Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters; Tite Kubo does. I do, however, claim ownership of this story, its plot and the OCs contained herein. Please do not use them (my OCs) without first asking me for permission. Thanks.

Love Conquers All

Chapter 13: Rise From The Ashes

Jushiro Ukitake's brown eyes opened slowly, almost hesitantly, as if he knew that waking up would bring all of the deferred pain crashing down on him. Surprisingly, he felt fine. Better than he ever had before, actually.

Except that it also felt like part of his soul had been gouged out. The white-haired Captain's pitiless memory was quick to remind him that his Soul Chain had been severed by the Horseman known as Pestilence, and he sighed as he sunk further into his hospital bed. Part of him just wanted to get swallowed up by the abundance of blankets around him, but that gloomy train of thought was promptly derailed when a certain floral-cloak-wearing Captain swept into his peripheral vision wearing one of the biggest smiles Ukitake had ever seen.

"Jushiro, you're awake!"

Even Ukitake had to raise an eyebrow at his friend's demeanor. Sure, he was usually cheerful, but he hadn't been this cheerful in a long, long, time, much less during the middle of a war.

"Yes, I suppose I am," he replied warily, peering into his comrade's face and trying to find out what had him so happy. Too tired to continue after a few moments, he slumped back onto the bed with a sigh.

"Spill it, Shunsui. Why are you so… sprightly all of a sudden?"

This time it was Kyoraku's turn to peer at his friend curiously.

"You mean you don't feel it?" he asked, and Ukitake shook his head.

"I don't know what you're referring to, old friend," he replied, "unless it's my lack of a Soul Chain. In that case yes, I do feel it, but I fail to see how that would make you happy."

"The Captain is referring to the alleviation of your illness, Captain Ukitake," Captain Unohana's gentle, calm voice chimed in. Jushiro looked over at the new arrival with wide eyes.

"Alleviation… of my illness? What are you talking about?"

Shunsui couldn't contain his joy any longer and burst out laughing.

"You're cured, Ukitake!"

It took a moment for what his friend had said to float through Jushiro's fatigued brain, but when it did his eyes shot open.

"What? How?" He asked frantically, not believing his ears or his eyes. Or much of anything, for that matter. Unohana smiled and spoke.

"When that demon's arrows hit you, Captain, it introduced a number of viruses into your system. Fortunately for us, those viruses quickly became competitive and turned on each other, nullifying their harmful effects until only one was left. It was a particularly malignant strain, but at its base it was something I have had much experience in treating. I cured it, and during my post-operative examinations I was quite shocked to find that your other illness, the one which we could not find a treatment for, had been caught in the crossfire of the viruses and overwhelmed. Simply put, there isn't even a trace of it left in your system. You are completely cured, Captain."

Jushiro felt a wave of relief wash over him so strongly it almost knocked him out.

"Easy, old friend," Captain Kyoraku cautioned. "You've been through a lot; get some rest."

A single dark thought slipped through the haze of happiness that was Ukitake's world at the moment and loomed over him like a terrible shadow.

"I'm not fit to be Captain anymore, am I?"

Despite the fact that he was cured, his powers had been maimed by the loss of his Soul Chain. Even if he recovered by the end of this day, it would still take months and months of training to get back to his normal level of strength.

"Don't worry about that right now," Unohana said in a voice that was somehow gentle and terrifyingly stern. "You need your rest, and your sleep will be far too troubled if you dwell on thoughts like that. Captain Kyoraku," she finished, "I believe visiting hours are over. If you would be so kind…"

"Of course, Captain Unohana," he said with a flourish and a bow before vanishing.

"How many did we lose, Captain?"

Unohana looked down at the white-haired Captain and gave a small smile.

"None, fortunately, but some combatants sustained more than their fair share of injuries."

Ukitake looked over to see Byakuya Kuchiki and Saika Aron nearby, the spiky hair of Kenpachi Zaraki also visible in the distance.

We really have this many people sidelined? He thought, wondering what they would do if the demons decided to attack again. I just hope we made it worth the cost.

"Have you been to see him yet, Yoruichi-san?"

The Shihion princess gave her friend a weak smile.

"Where do you think I'm coming from, Kisuke? I would have stayed longer, but all of that leaking reiatsu was starting to suffocate me."

"You should probably get some sleep," Urahara suggested, rubbing at his temples while he leaned over his favorite desk. Yoruichi walked towards her friend and put an arm concernedly around his shoulder.

"You don't look too good yourself," she said, but Urahara shrugged the comment off without displacing her arm.

"It's just temporary," he replied. "Benihime has a habit of staying under my skin for a while once I let her loose; I'll be fine in a day or two."

"Whatever you say," Yoruichi muttered, hoping that her friend was right but knowing that she couldn't dissuade him if she tried.

"So, what're you working on now?"

"A device to amplify the particular spirit energy wavelength emitted by a zanpakuto that allows for communication between it and its wielder."

"A shikai accelerator? Why would you make one of those?"

"Because far too few people have died to convince me that this war is over, Yoruichi," Kisuke answered, his voice stone cold. "We have been given the luxury of a respite, and I plan on using every waking moment I have to make sure Seireitei is prepared when that respite comes to an end."

