• • •

Hitsugaya Toshiro, Taicho of the Tenth Division, stood in the doorway of Hinamori Momo's, the Fukutaicho of Fifth Division, room. Rangiku-Fukutaicho stood a few feet behind him and closer to the side. If Matsumoto had not shown up, then Hinamori would have been impaled by Ichimaru's Zanpakuto.

"A Jigokucho?" Rangiku questioned, her bright eyes lighting up once she saw the black butterfly barely fluttering its wings and drifting on the air towards them.

This time, the butterfly decided on relaying its message while it was still in the air.

"~The following message is meant for all Taicho and Fukutaicho. The convict, Kuchiki Rukia's execution date has once again been changed. The time of the execution has been set to…exactly twenty-nine hours from now. ~"

"Taicho…This-" Rangiku-Fukutaicho interrupted, only to be cut off by the rest of the message the jigokucho recited.

"~This decision is final. The date should not be changed again. Over and out…~"

Hitsugaya swiftly turned around, hastily walking down the hallway.

"Taicho!" Rangiku exclaimed, her eyes widening at his actions.

"The execution and release of Sokyoku… It's all a part of Ichimaru's plan. I can't just sit here and not do anything to stop it!" The white haired Taicho paused for a second, making up his mind. "Come, Matsumoto. Let's stop the execution."

• • •

"Byakuya! Bad news! Kuchiki's execution-" Ukitake Jushiro exclaimed once his deep brown eyes landed on the stoic Taicho.

"I have heard…" The Head of the Kuchiki family replied, not even turning his head to the side to stare at the other Taicho. "From a jigokucho that was here a while ago."

"I see," Ukitake nodded. "I'll get straight to the point-"

Still not even looking back, the dark haired Kuchiki cut him off. "No. I don't care."

"…What did you say?" Ukitake asked, his eyes widening in shock as he continued to stare at the still stoic man in front of him. He knew that Byakuya was normally a passive person, but to not care this much…

"The execution is tomorrow. That is what they have decided, and I shall honor their decision. In the future, do not stop me for unnecessary things like that. Excuse me."

"…You…" Ukitake's hand clenched into a fist, his expression hardening. His anger got the best of him in that moment; he strode forward and forcibly turned the other Taicho so their eyes could meet. "You! Stop joking around! How can you say such things right now!? It's tomorrow! Tomorrow! At noon tomorrow, your sister will-"

Ukitake's eyes widened as he felt his chest constrict. He hunched over, coughing over and over again. One of his hands went to his chest, gripping the material of his Shihakusho.

"…Don't stress over it." Kuchiki-Taicho stated, a cold gray eye turning to stare down at the wheezing white haired man. "This isn't the first time Senpai has lost a subordinate due to Senpai's inability. Is it not? It won't make much of a difference if it happens two or three more times."

Still wheezing, Ukitake raised his head to glare at the other Taicho. However, Kuchiki Byakuya seemed unaffected by the harsh look. Instead, the other Taicho merely turned around, ready to walk away.

"Anyways, she's a member of my family, not yours. Even if she is killed, it shouldn't concern you, Senpai." The Sixth Division Taicho paused in his steps for a second, a cold gray eye glancing back at the sickly Taicho. "Please be reasonable. Don't act recklessly."

Those being his parting words of advice, the Sixth Division Taicho walked away, not even bothering to glace back and show any waver in his resolve.

Ukitake's eyes hardened for a second as he was consumed by his thoughts. "If you were in this situation…What would you have done? You would run after Byakuya…and kick him in the butt, wouldn't you? No matter how one Taicho complains, the Central Government won't change their decision for one person. But if it were you, you would still be running around appealing to save Kuchiki. No... No, you would probably do something completely different. You always choose…the path that leads to the most danger. Am I right? Kaien…"

• • •

I sat in the only chair in my cell, my arms wrapped around my legs as my chin rested on my knees. It had been a long night, and I was tired. I couldn't sleep no matter how hard I tried; I was too distracted by my thoughts and worries.

Was everyone else okay? They weren't hurt, were they? How much time did we have left before Rukia's execution?

Also, why hadn't I seen Ukitake-Taicho yet?

