Pairings: This chapter contains Hisagi x Hinamori, Hisagi/Kira, Renji x Rukia, a reference to Aizen/Ichimaru
Rating: M
Warnings: There is also slight OOC, strong language, some sexual references, slight homosexuality, and references to: violence, death, and war. There are also a few errors in here, but I actually read through this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does.

Kira walked back into the room as he could still taste Hisagi's lips on his, feeling his body so close to his. He walked deeper into the room as he knew that he wasn't going to be able to shake that feeling from him. He did have a crush on Hisagi once upon a time; he used to think that he was the greatest man that he would ever meet in his life. He grew out of that, or so he thought. Now as he looked at Hisagi Shuuhei he knew that he never moved on from that. He was always going to have feelings for him.

He looked around the room, seeing that Hisagi was nowhere in sight, he was no doubt with Hinamori after the kiss had thrown him off guard. Kira closed his eyes tightly as he realized that no matter what he did, he wasn't going to be able to get over the men that he had fallen in love with. He was going to have to make due with what life had dealt him. He closed his eyes as he thought of all of the pain that he had gone through.

"You look lost," Ukitake smiled as he walked up to Kira.

"Ukitake-sensei," he breathed as he looked into his sensei's eyes.

Ukitake looked deeper into the captain's eyes. "I take it Hisagi-kun told you, didn't he?"

"Told me what?" Kira asked as he looked into his teacher's eyes, his heart racing.

"That he's going to war…"

Kira froze in place as he heard those words, his heart stopped as he looked into the distance. That night went through his head again, the last moment where he felt Hisagi's heart beating in his chest. All of the sensations, all of the feelings from the night were coming back to him as he took in the words that Ukitake was saying to him. His body froze as he scanned the room for Hisagi, his eyes not finding him. He slowly felt the man falling away from him as those words echoed in his head.

"I didn't know we were at war," Kira answered.

"We have to stop Hueco Mundo."

Kira looked around the room more fiercely as he heard those words one more time. "And what is he to do?"

"Lead the men that I will send."

Kira kept searching the room, his vision clouding as he remembered Hinamori's screams that night. The sound still sent chills down his spine as he remembered hearing Iba's stories of what had happened that night. All of the details of Suzumushi going through Hisagi's chest, missing his spinal cord by only mere centimeters crossed Kira's mind again as he remembered walking into the 4th division that day. He was so close to losing him. Now it was the same feeling all over again. He was going to lose him and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

"When does he leave?" Kira asked, his eyes starting to glisten.

"In around six weeks, why?" Ukitake asked.

"I was just curious," Kira breathed as he kept looking around the room, as if finding Hisagi was going to be a life or death situation.

He looked at Ukitake, trying to hide the venom in his eyes. This man was going to take Hisagi away from him. Ukitake was the one who was sending Hisagi to his death. As Kira looked at Ukitake, his body started to shake as he realized that although he was selfish, although Hisagi was needed in the war, he knew that he would sacrifice himself for him. Kira would go in Hisagi's place if needed. He would stop this.

"You seem upset about this," Ukitake breathed as he watched Kira's movements. "He didn't tell you did he?"

Kira didn't answer that, he didn't think that he had to. All that he could think about was the man who had tried to keep this secret from him. He had seen him two times already today and he didn't even think to tell him once. Kira closed his eyes tightly as he felt the pain roll through his body. Hisagi was always going to think of his reputation and name first and then everyone else second. Hisagi Shuuhei had resulted in becoming a man who needed a name to hide his flaws behind, but his name was scorned with scars. Kira only saw as Hisagi's soul died as eyes fell upon him, everyday reflected those months before Tousen almost killed him, it was the same way. Kira closed his eyes as he felt a tear roll down his right cheek, his body starting to shake as he took a deep breath.

"I guess it's an honor, to die for this society."

