:This is Rukia Kuchiki, signing in!: Rukia's voice said.

:Hey! How did you get on this line?: Renji asked, sounding almost indignant.

:Duh, dummy,: Rukia said rudely back at him. :We three ladies are the one's who found the com-devices in the first place!:

:Brat,: Renji replied.

:Idiot,: Rukia said, just as kindly back at him.

:At least I can move around, you're stuck there,: he taunted back at her.

:Shows what you know,: Rukis taunted back. :It just so happens that we can move anywhere we want, any time we want, so there!:

:Yeah, because of me,: Renji pointed out. :If I hadn't given you my heartstone you'd be stuck there like a real prisoner.:

:Children!: Byakuya all but snapped in exasperation. :Will I need to separate you two?:

:She started it,: Renji grumbled.

:Did not,: Rukia contended.

The Head of the House and Captain of Squad Six Captain mentally counted to ten. The two of them apparently caught it and both silenced themselves, though Byakuya had a sneaking suspicion that if they had been in the same room together the two of them would have been trying to make faces at each other when they thought big brother wasn't watching.

:Well whatever, and just so you know, Orihime and I have that Aizen thing taken care of,: Rukkia bragged. :We've found away to open a Gate to the outside dimensions. We can just bring Ichigo and the others here and let them go at him. With you, me and Elder Brother joining in, and him having to fight us all at once, plus Urahara and Yoruichi if they decide to show up, there's no way we won't win!:

:Oh yeah, real brilliant plan there maestro,: Renji said sarcastically. :Except yer forgettin' one thing... Freakstorm that the kid's reiatsu is, it's not going ta do a lick o' good against Aizen's new army. Zanpaktou are one hundred percent useless against the Believed. You need a weapon that fights with the fifth element in order to take those things down. If you can't find a Quincy then Isana's binding spell is our only hope, and I was sorta thinkin' of keeping her as an ace in the hole. She's not exactly frontline material.:

:If Zanpaktou are not effective against Shadows,: Rukia said. :Then that means you, me and my brother are-:

:Up shit creek without a paddle,: Renji confirmed for her.

:Well...: Rukia said, her earlier smugness deflated. :What happens when you destroy Aizen's heartstone? Does it break his power?:

:It'd be great if it were that easy,: Renji replied. :Destroying his heartstone will only do two things; one, it'll stop him from bypassing reincarnation again, and two, it'll tip our hand and he'll be on to us. We have to time it just right.:

Byakuya was a little annoyed that the two of them had waylaid his debriefing and gotten ahead of themselves. Information first, then strategy.

:Rukia. Abarai,: he said with enough mild sharpness to get their attention. :Strategy comes after information. I still require a formal debriefing of my lieutenant and you, younger sibling, must patiently wait your turn.:

Byakuya could all but feel Renji's insulted scowl on her behalf, but in this occasion Byakuya overlooked it since it wasn't something his lieutenant could hide behind his stoic mask as he usually did.

:Abarai, continue,: Byakuya commanded.

Renji filled him in on what information he had gathered since his last report, about Aizen's plan involving heartstones, and Quincy and Shadows, as well as his thoughts on what the devious schemer might be plotting next. Next Byakuya commanded a report from his sister Rukia (deciding for the moment that since they were all in the same boat essentially, she would be temporarily under his command as the ranking officer in the field).

:I have a contribution to the discussion,: Isana said.

Their three-way tete-a-tete was joined quickly by a fourth member, when they felt the spiritual energy of Isana join the link.

:Are you sure you should be on this thing?: Renji said nervously. :Aizen's got you in his shadow, no pun intended, he might be able to detect you using the link somehow. If he does then there's a possibility that the jig'll be up real quick. He'll want to know where you got the link-thingy.:

:He has other matters on his mind, and he has already dismissed me as a being useful but harmless,: Isana replied. :He's paying no closer attention to me than he would to furniture.:

:If escape is possible for you, then you must take your child and the other mortal and leave this place,: Byakuya commanded his mortal wife.

:I will do no such thing,: Isana replied. :You are powerless against the Shadows, I am the only one currently in this Realm with the means to fight and defeat them. Except... perhaps...:

Isana trailed off thoughtfully.

:It is quite possible that Orihime's abilities might be able to unmake the heartstone.:

:If that is the case then we have two women who are able to fight the Shadows instead of just one,: Byakuya said firmly, accepting the necessity of extenuating circumstances and showing an adaptability that Renji had never suspected of him.

:Aizen must be defeated here, before he has a chance to spread his influence across the Divine Realms and his army grows legion,: Captain Kuchiki said, by way of explanation. :If handled carefully, and with the element of surprise on our side, it is not inconceivable that we should be able to strike preemptively and handle the matter.:

:I kinda think I got a bit of a thought on how ta beat 'im,: Renji said hesitantly. :Well, actually it won't truly defeat him, but I can guarantee it'll distract him long enough for us ta maybe neutralize 'im somehow.:

:How so?:

:I kinda can't really say out loud sir,: Renji said, cringing inwardly. :But Missy, it's about that thing that time. You know, when the kitty goaded you on and I was pissed off fer days?:

Isana clearly had to translate the reference for a minute, then comprehension flooded the link.