They told me that he was the one that requested my transfer to the Thirteenth Division holding cell. If he was really the one that requested it, how come he hadn't come to question me yet? Kotsubaki-San-Seki and Kotetsu-San-Seki had both stopped by to talk to me; at the same time of course. Each expressed, in their own way, how sorry they were that I had to stay locked up. They still considered me a member of their Division and they still trusted me. Both knew that I was trying to save Rukia; both respected that fact.

My ears were ringing by the time both actually left. Someone needed to tell them not to yell so loudly indoors…

All night long I just sat in the chair that faced the only window in this cell; but, I was thankful that this window was much bigger than the one in my previous cell. I could actually stare at the crescent shaped moon all night long, as well as the stars. The view had put me at ease a bit, soothing my troubled thoughts.

It wasn't difficult to communicate with Ankoku-Tatsu, either. The Third Seats decided to leave it propped against the far wall of my cell; leaving me with a perfect view of the Zanpakuto if I were to turn around and stare out of the bars of the cell.

I felt restless, just sitting here like this. Caught. Trapped. Useless… The list went on and on, especially as time continued to slowly move forward. When the sun began rising, my worried thoughts resumed as well.

"Kokawa-!"

Blinking at the sound of my name, I slowly turned my head towards the bars of my cell. That voice sounded familiar…but there's no way Taicho would be screaming my name. He'd just casually stroll by whenever he felt better and could fit me in his busy schedule.

But sure enough, Ukitake-Taicho ran into view. His hands gipped tightly onto the bars, his knuckles turning even whiter than his normally pale skin. Taicho was wheezing, his deep brown eyes appearing frenzied.

"Ukitake-Taicho, what is it? Are you feeling well?" I questioned, sliding my feet down from the edge of the chair as I rose and walked over to him. "You look worn out. What's going on?"

My Taicho caught his breath, staring down into my eyes. "It's Kuchiki. They've moved up the time of her execution."

"What?!" I whispered, eyes widening in shock. "When is it?!"

"Noon," Ukitake answered. "Today."

"Today..?" I echoed, feeling a bit dizzy all of a sudden.

Today? Rukia was going to be executed today? That couldn't possibly be true… The higher ups must have continuously been pushing up her execution date. Worse yet: we were all in jail, for the most part.

"Why did you side with the Ryoka?"

I looked up, my eyes filled with inner turmoil. "We wanted to save Rukia. She doesn't deserve to be killed. She's our friend."

"Did anyone in your group kill Aizen-Taicho?" Ukitake questioned.

"Aizen…Taicho?" I questioned, shaking my head in disbelief. "No, not that I know of. I never even felt his reiatsu fluctuate against anyone else in our group. They couldn't have killed him."

The white haired Taicho breathed a sigh of relief; I could easily see his tense shoulders seem to relax. When his deep brown eyes met mine, I could feel myself relax, too. He now seemed so calm, so determined. Something in his gaze was different, I could tell. The grin on his face was a dead giveaway.

"Taicho?" I questioned, feeling my brows furrow.

"Kiyone! Sentaro!" He called, removing a hand from my cell to hold near his mouth to amplify his call.

Both Third Seats came running when their names were call, appearing and kneeling down before Ukitake. "Taicho!"

"Kiyone, I need you to find an extra Shihakusho that will fit Junko. Sentaro, I need for you to find the key and release her from this cell." The Taicho ordered, slightly smiling.

"W-What?" I questioned, raising my hands to grip onto the cool metal bars as I stared at the scene before me. "You're releasing me..? Why?"

"We're going to save Kuchiki."

• • •

Abarai Renji sheathed his Zanpakuto, stretching a bit before he tightened the hair tie that kept his crimson locks up and out of the way. After a long night of training, he had finally done it. He was ready to go and help save Rukia.

"So then…I'm off."

"…Yeah." Ichigo barely acknowledged, his grip tightening on the sword in his hands. The orange haired man had yet to beat his Zanpakuto spirit into submission, but he was close. He could feel it. Bankai wasn't too far away.

Renji's gaze fell from the orange haired Shinigami before walking towards the exit out of the underground training facility. Yoruichi was standing off to the side, watching for any signs of progress. The red haired man halted in his steps when he was beside the darker skinned woman, "Yoruichi-San… Will he really be able to make it?"