Kira walked away, his heart starting to break as he heard those words rolling throughout his mind. His heart was slowly breaking as he thought of months later when they finally returned what is fate was to be. Hisagi Shuuhei would most likely be dead. He closed his eyes as a single sob passed his lips, walking closer to the exit as he looked at all of the captains looking upon him, Renji's eyes lighting up as he watched him walk bay.

"Kira!" he yelled as he walked toward him. "Kira! Are you alright?"

"Don't follow me, Abarai-kun," Kira begged. "Please, don't follow me."

"What's wrong?" Renji asked as he looked at Kira. "What did Ukitake-soutaichou say to you?"

Kira shook his head as he said one word. "Hisagi-san…" he shook his head. "I'm sorry…"

As Kira walked out of the room, he could feel the look of hate on Renji's face as he said the words "Hisagi-san." Kira had no time to go back as he felt the tears finally roll down his face and a harsh cry pass his lips. Everything was over. Hisagi was going to die. And now Kira felt like none of it mattered. Fate had been sealed.

0o0o0o0o0o0

Renji walked back into the room, walking up to Kuchiki, seeing the captain look back at him. "Have you seen Hisagi?"

Kuchiki shook his head as he looked at Renji. "No, why?"

"No reason…"

Renji walked through the room, remembering the look that was on Kira's face as he walked out of the room. Hisagi had done something. Hisagi was like a god to Kira and he had done something to break the delicate balance that was between them. Renji kept walking through the room, looking for Hisagi, desperately trying to figure out what he had done. Everything took a different route as he watched Hinamori walk back into the room from a corridor. Hisagi was in that corridor. Faster than Renji could even think he walked down the corridor to see Hisagi standing there.

"I need to talk to you…" Renji hissed.

Hisagi looked at him with confused eyes, "Now? What about?"

"What the hell did you do to him?" Renji asked.

"Who? What are you talking about?" Hisagi asked as he looked into Renji's eyes.

As Renji looked into Hisagi's eyes, he saw traces of tears around them, trails still glistening down his cheeks. Looking into those eyes, Renji only saw the pain that the captain was going through. What he had done had hurt him as well. Kira wasn't the only victim. The sound of sorrow was still within his breathing, the slight sound of rasping still in his breathing rate as he looked at the 13th Division captain. Renji suddenly felt his anger start to melt away as he watched Hisagi's eyes fall deeper into a pit of sorrow.

"What happened?" Renji asked as he wiped away a single tear from Hisagi's cheek, feeling his body start to tremble as their eyes met one more time. "Why are you crying?"

Renji suddenly felt Hisagi's body fall against his, his arms wrapped around him tightly in a trembling embrace. At that moment, Renji could feel all of the pain that Hisagi had gone through since the day that Tousen left him, placing a hand on the back of his head as he closed his eyes as well. Hisagi was breaking more and more everyday that went by. As Hisagi kept shuddering, Renji could feel the desperation of his actions, the heartache that he so deeply wanted to mend. At that moment he knew that he could not strike him down, he could only stand there and hold him.

"I did something horrible…" Hisagi breathed.

"Kira forgives you about Hinamori…" Renji consoled as he felt more sorrow in Hisagi's voice.

"No, not that," Hisagi breathed as he looked into Renji's eyes. "I'm going to die…"

"Die?" Renji laughed. "No one's going to die."

"I am…" Hisagi whimpered. "You don't understand… I have no choice! I have to do this, no matter how much it hurts me, Hinamori, Kira… I have to do this. I don't have a choice. I don't…"

"What are you talking about?"

Hisagi took a deep breath. "I'm going to war."