The Shihoin princess sighed and left the laboratory, knowing that trying to reason with Urahara was a lost cause when he had that look in his eyes. Deciding to suck it up and brave the Fourth Division one more time, Yoruichi flash-stepped away and wondered what she was more worried about: being strangled by so much raw reiatsu, or being scolded by Retsu Unohana because visiting hours were over. Thinking about it for a moment before she stepped through the door, the golden-eyed woman decided on the latter choice when she came face-to-face with the Captain herself. The scolding she was expecting, however, did not come. Instead, Unohana just smiled.

"What are you waiting for, Yoruichi-sama?" she asked. "Your seat is open, as always."

When she hesitated, Captain Unohana's smile widened ever so slightly.

"Do you honestly think I'm going to scold you for visiting a loved one because visiting hours are over? Don't be ridiculous, Yoruichi-sama," she finished over her shoulder as she went to tend to Byakuya. Yoruichi smiled and went to sit down by Saika's bedside, only to have his hand reach out and grab her wrist. A hasty glance revealed that his eye was still closed, but a pained groan was more than enough evidence that he was awake.

"Pain…killers…" he hissed, and in an instant Unohana was on the other side of Saika's bed, a syringe ready.

"You called, Aron-san?" she asked, a whisper of amusement in her voice as she administered her treatment. Yoruichi was alarmed for a moment when Saika passed back out, but the smile on his face relaxed her worries.

"He probably won't wake up until tomorrow morning, Yoruichi-sama," Captian Unohana spoke. "If I were you, I would get some rest."

Yoruichi nodded in agreement before vanishing, and Unohana sunk into the nearest chair with a sigh. This was tiring work, to say the least.

"Don't tell me even the great Retsu Unohana is fatigued," a faint, but wryly amused voice spoke from nearby. The Captain was on her feet in an instant, hurrying over to Byakuya's bedside.

"Please try not to exert yourself, Captain Kuchiki," she urged. "And my personal condition is nothing you should trouble yourself over."

"You are being ridiculous, Captain. Do not do yourself the disservice of self-pity; it does not become one of your stature. As for exertion, this is nothing. I should be on my feet by morning, if the strength of Senbonsakura is anything to go by."

Unohana smiled.

"That is good to hear, Captain Kuchiki," she said, as Isane walked into the room.

"It's time for my shift, Captain Unohana," she said quietly, and Retsu nodded.

"Very well, Lieutenant. If you would excuse me, Captain Kuchiki," she said, and Byakuya nodded. When they were alone, Byakuya spoke to Isane in a tone that was the closest thing to admiration the Kuchiki noble possessed.

"Your Captain is a very dedicated woman," he said, and Isane sighed as she nodded.

"I can only hope that this conflict won't exhaust her completely, Captain Kuchiki."

"Do not worry, Lieutenant," he replied. "She will be fine. I, on the other hand, could do with some poppy extract."

"But I thought I heard you say that you were fine."

Byakuya gave her a surprisingly casual look, considering his pain.

"I lied, Lieutenant," he said. "The Captain has enough on her mind already without worrying about me. Now, about that poppy extract…"

The insistent edge in his voice snapped Isane back to her duties.

"At once, Captain Kuchiki."

Byakuya allowed himself to relax, and a small smile crossed his face when he saw that Saika was awake, if drugged into a stupor at the moment, and Kenpachi had a smile on his face that spoke of inner-battle with his zanpakuto.

Maybe there was still hope to be found, after all.

"Up."

When Karin heard that word for what felt like the two hundredth time, all she wanted to do was die. Again. Nonetheless, she forced herself up with her arms to complete yet another push-up.

"Tell me again how this is supposed to help me learn the name of my zanpakuto, sensei?"

Ichimaru's even face quirked with the hint of a smile.

"It's not."

"What?" Karin shouted, all of her fatigue forgotten as she sprang up to her feet and glared angrily at her now-grinning teacher.

"Then why the hell are you wasting my time with it?"

"Because, let's say you do somehow manage to call out your zanpakuto's shikai form, hypothetically speaking. What would you do if it was, say, a battle axe?"

Karin scoffed.

"Like I would ever use something like that to fight."

Ichimaru's grin vanished.

"The point is that you do not know what form it will take, and because of that you must be prepared to wield whatever might emerge. And besides, even if it was something like a sword," he finished, "what's the point of holding a blade if you lack the strength needed to swing it?"

Even in her frustration, Karin saw the wisdom of her teacher's words and bowed her head.

"Forgive my impudence, sensei," she said, but Gin just chuckled breezily.

"Don't go apologizing for something like that," he replied. "Everyone's like you at the start; it's nothing to be ashamed of. Now," he said, removing his cloak and taking off his zanpakuto, "I think you've done enough push-ups for today. It's time for some hand-to-hand training."

Karin's knees buckled in protest, and she bit back a groan.

"But, sensei, I can barely…"

Ichimaru cut her off with a quick jab to the head that Karin only dodged thanks to her innate uncanny reflexes, and she found herself staring right into a pair of glittering blood-red eyes.

"Most enemies would not have been as merciful with that strike as I was, Kurosaki," he said seriously. "Your opponents will not wait for you to regain your strength; they'll exploit any and all openings that you give them without mercy. I will train you to do the same, but first you must prove to me that you're willing to push yourself to the limit."

