Okay, long time no... er, update. In every literal sense, I have been completely irresponsible when it comes to updating my stories, and you guys have every freaking right to be mad at me. I'm not going to give excuses. I'm just... such a mess right now.

Right.

I had kind of hoped that my mood wouldn't affect my writing style. I believe it has...

There has been a major change: I HAVE CHANGED HER HAIR COLOR, FRIKIN YEAHHH! Especially for what I have in store for this story, it would be much more realistic if I gave her natural Black hair like NORMAL JAPANESE/EASTERN ASIAN PEOPLE ASLDKFASDLFKM. I'm extremely satisfied with this change, and I'll be tweaking up her characteristics a bit to steer her away from Mary-Sue territory, but (hopefully) without it being OOC. Thanks very much!

-X-

I was nearing the end of my patience.

"Yoruichi.."

"Pfft."

A loud smack was followed by a pained exclamation from Yoruichi. At least it had stopped her laughing.

"It's not funny."

"You know damn well that it is, and you want to laugh too!"

"It's not funny!"

It was sunny outside despite there being no physical sun in the world of the dead. I shifted in my seat. We were currently in my office, a few hours after I had chased Yoruichi and the rest of the woman to stop them from discovering whom exactly Matsumoto was trying to 'set' me up with. They reluctantly returned to their duties, but not until after I gave Rangiku the most furious look I could muster and made her promise not to drag anyone else into it without me knowing first. The last thing I needed was a scandal about me swimming around.

She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back on her chair across from mine. "So how long has this been going on, anyway? You only landed in this place two weeks ago."

"I don't even want to think about it," I grumbled. "Can we not talk about this?"

"... So is he cute?"

"Yoruichi!"

"If you say so," She scoffed, "but we both know that you can't keep the truth away from Shihouin Yoruichi for long!"

"If you think I'm even slightly interested in a relationship with some guy who isn't even taller than me, then you really have to-..." I cursed. Yoruichi didn't miss a beat.

"He's shorter than you?"

"Er... no."

"You're pretty tall for a girl, missy," Yoruichi antagonized. I rolled my eyes: not really. I was obviously tall compared to her and Toushirou: who both happened to be about 4 inches shorter than me. I was pretty athletic as a teenager and I didn't suffer from weight insecurities, so I always had a good appetite. "But... the guys around here are pretty tall. Even Byakuya the short stuff grew to be..."

Her sentence trailed off, and I took it as an opportunity to pathetically intercept. "Seriously, I was... I was just kidding. Of course he's taller than-!"

She clapped her hands together as if she had come up with something. "There's that one guy – he's my height! What's his name? He's got white hair!"

Red alarms and sirens were chaotically blaring off in my head as I blinked, trying to hide my emotions. "... I don't know who on earth you're talk-"

"You're lying."

"Quit interrupting me!"

She scoffed and leaned back, obviously ignoring my exasperation. "The poker-face Ayumi is losing her composure about some boy. Now this guy, I've got to meet."

"No, you are not meeting anyone and especially notthat guy!" I fired, glowering at her nonchalant expression. "Just because Matsu's trying to set me up with him doesn't mean I agreed to it."

A purple eyebrow drew upwards. "Oh? So this is against your will?"

"... I'm amazed that you thought, even for a second, that I could want this. I've been trying to convince you for the past few minutes that I am not interested in this, but no: you have to be all focused on who the guy is instead of the fact that, this is the third time I've said this," I was leaning forward, clearly trying to convey my feelings to the stubborn purple head in front of me. "I am NOT interested in getting together with anyone!"

"Y'know, now that I think of it, this is actually a great idea," Yoruichi said, thoughts elsewhere. I furiously tried to refrain from attacking the table with the force of my forehead. "If you really did get yourself a little boyfriend, you'd probably become more feminine. It wouldn't hurt to see you soften up a little; break down those high walls o'yours."

My hand landed on my face with an unfaltering smack. I muttered, "I cannot believe I'm hearing this..."

"Of all the people that big-chested woman could set you up with, he isn't so bad. The guy may be short, but he's a cutie from what I've seen. At least it wasn't that crazy bald guy, or that narcissistic peacock (1). Now thatwould be hilarious."

"... Yoruichi, let me introduce you to something called 'the point'. You are clearly missing it."

"Oh, don't be so stubborn, Ayumi! How old are you? And still a virgin!"

"NOT. THE. POINT!" I shrieked, cheeks red. "Look, can we just stop talking about it before someone overhears, and rumors start spreading? I really don't need the girly reputation of an unrequited love right now!"

Her amber eyes studied me intently, and I kept my poker face intact, unwilling to admit defeat. "Ayumi-chan?"

"...Ye-"

She pounded her fist into her other palm, the expression on her face clear that she had figured something out. "The guy! He's the current Tenth Division Captain, isn't he? He's just a few panels down!"

-X-

Several doors down, Toushirou flinched at the sound of violent shouts coming from the Ninth Division's room.

"AYUMI, PUT THE STAPLER DOW-" Bam!

A white eyebrow propped up.

-X-

Breathing heavily, I placed the drawer back into my desk compartment. Yoruichi had flown out with a wink and one last remark, leaving me clambering for more office supplies to throw, but she was already out of sight.

"Don't worry, Sakurada! I'll keep my mouth shut, just for you!" she had chirped. I had no idea whether she was being serious or not, but my thoughts were a mess in my head.

I need to clear my head, I gulped, steadying myself onto my feet. Head. Must be clear. Right. Clear head...

Sliding my office door shut, I headed down the corridor. I just needed a walk... or to lie down. I let out a groan as my foot hit the concrete pavements. Why am I even letting this get to me? Yoruichi was right: my composure is slipping way too much...

