He wiped some sweat from his brow with the sleeve of his shirt as he sat under the shade of a tree, the little girl sat next to him, cuddling up close to his body even in the heat. He placed a hand gently on the top of her head and smiled as he remarked, "aren't you a little cuddle bug."

"I'm happy," she replied as she leaned up against him.

"Happy because we're traveling together?"

She shook her head 'no' and explained, "happy because I'm safe with you, Neji."

The admission caused him to feel as if someone had squeezed his heart. No child should feel unsafe around adults, the thought of that caused him to feel guilty about not being in the 77th East Rukongai district sooner.

He kept his face from showing any hints of the emotional distress that revolation had brought him however as he gently placed a protective arm around her and confirmed, "that's right you are. As long as I'm around, you won't have to fear anything happening to you, Suzume."

"Mmhmm, the three weeks are the happiest I've been," she concluded.

He glanced around and realized that soon winter would be upon them. He noted that the leaves were beginning to change from green to various hues of autumn. Brown, orange, yellow and red were peppered through the green of the tree they were resting under. He could recall that didn't usually enjoy autumn too much some days were ridiculously hot and the next day it could be devastatingly cold. Yet for some reason he found himself smiling at the colours of autumn right now. He closed his eyes, contented by the presence of his little sister and the leaves above them. He hadn't drifted off before he was alerted to a potential danger that came in the form of a question, "Hello little one, where's your mommy?"

The question gained his immediate attention, but he didn't open his eyes just then. He envisioned his internal energy branching out and got a sense of where the person was. They were crouched down in front of Suzume, and he was curious to see what this person was about to do.

"I'm with my big brother," Suzume answered.

"I was asking about your mother," the voice repeated. It was feminine, but there was a bit of harshness to the tone as if trying to assess if he was a threat to the child.

"I said I'm with my brother," Suzume repeated.

As the woman attempted to repeat the question again and he felt Suzume curl up close to him, Neji had enough of the scenario. He reached out and grasped the woman's wrist. His eyes shot open and he saw that she had indeed been reaching for the girl.

"She said she's with me. She's safe. That's all you need to concern yourself with. Thank you for taking an interest in the safety of children here, but this is one you don't need to worry about," he informed her.

The woman he could now discern had dark blonde hair and grey eyes, she was petite, and appeared to be wearing a uniform similar to the one he remembered the amber eyed woman wearing, only the blonde's had long hakama and long sleeves on the shirt, she had the collar of a white shirt protruding over her top and white gloves, there was a badge affixed over her left arm, which held the kanji four the number four.

Neji's eyes narrowed as he grimaced a little, retracting his hand from her to hold his head.

The woman's eyes widened as she inquired, "are you alright?"

After a moment he panted, the episode passing while Suzume was on her knees, regarding him stoically as she commented, "you remembered something again, didn't you?"

Neji nodded his head slowly as he regarded the woman again. He smiled as he revealed, "it makes sense now. Why you were so concerned. You're a Shinigami, a Vice-Captain, or some prefer Lieutenant. From that badge, you're from the fourth division."

The woman's eyes were now the size of saucers while her jaw dropped but she quickly regained her composure as she inquired, "and how do you know about that?"

"I'm not certain. I get these flashes. I have since I woke up here, they almost seem to be of another life—there's a woman, with medium length chestnut hair and amber eyes. She wears a uniform similar to your own but with a deep blue robe over it. Her uniform is different too, it's sleeveless, she has a red obi, and a shortened hakama. It kind of resembles a dress more than hakama," he explained.

'He's recalling his past life? That's unheard of! What's more, what he's recalling is accurate. More and more it seems as if Mayuri may be right in his theory regarding Chiaki's condition,' she realized. She let out a sigh and revealed, "and I can guess your name: Neji Hyuga."

Suzume stiffened while his eyes to widened in shock as he replied, "yes. That is who I am."

"The Head-Captain has been sending people out to look for you. Your eyes make you quite distinctive," she revealed as she stood up from her spot.

"Will you come with me willingly?"

"I'm curious as to why your Head-Captain is looking for me," Neji admitted.

"That's best explained in the Seireitei," she replied as she kept her gaze on him. Suzume clutched Neji's arm, and held him close to her. Neji turned his gaze to the child and offered her a reassuring smile as he told her, "it's alright."

Suzume shook her head from side to side before looking back at the dark blonde woman and pointing out, "you know his name. You never gave yours."

At this the woman stiffened in shame and remorse washed over her as she replied, "Oh that was rude of me. But he is right about my rank. I'm fourth division Lieutenant Kiyone Kotetsu. The woman he described, Chiaki, she's—in an unusual condition. We've been seeking him out because our twelfth division may be able to run some tests and gain answers."

That name 'Chiaki' certainly did sound familiar. He glanced at Kiyone and asked one question,"Is she alright? I mean is she sick or – what happened to her?"

"I'm afraid I'm not authorized to say more than I have," the Lieutenant revealed. At that moment a man appeared next to her. He had black hair with purple highlights, and violet eyes. He had feather adornments on either side of his head and his hair reached just slightly past his shoulders. He had a standard Shinigami uniform with a white cape which extended from his right shoulder and covered the entirety of his left arm and fastened at the front with a single button. He held a scrutinizing gaze on Neji momentarily before stating, "yes. This is indeed the culprit."

Neji blinked at the wording and stammered, "c-cul-culprit? What did I do?"

"Oh so you remember about what she looks like but not what you did? How convenient for you! It's certainly not good for her though," The darker haired man retorted with a disapproving click of his tongue.

"I wonder what she found so interesting about someone as hideous as you. Those white eyes. They don't even look human to me," he continued.

"Enough Ayasegawa, I understand that you mentored Chiaki in her swordsmanship but that doesn't give you the right to come down on him like this," Kiyone reprimanded him.

"Hmm, I suppose you're right. Although this entire situation is quite ugly, I'll try to refrain from making it even more grotesque," Yumichika relented.

Neji relaxed a bit, realizing that the one called Yumichika was likely saying such things about him because he was concerned for Chiaki and covering it with anger. He'd do the same in his place. He glanced to Suzume and advised them, "I won't go anywhere she can't go. She has no one else."

"That's alright, we can play spinning tops while you're being tested at the twelfth, that sound okay – uhh-" Kiyone offered, but faltered when she realized she hadn't even heard the girl's name yet.

"Suzume Hyuga," the girl introduced herself. Neji couldn't fight the smile that spread across his lips. He hadn't given her his surname, but he was willing to share it with her.