Karin's dark eyes were suddenly alight with a spark that reminded Gin of her brother as she slipped into a fluid Jeet Kune Do stance.

"Oh, I can push, all right," she said as reiatsu began to build up in her arms and legs on instinct.

"Let's see if you can hold me back!"

Her quick punch was followed up by a vicious snap kick that almost made Ichimaru move back a step. Instead, he simply shifted his weight, moved to the left and made to strike at Karin's unprotected side. She read his moves every step of the way and smirked.

"So predictable," she said, bringing her leg back and hooking it around Gin's head before completing the motion and pulling him down to the ground.

"Likewise," he hissed, pushing out of the grip of Karin's leg and sweeping her legs out from under her, sending her falling to the ground while he rose to his feet. Before she could rise, Gin's foot was on her sternum and applying just enough pressure to immobilize her.

"That was a good attack, I'll admit," he said as his cool eyes looked down into Karin's blazing black orbs, "but the finisher left you wide open. Here's your first lesson: if you're going to use an attack that leaves you open in any way, make sure you can stop that opening from being attacked before you commit. Is that clear?"

Karin nodded, and Gin removed his foot from her chest.

"Good," he said, assuming a stance once more.

"Again."

Karin charged and jumped into a flying kick, only to have Ichimaru sidestep, grab her leg and fling her into a rock.

"The flashier the technique, the weaker it is," he said matter-of-factly. "Get up."

Karin forced her bruised body upright and sighed.

This was gonna be rough.

Grimmjow stood on the bridge and stared out at the full moon, marveling at how much brighter it was than the permanent crescent moon that hung in the sky of Hueco Mundo. Feeling the presence emerge behind him, he tensed for the briefest of moments before relaxing.

"What're you doing here, Ulquiorra?" he asked.

"I could not sleep," he replied. "You?"

"The Captain had a bunch of bureaucratic bullshit to do, so I'm out here enjoying the weather and trying to ignore my blue-balls."

"Charming," Schiffer said with the barest trace of sarcasm in his voice, and silence hung between the two comrades for a few moments as they looked up at the stars.

"What have we become now, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra asked, his normally impassive tone laced with concern and morbid curiosity.

"Beats me," the former sixth Espada answered with a shrug. "All I care about is that I'm not a sub-Gillian right now."

"I do not think we are even Hollows anymore," Schiffer said, trying to form a basic bala in his hand and only coming up with a faintly-sparking wisp of green energy that faded as rapidly as it had come.

"The essence of what made us Hollows has been suppressed within us almost to the point of annihilation," he continued, "and our holes, masks and zanpakuto are gone. What is the energy within us now, Grimmjow?"

"Feels like demon energy, almost," the blue-haired warrior said, "but it's different in some way; more intense."

Grimmjow formed a small orb of orange energy in his hand, keeping it hovering above his palm for a moment before extinguishing it."

"I don't know what it is," he continued, smirking, "but it sure as hell feels good."

Ulquiorra let out a faint sigh.

"No doubt Aron-sama will have answers for us, when he recovers."

Jaegerjaques grunted, his blue eyes shining in the light of the moon. The two former arrancar stood on the bridge for some time, lost in thought and seeking understanding that would not come. Soon enough Ulquiorra murmured a goodbye and walked away, annoyed by his lack of sonido. Grimmjow gazed at the constellations shifting subtly in the sky and wondered why he was feeling so philosophical all of a sudden until a presence appeared at his side once again. He smiled; this visitor was much more welcome than Ulquiorra.

"We have some unfinished business, Lieutenant," Soi Fon said, and Grimmjow very nearly shivered at the way his new title rolled off of her tongue. Turning his piercing eyes on the Second Division Captain, Jaegerjaques gave her a predatory grin that made her stomach do backflips.

"Lead the way, sir," he growled hungrily. Soi Fon promptly lost all self-control, grabbed one of Grimmjow's arms and vanished in a flash-step so fast it left a scorch mark on the bridge.

Ulquiorra traded the bridge for the balcony of his room, but the view and the uncertainty it instilled within him were unchanged. Ever since the moment his Hollow Hole had vanished, the former fourth Espada had been assaulted by a variety of emotions he had never experienced before. Excitement. Anticipation. Fear. Pain. Sadness. Happiness. Compassion.

Part of him cringed at that, but the truth of the matter was unavoidable:

Somehow, Ulquiorra Schiffer had been given a soul, and a heart had followed.

Just how this had come about was a mystery, one that for the first time, he had no burning desire to analyze and figure out. This was something he just wanted to box up, to put far, far away from him and never deal with again. He had sworn never to feel compassion again, even in the Hollow sense of the word, and now he was struck by it with such intensity that it approached human levels. What in the name of all that was holy was happening to him? What on earth had caused it? Restless, he began to pace methodically back and forth trying to calm down his now-pounding heart. When his gaze swept across the room and fell upon the sleeping form of the former third Espada, everything clicked in to place with a clarity that horrified Ulquiorra.