Yoruichi's golden gaze never faltered as she continued to watch Ichigo stand before his Zanpakuto spirit. "Don't worry. I'm not worried about him…"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking if he'll die or anything." Renji corrected. "But he's trained to that point already. Can he really achieve Bankai?"

"Who knows?" The cat-like woman offhandedly replied, crossing her arms as she watched the Zanpakuto spirit multiply, ready to charge towards Ichigo. She could almost feel Renji's face fault, so she continued. "Renji, do you remember the first time that you walked?"

The red pineapple blinked and furrowed his tattooed eyebrows at the question. "Huh? How can I possibly remember something like that?"

"If you don't, then you don't consciously know how to do it. If so, how are you still able to walk?" Yoruichi rhetorically questioned. "Every person knows how to walk after being born, just like birds knowing how to fly and fish knowing how to swim. It's instinct! Because they instinctively know their strength, they won't think twice before trying to acquire that strength when that time finally comes. Seeing Ichigo's determined face…it reminds me of instinct." Her eyes flashed as she thought back to how far he had grown since the training had begun. "I think he knows instinctively that he can acquire that power. Thus, I believe, that he was born with the ability to achieve Bankai!"

• • •

"Thanks again, Kotetsu-San-Seki." I said, expressing my gratitude for being out of the white prisoner's kimono. Even though I was in a normal Shihakusho, it still felt better than before. I was even surprised when the hakama fit perfectly, not even trailing on the ground. Of course, I did opt out of wearing the tabi socks, so I guess it wasn't entirely traditional; I even had my sash tied into the huge bow like before and the top loosened a bit.

"There's no reason to be so formal, Kokawa." The Third Seat gently admonished, shaking her head at me and causing her short dark blond hair to fly around. "Taicho requested that we help you, so we finally get to do so. You know I'd do anything for the Taicho!"

"Of course," I nodded, grinning. It was easy to tell that she had a huge crush on the white haired Taicho, even if he was probably more than double her age. "I know Ukitake-Taicho knows what he's doing. If he didn't already have a plan, then I'm sure he does now."

"Right!" Kotetsu Kiyone beamed. "Taicho has a plan! And we're finally going to be able to help Kuchiki Rukia, too!"

"Ah, there you are Junko!" Ukitake-Taicho sighed in relief once we walked towards his office.

Blinking, I bit my lip a bit. "Were you waiting on us, Ukitake-Taicho?"

"Yes, I was." The white haired man nodded, looking a bit more frantic now than before. "You're good at controlling your reiatsu and kido, correct?"

"Yes, sir!" I grinned, beaming up at him. "My highest grades were in kido. And I've always had a firm grip on controlling my reiatsu."

Ukitake released a huge sigh, probably in relief of some sort. "That's good to know. I'm going to need your help."

"Help?" I echoed, questioning him. "Help with what, exactly?"

"Kiyone, Sentaro, I want you two to stand guard outside my office. Make sure no one tries to enter, okay?" The Taicho questioned, turning away from me to face his two Third Seats. Both of the Third Seats then saluted, shoulders rigid as they took his order to heart and began to stand guard. "Junko, I'll need your help inside. If you would…"

Holding the door to the office open for me, I nodded and did as my Taicho instructed; I entered his office and stood off to the side as I waited for him to enter. My sharp eyes scanned the office, landing on a sealed chest in the center of the room.

"Shihoin..?" I whispered, my eyes widening in size as they traced the familiar family crest engraved into the wood of the crate.

"Oh, you know of the Shihoin family?" Ukitake questioned, sliding the door shut and walking towards the crate. "May I ask how?"

"Oh, um…" I hedged, adverting my eyes from his face for a second. "You can say that a member of that family was an acquaintance of mine."

"I see." My Taicho nodded, his lips twitching upwards in a small smile. "Well, what's in this box will help us save Kuchiki. With it, we can destroy the Sokyoku."

"Great!" I beamed, excitedly walking over towards the box. "Do you need me to help operate it or something? Like using a kido spell to use it?"

Ukitake shook his head, his long silver hair gently swaying. "Not exactly; that may be true, but then again, that may not be true. I need your help breaking the seal to this box. Only when the seal is broken can we use this to destroy the Sokyoku."

Nodding, I jogged around to the other side of the large crate. Standing directly across from Ukitake-Taicho, I nodded once more towards him. "I'm ready, Taicho!"

"Let's do our best!"