A/N: So I know I just started this story and all, or at least that's how it feels like, but I just can't bring myself to work on it right now. I've completely fallen out of Bleach at this point and because of that I've pretty much lost all ambition to type something related to it. Hopefully I can overcome it for the sake of this story at least but in the case I don't update any time soon, it's because of that.

She had observed him go through different stages of irritation and annoyance before... but this time seemed to hold a different kind of level, like it deserved it's own type of category. It wasn't more so just the tension in his jawline, or the way he kept his arms tightly crossed over his chest... overall, he just seemed as though he was trying to avoid the fact that she was sitting just a foot or so from him.

"… They want you to go back to Soul Society with them."

When the words finally slipped away from his lips, she could see the explanation for his behavior.

It didn't take much for her to register the remark and note how his own sense of dismay flooded his tone and poisoned the given words. It was almost an odd kind of offer... she had just finished telling Isane that she had no plans on going back; any sense of belonging she had once shared with that place was gone. As difficult as it may have seemed for the other woman to comprehend, this odd, desolate desert world around them brought her more comfort than she could ever be in touch with. After all these years though, things would be far too different for her to be comfortable with, even she herself had changed too much to go back. While she was curious to see how it had been altered... she didn't want to remember what used to be there either. "No I… how does that help?"

He didn't know how she always managed to keep her expressions stilled, but sometimes it was a little hindering... she was a difficult person to figure out at times, but right now would've been a nice time to know what she was thinking. And while repeating the words the Captains from before had given out felt like fire on his tongue, he knew she had a right to know. "They were aiming for some kind of evidence to show how it's possible for Shinigamis and Hollows to exist without the need to kill one another; at least, for higher leveled ones since neither side can confirm that they would have complete control over every possible member in their dimension. We can't control the lower leveled ones that want to enter the human world and cause mayhem and they can't just stand aside and ignore the crisis of that. Even in this stage, the few of us here still hold the power to cause significant damages if we really wanted to... and the same goes for their side. So they figured if they could prove that higher members such as the ones here can co-exist around one another without provoking another war, then maybe there's a chance. Unfortunately that's where we step in... or you at least. You're one of their kind, you know what it's like to have stood on their side and yet you find yourself here with little to no problems- at least, from what they could tell. Hence why their main piece of evidence would revolve around us... but their centerpiece of the whole matter would be Akira essentially. I think they want you to bring her with you should you choose to go."

They made a decent, solid point, she had to give them that. By pointing out that she was a Shinigami herself, that she had stood with them a few years before, it would be understood that she registered Hollows in the same light the rest of the Society had. And since she was just like them but had adapted to being around Hollows for a decent length of time with little to no conflicts, it would be a proving point that everyone else could too. Well, perhaps not everyone else... but it was just possible that their two species could co-exist without attacks. They didn't have to like each other or be friends, all they had to do was survive while the other species existed as well.

They just wanted to avoid another war, that was it.

The Captains couldn't risk anymore causalities.

And the same went with the Espadas.

At this point, it was just about surviving and nothing else.

It was a simple situation that was proving to be more complex with every passing minute and expressive word.

"Only on one condition."

The few words that left her lips caught him off-guard, pushing him from the little bit of support he thought he had a grip on. Again, this would've been a great situation to know what the hell was going on inside of that head of hers... but he could only make appropriate guesses and create a half-assed thesis of why she would even give in to that kind of suggestion. Those amber eyes of his narrowed slightly in question at her remark as he tested himself on whether or not he really wanted her answer. He did... he was just partly confused on what it would be. "You're actually… considering this?"

She knew the moment those words left her, he wouldn't hold the least bit of appreciation for them. Maybe she was fooling herself into understanding him and his stand on this whole situation, it wasn't easy for either of them... but he seemed to be taking the hardest hit from it. She supposed a lot of it fell on his shoulders after all... Taking in a quiet breath, she rolled it around in her chest before she moved to give him an answer. "If you come with me, I'll go."

It sounded like a death sentence almost.

Had a heart even existed in his chest in the first place, it probably would've found a stopping point right then and there.

"What?"

"I don't like the thought of the overall idea either... but just the same, I don't like the idea of taking Akira somewhere without you." the words sounded more like a confession rather than an extended explanation for her earlier answer. It felt like they stumbled on the tip of her tongue and made it difficult for her to speak further. "I'm not comfortable with the fact that I'd have to be separated from you or... that you wouldn't have me around. This overall situation feels too sudden and there's too much room for error and difficult technicalities. I'm not going to risk it... even if I have no doubt that I could protect Akira in any way should something occur during this whole exchange... there's always space for failure and I'm not perfect; it's a risk I'm not going to take a chance on."

When she worded it like that... it almost made sense to him. It didn't change his mind but it made sense at the very least, and that was something.

He was all up for trying to make something like this treaty work out, knowing that eventually Akira would get older and have to face this world just the same... and that at any time during that process, if a war did start up again, she would be caught up in it; he didn't want to see her become a victim. But this... loose ended solution was almost the breaking point for him. Just the same, it would be the breaking point for everyone involved in this matter.

"So… you would only go if I did?" he repeated slowly, just to make sure he had heard her correctly in a sense.

She glanced over at the remark, hearing the odd words she had spoken moments before being repeated back to her. In a way, she could see why they sounded so strange and odd... she could see why he didn't appear the least bit happy when they had been said in the first place. "Maybe…" she nodded softly, dropping her eyes to the black uniform that still dressed her body. Before, it used to stand for something but now... now that meaning felt as though it had been lost. "I'm not so sure anymore. It would be interesting to witness after hearing everything Isane had said about it, but I don't think that kind of change is what I want right now."

"Akira would probably love the place..."