"War?" Renji shook his head. "I don't…"

"Hueco Mundo is plotting an attack on the Soul Society… we have to stop them. I was chosen to lead the troops there…" Hisagi looked away as Renji shook his head. "I have no choice! I told you that…"

"You do have a choice. Everyone always has a choice…"

"What choice do I have? No matter what I do, these captains are going to hate me!" Hisagi backed away from Renji, his eyes never leaving the 13th Division captain's. "They are going to want to tear me limb from limb until there is nothing left of me, just because of a fate that I didn't even want. I didn't choose to be this way… I wish that they left me for dead… Hisagi Shuuhei is dead to them anyway…"

Renji looked at the 9th Division captain. Nothing that he said was true. As he looked at him, he still saw that pillar of strength that Kira had always envied, the man that made the path for every lieutenant to follow, the man that Yamamoto picked himself to be a captain. He didn't see the monster that Hisagi thought he was, he saw something different.

"Hisagi Shuuhei isn't dead," Renji sighed as he looked at Hisagi. "He's standing right in front of me. No matter what heart you have in your chest, no matter what power you have, you're always going to be who you are…"

"Maybe in your eyes, not in mine, never again…" Hisagi looked away. "I don't know if I will ever feel the way that I did before all of this, but this will be the closest that I will be there to becoming me again."

Renji looked at Hisagi long and hard. He was losing himself in this game that they had called life. He was slowly falling out of the world that he had once known, the place that he had once walked. Renji looked deep into those eyes and watched as Hisagi fell deeper into depression, the same depression that almost killed him before. He couldn't look into those eyes knowing the pain that they had caused Kira and Hinamori. He did something that they were both afraid to do: he took a stern step forward.

"What if…" Renji breathed. "You didn't have to go alone…?" he closed his eyes as Hisagi's body froze in place. "What if… I went with you?"

Hisagi shook his head. "Rukia…"

"Rukia will be fine…"

"I can't let you leave Rukia like that."

"Hisagi-san!" Renji looked deeper into Hisagi's eyes. "I will be damned if I sit here and wait for you to get killed in some pointless war. I will be damned if I sit back and do nothing again," he smiled watching Hisagi tense up only slightly. "I'll be damned if I let you have all of the fun."

Hisagi chuckled as a single tear fell down his cheek. "You'd do all of that… sacrifice your life… for me?"

"It's not like I haven't done it before…" Renji smiled. "And I know that you would do the same for me…"

Hisagi smiled as he closed his eyes. "Thank you… Abarai…"

0o0o0o0o0o0

Ukitake stood in front of all of the captains as he watched Hisagi and Renji walk back into the room. He could still see the tears that were in Hisagi's eyes as he avoided eyes contact with most of the other captains, Renji staying close to him as they walked through the room. The tension between the two of them made Ukitake uneasy as he knew that something was slowly happening inside of Hisagi's mind as the world that he loved was starting to crumble beneath his feet. This was only made worse when he looked at Kira.

Kira tried to avoid eye contact with Hisagi as Hisagi tried to keep his eyes on Hinamori whenever the blond glared at him. Hinamori only responded by looking back and forth between Hisagi and Kira a look of confusion in her eyes. Ukitake looked at all of his captains and saw that they were starting to fall apart, taking their own stands on the issues that were occurring within their society. He looked at all of them and knew that it had to stop.

"I think it's about time that I told you why we're here," he watched as Hisagi bowed his head. "Many of you know the reason why. Many of you know what's occurring in Hueco Mundo since Aizen's death."

"If you can even call it that…" Kurotsuchi scoffed as he looked at Hisagi. "Aizen Sousuke isn't dead, Ukitake. You gave him a new body."

Ukitake didn't let that get him off topic. "There have been strange bursts of power in Hueco Mundo. The hollows are trying to do something."

"What are they trying to do? Without Aizen what can they even do?" Kuchiki asked. "Aizen was the one calling the shots."

Kurotsuchi shook his head. "Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname are behind this."

Kuchiki took a step forward, his eyes practically melting the 12th Division captain right where he stood. "You're wrong, they made a pact, they aren't going to break that for a place that only Aizen had interest in."