:Oohh, that thing,: she said.

:Yeah, and his is called Kyouka Suigetsu.:

:What does Aizen's zanpaktou have to do with anything?: Rukia asked.

:I can't tell you that,: Renji said. :Less you'll have ta lie about later.:

Byakuya considered letting the matter stand, however, he simply could not bear the thought of Renji knowing his wife better than he himself did, no matter what incarnation she was in. No, such a situation was intolerable. If it meant breaking the rules without being able to claim plausible deniability later, then that was something he was prepared to do.

:I have stated previously that there exists no law that I will not set aside for your sake,: Byakuya said. :In this situation the time for half-truths and dissembling in order to protect my noble integrity, while admirable, is unnecessary. I am prepared to face official censure but I must have all of the facts we know at hand.:

:So we should tell him, Renji?: Isana asked.

Byakuya was irked that she checked with him first.

:You heard the man, he said he's willing to shoulder it. Might as well lay yer cards on the table.:

:Yours too. I know you haven't told him about your Zabimaru,: she chided.

:I was getting to that,: Renji mumbled defensively.

:Anyway. Aside of being able to make summoning contracts with elemental spirits, I am sure you are aware that I can bind Shadows by the heartstone. What we have been avoiding revealing, probably for obvious reasons, is that my ability to bind spirits does not end there. We've discovered that it is possible for me to bind Zanpaktou spirits as well, though, the effect it has on that zanpaktou's wielder is...:

:It turned me Hollow, sir,: Renji said, cutting right to the chase. :Her binding spell cuts you off from your zanpaktou and your reiatsu floods up an' makes you go berzerk. It's awful.:

Everyone sensed the underlying horror that still flooded Renji's soul at the memory of what it had felt like to be cut of from his precious Zabimaru. Part of that might have been due to Renji's unusual closeness with his Zanpaktou, but there was no mistaking that even the memory of what it had been like was a terrible one for him, and one he was not eagre to repeat ever again. Following quickly on that was a feeling from Hisana of deep mortification for harming someone who had never shown her anything but kindness.

Ignoring the emotional by-play, Byakuya took a long moment to absorb the implications of that information. If a mortal, albeit one with awakened spiritual powers, could do such a thing, Seireitei would never let it stand. To say that Zanpaktou were to important to the Soul Reapers was a lot like saying the ocean was wet, it fit but couldn'r even begin to cover the magnitude of it. If a way was discovered to cut off their bond and seal away the purifying blade, it could shake the very foundations of Seireitei. There was no way they would allow Isana to continue her existence unmolested. It was far more likely they would choose to quietly remove the possible threat.

:I understand why you would be wary of revealing such information to me,: Byakuya said carefully into the tense silence that followed their revelation. :Every Law in Seireitei commands that such a potential threat must be dealt with immediately.:

He felt the upwelling of protest through the link and cut it off.

:However. I will not act hastily, and I do not believe that in her hands this binding spell she wields is any threat to Seireitei. The Head Captain does not need to know of this. Understood?:

:Sir!: Renji and Rukia replied crisply.

:In our current situation,: he said after a long thoughtful pause. :It would be a great advantage.:

:It's a real game-changer,: Renji agreed.

:Quite. However, all of the strategies you have brought up have only offered ways to neutralize Aizen, rather than truly defeat him. The destruction of his heartstone will make it so that he cannot simply transport his soul to another body. Binding his zanpaktou will only distract him rather than defeat him.:

:Once he turns Hollow though, he'll be too busy gettin' his own self sorted out ta have a whole lot o' time fer payin' attention to what's goin' on around him,: Renji suggested. :Once he's Hollow any zanpaktou'll take him out, so we just need ta strike while the iron is hot.:

:Then it seems we have our strategy,: Captain Kuchiki said. :This will have to be done when myself, Abarai and Hisana are all in the same room.:

:Hey, what about me?: Rukia demanded, miffed at being left out.

:You have an alternate, but no less important job. :You and the mortal girl will have deal with Aizen's heartstone. It would be foolish if we mistakenly thought we had defeated him, only to discover that he had dropped his tail in the fashion of a lizard.:

:Yeah Ruks, you were always good at the sneaky stuff,: Renji encouraged her.

:Part of the agreement that Abarai made with Aizen in order to remain as his new adjutant was that he would be allowed the opportunity to fight me in single combat,: Byakuya said. :When that moment occurs You Hisana will no doubt be made to watch if only because he considers you a useful hostage. This will quite neatly put us into place. Abarai and I will stage a fight.:

:But we're gonna make it a good one, right Captain? He won't buy it unless we're goin' all out, right?:

Hisana, Rukia and Byakuya all caught Renji's eagreness to test himself against his Captain's strength and see how far he had advanced since his bankai training had started.