"Yes... I could see her enjoying it." she agreed. "She would find out what a sky looked like and what the sun was... she would figure out grass and leaves, she'd probably wonder why things happened in certain orders; she'd want to know flowers by their names and what every butterfly represented. Her curiosity would probably triple and I think we'd eventually run out of answers to give her."

"That certainly would be a challenge for her, wouldn't it?" he humored lightly.

"And one she would not give up lightly on."

One hand moved to push his light strands away from his face for a moment as he tried to recollect his thoughts and drive together all the words and opinions he had gathered up to this point. There was still a lot to solve and make sense of, a lot that needed proper diagnosis on and a clear dissection to finally uncover what was needed and what would be the proper driving force of this whole ordeal. He eventually pushed himself back to his feet, feeling as though their previous conversation gave him very little to work off of. "They wish to speak further about this whole exchange with everyone involved... I should probably see to their retrieval for this purpose, if that's alright with you."

She moved to mimic his same movements and graciously settled back on her feet just as well. "I think I'll try to make myself decent before this meeting."

Personally, he thought her loose braid and wrinkled uniform made her far above just decent... but in the eyes of company, he supposed the look was more of an intimate one instead. He watched as she carefully made her way back across the room and disappeared into their bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her. Shaking his head once again, he forced himself into the other direction and kept a steady gait as he approached the entrance door... aware of the faint voices that were echoing just behind the thin walls. What was being said wasn't necessarily clear but there was an ongoing conversation happening. Every step along the way was just a bit more forced than the last as he tried to ignore the spinning of different scenarios that went running through his head; it was a bit harder to ignore seeing as those very same scenarios would be linked to this upcoming discussion... which could lead to a greater change should it go along the correct path. Not a path he was looking forward to but... possibly the best opinion everyone had at this given moment. He pulled in a deep breath just before he reached forward and reluctantly pulled the doors open and away from their protective frames; revealing the small crowd that stood around on the other side of it.

"Alright, I suppose now would be a good time for us to continue this discussion-"

"Why do you wear such a funny-looking hat?" his immediate interruption was by the very same figure they had been discussing before hand... her curiosity often times avoided any sense of manners or self control in her words. He supposed her childish looks and cute questions were usually what got her out of trouble from time to time.

The taller Captain the question had been directed to seemed to take it all with ease and lightness as he moved to push the hanging kasa from the back of his neck to fit more suitably on his head instead; showcasing the full attire to the shorter girl. "Well I don't think it's so funny-looking." Shunsui remarked, running his fingers along the rounded edge of it.

The show seemed to entertain her for a brief moment before she found another matter to answer her previous question. "Maybe it's just you then." Akira offered with a light shrug.

It was almost funny to think that the single piece of evidence that might tie their two species together... also had a possible chance of breaking it just the same.

A heavy sigh escaped him at the girl's persistence, but he supposed there really wasn't any sense in trying to contain her. Not to mention, that sounded like a perfect response for her, certainly not the first time she's pulled something like that. "Akira... you'll have to excuse her, she tends to have no self-restraint on what she's saying sometimes."

And just like her though, she tried to find a battle in anything, regardless if it was in words or not. Her eyes narrowed briefly as though in question, or as though she was recalling back to something else. "Is that kind of like with you and mom?"

Gods. Damn.

A light chuckle escaped the Primera as fingers moved to touch at the empty space between his eyes; it was easy to tell he was trying not to say anything along with the girl- which seemed to be a difficult matter to do. "She's got you there." Starrk replied.

"I knew I should've just found a closet to throw you in earlier." he retorted quietly. "Or maybe just in the deep freezer in the back."

"There's a lot for us to discuss right now, let's put business first and... handle other matters later." Harribel interrupted as she stepped past him and welcomed herself into the large, opened room on the other side; despite the renovations this wing had undergone, she still felt the familiarity with it. Despite the nice, fresh coat of design and added spots of decoration... there was still a chilling sense of coldness that invaded the air; not a cold that would call for thicker clothing but more so of one that called for thicker skin so to say.

He felt himself cringe slightly at the thought of other people invading his space and being within his personal domain. That wasn't to say that he was claustrophobic by any means, it just gave him this unsettling feeling that he didn't appreciate in the slight sense. But this entire ordeal was calling for sacrifices from every side... it was only appropriate for him to follow in line with it all, not matter how much he hated every step of the way. Pushing the separated doors from his grip, he stepped aside to make the motion of allowing the others inside.

"You don't look so happy." Starrk remarked quietly, leaning in against the doorframe as he allowed for the others to step in before him. A gloved hand moved to scratch at his stubbled chin as he stifled a short yawn; this ongoing matter was making him exhausted but he really couldn't afford to fall asleep right now... or at least not until the important matters were out of the way. Still, he was aware enough to notice that the Eighth had not seemed the least bit thrilled when he opened the door.

A passing glance was moved over to the Primera before he gave a brief shake of his head. "Congratulations, you're right."

"Well I didn't think it would be too hard to make a guess on." he started. "So... did you tell her about it?"

Pushing up on his glasses, he gave the other man a brief nod in answer. "Yeah and... well, let's just say good luck with this discussion, because there's a good chance it won't go anywhere." probably not the best thing to say in a delicate situation like this, but right now, he didn't really give a second thought to matters outside of his own; or her own for that case either. He watched as Akira seemed completely content with following the silver-haired Lieutenant around; somehow through brief introductions and a small amount of time spent with one another, she had deemed that woman more interesting than the others. Or perhaps she just hadn't had the chance to observe each of them directly. "All I can promise is that we'll listen and hear out the entire discussion, but don't expect anything past that."

"That adamant then?"

"She said there was a good chance that she would go along with the whole thing, on the one condition that I accompany her the entire time." he explained. "So I guess you could say that she's not really the adamant one here in a sense..."