"That's Sakurada Tai-cho, isn't it?" My thoughts were briefly interrupted at the mentioning of my name. I glanced over only to see two girls whispering to each other, their eyes focused on each other. I frowned; why was it that the gossipers always 'whispered' so loud?

"I heard she used to be part of the Ninth division, and she begged her way up to the position. How could they let her do that?"

A lump in my throat formed, and I grimaced. I walked away from them, anger rising with every step, being fueled by their senseless words. Could they not give the Gotei 13, if not me, some credit? Who would let anyone beg their way up to a Captain? The mastering of Bankai and Shikai were both necessary, as were the capabilities of leadership and—

I leaned against a solid wall. There was no one in the premises. I closed my eyes and let myself breathe in, and then out. I focused on the coldness of the wall pressed against my back, the fresh, cool temperatures of the outside air.

"Sakurada." I jumped at the voice, eyes snapping open and my body lurching off the wall. Toushirou raised a brow.

"Are you..." he continued unsurely.

"Fine! Yes, I, uhh..." With each stutter, my confusion and anger rose, creating a domino effect for even continuous loss of composure. I cleared my throat. "Why are you here?"

He breathed in sharply, as if he didn't quite know the answer himself. "...Matsumoto..."

"Oh." I seriously had to do something about her! "She told you to come out..."

We caught each other's eyes in a lockdown, where we just held each other's gaze. "Mn."

Back with the one word replies, then, and that didn't even count as a word! When I looked at him again to remark on his anti-socialism, I caught his eyes briefly glancing me over. I was suddenly aware that I was wearing my old Captain's uniform, and not the 'standard'. I cleared my throat. "This is what I used to wear when I was a captain. Do you think it's weird?"

"It's... fine." He averted his eyes. "I didn't mean to stare. I'm sorry."

I nodded, the atmosphere taking a turn in the direction of awkwardness. I sighed and refrained from the urge of scratching the back of my neck. "Could you... direct me to the training grounds?"

Toushirou furrowed his brow, but sure enough, instead of probing, he slightly shifted his gaze past my shoulder. "There are practice areas in Shino Academy. Straight down five buildings. Left, then past the eleventh division and down the corridor. Take the first sharp right, and it'll be to your left."

"... I, err..." He looked at me. "Thank you."

Lost in my own worries of directional challenges, I didn't notice the faintest of smirks on his lips until he spoke.

"I'll be your guide."

-X-

"The Ninth Division haori?" one girl remarked, "Hm... then that must be their new Captain..."

"I bet she's strong! Didn't she skip the academy?"

"Idiot!" she reprimanded. "It's another one of those 'connections' links again."

"That's mean! You don't have any proof..."

"She's with Hitsugaya Tai-cho. She's probably a childhood friend of his or something. She wasn't even in our academy class... did she get the rank through recommendations only?"

Toushirou glanced back at me. I distracted myself with the way his haori was fluttering behind him with each step. I wouldn't let that immaturity and inexperience get to me. The fact that they were talking about me while I was in their presence was only further proof that they wanted me to hear – wanted the words to get to me.

I was better than that.

"Why are they together?" We passed the third building.

"Isn't she the new Captain of the Ninth Division?" We passed the fifth building.

"Pretty young, even for appearances." Turned the corner.

"Did Hinamori Fuku-taicho get promoted? She looks really different..." Passed the eleventh building.

"Why is she with Hitsugaya Tai-cho?" Down the corridor.

"Hitsugaya Tai-cho," a member acknowledged in the corridor. "... Sakurada Tai-cho..."

I nodded to him, ignoring his befuddled stare. Though it had been a few weeks, the regular members of the Gotei 13 weren't used to me, or my title. I understood that, but...

"Who's she?"

"OOMPH!" Glancing up at the soft roadblock, Toushirou's back faced me. He turned around, his gaze hard. Except... he wasn't look at me.

"Sakurada Tai-cho is the new Ninth Divisional Captain," he hissed, causing the group of members that had formed in the corridor to stiffen.

"S-Sorry, Hitsugaya Tai-cho!" a male piped up, his voice young and smooth, contrasting with Toushirou's low and husky spite. "We were not informed of –"

"You were all informed," Toushirou cut off, surprising me. He sounded genuinely irked. "And the haori that Sakurada Tai-cho is wearing isn't something that needs to be informed about."

The members mumbled apologies and reassurances that I didn't care about, since my thoughts were elsewhere.

"Back to your duties," Toushirou finished. I looked up at him, unable to say anything to fit the circumstances.

Had Toushirou just... stood up for me?

He began walking, strides strong and confident. I followed behind, finding myself feeling unfamiliarly...

Weak.

We approached the arena, enveloped with high walls and natural ground as the flooring. The rocks and gravel crunched under my sandals as we walked into the stadium-like temple, my gaze never trailing away from his flourish of white hair.

"Thank you," I muttered, watching for his response intently. "Not for just showing me here. I mean, that too, but for helping me out back—"

He spun around abruptly, his eyes locking mine in a glare. "Who are you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Excuse me?"

"I'm asking you," he repeated his question, "who are you?"

I replied with a glare of my own, and a hint of annoyance in my tone. "Depends on who's asking. Toushirou, have you lost your marbles?"

His frown only deepened, if possible. "The Sakurada Ayumi I know would never have walked silently passed that display of insolence without an utter."

I snapped. "So all of the sudden, you know me?"

"You've lost your authority." It took me a moment to gather my thoughts. I stared straight into the ocean of his eyes, hoping my face didn't give my emotions away.

