As always, credit to EternalDream for being my beta!

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The Ties that Binds
Chapter 16

Dressed only in his hakama, Mamoru walked out of the bathroom completely exhausted. The day was spent strengthening the seals hiding their location, and his bed offered him a much welcomed comfort and respite. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and prepared to rest for the night.

He felt another presence beside him, but before he could move, he felt a familiar reiatsu. He opened his eyes and Yuzu Kurosaki smiled at him before meeting his lips for a kiss. He immediately returned the kiss as he pulled Yuzu closer to him, and maneuvered their bodies so that she would lie comfortably beneath him.

She broke the kiss and trailed kisses along his jaw and his neck before he captured her lips with his own. He ignored Phobos and Deimos who hovered above them squawking. Even in his dreams, his guardians won't leave him alone. Her felt her hands roam around his chest before they settled on his shoulders, her legs slowly moving to wrap themselves around him. Phobos and Deimos began to squawk louder, and his mind barely registered the fact that never in his dreams had he and Yuzu been so intimate, and never had his dreams felt so real.

He allowed his hands to untie her obi. They were just about to part her kimono when he heard her gasp.

"Mamoru-sama."

Immediately, Mamoru leaped away, and Deimos fluttered above him.

"Mamoru-sama, Yuzu-sama has been captured by your brother. He has completely erased her memory and replaced it with another!"

He looked up as Phobos chirped in agreement. The two crows landed beside the bed and started at Yuzu in pity.

"Yuzu?"

Yuzu looked shyly at him, lips red from his kisses, and her kimono slightly parted. It was just then that he realized what she was wearing. The golden obi lay beside her, and he approached Yuzu to look behind the red kimono. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the golden butterfly mon stitched at the back, symbolizing Yuzu's status as a bride of the Main Branch of the clan. He looked at her face and gently touched her forehead, and he found no memory of her family.

Instead, a manufactured memory surfaced, with a younger Yuzu being introduced to his family through an Omiai. His anger deepened as he saw more false memories of Yuzu, along with a family that never existed. He quickly withdrew his hands and reached for her obi. He briskly re-tied it around her slender waist. Yuzu looked at him, confused.

"Is there anything wrong, Mamoru-sama?"

"Don't call me that," he said curtly, which caused Yuzu to flinch. "I am sorry, Yuzu, but please do not refer me with that honorific."

"But it's only proper that I address you in such a manner!" she replied, eyes downcast as she turned red.

Mamoru sighed as he left his bed, his body shaking a little. He put his hand over his mouth and stared at Yuzu, who continued avoiding his gaze.

"Yuzu."

She looked up at him, her eyes a little apprehensive, and Mamoru tried to control his anger at what had been done to the girl. "I will return. Stay here."

"Yes, Mamoru-sa…Mamoru."

Mamoru quickly grabbed his shirt and walked out of his room to begin looking for his brother. As he felt for his brother's aura, he had to rein in the growing mass of ire in his stomach. When he finally honed in on where his brother was, he quickened his footsteps and walked towards the War Room.

"Seishiro!"

The oldest Taira looked at his youngest brother, and calmly noticed that he was seething in rage. "Ah, I see you've seen my surprise for you, Mamoru."

"What is the meaning of this?"

"I thought you'd be happy, Mamoru. You don't need to sneak out anymore to Karakura to visit Yuzu-chan."

Mamoru watched the smug expression on his brother's face and knew that he had more things planned. "You had no right to erase or replace her memories!"

"I had every right!" Seishiro responded. "I could easily have done so much worse, Mamoru. I kept her alive, didn't I?"

"You shouldn't have brought her here, Seishiro."

"And what do you expect me to do, Mamoru? Let you betray our clan for a girl?"

"I never betrayed our clan!" Mamoru snapped back, and Seishiro slammed his fists on the table as he glared at his brother.

"You betrayed us the moment you chose her over our attack on Soul Society!"

Mamoru felt his reiatsu flare in response to his brother. If he got any more angry, his energy would flood out of his body and start shaking the walls of the room. "I have always been against that plan, Seishiro. Even before I met Yuzu, I gave you my word that I would protect our home from being discovered by Soul Society, and I have kept that promise to this very day."

"We would've won this war long ago had you joined us, Mamoru. I am giving you a choice now, join us or you will never have Yuzu Kurosaki."

"She is not some prize to be won, Seishiro!" Mamoru angrily cried out. "Neither is Orihime Inoue, despite your belief that she will further legitimize your claim to the throne!"

"That's where you are wrong, brother. Orihime is literally a prize to be won. The soul that resides in her was the cause of our downfall in the Royal Realm, and it is that soul that will bring us back!"

Mamoru could only watch his brother walk towards him. Lashing out would do him nor Yuzu any good. He had to think of her safety now that she'd been dragged into this. Seishiro's anger over his perceived betrayal and the betrayal of their clan oozed out in an angry, heavy reiatsu that was beginning to make their surroundings shake. If he let his own reiatsu mingle with his brother's, this side of the building would surely collapse.

