Warning: I am not an archaeologist or a tomb raider. Please excuse any inaccuracies (if there are any) in the story. Also please take into consideration that I am merely taking a creative license.

NOTE: I felt uncomfortable with the way Megumi called Toushirou Toushirou, so I changed it to Hitsugaya-san in the previous chapters. (This won't matter to new readers, but for my old readers.)

In this chapter, you'll get a glimpse of the dynamic of Megumi and Toushirou's relationship.

ITALICS = DREAM

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

"How do you feel?" Ukitake smiled at Megumi.

She blinked and stretched her arms. "A bit depleted in energy for some reason but relatively fine."

"You're still recovering, so it makes perfect sense. You'll be fine when you wake up though." He gave a small laugh as she watched him curiously. He noticed her gaze. "Hm? What's wrong?"

"I just feel like this is a long dream… A bit too long for my taste." She murmured, looking around the dark zone. "It's so dark in here. Why is there nothing but you and me…"

Pity flashed in his eyes before disappearing. "You and I have an affinity with each other. That is why we can talk to each other for this long."

She tilted her head a little. "What do you mean?"

"You'll see in time." He ruffled her hair. Usually such an action would annoy her, but there was something so non-offensive about this man that she started to care less about what he did. In his eyes, she was a child and rightfully so.

She huffed. "If you say so…" He chuckled under his breath.

"Oi, Toushirou, why isn't she waking up?" Ichigo asked the exhausted archaeologist.

Irritation flickered in his turquoise eyes. "I don't know. I tried everything, but she wouldn't wake up. All I can tell is that she's just really tired and is recovering through sleep." He continued to chew on an energy bar.

"Well we're already at the lake… If we can find a bridge or something to cross it, we can enter the tomb." Rukia murmured as she used her binoculars to examine the area.

"It's such a strange tomb… All I can see is a huge white boulder looking dome. How are we supposed to go in?" Orihime tilted her head in confusion.

"Mnmm…" Megumi's electric blue eyes flickered open. A darker blue tint in her eyes dulled the color.

"Ah, Meigetsu-san! How are you feeling?" Orihime grinned as she helped her up.

"..." A frown was etched in her expression. She looked around her before answering the female technologist. "Fine."

Toushirou glanced at her strangely, but did not voice out his thoughts. Instead, he stood up and walked towards the lake. "Guardians of Arashi Rikujou…"

Megumi stood up and began walking towards the lake casually as well.

"Meigetsu-san? Where are you going?" Everyone glanced at her once they heard Orihime call out to the female archaeologist.

"Into the tomb." She commented without turning back.

"We're supposed to go in together, Meigetsu-san." Rukia pulled at her arm.

Megumi's expression was empty and distant. "Then follow me."

Startled, they stared at her. "You already know how to avoid the guardians of Arashi Rikujou and enter into the tomb?" Rukia asked.

"Yes. Kurotsuchi Mayuri told me." She held the necklace in her hand before continuing her walk. "Now then…" Her eyes flickered towards the group. "Are you going to follow me? Or are you going to sit there like fools…?" A shiver went down Orihime's back as she stood closer to Ulquiorra instinctively.

"We'll follow you." Ichigo replied as he gathered his bag. "Let's go, everyone."

Megumi stood at the edge of the lake, staring down into the depths of the dark blue lake. "..." She then took a step forward into the lake.

"Meigetsu-san!" Orihime cried out, but she stopped once she saw Megumi not sinking. "...Huh?"

"If you look carefully, there are clear steps inside of the water." She explained. "Now follow me."

Everyone took the steps that she took carefully. Bewildered, Orihime looked at Megumi with admiration. Rukia narrowed her eyes, focusing on the steps she was taking. Ichigo and Ulquiorra calmly followed. Toushirou glanced at Megumi with more suspicion.

Suddenly, a large carp jumped out of the water, targeting Megumi with a bolt of lightning coming out of its mouth. Her eyes narrowed by a slight centimeter and she bent her knees a little, preparing herself for the attack.

"Meigetsu-san! Look out!" Rukia cried out. Before Ulquiorra could shoot the carp with his gun, the carp had disappeared. "Where did it…?" She glanced down into the water, searching for the missing carp.