"It's one thing to keep your calm and not waste your time with immaturity," he continued, "but you and I both know that to not stand up for yourself in the face of insolence is the act of a coward."

I was no longer looking at him, my thoughts a bit too scattered for my liking. When was the last time my quick reactions had failed me? This had been the first in a while, where I stood, speechless, not knowing what to say. The words weren't forming, my mind was blanking, and my panic rose with each second that passed in silence. I swallowed discreetly.

"I'll leave you to your training," he spat, his eyebrows still drawn together in a look of anger. "Reflect, Sakurada Tai-cho."

The tension in my shoulders was spreading to the rest of my body. I spun around to face his back, his strides carrying him farther away from me, towards the exit. "I'm not someone with 'bark and no bite'."

He stopped walking, just briefly to hear my out. I looked to the ground in humiliation. "If I have no bite, I won't bark.

I sucked in a deep breath and blurted, "I'm drastically out of shape, and I don't even know if I have what it takes anymore! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've last had a serious fight with anyone? I just spent a century and a half in retirement!"

"Then," he turned his head to reveal a side profile, but he didn't look back, "isn't it time to get back in shape?"

Without another word, he disappeared from sight using shunpo. I scowled, cursing myself for being so pathetic. As much as I didn't want to admit it, he was right. Why had I stayed silent while those members blatantly disrespected me? It's one thing to 'not let rumors effect you', but that didn't mean I should have let them slide like it was morally right. I should have stood up for myself, but...

I gripped Haneyari, feeling him pulsating with the hunger to be released. I waited in silence, concentrating on my surroundings. Not many souls were around, and they weren't close enough to be affected by the activation of Haneyari...

I drew him out of the sheath with a grunt, feeling him immediately release a wave of spiritual energy in the nostalgic surroundings. I smirked, feeling him smirk inside the sword. His face displayed in the reflective surface of the katana, his long light-grey hair as fine as silk, falling down the side of his face. His bangs fell in front of his eyes, only slightly impairing my view of his shadow blue eyes. There was a mischievous spark in his eyes, making the excitement churning in my stomach grow. I was filled with adrenaline, the rush of power surging through my limbs. I didn't feel weak anymore. I was confident; I was powerful.

'Ayumi...'

I smiled. "Been awhile, hasn't it?" He nodded, never having been the talkative type. "Shall we start off with a bang?"

Haneyari smirked, rolling his neck around to stretch. 'Ready.'

With a smirk of my own, I brought my zampakuto over my head, the tip pointing directly at the skies. It had been years since I had last activated my Shikai, the words feeling foreign on my tongue as I shouted the command.

"Shatter the heavens, Haneyari!"

-X-

A rumbled of thunder halted Toushirou's steps, making him furrow his brows even further. He looked over his shoulder cautiously, before turning around altogether to stare at the looming black clouds over Soul Society.

Gasps erupted in the area, as well as whispering and the opening of doors. Members peaked out from doors and hallways to see what was the matter. It was a well-known fact that Soul Society was not like the human world in terms of weather. A spiritual world is not affected by the same laws of nature as the human world, making the reactions of chemicals and such much more complex than that of the real world. Soul Society having 'weather' at all was a rare case.

"Tai-cho!" Toushirou glanced over at the call of his title by his Lieutenant. Rangiku landed next to him, getting up from her kneeling position to marvel at the dark rain clouds. They were formed in just one area, not spreading or wafting over to any other part of the atmosphere.

"What... could possibly summon storm clouds here?" Rangiku mumbled. Toushirou exhaled noisily, and began to make his way back to the training area.

"Someone released their zampakuto." Rangiku followed behind him, also furrowing a brow.

"Well, it's in the Academy practice grounds, so you're allowed to draw your zampakuto, but... a student achieving Shikai at this sort of level?"

"That's no student." A streak of lightning crashed down, earning gasps and dropped jaws. Toushirou held back an impressed smirk. "That's a Captain coming out of retirement."

-X-

The end blade connected to the skies with crackling strings of electricity. At the release of Shikai, he was no longer a zampakuto, but a sky-blue thunder halberd. I twirled the pole between my fingers and hands, initiating the control I had thought I'd lost. I smirked with every successful swing, spin, stab and transfer of Haneyari, I could feel its magnetism to the thunder strikes. The sky was a field of cracked pavement, the neon blue strings glowing underneath the grey clouds.

The sky rumbled, and I laughed. Let's do this.

I waited, focusing my energy and concentration into a fine line. The sky rumbled again, and my feet shunpo'd into action.

The instant the lightning made contact with Haneyari's blade, he roared in approval, capturing the lightning strike as I spun around and launched it back into the sky, seeing as I had no target. The sky crackled, a blinding light erupting from the direction the lightning landed.

We were warmed up.

Round two-

I snapped my eyes to the entrance of the arena, meeting the surprised eyes of no other than the Captain who had last shown me his back and his lieutenant. Toushirou's eyes were wider than usual, his posture straight and his mouth pursed together. Rangiku's eyes were wide, her jaw slightly ajar. I bit my lip and lowered Haneyari, who glanced over at our intruders.

"Toushirou..." I acknowledged, hoping they hadn't been watching very long. Though I didn't sense them until just then, which meant they probably didn't catch my previous move... "Rangiku..."

"A-Ayumi-chan..." Rangiku stammered. "You... But... A Lightning strike just came down!"

"Oh? Did it?" I sweatdropped, shrugging. "Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

Toushirou's gaze on me was hard, confusing me. I exhaled and glared over at him, our relationship not on smooth waters once again. "You came back. For?"

He seemed to snap out of whatever trance he was under just then and regain consciousness. "I... This isn't the proper training ground to be activating your releases."