:Same old Renji,: Rukia said wryly. :I swear you never change!:

:Priorities Abarai,: Byakuya admonished him lightly. :Your zeal for improvement, while commendable, should have its appropriate time and place. For now, we must concentrate on the mission. We will stage a good show but it will not be a battle to the death.:

:Won't he be able to tell if we pull our blows?:

:Then stall the matter with your usual jabber,: Byakuya said with belabored patience. :It never seems to be a fight with you if you don't spend half of the first round working your mouth about your newest move before you use it.:

:But I do have a kinda cool new move I wanna try out on ya,: Renji said eagerly.

Byakuya restrained a sigh.

:As I was saying,: he returned the discussion back where it belonged. :Abarai and I will fight for Aizen's benefit. While he is concentrating on our new fight, Hisana you will prpare your binding spell. Once it is prepared signal us by subtly placing your palms together. At that exact moment Abarai, you and I will turn as one and attack Aizen, just long enough to distract him and for Hisana to release her spell. We shall hold nothing back, if you have any greater or more powerful techniques you have picked up, that will be the time to use them.:

:Understood, Captain,: Renji said.

:While that is going on,: Byakuya continued. :Rukia will take the mortal girl to where Aizen has hidden his heartstone and destroy it. Once Aizen's zanpaktou is taken out of the equation and he is distracted by his own hollowfication, we will move in on him. Strike as hard and fast as you can before he has a chance to recover himself. That is the mission parameters, are there any questions?:

Various negatives were replied, some of them ending with "sir" and one with a wifely "dear".

:Dismissed.:

Captain Kuchiki felt Renji and Rukia's presences fade from the link as they switched off thier units though he didn't doubt they were still arguing with each other over something privately, his wife's presence however remained securely on the line.

:I suppose it should feel strange to call you my dear husband, since in this lifetime I had only met you a brief time ago,: she said quietly over the link. :But to me it feels as natural as breathing.:

:I have missed you,: he said.

Missed was perhaps the understatement of the century. His feelings for her had not faded in even the smallest measure from what they had been on the day that he had wed her. Even worse than that, he had been continually tortured by the face of his beloved on the body of a stranger. He had mistakenly felt that that same stranger had robbed him of his wife's attention while she had been with him, and it was only nearly losing her and breaking his vow to his wife that managed to correct his way of thinking. When he had lost Hisana he had felt the same as a sailor who had managed to weather a storm but had come out of it without stars in his sky or a compass to point the way home, lost and directionless, adrift without any real hope of finding his equilibrium again. As bad as the circumstances were, he would have gladly fought Aizen a hundred times without a single hope for victory, been torn limb from limb or cast into the depths of Hueco Mundo if it would have resulted in his being reunited with his beloved once more.

:It saddens me that I am unable to say the same,: Hisana replied honestly. :The reincarnation erased all of my memories of who I was and what had been important to me in my previous life. I do know that my dreams for our future when I paid my debt to my past included many children and long days of happiness.:

:Many children?: he questioned, a little surprised.

This was the first that he had heard of it. His kind and gentle wife had been of a nurturing nature, but despite pressure from his elders (and his own private wishes), Byakuya had refused to force her to remain at home and concentrate her energies on begetting an heir. He had married a wife, not acquired a concubine, and that had been his feeling on the matter. If that wife had felt that her duty to her blood must be honorably redressed before she could take up her other duties, then as her husband it fell to him to support her in that.

:I'd had dreams for the life I would be able to give you after I found Rukia,: she told him. :Plans to repay your love and kindness in full that never got to see the day they could become reality. Perhaps it was the universe's way of redressing the balance of my undeserved good fortune in loving you and having your love in return.:

:Then... may it be that the day will come.:

Byakuya knew then and there that there was no space of time, be it ever so infinite, that he would not wait until the day their souls would be reunited once more. Many who knew of his lieutenant's feelings for Rukia and his determination to defeat his captain because of them found him admirable for his fortitude, but in truth his patience paled in comparison to that of Byakuya Kuchiki. As hard as Abarai had trained, and as patiently as he had bided his time, he had done all of this with the very real hope of his feelings one day being requited. Byakuya Kuchiki on the other hand, loved deeply and all-consumingly, long after all hope was gone. To have that hope suddenly restored to him filled hollows in his soul he had not realized were empty. Where his world had been filled with only the cold consolation of duty, there was now a sunrise in the shape of the word "someday" and oasis of hope in the desert of despair. They would come out of this, he was determined that it should be so, no matter what obstacle stood in their way, Byakuya would allow no other outcome than this. Ten thousand whispers rose in chorus in his soul, the song of their being resonating with his resolve. They would slice through anything that stood in thier path. He would not loose her a second time, he would reclaim his wife and he would keep her safe.

:Until that day, my heart is yours, always and forever,: Hisana promised.