"Our grandfather was falsely accused of killing the youngest daughter of Taiso Tentou. They used that reason to banish our clan."

"I know that! But you have also forgotten that Masurao-ojiisama attacked Tentou to fight for the throne. I have seen what the banishment has done to Masurao-ojiisama but to attack Soul Society—to destroy the souls—is not the way! And you cannot be certain that woman holds the soul of the lost princess."

"There is a reason she wields the power that she does. Tentou was not a fool. He knew that one day we would discover that we had been tricked, and we would use her soul as collateral. He would not leave her unprotected."

"And you honestly believe that holding her soul hostage will be the key to the throne? Have you forgotten, Seishiro, that the man used his own daughter, sacrificed his own daughter's lifeto claim the throne away from our clan? What makes you so sure that this time he will hold her safety over his right to the throne?"

"His right to the throne does not exist!" Seishiro responded as he turned away from his brother. "I will give you until the sun sets tomorrow to decide, Mamoru. Either join us and destroy the barrier protecting Soul Society, or I will give Yuzu to one of my men. The choice is yours."

"What makes you think I will let you near her?" Mamoru asked coldly.

Seishiro turned to face him again, a smile on his face. "What made you think I will just hand her over to you, Mamoru?" Seishiro replied smugly. He motioned for one of the guards to let their guests in.

Mamoru stood in shock as he watched a much older Aizen, followed by Kusanagi and
Yuzu who was still dressed in the red kimono that he saw her earlier in. There was no way Kusanagi or Aizen could've gone past Phobos and Deimos without his knowledge, until he saw the glint in Aizen's eyes.

"You sent me an illusion."

Seishiro smirked. "I have to say, Mamoru. I was surprised you did not detect it. You must really have grown fond of Yuzu-chan if you did not notice something so easily recognizable."

Mamoru clenched his fists and watched warily as his brother approached Yuzu. "You have not been waiting long, have you, Yuzu-chan?"

"No, Seishiro-sama. Aizen-san and Kusanagi-san kept me company in the gardens while we waited," she replied, as she looked shyly at Mamoru through her bangs.

The youngest Taira looked in shock, for a brief moment, it was as if he was meeting her again for the first time. Even from this distance, Mamoru could sense that the Yuzu that stood a few feet away from him was similar to the illusion he saw earlier. Her memory has been replaced as a young noble woman promised to him by her parents.

"Well, Mamoru. What will it be?" Seishiro asked, and Mamoru felt that he had reached his boiling point.

"Is there anything wrong, Mamoru-sama?" Yuzu asked worriedly.

"My brother is just tired, Yuzu-chan. Kusanagi, why don't you bring Yuzu-chan to her chambers? I'm sure my brother would want to spend time with her after he is well rested."

Kusanagi just nodded, and before he could move, Mamoru spoke.

"She will stay with me."

"I don't think you have the power to negotiate this, Mamoru," Seishiro said, his smile sly.

Mamoru returned with a glare. "Either she returns and stays with me in my quarters, or I will not abide by anything. She stays with me, and I will join you in the attack against Soul Society. If you do not agree, I will drop the shields protecting us the moment she walks out of this room away from me, Seishiro. The choice is yours." Seishiro's smile disappeared at his brother's threat. Before he could speak, Mamoru continued, "You never should have brought her here, Seishiro. Neither should you have taken away her memories. You know full well that not even you can give it back, and to what purpose? To back me in a corner? You know I have always hated being forced into action. But I have always kept my word, Seishiro. So make your choice. Give her to me now, or the shields will fall."

"You..." Seishiro seethed as he looked at Aizen, who had masked his own shock quite well. "You would choose her over your family."

"I have never chosen her over our family. I have said it once and I will say it again. I have never agreed to attack Soul Society, and I have never believed your methods to be the correct way to regain our honour. But you have never listened. Make your choice, Seishiro."

When his brother didn't respond, Mamoru's eyes glowed and a faint green aura gathered in his hands before he released it out the window. A few seconds later, Seishiro looked in shock as he felt one of the pillars slowly collapse. Knowing that he was out of time, he looked at Kusanagi, jerked his head, and the man backed further away from Yuzu. Mamoru held out his hand to her, and she looked at Seishiro for confirmation. He nodded, a scowl on his face, and Yuzu walked to where Mamoru stood. The moment he held her hand in his, the green aura surrounding him disappeared, and Seishiro felt the pillar return to full strength.

"I will never forget this, Mamoru," Seishiro growled out as he watched his brother walk away with the girl.

"Neither will I," Mamoru responded without looking back as he walked back to his quarters along with Yuzu.

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Ayame looked back at the man called Hideyoshi, and felt momentarily saddened that her precious limited edition Hermes scarf was now being used as a gag. Until she remembered the ramblings they had to endure. Ayame couldn't take it anymore. Everyone was either mad, or sad. Though from what she had learned, the sister of her fiancé's friend has just been kidnapped, and his father was now close to death, so it was understandable why everyone was in such a lousy mood. Though really, was this just a manifestation of her frustration that Uryuu wasn't showering her with enough attention?