Rangiku threw him a look of confusion, and even my brow went up. "Oh? Really? Well, then would you like to direct me to where I may train at the arena appropriate to my releases?"

I hadn't meant for that to come out in such a challenging tone of voice. He continued to glare. "...There is none."

I tilted my head to the side, and even Rangiku looked about ready to ask for her real captain back. It was obviously a lie. Why was he trying to provoke me?

"Really, now? Well, then..." I spun Haneyari in my fingers, as the sky began to slowly clear. I threw him up into the air, spinning, as his halberd form was engulfed in light. "That's too bad, because I don't feel like leaving yet."

"Unless, Hitsugaya Tai-cho," I pointed the tip of Haneyari's katana form at him, the skies breaking free of our stormy spell, "you'd like to make me?"

Rangiku's jaw was dropped. "AYUMI-CHAN?"

Toushirou eye's widened a bit instead of glaring, which surprised me. I grinned, unable to contain my sudden new interest.

"Sakurada Tai-cho," His left eyebrow propped upwards in a look of confusion, his lips pressed together in the most adorable look of amusement I had ever seen. Wait, wha- "Would you like to repeat what you said?"

I blushed, hoping he'd take the redness of my cheeks as a different kind of embarrassment. Okay, why on earth did I find that as attractive as I did? "I'm not as strong as I used to be, but I've still got a one up in terms of experience. You're the prodigy that surpassed me and took the title of youngest to be Captain, and you have the advantage of a recent century and a half over me. Don't tell me that the thought hasn't crossed your mind..."

CLANG!

Our zampakutos clashed. I leaned my weight on him, our faces inches from each other. He supported my weight effortlessly, the muscles in his lean arms working as his zampakuto pressed against Haneyari in a battle of power.

"Right now, exactly which one of us is stronger?"

-X-

She had flash stepped and closed the immense distance between them in the twitch of a finger. Had he blinked, he wouldn't have drawn Hyourinmaru in time to block her attack, earning himself both a loss of dignity and possibly some blood.

He had never been so close to her before. The lack of distance between their faces almost nerved him, but he kept his composure intact. She loved to break down his walls, make him step out of his comfort zone. What's more, she knew how to get under his skin. Hitsugaya Toushirou could even adequately deal with annoyance: his tolerance of his lieutenant was enough proof of that. But this girl almost seemed to have him figured out, the way she teased him to proportions that he didn't know he could be disturbed to. He absolutely hated it.

And yet, it was so strangely gratifying.

He flash stepped to the side, Hyourinmaru still in his hand since Ayumi hadn't sheathed her zampakuto yet. His eyes never strayed from her. He had learned to train them on her face. He had long taken note of the fact that Ayumi was a girl who held eye contact with others, but holding Toushirou's gaze proved to intimidate her. Why that was, he had completely no clue.

"Just a friendly spar," she proposed, and for once she didn't look away after several seconds. Her chin was tilted upwards in an almost haughty way, the vulnerability that he had seen only minutes ago leaving no trace on her smirking face. "I mean, it's hard to measure ability if we can't both go full out, but it wouldn't exactly be fair if we destroyed this practice ground, now would it? And you even went as far as to say that this isn't the correct setting for even a Shikai... So releases are forbidden," she continued, shooting Rangiku a glance. "Matsumoto Fuku-taicho will watch to make sure that stays in play throughout our fight, right?"

He furrowed his brows. "I never agreed-"

"OOH! Absolutely!" Rangiku twittered, a smirk crawling across her face as she observed the scenario with expertise. "And I'll get to decide the winner too, then? This sounds like fun, right, Tai-cho?"

Toushirou growled under his breath, resisting the urge of rubbing his temples at his lieutenants' immaturity.

"What do you say, Toushirou?" Ayumi provoked, an endearing smirk playing on her lips. Toushirou averted his eyes.

"I won't be sucked into your games, Sakurada. We both have duties to tend to," he said. She frowned, opening her mouth to protest. "Therefore, we better make this quick."

"You're... giving in?" Ayumi blinked. "So easily? I was expecting to have to force you into it. You know, attacking you as you left, so you'd be left with no choice but to fight me to get me off your case, resulting in a fight anyways."

"Trust me, Sakurada," he smirked, "I know you better than you give me credit for."

She leered in response. So he had known that she would've had her way no matter what, so he chose the route that would get it over with faster?

What a clever little prick.

"Matsumoto!" she called out. Rangiku smirked, already positioned safely on the sidelines of the arena.

"You may commence when ready!" she announced loudly. Ayumi looked back at Toushirou, breaking out into a grin. He held back a smirk of his own, his senses alerting considerably more. Ayumi reached behind and retrieved her sheathe from her waist. Toushirou raised a brow in confusion when she slipped it back onto her zampakuto, the bright sheen coming from the sheathe revealing what material it was made of.

The clean sound of metal against metal reverberated through the arena as both katanas clashed against each other. Ayumi had been the first to initiate an attack, and Toushirou had been fast enough to match her speed.

Again.

She grinned, revealing her teeth. "Looks like we're both ready."

-X-

Clang! Swish — Clang! Clang! Swish – thud. Clang! Thud. Clang!

Growl.

Ayumi smirked as the sound passed her ear. Toushirou was beginning to lose his patience, and she certainly enjoyed being the reason behind it. Toushirou was fast, that was indisputable. The fact that he could dodge her frontal attacks for so long was evidence that he wasn't called a prodigy just for the title of it. He had earned his rank of Captain, and she without a doubt knew that he was one of the best.

