Hello lovely readers! I had planned on having this chapter out sooner since I had made a big deal about how much I had written in the last chapter. However, I reached a kind of weird stopping point in this chapter and was having trouble finishing it before I went on vacation for Spring Break. So, that's why this is a little late HOWEVER, since I had the majority of the next chapter already written and it's probably one of my favorites so far I went ahead and finished that one too. SO you guys have two chapters at once to enjoy! And the one after this one is a doozy, trust me. This story is literally right at the end which is crazy to think about, but I'm glad I finally got around to completing it! Enjoy this chapter and the next one!

Rukia looked at the young girls struggling to get free with wide eyes, not knowing what to say. She had no idea Aizen would resort to this. She felt sick as she realized how foolish she had been for not seeing this coming. She was the perfect example of how sibling affection could be twisted and used for Aizen's gain. How could she not have known he would go ahead and take them? They had no defenses against the multitude of bodyguards and other security personnel Aizen had accumulated. They were practically free for the taking the moment they got into the city and away from their brother.

Rukia gaped, not having any idea what to do. As the confusion and shock gave way to anger she turned narrowed eyes to Aizen, who had a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Rukia wanted to punch it right off.

"How dare you!" she screamed, not caring about reigning in her emotions. She wanted to unleash everything on this despicable man who would kidnap two innocent college students for his own personal monetary gain.

Aizen delighted in her response. She was so angry at his smug appearance that she couldn't hold herself back from rushing to fight him, despite her size. She could barely take a step, however, before she was stopped by Aizen's bodyguards and thoroughly immobilized between them. She became even more furious at this.

"They're innocent. They didn't need to be involved!" she yelled.

"Oh, on the contrary, they were the main piece in this puzzle. You are valuable to Kurosaki, sure, but nothing gets another person more fired up than when someone threatens their family. You were an excellent distraction, though."

The gears in Rukia's mind began to turn as she realized what Aizen was saying. She was never the one Aizen wanted to go after. She was merely a plaything for him to use to distract Ichigo enough to let his guard down. His little sisters were what he had always planned on using to achieve his goals. It made Rukia sick to her stomach thinking about it.

"You're despicable," Rukia spat, not having any other kind of rebuttal against him.

Aizen chuckled. "No, I'm smart. I know what I have to do to succeed and I know how low you have to stoop to get anything in the business world. Just ask your boyfriend. He knows all about what I'm referring to."

Rukia narrowed her eyes and continued to struggle against the iron grip Aizen's men had her in.

"Now," Aizen continued, "it's only a matter of time before Kurosaki realizes they're gone and tries to find them. Then, I'll get everything I wanted. All I have to do is take a few pictures of his beloved sisters with a couple scratches or bruises and he will be knocking down the door ready to do anything he can to save them. How courageous," Aizen spat with venom in his voice.

"You won't get away with this. Ichigo won't submit to you," Rukia said as she continued to struggle. Like hell was she letting Aizen lay a finger on Yuzu and Karin. Sure she had just met them, but she knew what they meant to Ichigo. They were everything to him. The only reason he worked as hard as he did and teamed up with her in the first place was to protect them. She couldn't imagine what he would do once he realized they were kidnapped.

Aizen smirked at that and turned to look down at the twins. "Given what I have planned for them, I highly doubt that," he said.

Rukia's eyes widened in anger at that and she began to struggle against the two large men even harder. Aizen looked at her with an amused glint in his eye. Gin, who had been silently watching their entire exchange, looked practically gleeful at her struggle.

Rukia didn't know whether it was because of her physically fit physique from dancing, her determination, or the adrenaline rush from the entire situation, but somehow she managed to get one of the large brutes off of her. She rushed forward to try and attack, but before she could get anywhere, the other man holding her down reached around and grabbed a hold of one of the pockets on her business jacket, trying to find some kind of purchase to stop her. When she moved forward and he tugged back, the pocket ripped right off the piece of clothing. Normally, Rukia wouldn't have cared less, but she immediately closed her eyes in dread as she heard the distinctive clinking sound of the hidden device in that pocket falling to the ground. It bounced a few times and rolled until it stopped a few feet away from where Rukia was now recaptured by the two bodyguards.