He was in love. That was what had lent him his resolve, and given him wholeness where there had been none before. It was impossible, unbelievable, but at the same time undeniable. Even though his feet felt like lead, he walked over to the bed step by agonizing step and gazed down upon the person who had shattered his universe and rebuilt it from the rubble. In that moment he wanted to hate her more than anything, to scream and yell and curse and denounce her for ruining him so completely, but he found with a shocking immediacy that he couldn't do any of those things. The anger that he would have felt in any other situation was replaced by a feeling he could only describe as a sort of pained longing that stung much deeper than anger ever could. It was too much; if he had possessed a single modicum less of self-control, he might have shed a tear for the first time in his existence. As it was, he simply collapsed onto the empty side of the bed, too tired to move, let alone think. Before he let the darkness take him away, Ulquiorra found the strength to speak, if only for a moment.

"You have destroyed me, woman," he said, his voice the normal, emotionless tone. But then it shifted, becoming softer, and vulnerable.

"Thank you… Neliel. I… love you."

His voice was no higher than a whisper, and a strained one at that. Schiffer closed his eyes as exhaustion overtook him, and he did not see the smile that spread across the face of the woman next to him. He also failed to witness the small tear of happiness running down the side of her face, and the mask on top of her head cracking in several places before breaking into splinters.

Grimmjow was puzzled. He was also puzzled as to why he was puzzled, because he was never usually what someone would call 'puzzled'. This was a head-scratcher for the ages, and he figured it somehow involved the woman currently lying next to him with her eyes closed and a smile on her face that reminded Grimmjow of a lioness after a successful hunt. Which made sense; if there was one thing tonight had been, it was successful. The former sixth Espada was sore in places he didn't even know existed. But that's not what puzzled him.

It was the feeling he was experiencing that got under his skin. It wasn't his usual sense of detachment, the state of being utterly unconcerned what happened to anyone around him. He was definitely attached to Soi Fon, but in a way that was completely unlike anything he had felt before. This was beyond simple possessiveness; sure, he would still eviscerate anyone who tried to move in on his claim, but there was an undercurrent of emotion that told him to protect her, to value her safety above his own. The answer had been dangling in front of him the whole time, but it wasn't until Grimmjow reached forward out of instinct and brushed some stray hairs away from Soi Fon's eyes that the trap closed on him, and he realized he was in deep. Really, really deep.

"You have got to be fucking with me…" he mumbled half in fear, not intending for Soi Fon to hear him. But his touch had woken her up, and she smiled wickedly as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Well, if you put it that way," she said, before pouncing a split-second later. Grimmjow was all too happy to push love out of his mind for now and focus on lust instead; Cupid could wait for the morning as far as the former sixth Espada was concerned.

Saika woke with the sunrise, opening his eye as the first shafts of light poured through the windows. His hand instinctively reached for his empty socket and he panicked for a moment when he felt nothing. He quickly remembered what had happened, though, and his panic gave way to resignation. God damn his bastard brother for injuring him in such a disgraceful way. At least he still had one of the two, but it was the principle of the thing that stung more than the wound. Before he could ruminate over his injury any further, though, a form raced through the doors and was at his side faster than he could blink. Aron knew who it was without even looking, and he smiled.

"Good morning, Yoru."

She knew just by his reiatsu that he was almost fully healed, so she leaned over and gave him a fierce hug.

"Good morning to you, too," she said, happy that he was recovering swiftly. Pulling away, she looked at the fresh bandage covering where his left eye had once been and sighed. Saika saw the look on her face and frowned.

"What are you so upset about? I can still see, you know."

"I know," she said, "it just hurts to see you all beat up like this."

"Beat up? I'm not beat up at all. I'm fine! Right, Byakuya?" he called out, and Kuchiki stirred on his bed.

"Yes, he's fine," the Captain grumbled. "But he won't be if he wakes me up again."

Saika looked over at his friend warily.

"Someone's not a morning person," he said, and Yoruichi smiled.

The two of them sat and chatted until breakfast came, and while Saika was eating Yoruichi told him about Urahara's idea for a shikai accelerator. His eye widened slightly and he smirked.

"Next time you see Urahara, tell him I know two people who would be more than happy to participate in the trial studies."

"Really? Who?"

Aron's smirk widened.

"Grimmjow and Ulquiorra."

Yoruichi raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What? They don't have zanpakuto…"

"Correction, kitten," Saika cut in, "they didn't have zanpakuto. Not before yesterday, anyway. Now they do, or at least they will very shortly."

"How? It's impossible for a Hollow to have a zanpakuto, Saika. They don't have whole souls."

"Those two are no longer Hollows, Yoruichi. They might have a fragment of that energy left in them, but it has been subjugated by a greater power, the demonic reiatsu that has been dormant within them since they first appeared before me in Hell. On top of that, they will be able to manifest true zanpakuto now because they have discovered something they had lost as Hollows. They know what it is to love another being, and no Hollow, be it Gillian or Arrancar, can say the same. They have souls, Yoruichi."

"I can't believe that," the Shihion princess said, and Aron smiled.

"It's understandable if you're skeptical. Just give it a few minutes, and when they get here I'm sure you'll see what I'm talking about."

Yoruichi knew there was no way Saika was being serious, but she didn't have anywhere to be today, so she nodded in acquiescence. After all, if she was going to kill a day she might as well do it with Saika.

Ulquiorra opened his eyes slowly and saw that the bed was empty.