"Did you interview Ichimaru? Ichimaru is a liar look what he did to us before. He deceived us. We should have cut off his head while he still had the chance," Kurotsuchi looked straight at Ukitake. "Problem solved. Kill Ichimaru, kill Tousen, kill Aizen, and then we'll all be at peace.

Ukitake watched Kira take a step forward, his eyes burning matching the fire in his voice. "Aizen is dead!"

"You can deceive yourself but I know better. Aizen is alive; you just transferred him from one body to another. Now you let Aizen run around here like it's nothing. You don't even label him as Aizen."

"I've had it with you, Kurotsuchi!" Komamura yelled as he took a step toward the other captain.

Ukitake looked at Hisagi, watching his eyes close as he heard all of the words fill the room. The words that Kyouraku had been saying were coming back to him as he thought of Hisagi's pride; it was slowly breaking in front of him. The thought of that day when the 4th Division had told him that heart transplant was the only way to save his life. He agreed to it. He was the one who put him through this suffering, but what happened next wasn't something that he ever expected Hisagi to say.

"If you think I'm Aizen so much? Why are you provoking me? I could kick your sorry ass in a minute!" Hisagi took a step toward Kurotsuchi. "Or is it that you're scared of what I'm capable of."

"You're capable of shit!" Kurotsuchi yelled as he looked at Hisagi. "You're only sixty percent Aizen."

Hisagi rolled his eyes. "Just shut your fucking mouth then. We're at war and all you care about is how long I've been a captain for. You're so petty."

Ukitake looked at Renji and then at Kira to see the looks in their eyes as they watched Hisagi stare straight at Kurotsuchi. Something wasn't right, something deep inside of them was joyous as they finally saw him start to stand up for himself. Yet as he looked at Hinamori he saw fear in her eyes, like it was the second coming of Aizen. Ukitake gazed at Hisagi again, there was no sign of Aizen Sousuke within him, it was something they hadn't seen in a while, it was Hisagi Shuuhei.

"You're lucky they let you live…" Zaraki scoffed as he looekd at Hisagi.

"You're lucky they let you live…" Komamura hissed.

Hisagi looked at Kurotsuchi. "Don't you have better things to do then try to kill me?"

"No, you're the enemy. I kill the enemy," Kurotsuchi shrugged.

"You kill your own men too, so I guess no matter whose side I'm on you want me dead."

Kira looked at Hisagi, a mix of fear and admiration in his eyes as he watched him continue to yell at the 12th Division captain. "Hisagi-san…"

"I know what you want to do to me," Hisagi hissed.

"Then you must know what Kyouraku wants to do to you as well," Kurotsuchi snickered. "He wants to rip that heart right out of your chest."

"Shut up…" Kyouraku hissed as he looked at the 12th Division captain. "I said if he ever turned into Aizen. He's not Aizen. He's Hisagi Shuuhei."

Ukitake looked at the way his society was turning out as he watched more arguments amongst captains break out. His heart started to sink as he thought about how everyone had changed since the moment that Yamamoto died. There was nothing that he could do to stop it all. All he could do was watch.

"You should have never said that in the first place!" Renji yelled, looking straight at Kyouraku. "You knew that he would eventually hear about it. Did you expect him to take it? How would you like it if someone talked about dismembering you?"

"I said only if Aizen arose again," Kyouraku argued. "How would you keep the peace?"

"I don't need to. Aizen's dead!" Renji yelled as he took a step closer. "Killing Hisagi isn't going to do anything but decrease our powers."

Hitsugaya scoffed. "He does have Aizen in his chest. Sixty percent, that's enough to make a lot of us uncomfortable. I know that a lot of us are against Aizen coming back to the point where we will sacrifice Hisagi to prevent it."

"How can you even think like that?" Kira asked. "He's got just as much right to live as we all do."

"And when he turns into Aizen we will do something about it," Soi Fong breathed. "Right now we don't want to do anything to him."

"Speak for yourself. I want to rip him into tiny little pieces," Kurotsuchi smiled coldly.