"How...?!" Orihime gaped at the carp that Megumi was holding her hand. "But it was at a good distance from us…"

"Was it just me or did she disappear for half a millisecond from her spot?" Ichigo murmured to Toushirou.

"What you're thinking is probably correct, Kurosaki." Toushirou glared at the Megumi standing before them. "She did disappear."

"It is not allowed to defy me." Megumi whispered to herself, pulling it by her side as she continued onwards. When she found that no one was following her, she turned around. "Aren't you coming?"

"Ah, yes. We'll be right there." Orihime laughed nervously. Once Megumi reached the dome, she threw the carp back into the water. When the rest of the group finally gathered around the white boulder dome of the tomb, they touched the wall, trying to find a trigger mechanism to open a hidden pathway or door.

"Oi, Toushirou, is there nothing in your research about this?" Ichigo glared at the wall.

His eyebrow twitched. "It's Hitsugaya-san and no. We only have information about the captain." Toushirou did not make a move to help, standing next to the wall with his hand on it, and only kept a close eye on Megumi's actions.

Megumi then stood in front of the tomb with a blank gaze. "It's here."

"Did you say something, Meigetsu-san?" Orihime walked over to her.

She placed her hand on the wall. "It's here…" Megumi's eyes glowed unnaturally for a brief second. Her necklace began floating as the eye faced the wall. When a light shot from the eye to the wall, Megumi's hand glowed as well.

"What the hell…" Ichigo backed away from the tomb when the ground began to shake violently.

"Grab something!" Rukia cried out as everyone stumbled to the floor. Toushirou unsheathed his katana and stabbed the ground. Ichigo grabbed Rukia, while Ulquiorra tightened his hold on Orihime as they both mirrored Toushirou's action.

"I thought this place doesn't get earthquakes!" Orihime yelled out.

Ichigo clenched his teeth. "Must be a mechanism or something!"

When the light finally faded away from the necklace and Megumi's hand stopped glowing, the rumbling of the ground stopped. Megumi then took a step back, allowing the wall to reveal a hidden path into the tomb. A rectangular portion of the wall disappeared.

"This feels too easy." Ulquiorra commented. Ichigo gave a curt nod in agreement.

However, Megumi faced the two bodyguards. "There is no catch. This place was made for us to pass easily. Nothing is a mistake or an accident."

Alarms rang in everyone's mind. "What do you mean by that, Meigetsu-san? It's as if you know everything." Rukia locked eyes with her.

She blinked and tilted her head. "That is what Kurotsuchi Mayuri told me."

Ichigo walked over to her with an unhappy expression. "Then why haven't you bothered to tell us from the start?"

"Because there was no reason to. We will eventually go through all of the tombs anyways, so what is the point in telling you that?" She ignored him and took a step into the tomb.

Rukia pulled her out by the arm. "That might be true, but we are a team. It's your obligation to tell us anything that has to do with the tomb when you remember."

"If that is what you want, but it is not a part of the contract that I signed. However, I will still keep that in mind." Megumi locked eyes with Rukia and then pulled her into the tomb. "Let us move forward."

"Nee, Ukitake-san..." Megumi hugged her legs. "Why is this dream so long? Why is it so dark in here?"

"That…" Ukitake quickly stood up. He seemed to stare at something from afar. Before she was able to look at what he was staring at, he smiled at her reassuringly. "Let's go." He held out his hand to her.

"...Go where?" Hesitating, she reached out for his hand. After she stood up, Ukitake glanced at her worriedly. "What's wrong?" A sense of fear crept inside of her.

"For now, we should run far from here." His grasp on her hand tightened. "It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous? What is so dangerous in my mind?" They began running away from the spot they sat at. "Isn't it my dream? Then there shouldn't be anything dangerous!"

"Don't turn around and face forward!" He called out to her. His long white hair swished in the air. The way he ran was very refined and swift. She admired it for a brief second before clearly sensing something terrifying behind her. Trusting the Ukitake in her dream, as she had heard how much of an honorable and kind man he was, she dashed with all of her strength.

"Kurosaki-kun! Kuchiki-san!" Orihime cried out. No one answered her. "Where on earth did they go?"

"Inoue, we should move forward." Ulquiorra stood closer to her protectively. "We can't afford to stand here any longer."