Toushirou cleared himself of another swing from her zampakuto. She was certainly the offensive type with her forward assaults. Throughout the fight, Toushirou had made several offense attempts within a line of hers. He could see a potential flaw with her so easily; with the amount of strength and speed, she would require much more stamina than the average shinigami, thus tiring her out much faster. It was impressive that she could hold on for so long and still make the young captain stagger back at the clash of their zampakutos. He would think she would have weakened, but her swings and stabs were as driven and accurately aimed as the first few. Her movements were never wide: they were focused; he barely caught some as they blurred. Her use of agility and footwork, Hohō, was astounding. In terms of short distance combat, she would be considered a master for her constant use of shunpo and utsusemi. She had the sheath of her zampakuto on, which baffled him at first, but he added up the puzzle pieces quickly. The sheath was made of a sort of metal, capable of withstanding the blow of a katana, as well as weighing her down. Why she chose to turn down her speed advantage, he had no idea.

She leapt away, and they mirrored each other as they stood, panting with their zampakutos in hand.

Toushirou knew full well that if it were to go on, it would be a battle of endurance and speed. He had no idea how long or fast a shinigami like her could go, even with a century and a half of 'retirement', but he also knew that he would lose if he couldn't last longer than she could.

Clang! He made the bold attempt of Senka to get behind her, but she had blocked the attack just in time to save a slash in the back.

"Your speed just now..." she breathed, "impressive."

She glared when he disappeared, and she instantly flash-stepped elsewhere, only to find herself face to face with him. The blades of their zampakutos met again, and she smirked at his incredible speed. He had almost caught her.

"Thank you," he replied, not sounding all too thankful. She pulled away and created distance between them, eyes training meticulously on his form before flashing to the right to evade his attempt to bind her using kido.

Rangiku watched silently from the sidelines, the wind of the attacks travelling all the way up to her and causing her hair and uniform to flutter constantly, even violently every once in a while.

"My, my," Rangiku glanced over as she felt Yoruichi take a seat next to her. "Took me longer than I would've expected to find this place. Ayumi wasn't kidding when she said that this place has changed drastically." Yoruichi tilted her head as she observed. "Who's that lad down there fighting with Ayumi?"

"The Captain of my division, Yoruichi-sama," Rangiku answered respectfully. Yoruichi waved off her '-sama' honorific, which Rangiku nodded reverently to. After all, Yoruichi was just as strong as any Captain in Soul Society, as well as being the Goddess of Flash. "Hitsugaya Toushirou. The Tenth Captain."

"Hmmm..." Yoruichi hummed, unable to refrain from smirking. "He's not half bad. How long has this fight been going on?"

"I'd say about five minutes now."

Yoruichi laughed out loud. "Five minutes? I'll give him credit for not losing a limb yet," Rangiku raised a brow.

"I know that Sakurada Ayumi is strong," Rangiku defended loyally. "In fact, I have no idea the limits of her ability yet, but from the looks of it, my Captain is giving her quite a challenge."

Yoruichi's lips moved up in a catty grin. "True. The new Tenth down there honestly isn't bad at all. But coming from someone who's spent a century with Ayumi, trust me when I say that people underestimate Ayumi's abilities much more than necessary."

"It's going to happen soon." Rangiku snapped her gaze up to stare at Yoruichi, whose eyes were still trained on the battlefield. "Watch, Lieutenant."

Rangiku complied and stared at the two Captains intently, her eyes struggling to take notice of what Yoruichi wanted her to 'watch'.

"Did you see that?" Rangiku blinked, feeling like she drew the shorter end of the stick. Yoruichi glimpsed over at her, a grin on her features.

"Ayumi has very smooth transitions. See if you can spot the difference. Your Captain has already seen it."

Rangiku's eyes squinted as they worked, targeting Ayumi within all the chaos. She stared intently for a long while, the battle taking on an unfamiliar turn that she couldn't put her finger on.

"That—" Yoruichi smirked. Rangiku had seen it. "Is Ayumi using...?"

"All apart of the transition, Lieutenant," Yoruichi informed.

-X-

She's ambidextrous! Toushirou scowled, the change having come as a surprise to him. It earned him a cut to his arm, as he couldn't react fast enough to register the sudden change in her blade direction. Apart from the blade being switched to her left hand and back to her right to confuse him, the genius also noticed something else.

She slowed down, just a bit. Why? He dodged a thrust, leaping in the air to avoid a stab in the back.

"Ayumi always takes on an offensive side when a battle first commences. It usually gives the opponent the expectation that she isn't afraid to make the first move and won't wait. Those who stay on the side of defense soon change over to attempt offense, and those who don't..." Yoruichi shrugged. "Well, that's a win right there."

Rangiku interrupted, "Tran...sitions? What do you mean?""

"The basic shinigami combat forms. Basically, during her first battle, she'll subtly move from a Shunpo, battle to a Zanjutsu battle, to Kido, Hakuda and so on, until she finds the form that she can dominate her opponent in, and she takes them down. She incorporates kido attacks within the battle, otherwise it'd be too obvious." Yoruichi stood up from her spot, stretching her limbs. "As much as Ayumi takes the spar competitively, it's mostly just her strategy of measuring your Captain's ability. If that lad decides to show all his cards too early in the game, there's no way he'll walk away with a victory against her."

The sounds of metal against metal continued, with a speed slower than before. Rangiku finally understood: this was Ayumi's 'transition' from Hohō, footwork, to Zanjutsu, swordsmanship.

"He's a Zanjutsu master, isn't he?" Ayumi switched fast from swordsmanship. She interwove a Kido attack just now to fend him off and bounded away from him, allowing breathing space for the two fiery captains. Rangiku answered with a confident, 'Yes.'

