"

The red head rounded on the man of his ire, and leapt at him like a wild beast. "HAVE AT THEE, HEATHEN!"

A foot to his face sent him groaning to the ground, and Ichigo scratched the back of his head in annoyance. "Damn it. You're starting to act like my father, and THAT is just wrong."

Rukia's eyes brightened upon seeing the strawberry, and she latched onto him without hesitation.

"When did you get back?"

"Just now. I was going to check up on Yuuto-san, then I heard this guy" he poked Renji with his foot "rambling about how I'd practically forced you into kissing me. I had flashbacks of my dad, and reacted."

Rukia shivered when she recalled his father. The man was an overall nice fellow, but by Kami did he give her the creeps. The oversized Masaki poster he constantly cried to/over did not help that feeling, nor did his goings on about Ichigo giving him grandchildren.

That particular topic had caused more than one 'Kurosaki Nightly Family Free-For-All', as Isshin put it, and while Ichigo typically won, that didn't make it any better. Having a full-grown man suddenly dive over the table to punch you in the face typically got a person hot under the collar. It didn't help any that he would then wrap you in a half-nelson, drag you over the food-covered table, and proceed to yell at you how you let your guard down simply because you were a normal person who actually expected to have a quiet, peaceful meal in the comfort of your own home.

Naturally, the response to that was a swift kick to the face, followed by a 15 minute all out romp in the living room, which ended with Isshin flying out the window, and Ichigo locking the door. When said boy discovered his father attempting to climb in through the broken window (they went through glass like Yachiru through candy), a kick to the gonads usually ended their impromptu brawl...at least until dinner was over.

Yuzu and Rukia would do the dishes, while Isshin would sob to his wife's poster, claiming innocence and begging for her to guide him in raising his children. Karin would kick him in the head, and Ichigo would toss him in the broom closet, which had actually been cleaned out specifically for this purpose.

This became almost a daily ritual, to the point that Ichigo was willing to give nearly anything to get ONE normal day to himself.

Unfortunately, Kami was not taking requests at the time, so Ichigo was privy to having a new pain in his side: Renji.

"For the LAST FRICKIN' TIME, I DID NOT SLEEP WITH HER!" he roared, hurling Renji out a nearby window. Unlike when he hurled his father out the window, this one was on the third story. So Ichigo got the satisfaction of hearing Renji's startled gasp, followed by his fading scream as he plummeted to the ground below. The sickening THUD that followed could have been a composition by Beethoven himself, as it was such sweet music to his ears.

"Oi, can you assholes keep it down?! Some injured parties are trying to recover here."

"Yuuto-san, I-" Ichigo stopped dead as his brain registered the owner of said voice.

Whirling around, his huge grin was quickly replaced by a confused frown, as he spotted Yuuto being smothered to death by two women.

Hinamori, he could understand. He was her captain, plus she obviously had feelings for the man. What threw him for a loop was the way Soifon was clinging to his neck like a woman possessed.

"So, did you bag the bunny yet, Kurosaki?"

Yuuto's face splitting grin snapped both Rukia, who'd been peering out the broken window to check on Renji, and Ichigo to attention.

"WHAT?!"

"HE HASN'T YET!"

Both faces were already red, but when Rukia's words registered, Yuuto was afraid they'd pass out.

His laughter was cut short by a squeeze to his neck, and he turned his head to regard the women who'd all but plastered themselves to his frame.

"Hello, Momo-chan. Miss me?"

She sniffed, and nodded.

Turning, his eyes widened slightly as he took in the form of a blushing Soifon.

"Soifon-taichou, to what do I owe this unexpected but pleasant visit?"

Her blush deepened, and she buried her face into his neck.

"Shut up, baka. Just...just let me hold you, okay. You scared us...you scared me."

His face softened, and he placed a kiss on her forehead, causing her to blush even heavier.

"Ahh, gomen. I didn't mean to worry anyone."

"Yuuto-san."

"Ye-"

His words were cut off as Momo pressed her lips to his, shocking him deeply as she kissed him for all she was worth. His muffled shout of surprise was enough to get Soifon to look up. She gasped, then her eyes hardened.

"Hinamori."

Said girl broke away from Yuuto, who had a dazed look on his face, and turned to Soifon.

"Make sure you share with your superiors."

Her surprise was quickly multiplied when Soifon grabbed Yuuto's face and pulled him in for a searing kiss.

Once again, he was shocked. Just like with Hinamori, he was able to kiss back, but his surprise was still evident in his face.

"Ohoho, this is great. Blackmail. I love it."

Yuuto looked over, and saw Ichigo wearing what he could only describe as an evil grin on his face.

Unceremoniously breaking away from Soifon, he sat up in his bed rather suddenly. "Ichigo, I swear to KAMI if you-"

He cringed and grasped his side, a pained gasp tearing itself from his teeth.

Ichigo's grin disappeared, and he and Rukia were by his side in seconds.

Rukia pushed on his shoulder. "Take it easy. You just woke up. You were badly hurt."

Everyone present nodded, and Ichigo continued where Rukia left off. "If it weren't for Unohana-san, you could have died."

Yuuto, though clearly pained, scoffed. "As if. I'm much tougher than you give me credit for, Ichigo."

"But you can't simply shrug off a point-blank Hado #88, Ishigawa-taichou."

Hearing a new voice, the group turned to regard Unohana, her eerie smile already in place.

As she walked forward, Ichigo and company parted quickly, and Yuuto was left to face her alone.

'Traitors.'

"I'm glad to see you awake and eager to get back to work, but Kurosaki-san and Rukia-fukataichou were correct. You suffered grievous wounds to your internal and external self. Had I not been there, you very likely would have succumb to them."

Yuuto looked like he wanted to retort, but he merely bit his lip and nodded. Ichigo knew what he was going to say, and he somewhat agreed with it. Had none of them been there, Yuuto could have fought all out, and would have stood a much better chance of coming out the victor. With spectators and possible hostages in the area, his power was cut in half, as he had to try and protect not only himself, but everyone around him, as well.

"So, while you may have your paperwork delivered here, I will be expecting your full and utmost cooperation while we help you heal your injuries. Is that okay with you, Ishigawa-taichou?"

Her question, while still a question, was more of an ultimatum: Stay in bed, or I'll break your legs so you can't leave. Your choice.

Gulping, Yuuto nodded. Unohana gave him a real smile this time, and patted his leg before leaving.

"It's good to have you back with us, Yuuto-san."

Yuuto looked around him as Unohana left.

"Yeah, it's good to be back."

Chapter 8, done! Working on Chapter 9 now, and should have it ready to go soon. Comment, rate, review, etc. Whatever tickles your fancy. As long as you enjoy the story, that's what matters.

-Sgt. Assassin