Aizen raised an eyebrow at this and calmly walked over to where the device lay on the ground. He didn't bother picking it up, clearly already knowing what it was. Rukia couldn't believe her bad luck.

"Well now this is an interesting development," he said curiously before he slightly raised one of his feet and brought it down to smash the listening device to pieces.

Rukia couldn't even think of a proper excuse, so she stayed silent.

Aizen then turned toward her. "You're certainly a bold one. I'm curious as to how my men didn't know that was there when you first walked in," he said as he shot accusatory glances to the two men holding Rukia. They both looked down guiltily.

"That wasn't a smart move, Kuchiki. I don't like being played," he said before he took on an angry look for the first time since Rukia had gotten there.

Again Rukia said nothing, waiting to see what Aizen would do.

"Hm, I suppose I should've suspected something. Still, this makes you nothing more than a bother. I don't really have a use for you anymore," he said, his tone becoming nonchalant again as he walked over to the closet where Yuzu and Karin were still huddled. He grabbed both of their arms and roughly brought them to their feet. "Kaname, help me with this two. I'm going to try and create some footage to send to Kurosaki. I'm done talking with you now, Kuchiki."

Tosen followed Aizen's instructions and with the help of a few more men who Rukia hadn't even noticed, they led the two girls away. Before Aizen left, he turned to where Gin stood smirking.

"Do whatever you wish to her, Gin," he commanded as he nodded to where Rukia stood with wide eyes before he left without another word. The two bodyguards threw Rukia to the ground, knowing it was pointless to hold her back now. They too, after a swift look from Ichimaru, left through the door Aizen had taken Yuzu and Karin.

"Well now, this should certainly be fun," Gin said as he looked down at her with sadistic glee.

Rukia could only accept what would be coming to her.

Ichigo tore through the streets of Tokyo, trying his best to go as fast as possible to the location Ukitake had told him about without driving recklessly. A million thoughts passed through his mind and none of them were very pleasant.

"So how exactly did Ukitake of all people find her?" Ishida asked as he gripped the car door as if his life depended on it. Ichigo's car was extremely fast.

"Apparently the listening device he gave us had a tracker on it. I still don't know how, but when someone told him that Rukia had been taken by Aizen he began to trace it."

"Are you serious? Where the hell did Ukitake even get that thing?"

"Who knows? I'm starting to think Ukitake is involved in all this a lot more than we originally thought. I want to know how the hell he knew when to start looking for her," Ichigo said as his fingers tightened around the steering wheel.

"Yes, that certainly is strange. I wonder if he or someone he's in contact with saw her get taken."

"Maybe. Aizen isn't exactly one to conceal things he wants to show off. He probably took both her and my sisters in broad daylight."

"I thought you wanted Aizen to get to Rukia," Orihime commented suddenly from the back seat, trying to piece together the situation based on the limited information Ishida had given her.

"We wanted him to contact her, not abduct her. We gave her the listening device so she could record Aizen admitting his plans, but we never expected him to just take her and run. Plus, my sisters being involved complicates this beyond belief."

Ishida shook his head. "We were ignorant to think we could do it this way," he said with a defeated tone.

"No, we had good ideas, we just weren't very prepared," Ichigo said.

"It's hard to be prepared with a man like Sosuke Aizen," Ishida commented quietly.

Finally, Orihime asked a question they had all been thinking. "What do you think he's going to do to them?"

"I don't know. I don't even want to think about it until we get there," Ichigo said through gritted teeth.

"This place we're going to is still pretty far," Uryuu said, bringing the mood down even more so than it already was.

"Shut up, Ishida. Try and have a little faith. We'll get there."

We have to.

Rukia tried her best to raise herself from the ground after Ichimaru landed yet another swift blow to her stomach. He had spent the last half hour toying with her mentally before bringing her down physically time and time again. She had bruises from the bodyguards' rough treatment and his steady blows as well as a few cuts and scratches from when she had fallen to the rough surface of the ground. He was circling her menacingly, hoping to land another blow. She wondered when he would just give up and end her misery.

"You really are a pretty little thing. Such a shame what must be done to you," he said with a smirk.

"I fail to see how this could be considered something that must be done," Rukia replied weakly, causing the slimy man to chuckle.