"Ahhh," Yoruichi chuckled. "That's why."

Rangiku snapped her eyes in her direction. "What's so funny, Shihouin-san?"

"I can't believe I didn't see it. I guess it really has been too long since I was last in a fight with Ayu-chi..." As soon as her words finished, Rangiku watched as Ayumi slipped her sheath and zampakuto back into her sash, eyes widening.

"Her... her sheathe was on the whole time?" Yoruichi smirked, chuckling.

"She was part of my Executive Militia back in the day, but after Urahara was promoted to Captain, she became Corps Commander of the Detention Unit..." She leaned back, reminiscing on old times. "A position only given to those with the ability to battle without the use of a weapon whatsoever."

Ayumi breathed out a stream of air, clenching and unclenching her fists as she calmed down her system. Toushirou watched with confusion, despite knowing that it would be wise to try and make a move during what seemed like her resting time. However, he was never the type to rush into battle or initiate a first move when unnecessary. He could tell by the way she was staring at him that she had something up her sleeve.

"Maybe you haven't noticed, but Ayumi and Genryuusai have a very strong bond together. It rivals his relationship with both Shunsui and Ukitake, despite them being his own disciples and the earliest of captains. While Genryuusai holds the top in terms of Hakuda, Ayumi comes in at the indisputable second place."

By the time Toushirou had registered Ayumi's flashstep towards him, he had believed he had caught it in time, only to be fooled with the afterimage of her as she reappeared behind him. From the sidelines, Yoruichi flinched as Ayumi launched him flying forward. Toushirou cursed in his mind, anchoring Hyourinmaru down into the ground to brake. Pain. His back felt twenty times heavier, and his legs had twisted strangely, resulting in weakness spreading throughout his lower limbs.

"I was hoping you'd catch that, Toushirou," she sighed. "Kinda disappointing."

He evened out his breathing, determined to not fall for such an elementary trick again. She didn't go into elaborate techniques or blast full Kido spells at him.

All she did was stick to the basics, enhanced to a mastery level that even—

Toushirou eyes were unconsciously narrowed as thoughts laced together and intertwined in his mind. She restricted her speed, as if to give herself a handicap. At first, he had thought that she was doing so purposely to mock him for their difference in ability, but he was beginning to see a deeper reason.

She was trying to drag out the battle, not make it end as fast as she could, otherwise she would have gone to greater lengths to ensure a quick victory against him. This wasn't entirely about winning against him, he realized. She stuck the basic Shinigami forms, ascending them in a matter that reached the highest level she could perform, as if she was...

Ayumi felt a chill run down her spine when another eerily alluring smirk tugged on the corner of his lips. She took a deep breath in and exhaled. Being the type of guy Toushirou was, he was rarely seen with any emotion on his face whatsoever, though the occasional scowl, frown and grimace wasn't uncommon.

But Toushirou didn't smirk for no apparent reason, and especially not in the middle of a battle. In fact, even if he did have a reason, it had better be a damn good one to make said white haired genius break out into an expression of any kind of positivity.

Clenching her fists and releasing them, she produced a low, aggravated growl.

Toushirou must have figured something out.

-X-

Ayumi had long established Toushirou's dislike to initiate the first move among battles; something she found rather chivalrous and gentlemanly of him, ensuing a respect for him.

So when Toushirou took the opportunity to strike her first as an offense attack, she knew that she was in for a change in play. Either she was right, and Toushirou had figured something out, or he had gotten much more serious.

Or both.

Dodging his very bold frontal attacks, she leapt to the sides, scowling at how things weren't going her way. She drew out her zampakuto at last, saving herself from a blow to the head as his katana came crashing down over her.

"Stepping up out game, are we, Tenth Captain?" she jested, ducking from a swing and flash-stepping behind him. Switching from her left hand back to her right, he successfully blocked all swings, making her frown.

"Are you sure," he answered, back facing her as his zampakuto clashed with hers, elbows raised, "that you haven't stepped down yours?"

"Gosh, you sounded like Ichigo for a second there," she muttered, ducking and swinging his foot to trip him. He leapt up into the air and spun around for another hit. She smirked when the sound of metal sounded for the hundredth time or so in the stadium.

He was obviously a master of the sword. Although many had achieved the art of mastering Zanjutsu, she was never as strong as others in the field. Having achieved Bankai and Shikai, many ranked officers opted out of their sword-cutting technique, letting their skill level drop from the time they had mastered it...

Including Ayumi.

She cursed when he successfully slit her cheek. His eyes widened as the blood stained onto Hyourinmaru and he leapt back, not meaning to cut her as deeply as he had. She groaned, feeling the four-inch cut overflow with blood and run down her face.

Yoruichi squinted her eyes and Rangiku broke out into a victorious smirk. That was her Captain! This was the Tenth Division Captain!

"... Could it be that Ayumi really has gotten that much weaker?" Yoruichi blurted, making an imaginary drop of sweat run down the side of Rangiku's head.

"I suppose you could say that, though like I said," she boasted, "my Captain is stronger than most."

"Hmm... I never would have though to throw Ayumi in the 'most' category. Though I'm not concerned," Yoruichi shrugged. "Besides, your captain still doesn't have what it takes to make Ayumi remove her sheathe."

Rangiku smirked when Ayumi launched her sheath flying to the side right on cue.

Yoruichi blinked before letting out a heavy sigh. "Way to make me eat my words, Ayu-chi."

-X-

Her sheath landed in the ground with a solid thud, embedding itself deep into the ground. There was no mistaking the sound for anything else. Toushirou knew first hand, through each and every clash that her sheath weighed much more than the average.