The first impulse that surged through him was a foreign one: fear. Sitting up, he quickly scanned the room and found no one else there. Schiffer was about to move one step closer to panic when he smelled something cooking in the other room, and once he wiped the haze from his mind he could sense Neliel's reiatsu in there as well. Getting himself under control and adding a mental smack across the face for good measure, Ulquiorra got up and padded into the adjoining room. As he had thought, Nel was standing over a dish of raw meat, cooking it through with spirit energy. The former fourth Espada was about to say something when he realized that there was nothing crowning Neliel's head anymore.

"Neliel… your mask, it's…"

The green-haired woman turned at the sound of his voice and gave Ulquiorra a bright smile.

"Yeah, I got rid of it," she said. "Figured I wouldn't need it anymore, after what you told me last night."

It took Ulquiorra's foggy brain a moment to process everything implicit in that phrase, but once he did his eyes shot wide open and his mouth slacked slightly in abject horror.

"You… you heard me?"

Nel's smile only got wider as she saw the look on Ulquiorra's face.

"Yup."

Part of Ulquiorra wanted to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment right then and there, but another part of him felt so free it could have floated off of the ground. Seeing how torn he was, Neliel decided to take matters into her own hands and flash-stepped to right in front of him, pushing Ulquiorra against the wall and kissing him with enough force to rattle his teeth. Not one to be easily dominated, Schiffer pushed back and turned, forcing her against the wall instead and pinning her arms above her head with one hand. Nel had slightly different tastes from those of her partner, and her gray-hazel eyes were pulsing with a charged mix of emotions as she could only watch Ulquiorra size her up like the steak that was sizzling on the counter. She had told Ichigo once that she was a masochist, but it was more complex than that. She had always been in control of her emotions, of herself, and the chance to let that control completely slip into the hands of another where intimacy was concerned was exhilarating in a way that left her dazed. Schiffer responded to her state instinctively and lunged, torrents of pent-up emotion rushing from him as he embraced her. Breaking the kiss for a single, heated moment, he put his mouth next to her ear and whispered.

"Say it."

"I love you," she said, with as much emotion as she could muster. Ulquiorra was still for a few seconds, and Neliel was worried until she heard him speak and her blood sang in her veins.

"That wasn't good enough, Neliel," he said in a delicate, yet strong voice,

"I think I'll just have to make you shout it."

Nel's eyes went wide and she almost fainted from the rush his mere suggestion sent coursing through her. Before she could even blink she was on her back on the mattress, looking up at Ulquiorra. He had an expression on his face she had never seen before, but she didn't have time to puzzle it out as he closed the distance between them with a lunge. For the rest of the afternoon, all she saw were stars and the only word she knew was his first name.

Saika felt the spike in his Captain's reiatsu even at this distance, and he smiled.

"Well," he said with a tinge of laughter in his voice, "at least Grimmjow should show up soon."

As if on cue, the blue-haired warrior stepped through the door and glanced first at Yoruichi and then at Saika. Aron got the message, and turned to his loved one.

"Yoru, would you mind doing me a huge favor?"

"Name it."

"I have a feeling we're going to need a bottle of sake shortly… no," he said, noticing the look in Grimmjow's eyes, "you'd better make that two."

Yoruichi smiled as she saw the look plastered on Jaegerjaques' face, a mix of trepidation, satisfaction and weary resignation.

Oh, he was in love all right. Bad, too, by the looks of it.

"I'll get right on it," she said, flashing away and returning moments later with two bottles.

"I took these from your stash, Little Byakuya," she said with a wicked grin. "I hope you don't mind."

"I hate you," Byakuya said, which only served to widen Yoruichi's grin. Looking from Saika to Grimmjow, she could tell they needed some privacy and vanished, but not before Aron had flashed her a look that had 'I told you so' written all over it.

Once they were as alone as they were going to be in the ward and the curtains had been pulled, Saika turned his head to regard his Captain.

"So?"

Grimmjow took a substantial pull on one of the bottles and put it down with a thud, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I'm screwed," he admitted, and Saika laughed.

"In more ways than one, it seems. Where were you last night, a lion's den?"

Jaegerjaques noticed in the light just how many marks were present on his skin, and he smiled at the memories they evoked.

"Something like that," he said, but then his face became grim again.

"Seriously, this is just sad. I have no idea what to do, boss."

Aron had to bite back a smile at the wreck his cocky Captain had been reduced to, at the hands of possibly the only woman who could have pulled it off.

"Have you considered just rolling with it, Grimmjow?"

The blue-haired warrior raised both eyebrows at that, and he took another liberal swig of the potent sake.

"Are you serious? I feel like the world's biggest bitch."

Saika felt a fleeting pang of guilt at turning the screws on Jaegerjaques like this, but the devil on his shoulder quickly swept that away.

"Explain," Aron prodded, waiting for the gates to open. And open they did.

"I can't get her out of my head, boss," he began, the sake clearly sinking in. "And even if I could, I'm not sure I'd want to at this point. And any time she asks me to do something, I'm fucking bending over backwards, even if it's not an order. Did I lose my pair overnight or something?"

Saika smiled.

"No, my friend," he explained as he raised his glass, "you're just in love. Here's to your life never being the same again, and you not wanting it any other way."

"Amen to that," Grimmjow affirmed, clinking bottles before emptying his with a single, fluid motion.