Hisagi sneered at him. "Fuck you!"

"Whoa! Aizen-chan has a potty mouth!"

Ukitake looked at the men who were fighting against one another; the war over Hisagi was unraveling right before his eyes. Renji, Kuchiki, Kira, Hinamori, and Komamura were on one side; the other consisted of Kurotsuchi and Zaraki while Soi Fong, Kyouraku, and Hitsugaya only partially agreed with what was being argued. Unohana had stayed quiet as only a slight amount of guilt in her eyes as she saw the torture that they had put Hisagi through.

"You need to get a life!" Hinamori yelled at Kurotsuchi.

"Oh, now he has to have his whore talk for him!" the 12th Division captain laughed.

"That's enough!" Hisagi yelled as he placed a hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou. "I'll kill you if you talk to her like that ever again."

"Kyouka Suigetsu?"

"Kazeshini."

Kurotsuchi nodded. "Alright, I get it. You're only Kyouka Suigetsu with Hinamori but when you're kissing Ichimaru-chan outside, everything changes."

Ukitake closed his eyes as the first punch was thrown, not wanting to see what had happened. But as he opened his eyes he saw Kira standing over Kurotsuchi, a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, as his hand was still curled in a fist. Ukitake now saw how much Kira had changed; he was no longer than timid lieutenant who had nowhere to go. He was different. He was able to stand on his feet.

"Don't you dare talk to Hisagi that way! I'll kill you if you do!" he looked over his shoulder at Hisagi who had his head bowed in shame.

Kurotsuchi looked into Kira's eyes with a smile. "Just like Ichimaru-chan to defend Aizen-chan… no matter what."

Ukitake finally took his stand as he took a step forward. "Look at you! All of you…" he shook his head. "Have you forgotten what we're here for? Have you forgotten what we have worked so long and so hard for? For all of you to rip each other to shreds? I look at you and I don't see captains, I see nothing more than beasts wanting to devour each other. We shouldn't take sides. We're all on the same side. The side that will make this society stronger than Genryuusai-dono ever had it, in his memory we have to be stronger."

He watched as all of the captains looked straight at him, all of the hate in the room disappearing for a split second as he saw the shinigami who were going to preserve the land that they lived in. He closed his eyes as he thought of what had happened since Yamamoto died, all of the captains started placing the blame on others, no one thinking highly of Ukitake. Now as he saw them all look at him, Ukitake knew he was all they had. He was their only hope.

"We are at war, and we have to stop it," Ukitake continued.

"When is this war?" Hinamori asked.

"In around six weeks the captains that I have chosen will go forth and destroy Las Noches," Ukitake watched as Hisagi avoided eye contact.

"And when will they be coming back?" Hisagi asked, his voice low.

"When the war is won."

"What if the war is never won? What if the captains die?" Kira asked as he looked at Hisagi.

Ukitake was going to respond before Hisagi interrupted him. "He'll send more and more until they finally win."

"Ukitake-sama would never sacrifice so many lives!" Kira argued.

"Ukitake-sama will have no choice if the captains die. Do you want Hueco Mundo to destroy us like they've been planning to?" Hisagi shook his head as he looked into Kira's eyes. "Don't be an idiot."

Kira scoffed. "Maybe the captains should be smarter than to run right into a death trap!"

"Maybe the captains have a reason to do that!"

"Maybe the captains should have consulted his comrades before they got themselves killed!"

"Maybe the captains didn't want his comrades to get hurt!"

Kira was silence for a split second as the two of them started yelling at the same time. "That's bullshit!"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

The argument heated up as Ukitake watched the two of them continue to look at each other with eyes full of despair. All of the captains looked at the two captains yelling at each other, none of them wanting to intervene in their conversation. Ukitake could feel the surges in their reiatsu as they kept yelling at one another, but for a second he thought that he saw a tear run down Kira's cheek.

