CHAPTER 34: IN THE ZONE

Tayomi, Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Renji gathered in the study room, in front of the screen. They were waiting for Captain-commander Yamamoto's face to appear on the screen and speak to them. Tayomi sat on the table, swinging her legs to and fro. Hitsugaya sat beside her, his facial expression as stoic as ever. She forced a smile onto his face with her fingers, causing him to grumble a little as Matsumoto nudged him. Here they were, about to have a meeting with their Captain-commander, yet none of them seemed serious about it. He sighed and asked Tayomi to be more serious, as she continued to giggle like a young girl. Just then, Yamamoto's face appeared on the screen. He looked as solemn as ever, grasping his bulky wooden cane.

"Hitsugaya Taicho, Tayomi Taicho, we have received reports on Aizen's next move." He spoke. "It seems that Aizen and Ichimaru are planning to set up a new army. We have received inside information that they will be meeting three mysterious figures soon. It will be up to you to search them out, find out who they are meeting and arrest them if possible. It is of utmost importance that you find out their plans, so that Soul Society can make the necessary preparations and take the necessary precautions."

As the screen flickered, Tayomi blinked twice. It was not one, but three mysterious figures popping out of nowhere. She had never imagined people to actually catch Aizen's attention. In the first place, since he had intended to include them in his newly constructed army, probably to replace the Espada, she knew that there was only one possibility. These three were not ordinary beings. They may not even be human. For all they knew, they might be Arrancar, just like the previous Espada. She could not help but worry about this new army Aizen intended to gather. It was highly possible that he would increase the number of members in his elite army, since every single Espada had been killed by either a Shinigami or Vizard. But then again, it was also possible that Aizen was still as conceited as he was, assuming that his power was so vast, that his army did not need to have the power of ten members. Tayomi crossed her fingers, hoping that it was the latter. Hopefully, Aizen's pride and complacency would lead to his eventual downfall. Hitsugaya looked at her worried expression and patted her head. He knew what was on her mind and hoped that her worries would never become reality.

Tayomi waited for her phone to ring anxiously, dying to know the details of their task at hand. After a few seconds of waiting, she received Yamamoto's updates at last. The other Shinigami gathered around her as they read the contents of the message. Tayomi raised an eyebrow, wondering exactly what the place was. Though she had been to the Living World before, she had never heard of such a place. Whatever it was, it did not sound very glamorous and sounded rather strange. She ran to her laptop and searched for the place in the search engine, as she tapped her fingers impatiently, waiting for the screen to load. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she searched for the place. Once the website had loaded, she blinked. She knew that the place was not the most classy place she had been to, but she had never expected such a setting.

"Oh my gosh." She turned to face the rest of them. "We are going to a pub."

She sat on her bed, with a blank expression on her face. Hitsumi and Shikuri ran up beside her bed, as if they wanted to be carried. Tayomi looked down and tried to smile at them, before picking the both of them up and placing them on her lap. Stroking their soft fur as they nibbled and licked her fingers with their tiny pink tongues, she continued to space out. Pubs... The sleaziest place I could have imagined. How on earth are we going to get in? Both Susu-chan and I are practically underage... Hitsugaya entered their room and sighed, once he spotted her strange facial expression. He sat on her bed beside her, placing Hitsumi on his lap and running his fingers through Tayomi's hair. She jumped a little, shocked to see him appear beside her so suddenly. She attempted to smile, before looking back down at Shikuri, who continued to bounce about in her lap. Tayomi slumped sideways, letting her head fall on Hitsugaya's shoulder. Hitsugaya looked down at her and kissed her forehed.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I just realised that us getting into that place is practically impossible." She sighed. "Pubs are for people aged eighteen and above. We look nothing like that, which makes overseeing this whole operation a lot harder than we expected. What are we going to do?"

"I don't know..." Hitsugaya closed his eyes. She could sense a hint of turmoil in his voice.

"You're worried about something." Tayomi snuggled against his shoulder.

"No, I'm not." He refused to admit to the fact that he felt rather vexed, afraid that it would cause her to worry and add to her frustrations.

"I'll give you five seconds to admit it." She spoke sleepily. "I know you're troubled and you're only refusing to tell me, because you don't want me to worry. Is it regarding Aizen?"

"It seems that there is no longer a point in me trying to deny anything." He sighed. "You seem to be able to read my mind all the time."

"Of course I can read your mind." She smiled. "If I can't read it, who else can? And don't worry about Aizen... I won't let him get rid of any of us that easily."