As soon as the blue-haired warrior set down the near-empty bottle, Saika could see the buildup of sake finally hit Jaegerjaques like a brick of fried gold. An almost eerily happy grin settled in on his face, and his pupils widened slightly. Grimmjow was drunk, content with life, and in love.

Aron paused to wonder if Hell had frozen over, but before he could finish his train of thought Soi Fon pulled back the curtain facing the door, an exasperated look on her face.

"There you are," she huffed. "I've been looking all over for… are you drunk?"

"Maybe…?" The former sixth Espada answered, his buzz beginning to run for cover under the Second Division Captain's increasingly angry gaze. Grimmjow was spared further interrogation when Soi Fon turned her black gaze on Saika, who was smiling like a kid who had just been caught with their hand in the cookie jar and didn't give a damn.

"What did you do to my Lieutenant, Aron?"

The orange-eyed prince just grinned knowingly.

"Nothing he hadn't already done to himself, Captain. I just… nudged it to the surface, you could say."

Soi Fon held his gaze for a few more seconds until she was sure she wouldn't get anything else out of him. Grabbing Grimmjow by the shoulder and frowning, she pulled the blue-haired and now-sober warrior to his feet.

"Come on," she growled, but there was something in her voice Jaegerjaques couldn't quite figure out, "we need to talk."

Grimmjow turned to look at Saika as he was being dragged to the door and glared daggers at him. When he spoke, it was in the demonic tongue to keep Soi Fon from understanding him.

"If this puts me in the dog house for even one night, I'm going to kill you."

Aron had recognized the change in Soi Fon's voice that had eluded Grimmjow, and he smirked.

"Don't worry, my friend," he said, "it won't."

A few moments after he had been left alone, Saika saw his curtains pulled back again to reveal a slyly-grinning Shihoin princess.

"How do you feel, Sai?"

"Why do you ask?" Aron replied, his heart beating faster at the heated gleam in her eyes.

"Because I have an agreement I need to fulfill with you," she said in a voice that could have melted steel, "but I don't want to risk re-opening your wounds while I do it."

Saika's reiatsu spiked, the pressure increase staunching his wounds completely.

"I feel excellent," he spoke, struggling to keep his pulse even and failing. Yoruichi smiled like the cat she was, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Good to hear that, soldier," she purred, and the two of them vanished.

As soon as they were in Soi Fon's private offices, the Captain threw her Lieutenant down on the cot in the corner and straddled his waist, pinning him.

"What's gotten into you?" Grimmjow asked, surprised but not at all minding this turn of events. Soi Fon clamped her hand down over his mouth to shut him up and then spoke, her voice much less edgy than normal.

"I heard your conversation with Aron, Grimmjow," she told him. "All of it."

Jaegerjaques' eyes widened as he prayed for the bed to come to life and swallow him whole, but his fantasy ended abruptly when Soi Fon asked him a question.

"I just want to know one thing," she said. "Did you mean it?"

She took her hand off to let him answer, and Grimmjow looked up at the person above him with a mix of respect, competitiveness and affection.

"Every word," he said seriously, implying the words that went unspoken. Soi Fon's eyes lit up like bonfires and she almost crushed him with the force of her embrace, staying that way for a long, blissful breath before breaking apart.

"That's good to hear," she replied, smiling. "But if I ever see you acting like such a softie again, I'm stripping you of your rank. Is that clear?"

Now it was Grimmjow's eyes that blazed, and he used his strength and reflexes to catch Soi Fon off guard and flip her over, gaining the dominant position.

"Yes, Sir," he all but growled, and Soi Fon reached up, grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him down.

It was a long afternoon.

Yamamoto tapped his staff on the ground, breaking the tense silence in the room.

"Thank you for responding so promptly to my summons on such short notice, Rukia."

"You have no need to thank me, Captain-Commander Yamamoto, sir."

The edges of the old man's lips quirked up into a small smile.

"Very well. You are probably wondering why it is that I have called you here, Rukia. The fact of the matter is that Captain Ukitake will not be able to reclaim his position until he is fully recovered and his Soul Chain has repaired itself, which may take some time. We are already short on Captains as it stands, and we cannot risk losing another at a time like this.

"Rukia Kuchiki," he said in a voice that rang like thunder, "I have spoken with the other Captains who are currently healthy, and we have decided that you are more than qualified to hold the rank of Captain, should you choose to accept the offer. Do you wish to accept the Captaincy of the Thirteenth Division?"

Rukia could hardly believe her ears. On the one hand, she felt awful that she was being offered the position solely on the basis that Captain Ukitake was laid up, but at the same time she was thrilled that the other Captains thought she could handle the job. Finally, she was being given the respect she had fought so hard to earn. But there was something that still nagged at the back of her mind.

"What about Kiyone and Sentaro?" she asked, and Yamamoto inclined his head slightly.

"I have spoken with them as well regarding this matter, and they both whole-heartedly endorsed your promotion."

Rukia's heart swelled even more at those words, and she smiled.

"Then yes," she said as calmly as she could, "I accept."

Yamamoto's eyed opened, and a smile was flickering in them as clear as day.

"It gladdens me to hear that, Captain Kuchiki," he said warmly, procuring her haori and holding it out to her.

"I wish you the best of luck."

Rukia accepted the garb like a holy vestment, putting it on gingerly and sighing as it settled over her shoulders. Her reverie was interrupted, however, by the appearance of Captain Unohana.