"The captains shouldn't do anything on their own," Kira begged. "The captains should know that there are people who care about them. People who love them more than anything…"

Hisagi closed his eyes. "They know that, that's why they have to do it…"

"How many captains are going?" Renji asked again as he interrupted the "lover's quarrel" that the two captains were having.

"T-two…" Ukitake answered confusedly as he looked at the two captains, glancing over at Hinamori to see a shocked look on her face. "Two captains will be going. Each captain will lead not only their division, but a few others as well. The divisions will be split up depending on how the captains choose them. However, the 4th Division will send an officer to lead the healing corps."

Unohana nodded. "Understood."

Renji looked at Kira. "The captains can do what they feel is right, Kira. After all, we don't know who they are…"

"Abarai-kun…" Kira breathed.

"So are we done here?" Hinamori asked as she looked at Hisagi.

Ukitake looked at all of his captains. They were all changing. Everyone of them getting closer and falling apart from one another. They were a kaleidoscope and as time turned the lens, all of them changed the route they were going, falling away from those that they had once held close, destroying the mosaic that Yamamoto had built. He looked at them and he didn't even recognize the captains that were in front of him.

"Yeah," he breathed as he looked at his captains, his heart breaking. "We're done…"

He watched as the captains walked out of the room, only one captain standing in the middle of the floor, not walking away from Ukitake with the other captains. Ukitake looked up to see Abarai Renji still standing there looking into his eyes as he took a step forward. Ukitake stared aimlessly at the captain as he watched as he had no intention of leaving. Taking a step forward, Ukitake obliged his question.

"What seems to be the trouble, Abarai-taichou?" Ukitake asked.

"It's about the war, Ukitake-soutaichou," he took a deep breath. "I know that you chose Hisagi-san to go… you know what that could do to Kira's sanity."

"I know…"

"Then you know why I'm here… I'm here to offer myself to the war. I don't know who you picked for the other captain, frankly I don't give a shit, but in order to protect Hisagi-san, Kira, and Hinamori, I have to go in the place of who you were going to send instead."

"What about Kuchiki-fukutaichou?" Ukitake asked as he looked into Renji's eyes. "Surely your fiancée…"

"She'll understand. You know that I'm the only one that Zaraki will listen to and trust. If you send solely Hisagi, you are going to get him killed. The 11th Division won't obey him…" Renji sighed. "I'm your only option…"

Ukitake looked into Renji's eyes as he said that, there was no sign of fear, there was no sign of regret, there was no sign of sorrow. He was selflessly sacrificing himself so that Hisagi wouldn't get destroyed. Ukitake looked at Renji and knew that he was one of the captains that he could still see as someone who remained unchanged. A smile rolled across his face as he looked at Renji. He couldn't give up.

"You want to go to war?" Ukitake asked. "If you understand the risks then you may go…"

Renji nodded. "I know what will happen to me, and I'm fine with it. If that man lost his life I would feel a lot more pain than killing myself. I would gladly give my life for that man, no regrets…"

Ukitake heard those words as he closed his eyes. War was afoot, but somehow he knew that everyone was going to come out alright. He saw the small glint of innocence that was still within the world. He knew that everything was going to form into the peace that he had always wanted, the peace that Yamamoto wanted to give to him. He was going to do his sensei proud.

"Very well then…"

This chapter was mostly an arguement to see how the sides in a later conflict will be. There is also more light on the fight that will occur between Kira and Hisagi, and also the betrayal that Hinamori is starting to feel as she sees Kira try to make passes on Hisagi. The second captain was also announced. Renji will be going with Hisagi!

The next chapter Ikkaku will finally make a choice, Kira tries to put more moves on Hisagi, and Rukia finds out about Renji's descision. That will be up soon. February I'm going to try to get a lot of my ideas down so that you can enjoy them. She my profile for details (That includes a sequel to this story called Broken Wings.)

Like what you read? Feel free to PM a request. See profile for details.

And feel free to review.

Only two chapters of this left!