She shook her head as she continued to walk. Never in her hallucinations been this intense. Or crowded.

"Nakamura-san?"

Ayame turned to find the man called Kisuke Urahara peeking at her from his green and white hat.

"Yes?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, and this weather isn't doing much for my skin. Thank God I had a spa treatment yesterday. Although since this really is all a part of my imagination, it probably doesn't matter."

"Imagination?" Kisuke asked, intrigued.

"How else could all these things be happening? I can't wait to wake up because everyone here is just so depressed."

Behind them, Uryuu just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"What makes you think you are imagining all these?"

"As if this is real!" She gestured around them. "That, and I haven't been taking my medication. I used to take them every day until I met Uryuu," she continued, and Kisuke watched in interest as the girl's eyes softened. "After I met him, it was almost as if I was fine. I wasn't seeing things anymore."

Kisuke nodded as he processed the information he received. "What kind of things?"

"You know, ghosts, spirits, whatever it is those things are called."

This time, Uryuu's eyes widened at Ayame's response. "You can see ghosts?"

"No silly!" Ayame answered as she looked back at him. "I thought I was seeing ghosts, but daddy said I wasn't and that those things don't exist. I was about nine when I stopped seeing things. Daddy brought me to this doctor in Germany who gave me some medications. Dr. Schneider has moved to the US, and I see him once every three months to take my medication. Though sometimes, I think I'm fine, and I'll stop taking them. I keep making up excuses not to see Dr. Schneider. I'd take the first plane to Paris or Ibiza, but then, I start seeing things again. Until I met Uryuu, that is, I forgot to take the bottle when we spent a week in Switzerland, but nothing happened after that. I guess he's my cure." She paused and waited for Uryuu to step beside her. "Until today, that is. That sea-weed treatment probably didn't help."

Uryuu looked at Kisuke, who gave a small smile. "Would you mind showing me that medication, Nakamura-san?"

Ayame opened her bag, reached for a white plastic bottle, and handed it to Kisuke. He took the bottle, and his gaze fell on the charms on Ayame's bracelet. Seeing his interest, Ayame smiled as she showed him her jewelry.

"My grandfather gave me this years ago, just before he died. It's honestly so daggy, but I..." Ayame stopped as she looked at the bracelet. "But I still love it because he gave it to me, that and I'm just so cool that it's not so daggy anymore."

"That you are," Kisuke replied as his mind began to drift. He had seen those symbols before. He looked at Uryuu and could tell instantly the young man didn't look as if he recognized the charms.

They group continued to walk, with Renji, Chad, Ichigo, and Keigo carrying make shift stretcher, with the others walked behind them.

"We're here," Kisuke announced. "Yoruichi, please inform Unohana-taichou that we are bringing Isshin-san, and please bring Ishida-san so that he can help prepare what we need."

Yoruichi nodded, and before Uryuu could say something, the woman grabbed him by the front of his shirt and disappeared.

"Wait—where…where did they go?"

"Don't worry, Nakamura-san. We will see them shortly," Kisuke said reassuringly, and Ayame nodded, but she stopped in her tracks once they entered a big wooden gate. She looked around and watched men and women, dressed as if they were living centuries ago instead of today, walk around them, casting suspicious and surprised looks at the group. Even the buildings were old.

"Where are we?" Ayame wondered, more than a little bemused.

Kisuke turned around and gave a small bow. "Welcome to Seireitei, Nakamura-san."

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And another chapter completed! I hope Ayame is now more intriguing than annoying! I have something special planned for her. Any guesses on what her twist is?

nypsy: I'm going to have to check out that movie now! Hichi is a good character to play around with because as you mentioned, he's not your average bear hollow. As for Mamoru, how did you like his reaction?
melnel: Mamoru's attraction to Yuzu will be explained further down... pretty much at the last chapters, which shouldn't be that far off! I love Mamoru now as well, He's been appearing with Yuzu in some other fics where they shouldn't be!
Ermilus: Thank you! We do need someone as the calm, cool, collected voice of reason when things are going haywire! Stay tuned to see how the gang will save Isshin and Yuzu!
Kevin Trevino: Thank you! And the hollow vs Ichigo will happen, but not for the next chapters. It will happen though... eventually!
Guest (1): They might need more than the power of love, but that will play a part!
Guest (2): Ta! Work has been busy, I try to do once a week, worst case scenario would be once a month, but I promise not to wait for another 5 years to update! And I hope I gave a good explanation on why Seishiro wants Orihime too!
Guest (3): This chapter should answer your question on what happened to Yuzu! Will the blood transfusion works? We'll see!
Guest (4): I don't think I'll be able to answer your questions soon! But hopefully the future chapters will!
Guest (5): Thank you, next chapter is already being written!
Anna: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed this one too!

Thanks to all again who commented and reviewed, read as well as added this to their favourites! Hope you all continue to enjoy this fic, and please continue to let me know what you think, or any guesses on character twists!