So really, he should have seen it coming when her speed increased so much to the point of him not realizing he had been cut until she was once again at his front for the second attack. He flinched at the contact of their blades for the first time. She smirked down at him, smug with his blood mirroring her own.

He could feel it. With the weight of the sheath gone, her strikes were the slightest bit weaker. It allowed her to bring her blade down much quicker, but he no longer staggered with each clash. It was obvious with the gain of speed, she lost her power, and he was fully ready to take advantage of that.

She gasped when he struck her continuously, before continuously crashing his katana down onto her blade, whipping it out and under her body as she struggled to get out of his blade's way. His control of his sword's movement was solid: much more solid than hers. The reality of it wasn't exactly something she wanted to face, but she knew all too well that if they ever had a battle solely on Zanjutsu, he'd send her packing her bags.

"A battle of Hoho and zanjutsu. What a catch. My bets on Ayu-chi!" Yoruichi laughed with mirth. Rangiku smiled, too.

"My loyalties lie with my Captain."

Ayumi called out a Kido spell, surprised when it nearly grazed him, but its power was obviously weakened since she had no place to make hand signs and concentrate hard enough. She tried several flashes to create distance between them, earning time, but he had seen right through her attempts. She was faster, but he was still fast, which gave her no time to get away. A battle of just speed and strength could last forever, and Toushirou wasn't nearly as weak in speed as she was in Zanjutsu. If they continued in the current matter, it was obvious who would end up on the ground first.

"Oh, screw it!" Both spectators, including Toushirou, cast their attention diligently on Ayumi as she had cursed. Yoruichi and Rangiku dropped their jaw as Ayumi retrieved her sheath from the ground and hiked it back onto her waist, right before she stashed her zampakuto back into the sheath.

"She's—" Rangiku began, but Yoruichi stubbornly cut her off.

"Fighting Zanjutsu with Hakuda? Does she have any idea how stupid that is? Unless she goes full power and breaks that boy's body, she can't—" she halted her words, anger fueling the volume of her words. Obviously, she wasn't going to send him into a coma with a full-powered attack, but to fight a sword with her body as the opposing weapon? What was Ayumi doing?

The same thought was making its way across Toushirou's mind as he charged forward, eyes focused intensely on Ayumi as she also proceeded to dash forward. He was torn – to battle a sword with one's body... what was she planning?

In a flash, she was gone. He could feel her presence behind her, and he whipped around, only to feel something obstructing his blade. His head snapped back to find her hands clapped around the blade of Hyourinmaru, blood trickling down her hands, wrist, and down his blade. Before the thought could register, pain blasted afire in his side and the next thing he knew, he was flying through the air, no blade to break his momentum.

"She... took Hyourinmaru from Hitsugaya!" Rangiku shouted, standing up for a better view. Yoruichi's eyebrows were furrowed, and her mind unable to comprehend what Ayumi was aiming for.

He hissed, still in the air, as he saw Ayumi tie Hyourinmaru onto her sash and charge forward, running towards the spot he would land. Yoruichi and Rangiku stared in anticipation, leaning forward in their spots. No matter how you looked at it, Ayumi planned to deliver a finishing blow.

He flipped around, mind racing as to how he would land with her braced for attack, Hyourinmaru not with him for defense. Not enough time for Kido. Suspended in mid-air. No weapon.

Ayumi's speed increased as she flashed out of sight. His eyes identified the spot he would land, and he waited for the image of her to appear in its place. Toushirou could only brace himself for the pain that would come, his hands and legs braced for any last moment tricks he could manage to pull.

So when Ayumi appeared in that spot, arms extended as if to catch him, Toushirou's eyes grew wide with confusion.

-X-

I caught him with a loud 'oomph!' and crashed onto the ground behind me, skidding on the ground and causing burning sensations of pain to stain my back. The dust around us from the field impaired our sight, but I could feel his weight on top of me, his panting breath at rival with my own.

The sandy surroundings slowly dissipated, and I could see the silhouette of his hair and face, several inches away from mine. I reached for Haneyari and braced it at the back of his neck.

I could also see the shape of his blade, positioned threateningly at the front of my neck.

"Well, looks like we have a draw," came the voice of Rangiku. The sand haze had dispersed enough for us to make out clear images with color and figures. Toushirou's teal orbs came into focus, piercing through the obscure brown sand. We were both breathing against each other, eyes unwavering as we stared at each other, expressionless, blank minds, unable to muster a word.

"And a very compromising position, if I do say so myself," Yoruichi inputted. It was then that I realized Toushirou's legs were straddling my hips, an arm planted next to my face as his other was folded to hold his zampakuto against my neck. My face went from flush and blank, to red and flustered. He wasn't moving to get off me, though, and by the looks of it; he probably hadn't heard Yoruichi or Rangiku's words. It was like he was in a whole other universe.

"Toushirou," I rasped, voice not sounding like my own. Gosh, how my face was rising in temperature with each passing moment. "Ah... Toushi... rou."

I hesitantly lowered my arm, taking Haneyari away from the back of his neck, wondering if that was why he was refusing to move. Just then, he seemed to snap awake, blinking away his thoughts and registering the current moment. With a clearing of his throat, he whisked his weapon away and stood up, dusting himself off just briefly. I gingerly propped myself onto elbows, the pain in my back and hands flushing back into memory as they went ablaze with pain. I groaned, getting up on my knees and successfully standing up. If I was in so much pain, how much was Toushi—well, I did break his fall in hopes that he wouldn't get too hurt, but I had used a violent kick to the side, but there he was standing up without wincing whatsoever.