"Captain Kuchiki," she said, smiling, "Captain Kuchiki has requested your presence in the recovery ward."

Rukia looked over at the Captain-Commander, and he nodded. The violet-eyed Soul Reaper Captain vanished, heading for Fourth Division as fast as she could. When she arrived, Rukia walked calmly over to her brother's side.

"You called, Nii-sama?"

Byakuya looked up at Rukia and gave a small smile, saying words that the young Kuchiki had longed to hear since she had been adopted into his clan.

"I'm proud of you, Captain Rukia Kuchiki."

She thought her heart might burst in that moment, but it held strong and Rukia smiled brightly at her brother.

"Thank you, Nii-sama," she said, "for everything."

Byakuya just closed his eyes, his smile remaining as he went back to sleep. Rukia made to leave, but another voice called out to her.

"Those robes suit you, Captain," it said. "Wear them with pride."

Rukia turned to see Captain Ukitake smiling at her, propped up into a sitting position against the wall.

"Thank you, Captain Ukitake," she said, bowing. "I trust you will make a speedy recovery, and these robes will return to you."

"Perhaps," Jushiro replied, "but until then, you are the Captain of the Thirteenth Division, Rukia, and I expect you to act like it."

She smiled, nodding.

"You can count on me, Sir."

"Glad to hear it," Ukitake said. "Now get out of here, Captain; I'm sure you have plenty of paperwork to do," he finished, his smile gaining a sly edge as Rukia's shoulders sank with the realization that being a Captain meant dealing with all of the responsibility, both exciting and mundane.

"Of course," she said much less enthusiastically, flash-stepping away. Ukitake started laughing as soon as she was out of earshot, and Saika looked over at him.

"Now that was cruel, pops," he said, a smile crossing his face as well.

"She should've known that's what she was getting into, Saika," Jushiro said. "She has no one to blame for the paperwork but herself."

Aron was about to say something when a loud groan was heard and they looked over to see Kenpachi Zaraki stirring, his huge grin still on his face.

"What's got you so chipper, Tinkerbell?" Saika asked, and Zaraki looked over at his rival, his grin turning subtly murderous.

"You'd better watch out, mongrel," he said,

"I know my zanpakuto's name now."

The Eleventh Division Captain laughed as a look of terror crossed Aron's face. If Zaraki knew the name of his zanpakuto, that meant that the discord between the two of them was gone and his power would no longer be diminished. Saika didn't know how much stronger that would make Kenpachi, but he had no desire to find out any time in this life, or the next one.

"Ichigo is going down the next time we fight," the spiky-haired Captain said. "I swear, next time we cross blades, I'm gonna kick his ass."

Ichigo looked at the white mountain in front of him and sighed

"Do I really have to help you with all of this paperwork, Rukia?"

"Yes, Ichigo, you really do. There's no way I can get this all done by tonight alone."

"What about those two Lieutenants of yours? Isn't this their job?"

"Technically, yeah," Rukia said as a wicked smile spread across her face, "but I thought I'd order you to help me, seeing as how you're below me in rank and all."

Ichigo scowled.

"You're an evil, evil midget, Rukia Kuchiki," he said, and she gave an exaggerated pout.

"Oh, don't say that, Ichigo," she said as she walked closer and closer to the orange-haired Soul Reaper, eventually getting close enough to lean her mouth right next to his ear, wisps of hot breath making him shiver.

"By the time we're done, we should have the office all to ourselves," she whispered in a velvety tone that almost made Kurosaki faint right then and there.

"Paperwork it is, then," he rasped out, and Rukia smiled.

Talk about a win-win situation.

The two fighters exchanged another round of blows and broke apart, both bent over slightly to catch their breath.

"You're getting faster, Kurosaki," Ichimaru said, "and stronger. That's good, but doing this by hand is taking too long."

Walking over to where he had put his zanpakuto, Gin drew Shinso from its sheath and held it with the blade down, parallel to his body. The light glinting off of the blade in the midday sun was bright enough to blind Karin, but that potential distraction wasn't nearly as scary as the killing intent that seemed to reach out from the zanpakuto and wrap around her neck. Karin felt beat up and exhausted; she hadn't slept at all last night, and her sensei had pushed her relentlessly.

"Shoot to kill, Shinso."

Karin was yanked back to reality by the command, and she sidestepped just in time to dodge the blade as it screamed towards her and buried its tip in the dirt.

"Never lose your focus, especially not when your opponent is holding a sharp object," Ichimaru said, his hard eyes glinting like rubies as he withdrew Shinso. Karin wanted nothing more than to draw her zanpakuto and carve her sensei's chest open, and she let the urge to kill spread to the tip of every limb in her body.

"I think she's finally getting it, buddy," Gin said to his zanpakuto, and Shinso pulsed in eagerness.

Karin closed her eyes and focused on her desire to fight, but when she opened them she found that she had changed locations and was now right next to the rock her nameless zanpakuto was leaning against.

"What the…?" she asked, her ferocity overcome for the moment by her curiosity.

"Well, that's one way to learn flash steps," the silver-haired Soul Reaper said, amused. "Once I'm done slashing you up, maybe if you can still move we can work on your technique."