"I know, but…" She held her hands together.

"Knowing Kurosaki and Kuchiki, they'll be fine. For now, we should look for the main tomb." Toushirou motioned for them to follow.

Megumi stood quietly, watching the three carefully. When they reached her location, Orihime held onto Megumi's arm, but in seconds, Megumi had shaken off her hand. "You're not a child. Don't hold onto me like that." Disgust pooled into her eyes. "Grow up."

Orihime almost jumped back in surprise. "But you said…" The empty cold inside of Megumi's eyes chilled Orihime. "Okay." She silently looked at the female archaeologist with suspicion.

"It's this way." Megumi walked into another room, but the moment Toushirou stepped into the room, a wall immediately appeared, blocking the entrance for the other two.

From behind the wall, Orihime's voice faded away. "Meigetsu-san! Hitsugaya-san!"

"Try to find the main tomb, Cifer! Inoue!" Toushirou yelled out to them. Once he heard an affirmative from the two, he calmed down for a split second, turning his attention towards the emotionless Megumi. The anger swirled in his eyes. "We've played your game for too long. What do you want from us? From Megumi?"

"Are you blaming me for their incompetence?" Megumi tilted her head. "It's not my fault that they were incapable of following me correctly."

"Who the hell are you…?" Toushirou grabbed the hilt of his Zanpakutou. "No matter how much I think about it, I can't figure out who you are. So tell me. What is your identity?"

Her lips widened into an unnatural smile. "I am Megumi."

"No, you're not." He slowly unsheathed his katana.

"Perhaps." She tapped her lips thoughtfully. "I am not your Megumi, but I am Megumi. Just like how she is me, I am also her. We are one of the same."

"How the hell is that possible? Megumi doesn't have Dissociative Identity Disorder." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "There are no signs that even show that she has it."

"Believe what you want." Her unconcerned tone unnerved him. Indifference was etched in her expression. "I became a part of her ever since we met."

He noted the word that bothered him the most about her claim. "We...?"

"Enough about me." She blinked. "We should talk about you instead." Megumi casually strode towards him in a purposeful manner. He held his katana tightly, but when she reached him, her hand clasped around his hand that held the blade effectively. He stilled. Multiple emotions flashed in his turquoise eyes. "Why are you so affected?"

"What…?"

She leaned forward a little. "Why does this close distance affect you so much?" He glared at her until he realized that he was fully paralyzed. This Megumi had done something to his body.

"It does not." He whispered.

Megumi's other hand cupped his cheek delicately. He almost shivered at the sudden change in temperature of his skin. "What is so fascinating about this girl that you feel such emotions for her?"

He snarled. "I don't feel anything for her."

"You cannot hide anything from me. It is impossible for you to do so." She tilted her head innocently. "But if you don't feel anything for her, then that is good. Emotions are useless and unnecessary in the path for power."

"Meigetsu, give Megumi back her body." Toushirou's eyes darkened.

Megumi finally let go of his hand and took a step back. "And there we go… An anomaly."

"What do you mean?" He immediately backed away from her.

"Why do you call her Megumi? Why do you call her by her first name?" She tilted her head. "I can sense it. I can hear it. Your thoughts and your wishes… You want her to call you by your first name, but something is stopping you."

"What's wrong with calling my work partner by her first name?" His gaze chilled. "And nothing is stopping me. There is just no reason for making her call me by my first name. It's not like I let anyone else call me by my first name."

"Perhaps." The odd smile on her face widened. "But the warmth in your eyes… People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul and I find that to be quite true."

His stance appeared relaxed, but it was actually tense. "What do you mean?" His voice was soft and firm.

"When I observed you through her eyes, while you tried to hide how you felt for her, your feelings were reflected in your eyes when you thought that she wasn't looking. The warmth, the longing, and the caring that you feel for her. Do you truly believe that she would not notice?"

"That…" He paused and stared down at the ground. He was speechless.

"How unpleasant." Megumi sighed, facing the wall instead and ignoring him. "You should drop all emotions for her since she would never feel the same way as you. In fact, she wouldn't care if you died. After all, you're just a means to an end."

Something painful twisted at his heart. He controlled his expression well. "I told you that I feel nothing for her."