"Well, we need to teach you a lesson. No one spies on Aizen."

"But it's totally fine if he spies on everyone else," Rukia replied sarcastically as she wiped a bit of blood from her mouth.

"That's business, sweetheart," he said.

"You know, if Aizen plans on giving my brother his company back, Byakuya's not exactly going to be in good spirits once he sees what you've done to his sister," Rukia said, trying her best to use whatever she could to save herself.

Gin was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. The sadistic nature of his laugh sent a chill down her spine.

"Oh, you really are a naïve young girl, even if you try to act tough."

Rukia was silent as she waited for the explanation.

"You're a fool if you think Aizen would ever restore your brother's company to him. How could you possibly expect Byakuya Kuchiki to be perfectly all right working alongside Aizen? You said it yourself, just look at what he's done to his poor sister," Gin replied.

That statement caused Rukia's eyes to narrow. Yet another reveal of Aizen's true plans she should've seen coming.

"Aizen never planned on giving Kuchiki his company back. He can restore it, however. And, once Kurosaki's company is his, he'll merge the three and become one of the most powerful businessmen in the world. Genius strategy, right?" Gin mocked.

"Except it's never going to work," Rukia replied with a glare.

Gin laughed. "You keep telling yourself that," he said before his foot landed in the middle of Rukia's stomach knocking her back.

She grimaced in pain but tried to hold back her reactions. She didn't want to give Ichimaru the satisfaction. Once the worst of the pain had settled, she turned to him with narrowed eyes.

"Why exactly are you helping him with this? What's in it for you?" she asked.

"Haven't you been listening? Aizen will become one of the most successful businessmen out there. He's already promised all of those who work with him a large chunk of his assets. Who could pass something like that up?"

"Right, because Aizen is so good at keeping his promises," Rukia added sarcastically.

Gin smiled. "I've proven my loyalty. Aizen has no reason to not fulfill his promise. He'll have plenty of leftover money to keep to himself."

Rukia paused for a moment, contemplating what she should say next. Something in the back of her mind was nagging her. There was something about Ichimaru she had been wondering ever since she had first come into contact with him. She had been wanting to have this conversation for a while now and she figured now would be the perfect time to bring it up.

"It takes a certain kind of person to do the things Aizen wants you to do," she said.

"And I would consider myself that kind of person. Why do you say that? Do you think I'm not the kind of accomplice Aizen would want? I assure you that I am," Gin said, his sly smirk still in place, as if this conversation was one of the most amusing things he had ever heard.

"Maybe now. But something tells me that's not always been the case," she replied mysteriously.

"And what, pray tell, do you mean by that," Gin replied with an air of arrogance. as if he was just humoring Rukia by letting her talk.

"I know more about you than you think I do, Gin Ichimaru."

"Oh really? That's certainly interesting," he replied, his attitude never once faltering. Rukia had a feeling it would once she told him what she knew.

"An old friend of mine used to know you. They've told me a lot about you, about how you used to be. I think they would agree that underneath your arrogant and sly nature, you're really not what Aizen wants in an ally."

Gin chuckled. "You seem to have me all figured out. I am curious, though, who you could possibly be talking about. I highly doubt we each have friends that run in the same circle."

Rukia let a self-satisfied smile cross her face for once before she confidently said, "Rangiku."

As Rukia suspected, Gin's entire countenance faltered completely, though only for a moment. His smile fell and his eyes widened before he remembered the situation and tried to act as though that bit of information meant nothing to him, but they both knew that it did.

"Oh, Matsumoto?" Gin replied nonchalantly. "It's been awhile since I've heard that name. We used to be friends when we were children but I haven't spoken to her in years. I highly doubt she knows me as well as you say."

"I think she does. Just from the way she talks about you, it seems as though you're a completely different person than the one beating a young woman to help a power-hungry criminal gain success," Rukia replied with venom in her voice.

"Rangiku doesn't know me. Not really," Gin replied, his voice turning serious for the first time since they'd been left alone.

"No? Because she used to tell me all kinds of stories about her childhood friend, Gin, who she wished she could see again. She told me all about how you met while you were both young orphans. How you used to protect her when you were both trying to stay alive on the streets. How, when you gained a little bit of success, you sought her out and helped her get to where she is now. How, years ago, you left to join Aizen in hopes of giving her the life you think she deserves."