His taunts had the desired effect on Karin, and ripped her zanpakuto out of its sheath before closing her eyes and thinking of nothing but carving that smirk off of her teacher's face. When she opened her eyes, she was pleasantly surprised to see that she was standing right in front of her sensei, her sword only inches from his neck.

"My, my," Gin said, not flinching in the slightest as his eyes regarded Karin with something approaching awe, "you really are a Kurosaki. Still," he appended, "power is nothing without control."

Shinso moved like a blur, batting Karin's blade aside and taking up its own place next to her throat.

"Never hesitate to strike a killing blow if given the chance," he said, slashing downwards with Shinso. Karin managed to throw herself backwards and minimized the depth of the cut, but it was still a slash across her abdomen and it hurt like hell.

"Hesitate, and I will strike. Rest assured, young Karin; the next time I strike, I will strike to kill. If you want to survive, I suggest you start talking to your zanpakuto."

As Karin fended off the next strike, and then the next and the next, her adrenaline began to give way to fear and she realized that she might very well die.

Does he expect me to talk to my zanpakuto while I'm fighting? That's not possible!

'How do you know it's impossible if you've never tried, moron?'

The voice of her zanpakuto cut through Karin like a knife, but she brushed aside the insult and focused on the positive. She could talk to her zanpakuto and fight at the same time, which increased her odds of living immensely. Now, if she could just figure out its name…

'I could scream my name at you until I go dumb and unless you're ready to hear it the word will fall on deaf ears, Karin. By the way, I'm a 'she', thank you very much; and since I'd rather not die with you, here's a little hint: stop being such a weakling and fight back.'

Karin took a deep breath and held the next block she made longer than normal, gazing into her teacher's blood-red eyes that were now gleaming with what could only be described as a grin.

"Have you finally decided to start fighting back, Karin?" he asked, his tone just mocking enough to piss her off.

"Damn straight, sensei," she growled, pushing hard against Shinso and lashing out with her zanpakuto as soon as the block relaxed. Gin deflected the blow, but Karin struck again and again and again. Instead of being blinded by rage, she felt a strange calm seep into her soul. Her movements became more controlled, but remained fluid, and her teacher's sword seemed to slow, and become completely predictable. Focusing herself and diving deep into her soul, Karin found that she didn't even need to ask for her zanpakuto's name: in that instant, it was as clear to her as her own name was. Emerging from the depths just in time to see the tiniest sliver of an opening appear in her teacher's stance, Karin struck and called out her zanpakuto.

"Flash, Raitori!"

The wakizashi in her hands flared with crackling, golden energy for a moment, and when it was visible again Karin found herself looking at a longer, double-edged straight sword resembling a Chinese jian. It was a burnished golden color, with streaks of yellow decorating the flat of the blade like thin bolts of lighting.

"Thunderbird, huh?" Gin said, having jumped back from the force of the shikai. "Not bad, Kurosaki. Not bad at all. Well, you managed to cut me up pretty good," he continued, motioning with one hand to a gash that ran straight down his chest, "so I'd say this lesson is finished."

Karin relaxed, returning Raitori to its normal state.

"So, what happens now, sensei?"

Ichimaru smiled, his eyes narrowing but not closing.

"It's time to find out what that sword of yours can do. We're going on a field trip to District 80."

Ulquiorra found to his amazement that he still had plenty of energy left in him after their... activity, while Neliel was lying next to him practically comatose with a look of contentment on her face that made Schiffer smile despite himself. There was just something about her that broke down all of his barriers, and he wasn't entirely opposed to that feeling. Nevertheless, there was an itch at the core of his soul that he knew only feeling out his new powers would scratch. They were definitely different from Hollow powers, closer to the Soul Reaper abilities he had possessed as an arrancar, but different enough even from those powers to raise his curiosity. And if there was one thing an analytical being like Ulquiorra hated, it was being curious. He needed to understand this new power, and he needed to do it now in case some new threat appeared.

That, and he just felt weird without a sword.

Tapping into the molten orange pool that resided at the core of his newborn soul, Schiffer let instinct guide him as he slowly learned how to use whatever this version of sonido was. Soon enough he was competent with it, and shortly thereafter found himself in the nearest dojo. What he hadn't noticed was the sign demarcating it as the dojo of the Second Division.

"I see you want to fight some, too, Ulquiorra," Grimmjow's smooth growl floated over from across the room.

"If you don't mind getting completely ruined, I'd be more than happy to kick your ass. Maybe by the end of it, I'll have a sword at my hip again."

Ulquiorra turned to face his longtime rival and his eyes gleamed with a barely restrained killer intent that made Jaegerjaques' own eyes widen in surprise at the display of emotion. Taking one of his hands out of his pocket, Schiffer gestured for Grimmjow to make the first move. Grinning with bloodlust, the blue-haired warrior lunged.

Author's Note: Yeah, so this chapter was a bit slower and smaller, but it had to be; this was mostly a set-up chapter, with some fluff and comedy (I hope it was funny at points, anyway) thrown in. Hope you enjoyed it, and Please Review if you would be so kind; it means a ton. In addition, I hope the character development made up for the lack of brawls; we'll get some more of that next chapter as Karin and Ichimaru take a long, dark walk through District 80. The next chapter shouldn't be too long in coming, I hope, but we'll see.

See you next time!