"As long as she attains the results needed for her research, she wouldn't mind sacrificing you if it's necessary. Why else do you think that she calls you by your last name? Lack of affection on her part." Megumi touched the wall with her hand. The air grew colder. Thin layers of ice appeared on the ground and continued to spread until it reached the walls. "And I would know because I am her and she is me. I can see the deepest parts of her mind-"

Thwack!

Parts of the stone wall crumbled down as Toushirou stabbed the wall with his Zanpakutou. His turquoise eyes flared fiercely. "Shut up."

"Somewhere inside of you believe that my words are correct and that is why you cannot handle the truth. That is why you react with anger and frustration, lashing out at me. Unable to control yourself when it comes to her..." Ignoring the sudden heaviness in the air pressure, she continued. "Well the side of you that believes me is right. You have no chance. After all, there was a reason why people avoided you as if you were a monster. White hair, turquoise eyes, and a cold attitude. Why on earth would Megumi like you? It's obvious that she just wanted to take advantage of you and that's it."

Toushirou flash stepped in front of her. His Zanpakutou was against her neck. "She isn't like that… So don't you dare degrade her in front of me like that." His gaze turned even colder than before.

Her electric blue eyes held no sign of worry. "And how do you know that? Can you read her mind?"

"I trust her." His grip on his katana tightened.

They stared at each other, daring the other to make a move. A thin layer of ice began to crystallize on her neck. "Are you going to kill me?"

"No." He murmured. "I won't."

"Is that so? In that case…" She then grabbed his collar and pulled him towards her. A gust of wind swirled around them and in seconds, they had disappeared in the room that they were in earlier.

"Ukitake-san!" Megumi screamed as something grabbed her foot. "Not again! Oof-" She fell to the ground, letting go of his hand.

"Meigetsu-san!" Ukitake summoned a katana in his hand and slashed at whatever grabbed her. "Hurry!"

Before she could get up once more, it wrapped around her waist and threw her backwards. She let out a high-pitched scream, rolling on the ground roughly. A black shapeshifter began to absorb her. Struggling, she pulled at the ground and shook herself to get out of its grasp, but the black monster held onto her like glue. "Ukitake-san!"

"Wait for me!" The long haired man flash stepped next to her and hacked away at the monster. "Meigetsu-san, don't give up!"

Unfortunately, it only grew in size, overwhelming the two. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she felt that it was the end of her life.

Even though it was just a dream…

A mere nightmare.

Bewildered at how a sudden gust of wind like the one in Doku Mori had taken them to another room, Toushirou glared at her, pushing her away from him. "What is this room?" He leveled his Zanpakutou at her. A wave of calm washed over him.

Condescending mirth lurked in her eyes. "It's the main tomb. Weren't you looking for it?" She then walked over to the tomb and easily took off the cover of the coffin with one hand. "Now then…" Pulling a badge from Ukitake's corpse's hands, she stared at it for a brief moment before throwing it at Toushirou.

He caught it effortlessly and stuffed it in his pocket. "How did you know that I was looking for this?"

"That is for me to know and for you to find out." Megumi smiled unpleasantly. "Nevertheless, it fulfills my purpose."

"What do you mean?"

"If you try to get closer to Megumi, I will put her in grave danger as punishment. You will soon see as an example... So you must do your very best to detach yourself from such useless emotions and attain the power that you are meant to master. The faster, the better…" She leaned against the coffin, crossing her arms. "Since you do not believe that she thinks of you in the lowest way possible and since you do not believe my words at all, this is the best method to take."

"Why are you doing this…?" He questioned her motive. Shock and disbelief flickered in his eyes.

"To ensure that you reach the full potential of your power." The seriousness in her expression caught him off guard once more.

"Just for that…?" He could not believe what he was hearing. Because he had to reach the full extent of his power, he was not allowed to be close to his work partner. He was not allowed to be close to Megumi anymore. The thought of no longer being allowed to be comfortable around her caused a sense of loneliness and emptiness inside of him.

She sighed and took a step forward. "Now then… Would you like to have your Megumi back?"

"..." He watched her cautiously.

"Remember and heed my words well, Hitsugaya Toushirou." Before he could say anything else, Megumi closed her eyes.