"You talk too much," Gin said with an angry glare as he began to move toward her, apparently wanting to inflict another blow. She knew how mentioning Rangiku would affect him. She could tell it was a sensitive topic, considering how sensitive it was for Rangiku when she had mentioned it to her over a year and a half ago.

When Rangiku was helping Rukia get her life together after her brother declared bankruptcy, she had been absolutely distraught when Rukia mentioned who was responsible. Rukia had no idea the buxom club owner even knew who Gin Ichimaru was, let alone used to be close friends with him, but she was quickly made aware of how deep their relationship ran. She could still remember Rangiku getting teary-eyed, something she normally only did to be overdramatic, as she practically poured her heart out to Rukia, trying her best to come up with an explanation for why one of her oldest friends had done something so terrible to her small protégé.

Rukia could tell just from Rangiku's stories that Gin really did care about her, even though his convoluted mind had told him the best way to her heart was through a treacherous man like Sosuke Aizen. She knew Ichimaru only had one motivation to join forces with a man like him. Love could really mess with people who weren't prepared to handle it. She knew all about that.

"If you think doing this for Aizen is the best way to win Rangiku's heart, you're delusional," Rukia finally said as Gin slowly approached her.

"Shut your mouth," he said dangerously.

"Rangiku could never love a man who would harm and destroy other people just so he could become rich," Rukia continued, not backing down.

"I said shut up!" Gin exclaimed, still moving closer.

"Rangiku fell in love with the man who protected her, who fought for her, who worked diligently and honestly to help her get off the streets and start a new life. She would never fall for this sick son-of-a-bitch Aizen has turned you into."

"I thought I told you to keep your mouth shut!" Gin yelled one last time before he lunged forward, grabbed Rukia by the lapels of her business jacket, and lifted her off the ground so he was staring directly into her eyes. Something about the sheer fire in his normally creepy and sadistic silver eyes made Rukia follow his order to stay quiet.

"If Rangiku thinks that low of me then, like I said, she doesn't really know me. And neither do you," he spat as he, defying everything Rukia ever thought or knew about this man, discreetly slid something sharp and cold into the still in tact pocket of her jacket. He then shoved her away from him roughly, causing her to lose her footing and fall to the ground yet again. As Rukia gathered herself and looked up to try and figure out what the hell just happened, she was shocked to see that Gin had quickly disappeared. She looked all around the room she was being kept in but couldn't find him anywhere, the only sign that he had left being the now open doorway that Aizen and his men had taken Yuzu and Karin through.

Rukia reached into her pocket and looked with wide eyes at the small knife Gin had placed there. She didn't have any idea what switch had just been flipped in Gin's mind or if he had been planning this the whole time, even before her impassioned speech about Rangiku. Right now, she didn't really care to figure it out. Gin was still a criminal and a lowly man in her eyes given everything he'd done, but she'd accept his small gesture of help and take advantage of this opportunity to find Aizen and save Yuzu and Karin. She knew a little knife wouldn't do much against him or his group of bodyguards, but she didn't care. She had to do something.

She walked through the doorway she had last seen Ichigo's sisters go through and began searching the abandoned warehouse building, listening for signs of Aizen or the twins. She figured they had to be together, since it was obvious he knew people were looking for her, given that he had discovered her listening device. He knew he had to act quickly if he wanted Ichigo to react the way he planned. Rukia wasn't going to let that happen though.

She walked through a series of eerie, abandoned hallways until she came upon what looked to be another half of the warehouse with a large room similar to the one she had been in before. Old boxes and crates were stacked along the sides, which gave her the perfect cover to try and sneak around. She thought she heard voices coming from nearby so she continued inching her way along, the knife Ichimaru gave her still clutched in her hand.

As she turned the corner from a series of crates, she stopped dead in her tracks when she caught a glimpse of a heart-wrenching sight. There were Yuzu and Karin, still bound, looking positively terrified as one of Aizen's bodyguards taunted them by waving around a large knife in front of their faces, as if he was about to cut them. Aizen merely looked on with disinterest as another one of his men was setting up what looked to be a camera, presumably to record a ransom video. At one point, the bodyguard with the knife lowered the steel blade to Yuzu's cheek as she trembled at the sight of it. Rukia's blood boiled with anger as she watched.

