Shuuhei gazed blankly at the dancing flame of his new lavender scented candle, letting the calming odor take over his senses. Despite his initial reaction to Rangiku's gifts, they really did help him relax. Not enough to go to sleep, but that might be due to the fact that tomorrow he went back to work. Ordinarily he would be ecstatic to get back to the division, but for some reason he felt more nervous than anything. He had followed Unohana's rules for the most part, except the one night he got too drunk. Ever since then Shuuhei merely stayed in bed most of the time. So he should feel better, right? He took a break and rested, ate more food and even got a decent amount of sleep. So why did he feel like he still wasn't ready to go back? Would being around all the work make him revert back to his old ways? He certainly hoped not. What would the Captain say?

"Captain.." He muttered, knowing Kensei had a lot planned for him. The man had probably taken over the communications and dealt with the recruits already, so besides some paperwork Shuuhei wouldn't have anything to do. Which meant he would have to train with Mashiro again. Was he ready for that? Sure, he felt pretty good now. He wasn't so weak or tired and felt almost normal. But something told him it wasn't going to end well. He had such a bad feeling in his gut, and he was usually right about these things. But it's not like he could just skip work, so whatever was in store for him tomorrow, he would just have to deal with it.

Hopefully he could at least get some sleep.

"Kensei, doesn't Shuu-chan come back today?" Mashiro asked, hovering behind an irritated Kensei. Said man grunted, wishing he could just do his paperwork in silence. Why did he ask Mashiro to come again? She did keep the recruits in line and was great for running errands, but damn she was annoying.

"I can't wait to fight him again!" She exclaimed, reminding him that Shuuhei was in fact supposed to train today. And this time he better win. Sure, Mashiro was a hell of a lot stronger when she used her mask, but Shuuhei was smart. He should be able to beat her without any problems. Now that he had time to rest, he really had no excuse if he lost again.

"I don't want you to hold back. You fight him as if he was an enemy or I'll kick both of your asses. If he doesn't win this time, he can kiss his position goodbye." Kensei said gruffly, checking to see what time it was. Shuuhei should be showing up any moment.

"But he is an enemy Kensei! He's taking my rightful Lieutenants seat away from me! I won't lose!" She said, yelling too loudly for Kensei. Just as he was about to start yelling back, the door to his office opened, revealing none other than Shuuhei himself. Kensei frowned at seeing him. Shuuhei looked better, but he still looked so tired.

"Hisagi. I assume you're ready to work?" He asked, wondering if he should assume that much. Shuuhei looked ready to go back to sleep.

"Of course sir. What would you like me to do first?" Shuuhei responded, mentally kicking himself repeatedly. He knew he looked like shit, and the look Kensei was giving him only made it worse. He did sleep last night, for an hour maybe. And in that hour he had a disturbing dream, one that kept him awake until morning. Hence the reason he was so tired. The dream was still fresh in his mind, making it hard to concentrate. He had been doing his paperwork when suddenly he was being pinned down on his desk by strong arms, but even though the person was right on top of him, he couldn't see his face. It was covered by a shadow, but Shuuhei knew it was a man. No woman could be that strong or rough. The person began stripping him, and for some reason Shuuhei let him. When the man leaned in and kissed him in startled him awake, and even now he swore he could still feel those lips on his own. It was rather disturbing. But now wasn't the time to think about it, he needed to focus on work.

"You're going straight to the training room to fight Mashiro. And the only way you're getting out is if you win or she knocks you out again. Got it?" Kensei asked, though there wasn't any room for an argument. Shuuhei could only gulp nervously and nod, he expected this would happen. But he didn't plan on losing this time. He would prove to Kensei that he was strong and fit to be his lieutenant.

As it would turn out, proving himself to Kensei was incredibly hard. Who would've thought.

Much like last time Mashiro was thoroughly kicking his ass, though he had at least landed a few good hits on her too. He chose to use his shikai much earlier than last time, figuring he needed to get used to it and there was no way he would win without it. But Mashiro had her mask, making everything much more difficult than it needed to be. He wasn't used to fighting Vizards and knew they were way stronger than most hollows.

It didn't take long for him to get tired since he still wasn't sleeping well. Shuuhei realized he was losing this fight, and one glance at Kensei only proved it. The Captain looked unamused and disappointed, which made Shuuhei's blood boil. He didn't want to look weak in front of his hero, and he also didn't want to lose his Lieutenants seat. He had to win this fight so Kensei would be proud, something he wanted perhaps a little too badly.

I'm strong, this shouldn't be so hard! I need to win, dammit!

With a growl he swung Kazeshini, the scythe flying towards Mashiro at a blinding speed. He couldn't hold back any longer, he couldn't continue going easy on her just because she's a girl. It was time for him to start treating her like every other enemy he's ever fought. As soon as the scythe wrapped around her body he swung the other before she could break free, watching as she started forming a cero.

However, by some stroke of luck, Kazeshini hit before she could fire it. The sound of something cracking filled the room, and then there was a moment of silence. Blood dripped from the cut on her exposed face, falling to the floor with pieces of her mask. She looked shocked, as did Kensei, but Shuuhei merely smirked. Even with his resolve he still went easy on her. If it had been an actual enemy, they would be dead. But she only had a minor cut on her cheek and a shattered mask. Using flash step he appeared behind her, Kazeshini back in its sealed form and positioned against her neck.

"I win." He said, hand coming up and hitting her on the neck.

"Shuu-chan..won..?" She muttered as she fell unconscious, glancing at Kensei before her vision went black. He had a smug look on his face, as if enjoying the fact that Shuuhei actually knocked her out.

"Good job kid. Didn't think you had it in ya. Looks like ya get to keep your position." He said, walking over and tossing Mashiro over his shoulder. As he walked past Shuuhei he smirked, looking at the worn out Lieutenant and clapping him on the back.

"For now, anyways." He added, enjoying the look of disappointment that flashed across Shuuhei's face. As Kensei walked away, the feeling of the man's hand on his back remained, filling Shuuhei with an odd sense of deja vu. His dream from last night flashed through his mind, causing his face to turn white. He quickly shook away the thoughts and focused on what Kensei had said. He wasn't safe yet, Kensei still had a lot in store for him.

Why don't I like the sound of that?

Bah, I'm horrible. I can't write a fight scene to save my life. My muse for this couple is completely gone, hence the reason this chapter sucked. But I felt the need to update since it's been a few months. I'm so sorry T_T