In the next second, her electric blue eyes flickered open. She almost staggered but caught herself. Confusion soon pooled in her eyes. "Hitsugaya-san…?"

Just hearing her call him by his last name made him twitch uncomfortably. He briefly wondered if he really did believe the other Megumi's words in the deepest part of his heart. However, he instantly erased those thoughts when he noted the innocence in her expression. He took one small step towards her and then stopped. As he gazed at her, Hitsugaya Toushirou, for once, wanted to call out her name and hold her tightly in his arms to confirm that she was really there.

"Where are we?" Scratching her head, she examined the room in awe. Taking a few steps around, Megumi finally understood where she was. "How are we already inside of the tomb?" Even though Toushirou stayed quiet, the excitement in her voice was quite obvious.

Toushirou's grip on his Zanpakutou quickly tightened. He faced the floor to assure that Megumi would not be able to see the growing anguish in his eyes. He found that he could not force himself to join her in her excitement at all. While he was contemplating on whether to take the other Megumi's warning seriously, he clenched and then unclenched his fist.

Megumi then chuckled under her breath as if remembering something noteworthy. "I had this really odd nightmare…where I met Ukitake-san and this black thing tried to eat me or something. It was really creepy. I'm glad that it was only a dream though." When she still heard nothing from him, she glanced at him questioningly. "What's wrong?"

Finally reaching a conclusion, he resolved himself. "Meigetsu."

Just that single word caused alarms to go off in her head. A terrible premonition soaked her thoughts. "Why are you suddenly calling me Meigetsu, Hitsuga-"

"We're only work partners. There's no need to call you by first name." He gritted his teeth, oppressing his real emotions and forcing out fake signs of distaste for her.

"That... That might be true, but…" He regretted looking up at her. Sadness and hurt reflected in her eyes. "I thought… I…" She glanced down at the floor, processing the situation, before looking up at him. Her eyes soon became emptier than before. Just as he had been deeply hurt by people in the past, she had been as well, so when they established a good emotional connection with each other, he had taken on the habit of calling her by her first name. She had inwardly accepted this change happily, feeling a little closer to her trustworthy work partner.

"Enough." Toushirou managed to say. He rearranged his face into a neutral expression.

"Is it because I never outwardly showed my appreciation for you? Is it because I never called you by your first name? I know that I'm pretty socially awkward and while I made great improvements in handling the social side of life, I don't readily show affection to people like a normal female, but I do appreciate you a lot, Hitsugaya-san." She held onto her arm tightly. "I was really happy when you called me by my first name and-"

He continued his cool facade, despite the small satisfaction he felt in knowing how she felt about him calling her by first name. Her words only reinforced what he knew about her and why he completely trusted her. "Don't act familiar with me. We're nothing but work partners, so do continue to call me by my last name with the proper honorific form. That is the line we should have set from the very beginning." He almost wished he had not interrupted her, just so that he could hear the rest of how she felt towards him.

If it had been anyone else, she would have taken it in a stride, but this was someone who she believed was close to her. The sudden change in behavior for no reason and the lack of a proper explanation brought no closure to her. Anger finally sparked in her eyes. "Hitsugaya Toushirou, while I would have accepted it without explanation from anyone else, I would have expected you to at least explain why you want to suddenly call me by my last name. Because we're work partners? That's such bullshit. Have I breached your trust in some way? Fine, but I don't really know how I did that. If you don't explain, then how am I supposed to know? I can't read minds!"

"I don't need to explain myself. It's what I want and I would prefer if you just accepted it." He sheathed his Zanpakutou, turning away from her.

"Toushirou!" The sudden blatant use of his first name caused his heart to skip a beat in pleasant surprise. That made some of his resolve to stay completely away from her dissolve a little. He slowly turned around to face her. Unexpected anticipation invaded his thoughts. "I don't want to just accept it because I-" Before she could complete her sentence, she yelped in surprise. A cube of water had suddenly absorbed her, imprisoning her inside of it. She quickly closed her mouth and banged hard against the wall of the cube desperately.

Toushirou froze for a second, recognizing that this trap was the example that the other Meigetsu wanted to show him. "Meigetsu. Damn you." He clenched his teeth, pushing away his hopes to the back of his mind, as he unsheathed his Zanpakutou and slashed at the cube, pulling her out of it. He then managed to force himself to not catch her, allowing her to fall to the ground harshly. She soon coughed hard and fell on her knees, scraping her skin roughly.