She knew she had to act quickly if she was to do anything to stop Aizen. She looked around and saw that besides the men working next to him, there were the two bodyguards who had held her down earlier standing guard to the side listening for intruders. She would have to get past them if she were to advance on their boss. She looked around for some kind of distraction when she noticed a large pile of cardboard boxes stacked up against the wall, a good distance from both Aizen and the two men on patrol. If she could knock them down quick enough to cause a distraction and then race to the center of the room where Aizen was, she might have enough time to do some damage to him without getting caught.

She shook her head. She was no undercover agent and this wasn't a spy movie, so she knew the possibility of success was slim, but at this moment she didn't really care. She had to do something. She had to at least immobilize the leader of this whole sinister organization to try and have enough time to escape. She knew it was a death wish, but she had to do it. She had to protect Ichigo's sisters.

Before she could change her mind, she silently rushed over to the large pile and sent a swift kick into the middle, causing quite a few boxes to come tumbling down, but still having enough there to keep her concealed. As she suspected would happen, the two bodyguards on watch were immediately alerted and rushed to where they heard the noise to investigate. When they did, both Aizen and the men toying with Yuzu and Karin turned in the direction of the commotion with curiosity. This gave Rukia just enough time to try and make her move.

She quickly ran from her cover and rushed at Aizen from behind, hoping to surprise him as she raised her knife to try and inflict some damage.

She almost thought she was going to do it too, until a firm hand caught hold of her raised arm, stopping her dead in her tracks.

Aizen, who had heard her sneak up on him, calmly turned around and watched as Rukia struggled against the hold she had been caught in with amusement.

"That was a courageous plan, Ms. Kuchiki. I admit, even I didn't think you'd get this far. Fortunately for me, I have a companion like Tosen who can hear a rat scurrying from miles away. You're not as stealthy as you'd like to think."

Rukia looked up at her captor and cursed herself for forgetting to account for Aizen's other right-hand man. She had completely forgotten that he had also gone with them and would probably be lurking around. If Aizen's claims about Tosen's hearing were correct, he had probably known she was there the whole time.

"I do wonder where you acquired this, however," Aizen said as he snatched the knife from Rukia's still raised hand.

"It was probably Gin," Tosen spoke in a cool, matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Aizen considered this. "Yes, you're probably right. I always knew he would become a nuisance to me."

It seemed as though there was more to the politics of Aizen's men's group dynamic than she originally thought.

"Still, you have proven to be an even bigger nuisance, Ms. Kuchiki. I'm tired of having to deal with you. Clearly I must do the job Gin Ichimaru was too weak to do," Aizen said, his tone taking on a terrifying menace.

As Rukia's eyes widened and her heart sunk into the pit of her stomach, Aizen raised the knife she had just been holding seemingly to attack and kill her. Rukia could only close her eyes and cower as she waited for the inevitable blow.

However, it never came.

What happened next left Rukia in a state of shock. She wouldn't have expected the events about to unfold in a thousand years. Hell, not even in a million years.

Just as she was preparing herself for Aizen to inevitably bring her life to an abrupt end, a loud gunshot rang out in the large building and immediately she was released from the tight hold she had been caught in as her captor fell to the ground in obvious pain. Kaname Tosen writhed on the ground as he clutched his left leg where a small stream of blood began to collect. Rukia gasped at what she saw until a familiar voice came from behind Aizen, causing her head to swivel around in even greater shock. She hadn't heard that smooth, familiar voice in such a long time and she certainly hadn't been expecting to hear it now.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, Sosuke Aizen," the voice said as the man in question turned around, looking rather shocked at what had just happened.

There, standing in a crisp, gray business suit looking no different than the last time she had seen him, despite the incredibly different circumstances, was the man she would have never guessed would be here to rescue her.

"Byakuya!"

Alright lovely readers! We have reached our climax! And with that cliffhanger (that isn't really a cliffhanger since I'm uploading both chapters at once) read on to see what happens next! I promise 100% more Ichiruki in the next chapter ;)