"That's not what I'm worried about..." Hitsugaya shook his head.

"If that's not it... Then... You're worried about me, aren't you?" Tayomi's voice sounded rather sad.

"How can I not worry about you?" He reached out to grab her hand. "Aizen almost took you from me once... I can't afford to let it happen again. I don't ever want to let you go again. I don't ever want to put you through danger again. I don't ever want to go through a time where you aren't by my side..."

"He won't get that chance." Tayomi reassured him.

"He won't if you just let me protect you."

"Susu-chan... Has it ever occurred to you that I can protect myself too?" Tayomi started to sound slightly annoyed. I know he wants to protect me, but I'm not that defenceless... I don't need to protected round the clock.

"I know... But..." He protested.

Tayomi put her finger over his lips and looked up at him with puppy eyes. She sighed. He was as overprotective of her as he had been years ago. If anyone they knew thought that he was already extremely protective of Hinamori, they would never imagine how protective he was of her. He had never let go of her hand whenever they were outside. He refused to let her out of his sight and he always seemed to be around her all the time. Though she knew that it was purely out of love, she found no need to be protective to such an extreme extent. She did not want him to waste his effort protecting her, when she could protect herself. Hitsugaya stared at her straight in the eyes, with a strong resolve burning in the depths of his turquoise eyes. He knew that she was about to argue with him about the issue of 'protection'. Instead, she simply let her lips make direct contact with his, as she kissed him gently.

"Never mind." She smiled. "I know you're overprotective of me... But I know why you do that, so it's alright."

"Good." He smiled back.

Just then, she suddenly had a brainwave. Maybe there was a way for them to get into the pub after all. She knew that there was an advantage to being small in size all along. Smiling, she grinned, hoping that the girls were ready for a chance to perform.

Tayomi explained her plans to Matsumoto, Orihime and Rukia. She sighed, telling them that she was out of ideas and that it was possibly the best idea they had at hand for now. Matsumoto, Orihime and Rukia looked at each other for a moment. Matsumoto and Orihime seemed excited, by Rukia appeared to be slightly apprehensive about it. After much persuasion, Rukia finally relented. Tayomi smiled and locked the door to Matsumoto's room, before blasting the music at full volume.

The next night, Aizen was on the move. Matsumoto, Rukia and Orihime were dressed in trenchcoats and Renji, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Ichigo, Ishida and Chad were dressed in suits, pretending to be their managers. Chad and Renji carried to wooden boxes, claiming that they were props. The security guards guarding the back door of the pub looked at each other, before letting them in. Matsumoto giggled, glad that everyone had made into the place without a hitch. Once the door was closed behind them, Renji and Chad lifted the lid of the box. Tayomi and Hitsugaya jumped out of the boxes, gasping for air. It was absolutely suffocating in the box and it was extremely cramped, but at least they had made it in. Tayomi wore her dark black jeans, a white halter neck shirt and a dark blue jacket. Hitsugaya wore his black trousers, white t-shirt and leather jacket. She smiled at him. Just then, she realised that Matsumoto, Orihime and Rukia were on in five minutes. They rushed out, as the other guys ran out to watch them perform. Tayomi and Hitsugaya remained in the dressing room, waiting for it to be over.

A few minutes later, everyone returned to the dressing room.

"Tayomi Taicho..." Renji was stunned. "Good job on the dance..."

"Thanks!" Tayomi grinned.

Matsumoto, Orihime and Rukia got dressed in their normal clothes, before they all headed out to look for Aizen. According to Rukia, she had spotted Aizen speaking to three mysterious figures near the bar. Everyone nodded, as they blended into the crowd, looking for Aizen and Ichimaru. There was a possibility that they had switched locations, in order to speak to their contacts in private. Tayomi and Hitsugaya blended into the crowd, searching for Aizen. The music was blasted at maximum volume and colourful lights were shining all over the dance floor. They bumped into Ichigo and Rukia on the way, before making their way towards Aizen and Ichimaru, who were in a deserted corner of the pub. They approached them quietly. Suddenly, Ichigo stopped in his tracks and so did Hitsugaya. They both gasped, once they saw the faces of the three mysterious figures.

"That's the Primera..." Hitsugaya gasped.

"And the Cuarto and Sexta Espada..." Ichigo blinked in shock.

Author's Note:
YAY! I finally updated :D Finally had time!
But OMG, the Espada reappeared! What does Aizen want with them? Who are they really?
Stay tuned to find out! :D
Hope you liked this chapter! XD Please review! Thanks! ^.^