She sat there quietly, unable to look at him. He was glad for this since he felt that he would not be able to take it well if he saw her disappointed in any way. Unfortunately, the obvious tension that grew in the last couple minutes of silence hinted at the uncomfortable shift in their relationship. This new change in the dynamic of their work partnership would clearly put a strain between them.

Soon, they heard a high-pitched scream enter the room as an open pathway appeared on the wall. Orihime and Ulquiorra popped out of the hole, landing in the middle of the room. Their clothes were drenched wet and their hairs were in a mess.

"We finally found you two!" Orihime smiled brightly at the awkward two.

In seconds, they heard another scream. "Ichigo, you idiot!" It was Rukia. From the same open pathway, Ichigo slid out of it with Rukia on top. "Are you trying to get us killed for the upteenth time?!" She shook him violently.

"It's not my fault! It was either we die in there or we die elsewhere!" He also shook her violently.

"At least, warn me the next time you do something crazy like that! It's not like you didn't have the chance!" Rukia huffed before getting off of him. "I swear…" When she finally noticed everyone, her eyes brightened up. "Oh! We found everyone."

"Really?!" Ichigo flipped over and stood up. "Hey, everyone! All alive and well?"

Everyone smiled awkwardly in response. A tense silence filled the room.

"Um… Why don't we head back to the village?" Megumi suggested, standing back up, as she pulled at her shirt distastefully. "I think we did enough preliminary exploration for today."

"That sounds like a great idea, but how do we get out?" Rukia crossed her arms.

It was at this very moment when Megumi recalled a certain long-haired man in her dream telling her about how easy it was to leave his tomb. "Well… This might be a really off guess, but…" She walked over to the tomb and put her hands together, asking for forgiveness from Ukitake, before using her fingers to look for a button in his coffin. "Oh. I found it."

"What did you find?" Orihime walked over to her.

"It should be the button to let us exit the tomb." Megumi thanked the Ukitake in her dream and pressed it. Regret lingered in her mind the next second, scolding herself for her lack of caution and common sense. The floor had disappeared and became a tunnel-like slide, forcing everyone to slip and fall. She screamed, cursing the stars and heavens for making her believe in the Ukitake in her dream. "I knew it was just a dream, dammit!"

It felt like an hour in the darkness before they saw a light at the end of the slide. The next thing they knew, they landed in a puddle of mud.

"Where are we…?" Ichigo sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"It looks oddly familiar…" Megumi squinted as she examined the area.

Orihime gasped in relief. "This is the beginning of the pathway to the tomb!"

"Your really off guess turned out to be right, Meigetsu." Ulquiorra commented.

Toushirou kept quiet as he stood up. He trudged onwards to the village without further comment. A pained frown etched in his expression. Everyone else followed after him quietly.

"Nee, Meigetsu-san." Orihime called out to Megumi hesitantly.

"What's wrong, Inoue-san?" She warmly smiled at her.

Orihime reached out and held Megumi's arm with relief in her expression. "Nothing. I'm just glad that you're back to normal again."

"Was I weird before?" Megumi held her cheeks with her hands in horror.

"No." Orihime laughed at her antics. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"If you say so." Megumi sighed to herself. Her smile momentarily faded away when she caught a glimpse of Toushirou's hard expression.

"Meigetsu-san?" Orihime looked at her curiously.

"Ah, it's nothing." Megumi laughed nervously. "I just want to take a shower already. It's a good thing that it's not raining right now."

"I agree. A hot shower and good food sounds absolutely wonderful right now." A dreamy gaze lingered in Orihime's expression.

They then laughed heartily with each other before catching up with the rest of the group.

NOTE: Now, you might be thinking, 'WTF? What does being close to Megumi have to do with getting in the way of becoming more powerful?' I have my reasons for this. You'll understand why in the later chapters.

This will be the last chapter I'll be posting in a while since I have urgent things I need to do and because I want to write the next couple of chapters in advance before updating again. But I'll try to update as soon as I can though, so please do show me your support by reviewing, favoriting, and story alerting my story. :)

Oh and flames are not welcomed.

Thanks!