"You're weaker, Bakarada!" Yoruichi teased, throwing me a playful punch. I grunted in reply and waved her off. I glanced over at Toushirou, his eyes lowered, deep in thought.

"Oi, that was a good spar," I said, watching as he glimpsed up at the sound of my voice. I smiled nervously. "Rougher than either of us would have liked, I'm sure, but... a good fight nonetheless, agreed?"

His teal orbs burned into mine, and I looked away briefly to avoid awkwardness from his piercing gaze. He finally nodded, giving a small 'hn' in response.

"Alright, enough chatter! We need to get the two of you to the medical unit!"Rangiku announced, ushering us out of the arena. I stared down at my bloody hands, long, parallel cuts adorning my palms and fingers. Not one of my brightest ideas. But then again, I hadn't thought it would turn out as a draw, and that the smartass Toushirou would beat me at my own game and use the inability to see to his advantage and draw out Hyourinmaru out from my belt without me knowing. Gosh, I should have thrown the stupid thing on the ground!

"I think these two are fully capable of walking to the fourth division by themselves. Ayumi might be directionally challenged, but your Captain's with her, so she couldn't possibly get lost," Yoruichi remarked, shooting Rangiku a glance. I opened my mouth to protest, only to have Toushirou's voice cut me off.

"Matsumoto, do you not have duties and paperwork to attend to?" Rangiku winced at her Captain's words, nervously laughing. "Lieutenant."

"Yes, Captain! I'll be right on it~!" she twittered, giving both me and Yoruichi a word of departure and a nod before disappearing. Yoruichi chuckled and touched my shoulder.

"It's about time I took my parting, too, Ayu-chii. I'll be heading back to Urahara's." I nodded.

"Tell Ichigo—"

"He knows already!" I whipped my gaze to a rooftop several buildings away. "Don't worry! He's probably planning a trip to come back for you as we speak." With a wink and her signature grin, she gave me a wave. "See you around, Ayu-chii."

I held up my hand in a wave, and in less than a second, she was out of the vicinity.

And I was alone with Toushirou.

-X-

Yoruichi certainly lived up to her title of the Goddess of Flash. If he thought Ayumi was fast, Yoruichi was a whole other level of fast, giving teleportation a run for its money. He wasn't so nerved as to how quick Yoruichi was, but rather, how quick she had left the two of them.

And so he was alone with Ayumi.

A bead of sweat caressed his forehead, the sensation reminding Toushirou of his inability to fathom the series of events that had lead him to such uneasiness. He could remember her dark eyes, staring back at him through the haze. How with each breath, he could feel her chest rise and fall against his; their bodies so close, his cheeks were forced to heat with overwhelming temperature. Just as he lifted his person to relieve himself of tension, the cold metal pressed against his neck, awaking his senses. It was then that his body made the automatic moment to draw his sword from her sash and hold it against her. He calmed himself, his heart competing with his brain as to which could cause him more bafflement.

Confusion. Delusion. Uncertainty. They were all words, and many more, that had tied themselves around his situation, tightening their grip to show they weren't leaving any time soon.

It was so trivial: insignificant, that if he weren't so picky about details, perhaps he wouldn't have noticed it.

Even earlier, before the fight when members and shinigami gossiped behind his back. It struck a nostalgic chord. He was the one who had been victimized and joked about behind his back without mercy. He tolerated it and moved on, never overreacting or turning back to reprimand them for insolence.

For her, why had he done it? Was it his authority that permitted him so? His incapability of letting disrespect influence him anymore? It was an explosion of accumulated emotion, and before he could grasp his sudden anger, he had stood up against them for the first time, and not even for himself.

"Toushirou?" she spoke, rosy lips moving to shape his name.

When had he allowed for her to call him by his name, without a rank?

"Are you..." Her brown eyes narrowed as he finally brought his own eyes to meet hers. She raised her eyebrow up just a tad. "You seem a bit out of it. I kicked you rather hard, so..."

"I am sure your body has suffered a greater toll than mine." At his words, she made a funny face of offense, sucking her lip. The simple gesture sent a whirl of mixed emotions through his being.

"Well... you didn't technically inflict these injuries, so you don't have to feel guilty, but..." She cleared her throat, an air of awkwardness reeling them in. "Never mind."

"You endured such injuries for a victory against me. I would say that's a reason to guilt."

"More like a reason to feel smug. I shouldn't have had to try that hard to get you to succumb, and to try that hard, only to end with a tie! That's a big blow to my dignity, you know," she sighed, staring at the cuts on her hand sorrowfully. She broke out into a smile instantly, "but I haven't fought like that in a long time. I'm glad you proved to be such a hard opponent!"

He nodded, unable to find the appropriate words under the circumstances. She seemed to not mind his silence as she walked with him to the Fourth Division only a building away.

He didn't know why or how, but he knew that he had unconsciously let it happen.

Toushirou was allowing Ayumi to walk by his side.

-X-

(1) Yes, Yoruichi is referring to Ikakku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa. :3

This was a hard chapter. I just wanted to give up several times because I was so utterly frustrated with it. There's just this overwhelming feeling to rewrite EVERYTHING, and I know that would be totally unfair since I don't update regularly anyways, and I already have rewrote this. LOL, GEEZ. Frustrationnn!
Still, I hope you guys have stayed with me. If you haven't, I understand... I have so many ideas knocking at my brain for new stories, but it feels like I'm leaving these old ones in the dirty )': I won't, though! Eventually, I'll finish everything I have active! I promise!

IT'S BEEN A YEAR, but this chapter is 10 000 words!

If you're still with me, leaving a review would be more than welcome to let me know that I still have readers for this. Thus, encouraging a faster update (;